Teacher Absenteeism in Urban Schools

School reform efforts aimed at promoting equity and excellence at urban school settings are heavily dependent upon the quality of teaching personnel that are used to deliver the instructional program. Social Justice and other public policy issues related to equity and excellence at urban schools have begun to examine the impact that teacher absenteeism, and by extension the reliance on substitute teachers to deliver instructional might have on educational attainment. This study combines school district data gathering mechanisms on teacher absence rates at school sites with Geographical Information Systems (G.I.S.) to map the association between a school's geographical environmental space and the propensity for teacher absence. The disparity between teaching resources as delivered by the school district vs. teacher resources as actually received by students in the classroom via teacher absenteeism is examined in the context of schools located in positive (high income) and negative (low income) geographical space. The study concludes that there is a strong association between the geographical quality of the school site setting, teacher absenteeism, and the reliance on substitute teachers to deliver instructional programs. Disparity in teacher absenteeism rates across large urban geographical areas threatens the promotion of equity and excellence in the schools by attenuating or lessening the effect of school resources to support instruction and amplifying the risk factors of students in the classroom.

Download Full-text

Effects of Site-Based Management on the Instructional Program

Journal of School Leadership ◽

10.1177/105268469400400304 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 311-329 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Martha N. Ovando

Keyword(s):

School Districts ◽

Staff Development ◽

Curriculum And Instruction ◽

Formative Evaluation ◽

Instructional Program ◽

Management Approach ◽

Site Based Management ◽

Teachers And Parents ◽

The Impact

Given the apparent mixed results reported by previous studies (David, 1989; Hellinger, Murphy and Hausman, 1992; Jenni and Mauriel, 1990; Malen, Ogawa, and Kranz, 1990), this exploratory study attempted to examine the extent to which schools using a site-based management approach were engaged in decision making associated with curriculum and instruction, what roles teachers were playing, and what strategies were employed to assure the quality of the instructional program. It was conducted following a qualitative approach in order to understand respondents’ perspectives (Patton, 1990). Data were collected by means of extensive interviews with board members, district office personnel, principals, teachers, and parents from six school districts. These school districts were selected based on their reputation for having adopted a decentralized approach to school management. The findings of this study suggest that the participating schools are progressively addressing curriculum and instruction themes as they are developmentally ready. It was found that whereas schools have considerable freedom, school districts are providing “curriculum framework and guidelines” to assure an overall direction for the school district. Teachers are engaging in a variety of “non-teaching” roles as they introduce curriculum and instruction changes. Schools are using different strategies to maintain the quality of the instructional program, with staff development being the most common strategy. Needs assessment, campus planning, formative evaluation, and summative evaluation are other strategies used by these schools. Apparently, site-based management schools are making progress in addressing curriculum and instruction to meet their students’ needs; however, there is a need to study further how curriculum and instruction changes affect student academic achievement. Additionally, the impact of the changing roles of teachers on their teaching performance and on instruction should be studied.

Download Full-text

Services in a Rural High Wealth and Low Wealth School District

Rural Special Education Quarterly ◽

10.1177/875687050001900103 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 9-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gary Johnson ◽

G. Franklin Elrod ◽

Debbie C. Davis ◽

Jean C. Smith

Keyword(s):

Special Education ◽

School District ◽

Teaching Experience ◽

Rural School Districts ◽

Demographic Profiles ◽

District Wealth ◽

Education Personnel ◽

The Impact ◽

Special Education Personnel

Using a comparative analysis of two rural school districts with similar demographic profiles in Mississippi, the impact on special education programming of disparate school district wealth was studied. The study revealed that the wealthy school district had far greater local revenues supporting special education that was not offset by either state or federal dollars. This revenue difference was most obvious in differences in the quality of special education personnel, with the wealthier district employing teachers with higher academic degrees and with more teaching experience. Implications for resource equalization are also discussed.

Download Full-text

Two Replication Studies of the Relationships between Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching, Mathematical Quality of Instruction, and Student Achievement

Implementation and Replication Studies in Mathematics Education ◽

10.1163/26670127-01010007 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-35

Author(s):

Kathleen Melhuish ◽

Alexander White ◽

M. Alejandra Sorto ◽

Eva Thanheiser

Keyword(s):

School District ◽

Mathematical Knowledge ◽

Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching ◽

Quality Of Instruction ◽

Knowledge For Teaching ◽

Share Data ◽

Mathematical Quality Of Instruction ◽

Mathematical Quality ◽

The Impact

Abstract In this paper, we share two conceptual replications of Hill et al.’s (2012c) study linking Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), Mathematical Quality of Instruction (MQI), and student assessment scores. In study 1, we share data from 4th and 5th grade teachers in an urban school district. In study 2, we share data from middle school teachers in a school district with a relatively high proportion of emergent bilingual students. By varying contexts, we found that Hill et al.’s (2012c) suggested use of the MKT cutoff points was not warranted in our differing settings. Further, we found some significant relationships between MKT, MQI, and student assessments; however, we were not able to reproduce these consistently with our data. We suggest that the relationship between teaching practice and MKT may be quite sensitive to contextual factors including grade level, demographics, school effects, and assessments. We recommend that policymakers and researchers take caution when using such instruments to evaluate program initiatives and identify teachers for remediation or leadership positions. The impact sheet to this article can be accessed at 10.6084/m9.figshare.16610080.

Download Full-text

The Economics of a Four-Day School Week: Community and Business Leaders’ Perspectives

Applied Economics and Finance ◽

10.11114/aef.v5i2.2947 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 168

Author(s):

Jon Scott Turner ◽

Kim Finch ◽

Ximena Uribe-Zarain

Keyword(s):

School District ◽

Rural Communities ◽

Economic Impact ◽

The United States ◽

Local Economy ◽

Business Leaders ◽

Day School ◽

School Week ◽

The Impact

The four-day school week is a concept that has been utilized in rural schools in the United States for decades and the number of schools moving to the four-day school week is growing. In many rural communities, the school district is the largest regional employer which provides a region with permanent, high paying jobs that support the local economy. This study collects data from 71 community and business leaders in three rural school districts that have transitioned to the four-day school week within the last year. Quantitative statistical analysis is used to investigate the perceptions of community and business leaders related to the economic impact upon their businesses and the community and the impact the four-day school week has had upon perception of quality of the school district. Significant differences were identified between community/business leaders that currently have no children in school as compared to community/business leaders with children currently enrolled in four-day school week schools. Overall, community/business leaders were evenly divided concerning the economic impact on their businesses and the community. Community/business leaders’ perceptions of the impact the four-day school week was also evenly divided concerning the impact on the quality of the school district. Slightly more negative opinions were identified related to the economic impact on the profitability of their personal businesses which may impact considerations by school leaders. Overall, community/business leaders were evenly divided when asked if they would prefer their school district return to the traditional five-day week school calendar.

Download Full-text

Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2020_ajslp-20-00055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 2097-2108

Author(s):

Robyn L. Croft ◽

Courtney T. Byrd

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

The Self ◽

Future Research ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Adults Who Stutter ◽

And Gender ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

Download Full-text

Surgery for Lung Cancer and the Consequences for the Swallow

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp1.sig13.162 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (13) ◽

pp. 162-168

Author(s):

Pippa Hales ◽

Corinne Mossey-Gaston

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Vocal Cord Palsy ◽

Subsequent Treatment ◽

Physiological Reserve ◽

Palliative Phase ◽

And Function ◽

The Impact ◽

Swallow Function

Lung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers across Northern America and Europe. Treatment options offered are dependent on the type of cancer, the location of the tumor, the staging, and the overall health of the person. When surgery for lung cancer is offered, difficulty swallowing is a potential complication that can have several influencing factors. Surgical interaction with the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) can lead to unilateral vocal cord palsy, altering swallow function and safety. Understanding whether the RLN has been preserved, damaged, or sacrificed is integral to understanding the effect on the swallow and the subsequent treatment options available. There is also the risk of post-surgical reduction of physiological reserve, which can reduce the strength and function of the swallow in addition to any surgery specific complications. As lung cancer has a limited prognosis, the clinician must also factor in the palliative phase, as this can further increase the burden of an already compromised swallow. By understanding the surgery and the implications this may have for the swallow, there is the potential to reduce the impact of post-surgical complications and so improve quality of life (QOL) for people with lung cancer.

Download Full-text