Kindergarten in a Large Urban District

2021 ◽  
pp. 0013189X2110415
Author(s):  
Mimi Engel ◽  
Robin Jacob ◽  
Amy Claessens ◽  
Anna Erickson
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Instructional Time ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Reading And Mathematics

Using data from 82 classroom observations conducted in a large urban school district, we explore how kindergartners spend their time in general and across schools serving children from lower and higher income households. Consistent with prior research, we find that kindergartners spend the majority of instructional time on reading and mathematics, with little time devoted to other subjects. On average, 2.5 hours are spent on noninstructional activities such as transitions. Kindergartners in lower income schools spend more time on reading and mathematics and experience more noninstructional time. They also spend substantially less time being physically active and have fewer opportunities to choose their own activities than their peers in higher income schools.

School leaders' preferences for teacher applicant characteristics in a large urban school district

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Kyle Ingle ◽  
Namok Choi ◽  
Marco A. Munoz
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference

PurposeWe surveyed educational leaders in a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States, examining: (1) the factor structure of scores from a new measure of administrators' preferred teacher applicant characteristics, and (2) the relationships between administrator demographics and their preferences.Design/methodology/approachWe implemented a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design using the Preferred Teacher Applicant Characteristics Survey (PTACS). We undertook descriptive and exploratory factor analyses in order to examine dimensions and underlying patterns among the 31 survey items. The retained factors served as the dependent variables in our multiple regression analyses.FindingsWe identified a four-factor structure: (1) personal, (2) professional, (3) student outcomes, and (4) demographics. Our analyses suggest that there was not meaningful variability in administrators' preferred characteristics of applicants across racial and gender variables, but revealed a significant difference between principals and assistant principals for applicant demographics.Research limitations/implicationsOur findings are limited in their generalizability to the respondents from a single urban district who completed our survey in spring 2018. Although we cannot establish causation, the significant difference between principals and assistant principals for demographics may result from principals feeling greater pressure from district targets to hire diverse staff than their assistant principal counterparts. It is important to note that preferences for teacher applicant characteristics are different from actual hiring decisions and the availability of preferred characteristics.Originality/valueOur study is the first large-scale use of the instrument in a large US urban school district, a context, which poses significant challenges to the education of youth as well as the hiring and retention of educators.

The Predictive Validity of Classroom Observations: Do Teachers’ Framework for Teaching Scores Predict Kindergarteners’ Achievement and Motivation?

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 2021-2058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Patrick ◽  
Panayota Mantzicopoulos ◽  
Brian F. French
Keyword(s):  
Mathematics Achievement ◽  
Multilevel Analysis ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Kindergarten Teachers ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Framework For Teaching ◽  
Criterion Referenced ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Reading And Mathematics

We used multilevel analysis to examine the predictive validity of scores from the Framework for Teaching (FFT), the observation measure used most often to evaluate teachers’ instruction. We investigated how well 81 kindergarten teachers’ FFT scores for eight reading and eight mathematics lessons observed throughout the year predicted students’ year-end achievement and motivation in reading and mathematics, controlling for students’ sex, ethnicity, and achievement entering kindergarten. Standardized reading and mathematics achievement were each predicted by FFT scores; however, they accounted for very little of the overall variance in students’ achievement: 2.5% for reading and 1.3% for mathematics. Neither students’ end-of-year criterion-referenced achievement nor motivation were predicted by FFT scores.

Communicating Evaluation Findings: The Use of a Chart Essay

1990 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kathryn Jones ◽  
Napoleon Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Independent School ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Independent School District

In 1989 and 1990, the research and evaluation department in the Dallas, Texas Independent School District (DISD) pioneered the use in a large, urban school district of a policy-oriented report—the chart essay—instead of a methods-oriented report to communicate findings. That experience and resulting changes in the department are documented. Limitations of the methods-oriented report and recommendations for enhancing utilization are reviewed. A definition and a description of the steps in designing, conducting, and presenting information in a chart essay are presented. Training information about the philosophy and the techniques of the chart essay is provided. Local (DISD) reactions and identification of implications of using this process in a large urban district conclude the study.

scholarly journals Comparison of the enrollment percentages of magnet and non-magnet schools in a large urban school district.

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Emily Arcia
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School District ◽  
Educational Outcomes ◽  
Magnet Schools ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Student Enrollment ◽  
Dade County ◽  
Urban District ◽  
Time Points

Are magnet schools in a position to meet diversity ideals? As districts are declared unitary and released from court ordered desegregation, many are framing their commitments to fairness and equity in terms of diversity˜i.e., comparable rates of participation and comparable educational outcomes in all segments the student population. In this study, the enrollment statistics for magnet and contiguous non-magnet public schools in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, a large, urban district that had been released from court ordered desegregation, were compared to each other and to district enrollment averages at two time points: the year the district was declared unitary and four years hence. Findings indicated that within four years of being declared unitary, the gains that the magnet schools had made with regards to Black/non-Black desegregation had eroded substantially. Also, in the four year span, magnet schools had not made significant strides in meeting the diversity ideals adopted by the district at being released from supervision by the court. These findings highlight the difficulty of attaining diversity in student enrollment characteristics when quotas are not used and suggest that recruitment and enrollment policies must be crafted with care if districts are to achieve diversity goals.

Opportunities for School Garden-Based Health Education in a Lower-Income, Diverse, Urban School District

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-266
Author(s):  
Anna E. Greer ◽  
Kristin Rainville ◽  
Ann Knausenberger ◽  
Cristina Sandolo
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
School Garden

scholarly journals The Big Problem With Little Interruptions to Classroom Learning

AERA Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233285842110288
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Kraft ◽  
Manuel Monti-Nussbaum
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School District ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Original Data ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Instructional Time ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Public School District ◽  
Student Tardiness

Narrative accounts of classroom instruction suggest that external interruptions, such as intercom announcements and visits from staff, are a regular occurrence in U.S. public schools. We study the frequency, nature, duration, and consequences of external interruptions in the Providence Public School District (PPSD) using original data from a district-wide survey and classroom observations. We estimate that a typical classroom in the PPSD is interrupted more than 2,000 times per year and that these interruptions and the disruptions they cause result in the loss of between 10 and 20 days of instructional time. Several findings suggest that there exists substantial scope for reducing interruptions. Administrators appear to systematically underestimate the frequency and negative consequences of interruptions. Furthermore, interruptions vary widely across schools and are largely caused by school staff. Schools might reduce disruptions to the learning environment by creating a culture that prioritizes instructional time, instituting better communication protocols, and addressing the challenges posed by student tardiness.

scholarly journals Trends in mathematics and science performance in 18 countries: Multiple regression analysis of the cohort effects of TIMSS 1995-2007

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee Kyung Hong
Keyword(s):  
Science Achievement ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Instructional Time ◽  
Strong Indicator ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
Using Data ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Science Performance ◽  
Mathematics And Science

The purpose of this study was to simultaneously examine relationships between teacher quality and instructional time and mathematics and science achievement of 8th grade cohorts in 18 advanced and developing economies. In addition, the study examined changes in mathematics and science performance across the two groups of economies over time using data from the TIMSS 1995-2007 assessments. While economy did not account for variation in mathematics and science achievement, findings from regression analyses indicated significant relationships between school inputs and achievement in both groups of countries across the years. Teaching experience was a strong indicator of mathematics performance in developing countries, while instructional time was mildly related to achievement in both subjects in advanced economies.

Public School Voice Clinics, Part I

1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
Sandra Q. Miller ◽  
Charles L. Madison
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School District ◽  
Voice Disorders ◽  
Urban School ◽  
Urban School District ◽  
Local School District ◽  
Local School ◽  
Perceived Need ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Voice Problem

The purpose of this article is to show how one urban school district dealt with a perceived need to improve its effectiveness in diagnosing and treating voice disorders. The local school district established semiannual voice clinics. Students aged 5-18 were referred, screened, and selected for the clinics if they appeared to have a chronic voice problem. The specific procedures used in setting up the voice clinics and the subsequent changes made over a 10-year period are presented.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document