scholarly journals Big Data, Big Changes? A Survey of K-12 Science Teachers in the United States on Which Data Sources and Tools They Use in the Classroom

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Rosenberg ◽  
Elizabeth Schultheis ◽  
Melissa Kjelvik ◽  
Aaron Reedy ◽  
Omiya Sultana
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Small Data ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Practices ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
K 12

The tools that scientists and engineers analyze data are changing—and at the same time, science education standards have shifted to focus on science practices that articulate multiple ways for teachers to support students to make sense of data in science classrooms. Moreover, the types of data and technologies available to teachers and students to support their work with data have advanced. While these changes and features point to the importance of data, practices that relate to data, and the roles of technology, little research has offered a portrait of what teachers presently use. We report on findings from a survey conducted in the United States of 330 science teachers on the data sources, practices, and technologies common to their classroom. We found that teachers predominantly involve their students in analyzing relatively small data sets that they collect. In support of this work, teachers tend to use the technologies that are available to them—namely, calculators and spreadsheets. We discuss what these findings suggest for practice, research, and policy, with an emphasis on supporting teachers based on their needs.

Strange Fruit Indeed: Interrogating Contemporary Textbook Representations of Racial Violence toward African Americans

2010 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony L. Brown ◽  
Keffrelyn D. Brown
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Critical Race Theory ◽  
Cultural Memory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Violence ◽  
Race And Racism ◽  
Social Studies Textbooks ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
K 12

Background/Context Recent racial incidents on college and high school campuses throughout the United States have catalyzed a growing conversation around issues of race and racism. These conversations exist alongside ongoing concerns about the lack of attention given to race and racism in the official school curriculum. Given that the field of education is generally located as a space to interrogate why these difficult issues of race in schools and society still persist, this study illustrates how contemporary official school knowledge addresses historical and contemporary issues of race and racism. To do this, we examine how historic acts of racial violence directed toward African Americans are rendered in K–12 school textbooks. Using the theoretical lenses of critical race theory and cultural memory, we explicate how historic acts of racial violence toward African Americans receives minimal and/or distorted attention in most K–12 texts. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study We examined the knowledge constructed about racial violence and African Americans in the United States. Using the theoretical lenses of critical race theory and cultural memory, we show how the topic of historic acts of racial violence toward African Americans receives minimal and/or distorted attention in most K–12 texts. The purpose of this study is to illustrate that although accounts of racial violence that historically have been excluded from textbooks are now being included, this inclusion matters little if it is presented in a manner that disavows material implications of racial violence on sustained White privilege and entrenched African American inequities. Research Design The findings from this study come from a textbook analysis of 19 recent U.S. history social studies textbooks adopted by the state of Texas. Drawing from the tradition of recent critical textbook studies, this study used a literary analysis methodology. Findings/Results In this study, we found that although narratives of racial violence were present throughout the texts, they often rendered acts of violence as the immorality of single actors or “bad men doing bad things.” Additionally, these presentations portray violence as disconnected from the institutional and structural ties that supported and benefited from such acts. Conclusions/Recommendations The findings from this study illustrate the limited historical and sociocultural knowledge about race and racism provided to teachers and students through K–12 social studies textbooks. These findings have direct implications for how teachers and students conceptualize and grapple with real issues of race and racism in schools and society. We suggest that the knowledge contained in school texts must go beyond simply representing acts of racism, situating such acts of racism within the discursive and material realities that have shaped the lives of African Americans in the United States.

Revisiting the “Decline” in Asian American and Pacific Islander Teachers

2021 ◽  
pp. 089590482110125
Author(s):  
North Cooc ◽  
Grace MyHyun Kim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asian American ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Pacific Islander ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
K 12

More than two decades since the first study to document the shortage of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) teachers, this paper examines recent trends and factors related to AAPI teacher career choice using the American Community Survey 2013-2017. The results show a continued underrepresentation of AAPI teachers relative to AAPI students at the local and national levels, a pattern similar to Black and Hispanic teachers and students. AAPIs born in the United States with reported higher levels of English proficiency are also more likely to become teachers than AAPIs not born in the United States or those with reported lower levels of English proficiency. The study has implications for attracting and supporting AAPIs from immigrant and linguistically diverse backgrounds into K-12 teaching.

scholarly journals Leftists Possess More National Consensus in Europe in One of Two Data Sets

2021 ◽  
pp. 194855062110418
Author(s):  
Mark J. Brandt ◽  
Anthony Aron ◽  
Megan Parker ◽  
Cristina Rodas ◽  
Megan Shaffer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
American Politics ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
European Social Survey ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Social Survey ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The U.S

A regularity in the U.S. American politics is that liberals have more policy consensus than do conservatives, and both ideological groups have more consensus than moderates. One explanation for this is that conservatives’ local conformity paradoxically results in less consensus than liberals at the national level. If so, then the liberal consensus effect should also be observed in other countries. We test this using data from Europe. In the European Social Survey (country N = 38, participant N = 376,129), we find that on average leftists have more consensus than do rightists; however, we do not find this using the Eurobarometer (country N = 18, participant N = 375,830). In both data sources, we also observe variation in ideological differences between countries. These results suggest that there is a liberal/leftist consensus effect on average, that can be found in Europe and the United States, but there are also exceptions.

Acceptance, Understanding & Experience: Exploring Obstacles to Evolution Education among Advanced Placement Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Glaze ◽  
Jenice Goldston
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Advanced Placement ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
College Level ◽  
Biology Teachers ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Preservice Science Teachers ◽  
K 12

Students in the United States who wish to begin early enrollment in college-level coursework often turn to Advanced Placement (AP) secondary coursework such as AP Biology as an accelerated option. As such, it is expected that those teachers who are responsible for the AP Biology courses hold an advanced level of subject-area expertise that extends to topics that are often seen as controversial in K–12 classrooms, including evolution. We surveyed 71 AP Biology teachers in a state in the southeastern United States to see how their levels of evolution content knowledge, evolution acceptance, and understandings of the nature of science compared to results that have been found in similar studies in general biology teachers and preservice science teachers. Our results indicate that AP Biology teachers in the Southeast have understandings and levels of acceptance regarding evolution that are in line with or lower than those of fellow teachers. This suggests that in spite of the nationalized AP curriculum, there are still gaps in fundamental knowledge, understandings, and approach that need to be addressed.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Employment Issues in the United States

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 58-69
Author(s):  
Marlene Kim
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Pacific Islanders ◽  
Native Hawaiians ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
Unemployment Rates

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the United States face problems of discrimination, the glass ceiling, and very high long-term unemployment rates. As a diverse population, although some Asian Americans are more successful than average, others, like those from Southeast Asia and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs), work in low-paying jobs and suffer from high poverty rates, high unemployment rates, and low earnings. Collecting more detailed and additional data from employers, oversampling AAPIs in current data sets, making administrative data available to researchers, providing more resources for research on AAPIs, and enforcing nondiscrimination laws and affirmative action mandates would assist this population.

Medication Administration Practices in United States’ Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis

2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110263
Author(s):  
Ashley A. Lowe ◽  
Joe K. Gerald ◽  
Conrad Clemens ◽  
Cherie Gaither ◽  
Lynn B. Gerald
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Level Of Training ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Keyword Searches

Schools often provide medication management to children at school, yet, most U.S. schools lack a full-time, licensed nurse. Schools rely heavily on unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to perform such tasks. This systematic review examined medication management among K-12 school nurses. Keyword searches in three databases were performed. We included studies that examined: (a) K-12 charter, private/parochial, or public schools, (b) UAPs and licensed nurses, (c) policies and practices for medication management, or (d) nurse delegation laws. Three concepts were synthesized: (a) level of training, (b) nurse delegation, and (c) emergency medications. One-hundred twelve articles were screened. Of these, 37.5% (42/112) were comprehensively reviewed. Eighty-one percent discussed level of training, 69% nurse delegation, and 57% emergency medications. Succinct and consistent policies within and across the United States aimed at increasing access to emergency medications in schools remain necessary.

scholarly journals Attracting and Retaining Global Talent: International Graduate Students in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (93) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Rajika Bhandari
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Current Status ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
The U.S

In light of current developments in in-bound international student flows to the U.S., this articleuses multiple recent data sources to examine the appeal of the U.S. as a destination forinternational graduate students, as well as the current status of international graduate enrollmentin the U.S.

scholarly journals The Teacher Technology Integration Experience: Practice and Reflection in the Classroom

10.28945/2227 ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 161-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Ruggiero ◽  
Christopher J. Mong
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
United States ◽  
Technology Integration ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Teaching Style ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Full Time ◽  
K 12

Previous studies indicated that the technology integration practices of teachers in the classroom often did not match their teaching styles. Researchers concluded that this was due, at least partially, to external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that matched their practiced teaching style. Many of these barriers, such as professional support and access to hardware and software, have been largely diminished over the last twenty years due to an influx of money and strategies for enhancing technology in primary and secondary schools in the United States. This mixed-methods research study was designed to examine the question, “What technology do teachers use and how do they use that technology to facilitate student learning?” K-12 classroom teachers were purposefully selected based on their full-time employment in a public, private, or religious school in a Midwestern state in the United States, supported by the endorsement of a school official. There were 1048 teachers from over 100 school corporations who completed an online survey consisting of six questions about classroom technology tools and professional development involving technology. Survey results suggest that technology integration is pervasive in the classroom with the most often used technology tool identified as PowerPoint. Moreover, teachers identified that training about technology is most effective when it is contextually based in their own classroom. Follow-up interviews were conducted with ten percent (n=111) of the teachers in order to examine the relationship between teachers’ daily classroom use of technology and their pedagogical practices. Results suggest a close relationship; for example, teachers with student-centric technology activities were supported by student-centric pedagogical practices in other areas. Moreover, teachers with strongly student-centered practices tended to exhibit a more pronounced need to create learning opportunities with technology as a base for enhancing 21st century skills in students. Teachers indicated that external barriers do exist that impact technology integration, such as a lack of in-service training, a lack of available technology, and restricted curriculum, but that overcoming internal barriers, including personal investment in technology, attitude towards technology, and peer support, were a bigger indicator of success. Recommendations are made for restructuring professional development on strategies for contextualizing technology integration in the classroom.

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