17,396 research outputs found

    A Developmental Perspective on College & Workplace Readiness

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    Reviews research on and identifies the physical, psychological, social, cognitive, and spiritual competencies high school graduates need to transition into college, the workplace, and adulthood. Includes strategies for meeting disadvantaged youths' needs

    UNLV College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

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    Each morning I wound my way up the steep hill along the deeply rutted dirt path, exchanging daily maaa\u27s with five bleating sheep and shouting out, ¡Hola! in response to the children who gleefully identified me as ¡Gringa! Women and children, colorful bowls of cooked maize balanced atop their heads, sauntered to and from Maria Elena\u27s where their maize would be ground; at home the dough would be shaped and flattened into tortillas, the mainstay of every meal in the small Guatemalan village of San Juan

    Promising Practices and Unfinished Business: Fostering Equity and Excellence for Black and Latino Males

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    Boston Public Schools (BPS) commissioned companion studies as part of its efforts to address achievement gaps for Black and Latino males. The first study revealed the increasing diversity of Black and Latino males and stark opportunity gaps throughout the system that contribute in large part to wide attainment gaps for these students. We hypothesized that in schools doing comparatively better with Black or Latino males than their counterparts, educators would be strategically and comprehensively implementing evidence-based cultural, structural, and instructional practices tailored to meet their the needs and aspirations of these students. Through qualitative case studies of four schools, we identified several cross-cutting themes that provide the district and school leaders with some positive news about effective practices found in all good schools: strong school cultures, professional collaboration, differentiated instruction, and, in the elementary schools, family engagement. While we observed pockets of best practices specific to Black and Latino male education, we also brought to light unfinished business, in that none of the four case study schools had an intentional and comprehensive schoolwide approach to educating Black and Latino males. This lack of intentionality resulted in a paucity of evidence that the school administration and faculty as a whole: (a) know and value students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds; (b) adopt explicit and responsive approaches to race and gender; and (c) develop and implement a comprehensive approach to culturally responsive curriculum and instruction. We posit that lack of knowledge, intentionality, and coherence impedes further progress in educating Black and Latino males, and has implications for educators in schools, for staff members in community partner organizations, and for family members of BPS students

    A Counselor Educator Situates Two Seminal Studies in the Cultural Values and Underrepresentation Literature 30 Years Later

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    Emerging themes in an interview-based qualitative study of dominant-culture teachers’ beliefs about giftedness in the late 1900s reflected that behavior, verbal assertiveness, family status, a strong work ethic, and social skills mattered most. In a similar study in five culturally and linguistic diverse (CLD) communities at that time, themes differed from community to community, and collectively from the teachers\u27. Findings are pertinent to the underrepresentation of CLD students in gifted-education programs currently because teachers continue to be gatekeepers when asked to refer students for programs and what they value matters. The research approach is also of interest. The methods used in these studies were effective for exploring teachers’ ad hoc rationale when nominating students for special programs, and the findings provoke thought about why underrepresentation remains so intractable. Current implications for educators involve policy, philosophy, selection and programming

    The Curious Case of Care and Restorative Justice in the U.S. Context

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    The Revolution Begins at 3pm: A Qualitative Study of a Statewide 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program

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    ABSTRACT THE REVOLUTION BEGINS AT 3PM: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF A STATEWIDE 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS PROGRAM by Corrie L. Davis The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers and staff members demonstrated caring toward their students within a statewide 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) afterschool program. The participants in the study included 17 program directors, 22 site coordinators, 16 teachers, 3 paraprofessionals, 11 parents, 11 principals, and 18 other stakeholders associated with the program. This multi-site case study utilized the naturalistic paradigm of qualitative research. The data collection process included 98 semi-structured interviews, 22 participant observations, 112 photographs, and document analyses with materials from the 20 grantees selected in the sample. The qualitative software program, Atlas.ti: The Knowledge Workbench (2003) assisted with the management and analysis of data during the coding, categorizing, and interpretation process. Findings from the study revealed 3 central themes: (a) staff members that care about the whole child educate the whole child, (b) using culture as an asset increases students’ desire to learn and (c) building character promotes positive change. By incorporating these attributes, the program’s staff demonstrated their commitment to the academic and democratic advancement of the students in their care. This study will help inform policy makers, afterschool advocates, and 21st CCLC stakeholders about the importance of incorporating caring, culturally relevant pedagogy, and character education within local and national afterschool programs

    Having their say: Parents of high-achieving African American elementary students talk about the home-school relationship

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    Having Their Say: Parents of High-Achieving African American Elementary Students Talk About the Home-School Relationship describes a qualitative research study that explored parents\u27 perceptions of their role in education and how these perceptions translate into specific parent involvement practices both at home and at school. It also identifies the concerns that African American parents have about their children\u27s schooling and offers their suggestions for improvement; Twelve parents of African American students identified as high-achieving and of varying socioeconomic levels participated in either a focus group discussion or in an individual in-depth interview about parent involvement in education. Epstein\u27s theoretical model of overlapping spheres of influence and typology of parent involvement practices were used as the bases for formulating the questioning route; Interview data revealed that parent participants were able to distinguish between the responsibilities of families and the responsibilities of schools in the education of children but also recognized that families and schools must work together to insure student success. Parents perceived their responsibilities as teaching their children the value of education, instilling a strong work ethic, and supporting learning at home. Parents reported that the school\u27s primary responsibility is to teach students the content and skills appropriate for each grade level and to use a variety of instructional approaches; In describing their parent involvement practices, parents reported being actively involved in three types of activities: (1) communicating with the school; (2) supporting learning at home; and (3) volunteering and/or attending school events. Parents talked about their concerns with the racial identity development of their children and expressed their views on Black History Month and the recruitment of minority teachers. However, parents did not view teacher race as a critical factor related to their children\u27s racial identity development; instead, they described their concerns with the teacher placement policies of large urban school districts and how these policies can shortchange students in at-risk schools; Finally, parents made suggestions for improving home-school relationships that have implications for all parents, teachers, school administrators, human resources departments of school districts, and teacher educators interested in parent involvement and multicultural issues in education. The findings of this study identify the need for more staff development in these areas. They add to the growing body of literature that suggests family environment is more predictive of student achievement than status variables such as race or social class
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