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A Tribute to Travis A Skelton

A tribute to Travis Skelton, Editor in Chief, Volume 38, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Integrated Phenomenological Study of Teachers\u27 Perceptions of a Professional Learning Community Utilizing Senge\u27S Five Disciplines of a Learning Organization

The purpose of this study was to examine a high school\u27s attempt at reform through implementing a component of a professional learning community to determine if Senge\u27s five disciplines of a learning organization were present. The school was in the second year of implementing common planning time, one of the practices related to organizational learning. This study used qualitative methodology and employed an integrated phenomenological design to investigate the perceptions and lived experiences of the core-subject teachers and department heads involved in common planning time at one high school. Participant observation, document and artifact collection, semi structured interviews, photographs and a survey were used to collect data. A data table was designed from all five data sources and blended to report the findings. This study helped to illuminate teachers\u27 stories of their lived experiences when trying to implement a professional learning community through common planning time. The findings suggest that this school showed evidence of improvement following their participation in common planning time. These improvements were noticeable in the areas of peer relationships, peer collaboration, and a focus on student improvement. Findings also indicate that Senges five disciplines were applied in the school on an individual basis, but not on an organizational level. Therefore, the researcher did not find evidence of a professional learning community. Themes within the dimensions, however, were identified, including administrative support, self-reflection, common planning, collaboration, curriculum/student achievement, and barriers. The findings suggest the importance of the role of leadership, and that a structured school wide interdepartmental common planning time will create a structure that supports the whole organization. Findings also revealed barriers to the initiative that included teacher resistance, time, and changing demographics. Results of this study point to the need for teachers, administrators, and districts to receive training in the five disciplines of personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared vision, and systems thinking before implementing a professional learning community. As a result of this study, recommendations are offered for restructuring the framework and beliefs to better meet the needs of high schools in the process of implementing professional learning communities

An Analysis of School Library Media Centers in South Carolina Elementary and Middle Schools in 2005

In Fall 2005 the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) requested that the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), University of South Carolina, analyze the data from a survey of school library media centers conducted by the SCDE for school year 2005. This report represents the product of that analysis. The authors wish to thank the Martha Alewine of the SCDE, Martha Taylor of the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, and the SLIS for supporting this study. The authors are solely responsible for the analysis and conclusions of this report. The analysis does not necessarily reflect the views of the SCDE, the South Carolina Association of School Librarians, the University of South Carolina, or the SLIS

Empowering Educational Consumers to Analyze Educational Assessment Data: The Educational Impact Calculator (EIC)

49 pagesThe body of this Report provides background to help users of the EIC. The first two sections discuss terminology and describe the structure of the EIC. The following five sections give examples of the use of the EIC to answer the queries listed above. Examples use each of the possible types of input data and different types of groups (e.g. classrooms, schools, and districts). A final section discusses ways in which the EIC could potentially help students and schools and provides cautions regarding its use. An extensive appendix explains the underlying research designs and gives the equations used in the statistical analyses. The techniques are identical to those covered in introductory college level statistics courses. While they are not complex, they are fully sufficient for answering the questions that are generally of most concern to educational consumers

Harmful Effects of Academic Early Education? A Look at the Claims and the Evidence

8 pagesTwo on-line publications released in May, 2015 warned of the dangers of early childhood education programs that promote academic skills. A group called “Defending the Early Years” released a short document by Nancy Carlsson-Paige and associates titled Reading Instruction in Kindergarten: Little to Gain and Much to Lose (Carlsson-Paige, McLaughlin, & Almon, 2015). Shortly thereafter Peter Gray used this information for a blog post on the Psychology Today website titled Early Academic Training Produces Long-Term Harm: Research Reveals Negative Effects of Academic Preschools and Kindergartens (Gray, 2015). Both postings contend that academic preschools and kindergartens have no lasting effect on students’ later academic success and can even promote long-term harm to children’s social and psychological development. Given the provocative nature of these conclusions, the NIFDI Office of Research and Evaluation was asked to examine their basis. The first section below summarizes misrepresentations in the publications, and the second section briefly examines theoretical assumptions embodied in the discussions and their implications

Direct Instruction and First Grade Reading Achievement: The Role of Technical Support and Time of Implementation

20 pagesThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of two implementation variables (source of technical support and time of implementation) to first grade reading achievement across three naturally occurring conditions over a six-year time span. Two of the conditions involved implementation of Direct Instruction (DI) curriculum programs, one with technical support from a purveyor associated with the curriculum’s developer and the other with a group not associated with the developer. The third condition involved implementation of another highly rated reading curriculum program: Open Court. Increases in the vocabulary and comprehension achievement scores of students across all three conditions were statistically significant. Increases in students’ scores were significantly greater in the DI implementation conditions relative to the Open Court condition. Increases in students’ scores were significantly larger in the DI implementation condition with technical support from the purveyor associated with the curriculum developer relative to the group not associated with the curriculum developer. Differences in achievement across the implementation conditions were both statistically significant and educationally meaningful

Building a More Effective, Equitable, and Compassionate Educational System: The Role of Direct Instruction

21 pagesIn a recent book, Anthony Biglan describes how strong social research can be used to build a compassionate and more caring society that promotes the well-being of all. This article asserts that a strong educational system needs to be part of this transformation and that widespread use of Direct Instruction (DI) could be key in the process. Analysis of the underlying theory, development, and use of DI describes the way it is based on careful developmental research. It promotes effective and efficient learning while embodying respect for students and teachers. The results of a recent large metaanalysis of research on DI’s effectiveness show it is more effective than other educational approaches, with effect sizes that surpass the effect associated with the difference in achievement of students from lower income and other homes. Alternative approaches to educational change are reviewed and it is suggested that DI is a more effective and efficient method of improving student success. Powerful actors within the educational establishment have expressed opposition to DI and have worked to hide evidence of its effectiveness. This paper identifies other social actors who could work together to counter the resistance to DI and build an educational system that promotes the well-being of all