The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achieveme... more The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achievement in school and lack of motivation to learn STEM subjects. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is among many research organisations that have strongly recommended that schools bridge the disconnect between school-based knowledge and learners’ everyday knowledge. We designed the SPIRALS (Supporting and Promoting Indigenous and Rural Adolescents’ Learning of Science) curriculum to bridge this gap between formal science and students’ everyday lives. SPIRALS helps students explore community-based practices to learn about science, environmental sustainability and systems thinking. We implemented the SPIRALS curriculum in a private, urban, English medium school in Western India with approximately 315 students and their four teachers, 214 (or 68%) of whom also participated in the research from which our conclusions are drawn. Our findings about program impacts rel...
If you offer professional development in science, will teachers come? More importantly, will it m... more If you offer professional development in science, will teachers come? More importantly, will it matter if they do?
High teacher turnover in large U.S. cities is a critical issue for schools and districts, and the... more High teacher turnover in large U.S. cities is a critical issue for schools and districts, and the students they serve; but surprisingly little work has been done to develop methodologies and standards that districts and schools can use to make reliable estimates of turnover costs. Even less is known about how to detect variations in turnover costs for teachers of different grades and disciplines. This study created a model and methodology to document turnover costs for the middle and high schools in the Boston Public Schools to test the degree to which it could detect differences in costs for teachers of science, and to explore the feasibility of its implementation by school personnel. We found that although the model and methods were sensitive enough to detect differences between schools and for science teachers, it could not be easily or fully applied at the district or school levels, where the component costs of turnover were scattered between department budgets, and where some costs were undocumented. At the same time, our data show that when teachers leave a school, whether it is due to a departure from the district or a reassignment to another school, there is an associated cost that has previously gone unmeasured. Therefore, understanding the full cost of teacher departures is essential when trying to estimate the true cost—and cost savings—of a layoff. Since professional development consistently represents the largest cost in the district studied, we suggest steps that can be taken to track these expenses more systematically at the school and district levels.
In this participation observation study conducted in the northeastern United States, I used Ervin... more In this participation observation study conducted in the northeastern United States, I used Erving Goffman's theories on the presentation of self in everyday life and on stigma to analyze the content and relative success of five service provider presentations about issues relevant to people with disabilities or older adults needing assistance to live independently. A stated goal of all presentations was to increase understanding of the needs of the populations served, but it was apparent that the purpose of increased understanding was to reinforce prosocial behaviors toward service users. In other words, service provider presentations were socialization events seeking to engage attendees in enhanced positive social interactions with the subjects of each presentation. Audience member engagement at the presentations varied based on the social roles of audience members, their stance relative to the populations discussed, and the extent to which the presentations pushed them to acc...
For any professional development program to be successful, teachers must first participate in the... more For any professional development program to be successful, teachers must first participate in the learning. But what attracts teachers to certain professional development opportunities while they ignore others? How do we know that teachers will take advantage of new professional development opportunities? And how do we know that what they learn will translate into improved student achievement? Researchers at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) set out to answer these and other questions related to the science of professional development for teachers. With funding from the National Science Foundation's Math Science Partnership program, EDC researchers examined the investment in science professional development by the Boston Science Partnership (BSP), a partnership between the Boston Public Schools, University of Massachusetts-Boston, and Northeastern University. The BSP offered two types of professional development to middle and high school science teachers: a series of cour...
Science Education in India: Philosophical, Historical and Contemporary Conversations., 2019
The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achieveme... more The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achievement in school and lack of motivation to learn STEM subjects. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is among many research organisations that have strongly recommended that schools bridge the disconnect between school-based knowledge and learners’ everyday knowledge. We designed the SPIRALS (Supporting and Promoting Indigenous and Rural Adolescents’ Learning of Science) curriculum to bridge this gap between formal science and students’ everyday lives. SPIRALS helps students explore community-based practices to learn about science, environmental sustainability and systems thinking. We implemented the SPIRALS curriculum in a private, urban, English medium school in Western India with approximately 315 students and their four teachers, 214 (or 68%) of whom also participated in the research from which our conclusions are drawn. Our findings about program impacts rely upon analysis of interviews with teachers and students, as well as student work, and conference participation assessment surveys distributed after a capstone experience at which students present their work. This chapter describes our findings about how students learned science, environmental sustainability, and systems thinking through engagement with community-based practices. We also discuss the process of how the SPIRALS approach worked in India and how it could be expanded into a broader learning model across different socio-cultural contexts within India.
In this paper, we examine the NCLB definition of a “highly qualified” teacher, the combined natur... more In this paper, we examine the NCLB definition of a “highly qualified” teacher, the combined nature of federal and state highly qualified mandates, and how science teachers and their principals in one large, urban district have responded. In particular, we report on the kinds of licenses that teachers of science hold; the relationship between science teachers’ qualifications and teaching assignments, both within and outside of their licensure; and the extent to which these trends vary across different student populations, subject disciplines, and over time. In addition, we present principaland teacher-interview data from eight case-study schools and district-wide teacher-survey data to shed light on our findings and show how the NCLB definition of highly qualified is understood and regarded by teachers themselves. The data show that progress has been made in assigning teachers with demonstrated content knowledge in the specific science subjects they are assigned to teach, however the...
To understand the role of patients&am... more To understand the role of patients' beliefs in pain management in a cancer population treated in a primary care setting. Secondary analyses of data from the baseline phase of a randomized study. Eight of the largest primary care clinics in a managed care system. 342 patients with cancer who reported pain that would not dissipate on its own or when treated by over-the-counter medication; approximately half had pain that was not cancer related. Telephone interviews. Patients' demographic characteristics, self-reported history and beliefs about pain and pain treatment, willingness to report pain and take pain medication, recent pain intensity, and administrative data on opioid prescriptions. Patients' beliefs were not associated strongly with reporting pain or taking medication. Regression analyses revealed that patients' beliefs played a limited role in predicting recent pain intensity, whereas the providers' pain management practices seemed to have a far greater predictive role. Additionally, among patients with recent moderate to severe pain, the relationship between patients' beliefs and their history of pain and pain treatment further suggests that beliefs are likely to be formed, in part, as a consequence of the care they receive. Results did not depend on whether the cause of pain was related to cancer. Patients' beliefs were important barriers to effective pain management, either as direct or indirect determinants of pain. Providers' pain management practices were more likely to determine the level of pain relief achieved and the beliefs their patients came to hold based on their personal experiences. Nursing interventions should examine the impact of evaluating patients' beliefs in conjunction with pain assessment on pain-related behaviors and pain relief, as well as the ability of patient educational efforts to strengthen accurate beliefs and enable patients to assert themselves when interacting with less knowledgeable providers.
The paradox of patients who are in pain, yet satisfied with their pain management, has been previ... more The paradox of patients who are in pain, yet satisfied with their pain management, has been previously reported. To probe this paradox, we used cross-sectional data collected in the primary care setting on cancer patients' patterns of pain and pain treatment, beliefs and expectations about pain and pain relief, willingness to report pain and take pain medication, care from the provider, and satisfaction with their pain management (n = 316). Descriptive findings were similar to other studies: more than 75% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall pain management, despite almost half of all patients reporting recent moderate to severe pain. Univariate and bivariate analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that patients may expect and are therefore satisfied with the "peak and trough" pattern of pain severity that occurs with "as-needed" administration of analgesics. However, multivariate analyses failed to directly support this hypothesis. Instead, regression analyses identified factors related to characteristics of patients' pain experiences, patients' beliefs about pain and its inevitability, the frequency that patients reported their pain, and aspects of the patient--provider relationship. Predictors of patients' satisfaction with how their primary care doctor managed their pain included: whether or not the patient was told that treating pain was an important goal, whether or not the patient reported sustained long-term pain relief, and the degree to which the patient was willing to take opioids if prescribed by the doctor or nurse (adjusted R(2) = 0.22). Qualitative data collected from patients who were in severe pain during the past three days but satisfied with their pain management (n = 88) further suggest the importance of the patient--provider relationship in shaping patient expectations. Based on these findings, we recommend that future research on outcomes in pain management place greater emphasis on the potential impact of the patient-provider relationship.
The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achieveme... more The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achievement in school and lack of motivation to learn STEM subjects. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is among many research organisations that have strongly recommended that schools bridge the disconnect between school-based knowledge and learners’ everyday knowledge. We designed the SPIRALS (Supporting and Promoting Indigenous and Rural Adolescents’ Learning of Science) curriculum to bridge this gap between formal science and students’ everyday lives. SPIRALS helps students explore community-based practices to learn about science, environmental sustainability and systems thinking. We implemented the SPIRALS curriculum in a private, urban, English medium school in Western India with approximately 315 students and their four teachers, 214 (or 68%) of whom also participated in the research from which our conclusions are drawn. Our findings about program impacts rel...
If you offer professional development in science, will teachers come? More importantly, will it m... more If you offer professional development in science, will teachers come? More importantly, will it matter if they do?
High teacher turnover in large U.S. cities is a critical issue for schools and districts, and the... more High teacher turnover in large U.S. cities is a critical issue for schools and districts, and the students they serve; but surprisingly little work has been done to develop methodologies and standards that districts and schools can use to make reliable estimates of turnover costs. Even less is known about how to detect variations in turnover costs for teachers of different grades and disciplines. This study created a model and methodology to document turnover costs for the middle and high schools in the Boston Public Schools to test the degree to which it could detect differences in costs for teachers of science, and to explore the feasibility of its implementation by school personnel. We found that although the model and methods were sensitive enough to detect differences between schools and for science teachers, it could not be easily or fully applied at the district or school levels, where the component costs of turnover were scattered between department budgets, and where some costs were undocumented. At the same time, our data show that when teachers leave a school, whether it is due to a departure from the district or a reassignment to another school, there is an associated cost that has previously gone unmeasured. Therefore, understanding the full cost of teacher departures is essential when trying to estimate the true cost—and cost savings—of a layoff. Since professional development consistently represents the largest cost in the district studied, we suggest steps that can be taken to track these expenses more systematically at the school and district levels.
In this participation observation study conducted in the northeastern United States, I used Ervin... more In this participation observation study conducted in the northeastern United States, I used Erving Goffman's theories on the presentation of self in everyday life and on stigma to analyze the content and relative success of five service provider presentations about issues relevant to people with disabilities or older adults needing assistance to live independently. A stated goal of all presentations was to increase understanding of the needs of the populations served, but it was apparent that the purpose of increased understanding was to reinforce prosocial behaviors toward service users. In other words, service provider presentations were socialization events seeking to engage attendees in enhanced positive social interactions with the subjects of each presentation. Audience member engagement at the presentations varied based on the social roles of audience members, their stance relative to the populations discussed, and the extent to which the presentations pushed them to acc...
For any professional development program to be successful, teachers must first participate in the... more For any professional development program to be successful, teachers must first participate in the learning. But what attracts teachers to certain professional development opportunities while they ignore others? How do we know that teachers will take advantage of new professional development opportunities? And how do we know that what they learn will translate into improved student achievement? Researchers at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) set out to answer these and other questions related to the science of professional development for teachers. With funding from the National Science Foundation's Math Science Partnership program, EDC researchers examined the investment in science professional development by the Boston Science Partnership (BSP), a partnership between the Boston Public Schools, University of Massachusetts-Boston, and Northeastern University. The BSP offered two types of professional development to middle and high school science teachers: a series of cour...
Science Education in India: Philosophical, Historical and Contemporary Conversations., 2019
The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achieveme... more The perception of separation between school and home/community is related to diminished achievement in school and lack of motivation to learn STEM subjects. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is among many research organisations that have strongly recommended that schools bridge the disconnect between school-based knowledge and learners’ everyday knowledge. We designed the SPIRALS (Supporting and Promoting Indigenous and Rural Adolescents’ Learning of Science) curriculum to bridge this gap between formal science and students’ everyday lives. SPIRALS helps students explore community-based practices to learn about science, environmental sustainability and systems thinking. We implemented the SPIRALS curriculum in a private, urban, English medium school in Western India with approximately 315 students and their four teachers, 214 (or 68%) of whom also participated in the research from which our conclusions are drawn. Our findings about program impacts rely upon analysis of interviews with teachers and students, as well as student work, and conference participation assessment surveys distributed after a capstone experience at which students present their work. This chapter describes our findings about how students learned science, environmental sustainability, and systems thinking through engagement with community-based practices. We also discuss the process of how the SPIRALS approach worked in India and how it could be expanded into a broader learning model across different socio-cultural contexts within India.
In this paper, we examine the NCLB definition of a “highly qualified” teacher, the combined natur... more In this paper, we examine the NCLB definition of a “highly qualified” teacher, the combined nature of federal and state highly qualified mandates, and how science teachers and their principals in one large, urban district have responded. In particular, we report on the kinds of licenses that teachers of science hold; the relationship between science teachers’ qualifications and teaching assignments, both within and outside of their licensure; and the extent to which these trends vary across different student populations, subject disciplines, and over time. In addition, we present principaland teacher-interview data from eight case-study schools and district-wide teacher-survey data to shed light on our findings and show how the NCLB definition of highly qualified is understood and regarded by teachers themselves. The data show that progress has been made in assigning teachers with demonstrated content knowledge in the specific science subjects they are assigned to teach, however the...
To understand the role of patients&am... more To understand the role of patients' beliefs in pain management in a cancer population treated in a primary care setting. Secondary analyses of data from the baseline phase of a randomized study. Eight of the largest primary care clinics in a managed care system. 342 patients with cancer who reported pain that would not dissipate on its own or when treated by over-the-counter medication; approximately half had pain that was not cancer related. Telephone interviews. Patients' demographic characteristics, self-reported history and beliefs about pain and pain treatment, willingness to report pain and take pain medication, recent pain intensity, and administrative data on opioid prescriptions. Patients' beliefs were not associated strongly with reporting pain or taking medication. Regression analyses revealed that patients' beliefs played a limited role in predicting recent pain intensity, whereas the providers' pain management practices seemed to have a far greater predictive role. Additionally, among patients with recent moderate to severe pain, the relationship between patients' beliefs and their history of pain and pain treatment further suggests that beliefs are likely to be formed, in part, as a consequence of the care they receive. Results did not depend on whether the cause of pain was related to cancer. Patients' beliefs were important barriers to effective pain management, either as direct or indirect determinants of pain. Providers' pain management practices were more likely to determine the level of pain relief achieved and the beliefs their patients came to hold based on their personal experiences. Nursing interventions should examine the impact of evaluating patients' beliefs in conjunction with pain assessment on pain-related behaviors and pain relief, as well as the ability of patient educational efforts to strengthen accurate beliefs and enable patients to assert themselves when interacting with less knowledgeable providers.
The paradox of patients who are in pain, yet satisfied with their pain management, has been previ... more The paradox of patients who are in pain, yet satisfied with their pain management, has been previously reported. To probe this paradox, we used cross-sectional data collected in the primary care setting on cancer patients' patterns of pain and pain treatment, beliefs and expectations about pain and pain relief, willingness to report pain and take pain medication, care from the provider, and satisfaction with their pain management (n = 316). Descriptive findings were similar to other studies: more than 75% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with their overall pain management, despite almost half of all patients reporting recent moderate to severe pain. Univariate and bivariate analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that patients may expect and are therefore satisfied with the "peak and trough" pattern of pain severity that occurs with "as-needed" administration of analgesics. However, multivariate analyses failed to directly support this hypothesis. Instead, regression analyses identified factors related to characteristics of patients' pain experiences, patients' beliefs about pain and its inevitability, the frequency that patients reported their pain, and aspects of the patient--provider relationship. Predictors of patients' satisfaction with how their primary care doctor managed their pain included: whether or not the patient was told that treating pain was an important goal, whether or not the patient reported sustained long-term pain relief, and the degree to which the patient was willing to take opioids if prescribed by the doctor or nurse (adjusted R(2) = 0.22). Qualitative data collected from patients who were in severe pain during the past three days but satisfied with their pain management (n = 88) further suggest the importance of the patient--provider relationship in shaping patient expectations. Based on these findings, we recommend that future research on outcomes in pain management place greater emphasis on the potential impact of the patient-provider relationship.
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Papers by Erica Jablonski