New American Schools (NAS) offers whole-school designs for schools and districts seeking to signi... more New American Schools (NAS) offers whole-school designs for schools and districts seeking to significantly raise the achievement of large numbers of students; RAND evaluated NAS reforms1 effects on students and teachers in high-poverty schools. A decade ago, New American Schools (NAS) launched an ambitious effort for whole-school reform to address the perceived lagging achievement of American students and the lackluster school reform attempts that have produced so few meaningful changes. As a private nonprofit organization, NAS set out to help schools and districts significantly raise the achievement of large numbers of students by offering whole-school designs and design-based assistance during the implementation process. NAS is currently in the scale-up phase of its effort, and its designs are being widely diffused to schools across the nation. During the 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 school years, RAND assessed the effects of NAS designs on classroom practice and student achievement in a sample of schools in a high-poverty district. RAND found that high-poverty schools often have fragmented and conflicting environments with difficult and changing political currents and entrenched unions. Teachers in high-poverty schools tend to face new accountability systems and fluctuating reform agendas. These teachers generally lack sufficient time for implementing reform efforts, often becoming demoralized and losing their enthusiasm for the difficult task of improving student performance under difficult conditions. RAND concluded that high-stakes tests may motivate schools to increase performance and to seek out new curricula and instructional strategies associated with comprehensive school reforms. However, those same tests may provide disincentives to adopt richer, more in-depth curricula that can succeed in improving the learning opportunities of all students, particularly those in high-poverty settings. (cp)
Mental models are described and discussed as a means of communicating the underlying aspects of i... more Mental models are described and discussed as a means of communicating the underlying aspects of instructional leadership. An empirical study identifying the mental models of instructional leadership held by three urban elementary school principals at different stages in their careers was used to support the thesis. Using a collective case study design, the similarities and differences in mental models of a novice principal and two experienced principals, one of whom was an award winning principal, were examined. The results demonstrated differing levels of integration as well as variation regarding the conceptualization of instructional leadership. This study underscored the usefulness of the mental model concept in discussing instructional leadership.
Abstract To garner the literacy levels necessary for a post-modern society to prosper, reading pr... more Abstract To garner the literacy levels necessary for a post-modern society to prosper, reading programs must match effective reading pedagogy. No Child Left Behind of 2001 (NCLB) mandated reading improvement, and Reading First provides funding to implement research-based programs. We must go beyond scientifically based research to consider implementation of reading programs identified within the context of NCLB. Developing shared understanding of reading pedagogy is as essential as scientifically based reading research if all children are to read by the third grade. Introduction Recently, a professional educator magazine, Educational Leadership, published an issue focused on reading research. In framing this focus, Scherer (2004) wrote, "The reading wars of the 1990s have turned into the Reading Research War of the 2000s" (p.5). As the war rages, schools are abandoning older reading programs to gain their share of Reading First funding in hopes of improving reading achievement (Manzo, 2004). Descriptions of effective reading practices are abundant in educational literature, but such knowledge does not transfer to classroom practices any more frequently than the mere coverage of a lesson's content achieves learning. More than twenty years of accountability-focused reforms demonstrate the innumerable barriers between understanding what needs to be done in classrooms and implementing what needs to be done (Gordon, 2003). To garner the literacy levels necessary for a post-modern society to prosper, the capacity for understanding how to deploy successful reading programs must expand to match our blossoming understanding of effective reading pedagogy. The Federal Reading Mandate Reading First and Early Reading First programs are the literacy components of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Reading First provides assistance to states and school districts for: establishing research-based reading programs for students in kindergarten through third grade; preparing teachers to identify specific reading barriers; selecting and administering reading assessments; and developing effective instructional materials, programs, and strategies proven to prevent or remediate reading failure. Additionally, Reading First seeks to strengthen coordination among schools, early literacy programs, and family literacy programs to improve reading achievement. Similarly, Early Reading First purports to: support local efforts, through scientifically based strategies and professional development, which enhance the early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool children; provide preschoolers with cognitive learning opportunities in high-quality language and literature-rich environments to optimize readiness for kindergarten; demonstrate language and literacy activities supporting age-appropriate literacy development based on scientifically-based reading research; identify preschoolers at-risk for reading failure using screening assessments; and integrate scientific reading research with existing programs in preschools, child care agencies, Head Start centers, and family literacy services. In reviewing these federal mandates, two educational priorities emerge: (1) reading programs, assessments, materials, and teacher training are to be scientifically based on reading research and (2) these scientifically based functions shall be implemented into schools, preschools, Head Start centers, and other existing community organizations. An Overview of Scientifically Based Reading Programs A Consumer's Guide to Evaluating a Core Reading Program, produced by the University of Oregon, has become a framework for states evaluating whether a commercial reading program has the research base required under federal law for Reading First grants (Manzo, 2004). Although such a list raises concerns regarding successful implementation within the context of differing needs across schools, districts, states, and regions, its use is widespread. …
The study explores how multicultural education instructors use transformational leadership to est... more The study explores how multicultural education instructors use transformational leadership to establish “brave space” as a foundation for critical conversations about identity. Establishing brave space within education courses is essential to facilitating pre-service teachers’ understanding of social justice; yet, little research exists regarding the use of transformational classroom leadership to achieve this. This qualitative study is comprised of semi-structured interviews with three instructors through a lens of transformational classroom leadership. Our findings suggest that transformational leadership practices such as modelling the way, challenging the process, encouraging the heart, etc. facilitate students’ understanding of identity, relational trust, and their tacit values.
New American Schools (NAS) offers whole-school designs for schools and districts seeking to signi... more New American Schools (NAS) offers whole-school designs for schools and districts seeking to significantly raise the achievement of large numbers of students; RAND evaluated NAS reforms1 effects on students and teachers in high-poverty schools. A decade ago, New American Schools (NAS) launched an ambitious effort for whole-school reform to address the perceived lagging achievement of American students and the lackluster school reform attempts that have produced so few meaningful changes. As a private nonprofit organization, NAS set out to help schools and districts significantly raise the achievement of large numbers of students by offering whole-school designs and design-based assistance during the implementation process. NAS is currently in the scale-up phase of its effort, and its designs are being widely diffused to schools across the nation. During the 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 school years, RAND assessed the effects of NAS designs on classroom practice and student achievement in a sample of schools in a high-poverty district. RAND found that high-poverty schools often have fragmented and conflicting environments with difficult and changing political currents and entrenched unions. Teachers in high-poverty schools tend to face new accountability systems and fluctuating reform agendas. These teachers generally lack sufficient time for implementing reform efforts, often becoming demoralized and losing their enthusiasm for the difficult task of improving student performance under difficult conditions. RAND concluded that high-stakes tests may motivate schools to increase performance and to seek out new curricula and instructional strategies associated with comprehensive school reforms. However, those same tests may provide disincentives to adopt richer, more in-depth curricula that can succeed in improving the learning opportunities of all students, particularly those in high-poverty settings. (cp)
Mental models are described and discussed as a means of communicating the underlying aspects of i... more Mental models are described and discussed as a means of communicating the underlying aspects of instructional leadership. An empirical study identifying the mental models of instructional leadership held by three urban elementary school principals at different stages in their careers was used to support the thesis. Using a collective case study design, the similarities and differences in mental models of a novice principal and two experienced principals, one of whom was an award winning principal, were examined. The results demonstrated differing levels of integration as well as variation regarding the conceptualization of instructional leadership. This study underscored the usefulness of the mental model concept in discussing instructional leadership.
Abstract To garner the literacy levels necessary for a post-modern society to prosper, reading pr... more Abstract To garner the literacy levels necessary for a post-modern society to prosper, reading programs must match effective reading pedagogy. No Child Left Behind of 2001 (NCLB) mandated reading improvement, and Reading First provides funding to implement research-based programs. We must go beyond scientifically based research to consider implementation of reading programs identified within the context of NCLB. Developing shared understanding of reading pedagogy is as essential as scientifically based reading research if all children are to read by the third grade. Introduction Recently, a professional educator magazine, Educational Leadership, published an issue focused on reading research. In framing this focus, Scherer (2004) wrote, "The reading wars of the 1990s have turned into the Reading Research War of the 2000s" (p.5). As the war rages, schools are abandoning older reading programs to gain their share of Reading First funding in hopes of improving reading achievement (Manzo, 2004). Descriptions of effective reading practices are abundant in educational literature, but such knowledge does not transfer to classroom practices any more frequently than the mere coverage of a lesson's content achieves learning. More than twenty years of accountability-focused reforms demonstrate the innumerable barriers between understanding what needs to be done in classrooms and implementing what needs to be done (Gordon, 2003). To garner the literacy levels necessary for a post-modern society to prosper, the capacity for understanding how to deploy successful reading programs must expand to match our blossoming understanding of effective reading pedagogy. The Federal Reading Mandate Reading First and Early Reading First programs are the literacy components of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Reading First provides assistance to states and school districts for: establishing research-based reading programs for students in kindergarten through third grade; preparing teachers to identify specific reading barriers; selecting and administering reading assessments; and developing effective instructional materials, programs, and strategies proven to prevent or remediate reading failure. Additionally, Reading First seeks to strengthen coordination among schools, early literacy programs, and family literacy programs to improve reading achievement. Similarly, Early Reading First purports to: support local efforts, through scientifically based strategies and professional development, which enhance the early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool children; provide preschoolers with cognitive learning opportunities in high-quality language and literature-rich environments to optimize readiness for kindergarten; demonstrate language and literacy activities supporting age-appropriate literacy development based on scientifically-based reading research; identify preschoolers at-risk for reading failure using screening assessments; and integrate scientific reading research with existing programs in preschools, child care agencies, Head Start centers, and family literacy services. In reviewing these federal mandates, two educational priorities emerge: (1) reading programs, assessments, materials, and teacher training are to be scientifically based on reading research and (2) these scientifically based functions shall be implemented into schools, preschools, Head Start centers, and other existing community organizations. An Overview of Scientifically Based Reading Programs A Consumer's Guide to Evaluating a Core Reading Program, produced by the University of Oregon, has become a framework for states evaluating whether a commercial reading program has the research base required under federal law for Reading First grants (Manzo, 2004). Although such a list raises concerns regarding successful implementation within the context of differing needs across schools, districts, states, and regions, its use is widespread. …
The study explores how multicultural education instructors use transformational leadership to est... more The study explores how multicultural education instructors use transformational leadership to establish “brave space” as a foundation for critical conversations about identity. Establishing brave space within education courses is essential to facilitating pre-service teachers’ understanding of social justice; yet, little research exists regarding the use of transformational classroom leadership to achieve this. This qualitative study is comprised of semi-structured interviews with three instructors through a lens of transformational classroom leadership. Our findings suggest that transformational leadership practices such as modelling the way, challenging the process, encouraging the heart, etc. facilitate students’ understanding of identity, relational trust, and their tacit values.
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