The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions concerning the modular technology approach to teaching technology education in Georgia. The study addressed the following basic research question: What do teachers in Georgia perceive to be the main advantages and drawbacks to teaching technology education in a modular environment compared to a conventional environment? This study found that Georgia technology teachers who were familiar with teaching in modular laboratories tended...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Laboratories, Technology Education, Teacher Attitudes, Educational Facilities,...
Archival data from an in-state survey of 428 elementary and secondary school counselors completed by the Nebraska Department of Education regarding comprehensive guidance programs was reviewed for relevant information. This information is discussed relative to the current views and knowledge regarding the state of comprehensive developmental guidance and their implications for school counselors and administrators. (Contains 1 table.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Rural Schools, Guidance Programs, State Surveys, School Guidance, School Counseling,...
Teachers teach according to the way they learn; therefore, it is important to learn more about teachers' learning styles. According to Butler (1987), every teacher has a personal learning style. Teachers teach to their own learning style for many reasons (Stewart, Jones, & Pope, 1999). Teachers will teach to the way that they feel most comfortable and may have difficulty understanding those who have different learning styles. One teacher may use abstract examples while others may use...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cognitive Style, Technical Institutes, Teaching Methods, College Faculty,...
In 1993 Wicklein conducted a study to determine the present and the future critical issues and problems facing the technology education (TE) profession. The Wicklein study questioned 25 panelists from 15 states and the District of Columbia to ascertain the issues and problems facing TE. However, in the Wicklein study, only seven of the panelists were classroom teachers. The present study investigates the severity of these problems in schools today as perceived by current Indiana high school and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Technology Education, Graduation Requirements, Teacher Attitudes, Secondary School...
This article examines several questions related to the faculty shortage in special education. Using California as a case, the authors address these questions: (1) What were the personal and professional characteristics of current special education faculty preparing special education credential and doctoral candidates?; (2) What were the anticipated needs for special education faculty, statewide, over the next five years?; (3) How many special education doctoral candidates were being prepared in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Doctoral Programs, Special Education, State Surveys, Teacher Shortage, Special...
Alternative teacher certification literature has contributed significantly to our understanding of this approach to teacher preparation. However, this literature has more often than not treated alternative teacher certification programs (ATCPs) as a black box, thus ignoring program heterogeneity. The present study examines how and why five ATCPs in Missouri have evolved in different ways. To understand this variation and its potential significance for researchers and practitioners, we use...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Political Science, Alternative Teacher Certification, Program Evaluation, State...
Education reforms have affected schools and the educators who work in them. Using state-wide survey data from 1993 and 2003, this study examines how the work of school superintendents has been affected over a ten-year period by these reform initiatives, especially increased demands for accountability. The general message from our data is that superintendents are interested in curriculum and instruction and believe these are important tasks, but the daily realities of their work often subvert...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Change, Accountability, Instructional Leadership, Superintendents,...
Using data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) state assessment and a survey of state-level technology policies, this study examined digital equity in education as a multilevel organizational phenomenon with data from 70,382 students in 3,479 schools and 40 states. Students in rural schools or schools with higher percentages of African American students were likely to have less access to computers. With respect to computer use, girls and students eligible for free or...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Equal Education, Computer Uses in Education, Access to Computers, Information Policy,...
In this study, the researchers investigated public school teacher attrition in the State of Texas. The study examined the problem by focusing on the predominant reasons teachers give for leaving the profession after working only one year as a teacher. Eight persons who had left the teaching profession after one year teaching were contacted and interviewed concerning their reasons for leaving. The three most influential factors found were lack of administrative support, difficulties with student...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teaching (Occupation), Teacher Persistence, Faculty Mobility, Qualitative Research,...
High-performing middle schools are a critical link in the educational continuum. In an effort to stimulate the sluggish reform efforts of middle schools, the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform established the Schools to Watch recognition program. Using responses of school personnel to a statewide survey, this study examined the perceived level of implementation of key tenets of the middle school concept as outlined by "This We Believe: Successful Schools for Young...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Middle Schools, School Effectiveness, Recognition (Achievement), Educational Change,...
The purpose of this study was to identify the agricultural education enrollment trends in Iowa using 15 years of data collected from 1991 to 2005. It was found that agricultural education enrollment, Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) participation, and FFA membership have grown. Using annualized growth rates, agricultural education enrollment (4.06%) grew more rapidly than SAE participation (1.65%) and FFA membership (2.39%). Although growth was realized in all three components, the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Agricultural Education, Experiential Learning, Enrollment Trends, Longitudinal...
As states have become more active in establishing curriculum content standards and related assessments disappointingly little attention has been paid to policy efforts that create learning opportunities for students to meet the new standards. This study examines one state policy designed to bolster the opportunity to learn by mandating additional instruction for students not currently achieving proficiency in the state standards. The results focus on a detailed description of New York State's...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intervention, State Standards, Educational Opportunities, Alignment (Education),...
It is a commonly understood problem in education that many highly qualified teachers tend to gravitate toward higher performing schools, including schools with lower minority enrollments and lower incidence of poverty. This article explores the distribution of a subset of teachers, namely, those who are National Board Certified. To what extent do these teachers' assignment choices mirror the pattern of their non-Board Certified colleagues and to what extent are they different? Part of a larger...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Competencies, Teacher Distribution, Teacher Placement, Teacher Certification,...
This paper reports on the analysis of state statutes and department of education regulations in fifty states for changes in teacher evaluation in use since the passage of No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. We asked what the policy activity for teacher evaluation is in state statutes and department of education regulations, how these changes in statutes and regulations might affect the practice of teacher evaluation, and what were the implications for instructional supervision from these policy...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Evaluation, Federal Legislation, Educational Change, Politics of Education,...
If the agricultural education profession is going to grow and prosper in the 21st century, it will need an adequate supply of qualified teachers. In 2001, however, the number of qualified potential agricultural education teachers actually seeking employment as teachers fell far short of the net number of replacements needed. Two contributing factors include qualified potential teachers fail to accept employment in the profession and many beginning teachers fail to remain in the teaching...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Agricultural Education, High Schools, Secondary School Teachers, Teaching Conditions,...
In this article, the authors consider three sources of support for new teachers--hiring practices, relationships with colleagues, and curriculum--all found in earlier research to influence new teachers' satisfaction with their work, their sense of success with students, and their eventual retention in their job. They find that a "support gap" exists: new teachers in low-income schools are less likely than their counterparts in high-income schools to experience timely and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Personnel Selection, Elementary School Teachers, Beginning Teacher Induction,...
The No Child Left Behind Act has brought great attention to the high school graduation rate as one of the mandatory accountability measures for public school systems. However, there is no consensus on how to calculate the high school graduation rate given the lack of longitudinal databases that track individual students. This study reviews literature on and practices in reporting high school graduation rates, compares graduation rate estimates yielded from alternative methods, and estimates...
Topics: ERIC Archive, High Schools, Graduation Rate, Ethnic Groups, Accountability, Literature Reviews,...
At the core of standards-based reform are content standards--statements about what students should know and be able to do. Although it is "state" standards that are the focus of much public attention and consume substantial resources, many local school districts have developed their own content standards in the major subject areas. However, we know very little about the role state standards have played in local standards efforts. In this article we report on a study of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, State Standards, Educational Change, Alignment (Education), Academic Standards,...
Autism has gained the attention of policy makers and public administrators in recent years. The surge in prevalence, in tandem with a growing social preference for community inclusion of individuals with disabilities, strains a variety of policy infrastructures. Autism and related disorders, which were first described in 1943, were originally thought to be extremely low incidence and usually coincident with mental retardation. In accordance with the disability policy paradigm of the era, public...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Mental Retardation, Autism, Public Policy, Policy Analysis, Disease Incidence,...
Using data from a survey of superintendents in four states, this study explored how contextual factors and the real and perceived stringency of accountability measures influence the attention superintendents pay to the different roles comprising their work. A major concern was the extent to which stringent accountability was associated with superintendents' tendency to emphasize educational leadership rather than managerial functions. Recognizing that other circumstances also might contribute...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Instructional Leadership, Superintendents, Accountability, Predictor Variables,...
This article examines the role of student demographic characteristics in standardized achievement test scores at both the individual level and aggregated at the state, district, school levels. For several data sets, the majority of the variance among states, districts, and schools was related to demographic characteristics. Where these background variables outside of the control of schools significantly affected averaged scores, and test scores result in high stakes consequences, benefits and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Federal Legislation, Disadvantaged, Standardized Tests, Academic Achievement,...
This descriptive research study reported on Georgia's secondary level (grades 6-12) technology education programs capability to incorporate engineering concepts and/or engineering design into their curriculum. Participants were middle school and high school teachers in the state of Georgia who currently teach technology education. Participants completed a Likert-type online-survey which reported on technology education teacher's (a) current instructional practices to teach engineering-based...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Middle Schools, High Schools, Engineering, Secondary School Teachers, Technology...
In this article we examine the current status of affirmative action in postsecondary admissions through a concurrent review of recent court rulings, state legislation, and higher education enrollment data. Analyzing each of these factors in the context of the others is important because the court decisions and state-level legislation interact to affect enrollment. We not only present the state of the law, but also examine several outcomes of affirmative action case law and ballot initiatives as...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, State Legislation, Affirmative Action, Court Litigation, Enrollment...
In 2000, state agencies and foundations in Hawai'i were poised to support readiness efforts to improve educational outcomes for children. There was, however, a lack of shared understanding of the construct of readiness to guide these efforts. Parents, teachers, and school administrators all play a critical role in the education of young children. The extent to which these groups share common beliefs about what is involved in children being ready for school and schools being ready for children...
Topics: ERIC Archive, School Readiness, Educational Objectives, Educational Change, Parent Attitudes,...
This study reexamined published research on school counseling in Alabama to consider the ongoing issues with role ambiguity in the field. In addition, baseline data were collected to determine and to report the status of school counseling (i.e., in regard to counseling versus noncounseling activities and duties) after the implementation of the revised 2003 Alabama Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance State Model for Alabama's Public Schools (State Plan) and the ASCA National Model [R]...
Topics: ERIC Archive, School Counseling, School Counselors, Counselor Role, Public Schools, Responsibility,...
The Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE) introduced the revised Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance State Model for Alabama Public Schools (State Plan) in 2003. Based on sweeping national changes in school counseling and the first publication of the ASCA National Model[R] (American School Counselor Association, 2003, 2005), the ALSDE was among the first states to use the ASCA National Model as the framework for redesigning statewide school counseling programs. In Fall 2004, during the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, State Standards, Models, School Counseling, School Counselors, Public Schools,...
This study determined whether enrollment in agriscience education was related to high school students' science achievement. The results of the mandatory high school graduate exit exams were used to measure science achievement. All test scores from non-special education students were utilized for the study. The comparison of the science achievement of agriscience education students to that of non-agriscience education students revealed that there were significant differences in scores on the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Science Achievement, Exit Examinations, Effect Size, Multiple Regression Analysis,...
This study examined three years of data obtained from the Academic Excellence Indicator System of the State of Texas regarding teacher turnover rate and teacher salary. Across all public school districts, teacher salary was consistently negatively related to teacher turnover; that is, where salary was lower, turnover rate was higher When data were regrouped by highest- and poorest-paying school districts, teacher turnover rate was found to be twice as high in the poorest-paying school...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Salaries, Teacher Persistence, School Districts, Faculty Mobility, Academic...
The preschool facility is a critical element of an effective preschool program. The recent economic downturn in the United States makes it difficult for states and individual school districts to consider developing new preschool programs or enhancing current programs or facilities. Yet many Americans still agree that public investment in preschool education is important to the nation's economic well-being. Given the importance of preschool education and the physical environment that is...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Facilities Design, Preschool Education, State Standards, Facility...
Seventy-two (n = 72) school counselors from South Carolina were surveyed to assess their perceptions of their pre-service training in relation to eight school-family-community partnership roles and their perceived level of involvement in these roles. This exploratory study sought to determine whether school counselors varied by school level in their perceptions of their training and involvement and whether or not significant relationships existed between perceptions of pre-service training and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Parent Teacher Cooperation, School Counselors, Parent School Relationship, Counselor...
In 2011, a study by the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that the demographics of the teacher workforce had not kept up with student demographics and showed that students of color made up more than 40 percent of the school-age population. In contrast, teachers of color were only 17 percent of the teaching force. Since this time, the nation has only grown more diverse. Therefore, the authors decided to revisit the issue of teacher diversity, and calculated again their groundbreaking...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Diversity (Faculty), Minority Group Teachers, National Surveys, Elementary Secondary...
California is in the midst of sweeping education changes. The state is rolling out the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and a new system of assessments. Voters approved a temporary statewide tax increase that will provide additional funding to schools after years of spending cuts. The Legislature adopted a new system for funding schools (the Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF) that shifts resources to school districts that enroll lots of poor students and English learners, while granting...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Public Education, Public Opinion, Educational Attitudes, State Surveys, Educational...
California has long been viewed by the rest of the nation as leader in many areas, including education. The state's K-12 and higher education systems were once the envy of other states. Of late, though, the news from the Golden State has not been so rosy. For the last three decades California has faced increased demands on public services while suffering through economic cycles that have had exaggerated effects on the state budget. The result has been increased competition for limited...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Public Education, Public Opinion, Educational Attitudes, State Surveys, Educational...
In this report, the authors present some initial findings on the early implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in California. They report on their interviews with educators in all regions of the state, and on their views of how implementation is proceeding in their schools and districts. The authors then review some of the key challenges that local educators identified as they moved forward with CCSS implementation, and highlight areas where districts, schools, and counties will...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Common Core State Standards, Program Implementation, Interviews, Performance Factors,...
This paper assesses the extent to which Rhode Island's workforce lacks skills that are in demand among the state's current and potential employers and, if so, whether such a skills gap or labor market "mismatch" significantly restrains employment growth in the state. Using an index developed by Sahin et al. (2014), we find that occupational mismatch in Rhode Island increased leading up to and during the Great Recession and fell back to pre-recession levels by mid-2013. In 2015:Q2,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Labor Market, Skill Analysis, Achievement Gap, Job Skills, Occupational Surveys,...
The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the extent to which a proposed home language survey in California could better identify possible English learner and multilingual students than the current home language survey. The responses to a proposed and current survey were examined for students registering for kindergarten through grade six for 2015/16 in 15 California schools. The responses on the two surveys were then compared to the students' scores on the initial California English...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Parent Surveys, State Surveys, English Language Learners, Language Tests, Language...
The Department of Education (Education) created Race To the Top (RTT) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. From 2010 through 2011, Education awarded $4 billion in competitive grant funds to 19 states to reform core areas of K-12 education. RTT states also committed to building capacity to implement and sustain reforms. GAO and others previously reported that capacity challenges had adversely affected RTT implementation and could hinder efforts to sustain the reforms. GAO...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Federal Programs, Federal Aid, Public...
In spring of 2012, the Idaho Charter School Network, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average spending for facilities out of charter schools' operating budgets in Idaho. Collectively, the results described in this report provide evidence that charter school students in Idaho do not have access to the same facilities and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Facilities, Geographic Location, State...
In the spring of 2012, the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect data that would reveal and accurately portray the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average spending for facilities out of charter schools' operating budgets in Massachusetts. As described more fully in this report, the results of the data collection efforts provide evidence that charter schools in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Facilities, Geographic Location, State...
In Spring of 2013, the Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average amount of operating funds spent on facilities. Collectively, the results described in this report provide evidence that charter school students in South Carolina do not have access to the same facilities and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Facilities, Geographic Location, State...
In spring of 2012, the New Jersey Charter Schools Association, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average spending for facilities out of charter schools' operating budgets in New Jersey. Collectively, the results described in this report provide evidence that charter school students in New Jersey do not have access to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Facilities, Geographic Location, State...
In winter of 2013, the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average amount of operating funds spent by charter schools on facilities. Collectively, the results described in this report provide evidence that charter school students in Rhode Island do not have access to the same sized...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Facilities, Geographic Location, State...
In spring of 2012, the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the adequacy of charter school facilities and the average amount of operating funds spent on facilities. Collectively, the results described in this report provide evidence that charter school students in Michigan do not have access to the same facilities and amenities...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Educational Facilities, Geographic Location, State...
This report details the status of charter school facilities in the state of Arkansas. In the Spring of 2013, the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, the Colorado League of Charter Schools, and the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools worked to collect evidence that would accurately portray both the degree to which Arkansas open enrollment charter school facilities were sufficient and the average amount of operating funds spent on facilities. Collectively, the results described in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Charter Schools, Public Schools, Open Enrollment, Educational Facilities, Geographic...
Educators and policymakers are concerned about high student mobility, especially because mobility is associated with negative academic performance outcomes for students in particular and for schools more generally. Furthermore, student mobility may lower educational performance for at-risk and low-performing students compared with peers who remain in the same schools. This study investigates both student mobility and stability rates in Connecticut from one school year (2012-13). These findings...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Mobility, Academic Persistence, Academic Achievement, School Surveys, Racial...
This report describes the implementation of blended learning programs in Idaho, and three key takeaways are apparent: (1) Blended learning has a positive impact on teachers; (2) Self-pacing enables students to take ownership and achieve mastery; and (3) Teachers must prepare with comprehensive teacher training. The authors emphasize the need for the field to conduct studies to challenge, adapt, and strengthen innovation. Review this report to explore potential barriers and promising practices...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Rural Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Educational Change, Barriers,...
This report summarizes the fourteenth survey of states by the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) at the University of Minnesota. Results are presented for the 50 regular states and eight of the 11 unique states. The purpose of this report is to provide a snapshot of the new initiatives, trends, accomplishments, and emerging issues during this important period of education reform as states documented the academic achievement of students with disabilities. Key findings include: (1)...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Disabilities, Alternative Assessment, State Surveys, Academic Standards, Academic...
The "Nevada K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Nevada registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response levels and differences of voter opinion, as well as the intensity of those responses. Where do Nevadans stand on important issues and policy proposals in K-12...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, School Choice, State Surveys, Telephone Surveys,...
The "Minnesota K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Minnesota registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response levels and differences of voter opinion, as well as the intensity of those responses. Where do Minnesotans stand on important issues and policy proposals...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, School Choice, State Surveys, Telephone Surveys,...
The "Missouri K-12 & School Choice Survey" project, commissioned by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc. (BRI), measures Missouri registered voters' familiarity and views on a range of K-12 education topics and school choice reforms. The author and his colleagues report response levels and differences of voter opinion, as well as the intensity of those responses. Where do Missourians stand on important issues and policy proposals in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, School Choice, State Surveys, Telephone Surveys,...