Using Shared Leadership to Achieve School Improvement Goals: A Qualitative Study of One High School's Journey

Science.gov (United States)

Putman, Leigh Ann

2012-01-01

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the impact of shared leadership committees on school improvement efforts. The research identified which leadership factors lead to successful shared leadership committees and which supports and structures were needed for the committees to be meaningful in regards to school improvement. Certified…

Leading School Improvement: Using Popper's Theory of Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Chitpin, Stephanie

2016-01-01

Leadership is a highly complex activity, as leaders respond to increasing diversity and external accountability. Additionally, there is increased recognition that leadership is deeply contextual, sensitive to macro-politics of systems and micro-politics of individual schools. In Ontario, Canada, the school improvement effort is focused on raising…

The Role of Student-Teacher Ratio in Parents' Perceptions of Schools' Engagement Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Raymond J.; Elbaum, Batya

2014-01-01

Research suggests a positive relationship between schools' efforts to engage parents and parents' involvement in their child's education. The authors investigated school socioeconomic status, school size, grade level, and student-teacher ratio as predictors of schools' efforts to engage parents of students receiving special education services. The…

Effort-Reward Imbalance for Learning Is Associated with Fatigue in School Children

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, Sanae; Yamano, Emi; Joudoi, Takako; Mizuno, Kei; Tanaka, Masaaki; Kawatani, Junko; Takano, Miyuki; Tomoda, Akemi; Imai-Matsumura, Kyoko; Miike, Teruhisa; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2010-01-01

We examined relationships among fatigue, sleep quality, and effort-reward imbalance for learning in school children. We developed an effort-reward for learning scale in school students and examined its reliability and validity. Self-administered surveys, including the effort reward for leaning scale and fatigue scale, were completed by 1,023…

Health programmes for school employees: improving quality of life, health and productivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolbe, Lloyd J; Tirozzi, Gerald N; Marx, Eva; Bobbitt-Cooke, Mary; Riedel, Sara; Jones, Jack; Schmoyer, Michael

2005-01-01

School health programmes in the 21st century could include eight components: 1) health services; 2) health education; 3) healthy physical and psychosocial environments; 4) psychological, counselling, and social services; 5) physical education and other physical activities; 6) healthy food services; and 7) integrated efforts of schools, families, and communities to improve the health of school students and employees. The eighth component of modern school health programmes, health programmes for school employees, is the focus of this article. Health programmes for school employees could be designed to increase the recruitment, retention, and productivity of school employees by partially focusing each of the preceding seven components of the school health programme on improving the health and quality of life of school employees as well as students. Thus, efforts to improve the quality of life, health, and productivity of school employees may be distinct from, but integrated with, efforts to improve the quality of life, health, and education of students. School employee health programmes can improve employee: 1) recruitment; 2) morale; 3) retention; and 4) productivity. They can reduce employee: 5) risk behaviours (e.g., physical inactivity); 6) risk factors (e.g., stress, obesity, high blood pressure); (7) illnesses; 8) work-related injuries; 9) absentee days; 10) worker compensation and disability claims; and 11) health care and health insurance costs. Further, if we hope to improve our schools' performance and raise student achievement levels, developing effective school employee health programmes can increase the likelihood that employees will: 12) serve as healthy role models for students; 13) implement effective school health programmes for students; and 14) present a positive image of the school to the community. If we are to improve the quality of life, health, and productivity of school employees in the 21st century: school administrators, employees, and

Measuring collections effort improves cash performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Shutts, Joe

2009-09-01

Having a satisfied work force can lead to an improved collections effort. Hiring the right people and training them ensures employee engagement. Measuring collections effort and offering incentives is key to revenue cycle success.

Rethinking the Quest for School Improvement: Some Findings from the DESSI Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Huberman, A. Michael; Miles, Matthew B.

1984-01-01

A review of the Study of Dissemination Efforts Supporting School Improvement (DESSI) field study indicated a need for reorganization of the conceptual paradigms used to account for school improvement. Current paradigms do not account for the rational and conflict theories of social change. (DF)

Understanding school food service characteristics associated with higher competitive food revenues can help focus efforts to improve school food environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Guthrie, Joanne F; Newman, Constance; Ralston, Katherine; Prell, Mark; Ollinger, Michael

2012-08-01

Many school food services sell extra foods and beverages, popularly referred to as “competitive foods,” in addition to USDA school meals. On the basis of national survey data, most competitive foods and beverages selected by students are of low nutritional value. Recent federal legislation will allow schools that participate in USDA school meal programs to sell competitive foods only if the food items they sell meet nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Concerns have been raised about the potential effects of limiting competitive foods on local school food service finances. However, national data indicate that only in a subset of schools do food services receive large amounts of revenues from competitive foods. These food services are typically located in secondary schools in more affluent districts, serving higher proportions of students who do not receive free or reduced price meals. Compared to other food services, these food services couple higher competitive food revenues with lower school meal participation. Increasing school meal participation could increase meal revenues to offset any loss of competitive food revenues. Replacing less-healthful competitive items with healthier options could also help maintain school food service revenues while improving the school food environment. Nationally consistent nutrition standards for competitive foods may encourage development and marketing of healthful products.

Evaluating School Improvement Plans and Their Affect on Academic Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, Kenneth E.

2011-01-01

The development of a school improvement plan (SIP) has become an integral part of many school reform efforts. However, there are almost no studies that empirically examine the effectiveness of SIPs. The few studies examining the planning activities of organizations have generally focused on the private sector and have not provided clear or…

Duke Power's liquid radwaste processing improvement efforts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, R.E. Jr.; Bramblett, J.W.

1995-01-01

The rising cost of processing liquid radwaste and industry efforts to reduce offsite isotopic contributions has drawn greater attention to the liquid radwaste area. Because of economic pressures to reduce cost and simultaneously improve performance, Duke Power has undertaken a wide ranging effort to cost effectively achieve improvements in the liquid radwaste processing area. Duke Power has achieved significant reductions over recent years in the release of curies to the environment from the Liquid Radwaste Treatmentt systems at its Catawba, McGuire, and Oconee stations. System wide site curie reductions of 78% have been achieved in a 3 year period. These curie reductions have been achieved while simultaneously reducing the amount of media used to accomplish treatment. The curie and media usage reductions have been achieved at low capital cost expenditures. A large number of approaches and projects have been used to achieve these curie and media usage reductions. This paper will describe the various projects and the associated results for Duke Power's processing improvement efforts. The subjects/projects which will be described include: (1) Cooperative philosophy between stations (2) Source Control (3) Processing Improvements (4) Technology Testing

New Orleans's Unique School Reform Effort and Its Potential Implications for Special Education

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Timothy E.

2010-01-01

Four years following the decimation of the New Orleans Public Schools by Hurricane Katrina the city has been described as the center of a unique urban public school reform effort. This effort is a combination of events that transpired just before the storm and those that have occurred as a result of it. In particular some claim that the emerging…

How Approaches to Stuck-in-the-Mud School Funding Hinder Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarín, Melissa

2013-01-01

Many state and education leaders continue to support and employ methods that prevent schools and principals from undertaking the efforts that they think are most needed to improve education in their classrooms. The use of state categorical grants--funds to school districts with strict limits on their use--exemplifies this lack of innovation in…

Managerial effort under asymmetric information: The case of public schools in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessio Tony C. Almeida

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This paper uses a principal-agent model to investigate how public school managers react to government incentives based on previous school performance. Using data from the Brazilian Student Evaluation Exam (Prova Brasil – PB and the School Census, we estimate a managerial effort function by quantile regression. The findings show a regular non-linear relationship between managerial effort and lagged school performance, indicating that marginal effort is decreasing when a previously ineffective school manager becomes effective on reaching a performance goal. This evidence is in line with the adopted theoretical approach and provides new parameters for educational policies designs. Resumo: Este artigo usa um modelo de principal-agente para investigar como os gestores de escolas públicas reagem à incentivos do governo baseados no desempenho escolar anterior. Utilizando dados da Prova Brasil (PB e do Censo Escolar, estimamos uma função de esforço gerencial por regressão quantílica. Os resultados mostram uma relação não-linear regular entre o esforço gerencial e o desempenho escolar desfasado, indicando que o esforço marginal decresce quando um diretor de escola anteriormente ineficaz se torna efetivo ao atingir uma meta de desempenho. Esta evidência está em linha com a abordagem teórica adotada e fornece novos parâmetros para o desenho de políticas educacionais. JEL classification: I21, H52, H40, Keywords: School management, Managerial effort, Educational goals, Asymmetric information, Palavras-chave: Gestão escolar, Esforço gerencial, Metas educacionais, Informação assimétrica

Assessing the Impact of School-Based Marketing Efforts: A Case Study of a Foreign Language Immersion Program in a School-Choice Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Olson Beal, Heather K.; Beal, Brent D.

2016-01-01

The marketization of K-12 education has led to an increase in school-based marketing efforts. Relatively little research, however, has examined how public schools market themselves, who is involved in marketing, and how these marketing efforts impact key stakeholders, including school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.We explore…

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for School Leaders. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that school leaders--including principals, assistant/vice principals, and building leaders--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided for the following strategies: (1)…

Confronting Challenges at the Intersection of Rurality, Place, and Teacher Preparation: Improving Efforts in Teacher Education to Staff Rural Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amy Price Azano

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers in rural schools is a persistent struggle in many countries, including the U.S. Salient challenges related to poverty, geographic isolation, low teacher salaries, and a lack of community amenities seem to trump perks of living in rural communities. Recognizing this issue as a complex and hard to solve fixture in the composition of rural communities, we sought to understand how teacher preparation programs might better prepare preservice teachers for successful student teaching placements and, ideally, eventual careers in rural schools. In this study, we explore teacher candidates’ perceptions of rurality while examining how specific theory, pedagogy, and practice influence their feelings of preparedness for working in a rural school. Using pre- and post- questionnaire data, classroom observations, and reflections, we assess the effectiveness of deliberate efforts in our teacher preparation program to increase readiness for rural teaching. In our analysis and discussion, we draw on critical and sociocultural theories to understand the experiences of a cohort of teacher candidates as they explore personal histories, the importance of place, expectations, and teaching strategies for rural contexts. While rural education researchers have long lamented the struggle to recruit and retain teachers, there is relatively little known about intentional efforts to prepare teachers specifically for rural classrooms. We conclude our article with recommendations for enhancing teacher preparation programs in ways that might result in significant progress toward the goal of staffing rural schools with the highly skilled teachers all students deserve.

Measuring listening-related effort and fatigue in school-aged children using pupillometry.

Science.gov (United States)

McGarrigle, Ronan; Dawes, Piers; Stewart, Andrew J; Kuchinsky, Stefanie E; Munro, Kevin J

2017-09-01

Stress and fatigue from effortful listening may compromise well-being, learning, and academic achievement in school-aged children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) typical of those in school classrooms on listening effort (behavioral and pupillometric) and listening-related fatigue (self-report and pupillometric) in a group of school-aged children. A sample of 41 normal-hearing children aged 8-11years performed a narrative speech-picture verification task in a condition with recommended levels of background noise ("ideal": +15dB SNR) and a condition with typical classroom background noise levels ("typical": -2dB SNR). Participants showed increased task-evoked pupil dilation in the typical listening condition compared with the ideal listening condition, consistent with an increase in listening effort. No differences were found between listening conditions in terms of performance accuracy and response time on the behavioral task. Similarly, no differences were found between listening conditions in self-report and pupillometric markers of listening-related fatigue. This is the first study to (a) examine listening-related fatigue in children using pupillometry and (b) demonstrate physiological evidence consistent with increased listening effort while listening to spoken narratives despite ceiling-level task performance accuracy. Understanding the physiological mechanisms that underpin listening-related effort and fatigue could inform intervention strategies and ultimately mitigate listening difficulties in children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relations among school students' self-determined motivation, perceived enjoyment, effort, and physical activity behaviors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Tao

2009-12-01

Guided by the self-determination theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the predictive strength of self-determined motivation toward motivational outcomes (perceived enjoyment, perceived effort, physical activity behaviors) for 286 middle school students in physical education. Analyses indicated that intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, and introjected regulation were positively related to students' enjoyment, perceived effort, and physical activity, whereas amotivation was negatively associated with students' enjoyment and perceived effort. The findings highlighted the importance of higher self-determined motivation (intrinsic motivation and identified regulation) in students' perceived enjoyment, effort, and physical activity behaviors. This study supports the use of self-determination theory to investigate students' motivational outcomes in school physical education.

Influence of physical effort in improving the life quality children with Down syndrome in special schools Nuevo Amanecer and Alba Salazar in Los Rios province, Ecuador

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Miguel Luperón Terry

2016-03-01

Full Text Available These days some difficulty is evident to conduct physical education, because physical education is still a matter within the Ecuadorian educational program that many consider secondary. Schools Nuevo Amanecer and Alba Salazar hosting children with Down Syndrome (SD do not have the figure of professional physical training, so it is responsible for non-experts to develop the profession, which is coupled with the absence of programs adapted physical education for children with DS, and insufficient attention to physical efforts within the same classes to improve their potential. To carry out this research has used a sample of twenty people with Down syndrome between 8 and 16 years a total of 32 children between the existing two schools, with a level of mild mental disabilities and representing 65,5% of the target population. This approach is intended to achieve favorable results in the physical performance of them through specialized exercises Basketball from its physical potential as is the high degree of flexibility present, improve their attitude towards the different situations of life and integrating them to it. Basketball program tailored to children to enable them to enhance their physical and intellectual abilities that will enable the improvement of the quality of life in these children is proposed.

Improving the professionalism of post-certification teacher through academic supervision in vocational schools

Science.gov (United States)

Satyawati, Sophia Tri; Widyanto, I. Putu; Suemy

2017-03-01

This paper examines the principal's efforts in improving the professionalism of post-certification teachers through academic supervision in vocational school. The certification of educators is expected to improve the professionalism of teachers, there are significant changes between the before and after receiving the certificate of educators. One of the efforts made by the principal on increasing the professionalism of teachers is to carry out academic supervision completely and continuously. This paper examines about how principals at vocational schools carry out the programmed academic supervision, and continuing through mentoring, evaluation and coaching. Academic supervision is performed by individual supervision techniques which includes: classroom or practical visit, classroom or practical observation, individual meetings, inter-class or practical places visit, and self-assessment.

The Influence of Effortful Control and Empathy on Perception of School Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Zorza, Juan P.; Marino, Julián; Mesas, Alberto Acosta

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive power of effortful control (EC) and empathy for perception of school climate. Self-report measures of EC, dispositional empathy, and perception of school climate were obtained for 398 students (204 females) aged 12 to 13. Sociometric status was peer-evaluated, and academic achievement was…

Conceptions of effort among students, teachers and parents within an English secondary school

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stables, Andrew; Murakami, Kyoko; McIntosh, Shona

2014-01-01

‘Effort’ and ‘ability’ (understood as potential, intelligence or achievement) are concepts widely used in the everyday language of schooling in Britain but each term lacks clear definition of its use in the school context. Meanwhile, the assessment of effort, alongside that of achievement, remains...... widespread. This article reports on an exploratory case study of conceptions of effort among three major actors in an English secondary school. Qualitative and quantitative data from questionnaires and interviews with teachers, students and parents at an English comprehensive school were collected. Analysis...... reveals that understandings of ‘effort’ are not uniform. Rather, ‘effort’ is a shorthand term, which can be used variably, therefore can be construed as a tool of negotiation, or a form of investment in a set of aims distinctive to each group or individual case. There is a strong case for more sustained...

Achievement goal profiles and developments in effort and achievement in upper elementary school.

Science.gov (United States)

Hornstra, Lisette; Majoor, Marieke; Peetsma, Thea

2017-12-01

The multiple goal perspective posits that certain combinations of achievement goals are more favourable than others in terms of educational outcomes. This study aimed to examine longitudinally whether students' achievement goal profiles and transitions between profiles are associated with developments in self-reported and teacher-rated effort and academic achievement in upper elementary school. Participants were 722 fifth-grade students and their teachers in fifth and sixth grade (N = 68). Students reported on their achievement goals and effort in language and mathematics three times in grade 5 to grade 6. Teachers rated students' general school effort. Achievement scores were obtained from school records. Goal profiles were derived with latent profile and transition analyses. Longitudinal multilevel analyses were conducted. Theoretically favourable goal profiles (high mastery and performance-approach goals, low on performance-avoidance goals), as well as transitions from less to more theoretically favourable goal profiles, were associated with higher levels and more growth in effort for language and mathematics and with stronger language achievement gains. Overall, these results provide support for the multiple goal perspective and show the sustained benefits of favourable goal profiles beyond effects of cognitive ability and background characteristics. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Education Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

The pathways of high school science teachers and policy efforts to alter the pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Sass, Tim

2012-03-01

There is currently much interest in improving the quality of science education in K-12 schools and encouraging more students, particularly minorities and women, to pursue careers in STEM fields. Two interrelated issues are at the forefront: the quality of science teachers and the supply of science teachers. Education research in general finds that the single most important school-based factor affecting student achievement is teacher quality. While there is little evidence that teacher credentials matter for student achievement in the lower grades, there is at least some evidence that content knowledge is an important determinant of teacher quality in middle and secondary schools. However, little is known about the pre-service preparation of high school science teachers and how the training of science teachers affects their performance in the classroom. While there are many efforts underway to increase the supply of science teachers, little is known about the supply of science teachers from different pathways and the factors that lead science teachers to leave the profession. In this presentation I discuss recent work on the supply of teachers from alternative pathways, focusing on high school science teachers. I also summarize the literature on teacher quality and attrition, emphasizing the current state of knowledge on secondary school teachers. Finally, I present current policy initiatives and discuss the likelihood of their success given current research findings.

The relationship between school inspections, school characteristics and school improvement.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ehren, Melanie Catharina Margaretha; Visscher, Arend J.

2008-01-01

The effects of school inspections on school improvement have been investigated only to a limited degree. The investigation reported on in this article is meant to expand our knowledge base regarding the impact of school inspections on school improvement. The theoretical framework for this research

The National Air Intelligence Center Software Process Improvement Effort (NAIC SPI)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Blankenship, Donald

2001-01-01

...) Software Process Improvements effort. The objective of this effort was for the contractor to provide engineering and software process improvement for NAIC/SCD to reach SEI's CMM Level 2 in process maturity...

The Best Laid Plans: An Examination of School Plan Quality and Implementation in a School Improvement Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Strunk, Katharine O.; Marsh, Julie A.; Bush-Mecenas, Susan C.; Duque, Matthew R.

2016-01-01

Purpose: A common strategy used in school improvement efforts is a mandated process of formal planning, yet little is known about the quality of plans or the relationship between plan quality and implementation. This mixed-methods article investigates plan quality, factors associated with plan quality, and the relationship between plan quality and…

Effort-reward imbalance in the school setting: associations with somatic pain and self-rated health.

Science.gov (United States)

Låftman, Sara Brolin; Modin, Bitte; Östberg, Viveca; Hoven, Hanno; Plenty, Stephanie

2015-03-01

According to the workplace theory of effort-reward imbalance (ERI), individuals who perceive a lack of reciprocity between their effort spent at work and the rewards received in turn are at an increased risk of stress-related ill-health. It is also assumed that being overcommitted to work is linked to an increased risk of stress-related ill-health. This study applies the effort-reward imbalance model to the school setting. It aims to analyse the associations that effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment share with somatic pain and self-rated health among adolescents. Data are from the School Stress and Support Study (TriSSS), involving students in grades 8 and 9 (ages 14-16 years) in two schools in Stockholm, Sweden, during 2010 (n=403). Information on effort-reward imbalance and health outcomes was gathered from self-report questionnaires. An adjusted short version of ERI was used. Factor analysis showed that extrinsic effort, reward and overcommitment constitute three distinct dimensions. The designed measures demonstrated sound psychometric properties both for the full sample and for subgroups. Ordered logistic regressions were conducted. The analyses showed that low reward and higher overcommitment were associated with greater somatic pain and poorer self-rated health. Furthermore, effort-reward imbalance was linked with an elevated risk of somatic pain and poorer self-rated health. Students are more likely to experience stress-related ill-health when they perceive an imbalance between their effort and rewards. In addition, high overcommitment is associated with an increased risk of ill-health among students. © 2014 the Nordic Societies of Public Health.

Personal Professional Development Efforts Scale for Middle School Mathematics Teachers: An Adaptation Study

Science.gov (United States)

Balbag, M. Zafer; Yenilmez, Kürsat; Turgut, Melih

2017-01-01

This study aimed at adapting the personal professional development efforts scale developed for science and technology teachers to be applied for middle school mathematics teachers. For this purpose, first of all, the items of the original scale were adjusted for the middle school mathematics teachers by a team of experts. Data obtained by the new…

Scaling-Up Youth-Led Social Justice Efforts through an Online School-Based Social Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Kornbluh, Mariah; Neal, Jennifer Watling; Ozer, Emily J

2016-06-01

The exploration of social networking sites (SNS) in promoting social change efforts offers great potential within the field of community psychology. Online communities on SNS provide opportunities for bridging across groups, thus fostering the exchange of novel ideas and practices. Currently, there have only been limited efforts to examine SNS within the context of youth-led efforts. To explore the potential of SNS to facilitate the diffusion of social justice efforts between distinct youth groups, we linked three school-based youth-led participatory action research projects involving 54 high school students through a SNS. This study offers an innovative methodological approach and framework, utilizing social network analysis and strategic sampling of key student informants to investigate what individual behaviors and online network features predict student adoption of social change efforts. Findings highlight prospective facilitators and barriers to diffusion processes within a youth-led online network, as well as key constructs that may inform future research. We conclude by providing suggestions for scholars and practitioners interested in examining how SNS can be used to enhance the diffusion of social justice strategies, youth-led engagement efforts, and large-scale civic organizing. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

Sustained School Improvement: A Case of How School Leaders ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sustained School Improvement: A Case of How School Leaders Strategise for School Improvement in Zimbabwean Primary Schools. ... Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research. Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search ...

School climate and delinquency among Chinese adolescents: analyses of effortful control as a moderator and deviant peer affiliation as a mediator.

Science.gov (United States)

Bao, Zhenzhou; Li, Dongping; Zhang, Wei; Wang, Yanhui

2015-01-01

School climate is the quality and character of school life and reflects the norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and the organizational structure of a school. There is substantial literature documenting the negative association between positive school climate and adolescent delinquency, but little is known about the moderating and mediating mechanisms underlying this relationship. The aim of this study was to examine whether the direct and indirect pathways between school climate and adolescent delinquency would be moderated by effortful control. A sample of 2,758 Chinese adolescents (M age = 13.53 years, SD = 1.06) from 10 middle schools completed anonymous questionnaires regarding school climate, effortful control, deviant peer affiliation, and delinquency. After gender, age, geographical area, and socioeconomic status were included as covariates, the results revealed that school climate was significantly associated with adolescent delinquent behavior. This direct association was moderated by effortful control, such that the negative relationship between positive school climate and delinquency was only significant among adolescents low in effortful control. Moreover, the indirect association between school climate and delinquency via deviant peer affiliation was also moderated by effortful control. Specifically, the moderating effect of effortful control was not only manifested in the relationship between school climate and deviant peer affiliation, but also in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and delinquency. These findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms through which positive school climate might reduce delinquent behavior and have important implications for prevention efforts aimed at diminishing adolescent delinquency.

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for Working with Families. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines how family members--including guardians of students--can support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided for the following strategies: (1) Participate in planning for school climate improvements; (2) Engage…

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for Working with Students. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps to engage students in the school climate improvement process. Key action steps are provided for the following strategies: (1) Participate in planning for school climate improvements; (2) Engage stakeholders in…

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for Community Partners. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines how community partners can support school climate improvements. Organizations and individuals can partner with schools in many different ways--from delivering or coordinating direct services to students and families inside or…

School effectiveness and school improvement : Sustaining links

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Creemers, B.P.M.; Reezigt, G.J.

1997-01-01

Ideally, school effectiveness research and school improvement might have a relationship with a surplus value for both. In reality, this relationship is often troublesome. Some problems can be attributed to the intrinsic differences between effectiveness and improvement, such as different missions.

The moderating effects of school climate on bullying prevention efforts.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Sabina; Van Ryzin, Mark

2014-09-01

Bullying prevention efforts have yielded mixed effects over the last 20 years. Program effectiveness is driven by a number of factors (e.g., program elements and implementation), but there remains a dearth of understanding regarding the role of school climate on the impact of bullying prevention programs. This gap is surprising, given research suggesting that bullying problems and climate are strongly related. The current study examines the moderating role of school climate on the impacts of a stand-alone bullying prevention curriculum. In addition, the current study examined 2 different dimensions of school climate across both student and staff perceptions. Data for this study were derived from a Steps to Respect (STR) randomized efficacy trial that was conducted in 33 elementary schools over a 1-year period. Schools were randomly assigned to intervention or wait-listed control condition. Outcome measures (pre-to-post) were obtained from (a) all school staff, (b) a randomly selected subset of 3rd-5th grade teachers in each school, and (c) all students in classrooms of selected teachers. Multilevel analyses revealed that psychosocial climate was strongly related to reductions in bullying-related attitudes and behaviors. Intervention status yielded only 1 significant main effect, although, STR schools with positive psychosocial climate at baseline had less victimization at posttest. Policies/administrative commitment to bullying were related to reduced perpetration among all schools. Findings suggest positive psychosocial climate (from both staff and student perspective) plays a foundational role in bullying prevention, and can optimize effects of stand-alone programs. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Reference Manual on Making School Climate Improvements. School Climate Improvement Resource Package, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Yoder, N.; Darling-Churchill, K.; Colombi, G. D.; Ruddy, S.; Neiman, S.; Chagnon, E.; Mayo, R.

2017-01-01

This reference manual identifies five overarching sets of activities for improving school climate, with the goal of improving student outcomes (e.g., achievement, attendance, behaviors, and skills). These sets of activities help to initiate, implement, and sustain school climate improvements. For each activity set, the manual presents a clear…

Do school inspections improve primary school performance?

OpenAIRE

Dinand Webbink; Rob Luginbuhl; I. de Wolf

2007-01-01

Inspectors from the Dutch Inspectorate of Education inspect primary schools, write inspection reports on each inspected school, and make recommendations as to how each school can improve. We test whether these inspections result in better school performance. Using a fixed-effects model, we find evidence that school inspections do lead to measurably better school performance. Our assessment of school performance is based on the Cito test scores of pupils in their final year of primary school. ...

"Set Up to Fail": Institutional Racism and the Sabotage of School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Dianne L.; Clark, Menthia P.

2009-01-01

Data from two previous studies are reanalyzed using the lens of institutional racism to examine district decisions that undermined, or sabotaged, improvement efforts at schools attended by students of color. Opportunities to rectify the sabotage were available but not pursued. A model portrays the interaction between decision-maker intent,…

Improving low-performing high schools: searching for evidence of promise.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleischman, Steve; Heppen, Jessica

2009-01-01

Noting that many of the nation's high schools are beset with major problems, such as low student reading and math achievement, high dropout rates, and an inadequate supply of effective teachers, Steve Fleischman and Jessica Heppen survey a range of strategies that educators have used to improve low-performing high schools. The authors begin by showing how the standards-based school reform movement, together with the No Child Left Behind Act requirement that underperforming schools adopt reforms supported by scientifically based research, spurred policy makers, educators, and researchers to create and implement a variety of approaches to attain improvement. Fleischman and Heppen then review a number of widely adopted reform models that aim to change "business as usual" in low-performing high schools. The models include comprehensive school reform programs, dual enrollment and early college high schools, smaller learning communities, specialty (for example, career) academies, charter high schools, and education management organizations. In practice, say the authors, many of these improvement efforts overlap, defying neat distinctions. Often, reforms are combined to reinforce one another. The authors explain the theories that drive the reforms, review evidence of their reforms' effectiveness to date, and suggest what it will take to make them work well. Although the reforms are promising, the authors say, few as yet have solid evidence of systematic or sustained success. In concluding, Fleischman and Heppen emphasize that the reasons for a high school's poor performance are so complex that no one reform model or approach, no matter how powerful, can turn around low-performing schools. They also stress the need for educators to implement each reform program with fidelity to its requirements and to support it for the time required for success. Looking to the future, the authors suggest steps that decision makers, researchers, and sponsors of research can take to promote

School Audits and School Improvement: Exploring the Variance Point Concept in Kentucky's... Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Lyons

2011-01-01

Full Text Available As a diagnostic intervention (Bowles, Churchill, Effrat, & McDermott, 2002 for schools failing to meet school improvement goals, Ken-tucky used a scholastic audit process based on nine standards and 88 associated indicators called the Standards and Indicators for School Improvement (SISI. Schools are rated on a scale of 1–4 on each indicator, with a score of 3 considered as fully functional (Kentucky De-partment of Education [KDE], 2002. As part of enacting the legislation, KDE was required to also audit a random sample of schools that did meet school improvement goals; thereby identifying practices present in improving schools that are not present in those failing to improve. These practices were referred to as variance points, and were reported to school leaders annually. Variance points have differed from year to year, and the methodology used by KDE was unclear. Moreover, variance points were reported for all schools without differentiating based upon the level of school (elementary, middle, or high. In this study, we established a transparent methodology for variance point determination that differentiates between elementary, middle, and high schools.

Venezuela's Bolivarian Schools Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz, Maria Magnolia Santamaria

2002-01-01

Discusses efforts by the Venezuelan government to improve the nation's school infrastructure through the Bolivarian Schools Project administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The project set educational principles which are guiding current school building efforts. (EV)

Teachers, Classrooms, and the Effects of School Desegregation on Effort in School: A "Second Generation" Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, Willis D.

The focus of this inquiry is on the commitment students have to academic achievement. The model on which this analysis is based assumes that student effort in school is the product of several factors relating to parental influences, classroom structure, teacher behavior and peer norms and characteristics. In assessing the possibility of a linkage…

Lunchbox contents of Australian school children: room for improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanigorski, A M; Bell, A C; Kremer, P J; Swinburn, B A

2005-11-01

In light of the increasing prevalence of obesity in children and the potential of schools as a setting for intervention, we aimed to identify the main foods and beverages consumed at primary school and to determine differences in consumption patterns between children who used the school canteen and those who did not. Cross-sectional survey of school foods in 1681 5-12 y old children, 2003-2004. Barwon South-Western region of Victoria, Australia. The school food provided an average (+/-s.e.m.) of 3087+/-26 kJ. Bread was the most frequently consumed food and contributed 20% of total energy at school, biscuits 13%, fruit 10%, muesli/fruit bars 8%, packaged snacks 7%, and fruit juice/cordial 6%. About 10% of children used the school canteen and these children obtained more total energy and more energy from cakes, fast foods and soft drink than noncanteen users (Pjunk food'). Fruit intake in primary schools seems reasonably high but could be targeted for further increase as part of promoting a healthy diet. Of concern, however, are the excessive amounts of energy-dense foods in school lunchboxes. These should be considered a priority for health promotion efforts along with reducing the consumption of sweetened drinks. These measures are urgently needed to improve the school-based diets of Australian children and attempt to curb the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity.

Effort-Reward Imbalance at School and Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Adolescents: The Role of Family Socioeconomic Status

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Hongxiang Guo

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Depression is a major mental health problem during adolescence. This study, using a sample of Chinese adolescents, examined the separate and combined effects of perceived school-related stress and of family socioeconomic status (SES on the prevalence of depressive symptoms. A total of 1774 Chinese students from Grades 7–12 were recruited into our questionnaire survey. School-related stress was measured by the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire-School Version, family SES was assessed by a standardized question, and depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children. Multivariate logistic regression was applied, adjusting for age, gender, grade, smoking, alcohol drinking and physical activity. It was found that high school-related stress and low family SES were associated with elevated odds of depressive symptoms, respectively. The effect of school-related stress was particularly strong in low SES group. In adolescents with both high stress at school and low SES, the odds ratio was 9.18 (95% confidence interval = 6.53–12.89 compared to the reference group (low stress at school and high SES. A significant synergistic interaction effect was observed (synergy index = 2.28, 95% confidence interval = 1.56–3.32. The findings indicated that perceived school-related stress, in terms of effort-reward imbalance, was related to depressive symptoms in this sample of Chinese adolescents. The strong interaction with family SES suggests that health promoting efforts in school settings should be targeted specifically at these socially deprived groups.

Implementing School Improvement Strategies.

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McDonnell, Lorraine M.

In the face of fiscal crisis, today's education reform measures must be both cost-efficient and classroom effective. Experience shows that successful measures incorporate lessons gained from the growth years of the 1970's. New teaching practices, for example, can be transferred from site to site; schools can use to their advantage past efforts of…

Quick Guide on Making School Climate Improvements. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2016

2016-01-01

Students learn best when they are in environments in which they feel safe, supported, challenged, and accepted. In addition, environments that have strong school climates foster the social, emotional, and academic well-being of all students. Research shows that when schools and districts effectively focus on improving school climate, students are…

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for Instructional Staff. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that instructional staff--including teachers, paraprofessionals, and others in the classroom who provide instruction or assistance--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided…

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for District Leaders. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that district leaders--including superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of student support services, or others--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided for…

Turning around Maple Shade Middle School: A Principal's Initial Reform Efforts

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Salmonowicz, Michael J.; Levy, Melissa K.

2009-01-01

This case was written for use in courses dealing with school administration, specifically those related to organizational change, school improvement/turnaround, and the principalship. It explores a veteran principal's first year as a "turnaround specialist" in a low-performing middle school, where she works with a sense of urgency to achieve an…

Leading Staff Development for School Improvement

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Bubb, Sara; Earley, Peter

2009-01-01

As part of a CfBT Education Trust funded study, we investigated the practical steps school leaders can take to ensure that self-evaluation of school performance led, through the effective staff development, to genuine school improvement. On the journey from self-evaluation to school improvement our research identified what schools did that worked,…

Especially for Teachers: The Connection. An Invitation to School Improvement in North Carolina, 3.

Science.gov (United States)

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh.

North Carolina's educational reform effort is composed of three related programs--the Basic Education Program (BEP), the School Improvement and Accountability Act (Senate Bill 2), and a new system of state accreditation. Information about the complementary and interdependent connection among the three programs is provided in this publication. The…

Combining in-school and community-based media efforts: reducing marijuana and alcohol uptake among younger adolescents.

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Slater, Michael D; Kelly, Kathleen J; Edwards, Ruth W; Thurman, Pamela J; Plested, Barbara A; Keefe, Thomas J; Lawrence, Frank R; Henry, Kimberly L

2006-02-01

This study tests the impact of an in-school mediated communication campaign based on social marketing principles, in combination with a participatory, community-based media effort, on marijuana, alcohol and tobacco uptake among middle-school students. Eight media treatment and eight control communities throughout the US were randomly assigned to condition. Within both media treatment and media control communities, one school received a research-based prevention curriculum and one school did not, resulting in a crossed, split-plot design. Four waves of longitudinal data were collected over 2 years in each school and were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models to account for clustering effects. Youth in intervention communities (N = 4,216) showed fewer users at final post-test for marijuana [odds ratio (OR) = 0.50, P = 0.019], alcohol (OR = 0.40, P = 0.009) and cigarettes (OR = 0.49, P = 0.039), one-tailed. Growth trajectory results were significant for marijuana (P = 0.040), marginal for alcohol (P = 0.051) and non-significant for cigarettes (P = 0.114). Results suggest that an appropriately designed in-school and community-based media effort can reduce youth substance uptake. Effectiveness does not depend on the presence of an in-school prevention curriculum.

Combining In-School and Community-Based Media Efforts: Reducing Marijuana and Alcohol Uptake among Younger Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Slater, Michael D.; Kelly, Kathleen J.; Edwards, Ruth W.; Thurman, Pamela J.; Plested, Barbara A.; Keefe, Thomas J.; Lawrence, Frank R.; Henry, Kimberly L.

2006-01-01

This study tests the impact of an in-school mediated communication campaign based on social marketing principles, in combination with a participatory, community-based media effort, on marijuana, alcohol and tobacco uptake among middle-school students. Eight media treatment and eight control communities throughout the US were randomly assigned to…

Improving the "Quality of Life" in School and Business Organizations: Historical and Contemporary Trends.

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Karr-Kidwell, PJ

Numerous attempts have been made to improve the effectiveness of decision-making in organizational settings. Some of the historical and contemporary organizational trends regarding these efforts, both in business and in school settings, are presented in this paper. The focus is on the related expectations and outcomes that are evident in diverse…

The Architecture of School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Joseph

2013-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present a comprehensive framework for capturing the complex concept the authors call school improvement. Design/methodology/approach: The author begins by anchoring that framework on an historical understanding of school improvement. The framework itself is then presented. Five dimensions are described: the…

Improving School Improvement: Development and Validation of the CSIS-360, a 360-Degree Feedback Assessment for School Improvement Specialists

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McDougall, Christie M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of the mixed methods study was to develop and validate the CSIS-360, a 360-degree feedback assessment to measure competencies of school improvement specialists from multiple perspectives. The study consisted of eight practicing school improvement specialists from a variety of settings. The specialists nominated 23 constituents to…

Complexity, Accountability, and School Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Day, Jennifer A.

2002-01-01

Using complexity theory, examines standards-based accountability focused on improving school organization. Compares Chicago Public Schools' outcomes-based bureaucratic accountability approach with Baltimore City Schools' combined administrator-professional accountability. Concludes that the combined approach should result in more lasting change.…

The Fusion of School Improvement and Leadership Capacity in an Elementary School

Science.gov (United States)

Sigurðardóttir, Sigríður Margrét; Sigþórsson, Rúnar

2016-01-01

The article reports the findings of a qualitative case study in one elementary school in Iceland. The aim was to investigate the level of leadership capacity within the school, and how this had evolved through the school's improvement. Information was gathered over one school year about planned improvements that had taken place in the school over…

Application Methods Guided Discovery in the Effort Improving Skills Observing Student Learning IPA in the Fourth Grades in Primary School

OpenAIRE

Septikasari, Zela

2015-01-01

The purpose of this research was to improve improve the skills of observing in science learning by using guided discovery. This type of research is a collaborative classroom action research with teachers and research subjects Elementary School fourth grade students in SD Lempuyangan 1, Yogyakarta. The results showed that the percentace of students who has score B on pre- action of 23.53%; in the first cycle increased to 38.24%; and 91.18% in the second cycle. Thus in the first cycle an increa...

Venture Capital in Ohio Schools: Building Commitment and Capacity for School Renewal.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus.

This publication describes Venture Capital grants, which are awarded to Ohio schools for school-improvement efforts. Originating in the business sector, the concept of Venture Capital represented corporate earning or individual savings invested in a new or fresh enterprise. The grants are designed to be long-term, evolving efforts focused on a…

Prioritizing the School Environment in School Violence Prevention Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Sarah Lindstrom; Burke, Jessica G.; Gielen, Andrea C.

2011-01-01

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated an association between characteristics of the school environment and the likelihood of school violence. However, little is known about the relative importance of various characteristics of the school environment or their differential impact on multiple violence outcomes. Methods: Primarily…

School Climate Improvement Action Guide for Noninstructional Staff. School Climate Improvement Resource Package

Science.gov (United States)

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2017

2017-01-01

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that noninstructional staff--including guidance counselors, social workers, school psychologists, office staff, bus drivers, maintenance and facility staff, and food service staff--can take to support school…

Improving educational achievement and anaemia of school children: design of a cluster randomised trial of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction in Kenya

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Halliday Katherine E

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Improving the health of school-aged children can yield substantial benefits for cognitive development and educational achievement. However, there is limited experimental evidence on the benefits of school-based malaria prevention or how health interventions interact with other efforts to improve education quality. This study aims to evaluate the impact of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction on the health and educational achievement of school children in Kenya. Design A factorial, cluster randomised trial is being implemented in 101 government primary schools on the coast of Kenya. The interventions are (i intermittent screening and treatment of malaria in schools by public health workers and (ii training workshops and support for teachers to promote explicit and systematic literacy instruction. Schools are randomised to one of four groups: receiving either (i the malaria intervention alone; (ii the literacy intervention alone; (iii both interventions combined; or (iv control group where neither intervention is implemented. Children from classes 1 and 5 are randomly selected and followed up for 24 months. The primary outcomes are educational achievement and anaemia, the hypothesised mediating variables through which education is affected. Secondary outcomes include malaria parasitaemia, school attendance and school performance. A nested process evaluation, using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion and a stakeholder analysis will investigate the community acceptability, feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the interventions. Discussion Across Africa, governments are committed to improve health and education of school-aged children, but seek clear policy and technical guidance as to the optimal approach to address malaria and improved literacy. This evaluation will be one of the first to simultaneously evaluate the impact of health and education interventions in the improvement of

Incorporating Early Learning Strategies in the School Improvement Grants (SIG) Program: How Three Schools Integrated Early Childhood Strategies into School Turnaround Efforts to Improve Instruction for All Students

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Connors-Tadros, Lori; Dunn, Lenay; Martella, Jana; McCauley, Carlas

2015-01-01

A significant body of research shows that achievement gaps evident in persistently low-performing schools, in many instances, manifest prior to children entering kindergarten. High-quality early learning programs have proven to demonstrate positive effects on closing academic gaps both for individual children and in the aggregate for the school.…

Principal efforts in improving the understanding of Climate impact of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Principal efforts in improving the understanding of Climate impact of aerosols -. New and enhanced satellite borne sensors. Focused field experiments. Establishment and enhancement of ground based networks. Development and deployment of new and enhanced ...

Linking school effectiveness and school improvement : The background and outline of the project

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Creemers, B.P.M.; Reezigt, G.J.

2005-01-01

School effectiveness and school improvement have different origins: School effectiveness is more directed to finding out "what works" in education and "why"; school improvement is practice and policy oriented and intended to change education in the desired direction. However, in their orientation to

School Climate Research Summary: August 2012. School Climate Brief, Number 3

Science.gov (United States)

Thapa, Amrit; Cohen, Jonathan; Higgins-D'Alessandro, Ann; Guffey, Shawn

2012-01-01

Over the past three decades, researchers and educators have increasingly recognized the importance of K-12 school climate. This summary report builds on previous school climate reviews and details how school climate is associated with and/or promotes safety, healthy relationships, engaged learning and teaching and school improvement efforts. In…

Paradigms, Power, and PR in New York City: Assessing Two School Accountability Implementation Efforts

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Peck, Craig

2014-01-01

This policy study critically compares two different efforts to implement an accountability system in the New York City public schools. In 1971, the New York City Board of Education contracted with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which created a lengthy accountability plan for the district. Fitful maneuvers to execute the ETS plan fizzled…

Do health-promoting schools improve nutrition in China?

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongxu; Stewart, Donald; Yuan, Yanfei; Chang, Chun

2015-06-01

To demonstrate the effectiveness of health-promoting school framework to promoting healthy eating behaviours and nutrition knowledge among Chinese middle school students, their parents and school staff. Three schools were randomly selected from 15 rural middle schools, then were randomly assigned to either (i) school using HPS framework (HPS school), (ii) school with improved health education only (HE school) or (iii) school received no intervention (control school). Nutrition knowledge and eating behaviours were measured at baseline and 3-month after interventions, using the same instrument. Students and parents in the HPS school had the largest improvement in nutrition knowledge, from 4.92 to 8.23 and 4.84 to 7.74, followed by those in the HE school, from 4.98 to 8.09 and 4.78 to 5.80. School staff in the HE school had the largest improvement in nutrition knowledge (from 4.40 to 8.45), followed by those in the HPS school (from 5.20 to 9.15). Students in the HPS school had the largest improvement in eating behaviours (from 3.16 to 4.13), followed by those in the HE school (from 2.78 to 3.54). There was a statistical difference in the improvement of nutrition knowledge of all target population and of eating behaviours of students after interventions across three schools (p health education can increase nutrition knowledge among Chinese middle school students, their parents and school staff. However, HPS framework was more effective than health education only. Noticeably, HPS framework had a positive impact on students' eating behaviours, which should be in the subject of further research. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Cultivating Community Schools: Austin's Grassroots Effort

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Dubin, Jennifer

2015-01-01

In 2007, Walter P. Webb Middle School faced a crisis. One evening in January, the superintendent at the time held a meeting at the school in Austin, Texas, to let students, parents, teachers, and community members know that at the end of the academic year, their school would close. Thanks to a new state law focused on accountability, the…

Marginal socio-economic effects of an employer's efforts to improve the work environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Rezagholi, Mahmoud

2018-01-01

Workplace health promotion (WHP) strongly requires the employer's efforts to improve the psychosocial, ergonomic, and physical environments of the workplace. There are many studies discussing the socio-economic advantage of WHP intervention programmes and thus the internal and external factors motivating employers to implement and integrate such programmes. However, the socio-economic impacts of the employer's multifactorial efforts to improve the work environment need to be adequately assessed. Data were collected from Swedish company Sandvik Materials Technology (SMT) through a work environment survey in April 2014. Different regression equations were analysed to assess marginal effects of the employer's efforts on overall labour effectiveness (OLE), informal work impairments (IWI), lost working hours (LWH), and labour productivity loss (LPL) in terms of money. The employer's multifactorial efforts resulted in increasing OLE, decreasing IWI and illness-related LWH, and cost savings in terms of decreasing LPL. Environmental factors at the workplace are the important determinant factor for OLE, and the latter is where socio-economic impacts of the employer's efforts primarily manifest.

School Improvement Plans and Student Learning in Jamaica

Science.gov (United States)

Lockheed, Marlaine; Harris, Abigail; Jayasundera, Tamara

2010-01-01

A school improvement program that provided support to poor-performing schools on the basis of needs identified in a school improvement plan was implemented in 72 government schools in Jamaica, from 1998 to 2005. In this independent evaluation of the program, we use propensity score matching to create, post hoc, a control group of schools that were…

Making Sense of School Turnarounds

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Frederick M.

2012-01-01

Today, in a sector flooded with $3.5 billion in School Improvement Grant funds and the resulting improvement plans, there's great faith that "turnaround" strategies are a promising way to tackle stubborn problems with persistently low-performing schools. Unlike traditional reform efforts, with their emphasis on incremental improvement, turnarounds…

Memory in Elementary School Children Is Improved by an Unrelated Novel Experience.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabricio Ballarini

Full Text Available Education is the most traditional means with formative effect on the human mind, learning and memory being its fundamental support. For this reason, it is essential to find different strategies to improve the studentś performance. Based on previous work, we hypothesized that a novel experience could exert an enhancing effect on learning and memory within the school environment. Here we show that novel experience improved the memory of literary or graphical activities when it is close to these learning sessions. We found memory improvements in groups of students who had experienced a novel science lesson 1 hour before or after the reading of a story, but not when these events were 4 hours apart. Such promoting effect on long-term memory (LTM was also reproduced with another type of novelty (a music lesson and also after another type of learning task (a visual memory. Interestingly, when the lesson was familiar, it failed to enhance the memory of the other task. Our results show that educationally relevant novel events experienced during normal school hours can improve LTM for tasks/activities learned during regular school lessons. This effect is restricted to a critical time window around learning and is particularly dependent on the novel nature of the associated experience. These findings provide a tool that could be easily transferred to the classroom by the incorporation of educationally novel events in the school schedule as an extrinsic adjuvant of other information acquired some time before or after it. This approach could be a helpful tool for the consolidation of certain types of topics that generally demand a great effort from the children.

Memory in Elementary School Children Is Improved by an Unrelated Novel Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Ballarini, Fabricio; Martínez, María Cecilia; Díaz Perez, Magdalena; Moncada, Diego; Viola, Haydée

2013-01-01

Education is the most traditional means with formative effect on the human mind, learning and memory being its fundamental support. For this reason, it is essential to find different strategies to improve the studentś performance. Based on previous work, we hypothesized that a novel experience could exert an enhancing effect on learning and memory within the school environment. Here we show that novel experience improved the memory of literary or graphical activities when it is close to these learning sessions. We found memory improvements in groups of students who had experienced a novel science lesson 1 hour before or after the reading of a story, but not when these events were 4 hours apart. Such promoting effect on long-term memory (LTM) was also reproduced with another type of novelty (a music lesson) and also after another type of learning task (a visual memory). Interestingly, when the lesson was familiar, it failed to enhance the memory of the other task. Our results show that educationally relevant novel events experienced during normal school hours can improve LTM for tasks/activities learned during regular school lessons. This effect is restricted to a critical time window around learning and is particularly dependent on the novel nature of the associated experience. These findings provide a tool that could be easily transferred to the classroom by the incorporation of educationally novel events in the school schedule as an extrinsic adjuvant of other information acquired some time before or after it. This approach could be a helpful tool for the consolidation of certain types of topics that generally demand a great effort from the children.

Industry self-regulation to improve student health: quantifying changes in beverage shipments to schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Wescott, Robert F; Fitzpatrick, Brendan M; Phillips, Elizabeth

2012-10-01

We developed a data collection and monitoring system to independently evaluate the self-regulatory effort to reduce the number of beverage calories available to children during the regular and extended school day. We have described the data collection procedures used to verify data supplied by the beverage industry and quantified changes in school beverage shipments. Using a proprietary industry data set collected in 2005 and semiannually in 2007 through 2010, we measured the total volume of beverage shipments to elementary, middle, and high schools to monitor intertemporal changes in beverage volumes, the composition of products delivered to schools, and portion sizes. We compared data with findings from existing research of the school beverage landscape and a separate data set based on contracts between schools and beverage bottling companies. Between 2004 and the 2009-2010 school year, the beverage industry reduced calories shipped to schools by 90%. On a total ounces basis, shipments of full-calorie soft drinks to schools decreased by 97%. Industry self-regulation, with the assistance of a transparent and independent monitoring process, can be a valuable tool in improving public health outcomes.

Implementing and Sustaining School Improvement. The Informed Educator Series

Science.gov (United States)

Protheroe, Nancy

2011-01-01

This "Informed Educator" examines research-proven strategies for implementing and sustaining school improvement by looking at the key elements of the process, enabling conditions for improvement, issues of school culture, and implementation. It also looks at school turnarounds and how to sustain school improvement once reforms are implemented.

Assessing School-Based Gang Prevention Efforts in Urban Centers: Are These Programs Reaching Those Students Who May Benefit the Most?

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, Hector

2009-01-01

In recent years, schools have become a focal point for general delinquency and gang prevention programs for a variety of reasons. One premise behind this approach is that schools can serve as ideal settings for providing delinquency and intervention services because youths spend so much time there. School-based gang prevention efforts are supposed…

Ready to Lead, but How? Teachers' Experiences in High-Poverty Urban Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Susan Moore; Reinhorn, Stefanie K.; Charner-Laird, Megin; Kraft, Matthew A.; Ng, Monica; Papay, John P.

2014-01-01

Background/Context: Many strategies to improve failing urban schools rest on efforts to improve leadership within the school. Effective school-based leadership depends not only on the activities of the principal, but also on teachers' efforts to address school-wide challenges. Research has shown that the principal is pivotal in such ventures,…

Improved diabetes management in Swedish schools: results from two national surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Särnblad, Stefan; Åkesson, Karin; Fernström, Lillemor; Ilvered, Rosita; Forsander, Gun

2017-09-01

Support in diabetes self-care in school is essential to achieve optimal school performance and metabolic control. Swedish legislation regulating support to children with chronic diseases was strengthened 2009. To compare the results of a national survey conducted 2008 and 2015 measuring parents' and diabetes specialist teams' perceptions of support in school. All pediatric diabetes centers in Sweden were invited to participate in the 2015 study. In each center, families with a child being treated for T1DM and attending preschool class or compulsory school were eligible. The parents' and the diabetes teams' opinions were collected in two separate questionnaires. Forty-one out of 42 eligible diabetes centers participated and 568 parents answered the parental questionnaire in 2015. Metabolic control had improved since the 2008 survey (55.2 ± 10.6 mmol/mol, 7.2% ± 1.0%, in 2015 compared with 61.8 ± 12.4 mmol/mol, 7.8% ± 1.1% in 2008). The proportion of children with a designated staff member responsible for supporting the child's self-care increased from 43% to 59%, (P self-care in school in 2015 compared with 2008. More efforts are needed to implement the national legislation to achieve equal support in all Swedish schools. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Continuous Improvement in Schools: Understanding the Practice

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Anderson, Stephen; Kumari, Roshni

2009-01-01

This article investigates conceptually and practically what it means for schools to engage in the practice of continuous improvement. The analysis draws upon prior research and discussion to predict core elements of the practice of continuous improvement in schools. The predictions are then applied to a case study of continuous improvement efforts…

Democratic leadership for school improvement in challenging contexts

OpenAIRE

Harris, A.; Chapman, C.

2002-01-01

There is a great deal of contemporary interest in improving schools in challenging contexts. However, there are relatively few research studies that have focused exclusively upon successful leadership practices in such schools. This article outlines the findings from a research study funded by the National College for School Leadership in England that explored successful leadership practices and school improvement strategies in a group of secondary schools in challenging circumstances.

Practitioner's knowledge representation a pathway to improve software effort estimation

CERN Document Server

Mendes, Emilia

2014-01-01

The main goal of this book is to help organizations improve their effort estimates and effort estimation processes by providing a step-by-step methodology that takes them through the creation and validation of models that are based on their own knowledge and experience. Such models, once validated, can then be used to obtain predictions, carry out risk analyses, enhance their estimation processes for new projects and generally advance them as learning organizations.Emilia Mendes presents the Expert-Based Knowledge Engineering of Bayesian Networks (EKEBNs) methodology, which she has used and adapted during the course of several industry collaborations with different companies world-wide over more than 6 years. The book itself consists of two major parts: first, the methodology's foundations in knowledge management, effort estimation (with special emphasis on the intricacies of software and Web development) and Bayesian networks are detailed; then six industry case studies are presented which illustrate the pra...

Literacy And Reward: Teachers’ Effort To Build Children Reading Habit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Arisandi Komang Widia

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Children at early levels of primary school require appropriate guidance in their initial reading skill. They need to be trained on how reading becomes an enjoyable routine activity. This study aimed at describing teachers’ effort to build children reading habit. This study employed a qualitative descriptive study and conducted at North Bali Bilingual School Bali. The data were collected through observations and interview. The findings of the study showed that there were several activities conducted by the teacher as efforts to build children reading habit. In terms of building students’ reading habit, the teacher used (1 Point-written in Reading Rocket Chart (PRRC, (2 Chip (white, yellow, green for appreciating good behaviour in reading and using English, (3 Certificate, (4 Class Reward, and (5 Free Play Time. With these efforts, it is evident that the students’ literacy improves and they exhibited great enthusiasm in their reading and studying literacy in the classroom.

Recommended Resources for Planning to Evaluate Program Improvement Efforts (Including the SSIP)

Science.gov (United States)

National Center for Systemic Improvement at WestEd, 2015

2015-01-01

This document provides a list of recommended existing resources for state Part C and Part B 619 staff and technical assistance (TA) providers to utilize to support evaluation planning for program improvement efforts (including the State Systemic Improvement Plan, SSIP). There are many resources available related to evaluation and evaluation…

Clinical Teaching of Prosthodontics in Undergraduate Courses in a German Dental School: Patients, Visits, Efforts, and Incentives.

Science.gov (United States)

Huettig, Fabian; Behrend, Florian

2016-01-01

It is unknown what disadvantages are faced by patients deciding for a prosthodontic treatment by inexperienced students. Commonly, the related extra effort and time are compensated by cost reduction of treatment fees. Thereby, the dental schools subsidize treatments to teach clinical prosthodontics. The aim of this study was to clarify the benefits to patients as well as the efforts of the dental school. Data collected from three courses in a dental school in Germany were patient gender, age, occupation, zip code, number of visits, scope of treatment including costs, financial discount, and remaining copayment. Travel costs were calculated based on zip code. Balance of travel costs and treatment discount was defined as financial benefit. The results showed that 185 patients (95 male) aged 32 to 82 years (median=58) were treated with fixed restorations (FR, n=110), telescopic dentures (TD, n=87), complete dentures (CD, n=17), or other (RD, n=3). The mean number of visits was 11 for FR, 12 for TD, and 9 for CD. Single distance to the clinic ranged from 0.6 to 65 miles (median=12). Total costs of prosthodontics were reduced by 19% on average. The mean financial benefit was 429 USD (median=298, min=-482, max=4025). The financial benefits were found to differ widely, including additional expenditures of patients. Participation, travel burden, and copayment did not depend on age, gender, or occupation. The financial benefit was relativized because students needed at least twice the sessions of a dentist. As a result, the financial efforts of dental schools are significant and compromise a cost-covering education.

Navigating School Safety Law and Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Vaillancourt, Kelly; Rossen, Eric

2012-01-01

Initiatives designed to improve school safety and conditions for learning have become central to education reform efforts at the local, state, and national levels. These efforts often target the reduction and prevention of bullying, discrimination, and harassment in schools. While most states currently have some form of law or policy designed to…

The Newfoundland School Society (1830-1840): A Critical Discourse Analysis of Its Religious Education Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

English, Leona M.

2012-01-01

This article uses the lens of critical discourse analysis to examine the religious education efforts of the Newfoundland School Society (NSS), the main provider of religious education in Newfoundland in the 19th century. Although its focus was initially this colony, the NSS quickly broadened its reach to the whole British empire, making it one of…

Effect of Active Videogames on Underserved Children's Classroom Behaviors, Effort, and Fitness.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zan; Lee, Jung Eun; Pope, Zachary; Zhang, Dachao

2016-09-30

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of active videogames (AVGs) on underserved minority children's on-task classroom behavior, academic effort, and fitness. A one group pre- and posttest repeated measures design was used. In Fall 2013, 95 fourth grade children (57 boys, 38 girls; 96% of minority) from three classes at an underserved urban elementary school participated in teacher-supervised AVG activities (e.g., Wii Sports, Xbox Just Dance). Specifically, students participated in a 50-minute weekly AVG program at school for 6 weeks. Children's academic effort was evaluated by classroom teachers using a validated scale that assessed activity, attention, conduct, and social/emotional behavior. Moreover, children's classroom behavior was observed immediately before and after each AVG session by trained researchers. Finally, cardiovascular fitness was also measured. A paired t-test was used to assess teacher-rated student effort, while one-way (gender) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was performed to analyze children's on-task classroom behavior. There was a significant effect on children's effort between the first (mean = 3.24, SD = 0.75) and last week (mean = 3.41, SD = 0.73) assessments, t = 2.42, P = 0.02. In addition, there was a significant effect on classroom behavior, F = 33.103, P < 0.01. In detail, children scored significantly higher on on-task behavior during the post-AVG observation (mean = 81.4, SD = 12.3) than seen during the pre-AVG observation (mean = 69.8, SD = 14.9). However, no main effect was indicated for gender, F = 0.39, P = 0.54. No significant improvement in cardiovascular fitness was observed, although slight improvements were seen. Offering an AVG program at school could improve underserved minority children's classroom on-task behavior and academic effort. Future studies may include a control group to further confirm the effectiveness of AVG

School-Based Efforts to Prevent Cyberbullying

Science.gov (United States)

Patchin, Justin W.; Hinduja, Sameer

2012-01-01

While bullying historically has occurred within or in close proximity to the school, advances in communication technologies have allowed would-be bullies to extend their reach. Cyberbullying--as it is termed--has become a significant concern among adolescents and adults alike. As a result, parents, school professionals, law enforcement, and youth…

Leadership in Improving Schools: A Qualitative Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Penlington, Clare; Kington, Alison; Day, Christopher

2008-01-01

This article reports early case-study data gathered from 20 schools involved in the "Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes" project. We present and discuss the perceptions of headteachers and other school leaders regarding leadership factors that directly and indirectly affect pupil outcomes in these improving schools. Included are…

Efforts to Improve Mathematics Teacher Competency Through Training Program on Design Olympiad Mathematics Problems Based on Higher Order Thinking Skills in The Junior High School

Science.gov (United States)

Arnellis, A.; Jamaan, E. Z.; Amalita, N.

2018-04-01

The goal to analyse a improvement of teacher competence after being trained in preparing high-order math olympicad based on high order thinking skills in junior high school teachers in Pesisir Selatan Regency. The sample of these activities are teachers at the MGMP junior high school in Pesisir Selatan District. Evaluation of the implementation is done by giving a pre test and post test, which will measure the success rate of the implementation of this activities. The existence of the devotion activities is expected to understand the enrichment of mathematics olympiad material and training in the preparation of math olympiad questions for the teachers of South Pesisir district junior high school, motivating and raising the interest of the participants in order to follow the mathematics olympiad with the enrichment of mathematics materials and the training of problem solving about mathematics olympiad for junior high school teachers, the participants gain experience and gain insight, as well as the ins and outs of junior mathematics olympiad and implement to teachers and students in olympic competitions. The result of that the post-test is better than the result of pretest in the training of mathematics teacher competence improvement in composing the mathematics olympiad problem based on high order thinking skills of junior high school (SMP) in Pesisir Selatan District, West Sumatra, Indonesia.

Developing Quality Strategic Plan in Secondary Schools for Successful School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Chukwumah, Fides Okwukweka

2015-01-01

The study examined the extent to which development of quality strategic plans for Anambra State secondary schools' improvement had been done by schools. The research design used was a descriptive survey. Respondents comprised 217 principals. There was no sampling since all the principals were used. Data were collected using "Schools'…

School satisfaction and social relations: Swedish schoolchildren's improvement suggestions.

Science.gov (United States)

Persson, Louise; Haraldsson, Katarina; Hagquist, Curt

2016-01-01

The aim was to explore schoolchildren's views on how to increase school satisfaction and improve social relations among peers at school. Improvement suggestions were collected from school children aged 10-12 years with the help of a feedback model developed for the purpose. Qualitative content analysis was used. Two categories emerged from the analysis: 'psychosocial climate', which included the subcategories 'adults' roles and responsibilities' and 'classmates' norms and values'; 'influence', which included the subcategories 'changes in the physical environment' and 'flexible learning'. The categories are seen as important to increase school satisfaction and improve social relations among peers at school. Examining children's opinions is requested and promoted by the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. The findings contribute to the field by showing how school satisfaction and social relations might be improved, if the child perspective is considered in the planning of health promotion activities in school.

An Urban School Leader's Approach to School Improvement: Toward Contextually Responsive Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Latish C.; Swaminathan, Raji

2016-01-01

This case study examines the leadership practices and actions of an urban high school principal who faced many challenges, but worked diligently to improve student achievement and school climate over a 3-year period. Significant improvements were made by using elements of Distributed Leadership, Professional Learning Communities, and Social…

Barriers and Facilitators to Sustaining School Health Teams in Coordinated School Health Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheung, Karen; Lesesne, Catherine A; Rasberry, Catherine N; Kroupa, Elizabeth; Fisher, Deborah; Robin, Leah; Pitt Barnes, Seraphine

2017-05-01

Coordinated school health (CSH) programs address multiple factors related to students' overall health, thereby increasing their physical and mental readiness to learn. A formative evaluation of three school districts in 2010-2011 examined strategies for sustaining the school health teams (SHTs) that lead CSH efforts. Qualitative data from 39 interviews and 13 focus groups revealed facilitators and barriers for sustaining SHTs. Quantitative data from 68 questionnaires completed by SHT members and school principals examined factors associated with having more active SHTs and district and school characteristics SHT members believed to be important to their schools' efforts to implement CSH. Facilitators of sustaining SHTs included administrative support, staff engagement in the SHT, and shared goals and responsibility. Barriers to sustaining SHTs included limited time and competing priorities, budget and funding constraints, and staff turnover. Findings provide valuable insight into challenges and potential solutions for improving the sustainability of SHTs to enable them to better support CSH efforts.

Developing students' worksheets applying soft skill-based scientific approach for improving building engineering students' competencies in vocational high schools

Science.gov (United States)

Suparno, Sudomo, Rahardjo, Boedi

2017-09-01

Experts and practitioners agree that the quality of vocational high schools needs to be greatly improved. Many construction services have voiced their dissatisfaction with today's low-quality vocational high school graduates. The low quality of graduates is closely related to the quality of the teaching and learning process, particularly teaching materials. In their efforts to improve the quality of vocational high school education, the government have implemented Curriculum 2013 (K13) and supplied teaching materials. However, the results of monitoring and evaluation done by the Directorate of Vocational High School, Directorate General of Secondary Education (2014), the provision of tasks for students in the teaching materials was totally inadequate. Therefore, to enhance the quality and the result of the instructional process, there should be provided students' worksheets that can stimulate and improve students' problem-solving skills and soft skills. In order to develop worksheets that can meet the academic requirements, the development needs to be in accordance with an innovative learning approach, which is the soft skill-based scientific approach.

An after-school exercise program improves fitness, and body composition in elementary school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Carrel, Aaron L; Logue, Julie; Deininger, Heidi; Clark, R Randall; Curtis, Vanessa; Montague, Paul; Baldwin, Sharon

2011-07-01

Reduced cardiovascular fitness (CVF) is a risk factor for obesity and cardiovascular disease. It has previously shown that a school-based fitness curriculum can improve CVF, and other health indicators in middle school aged children. Whether an afterschool program improves CVF and other health markers in elementary-school children is unresolved. The objective of this study was therefore to determine whether an on-site afterschool-based fitness program improves body composition, cardiovascular fitness level, in elementary school children. 80 elementary school children were evaluated in a "fitness-oriented" afterschool program managed by the local YMCA. Children underwent evaluation of cardiovascular fitness by maximal VO 2 treadmill testing and body composition by dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), at baseline (prior to the school-year) and again at end of the school year. Findings revealed that, at baseline, children had a mean age of 8.8 years, BMI of 18.7± 3, with a maximal VO 2 of 40.03 ± 7.6 ml/kg/min, and percent body fat of 28.7 ± 7%. After a 9-month intervention, children maximal VO 2 increased to 44.8 ± 7.5 ml/kg/min (p=0.04) and percent body fat decreased to 25.8 ± 6.2% (p=0.033). The study concluded that on-site afterschool programming focusing on fitness improved body composition and cardiovascular fitness, in elementary school children. Combined with prior studies, these data demonstrate that afterschool-based fitness curricula can benefit both obese and non-obese children. It was therefore recommended that, partnerships with schools to promote fitness even outside of school time should be a part of a school approach to improving children's health.

It's Not about "You," It's about "Us": A Black Woman Administrator's Efforts to Disrupt White Fragility in an Urban School

Science.gov (United States)

Patton, Lori D.; Jordan, Jodi L.

2017-01-01

This case centers on a Black woman school administrator and efforts to disrupt Whiteness among an urban elementary school teaching staff. The case details the resistance she encounters while encouraging teachers to confront "White fragility" and consider how their fragile perspectives on race and racism shape how they educate Black…

Improving Schools through Evaluation: The Experience of Catholic Schools in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Potterton, Mark; Northmore, Colin

2014-01-01

This article addresses the development of quality assurance approaches in South Africa, with particular reference to Catholic schools. It also addresses questions of why whole school evaluation in general has failed to play any meaningful role in improving the quality of schools in South Africa. Reference is also made to specific school cases. The…

Can Schools Meet the Promise of Continuous Improvement?

Science.gov (United States)

Elgart, Mark A.

2018-01-01

Continuous improvement is "an embedded behavior within the culture of a school that constantly focuses on the conditions, processes, and practices that will improve teaching and learning." The phrase has been part of the lexicon of school improvement for decades, but real progress is rare. Based on its observations of about 5,000…

Quality improvement teaching at medical school: a student perspective

OpenAIRE

Nair, Pooja; Barai, Ishani; Prasad, Sunila; Gadhvi, Karishma

2016-01-01

Pooja Nair, Ishani Barai, Sunila Prasad, Karishma Gadhvi Department of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK Abstract: Guidelines in the UK require all doctors to actively take part in quality improvement. To ease future doctors into the process, formal quality improvement teaching can be delivered during medical school. Keywords: quality improvement, medical school, patient safety, patient satisfaction, medical student, clinical audit

Impact of a school district's science reform effort on the achievement and attitudes of third- and fourth-grade students

Science.gov (United States)

Shymansky, James A.; Yore, Larry D.; Anderson, John O.

2004-10-01

This article is about one school district's effort to reform its elementary science curriculum through a program of professional development called Science, Parents, Activities and Literature (Science PALs). The differential exposure of the district's K-6 teachers to Science PALs and differences in how well teachers implemented Science PALs-type inquiry strategies allowed us to conduct a quasi-experimental study of the impact of Science PALs on student achievement and attitudes. We measured achievement with an instrument based on items taken from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS; International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, [1997]) and selected attitudes about science with the Student Perceptions of Classroom Climate (SPOCC; Yore et al., [1998]), an instrument that we designed. Our analyses of student attitude scores as a function of years of teacher participation in Science PALs and supervisor's rating of a teacher's implementation of the project's instructional approaches showed a significant overall positive impact on student attitudes toward school science. Student TIMSS scores on multiple-choice items or constructed-response items did not improve significantly when analyzed by the number of years a student's teacher was involved in the Science PALs effort or by the supervisor's rating of that implementation. We found no significant differences in attitude or achievement scores among students taught by a series of teachers rated high, medium, or low in quality of implementation by the district's science supervisor. We discuss possible explanations for the lack of clear and positive connections between Science PALs and student performance in light of the increased focus on accountability in reform projects.

Improving School Effectiveness by Teaching Thinking Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Zenke, Larry L.

This paper describes a plan to improve school effectiveness in the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Public Schools by incorporating instruction in thinking skills. The program selected by the school district was the Strategic Reasoning Program, based on Albert Upton's Design for Thinking and J. P. Guilford's Structure of the Intellect. The Strategic Reasoning…

Department-Head Leadership for School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Leithwood, Kenneth

2016-01-01

This review of research was prompted by the widespread belief that at least in a significant number of secondary schools, department heads are an underutilized, if not untapped, source of instructional leadership, the type of leadership critical to secondary-school improvement initiatives. Forty-two methodologically diverse empirical studies were…

School Climate Measurement and Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Faster, Darlene; Lopez, Daisy

2013-01-01

Today, school climate assessment has become an increasingly important and valued aspect of district, state, and federal policy. Recognizing that effective school climate improvement efforts are grounded in valid and reliable data, the Federal Department of Education launched the Safe and Supportive Schools grant in 2010 to provide 11 states with…

IMPROVING THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.

Science.gov (United States)

PETERS, JON S.; SCHNEIDER, RAYMOND C.

GUIDELINES FOR CREATING IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS ARE PRESENTED WITH SUPPLEMENTARY DRAWINGS, DIAGRAMS, AND PHOTOGRAPHS. POLICY DECISIONS ARE RELATED TO--(1) THE SCHOOL'S RESPONSIBILITY TO THE FUTURE, (2) INDUSTRY'S RULE IN EDUCATION, AND (3) BUILDING PROGRAM RESPONSIBILITIES. EDUCATIONAL PLANNING IS DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF--(1) ART…

Leadership Development and School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Christopher; Brundrett, Mark

2009-01-01

The chosen focus of this special issue is timely given the burgeoning international interest and investment in leadership development and school improvement. In many countries leadership and improvement have been closely linked and there is no doubt that this linkage has an international reach. Together, these articles review and extend some of…

Quality improvement teaching at medical school: a student perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nair P

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Pooja Nair, Ishani Barai, Sunila Prasad, Karishma Gadhvi Department of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK Abstract: Guidelines in the UK require all doctors to actively take part in quality improvement. To ease future doctors into the process, formal quality improvement teaching can be delivered during medical school. Keywords: quality improvement, medical school, patient safety, patient satisfaction, medical student, clinical audit

Using Organization Development To Improve School Climate. Report No. 17.

Science.gov (United States)

Gottfredson, Gary D.; Gottfredson, Denise C.

This paper presents and illustrates some principles for organizational development approaches to improving school climate. It discusses a specific structure for facilitating school improvement entitled Program Development Evaluation, and it illustrates the use of school climate assessments for school diagnosis and the evaluation of improvement…

It Pays to Improve School Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Hanushek, Eric A.; Ruhose, Jens; Woessmann, Ludger

2016-01-01

Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, supplanting No Child Left Behind and placing responsibility for public school improvement squarely upon each of the 50 states. With the federal government's role in school accountability sharply diminished, it now falls to state and local governments to take decisive action. Even though most…

Uplifting Leadership for Real School Improvement--The North Coast Initiative for School Improvement: An Australian Telling of a Canadian Story

Science.gov (United States)

Chaseling, Marilyn; Boyd, William Edgar; Smith, Robert; Boyd, Wendy; Shipway, Bradley; Foster, Alan; Lembke, Cathy

2017-01-01

This paper reports on a preliminary Australian adoption and adaptation, in the North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, of the Townsend and Adams' model of leadership growth for school improvement in Alberta. The Australian adaptation of this Alberta model has been named the North Coast Initiative for School Improvement (NCISI). The…

School improvement through government agencies: loose or tight coupling?

OpenAIRE

Bush, Tony

2016-01-01

In seeking to improve student outcomes, governments may choose to exercise direct control over schools, as in many centralised systems, or to provide frameworks for intermediate bodies to engage in improvement activities. One such body is the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), now the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) in England. The Department of Education of the South African province of Gauteng (GDE) has also chosen to implement its school improvement programm...

Reconsidering Replication: New Perspectives on Large-Scale School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Peurach, Donald J.; Glazer, Joshua L.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to reconsider organizational replication as a strategy for large-scale school improvement: a strategy that features a "hub" organization collaborating with "outlet" schools to enact school-wide designs for improvement. To do so, we synthesize a leading line of research on commercial replication to construct a…

Results of the Software Process Improvement Efforts of the Early Adopters in NAVAIR 4.0

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Saint-Amand, David C; Hodgins, Bradley

2007-01-01

.... The process improvement efforts described in this paper began in the 1990s and early 2000s. Their process improvement tool sets included the Capability Maturity Model, the Capability Maturity Model (CMM...

Measuring the Performance of School Superintendent

Science.gov (United States)

Ansar

2015-01-01

School superintendent has a strategic role in the effort to improve the quality of education, referred to the responsibility to give service and assistance for the teachers and headmasters which will affect the improvement of learning quality in school. Yet, the strategic role and function of superintendent, in fact, is still reflecting its ideal…

Leadership and Context Connectivity: Merging Two Forces for Sustainable School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Marishane, Nylon Ramodikoe

2016-01-01

School improvement is admittedly the main business of school leadership. However, while there is agreement on the importance of school improvement, sustaining this improvement remains a challenge. The challenge seems to lie in the disconnection between the leader and the context in which the school operates. This chapter presents contextual…

Bicycling to school improves the cardiometabolic risk factor profile

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ostergaard, Lars; Børrestad, Line A B; Tarp, Jakob

2012-01-01

To investigate whether bicycling to school improves cardiometabolic risk factor profile and cardiorespiratory fitness among children.......To investigate whether bicycling to school improves cardiometabolic risk factor profile and cardiorespiratory fitness among children....

Creating School Cultures that Embrace Learning: What Successful Leaders Do

Science.gov (United States)

Thacker, Tony; Bell, John S.; Schargel, Franklin P.

2009-01-01

This book brings together the insight and experience of successful leaders from over 60 schools on the issue of improving school culture--in their very own words. It provides the tools, practices, and examples that will help you in your own effort to improve school culture. Contents include: Acknowledgments; Acknowledgment of Contributing Schools;…

Building school-wide capacity for improvement: the role of leadership, school organizational conditions, and teacher factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thoonen, E.E.J.; Sleegers, P.J.C.; Oort, F.J.; Peetsma, T.T.D.

2012-01-01

Education policies for greater accountability of schools assume that schools are capable of building their capacity for continuous improvement. While policy-makers, scholars, and practitioners acknowledge the importance of building school-wide capacity for continuous improvement, empirical evidence

Building school-wide capacity for improvement: the role of leadership, school organizational conditions and teacher factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thoonen, E.E.J.; Thoonen, E.E.J.; Sleegers, P.J.C.; Oort, F.J.; Peetsma, T.T.D.

2012-01-01

Education policies for greater accountability of schools assume that schools are capable of building their capacity for continuous improvement. While policy-makers, scholars, and practitioners acknowledge the importance of building school-wide capacity for continuous improvement, empirical evidence

School-based sleep education program improves sleep and academic performance of school-age children.

Science.gov (United States)

Gruber, Reut; Somerville, Gail; Bergmame, Lana; Fontil, Laura; Paquin, Soukaina

2016-05-01

The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based sleep education program aimed at improving the sleep and academic performance of school-age children. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we created a school-based sleep education program, "Sleep for Success"™ (SFS), composed of four distinct modules that addressed the children, their family and community, the school staff, and decision makers within the school setting. Implementation was carried out in three elementary schools. Seventy-one students participated in the evaluation of the program. The effectiveness of the SFS program was evaluated using non-randomized controlled before-and-after study groups (intervention and control) assessed over two time points (pre- and post-program implementation). Before (baseline) and after implementation, sleep and academic performance were measured using actigraphy and report card marks, respectively. In the intervention group, true sleep was extended by 18.2 min per night, sleep efficiency improved by 2.3%, and sleep latency was shortened by 2.3 min, and report card grades in mathematics and English improved significantly. No changes were noted in the control group. Participation in the sleep education program was associated with significant improvements in children's sleep and academic performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effort Paradox: Effort Is Both Costly and Valued.

Science.gov (United States)

Inzlicht, Michael; Shenhav, Amitai; Olivola, Christopher Y

2018-04-01

According to prominent models in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and economics, effort (be it physical or mental) is costly: when given a choice, humans and non-human animals alike tend to avoid effort. Here, we suggest that the opposite is also true and review extensive evidence that effort can also add value. Not only can the same outcomes be more rewarding if we apply more (not less) effort, sometimes we select options precisely because they require effort. Given the increasing recognition of effort's role in motivation, cognitive control, and value-based decision-making, considering this neglected side of effort will not only improve formal computational models, but also provide clues about how to promote sustained mental effort across time. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of an intervention to improve the management of allergens in school food services in the city of Barcelona.

Science.gov (United States)

Fontcuberta-Famadas, M; Serral, G; López, M J; Balfagón, P; García-Cid, E; Caballé-Gavaldà, L

2018-02-15

An intervention to promote the development of an allergen control plan (ACP) and preventive measures for the management of allergens in school food services was implemented in all schools of Barcelona city over a three-year period (2013-2015) by the public health services. The present study aimed to assess changes regarding the management of food allergens in school food services in Barcelona after an intervention conducted by the public health services of the city. School meal operators of a random sample of 117 schools were assessed before and after the intervention using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire collected general information on the students and their demand for special menus, and included 17 closed questions regarding the implementation of specific preventive measures for the management of allergens. Based on these 17 questions, a food safety score was calculated for each school. The improvement in these scores was evaluated. The results showed positive increments in the percentage of implementation of 12 of the 17 preventive measures assessed. The percentage of school food services with an implemented ACP increased by 49%. Schools with external and internal food supplies increased their scores by 16.5% and 19.6%, respectively. The greatest improvements were observed in smaller food services and in schools located in districts with low gross household incomes. The intervention was effective in improving school food services' management of allergens and in reducing the differences found among food services in the pre-intervention survey. We must also focus efforts on reducing socio-economic inequalities linked to the management of allergens. Copyright © 2018 SEICAP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

We love our school toilets: involving primary school students in improving their school toilets.

Science.gov (United States)

Senior, Elizabeth

2014-03-01

This article reports on the planning, implementation and evaluation of an intervention to improve school students' experience of using the school toilet in a primary school in Melbourne, Australia. 20 students from grades 2-6 participated in focus groups, to discuss what they valued about the school and raise awareness of issues they were not happy about. A common theme from all of the focus groups was that students reported avoiding use of the school toilets. Using the ideas generated from the focus groups, the student council (with input from staff), developed a self-administered pre- and post-test questionnaire. This was given to 220 students in grades 1-4, aged 6-10 years. Improvements suggested by the students were made to the toilet block, and then a post-test was administered. Independent t tests were conducted. The pre-test indicated that 71% of girls and 65% of boys feared the behaviour of other students in the toilet. Overwhelmingly, the qualitative comments focused on poor student behaviour in the toilets, with lack of privacy due to student misbehaviour mentioned in 90% of the comments. After the toilets were revamped, the greatest gains were made in students' attitudes toward the toilets, with a 37% increase in students who indicated they now liked the toilet facility. Incidents of vandalism also decreased; however, student misconduct in the toilets was still regarded as a problem. Involving students in refurbishing their toilets improved how students viewed the toilets and reduced vandalism; however, a different intervention is required to change inappropriate behaviours in the toilet.

Health Promotion Efforts as Predictors of Physical Activity in Schools: An Application of the Diffusion of Innovations Model

Science.gov (United States)

Glowacki, Elizabeth M.; Centeio, Erin E.; Van Dongen, Daniel J.; Carson, Russell L.; Castelli, Darla M.

2016-01-01

Background: Implementing a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) effectively addresses public health issues by providing opportunities for physical activity (PA). Grounded in the Diffusion of Innovations model, the purpose of this study was to identify how health promotion efforts facilitate opportunities for PA. Methods: Physical…

Humanizing the High School: The Power of Peers.

Science.gov (United States)

Stader, David L.; Gagnepain, F. J.

2000-01-01

Discusses what high schools can do to improve student relationships, highlighting a St. Louis area school's efforts to develop peer-mentoring and peer-mediation programs. Offers guidelines to help other schools develop a school culture that promotes caring, teaches constructive conflict resolution, and reduces potential for violence. (MLH)

Interests, Effort, Achievement and Vocational Preference.

Science.gov (United States)

Sjoberg, L.

1984-01-01

Relationships between interest in natural sciences and technology and perceived ability, success, and invested effort were studied in Swedish secondary school students. Interests were accounted for by logical orientation and practical value. Interests and grades were strongly correlated, but correlations between interests and effort and vocational…

The Social Organization of Schooling

Science.gov (United States)

Hedges, Larry V., Ed.; Schneider, Barbara, Ed.

2005-01-01

Schools are complex social settings where students, teachers, administrators, and parents interact to shape a child's educational experience. Any effort to improve educational outcomes for America's children requires a dynamic understanding of the environments in which children learn. In "The Social Organization of Schooling", editors Larry Hedges…

School Turnaround Teachers: Competencies for Success. Part of the School Turnaround Collection from Public Impact

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Public Impact, 2008

2008-01-01

Individual teachers have the largest single school effect on student performance. Documented experience also indicates that individual teachers in high-poverty schools can effect rapid, dramatic student learning improvements within their own classrooms. Organization-wide change of a similar magnitude takes a broader effort with daring leadership…

Diversifying Schools and Leveraging School Improvement: A Comparative Analysis of the English Radical, and Singapore Conservative, Specialist Schools' Policies

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Dimmock, Clive

2011-01-01

Within the context of fierce global economic competition, school diversification and specialist schools have been seen by governments as cornerstones of education policy to engineer school improvement in both England and Singapore for more than a decade. In both systems, the policy has manifested in different school types, school names and…

Constructive Conflict: How Controversy Can Contribute to School Improvement.

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Uline, Cynthia L.; Tshannen-Moran, Megan; Perez, Lynne

2003-01-01

Examines constructive conflict within the context of a comprehensive Midwestern U.S. high school engaged in significant reform efforts, focusing on constructive conflict as a means to promote individual and organizational learning and growth. Data from observations and interviews indicated that to produce superior results, principals and teacher…

Improving Outreach and Surveillance Efforts Following a Large-Scale Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Wisconsin.

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Creswell, Paul D; Vogt, Christy M; Wozniak, Ryan J; Camponeschi, Jenny; Werner, Mark A; Meiman, Jonathan G

In December 2014, the largest carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in Wisconsin's history occurred at an ice arena. Following this event, the Wisconsin Environmental Public Health Tracking (WI EPHT) Program sought to improve outreach and surveillance efforts. WI EPHT designed and distributed educational materials on CO poisoning prevention and surveyed stakeholders to gauge the effectiveness of outreach efforts. To enhance surveillance, WI EPHT utilized data from the Wisconsin Poison Center (WPC) to generate real-time alerts of anomalous numbers of CO-related calls. WI EPHT found that 42% of stakeholders reviewed the outreach materials, and 1 ice arena had installed a CO detector as a result. CO alerts were developed using WPC data and are now routinely used in statewide public health surveillance. WI EPHT staff improved CO poisoning prevention outreach and saw a positive response among stakeholders. This work demonstrates ways that health agencies can improve outreach and surveillance for CO poisoning. Improvements in these areas can bolster public health response and may prevent CO-related illness and injury.

School District Leadership Styles and School Improvement: Evidence from Selected School Principals in the Eastern Cape Province

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Moorosi, Pontso; Bantwini, Bongani D.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how leadership styles in the Eastern Cape school districts support school improvement. Mixed methods research was employed and data was collected through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with school principals in various districts. The study was guided by the following questions:…

Improving Geography Learning in the Schools: Efforts by the National Geographic Society.

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Dulli, Robert E.

1994-01-01

Contends that the National Geographic Society's Geography Education Program continues to work on improving geography instruction and learning. Outlines future activities of the National Geographic Society including urban outreach and technology training. (CFR)

AEL Continuous School Improvement Questionnaire. User Manual and Technical Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Meehan, Merrill L.; Cowley, Kimberly S.; Craig, James R.; Balow, Nancy; Childers, Robert D.

The Continuous School Improvement Questionnaire (CSIQ) developed by the AEL helps a school staff gauge its performance on six dimensions related to continuous school improvement. Each member of the staff responds to the CSIQ individually. Although results might be used at the district or regional level, the most widely intended unit for applying…

Does Competition Improve Public School Efficiency? A Spatial Analysis

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Misra, Kaustav

2010-01-01

Proponents of educational reform often call for policies to increase competition between schools. It is argued that market forces naturally lead to greater efficiencies, including improved student learning, when schools face competition. In many parts of the country, public schools experience significant competition from private schools; however,…

Acoustic and social design of schools-ways to improve the school listening environment

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Hagen, Mechthild

2005-04-01

Results of noise research indicate that communication, and as a result, teaching, learning and the social atmosphere are impeded by noise in schools. The development of strategies to reduce noise levels has often not been effective. A more promising approach seems to be to pro-actively support the ability to listen and to understand. The presentation describes the approach to an acoustic and social school design developed and explored within the project ``GanzOhrSein'' by the Education Department of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich. The scope includes an analysis of the current ``school soundscape,'' an introduction to the concept of the project to improve individual listening abilities and the conditions for listening, as well as practical examples and relevant research results. We conclude that an acoustic school design should combine acoustic changes in classrooms with educational activities to support listening at schools and thus contribute to improving individual learning conditions and to reducing stress on both pupils and teachers.

Linking the Teacher Appraisal Process to the School Improvement Plan

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Reddekopp, Therese

2007-01-01

If a school improvement plan includes input from all stakeholders and focuses on data-driven processes that are linked to teacher appraisal, it can be powerful in leading the school toward the common mission of achieving student success. Linking the school improvement plan to the teacher appraisal process creates a system whereby all individuals…

Principals' Transformational Leadership in School Improvement

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Yang, Yingxiu

2013-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute experience and ideas of the transformational leadership, not only for the principal want to improve leadership himself (herself), but also for the school at critical period of improvement, through summarizing forming process and the problem during the course and key factors that affect the course.…

Coaching as a Performance Improvement Tool at School

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Yirci, Ramazan; Karakose, Turgut; Kocabas, Ibrahim

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the current literature and have an insight about coaching as a performance improvement tool at school. In today's world, schools have to survive and keep their organizational success in the highest level because of the high expectations from school stakeholders. Taking place in such a fierce competitive…

The influence of social identity on self-worth, commitment, and effort in school-based youth sport.

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Martin, Luc J; Balderson, Danny; Hawkins, Michael; Wilson, Kathleen; Bruner, Mark W

2018-02-01

​​​The current study examined the influence of social identity for individual perceptions of self-worth, commitment, and effort in school-based youth athletes. Using a prospective research design, 303 athletes (M age  = 14.89, SD = 1.77; 133 female) from 27 sport teams completed questionnaires at 2 time points (T1 - demographics, social identity; T2 - self-worth, commitment, effort) during an athletic season. Multilevel analyses indicated that at the individual level, the social identity dimension of in-group ties (IGT) predicted commitment (b = 0.12, P = .006) and perceived effort (b = 0.14, P = .008), whereas in-group affect (IGA) predicted commitment (b = 0.25, P = .001) and self-worth (b = 2.62, P = .006). At the team level, means for IGT predicted commitment (b = 0.31, P < .001) and self-worth (b = 4.76, P = .024). Overall, social identity accounted for variance at both levels, ranging from 4% (self-worth) to 15% (commitment). Identifying with a group to a greater extent was found to predict athlete perceptions of self-worth, commitment, and effort. More specifically, at the individual level, IGT predicted commitment and effort, and IGA predicted commitment and self-worth. At the team level, IGT predicted commitment and self-worth.

How Did Successful High Schools Improve Their Graduation Rates?

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Robertson, Janna Siegel; Smith, Robert W.; Rinka, Jason

2016-01-01

The researchers surveyed 23 North Carolina high schools that had markedly improved their graduation rates over the past five years. The administrators reported on the dropout prevention practices and programs to which they attributed their improved graduation rates. The majority of schools reported policy changes, especially with suspension. The…

School Improvement in High-Capacity Schools: Educational Leadership and Living-Systems Ontology

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Mitchell, Coral; Sackney, Larry

2016-01-01

Although school improvement continues to present as an unresolved educational problem, the required changes are relatively straightforward. Essentially, schools need to be retooled with students' experiences and high-quality instruction at the center of the design. In this article, we present the findings of research into the leadership of…

Emerging inequality in effort: A longitudinal investigation of parental involvement and early elementary school-aged children's learning time in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuoka, Ryoji; Nakamuro, Makiko; Inui, Tomohiko

2015-11-01

While studies on effort (e.g., Carbonaro, 2005; Kariya, 2000, 2013) have revealed relationships among students' effort (e.g., self-reported learning time), socioeconomic status, and school-related factors (e.g., tracking) through secondary education data, whether and how the effort gap emerges and widens in the early years of compulsory education have not been researched. This study investigates the beginning of inequality in effort by using four waves (from first- to fourth-grade students) of the Longitudinal Survey of Babies in the 21st Century, collected in Japan. The results indicate that college-educated parents tend to employ parenting practices that directly and indirectly shape children's learning time; inequality in effort exists, and it becomes exacerbated partly because of parenting differences in a society with a relatively equal elementary education system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving School Leadership. Volume 1: Policy and Practice

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OECD Publishing (NJ3), 2008

2008-01-01

As countries strive to reform education systems and improve student results, school leadership is high on education policy agendas. But in many countries, the men and women who run schools are overburdened, underpaid and near retirement. And few people are lining up for their jobs. Based on an OECD study of school leadership practices and policies…

School Nurse Inspections Improve Handwashing Supplies

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Ramos, Mary M.; Schrader, Ronald; Trujillo, Rebecca; Blea, Mary; Greenberg, Cynthia

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Handwashing in the school setting is important for infectious disease control, yet maintaining adequate handwashing supplies is often made difficult by lack of funds, limited staff time, and student vandalism. This study measured the availability of handwashing supplies for students in New Mexico public schools and determined the impact of scheduled school nurse inspections on the availability of handwashing supplies. METHODS Participating school districts in New Mexico were matched by size and randomized into intervention and control groups. Baseline inspections were conducted in November 2008 followed by 2 subsequent bimonthly inspections. For each student bathroom, the presence or absence of soap and either paper towels or hand dryers was indicated on an inspection checklist. The intervention group reported findings to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and to school administrative and custodial staff requesting that any identified problems be addressed. The control group reported inspection findings to the NMDOH only. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the proportion of bathrooms with soap and either paper towels or hand dryers. Comparisons were made between the intervention schools and the control schools at baseline and during the intervention period. RESULTS The intervention group had significantly higher probability of bathrooms being supplied with soap (p school nurse inspections of hand hygiene supplies, with reporting to appropriate school officials, can improve the availability of handwashing supplies for students. PMID:21592131

The Effectiveness of Archived E-Book Based Curriculum 2013 as an Effort to Improving Learning Outcomes in Vocational School

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chairul Huda Atma Dirgatama

2017-08-01

Full Text Available In digital era, the role of media as a helping tool in the process of teaching learning is very important. It is also the right choice in improving the quality of education. The purpose of this research is to find out whether archived e-book based curriculum 2013 which has been developed is effective to improve the learning outcomes in Vocational School. This was a research and development study. The data for the media developed used Sigil software with the help of Supreader software. The instrument was validated by experts. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire and tests. Interviews and observations were analyzed with descriptive qualitative, whereas the questionnaire and test were analyzed by descriptive quantitative tests. This study used SPSS 20 and IBM software to calculate the data. Based on the analysis, the mean score of experimental group was 81.25 and the control group was 75.94 for their post-test. The t-test score for t-observed was 2.53 meanwhile the t-table was 2.00. The null hypothesis was rejected because t-observes was higher than t-table. It implied that the experimental group performed better than the control group. The conclusion was that learning media using archived e-book based curriculum 2013 was effective to improve learning outcomes. It was based on the t-test calculation in the significant error of 0.05. So there was a significant difference between the mean score of experimental and control group.

Relationships between the Family Environment and School-Based Obesity Prevention Efforts: Can School Programs Help Adolescents Who Are Most in Need?

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Bauer, K. W.; Neumark-Sztainer, D.; Hannan, P. J.; Fulkerson, J. A.; Story, M.

2011-01-01

Identifying factors that contribute to students' behavior and weight improvements during school-based obesity prevention interventions is critical for the development of effective programs. The current study aims to determine whether the support and resources that adolescent girls received from their families were associated with improvements in…

Continuing education for performance improvement: a creative approach.

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Collins, Patti-Ann; Hardesty, Ilana; White, Julie L; Zisblatt, Lara

2012-10-01

In an effort to improve patient safety and health care outcomes, continuing medical education has begun to focus on performance improvement initiatives for physician practices. Boston University School of Medicine's (BUSM) Continuing Nursing Education Accredited Provider Unit has begun a creative project to award nursing contact hours for nurses' participation in performance improvement activities. This column highlights its initial efforts. Copyright 2012, SLACK Incorporated.

The Perception of the Autonomy Supportive Behaviour as a Predictor of Perceived Effort and Physical Self-esteem among School Students from Four Nations

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Vello Hein

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT, this study tested a model of motivational sequence in which perceived autonomy support from teachers in a physical education (PE context predicted the perceived effort and physical self-esteem via self-determined motivation in school students. School students aged 12 to 16 years from Estonia (N = 816, Lithuania (N = 706, Hungary (N = 664, and Spain (N = 922 completed measures of perceived autonomy support from PE teachers, need satisfaction for autonomy, competence, relatedness, self-determined motivation, perceived effort and physical self-esteem. The results of the structural equation model (SEM of each sample indicated that the students’ perceived autonomy support from the teacher was directly related to effort and indirectly via autonomous motivation, whereas physical self-esteem was related indirectly. Confirmatory factor analyses and multi-sample structural equation revealed well-fitting models within each sample with the invariances of the measurement parameters across four nations. The findings support the generalizability of the measures in the motivational sequence model to predict perceived effort and physical self-esteem.

Efforts to increase junior high school students confidencethrough assertive training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romia Hari Susanti

2016-12-01

Full Text Available One of important aspects of personality in human life, especially teenagers is confidence. Counseling teachers can increase student confidence through assertive training. Through the training, students are expected to understand that everyone has the right to express their feelings, opinions, beliefs, and attitudes to do a thing without a doubt, but do not hurt other people's feelings, so that confidence can be increased. This study aims to improve students' confidence through assertive training using classroom action research. Subjects in this study were students of SMP Brawijaya Smart School Malang who have low-confidence criteria

Webinar: Healthy Schools, Healthy Students: Taking Action to Improve IAQ in Your School District

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A page to register to view the first webinar in the IAQ Knowledge-to-Action Professional Training Webinar Series: Healthy Schools, Healthy Students: Taking Action to Improve IAQ in Your School District

Key Strategies for Improving School Nutrition: A Case Study of Three School Nutrition Program Innovators

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Sacheck, Jennifer M.; Morgan, Emily H.; Wilde, Parke; Griffin, Timothy; Nahar, Elizabeth; Economos, Christina D.

2012-01-01

Purpose/Objective: This case study identified common elements of three diverse New England school districts that were real-world models of improving school meals. Methods: School districts that had greater than 1,000 students, [greater than or equal to]3 schools, and [greater than or equal to]40% of students who qualified for free- or…

Innovation Efforts in Education and School Administration: Views of Turkish School Administrators

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Akin, Ugur

2016-01-01

Problem Statement: In the current information era, nearly all organizations make efforts to make innovations in the fields of information, communication, technology, etc. Educational organizations are no exception to this trend. Moreover, it can be argued that educational institutions make a particular effort to rapidly keep pace with change. In…

A Dynamic Approach to School Improvement : Main Features and Impact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Creemers, Bert; Kyriakides, L.; Antoniou, P.

2013-01-01

This paper refers to the dynamic approach to school improvement (DASI) which attempts to contribute to the merging of educational effectiveness research and school improvement. The main underlying assumptions and the implementation phases of DASI are discussed. Moreover, a study aiming to compare

34 CFR 200.41 - School improvement plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... academic subjects, adopt policies and practices most likely to ensure that all groups of students described... notice about the identification to parents of each student enrolled in the school; (8) Include strategies... EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TITLE I-IMPROVING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF THE DISADVANTAGED Improving...

Improving School Leadership. Volume 2: Case Studies on System Leadership

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Hopkins, David, Ed.; Nusche, Deborah, Ed.; Pont, Beatriz, Ed.

2008-01-01

This book explores what specialists are saying about system leadership for school improvement. Case studies examine innovative approaches to sharing leadership across schools in Belgium (Flanders), Finland and the United Kingdom (England) and leadership development programmes for system improvement in Australia and Austria. As these are emerging…

District-Wide Involvement: The Key to Successful School Improvement.

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Mundell, Scott; Babich, George

1989-01-01

Describes the self-study process used by the Marana Unified School District to meet accreditation requirements with minimal expense, to emphasize curriculum development, and to improve the school. Considers the key feature of the cyclical review model to be the personal involvement of nearly every faculty member in the 10-school district. (DMM)

Encouraging Consumption of Water in School and Child Care Settings: Access, Challenges, and Strategies for Improvement

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Hampton, Karla E.

2011-01-01

Children and adolescents are not consuming enough water, instead opting for sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas, sports and energy drinks, milks, coffees, and fruit-flavored drinks with added sugars), 100% fruit juice, and other beverages. Drinking sufficient amounts of water can lead to improved weight status, reduced dental caries, and improved cognition among children and adolescents. Because children spend most of their day at school and in child care, ensuring that safe, potable drinking water is available in these settings is a fundamental public health measure. We sought to identify challenges that limit access to drinking water; opportunities, including promising practices, to increase drinking water availability and consumption; and future research, policy efforts, and funding needed in this area. PMID:21680941

The Scope of Principal Efforts to Improve Instruction

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May, Henry; Supovitz, Jonathan A.

2011-01-01

Researchers have used many angles and perspectives to investigate how principals enact instructional leadership in schools. Most research has emphasized the practices of school leaders, although investigations of leadership styles and leadership processes are also present in the literature. In this study, the authors take a different approach by…

Divergence in Curricular-Weight Teacher-Efforts and Student-Difficulties in Secondary School ESL

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Abdul Gafoor, K.; Sreeja, C.

2013-01-01

The increasing importance of English as a global language, calls for an equally vigorous attempt to improving teaching and learning it in schools as a second language within and outside India. Highlighting the relevance of contextualising ESL learning by allowing for the needs of students and teachers in undertaking reforms to ESL learning, this…

Helping organizations to address their effort toward the implementation of improvements in their software process

OpenAIRE

Muñoz-Mata, Mirna Ariadna; Mejia-Miranda, Jezreel; Valtierra-Alvarado, Claudia

2015-01-01

Due to the importance of Software Development Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the software industry, it is necessary to guarantee the quality of their products. In this context, the implementation of software process improvements offers an attractive way to achieve it. Unfortunately, the lack of knowledge on how to address the improvement effort makes the implementation of software improvements in SMEs a path full of obstacles, and most of the times impossible to achieve. In order to h...

Knowledge, Attitudes and Preventive Efforts of Malaysian Medical Students Regarding Exposure to Environmental Tobacco and Cigarette Smoking.

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Frisch, Ann Stirling; Kurtz, Margot; Shamsuddin, Khadijah

1999-01-01

Study examines changes in knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts of Malaysian students concerning cigarette smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke from their first pre-clinical year in medical school until their final clinical year. Although there were significant improvements in knowledge about smoking and environmental…

Test anxiety in medical school is unrelated to academic performance but correlates with an effort/reward imbalance.

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Hahn, Henry; Kropp, Peter; Kirschstein, Timo; Rücker, Gernot; Müller-Hilke, Brigitte

2017-01-01

During their early years at medical school, students repeatedly criticize their workload, time constraints and test associated stress. At the same time, depressiveness and anxiety among first and second year medical students are on the rise. We therefore hypothesized that test anxiety may be related to depressiveness and considered cognitive and academic performances as confounders for the former and psychosocial distress for the latter. A whole class of 200 second year students was invited to participate in the study. Anxiety as a trait, depressiveness, crystallized intelligence, verbal fluency and psychosocial distress were assessed using validated tests and questionnaires. Acute state anxiety and sympathetic stress parameters were measured in real life situations immediately before an oral and a written exam and paired tests were used to compare the individual anxieties at the various time points. Previous academic performances were self-reported, the results of the impending exams were monitored. Finally, correlations were performed to test for interrelatedness between academic performances and the various personal, cognitive and psychosocial factors. Acute test anxiety did not correlate with depressiveness nor did it correlate with previous nor impending academic performances nor any of the expected confounders on academic performance. However both, depressiveness and test anxiety strongly correlated with the perceived imbalance between efforts spent and rewards received. Moreover, anxiety as a trait not only correlated with acute state anxiety before an exam but was also significantly correlated to the feeling of over-commitment. Depressiveness during the early years of medical school seems unrelated to test anxiety and academic performance. Instead, it strongly correlated with the psychosocial distress emanating from attending medical school and points at a perceived imbalance between efforts spent and rewards received.

The Keys to Effective Schools: Educational Reform as Continuous Improvement

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Hawley, Willis D., Ed.

2006-01-01

Working in tandem with the powerful National Education Association's KEYS initiative (Keys to Excellence in Your Schools), this second edition focuses on how to change a school's organizational structure and culture to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Each chapter, revised and updated to address continuous improvement and narrowing…

Efforts to Prevent Concussions Target Schools

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Samuels, Christina A.

2010-01-01

The number of sports-related concussions reported by young athletes is on the rise, prompting awareness campaigns from athletic and medical groups, as well as proposed federal legislation to set minimum standards for concussion management in public schools. Concussions are caused by a jolt to the body or a blow to the head that causes the head to…

The role of principal in optimizing school climate in primary schools

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Murtedjo; Suharningsih

2018-01-01

This article was written based on the occurrence of elementary school changes that never counted because of the low quality, became the school of choice of the surrounding community with the many national achievements ever achieved. This article is based on research data conducted in primary schools. In this paper focused on the role of school principals in an effort to optimize school climate. To describe the principal’s role in optimizing school climate using a qualitative approach to the design of Multi-Site Study. The appointment of the informant was done by snowball technique. Data collection through in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation. Data credibility checking uses triangulation techniques, member checks, and peer discussions. Auditability is performed by the auditor. The collected data is analyzed by site analysis and cross-site analysis. The result of the research shows that the principal in optimizing the conducive school climate by creating the physical condition of the school and the socio-emotional condition is pleasant, so that the teachers in implementing the learning process become passionate, happy learners which ultimately improve their learning achievement and can improve the school quality.

The Application of Fishbone Diagram Analysis to Improve School Quality

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Slameto

2016-01-01

With the enactment of the National Education Standards (NES), the measurement of the school quality was clear; NES became a reference for school development program to improve the school quality. However, the form of the program that exist still in problematic, so that a good proposal need to be prepared. In the real condition, the school shows,…

Practices for Improving Secondary School Climate: A Systematic Review of the Research Literature.

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Voight, Adam; Nation, Maury

2016-09-01

School climate has received increased attention in education policy and, in response, educators are seeking strategies to improve the climates of their middle and high schools. However, there has been no comprehensive synthesis of the empirical evidence for what works in school climate improvement. This article constitutes a systematic review of programs and practices with empirical support for improving school climate. It defines school climate and provides a methodology for identifying and evaluating relevant studies. The review identified 66 studies with varying strength of evidence and nine common elements that cut across reviewed programs and practices. The review concludes with a critical appraisal of what we know about school climate improvement and what we still need to know. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

Contextual factors and effective school improvement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sun, Hechuan; Creemers, Bert P. M.; de Jong, Rob

This research provides policy-makers, researchers, and educators at all levels with a glimpse of the contextual influence on effective school improvement (ESI) in 8 European countries. What are the factors at the contextual level, particularly at the national level, which influence ESI? Are there

Greener on the Other Side: Cultivating Community and Improvement through Sustainability Practices

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Sterrett, William L.; Kensler, Lisa; McKey, Tania

2016-01-01

Sustainability practices that lead to greener schools are often overlooked in leadership preparation programs and in school improvement efforts. An urban middle school principal recognizes the potential to build community, foster a healthy learning environment, and redefine her school through focusing on sustainability practices in a collaborative…

Health Improvement and Educational Attainment in Secondary Schools: Complementary or Competing Priorities? Exploratory Analyses From the School Health Research Network in Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Littlecott, Hannah J; Long, Sara; Hawkins, Jemma; Murphy, Simon; Hewitt, Gillian; Eccles, Gemma; Fletcher, Adam; Moore, Graham F

2018-01-01

Implementing health improvement is often perceived as diverting resource away from schools' core business, reflecting an assumption of a "zero-sum game" between health and education. There is some evidence that health behaviors may affect young people's educational outcomes. However, associations between implementation of school health improvement and educational outcomes remains underinvestigated. The study linked school-level data on free school meal (FSM) entitlement, educational outcomes, and school attendance, obtained from government websites, with data from the School Environment Questionnaire (SEQ) on health improvement activity collected in Wales (2015/2016). Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and linear regression models tested the extent of association between health improvement activity and attendance and educational outcomes. SEQ data were provided by 100/115 network schools (87%), of whom data on educational performance were obtained from 97. The percentage of pupils entitled to FSM predicted most of the between-school variance in achievement and attendance. Linear regression models demonstrated significant positive associations of all measures of health improvement activity with attainment at Key Stage (KS) 3, apart from mental health education in the curriculum and organizational commitment to health. Student and parent involvement in planning health activities were associated with improved school attendance. There were no significant associations between health improvement and KS4 attainment. Implementing health improvement activity does not have a detrimental effect on schools' educational performance. There is tentative evidence of the reverse, with better educational outcomes in schools with more extensive health improvement policies and practices. Further research should investigate processes by which this occurs and variations by socioeconomic status.

Elementary and middle school science improvement project

Science.gov (United States)

Mcguire, Saundra Y.

1989-01-01

The Alabama A and M University Elementary and Middle School Science Improvement Project (Project SIP) was instituted to improve the science knowledge of elementary and middle school teachers using the experimental or hands-on approach. Summer workshops were conducted during the summers of 1986, 1987, and 1988 in the areas of biology, chemistry, physics, and electricity, and magnetism. Additionally, a manual containing 43 lessons which included background information, experiments and activities for classroom and home use was provided to each teacher. During the course of the project activities, the teachers interacted with various university faculty members, scientists, and NASA staff. The administrative aspects of the program, the delivery of the services to participating teachers, and the project outcome are addressed.

"They were only joking": efforts to decrease LGBTQ bullying and harassment in seattle public schools.

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Hillard, Pamela; Love, Lisa; Franks, Heather M; Laris, B A; Coyle, Karin K

2014-01-01

Seattle Public Schools has implemented policies and programs to increase safety, family involvement, and student achievement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. This case study examines students' perceptions of bullying and harassment in the school environment, and teacher intervention when these problems arise in the presence of strong district policies and programs aimed at reducing LGBTQ bullying and harassment in schools. We surveyed students in Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) groups at 13 secondary schools (N = 107). We also conducted focus groups with GSA students and students not involved in the GSAs in 7 of 13 schools (N = 16 groups, including 154 students). GSA students who were lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ) were significantly more likely than straight students to experience several types of harassment. On the basis of student report, the 2 most common intervention strategies by teachers for verbal harassment included stopping the harassment and explaining why it is wrong; teachers intervened in physical harassment by trying to stop the harassment. Students provided input on how to strengthen teacher interventions, including the need for more consistency in responding and following up. Students also noted a need for more focus on educating those who harass, rather than just asking them to stop. Seattle Public Schools has made great strides in creating safe and welcoming schools for LGBTQ students, but still have to work further toward reaching this goal. Data from students on how they experience their school environment can help identify areas for improvement. © 2013, American School Health Association.

Overlooking the Descent: Operational Definition, Identification, and Description of School Decline

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Hochbein, Craig

2011-01-01

Educators, researchers, politicians, and the media have committed considerable time, attention, and effort to chronically low-performing schools. Although many have chided the schools for their unacceptable performance or designed strategies to improve them, few have sought to understand how these schools became chronically low-performing in the…

Applying Corporate Climate Principles to Dental School Operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Michelle A; Reddy, Michael S

2016-12-01

Decades of research have shown that organizational climate has the potential to form the basis of workplace operations and impact an organization's performance. Culture is related to climate but is not the same. "Culture" is the broader term, defining how things are done in an organization, while "climate" is a component of culture that describes how people perceive their environment. Climate can be changed but requires substantial effort over time by management and the workforce. Interest has recently grown in culture and climate in dental education due to the humanistic culture accreditation standard. The aim of this study was to use corporate climate principles to examine how organizational culture and, subsequently, workplace operations can be improved through specific strategic efforts in a U.S. dental school. The school's parent institution initiated a climate survey that the dental school used with qualitative culture data to drive strategic planning and change in the school. Administration of the same survey to faculty and staff members three times over a six-year period showed significant changes to the school's climate occurred as a new strategic plan was implemented that focused on reforming areas of weakness. Concentrated efforts in key areas in the strategic plan resulted in measurable improvements in climate perception. The study discovered that culture was an area previously overlooked but explicitly linked to the success of the organization.

The Effect of School Improvement Planning on Student Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, David J.; Conway, James M.

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the hypothesis that schools in Connecticut's Alliance Districts (lowest-performing districts) with higher-quality school improvement plans (SIPs) would have higher levels of student achievement. An exploratory research question evaluated whether SIPs predicted achievement of particular subgroups. SIPs were obtained and scored…

Principals' and Teachers' Perceptions of Efforts by Principals to Improve Teaching and Learning in Turkish Middle Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Bellibas, Mehmet Sükrü

2015-01-01

Contemporary research on instructional leadership has largely concerned itself with developing concrete instructional leadership models and investigating the association of such leadership practices with teaching and learning. Yet there is little research on how the internal school community reacts to the notion of principals influencing classroom…

Improving classroom practices: the impact of leadership, school organizational conditions, and teacher factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thoonen, E.E.J.

2012-01-01

Schools are challenged to improve classroom practices as they are expected to enhance students’ motivation. While leadership, school organizational conditions and teacher factors are considered essential for improving classroom practices, more should be known about the interplay between school

Improving Schools: Using What We Know.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehming, Rolf, Ed.; Kane, Michael, Ed.

This book deals with studies of how new ideas, materials, or technologies can be used to improve elementary and secondary schools. Ernest House examines knowledge use in educational innovation from the technological perspective, which sees teaching as a technique that can be analyzed by subdividing it into its components; the political…

School as Community, Community as School: Examining Principal Leadership for Urban School Reform and Community Development

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Terrance L.

2018-01-01

For decades, reform has been a persistent issue in urban schools. Research suggests that urban school reforms that are connected to equitable community development efforts are more sustainable, and that principals play a pivot role in leading such efforts. Yet, limited research has explored how urban school principals connect school reform with…

The Superintendent's Leadership Role in School Improvement: Relationships between Authenticity and Best Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, James J.; Dunaway, David M.; Hancock, Dawson R.; Wang, Chuang

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between superintendent leadership and the operational processes of school improvement. School district superintendents (N = 226) from six southeastern states were surveyed concerning their leadership authenticity and school improvement practices. Descriptive statistics, analyzes of…

Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators. Third Edition

Science.gov (United States)

Mertler, Craig A.

2011-01-01

Written for pre- and in-service educators, this "Third Edition" of Craig A. Mertler's "Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators" introduces the process of conducting one's own classroom- or school-based action research in conjunction with everyday instructional practices and activities. The text provides educators with the…

Continuous Improvement in Schools and Districts: Policy Considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Best, Jane; Dunlap, Allison

2014-01-01

Discussions about improving public education often focus on outcomes without considering how schools and districts can accomplish those outcomes. Research shows that using a continuous improvement process has proven successful in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology, and may hold potential for use in education as well. This brief defines and…

Prediction of Children's Academic Competence from Their Effortful Control, Relationships, and Classroom Participation

Science.gov (United States)

Valiente, Carlos; Lemery-Chalfant, Kathryn; Swanson, Jodi; Reiser, Mark

2008-01-01

The authors examined the relations among children's effortful control, school relationships, classroom participation, and academic competence with a sample of 7- to 12-year-old children (N = 264). Parents and children reported on children's effortful control, and teachers and children reported on children's school relationships and classroom…

Computer-Based Training in Math and Working Memory Improves Cognitive Skills and Academic Achievement in Primary School Children: Behavioral Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noelia Sánchez-Pérez

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Student academic achievement has been positively related to further development outcomes, such as the attainment of higher educational, employment, and socioeconomic aspirations. Among all the academic competences, mathematics has been identified as an essential skill in the field of international leadership as well as for those seeking positions in disciplines related to science, technology, and engineering. Given its positive consequences, studies have designed trainings to enhance children's mathematical skills. Additionally, the ability to regulate and control actions and cognitions, i.e., executive functions (EF, has been associated with school success, which has resulted in a strong effort to develop EF training programs to improve students' EF and academic achievement. The present study examined the efficacy of a school computer-based training composed of two components, namely, working memory and mathematics tasks. Among the advantages of using a computer-based training program is the ease with which it can be implemented in school settings and the ease by which the difficulty of the tasks can be adapted to fit the child's ability level. To test the effects of the training, children's cognitive skills (EF and IQ and their school achievement (math and language grades and abilities were evaluated. The results revealed a significant improvement in cognitive skills, such as non-verbal IQ and inhibition, and better school performance in math and reading among the children who participated in the training compared to those children who did not. Most of the improvements were related to training on WM tasks. These findings confirmed the efficacy of a computer-based training that combined WM and mathematics activities as part of the school routines based on the training's impact on children's academic competences and cognitive skills.

Computer-Based Training in Math and Working Memory Improves Cognitive Skills and Academic Achievement in Primary School Children: Behavioral Results.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Pérez, Noelia; Castillo, Alejandro; López-López, José A; Pina, Violeta; Puga, Jorge L; Campoy, Guillermo; González-Salinas, Carmen; Fuentes, Luis J

2017-01-01

Student academic achievement has been positively related to further development outcomes, such as the attainment of higher educational, employment, and socioeconomic aspirations. Among all the academic competences, mathematics has been identified as an essential skill in the field of international leadership as well as for those seeking positions in disciplines related to science, technology, and engineering. Given its positive consequences, studies have designed trainings to enhance children's mathematical skills. Additionally, the ability to regulate and control actions and cognitions, i.e., executive functions (EF), has been associated with school success, which has resulted in a strong effort to develop EF training programs to improve students' EF and academic achievement. The present study examined the efficacy of a school computer-based training composed of two components, namely, working memory and mathematics tasks. Among the advantages of using a computer-based training program is the ease with which it can be implemented in school settings and the ease by which the difficulty of the tasks can be adapted to fit the child's ability level. To test the effects of the training, children's cognitive skills (EF and IQ) and their school achievement (math and language grades and abilities) were evaluated. The results revealed a significant improvement in cognitive skills, such as non-verbal IQ and inhibition, and better school performance in math and reading among the children who participated in the training compared to those children who did not. Most of the improvements were related to training on WM tasks. These findings confirmed the efficacy of a computer-based training that combined WM and mathematics activities as part of the school routines based on the training's impact on children's academic competences and cognitive skills.

Charters and foundations: are we losing control of our public schools?

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Murray; Levine, Adeline

2014-01-01

From their inception, United States public schools have been subject to reform efforts. The most recent, and perhaps the most potent, is the current effort to establish charter schools as replacements for traditional public schools. They are supposed to be the analog of private schools, providing choices to parents, financed by public funds, but operating largely free of state and local regulations. The schools are organized under charters specified by state laws and authorized by public agencies. This essay traces the development and growth of charter schools and note changes in their original mission to improve public education. It concludes with the role that very wealthy foundations play in promoting charter schools. In effect, they control public education policy without real accountability to the public. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Effects of Optometry School Recruitment Efforts on Urban and Suburban High School Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Andrew D.; Shepard, Jodi; Orleans, Elizabeth; Chae, Eunmi; Ng-Sarver, Joy

1999-01-01

In two Oakland (California) high schools, one urban and one suburban, an audiovisual presentation designed to enhance student interest in optometry as a career was given. Results of the presentation, measured by a questionnaire, suggest that few high school students are considering pursuing an optometry doctoral degree, but an on-site presentation…

Child Support; Need to Improve Efforts to Identify Fathers and Obtain Support Orders.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-04-01

34 Reduces the stigma of illegitimacy and helps give the child a sense of identity. • Increases the child’s opportunity to develop a close parental...A179 979 CHILD SUPPORT; NEED TO IMPROVE EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY 1/1 FATHERS AND OBTAIN SUPPORT ORDERS(U) GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE WASHINGTON DC HUNAN...April 30, 1987 The Honorable Otis R. Bowen, M.D. The Secretary of Health and Human Services Dear Mr. Secretary: This report discusses child support

Changing classroom practices: the role of school-wide capacity for sustainable improvement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sleegers, P.J.C.; Thoonen, E.E.J.; Oort, F.J.; Peetsma, T.T.D.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Elementary schools have been confronted with large-scale educational reforms as strategies to improve the educational quality. While building school-wide capacity for improvement is considered critical for changing teachers’ classroom practices, there is still little empirical evidence for

Changing classroom practices: the role of school-wide capacity for sustainable improvement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sleegers, P.J.C.; Thoonen, Eric E.J.; Oort, Frans J.; Peetsma, Thea T.D.

2015-01-01

Purpose – Elementary schools have been confronted with large-scale educational reforms as strategies to improve the educational quality. While building school-wide capacity for improvement is considered critical for changing teachers’ classroom practices, there is still little empirical evidence for

Instruction Emphasizing Effort Improves Physics Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Daoquan

2012-01-01

Effectively using strategies to solve complex problems is an important educational goal and is implicated in successful academic performance. However, people often do not spontaneously use the effective strategies unless they are motivated to do so. The present study was designed to test whether educating students about the importance of effort in…

Harmonising the Efforts of School Nurses and Teachers in Health Promotion in Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Kwatubana, Siphokazi

2018-01-01

A vital facet that adds value to schools is the partnership between the departments of education and health at national level. At the heart of making this partnership effective in order to achieve its potential is the need for synchronisation of the roles of school nurses and teachers to mitigate sustainability risks. In order to investigate the…

Product reformulation and nutritional improvements after new competitive food standards in schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Jahn, Jaquelyn L; Cohen, Juliana Fw; Gorski-Findling, Mary T; Hoffman, Jessica A; Rosenfeld, Lindsay; Chaffee, Ruth; Smith, Lauren; Rimm, Eric B

2018-04-01

In 2012, Massachusetts enacted school competitive food and beverage standards similar to national Smart Snacks. These standards aim to improve the nutritional quality of competitive snacks. It was previously demonstrated that a majority of foods and beverages were compliant with the standards, but it was unknown whether food manufacturers reformulated products in response to the standards. The present study assessed whether products were reformulated after standards were implemented; the availability of reformulated products outside schools; and whether compliance with the standards improved the nutrient composition of competitive snacks. An observational cohort study documenting all competitive snacks sold before (2012) and after (2013 and 2014) the standards were implemented. The sample included thirty-six school districts with both a middle and high school. After 2012, energy, saturated fat, Na and sugar decreased and fibre increased among all competitive foods. By 2013, 8 % of foods were reformulated, as were an additional 9 % by 2014. Nearly 15 % of reformulated foods were look-alike products that could not be purchased at supermarkets. Energy and Na in beverages decreased after 2012, in part facilitated by smaller package sizes. Massachusetts' law was effective in improving the nutritional content of snacks and product reformulation helped schools adhere to the law. This suggests fully implementing Smart Snacks standards may similarly improve the foods available in schools nationally. However, only some healthier reformulated foods were available outside schools.

Creating an effort tracking tool to improve therapeutic cancer clinical trials workload management and budgeting.

Science.gov (United States)

James, Pam; Bebee, Patty; Beekman, Linda; Browning, David; Innes, Mathew; Kain, Jeannie; Royce-Westcott, Theresa; Waldinger, Marcy

2011-11-01

Quantifying data management and regulatory workload for clinical research is a difficult task that would benefit from a robust tool to assess and allocate effort. As in most clinical research environments, The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMCCC) Clinical Trials Office (CTO) struggled to effectively allocate data management and regulatory time with frequently inaccurate estimates of how much time was required to complete the specific tasks performed by each role. In a dynamic clinical research environment in which volume and intensity of work ebbs and flows, determining requisite effort to meet study objectives was challenging. In addition, a data-driven understanding of how much staff time was required to complete a clinical trial was desired to ensure accurate trial budget development and effective cost recovery. Accordingly, the UMCCC CTO developed and implemented a Web-based effort-tracking application with the goal of determining the true costs of data management and regulatory staff effort in clinical trials. This tool was developed, implemented, and refined over a 3-year period. This article describes the process improvement and subsequent leveling of workload within data management and regulatory that enhanced the efficiency of UMCCC's clinical trials operation.

Effort levels of the partners in networked manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, G. R.; Cai, Z.; Su, Y. N.; Zong, S. L.; Zhai, G. Y.; Jia, J. H.

2017-08-01

Compared with traditional manufacturing mode, could networked manufacturing improve effort levels of the partners? What factors will affect effort level of the partners? How to encourage the partners to improve their effort levels? To answer these questions, we introduce network effect coefficient to build effort level model of the partners in networked manufacturing. The results show that (1) with the increase of the network effect in networked manufacturing, the actual effort level can go beyond the ideal level of traditional manufacturing. (2) Profit allocation based on marginal contribution rate would help improve effort levels of the partners in networked manufacturing. (3) The partners in networked manufacturing who wishes to have a larger distribution ratio must make a higher effort level, and enterprises with insufficient effort should be terminated in networked manufacturing.

Educational Outreach Efforts at the NNDC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holden, N.E.

2014-01-01

Isotopes and nuclides are important in our everyday life. The general public and most students are never exposed to the concepts of stable and radioactive isotopes/nuclides. The National Nuclear Data Center (NNDC) is involved in an international project to develop a Periodic Table of the Isotopes for the educational community to illustrate the importance of isotopes and nuclides in understanding the world around us. This effort should aid teachers in introducing these concepts to students from the high school to the graduate school level

Working Together to Support English Language Learners: School-Family-Community Engagement. PERC Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Hughes, Rosemary; Reumann-Moore, Rebecca; Rowland, Jeannette; Lin, Joshua

2016-01-01

When schools, families, and communities work together, student outcomes are better. This brief focuses on the ways family and community engagement can enhance schools' efforts to improve outcomes for ELLs and highlights specific strategies schools can use to more effectively engage families and communities.

A Large Scale Study of the Assessment of the Social Environment of Middle and Secondary Schools: The Validity and Utility of Teachers' Ratings of School Climate, Cultural Pluralism, and Safety Problems for Understanding School Effects and School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Stephen; Felner, Robert D.; Seitsinger, Anne; Burns, Amy; Bolton, Natalie

2008-01-01

Due to changes in state and federal policies, as well as logistical and fiscal limitations, researchers must increasingly rely on teachers' reports of school climate dimensions in order to investigate the developmental impact of these dimensions, and to evaluate efforts to enhance the impact of school environments on the development of young…

Recurrent issues in efforts to prevent homicidal youth violence in schools: expert opinions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dill, Karen E; Redding, Richard E; Smith, Peter K; Surette, Ray; Cornell, Dewey G

2011-01-01

Developmental research on social influences on adolescents can guide practices aimed to prevent homicidal youth violence. School shootings have repeatedly raised questions about the contributory role of bullying and entertainment violence, how news media publicity might produce copycat crimes, and whether stiffer criminal sanctions might have a deterrent effect. This article presents the thoughts and recommendations of a group of experts on these topics summarizing the current knowledge base. In brief, bullying reduction programs may be a useful early prevention effort. Television and video games with violent themes can encourage aggressive behavior, but these media can be used to teach more prosocial behavior as well. The potential copycat effects of highly publicized crimes might be diminished with more restrained reporting, although more research is needed. Finally, there is substantial evidence that increased criminal sanctions for youthful offenders have not had a deterrent effect. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company.

School-Sponsored Health Insurance: Planning for a New Reality

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Bryan A.

2010-01-01

Health care reform efforts in both the Clinton and Obama administrations have attempted to address college and university health. Yet, although the world of health care delivery has almost universally evolved to managed care, school health programs have not. In general, school-sponsored health plans do little to improve access and have adopted…

The Effects of the Emotional Intelligence of Elementary School Principals on Student Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Shelli L.

2009-01-01

A significant body of research has shown that effective leadership is an essential element of successful efforts to improve student performance in primary and secondary schools. Emotional intelligence is an important component of effective leadership. This study--involving elementary school principals in a Kentucky school district--suggests there…

The ASPIRE-to-Excellence Program: A Global Effort to Improve the Quality of Medical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, Dan; Klamen, Debra; Harden, Ronald M; Ali, Farzand

2017-12-19

Publications and organizations ranking medical schools rely heavily on schools' research-oriented and grant-success data because those are the publicly available data. To address the vacuum of evidence for medical education quality, in 2012 the Association of Education in Europe (AMEE) introduced an initiative entitled A Schools Programme for International Recognition of Excellence in Education (ASPIRE) awards. ASPIRE panels of international experts in specific areas of medical education have developed internationally peer-based criteria to benchmark excellence in social accountability, student engagement, student assessment, faculty development, and simulation; they plan to publish criteria on curriculum design and development in 2018. Schools are encouraged to use ASPIRE criteria to challenge themselves and, for a fee, may submit evidence that they have met the criteria for excellence in one or more of the five areas. The international panels then judge the evidence submitted by the school and determine whether an award of excellence is merited.The authors share lessons learned from five years of program experience. Of the 88 schools submitting evidence, 38 have been recognized for their excellence in one of the ASPIRE topic areas. As the number of representatives from the schools that are awarded ASPIRE recognition continues to increase and those individuals find new ways to contribute, hopes are high for this program. Challenges remain in how to better define excellence in low-resources settings, what new areas to take on, and how to keep infrastructure costs down. However, as an example of continuing global interaction for quality improvement, optimism prevails.

Goddard Technology Efforts to Improve Space Borne Laser Reliability

Science.gov (United States)

Heaps, William S.

2006-01-01

In an effort to reduce the risk, perceived and actual, of employing instruments containing space borne lasers NASA initiated the Laser Risk Reduction Program (LRRP) in 2001. This program managed jointly by NASA Langley and NASA Goddard and employing lasers researchers from government, university and industrial labs is nearing the conclusion of its planned 5 year duration. This paper will describe some of the efforts and results obtained by the Goddard half of the program.

International Accreditations as Drivers of Business School Quality Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Michael

2013-01-01

Business schools are under pressure to implement continuous improvement and quality assurance processes to remain competitive in a globalized higher education market. Drivers for quality improvement include external, environmental pressures, regulatory bodies such as governments, and, increasingly, voluntary accreditation agencies such as AACSB…

Transitions from high school to college.

Science.gov (United States)

Venezia, Andrea; Jaeger, Laura

2013-01-01

The vast majority of high school students aspire to some kind of postsecondary education, yet far too many of them enter college without the basic content knowledge, skills, or habits of mind they need to succeed. Andrea Venezia and Laura Jaeger look at the state of college readiness among high school students, the effectiveness of programs in place to help them transition to college, and efforts to improve those transitions. Students are unprepared for postsecondary coursework for many reasons, the authors write, including differences between what high schools teach and what colleges expect, as well as large disparities between the instruction offered by high schools with high concentrations of students in poverty and that offered by high schools with more advantaged students. The authors also note the importance of noncurricular variables, such as peer influences, parental expectations, and conditions that encourage academic study. Interventions to improve college readiness offer a variety of services, from academic preparation and information about college and financial aid, to psychosocial and behavioral supports, to the development of habits of mind including organizational skills, anticipation, persistence, and resiliency. The authors also discuss more systemic programs, such as Middle College High Schools, and review efforts to allow high school students to take college classes (known as dual enrollment). Evaluations of the effectiveness of these efforts are limited, but the authors report that studies of precollege support programs generally show small impacts, while the more systemic programs show mixed results. Dual-enrollment programs show promise, but the evaluation designs may overstate the results. The Common Core State Standards, a voluntary set of goals and expectations in English and math adopted by most states, offer the potential to improve college and career readiness, the authors write. But that potential will be realized, they add, only if the

Excluded from school: Autistic students’ experiences of school exclusion and subsequent re-integration into school

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janina Brede

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background and aims All children have the right to receive an education and to be included in school. Yet young people on the autism spectrum, who are already vulnerable to poor health and social outcomes, are at increased risk of school exclusion. The current study sought to understand the key factors surrounding the school exclusion experiences of a group of autistic students with particularly complex needs, and their subsequent re-integration into education. Method We interviewed nine intellectually able students (eight male, one female; M age = 13.3 years, all with a diagnosis of autism and the majority with a history of demand avoidant behaviour. We also interviewed their parents and teaching staff about the students’ past and current school experiences. All students were currently being educated within an ‘Inclusive Learning Hub’, specially designed to re-integrate excluded, autistic students back into school, which was situated within a larger autism special school. Results Young people and their parents gave overwhelmingly negative accounts of the students’ previous school experiences. Children’s perceived unmet needs, as well as inappropriate approaches by previous school staff in dealing with children’s difficulties, were felt to cause decline in children’s mental health and behaviour and, ultimately, led to their exclusion from school. Four key factors for successful reintegration into school were identified, including (i making substantial adjustments to the physical environment, (ii promoting strong staff–student relationships, (iii understanding students’ specific needs, and (iv targeted efforts towards improving students’ wellbeing. Conclusion The culmination – and escalation – of challenges students experienced in the students’ previous placements could suggest that the educational journey to exclusion from school is an inevitable consequence for at least some autistic children, including those with

Using public policy to improve outcomes for asthmatic children in schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynn, Jewlya; Oppenheimer, Sophie; Zimmer, Lorena

2014-12-01

School-based services to improve asthma management need to be accompanied by public policies that can help sustain services, scale effective interventions, create greater equity across schools, and improve outcomes for children. Several national organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have recommended specific public policies the adoption of which in school settings can improve asthma outcomes for children. Although many states and school districts have adopted some of these policies, adoption is not universal, and implementation is not always successful, leaving inequities in children's access to asthma services and supports. These issues can be addressed by changing public policy. Policy change is a complex process, but it is one that will benefit from greater involvement by asthma experts, including the researchers who generate the knowledge base on what services, supports, and policies have the best outcomes for children. Asthma experts can participate in the policy process by helping to build awareness of the need for school-based asthma policy, estimating the costs associated with policy options and with inaction, advocating for the selection of specific policies, assisting in implementation (including providing feedback), conducting the research that can evaluate the effectiveness of implementation, and ultimately providing information back into the policy process to allow for improvements to the policies. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

School Improvement Model to Foster Student Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Rulloda, Rudolfo Barcena

2011-01-01

Many classroom teachers are still using the traditional teaching methods. The traditional teaching methods are one-way learning process, where teachers would introduce subject contents such as language arts, English, mathematics, science, and reading separately. However, the school improvement model takes into account that all students have…

A Quality Function Deployment Analysis of Customer Needs for Meeting School Improvement Goals: The Voice of the School Principal.

Science.gov (United States)

Kushner, Susan N.; And Others

In providing leadership for school improvement teams, principals must employ group communication and decision-making skills. In this study, a planning procedure called Quality Function Deployment (QFD) was modified for use with school-based administrators. Teams of school leaders used QFD to generate the top priority needs of school customers…

Professional Learning Among School Leaders in Secondary Education : The Impact of Personal and Work Context Factors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Veelen, Ruth; Sleegers, Peter J. C.; Endedijk, Maaike D.

Purpose: School leadership is fundamental in efforts to successfully implement school reform and improve student and teacher learning. Although there is an abundant amount of research on school leaders’ formal training, assessment, and practice, little is known about their informal professional

School System (Re)design: Developing Educational Infrastructures to Support School Leadership and Teaching Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Hopkins, Megan; Woulfin, Sarah L.

2015-01-01

A central challenge for local education agencies (i.e., school districts in the United States) undergoing reform is to design systems that facilitate instructional improvement. At the core of these systems are educational infrastructures that bolster capacity building efforts and support teaching and leadership practices. Our goal for this special…

Turnaround, Transformational, or Transactional Leadership: An Ethical Dilemma in School Reform

Science.gov (United States)

Mette, Ian M.; Scribner, Jay P.

2014-01-01

This case was written for school leaders, specifically building-level principals and central office administrators attempting to implement school turnaround reform efforts. Often, leaders who embark on this type of organizational change work in intense environments that produce high levels of pressure to demonstrate improvement in student…

Carrots, Sticks, and the Bully Pulpit: Lessons from a Half-Century of Federal Efforts to Improve America's Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Frederick M., Ed.; Kelly, Andrew P., Ed.

2012-01-01

This timely book brings together a remarkable group of authors who examine the federal role in education policy and reform during the past fifty years. As Frederick M. Hess and Andrew P. Kelly note in their introduction, the book represents a determined effort to move beyond familiar and predictable debates and instead to focus on a number of…

Reducing School Violence: School-Based Curricular Programs and School Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, Michael B.

2008-01-01

This article examines two different, but interrelated approaches to reduce school violence: school-based curricular programs and efforts to change school climate. The state of the research for each is reviewed and the relationship between them is explored.

EFFECT OF SCHOOL CLIMATE, WORK STRESS AND WORK MOTIVATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF TEACHER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramlani Lina Sinaulan

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Performance is a form of behavior of a person or organization with achievement orientation. The study results are known (a the school climate affect performance of teachers, b there is influence of work stress on teacher performance, (c work motivation effect on teacher performance, d school climate influence on job motivation of teachers, and (e work stress effect on work motivation of teachers. Suggestions studies (a improving teacher performance should the top priority schools in school management efforts. This condition given that performance of teachers are the main pillars that determine the success of the school in improving quality of students. Therefore, performance of the teacher must always be good and necessary to update the knowledge of teachers on the latest information in education as benchmarks increase teacher performance, (b job motivation of teachers needs to improved, among others, with reward and punishment impartial towards the success achieved by the teacher as well as the violations committed so that it becomes part of an effort to motivate teachers to work.

Unifying a fragmented effort: a qualitative framework for improving international surgical teaching collaborations.

Science.gov (United States)

Fallah, Parisa Nicole; Bernstein, Mark

2017-09-07

Access to adequate surgical care is limited globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To address this issue, surgeons are becoming increasingly involved in international surgical teaching collaborations (ISTCs), which include educational partnerships between surgical teams in high-income countries and those in LMICs. The purpose of this study is to determine a framework for unifying, systematizing, and improving the quality of ISTCs so that they can better address the global surgical need. A convenience sample of 68 surgeons, anesthesiologists, physicians, residents, nurses, academics, and administrators from the U.S., Canada, and Norway was used for the study. Participants all had some involvement in ISTCs and came from multiple specialties and institutions. Qualitative methodology was used, and participants were interviewed using a pre-determined set of open-ended questions. Data was gathered over two months either in-person, over the phone, or on Skype. Data was evaluated using thematic content analysis. To organize and systematize ISTCs, participants reported a need for a centralized/systematized process with designated leaders, a universal data bank of current efforts/progress, communication amongst involved parties, full-time administrative staff, dedicated funds, a scholarly approach, increased use of technology, and more research on needs and outcomes. By taking steps towards unifying and systematizing ISTCs, the quality of ISTCs can be improved. This could lead to an advancement in efforts to increase access to surgical care worldwide.

Profiles of Change: Lessons for Improving High School Physical Education

Science.gov (United States)

Doolittle, Sarah

2014-01-01

This feature has told stories of high school physical educators who have refused to accept the status quo of high school physical education programs. They have identified problems, initiated innovations in their own classes, implemented changes beyond their classes, and moved toward institutionalizing improvements throughout their programs and…

Designing Temporary Systems: Exploring Local School Improvement Intentions in the Swedish Context

Science.gov (United States)

Nordholm, Daniel; Blossing, Ulf

2014-01-01

This article targets local school improvement in Sweden and temporary systems as a model to organize improvement work. These data are based on a qualitative case study of teacher groups constituting a temporary system representing the different subjects in comprehensive school in a medium-sized urban municipality. A total of eight interviews were…

School food policy at Dutch primary schools: room for improvement? Cross-sectional findings from the INPACT study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Ansem, Wilke Jc; Schrijvers, Carola Tm; Rodenburg, Gerda; Schuit, Albertine J; van de Mheen, Dike

2013-04-12

Schools can play an important role in the prevention of obesity, e.g. by providing an environment that stimulates healthy eating habits and by developing a food policy to provide such an environment. The effectiveness of a school food policy is affected by the content of the policy, its implementation and its support by parents, teachers and principals. The aim of this study is to detect opportunities to improve the school food policy and/or implementation at Dutch primary schools. Therefore, this study explores the school food policy and investigates schools' (teachers and principals) and parents' opinion on the school food policy. Data on the schools' perspective of the food policy was collected from principals and teachers by means of semi-structured interviews. In total 74 principals and 72 teachers from 83 Dutch primary schools were interviewed. Data on parental perceptions about the school food policy were based on a cross-sectional survey among 1,429 parents from the same schools. Most principals (87.1%) reported that their school had a written food policy; however in most cases the rules were not clearly defined. Most of the principals (87.8%) believed that their school paid sufficient attention to nutrition and health. Teachers and principals felt that parents were primarily responsible to encourage healthy eating habits among children, while 49.8% of the parents believed that it is also a responsibility of the school to foster healthy eating habits among children. Most parents reported that they appreciated the school food policy and comply with the food rules. Parents' opinion on the enforcement of the school food policy varied: 28.1% believed that the school should enforce the policy more strongly, 32.1% was satisfied, and 39.8% had no opinion on this topic. Dutch primary schools could play a more important role in fostering healthy eating habits among children. The school food policy could be improved by clearly formulating food rules, simplifying

A Self-Improving School System and Its Potential for Reducing Inequality

Science.gov (United States)

Hargreaves, David H.

2014-01-01

After a brief review of some milestones in the story of how schools contribute to inequalities in student achievement, more recent work on how experience of collaboration between schools can help to narrow the gap is shown to underpin the new concept of a self-improving school system. The main focus is then on the principal features of a…

Improving school governance through participative democracy and the law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius H Smit

2011-01-01

Full Text Available There is an inextricable link between democracy, education and the law. After 15 yearsofconstitutional democracy, the alarming percentage of dysfunctional schools raises questions about the efficacy of the system of local school governance. We report on the findings of quantitative and qualitative research on the democratisation of schools and the education system in North-West Province. Several undemocratic features are attributable to systemic weaknesses of traditional models of democracy as well as the misapplication of democratic and legal principles. The findings of the qualitative study confirmed that parents often misconceive participatory democracy for political democracy and misunderstand the role of the school governing body to be a political forum. Despite the shortcomings, the majority of the respondents agreed that parental participation improves school effectiveness and that the decentralised model of local school governance should continue. Recommendations to effect the inculcation of substantive democratic knowledge, values and attitudes into school governance are based on theory of deliberative democracy and principles of responsiveness, accountability and justification of decisions through rational discourse.

[School accidents--an epidemiological assessment of injury types and treatment effort].

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, R; Heiss, C; Alt, V; Schnettler, R

2006-10-01

Children and adolescents spend up to 50% of their time at school. The purpose of this study was to assess injury patterns with their treatment of school accidents in a Trauma Service of a German University Hospital and to compare these data to the literature. All school accidents from 01.07.1999 to 30.06.2004 were statistically analysed in a retrospective manner by chart review. There were 1399 school accidents treated in our department. Average age of the injured children was 11.8 years with a boy:girl ratio of 3:2. Almost 40% of the injuries occurred during school sport. The most frequently injured region was the upper extremity including the hand (36.8%). Distortion and contusion were the most frequent diagnoses of all injuries. 16% of the cases had to be treated surgically and/or under general anaesthesia and also a total of 16% of the patients had to be admitted to the hospital. It can be concluded for school facilities that special attention has to be paid during school sports activity and breaks because they account for most accidents. Traffic education may reduce severe injuries. For diagnosis and treatment of school accidents specific knowledge of the growing longbones of the upper extremity and the hand is important.

Analysis and Measures to Improve Waste Management in Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Cristina Rada

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Assessing waste production in schools highlights the contribution of school children and school staff to the total amount of waste generated in a region, as well as any poor practices of recycling (the so-called separate collection of waste in schools by the students, which could be improved through educational activities. Educating young people regarding the importance of environmental issues is essential, since instilling the right behavior in school children is also beneficial to the behavior of their families. The way waste management was carried out in different schools in Trento (northern Italy was analyzed: a primary school, a secondary school, and three high schools were taken as cases of study. The possible influence of the age of the students and of the various activities carried out within the schools on the different behaviors in separating waste was also evaluated. The results showed that the production of waste did not only depend on the size of the institutes and on the number of occupants, but, especially, on the type of activities carried out in addition to the ordinary classes and on the habits of both pupils and staff. In the light of the results obtained, some corrective measures were proposed to schools, aimed at increasing the awareness of the importance of the right behavior in waste management by students and the application of good practices of recycling.

Effective Recruitment of Schools for Randomized Clinical Trials: Role of School Nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Petosa, R L; Smith, L

2017-01-01

In school settings, nurses lead efforts to improve the student health and well-being to support academic success. Nurses are guided by evidenced-based practice and data to inform care decisions. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) is considered the gold standard of scientific rigor for clinical trials. RCTs are critical to the development of evidence-based health promotion programs in schools. The purpose of this article is to present practical solutions to implementing principles of randomization to RCT trials conducted in school settings. Randomization is a powerful sampling method used to build internal and external validity. The school's daily organization and educational mission provide several barriers to randomization. Based on the authors' experience in conducting school-based RCTs, they offer a host of practical solutions to working with schools to successfully implement randomization procedures. Nurses play a critical role in implementing RCTs in schools to promote rigorous science in support of evidence-based practice.

Superintendents' Perceptions of the School Improvement Planning Process in the Southeastern USA

Science.gov (United States)

Dunaway, David M.; Bird, James J.; Wang, Chuang; Hancock, Dawson

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study of school improvement planning in the southeastern USA was to establish the current view of the process through the eyes of the district superintendents. The answers to the questions were consistently mixed. Generally, the presence of school improvement planning is prevalent in the large majority of districts. However,…

Perceptions of the Purpose and Value of the School Improvement Plan Process

Science.gov (United States)

Dunaway, David M.; Kim, Do-Hong; Szad, Elizabeth R.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this research was to determine how teachers and administrators in a successful North Carolina district perceived the purpose and value of a school improvement plan (SIP) and the planning process. The SIP is the accepted best practice for school-wide improvement, and the perceptions of the purpose and value of the process…

A Guided Empowerment Self-Audit as a School Improvement Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Charity Fleming; Goodwin, Debbie

2014-01-01

No Child left Behind, The ESEA Flexibility Program, and the Race to the Top contest have spurred a multitude of School Improvement programs, businesses, initiatives and more. The current emphasis on standardized testing, data gathering and analysis, and measuring effective schooling has caused many education agencies, state and local, to seek…

Hypnotic Relaxation and Yoga to Improve Sleep and School Functioning

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Perfect, Michelle M.; Smith, Bradley

2016-01-01

Sleep insufficiency, defined as inadequate sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness, has been linked with students' learning and behavioral outcomes at school. However, there is limited research on interventions designed to improve the sleep of school-age children. In order to promote more interest on this critical topic, we…

Reducing School Mobility: A Randomized Trial of a Relationship-Building Intervention

Science.gov (United States)

Fiel, Jeremy E.; Haskins, Anna R.; López Turley, Ruth N.

2013-01-01

Student turnover has many negative consequences for students and schools, and the high mobility rates of disadvantaged students may exacerbate inequality. Scholars have advised schools to reduce mobility by building and improving relationships with and among families, but such efforts are rarely tested rigorously. A cluster-randomized field experiment in 52 predominantly Hispanic elementary schools in San Antonio, TX, and Phoenix, AZ, tested whether student mobility in early elementary school was reduced through Families and Schools Together (FAST), an intervention that builds social capital among families, children, and schools. FAST failed to reduce mobility overall but substantially reduced the mobility of Black students, who were especially likely to change schools. Improved relationships among families help explain this finding. PMID:25346541

Great Expectations, Mixed Results: Standards and Performance in Denver's New Public Schools, 2007-2011

Science.gov (United States)

Ooms, Alexander

2012-01-01

In conjunction with the Denver Plan instituted in 2005, Denver Public Schools (DPS) has embarked upon a consistent strategy of opening new schools in an effort to improve overall academic performance. DPS has pursued this strategy under several different paths: an annual request for proposals from charter school applicants; allowing current…

Distributed Leadership an Instrument for School Improvement: The Study of Public Senior High Schools in Ghana

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Dampson, Dandy George; Havor, Felicia Mensah; Laryea, Prince

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of distributed leadership in Public Senior High Schools (SHS) with regard to school improvement. Using the Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Method design, 92 teachers and 4 head masters and 4 assistant head masters were randomly and census sampled. Three research questions were formulated and…

Science school and culture school: improving the efficiency of high school science teaching in a system of mass science education.

Science.gov (United States)

Charlton, Bruce G

2006-01-01

Educational expansion in western countries has been achieved mainly by adding years to full-time education; however, this process has probably reduced efficiency. Sooner or later, efficiency must improve, with a greater educational attainment per year. Future societies will probably wish more people to study science throughout high school (aged c. 11-19 years) and the first college degree. 'Science' may be defined as any abstract, systematic and research-based discipline: including mathematics, statistics and the natural sciences, economics, music theory, linguistics, and the conceptual or quantitative social sciences. Since formal teaching is usually necessary to learn science, science education should be regarded as the core function of high schools. One standard way to improve efficiency is the 'division of labour', with increased specialization of function. Modern schools are already specialized: teachers are specialized according to age-group taught, subject matter expertise, and administrative responsibilities. School students are stratified by age and academic aptitude. I propose a further institutional division of school function between science education, and cultural education (including education in arts, sports, ethics, social interaction and good citizenship). Existing schools might split into 'science school' and 'culture school', reflected in distinct buildings and zones, separate administrative structures, and the recruitment of differently-specialized teaching personnel. Science school would be distinguished by its focus on education in disciplines which promote abstract systematic cognition. All students would spend some part of each day (how much would depend on their aptitude and motivation) in the 'science school'; experiencing a traditional-style, didactic, disciplined and rigorous academic education. The remainder of the students' time at school would be spent in the cultural division, which would focus on broader aspects, and aim to generate

Understanding Effective Program Improvement Schools through a Distributed Leadership Task Context Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gipson, Frances Marie

2012-01-01

Federal, state, and local agencies face challenges organizing resources that create the conditions necessary to create, sustain, and replicate effective high performing schools. Knowing that leadership does impact achievement outcomes and that school districts tackle growing numbers of sanctioned Program Improvement schools, a distributed…

Effort rights-based management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Squires, Dale; Maunder, Mark; Allen, Robin

2017-01-01

Effort rights-based fisheries management (RBM) is less widely used than catch rights, whether for groups or individuals. Because RBM on catch or effort necessarily requires a total allowable catch (TAC) or total allowable effort (TAE), RBM is discussed in conjunction with issues in assessing fish...... populations and providing TACs or TAEs. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, and there are trade-offs between the two approaches. In a narrow economic sense, catch rights are superior because of the type of incentives created, but once the costs of research to improve stock assessments...

Teachers' Perspectives on Preventing Suicide in Children and Adolescents in Schools: A Qualitative Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Victoria; Kõlves, Kairi; De Leo, Diego

2017-07-03

Given the important role teachers play as gatekeepers in school suicide prevention, this study explored teachers' perspectives on what should be done to improve current suicide prevention efforts. The study, in Queensland, Australia, was part of a large-scale survey examining teachers' knowledge, attitudes and experience of suicidality. One hundred and fifteen teachers responded to an online survey question regarding their views on the requirements for school suicide prevention. Qualitative analysis identified five themes from teachers' responses: awareness and stigma reduction, support services for students, education and training, bullying and the role of social media. The results of this study provide some profound insights into teachers' perspectives on suicide and highlight the critical need for improved suicide prevention efforts in schools.

School Reform Unplugged: The Bensenville New American School Project, 1991-93.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirel, Jeffrey

1994-01-01

This examination of the New American Schools Development Corporation initiative in Bensenville (Illinois) details the controversy over the reform effort and argues that factors such as school governance, local control, and school finance played major roles in determining program outcomes. The importance of political influences in reform efforts is…

REVITALIZATION OF ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION: AN EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF STUDENTS‟ LEARNING IN ENGLISH

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Abdul Muth‘im

2017-04-01

Full Text Available It is commonly believed that the quality of teachers correlates with the quality of students‘ learning. This implies that if the quality of teachers is good the quality of students‘ learning will be good too. On the contrary, if the quality of teachers is bad the quality of students‘ learning will be bad too. The following data may justify this belief. First, the results of UKA (Uji Kompetensi Awal and UKG (Uji Kompetensi Guru held by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2012 indicate that the mean score of the first was 42.25 whereas the mean score of the second was 45.82 – lower than the passing grade of UN (Ujian Nasional. When they are correlated with the results of study carried out by PISA on mathematics, natural sciences and language in 2009 and the study conducted by TIMSS on mathematics and natural sciences in 2007 and 2011 the belief may have its justification. PISA‘s study uncovered that Indonesian students were only in level 3 (out of 6 levels. Whereas, TIMSS‘ study revealed that around 95% of Indonesian junior high school students could only reach intermediate level (among five levels. Based on the above data, there must some efforts that must be done to improve the quality of teachers so that the quality of students‘ learning can be made better too. Revitalization of language teacher education is suggested to be one of the solutions.

Improving The Quality of Education Through School-Based Management: Learning From International Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Grauwe, Anton De

2005-07-01

School-based management is being increasingly advocated as a shortcut to more efficient management and quality improvement in education. Research, however, has been unable to prove conclusively such a linkage. Especially in developing countries, concerns remain about the possible detrimental impact of school-based management on school quality; equity among different schools in the same system; the motivation of and relationships between principals and teachers; and financial as well as administrative transparency. The present study defines school-based management and, in view of its implementation in different world regions, examines some of its advantages and disadvantages. In particular, the author explores the strategies which must accompany school-based management in order to ensure a positive impact on quality. These are found to include (1) guaranteeing that all schools have certain basic resources; (2) developing an effective school-support system; (3) providing schools with regular information on their performance and advice on how they might improve; and (4) emphasizing the motivational element in the management work of the school principal.

Improving problem solving in primary school students: The effect of a training programme focusing on metacognition and working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornoldi, Cesare; Carretti, Barbara; Drusi, Silvia; Tencati, Chiara

2015-09-01

Despite doubts voiced on their efficacy, a series of studies has been carried out on the capacity of training programmes to improve academic and reasoning skills by focusing on underlying cognitive abilities and working memory in particular. No systematic efforts have been made, however, to test training programmes that involve both general and specific underlying abilities. If effective, these programmes could help to increase students' motivation and competence. This study examined the feasibility of improving problem-solving skills in school children by means of a training programme that addresses general and specific abilities involved in problem solving, focusing on metacognition and working memory. The project involved a sample of 135 primary school children attending eight classes in the third, fourth, and fifth grades (age range 8-10 years). The classes were assigned to two groups, one attending the training programme in the first 3 months of the study (Training Group 1) and the other serving as a waiting-list control group (Training Group 2). In the second phase of the study, the role of the two groups was reversed, with Training Group 2 attending the training instead of Training Group 1. The training programme led to improvements in both metacognitive and working memory tasks, with positive-related effects on the ability to solve problems. The gains seen in Training Group 1 were also maintained at the second post-test (after 3 months). Specific activities focusing on metacognition and working memory may contribute to modifying arithmetical problem-solving performance in primary school children. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

Interventions to Improve Asthma Management of the School-Age Child.

Science.gov (United States)

Friend, Mary; Morrison, Amber

2015-06-01

Improvement of medication adherence in the school-age child can lead to improvement in quality of life, decreased morbidity, and a potential decreased risk of deferred academic, social, and emotional development. The objective of this article is to review barriers to asthma medication adherence and identify evidence-based techniques that improve medication management of the asthmatic child 5 to 12 years of age. A literature review was performed and articles were obtained through database searches within Medline, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and PubMed. Research indicates that barriers to the adherence of medication regimens required for asthmatic children include poor understanding of the medication regimen, substandard education on symptom recognition and environmental triggers, rejection of the diagnosis, and a lack of support or understanding within the community. Researched techniques aimed to improve medication management in 5- to 12-year-olds include: computer-based education; workshops for parents, teachers, and children; incorporation of asthma education into classroom lessons; use of case managers; the introduction of a nurse practitioner in the school to provide care, including medication prescriptions for the asthmatic child; and assessment and evaluation of environmental and emotional triggers in the home and school. Collaboration of current data may help lead to a successful interventional model that can improve asthma management in this population. © The Author(s) 2014.

¿Donde situar los esfuerzos de mejora?: política educativa, escuela y aula Where should we focus our improvement efforts? Educational policies, schools and classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Bolívar

2005-10-01

Full Text Available El artículo hace una revisión de las teorías actuales del cambio educativo, en particular del papel del establecimiento escolar como una unidad base de la acción educativa y de la mejora. Se da cuenta del "viaje" recorrido en la búsqueda de la mejora: de las políticas centralizadas externas a situar la escuela como unidad estratégica y, en la última década, convertir el incremento del aprendizaje de los alumnos en el espacio privilegiado. De acuerdo con las lecciones aprendidas, un nuevo paradigma de la política educativa y de la innovación aboga por un equilibrio entre las presiones externas que estimulen la mejora con la necesaria autonomía escolar, donde el aprendizaje de todos los alumnos se constituyen en el foco del cambio. A su servicio se subordinan los cambios curriculares, organizativos o apoyos de la política educativa que puedan promoverlo.This paper reviews the current theories on educational changes, specifically the role of educational establishments as basic units of educational action and improvement. It accounts for the ground covered in search of this improvement: from external centralized policies that make school into a strategic unit to, in the past decade, highlighting the increase in student learning as a privileged topic. Based on the lessons learned, a new paradigm of educational policy and innovation argues for a balance between the external pressures that stimulate improvement and the necessary school autonomy, where the learning of all of the students becomes the focus of changes. Bearing this in mind, we look into curricular and organizational changes or supports for educational policies that can promote such changes.

Study protocol: can a school gardening intervention improve children's diets?

Science.gov (United States)

Christian, Meaghan S; El Evans, Charlotte; Conner, Mark; Ransley, Joan K; Cade, Janet E

2012-04-26

The current academic literature suggests there is a potential for using gardening as a tool to improve children's fruit and vegetable intake. This study is two parallel randomised controlled trials (RCT) devised to evaluate the school gardening programme of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening, to determine if it has an effect on children's fruit and vegetable intake. Trial One will consist of 26 schools; these schools will be randomised into two groups, one to receive the intensive intervention as "Partner Schools" and the other to receive the less intensive intervention as "Associate Schools". Trial Two will consist of 32 schools; these schools will be randomised into either the less intensive intervention "Associate Schools" or a comparison group with delayed intervention. Baseline data collection will be collected using a 24-hour food diary (CADET) to collect data on dietary intake and a questionnaire exploring children's knowledge and attitudes towards fruit and vegetables. A process measures questionnaire will be used to assess each school's gardening activities. The results from these trials will provide information on the impact of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening on children's fruit and vegetable intake. The evaluation will provide valuable information for designing future research in primary school children's diets and school based interventions. ISRCTN11396528.

Educational Statistics and School Improvement. Statistics and the Federal Role in Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, Willis D.

This paper focuses on how educational statistics might better serve the quest for educational improvement in elementary and secondary schools. A model for conceptualizing the sources and processes of school productivity is presented. The Learning Productivity Model suggests that school outcomes are the consequence of the interaction of five…

The Assessment Methodology RADAR – A Theoretical Approach of a Methodology for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Raluca Popescu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In the paper “The Assessment Methodology RADAR – A Theoretical Approach of a Methodology for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodology RADAR that is designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence.

Executive Leadership in School Improvement Networks: A Conceptual Framework and Agenda for Research

Science.gov (United States)

Peurach, Donald J.; Gumus, Emine

2011-01-01

The purpose of this analysis is to improve understanding of executive leadership in school improvement networks: for example, networks supported by comprehensive school reform providers, charter management organizations, and education management organizations. In this analysis, we review the literature on networks and executive leadership. We draw…

Improving Alcohol/Drug Education in Illinois Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield.

This paper lists guidelines approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for improving alcohol and drug education in the schools. Statistics point out the seriousness of alcohol and drug abuse in terms of human costs to the victim, his/her family, and associates, and the economic costs of health care, accident losses, crime, social programs,…

Effort and Selection Effects of Incentive Contracts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouwens, J.F.M.G.; van Lent, L.A.G.M.

2003-01-01

We show that the improved effort of employees associated with incentive contracts depends on the properties of the performance measures used in the contract.We also find that the power of incentives in the contract is only indirectly related to any improved employee effort.High powered incentive

Staff Development and School Improvement: An Interview with Ernest Boyer.

Science.gov (United States)

Sparks, Dennis

1984-01-01

The importance of developing teachers' skills and feelings of power and professionalism is stressed in an interview with Ernest Boyer. Other topics of discussion include the establishment of a "teacher excellence fund" and the concept that school improvement is "people improvement." (DF)

34 CFR 200.49 - SEA responsibilities for school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) Demonstrate the strongest commitment to ensuring that this assistance will be used to enable the lowest-achieving schools to meet the progress goals in the school improvement plans under § 200.41. (c) Technical... improvement within the State. (Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1810-0581...

Using Collaborative Inquiry to Foster Equity within School Systems: Opportunities and Barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Ainscow, Mel; Dyson, Alan; Goldrick, Sue; West, Mel

2016-01-01

Drawing on experiences in England over many years, this paper explores the authors' efforts to use collaborative inquiry in order to foster greater equity within schools. All of this is set within national policy contexts that emphasise increased school autonomy, competition, and accountability as central improvement strategies. It is argued that…

Cyclic efforts to improve completion rates of masters’ degree students in nursing

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Lizeth Roets

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Supervisors at Higher Education Institutions are challenged to shorten throughput of Master’s degree students in nursing as researchers are needed to improve the art and science of the nursing profession. Globally the completion time for a postgraduate degree in the health sciences varies between 4.7 and 5.5 years. The purpose of the study was to describe strategies that were implemented to shorten completion time and attrition rate of postgraduate students. A cyclic technical, scientific collaborative mode within an action research methodology was used to identify factors impeding completion time in this study. Contrary to other studies, supervision was not an inhibiting factor in this study. Physical, technical, academic and financial aspects were identified by postgraduate students through questionnaires and informal discussion groups with supervisors as well as progress reports. Strategies were implemented to address these. Following implementation of all strategies, 42% of the postgraduate students in the School of Nursing completed their Master’s degree within two years. This implies a 34% improvement. Although the completion rate improved it was still unsatisfactory and new challenges were identified during the second cycle, for example, the number of inexperienced supervisors increased and they needed mentoring. Speed mentoring is a possible solution to the problem.

Turning Schools Around: The National Board Certification Process as a School Improvement Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Jaquith, Ann; Snyder, Jon

2016-01-01

Can the National Board certification process support school improvement where large proportions of students score below grade level on standardized tests? This SCOPE study examines a project that sought to seize and capitalize upon the learning opportunities embedded in the National Board certification process, particularly opportunities to learn…

Improving the Small Rural or Remote School: The Role of the District

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Simon; Wildy, Helen

2011-01-01

There is a robust body of work highlighting distinctive challenges encountered by leaders of small schools in pursuit of school improvement but this work has focused on the school as the unit of change and neglects the role of the district. As the district potentially influences what principals know and how they use their knowledge, this article…

MANAGEMENT PLANS AND THEIR IMPACT ON SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

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Ignacio Polo Martínez

2016-06-01

Full Text Available OECD (2015 states that management's leadership is a critical factor for implementing reforms and improving schools. Candidates are required to submit a management plan outlining the framework of a plan to be followed during their 4 year term. Despite the plan outlined in the proposal, the implicit "non aggression pact" between the participants (the teachers and the directors, who are teachers themselves, makes change difficult. As a result, management plans have little impact on improving methods of teaching and academic results achieved by the students. In this article we have tried to achieve three objectives: 1 analyze the relationship between the renewal, selection and appointment of a director with the management plan around our country, 2 analyze which aspects are those that, according to major international studies, should determine the content, development and evaluation of a management plan, and 3 to suggest how one could implement a management plan for an education center or school.

THE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES PTELR, ADRI AND CAE – THREE METHODOLOGIES FOR COORDINATING THE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

OpenAIRE

Cristina Raluca POPESCU; Gheorghe N. POPESCU

2015-01-01

In the paper “The Assessment Methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE – Three Methodologies for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE that are designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence. In the first part of the paper (the introduction of the paper), the authors present the general background concer...

Integrating qualitative research methods into care improvement efforts within a learning health system: addressing antibiotic overuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Munoz-Plaza, Corrine E; Parry, Carla; Hahn, Erin E; Tang, Tania; Nguyen, Huong Q; Gould, Michael K; Kanter, Michael H; Sharp, Adam L

2016-08-15

Despite reports advocating for integration of research into healthcare delivery, scant literature exists describing how this can be accomplished. Examples highlighting application of qualitative research methods embedded into a healthcare system are particularly needed. This article describes the process and value of embedding qualitative research as the second phase of an explanatory, sequential, mixed methods study to improve antibiotic stewardship for acute sinusitis. Purposive sampling of providers for in-depth interviews improved understanding of unwarranted antibiotic prescribing and elicited stakeholder recommendations for improvement. Qualitative data collection, transcription and constant comparative analyses occurred iteratively. Emerging themes and sub-themes identified primary drivers of unwarranted antibiotic prescribing patterns and recommendations for improving practice. These findings informed the design of a health system intervention to improve antibiotic stewardship for acute sinusitis. Core components of the intervention are also described. Qualitative research can be effectively applied in learning healthcare systems to elucidate quantitative results and inform improvement efforts.

The Profile of Adolescent’ Moral Intelligence and Practical Solution to Its Improvement Efforts

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Prasetiawan Hardi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available High moral quality is needed by adolescent to be success in their personal and educational life. Those who have high morale quality can be considered as morally intelligent Individuals. This study is aimed to collect information about adolescents’ moral intelligent by using moral intelligence Instrument that consists of seven aspects, empathy, self control, conscience, respect, kindness, tolerance dan fairness, furthermore, alternative solution is given to improve their moral intelligence. Subject of this study was selected through simple random sampling. Based on the result of the survey, it was found that students in a State Junior high school in Yogyakarta have 69% moral intelligence percentage. In other words, they have medium moral Intelligence. Adolescents’ moral quality develops through continuous process in their life. One of many methods that can be done to improve moral intelligence is guidance and counseling service, in specific, group counseling with self- management technique.

High School Physics: An Interactive Instructional Approach That Meets the Next Generation Science Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shaobo; Mejia, Joel Alejandro; Becker, Kurt; Neilson, Drew

2015-01-01

Improving high school physics teaching and learning is important to the long-term success of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Efforts are currently in place to develop an understanding of science among high school students through formal and informal educational experiences in engineering design activities…

The Social Intelligence of Principals: Links to Teachers' Continuous Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

McQuade, Joan

2013-01-01

Despite multiple efforts to reform 21st education to better meet the needs of all students, school improvement successes have been sporadic and debatable. Research suggests that significant improvement lies within the purview of teachers and principals, and this current research provided the underpinnings for the study. Based on neuroscience…

Teachers' Awareness of Cultural Diversity and Academic Achievement in Ninth Grade Academies and Senior High Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Whipps-Johnson, Jamellah Renee

2016-01-01

High school graduation rates are higher than they have ever been in 40 years, but disparities continue to exist for students of color and students from poverty when compared to their counterparts. High school reform efforts like creating small learning communities are promising, but small schools alone do not improve student outcomes.…

Towards a High Quality High School Workforce: A Longitudinal, Demographic Analysis of U.S. Public School Physics Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Rushton, Gregory T.; Rosengrant, David; Dewar, Andrew; Shah, Lisa; Ray, Herman E.; Sheppard, Keith; Watanabe, Lynn

2017-01-01

Efforts to improve the number and quality of the high school physics teaching workforce have taken several forms, including those sponsored by professional organizations. Using a series of large-scale teacher demographic data sets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), this study sought to investigate trends in teacher quality…

Material resources availability, parent subject perception and school ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Students' poor performance in the Yoruba language is being considered a serious problem by researchers and education stakeholders. Despite their efforts, no appreciable improvement is noticeable for hardly are enough researches on the extent to which school material resources availability, parental subject perception ...

Curing Student Underachievement: Clinical Practice for School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Esbrandt, Philip; Hayes, Bruce

2011-01-01

"Cure Student Underachievement" is the culmination of the authors' research, practice, and experience as principals, superintendents, graduate professors, and consultants in efforts to improve school performance and increase student achievement. Searching for the real causes of underperformance, the authors explored problem-solving strategies in…

School corporal punishment in global perspective: prevalence, outcomes, and efforts at intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Gershoff, Elizabeth T

2017-03-01

School corporal punishment continues to be a legal means of disciplining children in a third of the world's countries. Although much is known about parents' use of corporal punishment, there is less research about school corporal punishment. This article summarizes what is known about the legality and prevalence of school corporal punishment, about the outcomes linked to it, and about interventions to reduce and eliminate school corporal punishment around the world.

Educational Leadership Based on Social Capital for Improving Quality of Private Secondary School

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suwadi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study aims to explain the leadership pattern of social capital based education for the quality improvement of private schools. The research is conducted at private Junior Secondary Level with a qualitative naturalistic approach. This location is in Sleman District. The subject consists of selected cases purposively. The research procedure is carried out by four steps and methods of obtaining the data through observation, indepth interview, and documentation. Data analysis was carried out by inductive model while the level of trust result of research was undertaken by fulfilling criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability. The research findings are as follows. First, the concept of leadership of social capital based education rests on the ability of principals to influence school resources to achieve goals through an integrated pattern of trust dimensions, reciprocal relationships and networking. Second, school quality can be improved through a school leadership in recognizing social capital, b school leadership in utilizing social capital, c school leadership in functioning social capital. Third, the utilization of social capital based on leadership in private schools in the form of a bridging stakeholder aspirations both initiated by schools and stakeholders; b bonding stakeholder relations with schools; c following up or responding to stakeholder resources in school programs as a perspective new leadership at school.

Administrator Perceptions of School Improvement Policies in a High-Impact Policy Setting

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MARIO S. TORRES

2008-10-01

Full Text Available This study investigated school administrators’ perceptions of school improvement policies in a high-impact policy environment by measuring the impact of accountability, site-based management, professional development, and scheduling reform on the three dependent variables of a academic outcomes, b staff morale, and c parent and community involvement. Using a convenience sampling method, 49 public school principals from Texas participated and an online survey was constructed to gather both quantitative (i.e., Likert scale and qualitative (i.e., open ended response data. The findings clearly point to principals, regardless of geographical district type and grade level school type, viewing less controversial and more intrinsically oriented policies (i.e., site-based management and professional development as having a greater positive impact on outcomes as a whole than more radical alternatives (i.e., accountability and time and schedule reform. The evidence suggests that more aggressive school improvement policy approaches are likely failing to generate enough convincing outcomes to generate high commitment and confidence from school leaders. Further studies may look at the interaction of policy impact with minority student enrollments and with subgroup populations.

Data Use for School Improvement : Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Brokerage in Network Structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hubers, Mireille Desirée; Moolenaar, Nienke; Schildkamp, Kim; Handelzalts, Adam; Pieters, Julius Marie; Daly, A.J.; Daly, Alan J.

2015-01-01

Data teams are used in Dutch secondary education to support schools in data use for school improvement. Such teams are likely to be most effective when knowledge is shared between the data team members and brokered throughout the school. Social network structures may play an important role in this.

Framing Feedback for School Improvement around Distributed Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Carolyn; Dikkers, Seann

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the utility of framing formative feedback to improve school leadership with a focus on task-based evaluation of distributed leadership rather than on role-based evaluation of an individual leader. Research Methods/Approach: Using data from research on the development of the Comprehensive…

Does Improved Water Access Increase Child School Attendance? A Quasi-Experimental Approach From Rural Ethiopia

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Masuda, Y.; Cook, J.

2012-12-01

This paper analyzes the impact of improved water access on child school attendance using two years of primary panel data from a quasi-experimental study in Oromiya, Ethiopia. A predominant form of child labor in rural poor households in least developed countries is water collection. Girls are often the primary water collectors for households, and because of the time intensive nature of water collection improved water access may allow for time to be reallocated to schooling (Rosen and Vincent 1999; Nankhuni and Findeis 2004). Understanding how improved water access may increase schooling for girls has important development policy implications. Indeed, abundant research on returns to education suggests increased schooling for girls is tied to improved future child and maternal health, economic opportunities, and lower fertility rates (Handa 1996; Schultz 1998; Michaelowa 2000). The literature to date finds that improved water access leads to increased schooling; however, there still exists a clear gap in the literature for understanding this relationship for two reasons. First, only four studies have directly examined the relationship between improved water access and schooling in sub-Saharan Africa, and analyses have been limited due to the use of cross-sectional data and research designs (Nankhuni and Findeis 2004; Koolwal and Van de Walle 2010; Ndiritu and Nyangan 2011; Nauges and Strand 2011). Indeed, only two studies have attempted to control for the endogenous nature of water access. Second, all studies use a binary school enrollment indicator from household surveys, which may suffer from response bias and may be an imperfect measure for actual schooling. Respondents may feel pressured to report that their children are enrolled in school if, like in Ethiopia, there are compulsory education laws. This may result in an overestimation of school enrollment. In addition, most children from rural poor households combine work and school, and a binary indicator does

The use of information and communication technologies (ICT in school contexts and the improvement in the quality of education

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Rosane Kreusburg Molina

2011-06-01

Full Text Available This article presents the outcomes of a research that aimed at analyzing the impact of educational policies for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT such as the National Program of Informatics in Schools (Programa Nacional de Informática na Escola – ProInfo in the routine of Elementary Schools in two towns of the Porto Alegre Metropolitan region, RS. The theoretical support is based on Peter McLaren, Stephen J. Ball and Berger and Luckmann. The data was collected from teachers working for more than 20 years and included documental analysis, interviews, narratives and group discussions. The study demonstrated that a positive effects in the quality of education through the use of Information and Communication Technologies which is the result of individual teachers´ effort are still unexpressive; b the experiences with Information and Communication Technologies are not present in Schools Political-Pedagogical Projects; c the training opportunities focus mainly on the technical training of the use of laboratories by teachers; d there is an uncomfortable feeling related to power structures, to the allocation of space-time and to the forms of communication. The research suggests that the improvement in the quality of education through the experiences with the use of ICT demands policies that take into consideration the teaching culture as well as the characteristics that match the micro policy school organization.

Developing geogebra-assisted reciprocal teaching strategy to improve junior high school students’ abstraction ability, lateral thinking and mathematical persistence

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Priatna, N.; Martadiputra, B. A. P.; Wibisono, Y.

2018-05-01

The development of science and technology requires reform in the utilization of various resources for mathematics teaching and learning process. One of the efforts that can be made is the implementation of GeoGebra-assisted Reciprocal Teaching strategy in mathematics instruction as an effective strategy in improving students’ cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities. This research is intended to implement GeoGebra-assisted Reciprocal Teaching strategy in improving abstraction ability, lateral thinking, and mathematical persistence of junior high school students. It employed quasi-experimental method with non-random pre-test and post-test control design. More specifically, it used the 2x3 factorial design, namely the learning factors that included GeoGebra-assisted Reciprocal Teaching and conventional teaching learning, and levels of early mathematical ability (high, middle, and low). The subjects in this research were the eighth grade students of junior high school, taken with purposive sampling. The results of this research show: Abstraction and lateral abilities of students who were taught with GeoGebra-assisted Reciprocal Teaching strategy were significantly higher than those of students who received conventional learning. Mathematical persistence of students taught with GeoGebra-assisted Reciprocal Teaching strategy was also significantly higher than of those taught with conventional learning.

Parent Involvement on School Committees as Social Capital to Improve Student Achievement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravik Karsidi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study explores how the participation of parents on school committees improves student achievement. In decentralized education systems like the one in Indonesia, parents’ participation has become a focal point for improving the quality of education. The data for this study were collected using questionnaires distributed to 250 students in state senior high schools, selected by quota-purposive sampling. The qualitative findings of this research are threefold: most parents participated in student learning only by providing material aspects, such as tuition and books; most parents had a misconception that it was the school that should solely be responsible for the education of their children; busy parents tended to ignore the progress of their children’s learning. In order to create social capital for their children, parents need to be active in the learning process, cooperate with school officials, and get involved in the planning of social activities.

Child Effortful Control as a Mediator of Parenting Practices on Externalizing Behavior: Evidence for a Sex-Differentiated Pathway across the Transition from Preschool to School

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hyein; Olson, Sheryl L.; Sameroff, Arnold J.; Sexton, Holly R.

2011-01-01

An explanatory model for children's development of disruptive behavior across the transition from preschool to school was tested. It was hypothesized that child effortful control would mediate the effects of parenting on children's externalizing behavior and that child sex would moderate these relations. Participants were 241 children (123 boys)…

Federal School Improvement Grants (SIGs): How Capacity and Local Conditions Matter

Science.gov (United States)

Yatsko, Sarah; Lake, Robin; Bowen, Melissa; Cooley Nelson, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

In 2009, the federal government committed over $3 billion nationwide to help states and districts turn around their worst-performing schools. The U.S. Department of Education intended for the School Improvement Grants (SIGs) to spur dramatic change.This report looks at the results of a field study of the first-year implementation of those grants…

THE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY PDCA/PDSA – A METHODOLOGY FOR COORDINATING THE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Raluca POPESCU

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In the paper “The Assessment Methodology PDCA/PDSA – A Methodology for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodology PDCA/PDSA that is designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence. In the first part of the paper (the introduction of the paper, the authors present the general background concerning the performance of management business processes and the importance of achieving excellence and furthermore correctly assessing/evaluating it. In the second part of the paper (the assessment methodology PDCA/PDSA – as a methodology for coordinating the efforts to improve the organizational processes to achieve excellence, the authors describe the characteristics of the assessment methodology PDCA/PDSA from a theoretical point of view. We can say that in the current state of global economy, the global performance includes the economic, social and environmental issues, while, effectiveness and efficiency acquire new dimensions, both quantitative and qualitative. Performance needs to adopt a more holistic view of the interdependence of internal and external parameters, quantitative and qualitative, technical and human, physical and financial management of, thus leading to what we call today overall performance.

75 FR 13740 - Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-23

... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Innovation and Improvement; Overview Information; Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants for National Leadership Activities; Notice Inviting Applications for New... of public schools have been identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under...

On Strategies of Improving Junior High School Students' Oral English Ability

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

罗茜

2015-01-01

With the increasingly frequent international exchanges,English,as an international language,has been attached greater importance.The oral English ability of junior high school students plays an indispensable role in their everyday study and social interaction,and it is the present junior school study that can lay a solid foundation for their future study and life. Therefore,to comprehensively improve their oral English ability is in urgent need and of paramount significance.This paper focuses on analyzing the external and internal factors influencing the cultivation of junior high school students' oral English ability,and put forwards the corresponding cultivating strategies of the oral English ability of junior high school students.

On Strategies of Improving Junior High School Students’ Oral English Ability

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

罗茜

2015-01-01

With the increasingly frequent international exchanges,English,as an international language,has been attached greater importance.The oral English ability of junior high school students plays an indispensable role in their everyday study and social interaction,and it is the present junior school study that can lay a solid foundation for their future study and life.Therefore,to comprehensively improve their oral English ability is in urgent need and of paramount significance.This paper focuses on analyzing the external and internal factors influencing the cultivation of junior high school students’oral English ability,and put forwards the corresponding cultivating strategies of the oral English ability of junior high school students.

Improving the primary school science learning unit about force and motion through lesson study

Science.gov (United States)

Phaikhumnam, Wuttichai; Yuenyong, Chokchai

2018-01-01

The study aimed to develop primary school science lesson plan based on inquiry cycle (5Es) through lesson study. The study focused on the development of 4 primary school science lesson plans of force and motion for Grade 3 students in KKU Demonstration Primary School (Suksasart), first semester of 2015 academic year. The methodology is mixed method. The Inthaprasitha (2010) lesson study cycle was implemented in group of KKU Demonstration Primary School. Instruments of reflection of lesson plan developing included participant observation, meeting and reflection report, lesson plan and other document. The instruments of examining students' learning include classroom observation and achievement test. Data was categorized from these instruments to find the issues of changing and improving the good lesson plan of Thai primary school science learning. The findings revealed that teachers could develop the lesson plans through lesson study. The issues of changing and improving were disused by considering on engaging students related to societal issues, students' prior knowledge, scientific concepts for primary school students, and what they learned from their changing. It indicated that the Lesson Study allowed primary school science teachers to share ideas and develop ideas to improve the lesson. The study may have implications for Thai science teacher education through Lesson Study.

Safe school task force: University-community partnership to promote student development and a safer school environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Corey; Chung-Do, Jane; Ongalibang, Ophelia

2008-01-01

The Asian/Pacific Islander Youth Violence Prevention Center (APIYVPC) focuses its youth violence prevention efforts on community mobilization by partnering with Kailua High School and other local community groups. This paper describes the development and activities of the Safe School Task Force (SSTF) and the lessons learned. In response to concerns of school, community members, and students, the SSTF was organized to promote student leadership in raising awareness about problems related to violence. Collaboration among the school, community, and the university places students in leadership roles to reduce school violence and enhances their self-efficacy to improve their school environment. To increase SSTF effectiveness, more attention must be paid to student recruitment, consistent community partnerships, and gaining teacher buy-in. This partnership may be useful in multicultural communities to provide students the opportunities to learn about violence prevention strategies, community mobilization, and leadership skills.

Effect of Food Service Nutrition Improvements on Elementary School Cafeteria Lunch Purchase Patterns

Science.gov (United States)

Cluss, Patricia A.; Fee, LuAnn; Culyba, Rebecca J.; Bhat, Kiran B.; Owen, Kay

2014-01-01

Background: Schools can play a major role in prevention and intervention for childhood obesity. We describe changes in elementary school cafeteria lunch sales patterns resulting from nutritional improvements in menu offerings that were part of a community-wide focus on health. Methods: Elementary school lunch sales data were collected for 1 week…

Low Temperature Double-layer Capacitors with Improved Energy Density: An Overview of Recent Development Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Brandon, Erik J.; West, William C.; Smart, Marshall C.; Yushin, Gleb; Korenblit, Yair; Kajdos, Adam; Kvit, Alexander; Jagiello, Jacek

2012-01-01

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors are finding increased use in a wide range of energy storage applications, particularly where high pulse power capabilities are required. Double-layer capacitors store charge at a liquid/solid interface, making them ideal for low temperature power applications, due to the facile kinetic processes associated with the rearrangement of the electrochemical double-layer at these temperatures. Potential low temperature applications include hybrid and electric vehicles, operations in polar regions, high altitude aircraft and aerospace avionics, and distributed environmental and structural health monitoring. State-of-the-art capacitors can typically operate to -40 C, with a subsequent degradation in power performance below room temperature. However, recent efforts focused on advanced electrolyte and electrode systems can enable operation to temperatures as low as -70 C, with capacities similar to room temperature values accompanied by reasonably low equivalent series resistances. This presentation will provide an overview of recent development efforts to extend and improve the wide temperature performance of these devices.

Perceptions about availability and adequacy of drinking water in a large California school district.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Anisha I; Bogart, Laura M; Uyeda, Kimberly E; Rabin, Alexa; Schuster, Mark A

2010-03-01

Concerns about the influence of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on obesity have led experts to recommend that water be freely available in schools. We explored perceptions about the adequacy of drinking water provision in a large California school district to develop policies and programs to encourage student water consumption. From March to September 2007, we used semistructured interviews to ask 26 California key stakeholders - including school administrators and staff, health and nutrition agency representatives, and families - about school drinking water accessibility; attitudes about, facilitators of, and barriers to drinking water provision; and ideas for increasing water consumption. Interviews were analyzed to determine common themes. Although stakeholders said that water was available from school drinking fountains, they expressed concerns about the appeal, taste, appearance, and safety of fountain water and worried about the affordability and environmental effect of bottled water sold in schools. Stakeholders supported efforts to improve free drinking water availability in schools, but perceived barriers (eg, cost) and mistaken beliefs that regulations and beverage contracts prohibit serving free water may prevent schools from doing so. Some schools provide water through cold-filtered water dispensers and self-serve water coolers. This is the first study to explore stakeholder perceptions about the adequacy of drinking water in US schools. Although limited in scope, our study suggests that water available in at least some schools may be inadequate. Collaborative efforts among schools, communities, and policy makers are needed to improve school drinking water provision.

Warm Parenting and Effortful Control in Toddlerhood: Independent and Interactive Predictors of School-Age Externalizing Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Reuben, Julia D; Shaw, Daniel S; Neiderhiser, Jenae M; Natsuaki, Misaki N; Reiss, David; Leve, Leslie D

2016-08-01

Externalizing symptoms, such as aggression, impulsivity, and inattention, represent the most common forms of childhood maladjustment (Campbell et al. Development and Psychopathology, 12, 467-488, 2000). Several dimensions of parenting behavior, including overreactive and warm parenting, have been linked to children's conduct problems. However, the majority of these studies involve biologically-related family members, thereby limiting understanding of the role of genetic and/or environmental underpinnings of parenting on child psychopathology. This study extends previous research by exploring associations between overreactive and warm parenting during toddlerhood and school-age externalizing problems, as well as the potential moderating effects of child effortful control (EC) on such associations using a longitudinal adoption design. The sample consisted of 225 adoption-linked families (adoptive parents, adopted child [124 male and 101 female] and birth parent[s]), thereby allowing for a more precise estimate of environmental influences on the association between parenting and child externalizing problems. Adoptive mothers' warm parenting at 27 months predicted lower levels of child externalizing problems at ages 6 and 7. Child EC moderated this association in relation to teacher reports of school-age externalizing problems. Findings corroborate prior research with biological families that was not designed to unpack genetic and environmental influences on associations between parenting and child externalizing problems during childhood, highlighting the important role of parental warmth as an environmental influence.

Catch Them Young: Developing and Improving of School Libraries and Reading Habit of Secondary School Students in Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Oriogu, Chuks Daniel

2015-01-01

Reading habit is a fundamental skill necessary in the life of every student. It is essential in developing a more civilized and knowledgeable society. Therefore, the study investigated reading habit of secondary school students and ways of developing and improving of school libraries in Nigeria. The study reviewed the basis of reading skills,…

Eco-Schools and the Quality of Education in South Africa: Realising ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

potential to improve conditions for teaching and learning. ... Do the Eco-School activities, made possible by the concerted efforts of the partners .... of discipline and strife among the staff, low motivation and morale, poor management and poor.

US PARTICLE ACCELERATOR SCHOOL: Summer schools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1989-11-15

Continuing it's educational efforts, the US Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) held two summer schools this year. The USPAS has two basic purposes — education in accelerator physics and technology, in particular to train apprentices and update experts; and to encourage US universities and Laboratories to offer programmes in accelerator physics by developing textbooks, training faculty, and organizing schools.

A Case Study: One Public School's Endeavor to Revive Arts Education

Science.gov (United States)

Naranjo, Juanita

2013-01-01

Public K-12 schools in the United States currently face competing demands that place improved student learning as the main goal to ensure students develop 21st century skills. However, internal and external factors may work with or against each other within a school's efforts to achieve this. The problem that serves as the basis for this…

[Impact of an intervention improving the food supply (excluding school meals) with educational support in middle and high schools].

Science.gov (United States)

Carriere, C; Lorrain, S; Langevin, C; Barberger Gateau, P; Maurice, S; Thibault, H

2015-12-01

Within the Nutrition, Prevention, and Health Program for children and teenagers in Aquitaine, an experimental intervention was implemented in 2007-2008 in the middle and high schools in Aquitaine (southwest France). This intervention aimed to improve the eating habits of adolescents, combining actions to improve the food supply sold during recreational times (remove/limit fat and sugar products sold and promote the sale of fruits and bread) and health education actions to make adolescents aware of the concept of nutritional balance and steer their choice towards recommended products. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the impact of the intervention on the eating behavior of adolescents and the food supply sold during recreational times in middle and high schools in Aquitaine. A survey was conducted before and after the implementation of the intervention in seven middle and high schools that have implemented actions (intervention group) and eight middle and high schools that have not implemented actions (control group). In these schools, 1602 adolescents answered the survey before and 1050 after the intervention (samples were independent because of the anonymity of responses). The impact of the intervention on the dietary behavior of teenagers was modeled using logistic regression adjusted on potential confounding variables (sex, age, and educational status). In multivariate analyses, the intervention was associated with more frequent daily intake of breakfast (OR=2.63; 95% CI [1.89; 3.66]) and lower intake of morning snacks (OR=0.66; 95% CI [0.48; 0.90]), higher consumption of starchy foods (OR=1.77; 95% CI [1.30; 2.42]), bread at breakfast, morning snacks, and a light afternoon meal (OR=1.43; 95% CI [1.07; 1.90]), and the food supply sold at recreational times (OR=1.34 95% CI [1.01; 1.78]). These results show that the "Improving food supply in middle and high schools associated with educational support actions" project led to the sales of recommended foods

Improvements in middle school student dietary intake after implementation of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cullen, Karen Weber; Watson, Kathy; Zakeri, Issa

2008-01-01

We assessed the effect of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy on middle school student lunchtime food consumption. Three years of lunch food records were collected from middle school students in southeast Texas: baseline (2001-2002), after local district changes (2002-2003), and 1 year after implementation of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy (2005-2006). Students recorded amount and source of foods and beverages they consumed. Analysis of variance and covariance and nonparametric tests were used to compare intake after the policy change with intake during the 2 previous years. After implementation of the nutrition policy, student lunch consumption of vegetables, milk, and several nutrients increased (protein, fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, and sodium), and consumption of less desirable items (sweetened beverages, snack chips) decreased, as did percentage of energy from fat. Most of the desired nutrients and foods (vegetables and milk) were obtained from the National School Lunch Program meal. Fewer sweetened beverages, candy, chips, and dessert foods were purchased and consumed, but more of these items were brought from home and purchased from the snack bar. Overall, state school nutrition policies can improve the healthfulness of foods consumed by students at lunch.

Parent, Teacher, and Student Perspectives on How Corrective Lenses Improve Child Wellbeing and School Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Dudovitz, Rebecca N; Izadpanah, Nilufar; Chung, Paul J; Slusser, Wendelin

2016-05-01

Up to 20 % of school-age children have a vision problem identifiable by screening, over 80 % of which can be corrected with glasses. While vision problems are associated with poor school performance, few studies describe whether and how corrective lenses affect academic achievement and health. Further, there are virtually no studies exploring how children with correctable visual deficits, their parents, and teachers perceive the connection between vision care and school function. We conducted a qualitative evaluation of Vision to Learn (VTL), a school-based program providing free corrective lenses to low-income students in Los Angeles. Nine focus groups with students, parents, and teachers from three schools served by VTL explored the relationships between poor vision, receipt of corrective lenses, and school performance and health. Twenty parents, 25 teachers, and 21 students from three elementary schools participated. Participants described how uncorrected visual deficits reduced students' focus, perseverance, and class participation, affecting academic functioning and psychosocial stress; how receiving corrective lenses improved classroom attention, task persistence, and willingness to practice academic skills; and how serving students in school rather than in clinics increased both access to and use of corrective lenses. for Practice Corrective lenses may positively impact families, teachers, and students coping with visual deficits by improving school function and psychosocial wellbeing. Practices that increase ownership and use of glasses, such as serving students in school, may significantly improve both child health and academic performance.

Teachers' Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and the Impact on Leadership Preparation: Lessons for Future Reform Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Mette, Ian M.; Nieuwenhuizen, Lisa; Hvidston, David J.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of one school's teacher-driven professional development effort to address culturally responsive teaching practices in a large district in a Midwestern state. During the 2011-2012 school year, a team of teachers and principals began a three-year long effort to provide job-embedded professional…

New York: Les ecoles entre SURR et STAR (New York: Schools between SURR and STAR).

Science.gov (United States)

Ueberschlag, Roger

1994-01-01

Three problems of New York City (New York) schools--overpopulation, low academic standards, violence--are examined, and an effort led by parent and teacher organizations to improve conditions is described. Threatened closings (schools under registration review, SURR) and a program of violence reduction (Straight Talk about Risks, STAR) are noted.…

Parent Involvement Activities in School Improvement Plans in the Northwest Region. Summary. Issues & Answers. REL 2008-No. 064

Science.gov (United States)

Speth, Timothy; Saifer, Steffen; Forehand, Gregory

2008-01-01

This document presents a summary of the larger report, "Parent Involvement Activities in School Improvement Plans in the Northwest Region." Although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) spells out parent involvement requirements for schools in need of improvement, the majority of the Northwest Region school improvement plans…

Improving Leadership Preparation Programs through a School, University, and Professional Organization Partnership.

Science.gov (United States)

Peel, Henry A.; Wallace, Corinna

Beginning educational administrators often find that they are unprepared to deal with the realities of school administration. This paper describes how the Halifax County, North Carolina, school system worked with a national organization and an area university to develop a plan to improve its administrator-preparation program. In 1992 the school…

System Leadership for School Improvement: A Developing Concept and Set of Practices

Science.gov (United States)

Dimmock, Clive

2016-01-01

System leadership is a developing concept and practice increasingly seen as a tool for school improvement, as policymakers switch from traditional top-down reform to professional models of schools working collaboratively. System leadership is being championed by the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL), but is still in its infancy in…

THE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES PTELR, ADRI AND CAE – THREE METHODOLOGIES FOR COORDINATING THE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Raluca POPESCU

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In the paper “The Assessment Methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE – Three Methodologies for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE that are designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence. In the first part of the paper (the introduction of the paper, the authors present the general background concerning the performance of management business processes and the importance of achieving excellence and furthermore correctly assessing/evaluating it. Aspects such as quality, quality control, quality assurance, performance and excellence are brought into discussion in the context generated by globalization, new technologies and new business models. Moreover, aspects regarding the methods employed to ensure the quality, maintaining it and continuous improvements, as well as total quality management, are also main pillars of this current research. In the content of the paper (the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE – as methodologies for coordinating the efforts to improve the organizational processes to achieve excellence, the authors describe the characteristics of the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE from a theoretical point of view.

A holistic school-based intervention for improving health-related knowledge, body composition, and fitness in elementary school students: an evaluation of the HealthMPowers program.

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Rachel M; Meyer, Adria; Kay, Christi; Allensworth, Diane; Gazmararian, Julie A

2014-06-26

Over the past 30 years, obesity in the United States has increased twofold in children and threefold in adolescents. In Georgia, nearly 17% of children aged 10 - 17 are obese. In response to the high prevalence of child obesity in Georgia and the potential deleterious consequences that this can have, HealthMPowers was founded in 1999 with the goal of preventing childhood obesity by improving health-enhancing behaviors in elementary schools, utilizing a holistic three-year program. This study measures the effectiveness of the HealthMPowers program in improving the school environment, student knowledge, behavior, cardiovascular fitness levels, and Body Mass Index (BMI). The present analysis utilizes data from 40 schools that worked with HealthMPowers over the course of the 2012 - 2013 school year (including schools at each of the three years of the intervention period) and provided information on demographics, student knowledge and behaviors, BMI, performance on the PACER test of aerobic capacity, and school practices and policies (measured via school self-assessment with the HealthMPowers-developed instrument "Continuous Improvement Tracking Tool" or CITT), measured at the beginning and end of each school year. Paired two-sample T tests were used to compare continuous variables (e.g., student knowledge scores, BMI-for-age Z scores), while chi-squared tests were used to assess categorical variables (e.g., trichotomized PACER performance). Students across all grades and cohorts demonstrated improvements in knowledge and self-reported behaviors, with particularly significant improvements for third-graders in schools in the second year of the HealthMPowers program (p grades and gender, with the most significant decreases for students overweight or obese at baseline (p Students also showed significant increases in performance on the PACER test across grades and cohorts (p improve their practices over time, as measured via the CITT instrument. The present report

Improving middle and high school students' comprehension of science texts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandi E. JOHNSON

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Throughout the United States, many middle and high school students struggle to comprehend science texts for a variety of reasons. Science texts are frequently boring, focused on isolated facts, present too many new concepts at once, and lack the clarity and organization known to improve comprehension. Compounding the problem is that many adolescent readers do not possess effective comprehension strategies, particularly for difficult expository science texts. Some researchers have suggested changing the characteristics of science texts to better assist adolescent readers with understanding, while others have focused on changing the strategies of adolescent readers. In the current paper, we review the literature on selected strategy instruction programs used to improve science text comprehension in middle and high school students and suggest avenues for future research.

Improving middle and high school students' comprehension of science texts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandi E. Johnson

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Throughout the United States, many middle and high school students struggle to comprehend science texts for a variety of reasons. Science texts are frequently boring, focused on isolated facts, present too many new concepts at once, and lack the clarity and organization known to improve comprehension. Compounding the problem is that many adolescent readers do not possess effective comprehension strategies, particularly for difficult expository science texts. Some researchers have suggested changing the characteristics of science texts to better assist adolescent readers with understanding, while others have focused on changing the strategies of adolescent readers. In the current paper, we review the literature on selected strategy instruction programs used to improve science text comprehension in middle and high school students and suggest avenues for future research.

Proposal of Instruction Process for Improvement of Language Activities in Technology Education Course

OpenAIRE

山本, 智広; 山本, 利一

2012-01-01

This study is a proposal of instruction process for improvement of language activities in the technology education course in the junior high school in Japan. In this study, two efforts were carried out for the technology concerning material and processing. The first effort was the extraction of the learning situations that develop abilities of thinking, judgment and expression through language activities peculiar to the technology education course. The second effort was the verification o...

Quality Improvement Initiative in School-Based Health Centers across New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Booker, John M.; Schluter, Janette A.; Carrillo, Kris; McGrath, Jane

2011-01-01

Background: Quality improvement principles have been applied extensively to health care organizations, but implementation of quality improvement methods in school-based health centers (SBHCs) remains in a developmental stage with demonstration projects under way in individual states and nationally. Rural areas, such as New Mexico, benefit from the…

Environmental, institutional, and demographic predictors of environmental literacy among middle school children.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn T Stevenson

Full Text Available Building environmental literacy (EL in children and adolescents is critical to meeting current and emerging environmental challenges worldwide. Although environmental education (EE efforts have begun to address this need, empirical research holistically evaluating drivers of EL is critical. This study begins to fill this gap with an examination of school-wide EE programs among middle schools in North Carolina, including the use of published EE curricula and time outdoors while controlling for teacher education level and experience, student attributes (age, gender, and ethnicity, and school attributes (socio-economic status, student-teacher ratio, and locale. Our sample included an EE group selected from schools with registered school-wide EE programs, and a control group randomly selected from NC middle schools that were not registered as EE schools. Students were given an EL survey at the beginning and end of the spring 2012 semester. Use of published EE curricula, time outdoors, and having teachers with advanced degrees and mid-level teaching experience (between 3 and 5 years were positively related with EL whereas minority status (Hispanic and black was negatively related with EL. Results suggest that school-wide EE programs were not associated with improved EL, but the use of published EE curricula paired with time outdoors represents a strategy that may improve all key components of student EL. Further, investments in teacher development and efforts to maintain enthusiasm for EE among teachers with more than 5 years of experience may help to boost student EL levels. Middle school represents a pivotal time for influencing EL, as improvement was slower among older students. Differences in EL levels based on gender suggest boys and girls may possess complementary skills sets when approaching environmental issues. Our findings suggest ethnicity related disparities in EL levels may be mitigated by time spent in nature, especially among black and

US PARTICLE ACCELERATOR SCHOOL: Summer schools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

Continuing it's educational efforts, the US Particle Accelerator School (USPAS) held two summer schools this year. The USPAS has two basic purposes — education in accelerator physics and technology, in particular to train apprentices and update experts; and to encourage US universities and Laboratories to offer programmes in accelerator physics by developing textbooks, training faculty, and organizing schools

Six Small Boys and Marshall Dillon: Contribution of Hero Identification to Improved In School Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Whiting, Anita

1970-01-01

Summarized are several theoretical positions on identification, together with one application in a case study. An autographed picture of their hero was presented to each of six uncerachieving and disruptive boys in an effort to provide an interested" adult role model for them. The school staff reinforced this identification with projects in which…

Improving a Dental School's Clinic Operations Using Lean Process Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Fonda G; Cunningham, Larry L; Turner, Sharon P; Lindroth, John; Ray, Deborah; Khan, Talib; Yates, Audrey

2016-10-01

The term "lean production," also known as "Lean," describes a process of operations management pioneered at the Toyota Motor Company that contributed significantly to the success of the company. Although developed by Toyota, the Lean process has been implemented at many other organizations, including those in health care, and should be considered by dental schools in evaluating their clinical operations. Lean combines engineering principles with operations management and improvement tools to optimize business and operating processes. One of the core concepts is relentless elimination of waste (non-value-added components of a process). Another key concept is utilization of individuals closest to the actual work to analyze and improve the process. When the medical center of the University of Kentucky adopted the Lean process for improving clinical operations, members of the College of Dentistry trained in the process applied the techniques to improve inefficient operations at the Walk-In Dental Clinic. The purpose of this project was to reduce patients' average in-the-door-to-out-the-door time from over four hours to three hours within 90 days. Achievement of this goal was realized by streamlining patient flow and strategically relocating key phases of the process. This initiative resulted in patient benefits such as shortening average in-the-door-to-out-the-door time by over an hour, improving satisfaction by 21%, and reducing negative comments by 24%, as well as providing opportunity to implement the electronic health record, improving teamwork, and enhancing educational experiences for students. These benefits were achieved while maintaining high-quality patient care with zero adverse outcomes during and two years following the process improvement project.

The Role of Evaluation in the School Improvement Process

Science.gov (United States)

Lindahl, Ronald A.; Beach, Robert H.

2013-01-01

Although evaluation serves many purposes in education, there is virtually unanimous agreement that evaluation is a critical component of all school improvement processes. Hamilton et al. (2003) asserted that "assessment and evaluation should be built into reform programs from the outset" (p. 26). Kimball, Lander, and Thorn (2010)…

Assessment of the role of private schools in the development of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Assessment of the role of private schools in the development of education in Ghana. ... supplement the efforts of the government to improve the basic education system in the country. ... Journal of Science and Technology Vol.24(2) 2004: 54-76 ...

Estimating the Effects of Students' Social Networks: Does Attending a Norm-Enforcing School Pay Off?

Science.gov (United States)

Carolan, Brian V.

2010-01-01

In an attempt to forge tighter social relations, small school reformers advocate school designs intended to create smaller, more trusting, and more collaborative settings. These efforts to enhance students' social capital in the form of social closure are ultimately tied to improving academic outcomes. Using data derived from ELS: 2002, this study…

Does School Choice Improve Student Performance?

OpenAIRE

Kaja Høiseth Brugård

2013-01-01

This paper studies the relationship between school choice and student performance for high school students in Norway. The analysis exploits both the fact that the degree of school choice formally differs between counties, and detailed information on travelling distances to high schools, which more closely reflects the students' actual school choice possibilities. Information on students' residence, high school location, and the degree of formal school choice is used to estimate the effect on ...

Can school choice improve more than just academic achievement? An analysis of post-Katrina New Orleans.

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Hutchinson, Paul L; Ferrell, Natalie; Broussard, Marsha; Brown, Lisanne; Chrestman, Sarah K

2014-04-01

Recent evaluations of school choice school reforms have focused on improving academic achievement but have ignored associations with adolescent health and the risk of interpersonal violence. The innovative school choice model implemented in post-Katrina New Orleans provides a unique opportunity to examine these effects. Using a sample of approximately 1700 students from the 2009 School Health Connection Survey, the relationships between the type of school attended and depression, suicide planning, absences attributable to fears for personal safety, and threats of violence at school are examined. Multivariate regression analysis adjusting for self-selection into the type of school attended-a city-run high-performing school, a state-run failing school, or an independent charter school-estimates the effects of school type on student health. Relative to students at state-run schools, students who choose to attend city-run schools are less likely to plan for suicide or to miss school because they are afraid of becoming victims of violence. These beneficial effects tend to be larger for students traveling from higher violence neighborhoods. The effects for charter schools are similar but less robust. Local school jurisdictions that implement reforms allowing adolescents and their families greater freedom in school choice may also improve adolescent health. © 2014, American School Health Association.

The School Leader's Tool for Assessing and Improving School Culture

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Christopher R.

2006-01-01

School culture consists of "the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors which characterize a school" (Phillips, 1996, p. 1). It is the shared experiences both in school and out of school (traditions and celebrations) that create a sense of community, family, and team membership. It affects everything that happens in a school, including student…

Using "Kaizen" to Improve Graduate Business School Degree Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Emiliani, M. L.

2005-01-01

Purpose: To illustrate the applicability of "kaizen" in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: "Kaizen" process was used for ten courses contained in a part-time executive MS degree program in management. Findings: "Kaizen" was found to be an effective process for improving graduate business school courses and the value proposition for…

A capital investment: The effects of teacher human and social capital on student achievement in improving schools

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Daly, A.J.; Daly, Alan J.; Moolenaar, Nienke; Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Canrinus, Esther T.; Chrispeels, Janet H.

2011-01-01

s accountability policy presses for higher student achievement, elementary schools across the nation are enacting a host of reform efforts with varied outcomes. Mounting evidence suggests reforms that support greater collaboration among teachers may enhance the intellectual capital available in a

School-Based Educational Intervention to Improve Children's Oral Health-Related Knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Holly; Dawett, Bhupinder; Leighton, Paul; Rose-Brady, Laura; Deery, Chris

2015-07-01

To evaluate a brief oral health promotion intervention delivered in schools by a primary care dental practice, aimed at changing oral health care knowledge and oral health-related behaviors in children. Cohort study with pretest-posttest design. Three primary schools. One hundred and fifty children (aged 9-12 years). Children received a 60-minute theory-driven classroom-based interactive educational session delivered by a dental care professional and received take-home literature on oral health. All children completed a questionnaire on oral health-related knowledge and self-reported oral health-related behaviors before, immediately after, and 6 weeks following the intervention. Children's dental knowledge significantly improved following the intervention, with improvement evident at immediate follow-up and maintained 6 weeks later. Significantly more children reported using dental floss 6 weeks after the intervention compared with baseline. No significant differences were detected in toothbrushing or dietary behaviors. School-based preventative oral health education delivered by primary care dental practices can generate short-term improvements in children's knowledge of oral health and some aspects of oral hygiene behavior. Future research should engage parents/carers and include objective clinical and behavioral outcomes in controlled study designs. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Improving awareness of preconception health among adolescents: experience of a school-based intervention in Lebanon.

Science.gov (United States)

Charafeddine, Lama; El Rafei, Rym; Azizi, Sophie; Sinno, Durriyah; Alamiddine, Kawthar; Howson, Christopher P; Walani, Salimah R; Ammar, Walid; Nassar, Anwar; Yunis, Khalid

2014-07-31

Maternal behavior before and after conception affects maternal and child health. Limited awareness of adolescents in preconception health may be addressed through school education. The aim of this intervention is to assess preconception health awareness among adolescents in Lebanese high schools and to test the effectiveness of a one-time educational session in improving preconception knowledge. The intervention consisted of a 30-minute educational session about good practices in preconception health, developed by the National Collaborative Perinatal Neonatal Network's (NCPNN) research team. A convenience sample of high school Lebanese students in grades 10 to 12, aged 14 to 26 years old, from 70 private and public schools in all six Lebanese provinces, participated in the intervention in 2011 and 2012. A multiple-choice questionnaire administered prior to and 2 months after the session was used to assess knowledge improvement among the students. A total of 7,290 students were enrolled. After the session, mean scores of correct answers increased from 4.36 to 6.42 out of 10, representing a 47.2% improvement (p improvement was observed for questions about Trisomy 21, folic acid intake and toxoplasmosis with percentages improvement of 96%, 172% and 83% respectively. Being female or in private school was a significant predictor of higher scores in both pre-test and post-test (p students. We recommend expanding the scope of this intervention into universities in Lebanon.

Settings for School Improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldenberg, Claude

2003-01-01

This article reviews findings from research and practice in school reform, with a special focus on literacy outcomes in schools with students at risk. It describes videotape excerpts that illustrate the "Getting Results Model." This model involves four key change factors: goals, indicators, assistance from others, and leadership. (Contains…

Examining Relational Engagement across the Transition to High Schools in Three US High Schools Reformed to Improve Relationship Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Heather A.; Chang, Mei-Lin; Andrzejewski, Carey E.; Poirier, Ryan R.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in students' relational engagement across the transition to high school in three schools reformed to improve the quality of student-teacher relationships. In order to analyze this data we employed latent growth curve (LGC) modeling techniques (n = 637). We ran three LGC models on three…

Improving evaluation at two medical schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Schiekirka-Schwake, Sarah; Dreiling, Katharina; Pyka, Katharina; Anders, Sven; von Steinbüchel, Nicole; Raupach, Tobias

2017-08-03

Student evaluations of teaching can provide useful feedback for teachers and programme coordinators alike. We have designed a novel evaluation tool assessing teacher performance and student learning outcome. This tool was implemented at two German medical schools. In this article, we report student and teacher perceptions of the novel tool, and the implementation process. Focus group discussions as well as one-to-one interviews involving 22 teachers and 31 undergraduate medical students were conducted. Following adjustments to the feedback reports (e.g. the colour coding of results) at one medical school, 42 teachers were asked about their perceptions of the revised report and the personal benefit of the evaluation tool. Teachers appreciated the individual feedback provided by the evaluation tool and stated that they wanted to improve their teaching, based on the results; however, they missed most of the preparative communication. Students were unsure about the additional benefit of the instrument compared with traditional evaluation tools. A majority was unwilling to complete evaluation forms in their spare time, and some felt that the new questionnaire was too long and that the evaluations occurred too often. They were particularly interested in feedback on how their comments have helped to further improve teaching. Student evaluations of teaching can provide useful feedback CONCLUSION: Despite evidence of the utility of the tool for individual teachers, implementation of changes to the process of evaluation appears to have been suboptimal, mainly owing to a perceived lack of communication. In order to motivate students to provide evaluation data, feedback loops including aims and consequences should be established. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

The Leadership Roles of a Principal in Improving School Effectiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burhanuddin Burhanuddin

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the leadership roles and practices of the principal in improving school effectiveness. This descriptive study involved the principal , counselor, and 11 teachers from the Tonsley Park Primary School in South Australia. The findings showed that all respondents generally regarded team leader as the most important role, while supervisor was rated as the least important. Of the 20 tasks observed, generally revealed that a principal should work cooperatively with staff to ensure more effective use of their skills. While, the task of a principal in making decisions on staff development programs was not necessarily expected by the practicing teachers. All respondents considered organization coordination as the most important area within which a principal should provide more leadership, while curriculum or instructional improvement and innovation was regarded as the least important

School Climate: An Essential Component of a Comprehensive School Safety Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Stark, Heidi

2017-01-01

The intentional assessment and management of school climate is an essential component of a comprehensive school safety plan. The value of this preventive aspect of school safety is often diminished as schools invest resources in physical security measures as a narrowly focused effort to increase school safety (Addington, 2009). This dissertation…

Confronting Challenges at the Intersection of Rurality, Place, and Teacher Preparation: Improving Efforts in Teacher Education to Staff Rural Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Azano, Amy Price; Stewart, Trevor Thomas

2016-01-01

Recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers in rural schools is a persistent struggle in many countries, including the U.S. Salient challenges related to poverty, geographic isolation, low teacher salaries, and a lack of community amenities seem to trump perks of living in rural communities. Recognizing this issue as a complex and hard to…

Turning Schools Around: The National Board Certification Process as a School Improvement Strategy. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Jaquith, Ann; Snyder, Jon

2016-01-01

Can the National Board certification process support school improvement where large proportions of students score below grade level on standardized tests? This SCOPE study examines a project that sought to seize and capitalize upon the learning opportunities embedded in the National Board certification process, particularly opportunities to learn…

Assessing School Wellness Policies and Identifying Priorities for Action: Results of a Bi-State Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Harvey, Susan P.; Markenson, Deborah; Gibson, Cheryl A.

2018-01-01

Background: Obesity is a complex health problem affecting more than one-third of school-aged youth. The increasing obesity rates in Kansas and Missouri has been particularly concerning, with efforts being made to improve student health through the implementation of school wellness policies (SWPs). The primary purpose of this study was to conduct a…

SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM USING RICE-PEA BEVERAGE IN SOME PRIMARY SCHOOLS: DOES IT HAVE BENEFIT?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoto Satoto

2012-04-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT School feeding program is believed to be one effort among others to improve attendance rate, nutritional status and cognitive function of school children, which in turn improve academic performance of them. A study was conducted to evaluate a school feeding program using rice-pea beverage in Bandung, Indonesia. Its objective is to measure effect of the program on attendance rate, nutritional status, cognitive function and academic performance of the children joining the program. A control group design was administered. A number of students of class 3,4 and 5 from schools joining the feeding program were selected as program group, and more or less same number of school children in other schools with similar socio-economic situation were selected as control group. The feeding program was organized for 6 months. Attendance rate was measured by number of absentees, total and due to sickness in one semester. Nutritional status was standardized using WHO-NCHS z-score for weight-for-age (WAZ and height-for-age (HAZ. Cognitive function was measured by Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM, and score of Mathematics and Indonesian Language (Bahasa Indonesia were measured using specific scholastic testings. School and home learning environment, certain food consumption frequencies were collected as covariates. GLM analyses were administered. The study found that after being controlled by some covariates, at the end of the study children in the program group showed better attendance rate, nutritional status, cognitive function and school performance. It is assumed that the improvement was due to better attendance rate as the program attracted the children to attend more days in the schools and due to improvement of food consumption provided by the program and at home. More in-depth, more specific and longer study, administering randomized case-control trial is recommended. Comparison of the use of foodstuffs for the purpose is also interesting to be

DOD Financial Management: Additional Efforts Needed to Improve Audit Readiness of Navy Military Pay and Other Related Activities

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

of Major Systems Involved in Processing and Reporting Navy Military Payroll 8 Figure 3: Management Representation Letter Timeline for the April 2013...Figure 3: Management Representation Letter Timeline for the April 2013 Military Payroll Examination Without a policy that addresses...DOD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Additional Efforts Needed to Improve Audit Readiness of Navy Military Pay and Other Related

Social Workers' Leadership for Positive School Climates via Data-Informed Planning and Decision Making

Science.gov (United States)

Hopson, Laura; Lawson, Hal

2011-01-01

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation is an important policy intervention aimed at changing school, district, and state department of education policies and practices to improve student outcomes. These efforts are compromised because NCLB does not prioritize the conditions necessary for improving academic outcomes. One such necessary condition…

School food environments associated with adiposity in Canadian children.

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzpatrick, C; Datta, G D; Henderson, M; Gray-Donald, K; Kestens, Y; Barnett, T A

2017-07-01

Targeting obesogenic features of children's environment that are amenable to change represents a promising strategy for health promotion. The school food environment, defined as the services and policies regarding nutrition and the availability of food in the school and surrounding neighborhood, is particularly important given that students travel through the school neighborhood almost daily and that they consume a substantial proportion of their calories at school. As part of the Quebec Adipose and Lifestyle Investigation in Youth (QUALITY) cohort study, we assessed features of school indoor dietary environment and the surrounding school neighborhoods, when children were aged 8-10 years (2005-2008). School principals reported on food practices and policies within the schools. The density of convenience stores and fast-food outlets surrounding the school was computed using a Geographical Information System. Indicators of school neighborhood deprivation were derived from census data. Adiposity outcomes were measured in a clinical setting 2 years later, when participants were aged 10-12 years (2008-2011). We conducted cluster analyses to identify school food environment types. Associations between school types and adiposity were estimated in linear regression models. Cluster analysis identified three school types with distinct food environments. Schools were characterized as: overall healthful (45%); a healthful food environment in the surrounding neighborhood, but an unhealthful indoor food environment (22%); or overall unhealthful (33%). Less healthful schools were located in more deprived neighborhoods and were associated with greater child adiposity. Despite regulatory efforts to improve school food environments, there is substantial inequity in dietary environments across schools. Ensuring healthful indoor and outdoor food environments across schools should be included in comprehensive efforts to reduce obesity-related health disparities.

Improving Teaching Effectiveness: Implementation. The Intensive Partnerships for Effective Teaching through 2013-2014

Science.gov (United States)

Stecher, Brian M.; Garet, Michael S.; Hamilton, Laura S.; Steiner, Elizabeth D.; Robyn, Abby; Poirier, Jeffrey; Holtzman, Deborah; Fulbeck, Eleanor S.; Chambers, Jay; de los Reyes, Iliana Brodziak

2016-01-01

To improve the U.S. education system through more-effective classroom teaching, in school year 2009-2010, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced four Intensive Partnership for Effective Teaching sites. The Intensive Partnerships Initiative is based on the premise that efforts to improve instruction can benefit from high-quality measures…

Collective Trust: Why Schools Can't Improve without It

Science.gov (United States)

Forsyth, Patrick B.; Adams, Curt M.; Hoy, Wayne K.

2011-01-01

The culmination of nearly three decades of research, "Collective Trust" offers new insight and practical knowledge on the social construction of trust for school improvement. The authors argue that "collective trust" is not merely an average trust score for a group, but rather an independent concept with distinctive origins and consequences. The…

Relations between Accountability and School Improvement Strategies in New York City's Children First Networks

Science.gov (United States)

McMahon, Kelly A.

2017-01-01

Federal school accountability policies like No Child Left Behind were based on a logic that measuring school performance and making the results public through tools like school report cards would incentivize educators to create strategies for improving school quality. Yet, most schools needed more than incentives to be able to design improvement…

Later school start time is associated with improved sleep and daytime functioning in adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Boergers, Julie; Gable, Christopher J; Owens, Judith A

2014-01-01

Chronic insufficient sleep is a growing concern among adolescents and is associated with a host of adverse health consequences. Early school start times may be an environmental contributor to this problem. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a delay in school start time on sleep patterns, sleepiness, mood, and health-related outcomes. Boarding students (n = 197, mean age = 15.6 yr) attending an independent high school completed the School Sleep Habits Survey before and after the school start time was experimentally delayed from 8:00 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. The delay in school start time was associated with a significant (29 min) increase in sleep duration on school nights. The percentage of students receiving 8 or more hours of sleep on a school night increased to more than double, from 18% to 44%. Students in 9th and 10th grade and those with lower baseline sleep amounts were more likely to report improvements in sleep duration after the schedule change. Daytime sleepiness, depressed mood, and caffeine use were all significantly reduced after the delay in school start time. Sleep duration reverted to baseline levels when the original (earlier) school start time was reinstituted. A modest (25 min) delay in school start time was associated with significant improvements in sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, mood, and caffeine use. These findings have important implications for public policy and add to research suggesting the health benefits of modifying school schedules to more closely align with adolescents' circadian rhythms and sleep needs.

Foods and beverages offered in US public secondary schools through the National School Lunch Program from 2011-2013: Early evidence of improved nutrition and reduced disparities.

Science.gov (United States)

Terry-McElrath, Yvonne M; O'Malley, Patrick M; Johnston, Lloyd D

2015-09-01

To present data on trends in foods and beverages offered through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) in public middle and high schools in the years immediately preceding and following implementation of new NSLP standards. From 2011 to 2013, primary data collection through the annual Youth, Education, and Society study involved use of mailed questionnaires to obtain data on NSLP meals from schools attended by nationally representative samples of US 8(th), 10(th), and 12(th) grade students (N=792 middle schools and 751 high schools). Each school was weighted to represent the percentage of target grade students enrolled, thus allowing analyses examining changes over time in the percentage of students enrolled in (attending) schools with specified NSLP measure outcomes, as well as disparities in NSLP measures based on school characteristics. Significantly more US secondary students attended schools with specified NSLP measures in 2013 than in 2011; increases were observed at both middle and high school levels. Increase rates for some NSLP measures were moderated by school characteristics; where this was the case, moderating associations decreased prior NSLP nutrition environment disparities that were especially evident in smaller schools and schools with higher percentages of minority students. Meaningful improvements have been made in the nutritional content of NSLP meals offered to US secondary students; these improvements have reduced prior NSLP meal disparities associated with school characteristics. Schools will need continued help with implementation and compliance monitoring in order to have the best opportunity to improve the nutrition environments for US students. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A large scale study of the assessment of the social environment of middle and secondary schools: the validity and utility of teachers' ratings of school climate, cultural pluralism, and safety problems for understanding school effects and school improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Stephen; Felner, Robert D; Seitsinger, Anne; Burns, Amy; Bolton, Natalie

2008-10-01

Due to changes in state and federal policies, as well as logistical and fiscal limitations, researchers must increasingly rely on teachers' reports of school climate dimensions in order to investigate the developmental impact of these dimensions, and to evaluate efforts to enhance the impact of school environments on the development of young adolescents. Teachers' climate ratings exhibited a robust dimensional structure, high levels of internal consistency, and moderate levels of stability over 1-and 2-year time spans. Teachers' climate ratings were also found to be related consistently with students' ratings. In three large-scale samples of schools, teachers' climate ratings were associated significantly and consistently with students' performance on standardized tests of academic achievement, and with indexes of their academic, behavioral, and socio-emotional adjustment.

The Study and Improvement of American High Schools: A Portrait of Work in Progress.

Science.gov (United States)

Newmann, Fred M.; Behar, Steven L.

This is an integrated report on 28 ongoing projects that were set up to study and improve American high schools on a large scale. The activities include establishment of a national data base on high school students; a study of new standards for college admission; administrators' reports on what works in urban schools; intensive studies of single…

Study protocol: can a school gardening intervention improve children’s diets?

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background The current academic literature suggests there is a potential for using gardening as a tool to improve children’s fruit and vegetable intake. This study is two parallel randomised controlled trials (RCT) devised to evaluate the school gardening programme of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening, to determine if it has an effect on children’s fruit and vegetable intake. Method/Design Trial One will consist of 26 schools; these schools will be randomised into two groups, one to receive the intensive intervention as “Partner Schools” and the other to receive the less intensive intervention as “Associate Schools”. Trial Two will consist of 32 schools; these schools will be randomised into either the less intensive intervention “Associate Schools” or a comparison group with delayed intervention. Baseline data collection will be collected using a 24-hour food diary (CADET) to collect data on dietary intake and a questionnaire exploring children’s knowledge and attitudes towards fruit and vegetables. A process measures questionnaire will be used to assess each school’s gardening activities. Discussion The results from these trials will provide information on the impact of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening on children’s fruit and vegetable intake. The evaluation will provide valuable information for designing future research in primary school children’s diets and school based interventions. Trial registration ISRCTN11396528 PMID:22537179

School Improvement Grants: Education Should Take Additional Steps to Enhance Accountability for Schools and Contractors. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-12-373

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, George A.

2012-01-01

The School Improvement Grant (SIG) program funds reforms in low performing schools. Congress provided $3.5 billion for SIG in fiscal year 2009, and a total of about $1.6 billion was appropriated in fiscal years 2010-2012. SIG requirements changed significantly in 2010. Many schools receiving SIG funds must now use the funding for specific…

The Role of School Counselors in Addressing Sexual Orientation in Schools

Science.gov (United States)

DePaul, Jillian; Walsh, Mary E.; Dam, Uma C.

2009-01-01

Issues of sexual orientation are relevant to multiple levels of the school community, including students, school professionals, and schools as institutions. School counselors, with their developmental training, systems perspective, and commitment to diversity, are uniquely positioned to be leaders in efforts not only to provide support for…

Study Protocol - an exploratory trial on health promoting schools at Dutch secondary schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Busch

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Recent studies show adolescent health-related behaviours to co-occur synergistically. This paper describes the study design for an exploratory trial on the effects of a comprehensive, whole-school health promoting school intervention. This intervention tackles seven different behavioural domains simultaneously via a combination of education, creating a healthy environment and introducing healthy behavioural policies. Additionally, extensive partnerships are formed between schools, parents, neighbourhoods and youth health authorities to coordinate health promotion efforts.Study design and data collection methods: The intervention will be implemented at two secondary schools. Results will be compared with two control schools (n≈1500. The intervention's effectiveness in changing student behaviours as well as physical and psychosocial health status along with qualitative lessons learned on the integration of youth health care services and school health education practices are the main aimed outcomes of this study. Data are collected via a mixed methods design combining an annual youth health (behaviour monitor with a qualitative process evaluation via interviews with key stakeholders.Data analysis: A multilevel analysis is performed combined with a systematic analysis of qualitative interview data.Conclusions: This study will produce an evaluation of a comprehensive health promoting school intervention that combines an integrated approach of schools, neighbourhoods, families and youth health services to improve adolescent health.

75 FR 66363 - School Improvement Grants; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA); Title I of the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-28

... behavioral supports or taking steps to eliminate bullying and student harassment; or (D) Expanding the school... DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [Docket ID ED-2009-OESE-0010] RIN 1810-AB06 School Improvement Grants... Act of 1965, as Amended (ESEA) ACTION: Final requirements for School Improvement Grants authorized...

Moving beyond the Barriers: Supporting Meaningful Teacher Collaboration to Improve Secondary School Mathematics

Science.gov (United States)

Jao, Limin; McDougall, Doug

2016-01-01

The Collaborative Teacher Inquiry Project was a professional development initiative that sought to improve the teaching and learning of Grade 9 Applied mathematics by encouraging teachers to work collaboratively. The project brought together Grade 9 Applied mathematics teachers from 11 schools across four neighboring public school boards in the…

An Analysis of a Plan to Improve Graduation Rates in Johnston County Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Renfrow, David Ross

2015-01-01

There have been limited qualitative case studies exploring effective strategies designed to improve graduation rates in rural school districts. Specifically, few studies have presented information based solely upon the voices of practitioners themselves in solving the graduation crisis in America's public schools. This study will add to the…

Promoting Instructional Improvement: A Strategic Human Resource Management Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Smylie, Mark A.; Wenzel, Stacy A.

2006-01-01

This report argues that instructional improvement, which goes hand-in-hand with efforts at education reform, can be promoted through the strategic use of human resource management (HRM) practices at the school, district, and state levels. The authors present information from the organizational and management literatures on how firms in several…

Examining the interaction between food outlets and outdoor food advertisements with primary school food environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Walton, Mat; Pearce, Jamie; Day, Peter

2009-09-01

Schools are commonly seen as a site of intervention to improve children's nutrition, and prevent excess weight gain. Schools may have limited influence over children's diets; however, with home and community environments also exerting an influence within schools. This study considered the environment of food outlets and outdoor food advertisements surrounding four case study primary schools in New Zealand, and the impact of that external environment on within-school food environments. The shortest travel route between school and home addresses, and the number of food outlets and advertisements passed on that route, was calculated for each student. Interviews with school management were conducted. The schools with a higher percentage of students passing food outlets and advertisements considered that their presence impacted on efforts within schools to improve the food environment. Limiting students' exposure to food outlets and outdoor food adverts through travel route planning, reducing advertising, or limiting the location of food outlets surrounding schools could be explored as intervention options to support schools in promoting nutrition.

Improving Climate and Achievement in a Troubled Urban High School through the Talent Development Model.

Science.gov (United States)

McPartland, James; Balfanz, Robert; Jordan, Will; Legters, Nettie

1998-01-01

A case study of a large nonselective urban high school in Baltimore (Maryland) describes the design and implementation of a comprehensive package of school reforms, the Talent Development Model with Career Academies. Qualitative and quantitative evidence is provided on significant improvements in school climate, student attendance, promotion…

Fostering Research Engagement in Partnership Schools: Networking and Value Creation

Science.gov (United States)

Cornelissen, Frank; McLellan, Ros W.; Schofield, Jan

2017-01-01

The call for teachers and schools to become more research-engaged is resonating stronger than ever with government efforts to improve research impact and educational quality in the United Kingdom (UK) and many other countries. In these endeavors strengthening the social network structure and collegial relationships that enable collaborative…

Improvement in Product Development: Use of back-end data to support upstream efforts of Robust Design Methodology

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Vanajah Siva

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In the area of Robust Design Methodology (RDM less is done on how to use and work with data from the back-end of the product development process to support upstream improvement. The purpose of this paper is to suggest RDM practices for the use of customer claims data in early design phases as a basis for improvements. The back-end data, when systematically analyzed and fed back into the product development process, aids in closing the product development loop from claims to improvement in the design phase. This is proposed through a flow of claims data analysis tied to an existing tool, namely Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA. The systematic and integrated analysis of back-end data is suggested as an upstream effort of RDM to increase understanding of noise factors during product usage based on the feedback of claims data to FMEA and to address continuous improvement in product development.

Improving health profile of blood donors as a consequence of transfusion safety efforts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edgren, Gustaf; Tran, Trung Nam; Hjalgrim, Henrik

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND: Transfusion safety rests heavily on the health of blood donors. Although they are perceived as being healthier than average, little is known about their long-term disease patterns and to which extent the blood banks' continuous efforts to optimize donor selection has resulted...... in improvements. Mortality and cancer incidence among blood donors in Sweden and Denmark was investigated. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: All computerized blood bank databases were compiled into one database, which was linked to national population and health data registers. With a retrospective cohort study design, 1......,110,329 blood donors were followed for up to 35 years from first computer-registered blood donation to death, emigration, or December 31, 2002. Standardized mortality and incidence ratios expressed relative risk of death and cancer comparing blood donors to the general population. RESULTS: Blood donors had...

Improving the Learning Process in the Latest Prefabricated School Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Pons, Oriol; Oliva, Josep-Manuel; Maas, Sandra-Ruth

2010-01-01

Since 2000 hundreds of school centers have been constructed in Catalonia using industrialized technologies. These centers are modern, useful, educational edifices built using advantageous prefabricated technologies that improve the building process and reduce the environmental impact of the building. This article analyses whether these…

School Improvement Plans and Student Achievement: Preliminary Evidence from the Quality and Merit Project in Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Caputo, Andrea; Rastelli, Valentina

2014-01-01

This study provides preliminary evidence from an Italian in-service training program addressed to lower secondary school teachers which supports school improvement plans (SIPs). It aims at exploring the association between characteristics/contents of SIPs and student improvement in math achievement. Pre-post standardized tests and text analysis of…

Socio-demographic determinants of body mass index among school children in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

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Henry A. Akinsola

2018-03-01

Conclusion: The present study shows that the BMI of school children is influenced by the socio-demographic characteristics surrounding them. Therefore, efforts should be made to improve the socio-economic standing of families in this community.

Improving self-regulated learning junior high school students through computer-based learning

Science.gov (United States)

Nurjanah; Dahlan, J. A.

2018-05-01

This study is back grounded by the importance of self-regulated learning as an affective aspect that determines the success of students in learning mathematics. The purpose of this research is to see how the improvement of junior high school students' self-regulated learning through computer based learning is reviewed in whole and school level. This research used a quasi-experimental research method. This is because individual sample subjects are not randomly selected. The research design used is Pretest-and-Posttest Control Group Design. Subjects in this study were students of grade VIII junior high school in Bandung taken from high school (A) and middle school (B). The results of this study showed that the increase of the students' self-regulated learning who obtain learning with computer-based learning is higher than students who obtain conventional learning. School-level factors have a significant effect on increasing of the students' self-regulated learning.

Measuring parent perceptions of school climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Schueler, Beth E; Capotosto, Lauren; Bahena, Sofía; McIntyre, Joseph; Gehlbach, Hunter

2014-03-01

Parents' attitudes about their children's schools matter. Their views can shape their children's attitudes about school, affect their levels of family-school engagement, and influence their residential and school enrollment decisions. In this article, we describe the development of a survey scale to assess parent perceptions of the climate of their child's school. Our comprehensive scale development process incorporated feedback from academics and potential respondents from the outset of the design process to enhance scale quality. We conducted 3 studies with national samples of parents (n = 385; n = 253; n = 266) to gather evidence of scale score reliability and valid score inferences based on convergent and discriminant validity. Through confirmatory factor analysis, we identified a theoretically grounded factor structure that fit the data well but found no evidence that parental response patterns distinguish between academic and social elements of school climate. Furthermore, we found that parents of younger children, on average, had a more positive perception of the school's climate than did parents of older children. We conclude by discussing how researchers and Pre-K-12 schools and districts can use the scale to aid school improvement efforts. 2014 APA

Study protocol: can a school gardening intervention improve children’s diets?

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Christian Meaghan S

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The current academic literature suggests there is a potential for using gardening as a tool to improve children’s fruit and vegetable intake. This study is two parallel randomised controlled trials (RCT devised to evaluate the school gardening programme of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS Campaign for School Gardening, to determine if it has an effect on children’s fruit and vegetable intake. Method/Design Trial One will consist of 26 schools; these schools will be randomised into two groups, one to receive the intensive intervention as “Partner Schools” and the other to receive the less intensive intervention as “Associate Schools”. Trial Two will consist of 32 schools; these schools will be randomised into either the less intensive intervention “Associate Schools” or a comparison group with delayed intervention. Baseline data collection will be collected using a 24-hour food diary (CADET to collect data on dietary intake and a questionnaire exploring children’s knowledge and attitudes towards fruit and vegetables. A process measures questionnaire will be used to assess each school’s gardening activities. Discussion The results from these trials will provide information on the impact of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening on children’s fruit and vegetable intake. The evaluation will provide valuable information for designing future research in primary school children’s diets and school based interventions. Trial registration ISRCTN11396528

大學與學校協作下學校發展主任的理念、策略與角色—香港優質學校改進計畫的個案研究 The Concept, Strategy and Role of School Development Officers in University-School Partnership: A Case Study of Hong Kong Quality School Improvement Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

梁歆 Xin Liang

2010-03-01

Full Text Available 本文主要報告了一個長期持續研究的初步和部分的發現，即優質學校改進計劃的學校發展主任在協助學校整體改革中所發揮的作用。報告主要聚焦在以下兩點：（1）SDO 是如何幫助並促進學校改進的，換句話說，SDO 都採用哪些策略促使學校改進，以及SDO 對這些策略的看法；（2）SDO 在學校改進過程中扮演著怎樣的角色。本研究的資料收集方法包括訪談和文件搜集。研究發現，學校 發展主任秉持優質學校改進計劃所倡導的理念進行學校改進的工作。在夥伴合作的過程中，學校發展主任主要採用五種策略促進學校改進，他們主要扮演著促進者和諍友的角色。 The paper reports on the preliminary results of an ongoing long-term study of the role of School Development Officers (SDOs in the Quality School Improvement Project (QSIP of Hong Kong. The study focuses on two points: (1 How SDOs assist and enhance schools’ efforts at reform ― that is, what kinds of strategies SDOs use and what SDOs think about these strategies. (2 What are the roles SDOs play in the process of school improvement. The data were collected from interviews with SDOs and minutes of regular meetings. The following are some of the key findings of the study. Sticking to the core values of QSIP, SDOs make great efforts in assisting schools to improve. During the process, SDOs employ five strategies to facilitate school improvement, and they act as facilitators and critical friends.

A Case Study of Culturally Relevant School-Based Programming for First Nations Youth: Improved Relationships, Confidence and Leadership, and School Success

Science.gov (United States)

Crooks, Claire V.; Burleigh, Dawn; Snowshoe, Angela; Lapp, Andrea; Hughes, Ray; Sisco, Ashley

2015-01-01

Schools are expected to promote social and emotional learning skills among youth; however, there is a lack of culturally-relevant programming available. The Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations programs for Aboriginal youth include strengths-based programs designed to promote healthy relationships and cultural connectedness, and improve school success…

Generating Gratitude in the Workplace to Improve Faculty Job Satisfaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Stegen, Amy; Wankier, Jamie

2018-06-01

The current nursing shortage affects all settings. In an effort to promote retention of nursing faculty, an "attitude of gratitude" was cultivated to improve job satisfaction and increase collaboration in one school of nursing. This was a quantitative study using a convenience sample of faculty at one school of nursing. A presurvey of faculty on perceived gratitude levels and job satisfaction was administered prior to the start of the school year. Multiple gratitude interventions were implemented throughout the year and a postsurvey was administered to measure the effectiveness of interventions. The findings of this study show an improvement of 17.9% in overall job satisfaction, which is consistent with other studies on the topic. Collaboration was not affected by gratitude interventions. Implementing gratitude is a cost-effective and easy way to improve job satisfaction to increase faculty retention rates. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(6):375-378.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Essential conditions for the implementation of comprehensive school health to achieve changes in school culture and improvements in health behaviours of students

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Kate E. Storey

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Comprehensive School Health (CSH is an internationally recognized framework that holistically addresses school health by transforming the school culture. It has been shown to be effective in enhancing health behaviours among students while also improving educational outcomes. Despite this effectiveness, there is a need to focus on how CSH is implemented. Previous studies have attempted to uncover the conditions necessary for successful operationalization, but none have described them in relation to a proven best practice model of implementation that has demonstrated positive changes to school culture and improvements in health behaviours. Methods The purpose of this research was to identify the essential conditions of CSH implementation utilizing secondary analysis of qualitative interview data, incorporating a multitude of stakeholder perspectives. This included inductive content analysis of teacher (n = 45, principal (n = 46, and school health facilitator (n = 34 viewpoints, all of whom were employed within successful CSH project schools in Alberta, Canada between 2008 and 2013. Results Many themes were identified, here called conditions, that were divided into two categories: ‘core conditions’ (students as change agents, school-specific autonomy, demonstrated administrative leadership, dedicated champion to engage school staff, community support, evidence, professional development and ‘contextual conditions’ (time, funding and project supports, readiness and prior community connectivity. Core conditions were defined as those conditions necessary for CSH to be successfully implemented, whereas contextual conditions had a great degree of influence on the ability for the core conditions to be obtained. Together, and in consideration of already established ‘process conditions’ developed by APPLE Schools (assess, vision, prioritize; develop and implement an action plan; monitor, evaluate, celebrate

Challenges of Charter Schools with Special Education: Issues of Concern for Charter School Authorizers and Service Providers

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Leman Kaniturk Kose

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Charter schools, as one type of school choice, have been attracting a growing number of students since first inception in Minnesota in 1991. Although charter schools are a fledgling reform, they are already a significant part of the federal and state efforts to improve schools and have a growing number of students. Like traditional public schools, charter schools accept all students equally. As a result, they are also obligated to support and serve students with disabilities and meet the requirements of constitutional provisions and federal laws enacted for students with disabilities. This article intends to provide a succinct literature review examining the operational and organizational challenges regarding the design and delivery of special education in the young charter school movement so that charter school authorizers and service providers are cognizant of the issues of concern when serving students with disabilities at charter schools. The literature was located through searching through the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC, Google Scholar, and the Dissertation Abstracts International. Other information is gleaned from the U.S. Department of Education, Center for Education Reform, and the federal and state statutes regarding students with disabilities.

Improving service delivery of water, sanitation, and hygiene in primary schools: a cluster-randomized trial in western Kenya.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Kelly T; Dreibelbis, Robert; Freeman, Matthew C; Ojeny, Betty; Rheingans, Richard

2013-09-01

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in schools have been shown to improve health and reduce absence. In resource-poor settings, barriers such as inadequate budgets, lack of oversight, and competing priorities limit effective and sustained WASH service delivery in schools. We employed a cluster-randomized trial to examine if schools could improve WASH conditions within existing administrative structures. Seventy schools were divided into a control group and three intervention groups. All intervention schools received a budget for purchasing WASH-related items. One group received no further intervention. A second group received additional funding for hiring a WASH attendant and making repairs to WASH infrastructure, and a third group was given guides for student and community monitoring of conditions. Intervention schools made significant improvements in provision of soap and handwashing water, treated drinking water, and clean latrines compared with controls. Teachers reported benefits of monitoring, repairs, and a WASH attendant, but quantitative data of WASH conditions did not determine whether expanded interventions out-performed our budget-only intervention. Providing schools with budgets for WASH operational costs improved access to necessary supplies, but did not ensure consistent service delivery to students. Further work is needed to clarify how schools can provide WASH services daily.

IMPROVEMENT OF ECONOMIC COMPETENCE OF HEADS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION FOR EFFECTIVE ACTIVITY OF GENERAL SCHOOLS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Volodymyr V. Dyvak

2010-08-01

Full Text Available In the article the actual problem of improvement of economic competence of professional work of directors of schools for more efficient control of activity of general schools is considered.

On Meeting NCLB School Improvement Mandate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rupert Green

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This descriptive study used nonparametric (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests to determine the efficacy of New York City (NYC small school initiative. A sample of 369 NYC high schools was tested on various performance indicators. The results: Large schools generated statistically significant higher performance scores and were more effective at preparing students for college and careers. On the New York State (NYS English language arts (ELA test, a Mann–Whitney U found statistically significant difference between scores for small school (median = 2.62, n = 213 and large school (median = 2.81, n = 58, U = 3200.00, z = −5.63, p = .001, r = −.34. On the state’s math test, a Mann–Whitney U found statistically significant difference between scores for small school (median = 2.76, n = 213 and large school (median = 3.12, n = 58, U = 3086.00, z = −5.84, p = .000, r = −.35. On NYC Department of Education (NYCDOE–assigned college and career readiness scores (CCRS, a Mann–Whitney U found statistically significant difference between CCRS for small school (median = 3.00, n = 213 and large school (median = 3.00, n = 58, U = 4705.50, z = −2.90, p = .004, r = −.018. The evidence suggests the city reconfigured large failing schools into smaller ones, resulting in the concentration of poverty (through the placement of mostly low socioeconomic status [SES] and underperforming Black and Hispanic students in those schools. Recommendations include future studies exploring the effect of mediating and moderating factors.

Integration of quality improvement and cost-efficiency through industrial improvement techniques

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vink JP

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Jasper P Vink,1 Maxime T Rigaudy,1,2 Karl O Elmqvist11Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London, London, 2Hull York Medical School, York, UKIn this journal, Crema and Verbano1 discussed the importance of defining quality of health care and how quality can be improved through various industrial instruments and techniques. Quality of health care is a heavily debated topic that requires a wide scope of considerations across the many stakeholders of the health system. We acknowledge Crema and Verbano’s arguments that patient safety is a basic pillar of quality, upon which we would like to expand by highlighting the clinical effectiveness and patient-reported outcomes, which are the two further crucial components of quality. The arguments made regarding quality improvement techniques and cost efficiency in health care provision are insightful, yet appear to make a distinction between efforts to improve quality, eliminate waste from processes, and cut costs in health care provision. We would argue that in fact these achievements are all closely related and can be achieved simultaneously, if the industrial techniques of quality management are applied adequately.View the original paper by Crema and Verbano.

The Adopt-a-School Service-Learning Program: Igniting Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs through School and University Partnerships

Science.gov (United States)

Linker, Jenny M.; Ford, Kristen M.; Knutson, Julie M.; Goplen, Hailey A.

2018-01-01

Physical educators have been identified as ideal school champions to lead comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) efforts within their schools. As such, they should be adequately prepared to take on this role. Faculty from three physical and health education teacher education programs have collaboratively developed the…

Efforts of a Kansas foundation to increase physical activity and improve health by funding community trails, 2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinrich, Katie M; Lightner, Joseph; Oestman, Katherine B; Hughey, S Morgan; Kaczynski, Andrew T

2014-11-26

Trails are associated with increased physical activity; however, little is known about the process of building trails by various types of organizations. From 2005 through 2012 the Sunflower Foundation: Health Care for Kansans (Sunflower) funded multiple organizations to construct 70 trails of varying lengths and surfaces in municipalities, schools, and communities across Kansas. The purpose of this study was to assess the process of developing and implementing community trail projects across Kansas with funding from a public foundation. In 2012, we stratified funded organizations by type and conducted proportional random sampling to select 20 key informants from those organizations to participate in structured telephone interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers coded interview transcripts according to issues identified by participants. Issues associated with trail-building identified as important were collaboration among groups, unexpected construction costs, champions for the project, and level of difficulty of construction. Participants indicated that trails facilitated physical activity. Trails were integrated into communities through events such as walking events and other promotional efforts; these efforts were thought to increase trail use. The perceived outcomes of building the trails included providing the community with a physical activity resource, inspiring the community to start additional trail projects, and increasing the physical activity of local residents. Sunflower's funding was instrumental in developing trail projects to provide new physical activity resources across Kansas. Public health practitioners seeking to increase physical activity should seek funding from foundations that focus on health.

Teacher Satisfaction and Turnover in Charter Schools: Examining the Variations and Possibilities for Collective Bargaining in State Laws

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, A. Chris; Oluwole, Joseph

2015-01-01

Charter schools see as many as one in four teachers leave annually, and recent evidence attributes much of this turnover to provisions affected by collective bargaining processes and state laws such as salary, benefits, job security, and working hours. There have been many recent efforts to improve teacher voice in charter schools (Kahlenberg…

Reliability database development and plant performance improvement effort at Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, S. J.; Hwang, S. W.; Na, J. H.; Lim, H. S.

2008-01-01

Nuclear utilities in recent years have focused on improved plant performance and equipment reliability. In U.S., there is a movement toward process integration. Examples are INPO AP-913 equipment reliability program and the standard nuclear performance model developed by NEI. Synergistic effect from an integrated approach can be far greater than as compared to individual effects from each program. In Korea, PSA for all Korean NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants) has been completed. Plant performance monitoring and improvement is an important goal for KHNP (Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company) and a risk monitoring system called RIMS has been developed for all nuclear plants. KHNP is in the process of voluntarily implementing maintenance rule program similar to that in U.S. In the future, KHNP would like to expand the effort to equipment reliability program and to achieve highest equipment reliability and improved plant performance. For improving equipment reliability, the current trend is moving toward preventive/predictive maintenance from corrective maintenance. With the emphasis on preventive maintenance, the failure cause and operation history and environment are important. Hence, the development of accurate reliability database is necessary. Furthermore, the database should be updated regularly and maintained as a living program to reflect the current status of equipment reliability. This paper examines the development of reliability database system and its application of maintenance optimization or Risk Informed Application (RIA). (authors)

Our School Wellness Program Cut Staff Absenteeism and Might Save Lives.

Science.gov (United States)

Oxrieder, Ann

1987-01-01

Describes Bellevue (Washington) School District's employee wellness program's successful efforts to (1) save lives by promoting healthy lifestyles, (2) boost morale by taking health services to the workplace, (3) improve on-the-job performance by providing inexpensive, convenient opportunities for exercise and weight loss, and (4) reduce staff…

Milk Enhancements Improve Milk Consumption and Increase Meal Participation in the NSLP: The School Milk Pilot Test

Science.gov (United States)

Rafferty, Karen; Zipay, Diane; Patey, Camellia; Meyer, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Purpose/Objectives: The objective of the School Milk Pilot Test and the Westside School Milk Pilot Study was to test the effect of a milk enhancement initiative to make milk more appealing and attractive to elementary and secondary school students and to improve milk consumption. Methods: 146 schools participated in the national School Milk Pilot…

An association between paying physician-teachers for their teaching efforts and an improved educational experience for learners.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashar, Bimal; Levine, Rachel; Magaziner, Jeffrey; Shochet, Robert; Wright, Scott

2007-10-01

Medical schools often rely on faculty volunteerism to address clinical teaching needs for students. Increasing time pressures on physicians has made it difficult to secure commitments for clinical instruction. In the 2005-2006 academic year, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) launched the Colleges Program, recruiting 24 salary-supported physician-faculty to serve as advisors to students as well as teachers of the second year course, 'clinical skills'. We hypothesized that compensating physician educators would have a measurable positive impact on the students' experiences in this course. Students' assessments of paid colleges faculty (CF) preceptors from the 2005-2006 year were compared to those of volunteer preceptors from the two prior years (2003-2005 academic years) along six different teaching parameters linked to the course's objectives. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify the factors independently associated with higher preceptor scores. Fifty-eight preceptors taught clinical skills over the 3-year study period. The overall response rate for preceptor evaluations by medical learners was 77% (277/359). CF, more likely than volunteer preceptors to have a full-time academic appointment (100 vs 63%, p evaluation domains were higher for CF compared to those from the two previous years combined (all p evaluation scores (Odds Ratio 4.3, 95% CI 1.01-18.20). Salary support for teaching efforts in the time-intensive CS course coupled with the prestige of being appointed to the CF was associated with higher student evaluations.

Advanced Energy Retrofit Guide: Practical Ways to Improve Energy Performance, K-12 Schools (Book)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2013-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy developed the Advanced Energy Retrofit Guides (AERGs) to provide specific methodologies, information, and guidance to help energy managers and other stakeholders plan and execute energy efficiency improvements. Detailed technical discussion is fairly limited. Instead, we emphasize actionable information, practical methodologies, diverse case studies, and unbiased evaluations of the most promising retrofit energy efficiency measures for each building type. A series of AERGs is under development, addressing key segments of the commercial building stock. K-12 schools were selected as one of the highest priority building sectors, because schools affect the lives of most Americans. They also represent approximately 8% of the energy use and 10% of the floor area in commercial buildings nationwide. U.S. K-12 school districts spend more than $8 billion each year on energy - more than they spend on computers and textbooks combined. Most occupy older buildings that often have poor operational performance - more than 30% of schools were built before 1960. The average age of a school is about 42 years - which is nearly the expected serviceable lifespan of the building. K-12 schools offer unique opportunities for deep, cost-effective energy efficiency improvements, and this guide provides convenient and practical guidance for exploiting these opportunities in the context of public, private, and parochial schools.

Schools are stuck in the past

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mehlsen, Camilla

2009-01-01

Professor Johanna Wyn calls for educational leaders to take more responsibility of young people's wellbeing and to rethink the school's efforts.......Professor Johanna Wyn calls for educational leaders to take more responsibility of young people's wellbeing and to rethink the school's efforts....

Sun protection provided by regulation school uniforms in Australian schools: an opportunity to improve personal sun protection during childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Denise; Harrison, Simone L

2014-01-01

Childhood sun exposure is linked to excessive pigmented mole development and melanoma risk. Clothing provides a physical barrier, protecting skin from ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Extending sleeves to elbow length and shorts to knee length has been shown to significantly reduce mole acquisition in preschoolers from tropical Queensland. We used publicly available uniform images and guidelines from primary schools in Townsville (latitude 19.25°S, n = 43 schools), Cairns (16.87°S, n = 46) and the Atherton Tablelands (17.26°S, n = 23) in tropical Australia to objectively determine the body surface proportion covered by regulation school uniforms. Uniforms of nongovernment, large (≥800 students), urban, educationally advantaged schools with comprehensive sun protection policies covered more skin than those of government schools (63.2% vs 62.0%; P schools (63.4% vs 62.3%; P = 0.009), rural (62.7% vs 61.9%; P = 0.002) and educationally disadvantaged schools (62.8% vs 62.3%; P school uniforms covered identical body surface proportions (62.4%, P = 0.084). Although wearing regulation school uniforms is mandatory at most Australian primary schools, this opportunity to improve children's sun protection is largely overlooked. Recent evidence suggests that even encouraging minor alterations to school uniforms (e.g. slightly longer sleeves/dresses/skirts/shorts) to increase skin coverage may reduce mole acquisition and melanoma risk, especially in high-risk populations. © 2014 The American Society of Photobiology.

Food supply and actions to improve dietary behaviour of students - a comparison between secondary schools participating or not participating in the 'Healthy School Canteen Program'.

Science.gov (United States)

Milder, Ivon E J; Mikolajczak, Jochen; van den Berg, Saskia W; van de Veen-van Hofwegen, Madelon; Bemelmans, Wanda J E

2015-02-01

(i) To identify determinants of participation in the 'Healthy School Canteen Program', a programme that encourages schools to set up their canteen in a way that promotes healthy dietary behaviour. (ii) To compare food supply and actions between participating and non-participating schools. (iii) To investigate what reasons schools have to increase attention for nutrition in the curriculum. A cross-sectional study based on information from questionnaires performed in 2010/2011. All secondary schools (age group 12-18 years) in the Netherlands (n 1145). Response was 33 % (n 375). Analyses included all schools with a canteen in which food is offered (28 %, n 325). None of the investigated determinants was associated with participation. Participating schools offered significantly (P schools. However, there was no difference in the number of less healthy products offered (e.g. candy bars, cakes and regular soft drinks). Participating schools reported more often that they took actions to improve dietary behaviour and more often had a policy on nutrition. Participating schools more often increased attention for nutrition in the curriculum in recent years than non-participating schools (57 % v. 43 %, P = 0·01). Reported reasons were similar and included media attention, eating behaviour of students and 'overweight'. Schools that participate in the programme seemed to offer more healthy products in their canteens and took more actions to improve dietary behaviour than non-participating schools. However, at all schools less healthy foods were also available.

School performance and school behavior of children affected by AIDS in China

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Xiaoming; Lv, Yunfei; Li, Xiaoming; Fang, Xiaoyi; Zhao, Guoxiang; Lin, Xiuyun; Hong, Yan; Zhang, Liying; Stanton, Bonita

2009-01-01

It is generally recognized that the AIDS epidemic will have a negative effect on the orphans’ school education. However, few studies have been carried out to examine the school performance and school behavior of AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (children living with HIV-infected parents). Using both self-report and teacher evaluation data of 1625 children from rural central China, we examined the impact of parental HIV/AIDS on children's school performances (academic marks, educational expectation, and student leadership) and school behaviors (e.g., aggression, shy/anxious and assertive social skills). Results indicate that AIDS orphans and vulnerable children had disadvantages in school performances in comparison to their peers from the same community who did not experience AIDS-related death and illness in their family (comparison children). AIDS orphans had the lowest academic marks based on the reports of both children and teachers. Educational expectation was significantly lower among AIDS orphans and vulnerable children than comparison children from teacher's perspective. AIDS orphans were significantly more likely to demonstrate aggressive, impulsive and anxious behaviors than non-orphans. Moreover, orphans have more learning difficulties. Vulnerable children were also at a disadvantage on most measures. The data suggest that a greater attention is needed to the school performance and behavior of children affected by AIDS. The findings also indicate that AIDS relief and assistance program for children should go beyond the school attendance and make efforts to improve their school performance and education aspiration. PMID:20107622

Wagging the Dog, Carting the Horse: Testing and Improving Schools. Summary of Conference Proceedings. Research into Practice Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Joan; And Others

The purpose of the conference, "Wagging the Dog, Carting the Horse: Testing vs. Improving California Schools," was to discuss alternative perspectives on testing and evaluation in education and their role in improving teaching and learning. Four papers were presented: (1) "Using Educational Evaluation for the Improvement of California Schools," by…

Improving energy performance of school buildings while ensuring indoor air quality ventilation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, Rachel; Goldberger, Itamar [Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (Israel). Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Department of Structural Engineering and Construction Management; Paciuk, Monica [National Building Research Institute, Technion, Haifa (Israel)

2007-09-15

Energy conscious design of school buildings, as well as deemed-to-satisfy provisions in a Performance Based Energy Code, should address the problem known as the energy efficiency - thermal comfort - indoor air quality dilemma (EE-TC-IAQ Dilemma). In warm and moderate climates, the large internal heat sources usually found in school buildings prevent achieving thermal comfort without active cooling in summer, but are not sufficient to eliminate the need for heating in winter. Commonly used air-conditioners do not improve air quality, while natural ventilation induces uncontrolled energy losses. In this study, a step by step process was used for the development of deemed-to-satisfy design solutions, which cope with the EE-TC-IAQ Dilemma, for a performance based code. A distinction is made between improving building design variables and improving ventilation schemes. Results indicate that implementation of improved ventilation schemes in an otherwise well designed energy-conscious building result in savings of 28-30% and 17-18% for northern and southern classroom orientations, respectively. (author)

Islamic Pre-School Management and Its Implications towards Students’ Learning Quality Improvement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosniati Hakim

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Islamic education in schools had not completely assessed the development of students’ character and personality. Therefore, additional religious education through non-formal education and religious practices were needed in Islamic Pre-Schools. It provided a forum to foster, develop, cultivate, and transform the religious value of the students to improve their personality. The purpose of this research was to examine social phenomenon that occur naturally through the facts related to management activities of students. Qualitative research was used in this study where the data taken from head of Islamic pre-school and the school deputy, teacher, staffs, mosque administrators of Baitul Haadi, administrator of the school, staffs of Ministry of Religious Affairs as well as Islamic pre-school inspectors, parents, community leaders, and administrators of professional organizations. The finding showed that students’ management applied in Islamic pre-school through the management functions is able to provide the successful of student’s education and learning implementation. It was also found that student management applied in Islamic pre-school is planning activities of students’ admission process through the administration regularly with various regulations related to the success of education. Thus, it is expected that the government will provide the guidance and implement constant supervision in accordance with applicable regulations.

The Perceptions of Elementary School Teachers Regarding Their Efforts to Help Students Utilize Student-to-Student Discourse in Science

Science.gov (United States)

Craddock, Jennifer Lovejoy

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of elementary teachers who teach science as opposed to science teacher specialists regarding their efforts to help students use student-to-student discourse for improving science learning. A growing body of research confirms the importance of a) student-to-student discourse for making meaning of science ideas and b) moving students' conceptual development towards a more scientific understanding of the natural world. Based on those foundations, the three research questions that guided this study examined the value elementary teachers place on student-to-student discourse, the various approaches teachers employ to promote the use of student-to-student discourse for learning science, and the factors and conditions that promote and inhibit the use of student-to-student discourse as an effective pedagogical strategy in elementary science. Data were gathered from 23 elementary teachers in a single district using an on-line survey and follow-up interviews with 8 teachers. All data were analyzed and evolving themes led to the following findings: (1) elementary teachers value student-to-student discourse in science, (2) teachers desire to increase time using student-to-student discourse, (3) teachers use a limited number of student-to-student discourse strategies to increase student learning in science, (4) teachers use student-to-student discourse as formative assessment to determine student learning in science, (5) professional development focusing on approaches to student-to-student discourse develops teachers' capacity for effective implementation, (6) teachers perceive school administrators' knowledge of and support for student-to-student discourse as beneficial, (7) time and scheduling constraints limit the use of student-to-student discourse in science. Implications of this study included the necessity of school districts to focus on student-to-student discourse in science, provide teacher and

UTILITY OF FISHERY HIGH SCHOOL DATA IN EXAMINING SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL CATCH AND EFFORT TRENDS IN THE INDONESIAN LONGLINE TUNA FISHERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lilis Sadiyah

2015-12-01

Full Text Available One of the endeavours to address the shortage of catch per unit effort (CPUE information from the Indonesian Indian Ocean tuna fishery is the collation of a large amount of catch and effort data collected by Indonesian Fisheries High School students (“FHS data”. This paper attempts to investigate spatial-temporal patterns of catch and effort of the FHS data for the main tuna species caught by the fishery: bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus - BET, yellowfin tuna (T. albacares - YFT, albacore (T. alalunga - ALB and southern bluefin tuna (T.maccoyii - SBT. Reported sets occurred in the Eastern Indian Ocean, north and south of 20°S. Recorded effort from the FHS data set was concentrated within the only known SBT spawning ground. However, within this data set, SBT were recorded in the lowest catch proportion relative to BET, YFT and ALB. The catch composition data suggested that YFT and ALB were predominantly targeted by the fishery, with ALB and SBT most predominantly recorded south of 20°S, whereas BET and YFT were mostly recorded north of 20°S. Unfortunately, there was no strong information on targeting practices reported by this data set, limiting any attempts to understand the factors that influenced those results. As the sampling predominantly occurred in between July and December, the data are not representative of fishing activities throughout the entire year, and any seasonal patterns from the FHS data set are biased. In addition, the FHS data set is prone to observation error and uncertainty in terms of fish identification and fishing location. Therefore, the FHS data set needs to be interpreted with caution.

Intensive educational efforts combined with external quality assessment improve the preanalytical phase in general practitioner offices and nursing homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Sølvik, Una Ørvim; Bjelkarøy, Wenche Iren; Berg, Kari van den; Saga, Anne Lise; Hager, Helle Borgstrøm; Sandberg, Sverre

2017-10-26

Errors in the preanalytical phase in clinical laboratories affect patient safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of intensive educational efforts together with external quality assessment (EQA) of the preanalytical phase from 2013 to 2015 to improve patient identification in primary health care in Norway. In addition, routines for venous and capillary blood sampling were investigated. A preanalytical EQA was circulated in 2013 by the Norwegian Quality Improvement of Laboratory Examinations (Noklus) to general practitioner offices and nursing homes (n=2000) to obtain information about important issues to focus on before launching an intensive educational program with courses, posters and visits in 2013-2015. Preanalytical EQA surveys were further circulated in 2014 and 2015. The response rate varied between 42% and 55%. The percentages of participants asking for the patients' name and the Norwegian identification number increased from about 8% in 2013 to about 35% in 2015. The increase was similar for those participating in only one EQA survey and for those who participated in EQA surveys both in 2013 and 2015. Guidelines for venous and capillary blood sampling were not always followed. Educational efforts more than the preanalytical EQA influenced the actions and resulted in an increase in the percentages of participants that followed the guidelines for patient identification. Some aspects of blood sampling routines need improvement.

Using management action plans to integrate program improvement efforts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meador, S.W.; Kidwell, R.J.; Shangraw, W.R.; Cardamone, E.N. [Project Performance Corporation, Sterling, VA (United States)

1994-12-31

The Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Environmental Management Program is the country`s largest and most sophisticated environmental program to date. The rapid expansion of the DOE`s environmental restoration efforts has led to increased scrutiny of its management processes and systems. As the program continues to grow and mature, maintaining adequate accountability for resources and clearly communicating progress will be essential to sustaining public confidence. The Office of Environmental Management must ensure that adequate processes and systems are in place at Headquarters, Operation Offices, and contractor organizations. These systems must provide the basis for sound management, cost control, and reporting. To meet this challenge, the Office of Environmental Restoration introduced the Management Action Plan process. This process was designed to serve three primary functions: (1) define the program`s management capabilities at Headquarters and Operations Offices; (2) describe how management initiatives address identified program deficiencies; and (3) identify any duplication of efforts or program deficiencies. The Environmental Restoration Management Action Plan is a tracking, reporting, and statusing tool, used primarily at the Headquarters level, for assessing performance in key areas of project management and control. BY DOE to communicate to oversight agencies and stakeholders a clearer picture of the current status of the environmental restoration project management system. This paper will discuss how Management Action Plans are used to provide a program-wide assessment of management capabilities.

Using management action plans to integrate program improvement efforts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meador, S.W.; Kidwell, R.J.; Shangraw, W.R.; Cardamone, E.N.

1994-01-01

The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental Management Program is the country's largest and most sophisticated environmental program to date. The rapid expansion of the DOE's environmental restoration efforts has led to increased scrutiny of its management processes and systems. As the program continues to grow and mature, maintaining adequate accountability for resources and clearly communicating progress will be essential to sustaining public confidence. The Office of Environmental Management must ensure that adequate processes and systems are in place at Headquarters, Operation Offices, and contractor organizations. These systems must provide the basis for sound management, cost control, and reporting. To meet this challenge, the Office of Environmental Restoration introduced the Management Action Plan process. This process was designed to serve three primary functions: (1) define the program's management capabilities at Headquarters and Operations Offices; (2) describe how management initiatives address identified program deficiencies; and (3) identify any duplication of efforts or program deficiencies. The Environmental Restoration Management Action Plan is a tracking, reporting, and statusing tool, used primarily at the Headquarters level, for assessing performance in key areas of project management and control. BY DOE to communicate to oversight agencies and stakeholders a clearer picture of the current status of the environmental restoration project management system. This paper will discuss how Management Action Plans are used to provide a program-wide assessment of management capabilities

Review and action plan for oral health improvement in Sheffield special schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Worsley, D J; Jones, K; Harris, J C; Charlesworth, J; Marshman, Z

2018-03-01

A description of the process of a review of oral health improvement in special schools in Sheffield and the implementation of an action plan for these activities. Public health competencies encompassed: assessing the evidence on oral health and dental interventions, programmes and services; strategic leadership and collaborative working for health; oral health improvement. Copyright© 2018 Dennis Barber Ltd.

Bullying climate and school engagement in ninth-grade students.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Sharmila B; Cornell, Dewey; Fan, Xitao; Gregory, Anne

2013-01-01

Many authorities agree that bullying has a widespread impact on school climate, affecting bystanders as well as victims. This study tested the contention that a climate of bullying can have a schoolwide impact on student engagement in school. Hierarchical linear modeling assessed the relations between student perception of bullying climate and student engagement at the individual and school level in a statewide sample of 7058 ninth graders randomly selected from 289 schools participating in the Virginia High School Safety Study. Student engagement was assessed by self-report scales measuring commitment to school and involvement in school activities. Individual differences in perception of school climate characterized by bullying were associated with lower commitment to school, but not less involvement in school activities. School-level differences in student perceptions of bullying climate were associated with both lower commitment to school and less involvement in school activities, after controlling for the effects of gender, race, school size, proportion of ethnic minority students in the school, and individual-level perception of bullying climate. Efforts to improve student engagement should consider the schoolwide impact of bullying on all students. © 2013, American School Health Association.

Impact of ventilation/pressurization on indoor air contaminants in schools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaughnessy, R.J.; Levetin, E.; Fisher, E.J.; Ligman, B.K.

1993-01-01

As part of a continuing technology development effort to control radon in schools, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) School Evaluation Program (SEP) team in cooperation with U.S. EPA's Region 6 office has performed radon mitigation in two Southwestern United States schools utilizing the method of ventilation/pressurization control technology. Schools were inspected and IAQ measurements made with respect to carbon dioxide, bioaerosols, volatile organic compounds, and respirable particles. Premitigation results indicated poor ventilation conditions existed throughout the school buildings. Elevated levels of respirable particles were measured, yet no conclusions with respect to health could be implied. Post-mitigation results support, but do not prove the hypothesis that improved ventilation to control radon will also reduce other indicator indoor air contaminants. (orig.). (9 refs., 4 tabs.)

The Australian Education Union: A History of Opposing School Choice and School Autonomy Down-Under

Science.gov (United States)

Donnelly, Kevin

2015-01-01

In this article, I chronicle the recent history of efforts to broaden school choice in the Commonwealth of Australia and the opposition to these efforts put forth by Australia's largest teacher union, the Australian Education Union (AEU). Evidence is presented on the positive effects that flow from the public funding of nongovernment schools and…

International School Psychology: Psychology's Worldwide Portal to Children and Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Oakland, Thomas D.

2003-01-01

International school psychology is discussed in reference to scholarly and professional development within psychology, the emergence of an international association of school psychology, its efforts to promote school psychology, prevailing characteristics of school psychologists, and additional efforts needed to further enhance its development.…

Parent Involvement Activities in School Improvement Plans in the Northwest Region. Issues & Answers. REL 2008-No. 064

Science.gov (United States)

Speth, Timothy; Saifer, Steffen; Forehand, Gregory

2008-01-01

Although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) spells out parent involvement requirements for schools in need of improvement, the majority of the Northwest Region school improvement plans reviewed failed to include such provisions. Reported findings include: (1) Despite a wide range of parent involvement practices discussed in legislation…

Conversations for School Personnel: A New Pathway to School Improvement

Science.gov (United States)

Kohler-Evans, Patty; Webster-Smith, Angela; Albritton, Shelly

2013-01-01

School personnel are not having the number or quality of meaningful conservations needed to move schools forward in a focused, cohesive manner. In the face of compelling evidence and best practices, many school leaders and teachers continue to work in isolation. There remains a dearth of professional learning communities and where they exist, many…

Can a school physical activity intervention improve physical self-perception and enjoyment?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund-Cramer, Pernille; Christiansen, Lars Breum Skov; Smedegaard, Søren

Purpose Physical activity at school can improve mental health of all children – especially if it is targeted to children’s needs and executed in a positive social climate. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a multicomponent school-based physical activity intervention...... activity in recess. Using a cluster-randomized design, 24 Danish schools were randomized to either intervention or control. Study population included 3.136 children aged 10-13 years at baseline. Survey data (socio-demographics, physical activity, self-efficacy, physical enjoyment, physical self...... on physical self-perception and enjoyment of physical activity among children aged 10-13 years. Methods An intervention based on Self-Determination Theory was developed and pilot tested in close co-operation with schools and targeted 1) physical education lessons, 2) in-class activity, and 3) physical...

Improving children's physical self-perception through a school-based physical activity intervention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Lars B.; Lund-Cramer, Pernille; Brondeel, Ruben

2018-01-01

Purpose Physical activity at school can improve the mental health of all children – especially if it targets children's developmental needs and is carried out in a positive social climate. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of a 9-month school intervention focusing......) PE lessons, 2) in-class activity outside PE, and 3) physical activity during break-time. It used a cluster-randomized design to select 24 Danish schools either for intervention or for control. Survey data on self-perception variables, socio-demographics and physical activity was collected prior...... on physical self-worth, self-perceived sport competence, body attractiveness, social competences and global self-worth in children aged 10–13 years. Methods Taking self-determination theory as its starting point, the intervention was developed and pilot-tested in close co-operation with schools. It targeted 1...

Improving Elementary School Students’ English Vocabulary Through Local Cultural Content Materials

OpenAIRE

Frans Manurung; Ignatius Harjanto

2015-01-01

Abstract Elementary students of a certain public school in Indonesia had difficulties in learning English. One of the crucial problems was learning English vocabulary. In an attempt to help the students learn and improve English vocabulary, the researchers decided to use CAR to teach English vocabulary with local cultural content materials. The aim of this study was to investigate how the teaching of English vocabulary with local cultural content materials contributed to the improvement ...

How Small School Districts Can Organize to Afford Their Small Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Burton, Christine

2010-01-01

While the research continues to mount on the benefits of school downsizing and decentralizing efforts in urban areas, there exists a paradox for small school Administrators who continue to struggle against forces of consolidation. Small schools in rural and suburban districts have fought for their existence against the pressures of consolidation…

Health-promoting schools: evidence for a holistic approach to promoting health and improving health literacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Albert

2009-01-01

Chronic diseases are now the major causes of death and disability worldwide, and non-communicable diseases (NCD) account for the majority of the global health burden. About half of premature deaths are related to health-risking behaviours that are often established during youth and extend to adulthood. While these diseases might not be curable, they are preventable. Prevention is possible when sustained actions are directed at individuals and families, as well as at the broader social, economic and cultural determinants of NCD. A 'life-course' approach to promoting healthy behaviour should begin early in life. The aim of this article is to discuss the impact of the 'health-promoting school' (HPS) on improvements in youth health. HPS can be described as a holistic, whole-school approach in which a broad health education curriculum is supported by the environment and ethos of the school. HPS moves beyond individual behavioural change to consider organizational and policy change such as improving the physical and social environment of the school, as well as its curricula and teaching and learning methods. A positive culture for health would facilitate higher levels of health literacy by helping individuals tackle the determinants of health better as they build the personal, cognitive and social skills for maintaining good health. There is reasonable evidence to demonstrate that the whole-school approach using the HPS framework is effective in improving health, ranging from physical activities and healthy eating to emotional health. Schools adopting the HPS framework have demonstrated changes in culture and organizational practice to become more conducive to health improvement. These schools were reported to have better school health policies, higher degrees of community participation, and a more hygienic environment than non-HPS schools, and students in these schools had a more positive health behaviour profile. Health promotion and disease prevention is essential to