Educational change--United States

The decline of science education in elementary schools has been well documented. While numerous efforts have been made for the purpose of reforming science education, most of those efforts have targeted science programs, assessment techniques, and setting national, state, and local standards, stressing teacher accountability for meeting those standards. However, inadequate science content knowledge of preservice teachers limits their ability to master effective teaching strategies, and also may foster negative attitudes toward science and science teaching. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that any significant reform in science education will be realized until this major underlying problem is addressed and resolved. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an experimental elementary science methods course, which employs the use of laser videodisc technology and instructional implications from cognitive science and instructional design, in terms of preservice teacher gains in Earth and physical science content knowledge and locus of control in science. The experimental elementary science methods course was compared to a more traditional approach to the same course which focused primarily on methods of teaching in the physical sciences and other science domains. The experimental and traditional groups were compared before and after treatment in terms of preservice teachers' content knowledge in Earth and physical science and locus ofcontrol in science. Results indicated that the experimental and traditional groups were comparable prior to treatment. The experimental group (89 preservice teachers) responded correctly to 45% of the items on the Elementary Science Concepts Test (ESCT) pretest and the traditional group (78 preservice teachers) responded correctly to 42% of the pretest items, the difference between groups being nonsignificant. Further, the experimental and traditional groups scored similarly on the pre-assessment of locus of control in science with scores on the Preservice Teacher Information and Science Opinion Questionnaire (ISOQ) of 162.12 and 163.65, respectively, the difference also being nonsignificant. The pre- and post-administrations of both the ESCT and ISOQ were all found to be statistically significant (F (4, 162) = 271.18343, p<0.05) in predicting group membership. Analyses of variance indicated significantly greater gains in Earth and physical science content knowledge (F (1,165) = 743.7746, p<0.025) and locus of control in science (F (1,165) = 45.7477, p<0.025) for the experimental group compared to the traditional group. A significant difference (F = (2,162) = 31.82279, p<0.05) was found between the combined effect of locus of control in science and Earth and physical science content knowledge in respect to treatment, indicating that the curriculum and instructional design of the experimental course significantly influenced preservice teachers' science content knowledge and locus of control in science. Suggestions for further research included: (a) determining whether the results of this present research may also apply to inservice teachers, (b) determining the effects of such preservice and inservice training on actual classroom practice, (c) relating increased science knowledge with improvement in science lesson planning and mastery of pedagogical skills, and (d) more detailed analysis of instructional implications from cognitive science and instructional design in regard to their application to the teaching of science (as well as other content areas).

The purpose of this study was to determine if changes could be detected in teachers' approaches to their professional practice and in the achievement of their students following the implementation of a teacher leadership capacity-building intervention framework. Specific aspects examined were (a) teachers' perceptions of changes in their classroom environments, instructional practices, planning, assessment, and confidence in instructing diverse learners; (b) observer ratings of teachers' classroom practices; (c) teachers' readiness for self-directed learning; and (d) student achievement. The study addressed four research questions and three hypotheses. Following the professional development intervention, teachers' perceived changes in their professional practices were documented on a self-report survey, with the greatest positive change reported in types and variety of instructional practices. Significant gains were found in teachers' observed effective behaviors (Florida Performance Measurement System scores), teachers' Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale scores and student achievement in reading. The outcomes, while they cannot, of course, be solely attributed to the intervention, support the concept that teacher leadership capacity is built from within when teachers are encouraged to take a greater responsibility for the design and implementation of their professional development and to share their strengths with their colleagues in a true learning community. The intervention was implemented in an at-risk school, but it provides a framework that can be replicated elsewhere. This project required a commitment of resources for observations, peer coaching, modeling instructional strategies, team meetings, reflective team planning, team data analysis, and a variety of professional development sessions chosen and designed by staff that took place both within and outside of the regularly scheduled workday. The school district, an outside private foundation, and additional grants provided funding for most expenses, including an on-site professional development facilitator. Further follow-up research is warranted given the brevity of this study and the time needed for systemic change.

This multi-site case analysis investigated the values underlying the parental selection of charter schools. The conceptual framework of this study was school choice within the public sector and more specifically charter schools. The research design employed in-depth interviews and data analysis. A purposeful sample with random selection was used to select the eighteen parent participants. The principals were serving as principals of the schools at the time of the study. All research questions were answered by the data analysis: How do the values of parents influence their selection of charter schools for their children? Parents were looking for alternatives to traditional public schools. Charter schools gave parents the opportunity to select schools that they believed would match their values. Why do some parents select to send their children to charter schools in lieu of traditional public schools? Charter schools provided smaller class size/smaller school size, more discipline, and diverse student population. Why do parents who have selected to send their children to charter schools believe that these schools do a better job of educating their children than some traditional public schools? Traditional public schools lack many of the things that parents stated would provide a good education for their children. How do race, socioeconomic status, and level of school impact the parental selection of charter schools in lieu of traditional public schools? These differences did not impact the parental selection of charter schools. What do parents consider when they select charter schools for their children? Parents considered what was best for their individual child. The finding of the study revealed that parents selected charter schools based on what they valued: small class size and small school size and the importance of education to the child's future. There were other themes that emerged across and within the three sites which contributed to the study's finding. More research is needed on charter schools because better informed parents will make better selections when exercising choice.