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Academic Optimism Of Schools And Student Achievement
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Book Synopsis Can Unlike Students Learn Together? by : Herbert J. Walberg
Download or read book Can Unlike Students Learn Together? written by Herbert J. Walberg and published by IAP. This book was released on 2006-06-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, this book brings together three controversial topics: homogeneous grouping of students within classrooms by ability or achievement criteria, tracking of students into courses of study by the same criteria, and retention of students in their present grade so that they repeat a year’s work instead of being promoted. The editors solicited syntheses of research on these topics from outstanding scholars with a variety of views.
Book Synopsis Academic Optimism of Schools and Student Achievement by : Pamela J. Mckinnon
Download or read book Academic Optimism of Schools and Student Achievement written by Pamela J. Mckinnon and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author's abstract: The pressure to perform well on high stakes testing may have caused many educational leaders to shift their focus away from developing a healthy organization that may enhance and possibly even predict student achievement to simply focusing on test scores. Hoy, Tarter and Hoy (2006) suggested that high levels of Academic OptimismAO (including collective teacher efficacy-CTE, faculty trust in parents and students-FT, and academic emphasis-AE), when controlling for SES, is a strong force in predicting academic achievement. This study attempted to support previous research findings and to provide educational administrators with a framework for improving school organizational health for the purpose of enhancing student achievement. This study examined the relationships between AO, its sub-constructs, and student achievement in reading and math, when controlling for SES, for four participating middle schools located in two school districts in southeast Georgia. The data was collected from the School Academic Optimism Survey (SAOS) which is designed to measure the overall level of academic optimism within the school and each of the sub-constructs. The SAOS provides 30 Likert-type items with 1-12 measuring CTE, 13-22 measuring FT and 23-30 measuring AE. Overall, the analysis of the relationship of AO of schools and achievement in reading and math, when controlling for SES, is not statistically significant in this study. The variance in reading and math achievement showed 0% change in the relationship when adding AO as a predictor. Although some improvement in relationships, particularly in reading, was noted when adding the predictor variables of CTE, FT, and AE, the results suggested these variables did not predict student achievement over SES. All schools in this study reported at least average levels of AO, all four schools were achieving in reading above the state percentage, and 3 of the 4 were achieving above the state percentage in math. Additionally, 3 of the 4 schools had populations of economically disadvantaged students above the state average. Although further research with a larger sample size is recommended, this may suggest that schools with low SES students are not necessarily at a disadvantage when variables associated with school organizational health are considered.
Book Synopsis A POSITIVE FORCE by : Kathryn Yawin Veronesi
Download or read book A POSITIVE FORCE written by Kathryn Yawin Veronesi and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research on academic optimism and school practices has shown a positive correlation with student achievement at the high school level. Academic optimism includes the school properties of collective efficacy, academic emphasis, and faculty trust. School practices include various endeavors that involve staff and impact student performance. This study examines both concepts and academic achievement in five high schools. Findings are that the schools that demonstrate the highest level of academic achievement also have clearly delineated processes for school practice and are able to articulate them. Those schools with the highest measured student achievement also scored highest on the school practice measures that measured schools' use of goal setting, improvement strategies, common meeting time content and structure related to the Professional Learning Community structure. Effective school practice activities could produce positive outcomes in student performance.
Book Synopsis Essential Ideas For The Reform of American Schools by : Wayne K. Hoy
Download or read book Essential Ideas For The Reform of American Schools written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by IAP. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is different than its predecessors in that it identifies and synthesizes twelve key constructs that have important implications for both administrators and researchers; these constructs guide administrators engaged in meaningful school improvement efforts and provide researchers an agenda for future study. The articles of the book capture decades of theoretical and research work. Essential Ideas for the Reform of American Schools identifies and synthesizes key constructs that have important implications for the improvement of schools. The articles have been written over a period of several decades and are grounded in theoretical analysis and empirical research. Together they form a coherent body of literature for both practitioners interested in improving schools and researchers committed to the study of school effectiveness.
Book Synopsis Examining the Relationship Between Academic Optimism and Student Achivement by : Bryan S Hallmark
Download or read book Examining the Relationship Between Academic Optimism and Student Achivement written by Bryan S Hallmark and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Academic optimism is a relatively new construct that combines collective efficacy, academic emphasis, and faculty trust in students and parents. The cumulative measure represents a robust picture of the social interactions within a school that influences the beliefs, behaviors and emotions of organizational members. Academic optimism has been established as a predictor of student achievement controlling for student socioeconomic status. However, past studies have not included student ethnicity in statistical models utilized to test the effect of academic optimism on student achievement, even though research and state achievement data show gaps among students of color and Anglo students that are just as substantial as those identified along socioeconomic. Additionally, there was a need to determine if academic optimism is simply a product of school context or if there is additional variance left to be explained by psychosocial interactions within schools. Therefore, the intent of this study was threefold: first, examine the relationships between the theoretical underpinnings of collective efficacy, academic emphasis, and faculty trust in students and parents; second, produce a more rigorous test of the effect of academic optimism on student achievement by including student ethnicity in addition to other student background characteristics; and third, determine to what magnitude school context explains a schools level of academic optimism. The author utilized multi-level analysis to test the relationship between school academic optimism and student achievement controlling for student ethnicity, socioeconomic status, previous achievement and school size within a new sample. The relationship between school academic optimism and school context was tested by employing multiple regression analysis. In a sample of 10,464 students nested within 97 elementary schools the author was able to determine that academic optimism is a positive predictor of student math and reading achievement. Furthermore, academic optimism is capable of mediating the negative relationships existing between both low socioeconomic status (SES) and student of color status and student achievement. Additionally, the studied revealed that only 52% of the variance in school level academic optimism is determined by school context. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/149294
Book Synopsis Transformative Classroom Management by : John Shindler
Download or read book Transformative Classroom Management written by John Shindler and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-11-04 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Transformative Classroom Management The natural condition of any classroom is harmonious, satisfying, and productive, so why do so many teachers struggle with problems of apathy, hostility, anxiety, inefficiency, and resistance? In this groundbreaking book, education expert John Shindler presents a powerful model, Transformative Classroom Management (TCM), that can be implemented by any teacher to restore the natural positive feelings in his or her classroom—the love of learning, collaboration, inspiration, and giving—and create a productive learning environment in which all students can achieve. Unlike other classroom management systems that view problems as something to be “handled,” TCM offers suggestions for creating optimal conditions for learning, performance, motivation, and growth. This practical book shows teachers how to abandon ineffective short-term gimmicks, bribes, and punishments and adopt the proven management practices and new habits of mind that will transform their classrooms. Praise for Transformative Classroom Management “Transformative Classroom Management is a practical resource that explains the how and why of classroom management for novice and veteran teachers. Dr. Shindler recognizes the importance of preserving the teacher’s sanity while ensuring the student’s development of a personal sense of responsibility and a positive self-esteem.” —Eileen Matus, principal, South Toms River Elementary School, New Jersey “I have read many other management books by other authors, but Transformative Classroom Management has been the best so far at demystifying the invisible forces in the classroom.” —WILL McELROY, 4th grade teacher, Los Angeles United School District “This book was an invaluable tool for me during my student teaching. It served as a reference book that I found myself continually drawn to while struggling to find ways to effectively manage 29 first graders. The ideas, concepts and suggestions in the book were so innovative and helpful that even my Master Teacher found herself implementing some of the ideas! A must have for all student teachers!” —Carol Gillon, student teacher, Seattle University “Insightful and thoroughly researched, Transformative Classroom Management is an invaluable tool to help teachers, newbies and veterans alike, develop fully functional and engaged learning communities.” —LISA GAMACHE RODRIGUEZ, teacher, Los Angeles Unified School District
Book Synopsis Collective Responsibility, Academic Optimism, and Student Achievement in Taiwan Elementary Schools by : Hsin-Chieh Wu
Download or read book Collective Responsibility, Academic Optimism, and Student Achievement in Taiwan Elementary Schools written by Hsin-Chieh Wu and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Previous research indicates that collective efficacy, faculty trust in students and parents, and academic emphasis together formed a single latent school construct, called academic optimism. In the U.S., academic optimism has been proven to be a powerful construct that could effectively predict student achievement even after controlling for socioeconomic factors (Hoy et al. 2006a; 2006b; Smith & Hoy, 2007). However, this new construct has never been tested in cultural settings other than the U.S. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to examine the nature of academic optimism and its ability to predict academic achievement in Taiwan elementary schools. Furthermore, this study also incorporated another important school characteristic, collective responsibility (Lee & Smith, 1996; Lee & Loeb, 2000; LoGerfo & Goddard, 2008), into the theoretical model to examine its relationship with both academic optimism and student achievement in Taiwan. One hundred three out of 104 public elementary schools in Hualien County, Taiwan were included in the survey. The results of structural equation modeling analysis indicated that academic optimism works in Taiwan in much the same way as it does in the United States. Academic optimism also had the same three dimensions and could significantly affect student achievement after controlling for SES. Further, The results also demonstrated that collective responsibility is a significant factor that has a positive influence on academic optimism and an indirect effect on academic achievement, regardless the level of SES. This suggested that through improving collective responsibility, academic optimism could be increased, and thus raise student achievement. To conclude, the results of this study have extended the theory of academic optimism in two ways. First, the study showed that the construct of academic optimism existed and worked in an Asian culture setting. Second, it revealed that collective responsibility seems to be an important factor in cultivating the culture of academic optimism in schools. In the end, the current research also identified some future directions for moving forward in the quest to understand how schools can be designed and shaped to improve academic performance.
Book Synopsis The Impact of Academic Optimism on Student Achievement in Five Middle Schools by : Rita Hickey Teague
Download or read book The Impact of Academic Optimism on Student Achievement in Five Middle Schools written by Rita Hickey Teague and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faculty trust in students and parents was a statistically significant predictor for the percentage of students scoring at the average level and the low average/low level. None of the predictor variables was statistically significant for the percentage of students scoring at the average level for MAP Reading or MAP Science. Study results indicate that school administrators and teachers must work to build trust with parents and students and create a culture stressing academic excellence as both could help improve student achievement.
Book Synopsis Leading Schools of Excellence and Equity by : Kathleen M. Brown
Download or read book Leading Schools of Excellence and Equity written by Kathleen M. Brown and published by IAP. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this empirical inquiry of state-recognized “Honor Schools of Excellence” was to explore how these schools of distinction are (or are not) promoting and supporting both academic excellence and systemic equity for all students. In Phase One, quantitative data were collected through equity audits to scan for and then document systemic patterns of equity and inequity across multiple domains of student learning and activities within 24 schools. In Phase Two, the 24 schools were ranked, based solely on minority achievement, and then separated into two types of schools, small gap (SG) schools and large gap (LG) schools. Through site visits (n=16) and the use of semi-structured interviews with principals, assistant principals, teachers, and parent leaders (n=80), qualitative data were then collected to document best practices and effective strategies that principals use to confront and change past practices anchored in open and residual racism and class discrimination. The data were analyzed through the theoretical framework of academic optimism. Three differences between the SG schools and the LG schools were found (encouraging academic achievement, offering instructional feedback, and expecting excellence). To truly honor excellence, we need to embrace equity. As such, in schools where principals support, model, and monitor a teamwork approach, a balanced approach, a strong sense of purpose, and an insistent disposition to assure that all students are served well and that all are encouraged to perform at their highest level, the outcomes of interest are better.
Book Synopsis Academic Optimism in High Schools by : Margaret Duffy-Friedman
Download or read book Academic Optimism in High Schools written by Margaret Duffy-Friedman and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 163 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study contributes to the research foundation of academic optimism (Hoy, Tarter & Woolfolk Hoy, 2006) through incorporating the following three aims: to determine the relationship between academic emphasis, collective efficacy, faculty trust in students and parents, and academic optimism; to explore the relationship of academic optimism with state student achievement and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards; and to identify the practices in schools that demonstrate academic emphasis, faculty trust in students and parents, and collective efficacy that comprise academic optimism. Qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized to collect quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data on academic emphasis, collective efficacy and faculty trust in students and parents from teachers and principals in one high and one lower performing Midwestern high school, as identified by state and federal standard mandates. This study provides an opportunity to describe how the construct of academic optimism, also linked to student achievement, translates into practice in the high school setting.
Book Synopsis Academic Optimism, Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, and Student Achievement at Charter Schools by : Mustafa Guvercin
Download or read book Academic Optimism, Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, and Student Achievement at Charter Schools written by Mustafa Guvercin and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Contemporary Issues in Educational Policy and School Outcomes by : Wayne K. Hoy
Download or read book Contemporary Issues in Educational Policy and School Outcomes written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by IAP. This book was released on 2006-03-01 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the fifth in a series on research and theory dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. Scholars, both young and established, are invited to publish original analyses, but we especially encourage young scholars to contribute to this series. The current volume is similar to its predecessors in that it provides a mix of beginning and established scholars and a broad range of theoretical perspectives; in all 14 authors contributed to 9 separate but related analyses, which were selected for publication this year.
Book Synopsis How School Leaders Contribute to Student Success by : Kenneth Leithwood
Download or read book How School Leaders Contribute to Student Success written by Kenneth Leithwood and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-03-15 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While considerable evidence indicates that school leaders are able to make important contributions to the success of their students, much less is known about how such contributions are made. This book provides a comprehensive account of research aimed at filling this gap in our knowledge, along with guidelines about how school leaders might use this knowledge for their own school improvement work. Leadership practices known to be effective for improving student success are outlined in the first section of the book while the remaining sections identify four “paths” along which the influence of those practices “flow” to exercise an influence on student success. Each of the Rational, Emotional, Organizational and Family paths are populated by conditions or variables known to have relatively direct effects on student success and also open to influence by effective leadership practices. While the Four Path framework narrows the attention of school leaders to a still-considerable number conditions known to contribute to student success, it leaves school leaders the autonomy to select, for improvement efforts, the sub-set of conditions that make the most sense in their own local circumstances. The approach to leadership described in this book provides evidence-based guidance on what to lead and flexibility on how to lead for purposes of improving student learning.
Book Synopsis Theory and Research in Educational Administration Vol. 1 by : Cecil Miskel
Download or read book Theory and Research in Educational Administration Vol. 1 written by Cecil Miskel and published by IAP. This book was released on 2002-03-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series is dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. Scholars, both young and established, are invited to publish original analyses, but we especially encourage young scholars to contribute to Theory and Research in Educational Administration. This first issue provides a mix of beginning and established scholars and a range of theoretical perspectives. Eight separate but related studies were selected for this first issue. Three of the research pieces deal with the intended and unintended consequences of policy and political initiatives in schools. Do high-stakes accountability environments threaten the potential of learning organizations? Marks and Printy grapple with that question. Not surprisingly, they anticipate the latent dysfunctional consequences of high-stakes accountability as they provide a careful analysis of urban school district responses to state policies. Well-intended initiatives produced unintended consequences that threatened the capacity for organizational learning in these schools. In a similar fashion, Jones and Malen’s findings suggest that political strategies that use insider dynamics can foster successful enactment of reforms but often at a cost of undermining efforts to implement the policy. Song and Miskel focus their analysis on national reading policy. An examination of national interests groups and policymakers suggests that an assessment of various groups’ influence is necessary if policy actors are to make sensible judgments in choosing allies and building coalitions for effective actions. Two of the papers are informed by contingency theory. Ogawa and Studer are concerned with the relationship between the school and its community. They propose that both buffering and bridging strategies enable schools to deal with parents effectively. Because schools depend on parents for resources, they bridge to parents in cooperative fashion, but because parents often pose uncertainty, schools also buffer parent influence by limiting their access. Yet, there is divergence from contingency theory because schools depend primarily on parents to provide socio-cultural rather than material resources; hence, schools often use strategies that shape rather than diminish dependence on parents. Rowan, also draws ideas from contingency theory to examine the extent to which the nature of teachers’ instructional work affects patterns of instructional management in schools. His data support the explanation that teachers who face increased task variety actively work to construct "organic" patterns of instructional management to reduce task uncertainty and to increase workplace motivation and commitment. Three papers examine teachers in schools. Rowan is intrigued by the variation in the nature of teachers’ work both in terms of task variety and task uncertainty. He finds that teachers do not see their work as many organizational theorists do, that is, as a non-routine form of work; in fact, teachers view teaching as either as a routine task or "expert task." In spite of the fact that many teachers endorsed a constructivist view of teaching, few concluded it was a non-routine task. Moreover, teachers in different disciplines have different views about both the nature of academic knowledge and desirable teaching practices. Both Goddard and Hoy and his colleagues use social cognitive theory to develop an argument of the importance of collective efficacy in positively influencing student achievement. Hoy, Smith, and Sweetland build on their earlier work to demonstrate that collective efficacy of schools is pivotal in explaining student achievement in a sample of rural schools. Goddard shows that that collective efficacy is also an important predictor of the practice of involving teachers in important school decisions. He concludes that the more we learn how school practices are related to collective efficacy, the more we will know about what school leaders
Book Synopsis Relationships Among Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities, School Academic Optimism, and Student Achievement in Alabama Middle and High Schools by : Amanda Hitson Cassity
Download or read book Relationships Among Perceptions of Professional Learning Communities, School Academic Optimism, and Student Achievement in Alabama Middle and High Schools written by Amanda Hitson Cassity and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among perceptions of professional learning communities, school academic optimism, and student achievement in Alabama middle and high schools. Quantitative data were collected through online surveys and hard copy surveys during the spring of 2012. The study was driven by research questions involving the relationship between teachers' and principals' perceptions that their school is a learning community and the level of academic optimism in those schools; the relationship between teachers' and principals' perceptions their school is a learning community and the level of student achievement; the comparison of school levels with teachers' and principals' perceptions; and the joint contribution of the perceptions of professional learning communities (PLCs) and academic optimism on student achievement. Two surveys were used: the School Professional Staff as Learning Community Questionnaire (SPSLCQ) and the School Academic Optimism Survey (SAOS), measuring participants' perceptions of their schools as learning communities and participants' perceptions of the level of academic optimism at their schools, respectively. Seven hundred three teachers and administrators from 59 schools across the state of Alabama were surveyed. Data were compared using correlations, t-tests, and regression analyses. Results confirmed findings from prior research regarding the relationship between academic optimism and student achievement. In addition, evidence showed that there is a positive, significant correlation between the perceptions of PLCs and academic optimism. Results of this study give school leaders tools with which to address the factors that lead to improved teacher efficacy and academic emphasis and thus increased student achievement.
Book Synopsis Revealing Academic Optimism in a High Achieving Middle School by : Lynn Ellen Pikero
Download or read book Revealing Academic Optimism in a High Achieving Middle School written by Lynn Ellen Pikero and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research investigated how one high achieving middle school staff demonstrated Academic Optimism as measured by the School Academic Optimism Scale (SAOS) and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (Revised) for middle schools. Twenty-seven teachers from a chosen middle school participated in the study. Additionally, qualitative data and artifacts were collected and analyzed to provide an in-depth examination and understanding. The findings uncovered a misalignment among the data sources. While the qualitative data suggested a higher than average level of Academic Optimism, student achievement data steadily declined during the three years under investigation, as did the school STAR rating. Additionally, survey results revealed that teachers perceived a lower than average level of Academic Optimism. In a high achieving school, it would be supposed that all data are in alignment, a high degree of Academic Optimism should be reflected on the surveys and the qualitative data, which is related to an increase in student achievement scores. This misalignment could be attributed to one overriding factor, the adoption of the Common Core Standards in Year Two of the study. Upon further examination, the adoption of the Common Cores Standards by the state, conflicting messages as perceived by the staff concerning academic achievement, and various school policies and programs which did not appear to reflect the aggressive stance of the school improvement plan or mission statement regarding student achievement, may have contributed to the discord in the data. A mixed methodological examination of both qualitative and quantitative data provided a comprehensive understanding of what was occurring at the school.
Book Synopsis Examining the Interaction of Academic Optimism, Enabling School Structures, Middle Level Practices, and Academic Achievement by : Vikki Wandmacher
Download or read book Examining the Interaction of Academic Optimism, Enabling School Structures, Middle Level Practices, and Academic Achievement written by Vikki Wandmacher and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study focused on young adolescent development, middle grades education, and the underlying supporting structures that assist students in achieving academically. Results were examined through the lens of Bandura's social cognitive theory, and a big picture view of the interplay of beliefs, behavior, and environmental influences emerged. The study examined three ideas: (a) the level of academic optimism (AO), enabled school structure (ESS), middle level strategy implementation, and academic achievement; (b) how the implementation of middle level strategies and School to Watch (STW) status affected the level of AO, and ESS; and (c) how the factors of AO, ESS, STW status, and middle level strategy implementation impacted the academic achievement of students in math and reading. Data were collected through AO and ESS surveys completed by 210 teachers and demographic information provided by 29 principals and the Michigan Department of Education. Findings revealed that factors of free and reduced lunch recipients with school size and location had a significant relationship with middle level certification, middle level training, and interdisciplinary teaming. These in turn had a significant relationship to AO and ESS, which were beliefs within the school. This study supported previous findings that AO supported by enabled ESS had an even greater effect upon academic achievement than even socioeconomic status. Middle school staff working to improve student achievement could identify their readiness through an examination of the ESS, AO, and STW surveys, and using this data, the administrator could collaborate with staff to structure a building climate with appropriate middle level strategies to meet student needs..
