Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in US Public Schools

Record: Neiman, Samantha, and Monica R. Hill. “Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in US Public Schools: Findings from the School Survey on Crime and Safety, 2009-2010.” National Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Abstracts Database, Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), May 2011. Web.

(Available for download here: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011320.pdf)

Summary:  This 2009-2010 report conducted by Neiman and Hill is based on information that focuses on the details of school crime through the perspective of schools affected by crime.  Neiman and Hill gathered information by questioning public school principals on the prevalence of criminal incidents in their schools, including physical altercations, robberies, and theft.  The primary focus of this study was studying alcohol abuse, drug- related incidents, bullying, cyber bullying, written plans for terrorists attacks and attacks with and/or without weapons The data was collected from February 24th, 2010 until June 11th, 2010 and was distributed by mail to principals. The survey was based on a nationally representative stratified sample of 3,476 U.S. public schools. Out of those 3,476 schools, 2,648 schools participated in the survey and their results were recorded. Neiman and Hill compare and contrast primary, middle and high school rates of violence. . Therefore, a small section of this study focused on school programs, disciplinary actions, and the ways in which to altogether prevent and reduce crime in schools.

Violence in schools: Prevalence, Prediction, and Prevention

Record: Eisenbraun, Kristin D. “Violence in schools: Prevalence, prediction, and prevention.” Aggression and violent behavior 12.4 (2007): 459-469.

(Available for download here: http://www15.uta.fi/arkisto/aktk/projects/sta/Eisenbraun_2007_Violence-In-Schools.pdf)

Summary: The author’s purpose was intended to further look at the prevalence and evolution of school violence while also focusing on the risk factors for students, families, and schools. This article also highlighted strategies that could prevent and interrupt school violence while encouraging future research. The article began with discussing the evolution of violence in schools. The term ‘school violence’ was not used in schools until 1992.  Before the late 90’s violence in schools was relatively low.  It started to rise in the 1980s and has shown a rapid increase. Violence has been on the rise ever since the 1980s and has shown exponential growth over the years.  School violence has been on the rise since the 1980s because of the use of technology and web.  They talked about where the term ‘school violence’ originated from.  They came to the conclusion saying, it was from the study of people who committed generalized violence. Educators were frustrated with the difficulty of detecting violence on school property.

What Do We Know About the Effectiveness of Preschools?

Record:  Lowenstein, A. E. (2011). Early Care and Education as Educational Panacea: What Do We Really Know About its Effectiveness? Educational Policy, 25(1), 92-114.  (Abstract)

Summary:

Amy Lowenstein states that the American public has embraced early childhood education (ECE) as a modern day necessity since 64% of mothers are working (although it is worth noting that this statistic has probably gone up even more since the study has been conducted). She continues by saying that much of the population (social scientists, politicians, business leaders and law-enforcement agencies) “sing ECE’s praises for holding the potential to make a lasting difference in the lives of young children, especially those from low income families” (p. 93). In this article, Lowenstein begins to examine claims about the effectiveness of ECE. After a balanced review of much literature, she concludes that, in the long run, ECE does not hold substantial significance in a student’s life.

A Comparison Among Preschools in Different Regions

Record:  Zhai, F., Waldfogel, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2013). Head Start, Prekindergarten, and Academic School Readiness: A Comparison Among Regions in the United States. Journal of Social Service Research, 39(3), 345-364. (abstract)

Summary:

Fuhua Zhai, Jane Waldfogel and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn conducted a secondary data analysis to examine the effects of Head Start on the children’s academic school readiness in the South when compared to other regions. The study also examined the differences between center based care and non-center based care. Center based care is a typical preschool program (includes Head Start, Pre-K, day care centers, nursery schools, etc.) that involves workers. Non-center based care includes non-parental care (family care, babysitters, etc.) and parental care in or out of the child’s home.

AFTER THE TWO-YEAR COMMITMENT: Teach for America

Record: Heineke, A. J., Mazza, B. S., & Tichnor-Wagner, A. (2014). After the Two-Year Commitment: A Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry of Teach For America Teacher Retention and Attrition. Urban Education, 49(7), 750-782. [Abstract here]

Summary: Teach for America (TFA), a nonprofit organization founded in 1990, recruits and trains high-achieving, recent college graduates to teach in low-income areas with a two-year commitment. There is continuing debate around Teach for America and other alternative certification programs. TFA hopes that their teachers, referred to as corps members, will develop a desire to serve low-income communities, improve the schools where they are placed, and effect change in broader educational contexts. Critics point to high rates of TFA corps members’ attrition, saying that there are actually negative impacts for professional growth, school reform efforts, and budget-stretched districts.

Since studies to this point have focused primarily on quantitative methods, Heineke, Mazza, and Tichnor-Wagner design a mixed methods approach to introduce qualitative as well as quantitative data from corps members of an urban area in the western United States.

Increasing the Teaching Efficacy of a Beginning Special Education Teacher Using Differentiated Instruction: A Case Study

Record:

Ernest, J. M., Heckman, K. A., Hull, K. M., & Carter, S. W. (2011). Increasing the teaching efficacy of a beginning special education teacher using differentiated instruction: a case study. International Journal of Special Education, 26(1), 191-200.

Summary:

This article describes how a beginning special education teacher in an inclusion classroom used various assessments to implement the principles of differentiated instruction to become more responsive to the needs of the students. In order for teachers to be prepared to effectively teach an increased number of students with challenging and diverse education needs, teacher preparation programs need to refine coursework and field experience. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 “brought attention to this topic by mandating that all teachers must be highly qualified and by emphasizing the use of evidence-based practices to improve outcomes from students with disabilities.”

One way to include and support all learners is through the use of differentiated instruction. This type of instruction makes use of various strategies to respond to the individual needs of students.

Reading Instruction in the Inclusion Classroom

Record:

Schmidt, R. J., Rozendal, M. S., & Greenman, G. G. (2002). Reading instruction in the inclusion classroom. Remedial and Special Education, 23(3), 130-140.

Summary:

This article presents various strategies that support the reading development of both general education and special education students. It is said that the ability to read is a critical component of school success. The article stressed the importance of improving how reading is taught in inclusion classes. “Improving reading instruction is a top priority for both general and special education.”

This article defines inclusion or inclusive education as full-time placement in the general education classroom. Students with disabilities may or may not receive additional support from a special education teacher in these inclusion settings. Since students with learning disabilities are required to meet minimum local and state competency requirements, many school districts are continuing to reshape the roles of their teachers and services.

Gendered practices in the education of gifted girls and boys

Record: Barbara A. Kerr, M. Alexandra Vuyk, and Christopher Rea, “Gendered practices in the education of gifted girls and boys” in Psychology in the Schools vol. 49 issue 7 (August 2012)

Summary: In this article, the author try to prove the idea that gifted girls and boys are more alike than they are different, and small differences can become exaggerated through gendered educational practices. These exaggerated differences can cause children to lose opportunities and possibly lead to long-term consequences.

Quality of Parental Homework Involvement: Predictors and Reciprocal Relations With Academic Functioning in the Reading Domain

Record: Dumont, H., Trautwein, U., Nagy, G., & Nagengast, B. (2014). Quality of parental homework involvement: Predictors and reciprocal relations with academic functioning in the reading domain. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(1), 144-161. doi:10.1037/a0034100

Summary: Helping with homework is the most typical way in which parents become involved in their children’s schooling. Parental involvement is defined in the article, as ‘any interactions between a parent and child that may contribute to the child’s development or to direct parent participation with a child’s school in the interest of the child’. But it is noted that it is the quality rather than the quantity of parental help with homework that seems to be the crucial factor that impacts student achievement and related outcomes. This study extends prior research on parental homework involvement by systematically examining the quality of parental homework involvement.

This study examined predictors of the quality of parental homework involvement and reciprocal relations between the quality of parental homework involvement and students’ reading achievement and academic functioning in a reading-intensive subject. With their first research question, researchers investigated why parents differ in the quality of homework help they provide by looking at parents’ socioeconomic background and children’s academic functioning. With their second research question, researchers examined whether there are reciprocal relations between the quality of parental homework involvement and students’ academic functioning. The researchers studied both research questions over the course of two years from 5^th Grade to 7^th Grade, with respect to reading achievement and academic functioning in a reading-intensive subject. The quality of parental homework involvement was assessed by student reports.

Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation, social comparison, satisfaction, effort, and academic performance

Record:

Hanus, M. h., & Fox, J. f. (2015). Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation, social comparison, satisfaction, effort, and academic performance. Computers & Education, 80152-161. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2014.08.019

Summary:

Introduction

Gamification is defined as the application of game elements to non-game settings, like the classroom. Teachers have often used games in their classrooms, but never had they made the entire class a game. Since modern students are using social media and other forms of video games avidly, gamification may have a positive effect. This study focuses on student and social engagement through leaderboards and badges. It also focuses on how these elements affect student motivation, satisfaction, effort, learner empowerment, and class grades. If all goes well with this study it may be used to determine how gamification can be used in the modern classroom.