This Week's Education Research Report 10-20-12 #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2

Education Research Report:

THIS WEEK'S EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT

“Dual enrollment” students more likely to attend, graduate from college

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 21 hours ago

High school students who take college courses are significantly more likely to attend and graduate from college than peers who do not, according to a study of more than 30,000 Texas high school graduates by Boston-based education nonprofit Jobs for the Future (JFF). JFF’s study, Taking College Courses in High School: A Strategy for College Readiness, tracked 32,908 students who graduated from Texas high schools in 2004. Half were “dual enrollment” students—completing college courses that typically award both high school and college credit—and half were not, though the two groups we... more »

For Collegians with Disabilities, Success Linked to Mentoring, Self-advocacy and Perseverance

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago

A Rutgers study of recent New Jersey college and university graduates with disabilities has found that students attributed their academic success to a combination of possessing such strong personality traits as self-advocacy and perseverance, and their relationship with a faculty or staff mentor. Accessing campus accommodations was not a major issue but learning about such help “was not always the smoothest process,” the report noted. The research also determined that students mainly used campus resources for assistance rather than a combination of college and community services. ... more »

Children with ADHD find medication frees them to choose between right and wrong

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago

Children living with ADHD tend to feel they benefit from medication to treat the condition and do not think the medication turns them into ‘robots’, according to a report published today. In fact, they report that medication helps them to control their behaviour and make better decisions. The study, which gives a voice to the children themselves, provides valuable insights into their experiences and the stigma they face. The ADHD VOICES - Voices on Identity, Childhood, Ethics and Stimulants - study has worked with 151 families in the UK and the USA to examine ethical and societal i... more »

Twitter improves student learning

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 2 days ago

Twitter, best known as the 140-character social-networking site where Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga chit-chat with fans, has become a new literary format that is improving student learning, a new study argues. Christine Greenhow, assistant professor of education at Michigan State University, found that college students who tweet as part of their instruction are more engaged with the course content and with the teacher and other students, and have higher grades. “Tweeting can be thought of as a new literary practice,” said Greenhow, who also studies the growing use of social media amo... more »

Exercise may lead to better school performance for kids with ADHD

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago

A few minutes of exercise can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder perform better academically, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University researcher. The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, shows for the first time that kids with ADHD can better drown out distractions and focus on a task after a single bout of exercise. Scientists say such “inhibitory control” is the main challenge faced by people with the disorder. “This provides some very early evidence that exercise might be a tool in our nonpharmaceutical... more »

How Recent Education Reforms Undermine Local School Governance and Democratic Education

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago

A new report, * Democracy Left Behind: How Recent Education Reforms Undermine Local School Governance and Democratic Education,* by Kenneth Howe and David Meens of the University of Colorado Boulder examines the impact on democratic ideals of vanishing local control over education. Howe and Meens describe local control as “the power of communities, made up of individuals bound together by common geography, resources, problems and interests, to collectively determine the policies that govern their lives.” As regards schooling, this typically refers to control by elected school boar... more »

More Research Needed on The Spalding Method® for Beginning Readers

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 3 days ago

There are many programs and instructional techniques for young readers that offer multifaceted approaches to learning. The Spalding Method®, a language arts program for grades K–6, aims to teach spelling, writing, and reading by using explicit, integrated instruction and multisensory techniques. A new report from the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) takes a closer look at the research on The Spalding Method® and reveals the need for more evidence. The WWC identified 17 studies that investigated the effects of The Spalding Method® on beginning readers and none meet WWC evidence standa...more »

School-wide interventions improve student behavior

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 4 days ago

An analysis of a school behavior strategy—known as School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS)—found that these types of programs significantly reduced children's aggressive behaviors and office discipline referrals, as well as improved problems with concentration and emotional regulation. The study, conducted by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is the first randomized control trial to examine the impact of SWPBIS programs over multiple school years. The results were published October 15 in the journal Pediatrics as an e... more »

Brain scans can predict children's reading ability

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 4 days ago

If a 7-year-old is breezing through the "Harry Potter" books, studies indicate that he or she will be a strong reader later in life. Conversely, if a 7-year-old is struggling with "The Cat in the Hat," that child will most likely struggle with reading going forward. Karen Struthers/iStock.comMother and child reading book The study findings could eventually influence reading lessons for pre-elementary children, tailoring lesson plans to individual needs. New research from Stanford shows that brain scans can identify the neural differences between these two children, and could one da... more »

Formula for college success: High school rigor and good advice

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 4 days ago

The demand for workers with a college education is growing faster than the supply of graduates. By 2018, we will have produced 3 million fewer college graduates than the labor market demands (Carnevale, 2010). President Obama has further set a national goal to produce 8 million more graduates by 2020 in order to make the United States the world leader in college attainment. One way to get there is to prevent the students who enter college from leaving before they earn a credential. Results vary between institutions, but in 2009 only 57.8 percent of students attending four-year coll... more »

The Marshmallow Study revisited

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

* Delaying gratification depends as much on nurture as on nature* For the past four decades, the "marshmallow test" has served as a classic experimental measure of children's self-control: will a preschooler eat one of the fluffy white confections now or hold out for two later? Now a new study demonstrates that being able to delay gratification is influenced as much by the environment as by innate ability. Children who experienced reliable interactions immediately before the marshmallow task waited on average four times longer—12 versus three minutes—than youngsters in similar but... more »

Standards, course requirements, and mandatory assessments relevant to civic education

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) has analyzed the standards, course requirements, and mandatory assessments relevant to civic education in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. This is the first such scan in 5 years. The full analysis is summarized in a new fact sheet entitled State Civic Education Requirements, and a spreadsheet provides details on each state. Some of the highlights: • All states have standards for social studies, a broad category that includes civics/government along with other disciplines such as history an... more »

Study: Parenting More Important Than Schools to Academic Achievement

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

New research from North Carolina State University, Brigham Young University and the University of California, Irvine, “Does Capital at Home Matter More than Capital at School?: Social Capital Effects on Academic Achievement,"finds that parental involvement is a more significant factor in a child’s academic performance than the qualities of the school itself. “Our study shows that parents need to be aware of how important they are, and invest time in their children – checking homework, attending school events and letting kids know school is important,” says Dr. Toby Parcel, a profes... more »

Are liberal arts colleges disappearing?

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

Liberal arts colleges continue redefining their historical missions or flat-out disappearing – a trend that threatens to diminish America’s renowned higher education system, argues a study co-authored by a Michigan State University scholar. Of the 212 liberal arts colleges identified in a landmark 1990 study, only 130 remain in their traditional form – a 39 percent reduction, according to the new research. While some liberal arts schools have closed or become part of larger universities due to financial problems, Roger Baldwin, MSU professor of educational administration, said man... more »

Why does having a full classroom matter?

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

How often do your child’s classmates go to school? Whether fellow students show up for class matters more than you think, especially if your son or daughter is in middle school, according to Robert Balfanz, a research professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Education. While it’s natural for parents to focus their attention solely on their own child’s attendance, Balfanz said it is also critically important that they start paying attention to what he calls the chronic absentee rate: the percentage of children who miss a month or more of the school year, as detailed in hi... more »

How teachers can increase students’ interest and engagement in the classroom

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

The National Center for Educational Statistics reported that only 73% of high school freshmen graduate within four years. For those students who continue their education at the collegiate level, slightly more than half (57%) earn a bachelor’s degree and over 18% will leave college altogether. Although many factors can contribute to students’ academic risk, negative emotions associated with learning—such as a lack of interest and engagement in their courses—could be a vital reason for students’ disengagement, withdrawal, and failure in school. Joseph Mazer’s article, published toda... more »

Academic achievement improved among students active in structured after-school programs

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

School-age children who participate in structured after-school activities improve their academic achievement, according to a new study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas. The study by researchers in SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development measured academic performance of students enrolled in Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas. “Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and other structured programs are really having a positive impact,” said Ken Springer, an associate professor. “We believe that the homework support that the clubs consistently provide stud... more »

Neuroscientists launch 5-year study of music education and child brain development

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

Researchers at USC Brain and Creativity Institute will explore the effects of intense music training on cognitive development in LA Phil's YOLA at HOLA program The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the USC Brain and Creativity Institute and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) are delighted to announce a longitudinal research collaboration to investigate the emotional, social and cognitive effects of musical training on childhood brain development. The five-year research project, Effects of Early Childhood Musical Training on Brain and Cognitive Development, will offer USC researchers ... more »

Postsecondary Enrollment, Graduation Rates, and Student Financial Aid

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

By extending the time students were tracked for program completion from within 100 percent of normal time to within 200 percent of normal time, graduation rates for undergraduates who were full-time, first-time students in 2007 increased from 21 percent to 37 percent at 2-year institutions and from 46 percent to 69 percent at less-than-2-year institutions, according to new data released by the National Center for Education Statistics. Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2011; Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2011; and Graduation Rates, Selected Cohorts, 2003-2008presen... more »

Lead Policy and Academic Performance: Insights from Massachusetts

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

Childhood exposure to even low levels of lead can adversely affect neurodevelopment, behavior, and cognitive performance. This paperinvestigates the link between lead exposure and student achievement in Massachusetts. Panel data analysis is conducted at the school-cohort level for children born between 1991 and 2000 and attending 3rd and 4th grades between 2000 and 2009 at more than 1,000 public elementary schools in the state. Massachusetts is well-suited for this analysis both because it has been a leader in the reduction of childhood lead levels and also because it has mandated ... more »

NEARLY HALF OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM WANDER OR “BOLT” FROM SAFE PLACES

Jonathan Kantrowitz at Education Research Report - 1 week ago

* Children with autism are four times more likely to wander than their unaffected siblings * A new study published today in the journal Pediatrics (Epub ahead of print) found that nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to wander or “bolt,” and more than half of these children go missing. Led by researchers from the Interactive Autism Network (IAN), the nation’s largest online autism research initiative and a project of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, this study provides the most comprehensive estimate of elopement occurrence in a United States comm... more »