Category: Educational Administration and Leadership

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Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Secondary School Education Social and Motivational Outcomes

Cultivating connections: Teacher-student demographic matching and student outcomes

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that students benefit from being in classrooms with demographically similar teachers. A recent EdWorkingPaper, authored by Cleveland and Scherer, explored the impacts of teacher-student demographic matching on student academic and behavioral outcomes. The study utilized a comprehensive dataset combining student-level survey responses and state administrative records for 5th-8th-grade students in Boston’s public charter middle schools from 2015 to 2019. Survey data on social-emotional development were collected, along with administrative records including enrollment, attendance, suspensions, and standardized test scores. The research also included teacher data, linking students to teachers based on demographics, and explored the proportion of teachers matching student demographics. The student sample consisted predominantly of Black students (47%), with a high percentage receiving free- or reduced-price lunch (67%). The teacher sample was mostly White (69%) and female (72%).

The research found improvements in social-emotional self-reported measures, particularly in grit and interpersonal self-management, with Black female students driving these positive effects. In terms of academic and behavioral outcomes, limited or negative effects were observed for standardized test scores when matching solely on race, but there was a significant positive effect for Black females taught by Black male teachers. Matching on race and gender significantly reduced absences, especially for Black students. Behavioral and test score effects were larger in the full administrative data sample, indicating that students who struggled more academically benefitted more from teacher matching. Overall, the results suggested a potential link between teacher-student matching, student connectedness, and improved academic and behavioral outcomes during middle school. The research contributes to understanding the broader impact of teacher-student demographic matching on various student outcomes, emphasizing the importance of continued efforts to diversify the teacher workforce.

 

Source (Open Access): Cleveland, C., & Scherer, E. (2024). The Effects Of Teacher-Student Demographic Matching On Social-Emotional Learning. In EdWorkingPapers.com. Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://edworkingpapers.com/ai21-399… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership Secondary School Education

The statistics on bullying

The National Center for Education Statistics has released findings on the state of bullying in the U.S. as part of the 2022 school crime supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The first crime supplement to be released post-Covid, the survey encompasses public and private school, and both in-person and virtual bullying, and reports the findings from NCVS family members in grades 6-12/12-18 years old who were asked about school crime they experienced, including bullying. Results are presented in tables that show how bullying varies based on victims’ characteristics (ex: by gender, race, or household income) and by schools’ characteristics (ex: presence of gangs, security presence).

Results showed that 19.2% of all students reported being bullied. Bullying was highest for students in 6th grade (26.9%), for students who were two or more races (30.1%), for students in public vs private school (20% vs 14.5%), for rural students (23.8%), and in schools with 300 students or less (26.6%). The highest rates of bullying took place in classrooms and stairwells/hallways, with 41% of students thinking it would happen again. 31.5% reported bullying every 3-10 days. The most frequent type of bullying behavior was being a victim of a spread rumor (13%). Negative effects included lowered feelings about self (27.8%), and problems with schoolwork (19.7%).

The site also links to earlier years’ results of the same survey. The next survey is scheduled for 2025.

 

Source (Open Access): Thomsen, E., Henderson, M., Moore, A., Price, N., & McGarrah, M. W. (2024). Student Reports of Bullying: Results From the 2022 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey: (NCES 2024-109) US Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2024109… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education Programme Evaluation

Effect of AI powered virtual agents on learning outcomes

Decades of research and technological progress have facilitated more sophisticated natural language-based interactions and adaptive learning through artificial intelligence. A recent meta-analysis by Dai and colleagues examined the impact of AI-powered virtual agents in computer-based simulations on learning performance. Two sample studies regarding virtual agents were presented: in research conducted by Shiban and colleagues, virtual agents equipped with AI capabilities were designed as a human figure, offering feedback through both text and gestures. In another study by Le and Wartschinski, an AI-powered virtual agent employed a humanlike name and engaged in text-based interactions, assuming the role of a mentor.

The meta-analysis included experimental studies comparing learning outcomes between groups using computer-based simulations featuring AI-powered versus non-AI virtual agents. Performance-based measures rather than self-reports were analyzed from 22 studies published mainly between 2018-2021 (90% of studies), yielding 49 effect sizes. Random effects modeling revealed a moderate overall effect (Hedges’ g = 0.43).

Moderation analysis uncovered several insights:

  • Module-based AI technology achieved the highest impact (g = 0.50), followed by natural language processing/machine learning (g = 0.42) and rule-based designs (g = 0.23).
  • Human-like with text agents produced the greatest gains (g = 0.78) relative to fictional characters (g. cartoon; g = 0.55) or human avatars (g = 0.35).
  • Interaction modality (text, voice, multi-modal) and agent role (e.g., guidance, feedback) had no significant differential impact.
  • While intervention duration significantly moderated outcomes, the findings were indeterminate as to whether longer and shorter intervention lengths would produce better results.

Though limited in number of studies, this work provides initial empirical support for AI-powered virtual characters to augment learning via computer simulations. Continued research employing varied methodologies can help elucidate design principles to maximize their instructional potential.

 

Source: Dai, C.-P., Ke, F., Pan, Y., Moon, J., & Liu, Z. (2024). Effects of artificial intelligence-powered virtual agents on learning outcomes in computer-based simulations: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09855-4… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership Kindergarten Language Development Primary School Education

Dual language immersion: Unveiling early promising impact

Recent research has highlighted the significant benefits of early dual language education, incorporating both English and a target language from kindergarten onwards. This approach has been shown to significantly enhance academic achievement in upper elementary grades for both native English speakers and English learners, particularly in reading, English Language Arts, and math.

Morales’ recent brief report presents findings on the impact of dual language immersion (DLI) programs on early elementary students’ math and reading test scores. Using individual-level data from four cohorts of kindergarten and first-grade students who participated in DLI lotteries of two public school districts in metro Atlanta between 2016 and 2019, the study evaluated students’ test scores up to fourth grade to estimate the intent-to-treat (ITT) effects of DLI. Comparisons were drawn between those who gained access to DLI programs and those receiving monolingual education instead. The enrollment of at least one year in one of the 10 identified DLI programs (with Spanish, French or German as target languages) involved 1,423 students in the lottery, of whom 812 were randomly selected.

Overall, estimates from the sample show an increase in reading (ES=+0.12) and math test scores (ES=+0.14) for those with access to a dual language program. Further analyses indicated that the choice of target language (Spanish, French, or German) did not significantly impact the positive outcomes, and that improvements in both reading and math scores tended to increase over time. While these results should be interpreted with caution, they strongly suggest that the positive effects of bilingual education, evaluated in a context where dual language education is expanding, are realized gradually over time, and can be observed as early as first grade.

 

Source (Open Access): Morales, C. (2024). Dual language immersion programs and student achievement in early elementary grades. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737241228829… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Programme Evaluation Secondary School Education

School and district turnaround through Michigan’s Partnership Model

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) grants states significant autonomy in choosing methods to identify and improve the lowest performing schools. In 2017, Michigan initiated the Partnership Model of School and District Turnaround, providing support and accountability for 119 schools from 36 districts that had previously ranked in the bottom 5% statewide between 2017 and 2020. Schools and districts were identified for the Partnership program in three waves and received enhanced support and resources from Michigan Department of Education. This included Partnership Agreement liaisons for individualized support, greater regional support from intermediate school districts, access to exclusive grants, special education services, professional development, data services, and additional funding.

In a recent study, Burns and colleagues conducted a mixed-methods analysis of the impact of the Partnership Model on student and school outcomes. They explored differences in impact for various student groups and how varying implementations may have influenced outcomes across schools and districts. Drawing from administrative data representing over 2 million students, as well as teacher surveys, the researchers developed two matched cohorts to examine the Partnership Model’s impact compared to low-performing schools that were never designated as Partnership schools.

The researchers looked at the impact of the Partnership Model for students in Grades 4 and 8 after one year (Cohort 2) and two years (Cohort 1). Overall, they detected a positive effect on student outcomes for those in Partnership schools, as well as for other low-performing schools within the Partnership districts that were not specifically involved. In particular, students in Grades 4 and 8 from both cohorts demonstrated gains in math, and those from Cohort 1 demonstrated gains in reading. However, improved outcomes were not found for Partnership school students in terms of SAT achievement, graduation rate, or dropout rate. This is consistent with studies that note larger gains for younger students than for older ones.

The findings point to two key takeaways: First, that the effect appears to be more consistent for students in Cohort 1, who received Partnership services and supports over two years. While large scale reform takes time, it is noteworthy that statistically significant changes were observable after just two years. Second, the observed impact on schools in the same districts as those included in the Partnership program underscores the broader reach of systematic reform efforts like the Partnership Model.

 

Source: Burns, J., Harbatkin, E., Strunk, K. O., Torres, C., Mcilwain, A., & Waldron, S. F. (2023). The efficacy and implementation of Michigan’s partnership model of school and district turnaround: Mixed-methods evidence from the first 2 years of reform implementation. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 45(4), 622-654. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737221141415… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education Language Development

A meta-analysis of the effects of cultural capital on students’ reading performance

A recent meta-analysis, published in the International Journal of Educational Research, examined the effects of cultural capital on student reading performance. Applying six inclusion criteria—namely, type of cultural capital, school level, data source, publication type, publication year, and region—the meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of various cultural capitals: “overall cultural capital,” “embodied cultural capital” (encompassing family wealth and expectations), “objectified cultural capital” (pertaining to ownership opportunities), and “institutionalized cultural capital” (linked to opportunities for education and subsequent employment).

The authors identified 37 studies, yielding an overall significant effect of cultural capital on reading performance (ES = +0.25). Each type of cultural capital yielded similar results, with institutional (+0.23) and embodied (+0.24) cultural capitals exhibiting significantly higher effects compared to objectified cultural capital (+0.18). Regarding school level, primary (+0.23) and secondary (+0.23) students showed significantly higher effects than kindergarten students (+0.17). For the publication year, the post hoc test showed that the r+ of studies published in 1981–2000 (+0.31) and 2001–2010 (+0.23) were significantly higher than those published in 2011–2020 (+0.19). Additionally, samples from Europe (+0.21), North America (+0.20), South America (+0.33), and mixed regions (+0.26) exhibited significantly higher effects compared to those from Asia (+0.09). Furthermore, it was observed that mother’s education (+0.24) had a greater influence on reading performance than father’s education (+0.17).

These findings offer a nuanced understanding of the relationship between cultural capital and reading performance.

 

Source: Jheng, Y., Lin, C., & Liao, Y. (2023). The way cultural capital works: A meta-analysis of the effects of cultural capital on student’s reading performance. International Journal of Educational Research, 122, 102259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102259… Read the rest