Category: Educational Administration and Leadership

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Educational Administration and Leadership K-12 Education

Assumed competence while overlooking unseen information in decision-making

People interpret the same information in various ways, often believing their own views are objectively true while dismissing opposing perspectives as ignorant or biased. This can have serious implications for decisionmakers in education and other fields. A recent study examined how people assume they have enough information to make decisions, even when they are missing key details. For example, a driver may impatiently honk at a car waiting at a stop sign, only to discover an unseen mother pushing her stroller across the street. This reveals how mistaken assumptions about having complete information can lead to misunderstandings.

To investigate the “unknown unknowns” in decision-making, (i.e., we don’t know what we don’t know), Gehlbach and colleagues conducted a study of decision-making. Participants (n=1261) read an article about a school threatened by a drying aquifer, faced with the decision to either merge with another school or remain independent. They were randomly assigned to three groups based on the information presented in the article: pro-merge, pro-separate, and a control that received balanced arguments for both options. Subjects were mostly male (59%) and White (71%), with a mean age of 39.8 years and a median education level of three years of college.

Results showed that compared to the control group, the two treatment groups assumed that they had adequate information and were capable of making informed decisions. Their decisions were heavily influenced by the subset of information they received. They also believed that most other people would arrive at similar decisions. This study suggests that in a world of unreliable information, recognizing what information may be missing and approaching decisions with humility and curiosity can help us better understand others’ perspectives before passing judgment.

 

Source (Open Access): Gehlbach, H., Robinson, C. D., & Fletcher, A. (2024). The illusion of information adequacy. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0310216. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310216… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Programme Evaluation

School gardens and nutrition education in limited-income Alabama

As funding cuts loom over the education system, from the federal level down to local classrooms, it is useful to remember the impact education and schools can have on all aspects of students’ lives. In addition to math and reading, schools have the capacity to change students’ health behaviors and their nutrition practices. A recent study in Alabama, conducted by Sofia Sanchez and colleagues, examined the impact of school gardens and nutrition education on students’ fruit and vegetable consumption. Other studies have highlighted the positive benefits that healthy diets have on academic achievement and social and emotional well-being. However, as Sanchez and her team noted, disparities in diet and nutrition knowledge persist along race and economic lines in Alabama and beyond.

In their study, the researchers conducted a randomized trial of over 4,000 third-grade students from 99 Alabama schools, some with on-site school gardens and others without. After surveying students on their nutrition, treatment students participated in the Body Quest school-based health promotion curriculum, which focused on healthy foods, beverages, and physical activity. Researchers were particularly interested in whether the presence of gardens and BQ provided an additive impact.

Before the intervention, students at schools with gardens already reported higher fruit and vegetable consumption. Using multi-level modeling, the researchers found that BQ nutrition education increased third grade students’ fruit and vegetable intake. Surprisingly, students who participated in BQ but did not have access to a school garden demonstrated the greatest vegetable consumption increases. While not feasible for all schools to maintain gardens, the study suggests that both school and community gardens, along with nutrition education alone, can positively influence student dietary practices.

 

Source (Open Access): Sanchez, S. O., Funderburk, K., Reznicek, E., Parmer, S. M., & Hinnant, J. B. (2025). Impact of school gardens on nutrition education among limited-income communities in Alabama. Journal of School Health, 95(2), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13513… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Secondary School Education

Restorative practices and student outcomes in Chicago Public Schools

School discipline policies have long relied on suspensions to manage student behavior but concerns over their disproportionate impact and long-term consequences have led to the rise of alternative approaches. In a study published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, researchers examined the rollout of Restorative Practices (RP) across 73 high schools in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) from the 2013-14 to 2018-2019 school years. RP focuses on fostering accountability and repairing harm through structured conversations and community-building rather than punitive discipline. Using a difference-in-differences research design, the study analyzed student suspensions, school climate, and juvenile arrest rates to assess the impact of RP implementation.

The study found that the introduction of RP led to an 18% reduction in out-of-school suspensions, with the greatest declines observed among Black students, who historically faced the highest suspension rates. Arrests also decreased significantly, with a 19% overall reduction, including a 35% drop in school-related arrests and a 15% decline in out-of-school arrests—suggesting changes in student behavior beyond the school setting. While concerns exist that reducing punitive discipline could increase classroom disruptions, the study found no evidence of negative effects on school climate or academic achievement. In fact, student survey responses indicated improvements in perceptions of school safety, peer behavior, and student-teacher trust.

Despite these positive outcomes, the study also highlighted key limitations. RP had little to no effect on standardized test scores, and its success varied based on school implementation. While the findings suggest that RP can improve behavioral outcomes without harming academic performance, its effectiveness depends on sustained school-wide commitment, adequate training for educators, and integration into broader school culture. The researchers emphasize that RP alone may not be a universal solution, but when implemented thoughtfully, it has the potential to create more supportive and inclusive learning environments.

 

Source (Open Access): Adukia, A., Feigenberg, B.,  Momeni, F. (2025) : From Retributive to Restorative: An Alternative Approach to Justice in Schools. (EdWorkingPaper: 23 -854). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/k310-w337… Read the rest

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Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education Programme Evaluation

Can online education be enhanced through increased teacher-student online interaction?

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many K-12 students in China relied on online video courses for education. Prior studies suggest that taking pure online courses can negatively impact academic achievement.  To address this, Wang and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled experiment to investigate whether enhancing teacher-student interaction could mitigate these effects for primary students.

The study involved 3,037 grade 3-5 students from 72 classes in 5 schools which were randomly selected in a rural county in South-Central China. One class per grade in each school was randomly assigned to the treatment classes, while the remaining served as the control groups. During the spring semester of 2020, the 15 teachers of the treatment classes delivered a 30-minute interactive online recitation session weekly after the regular online classes for 16 weeks. In these sessions, teachers answered student questions, called on students to answer questions about the taught material, and communicated with them regarding their mental state. Control group students were directed to self-study at home during the same period.

After controlling for baseline scores and background characteristics, the results revealed:

  • The treatment group students had significantly higher exam scores than the control group (ES = +0.185).
  • Low-ability students achieved greater improvement compared to high-ability students.
  • Students in the treatment group reported greater improvements in extraversion (ES=+0.13), openness (ES=+0.09), and conscientiousness (ES=+0.16), compared to the control group.

The authors suggested that the online tutorial sessions may have enhanced academic performance through improving in-class attention and increasing study hours after school. They also speculated that the intervention strengthened personality traits by increasing parental engagement hours with their children. However, these proposed mechanisms require more rigorous examination.

 

Source: Wang, C., Wang, Y., Xiao, A., Zhang, Y., & Zou, H. (2025). Student development in teacher–student interaction: Evidence from a randomized experiment in online education. Journal of Public Economics, 242, 105285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2024.105285… Read the rest

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Achievement Educational Administration and Leadership Primary School Education

E-reader libraries as intervention: Positive outcomes for low-income students

As reading achievement gaps persist among students of different socioeconomic backgrounds, a research team from the University of Potsdam suggests that children’s home literacy environments are prime for intervention. Targeting 11 to 12 year-old students from low-income households across Germany (n=1,000), Anger and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial that put e-readers directly into students’ hands. The electronic reading tablets were preloaded with a vast, age-appropriate digital library where students could self-select books and were configured to prevent non-study related use. To replicate the literacy support that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds may receive at home, the team also partnered with a non-profit to conduct a postcard campaign, recommending books and reading materials to treatment group households.

Findings indicated that access to free and self-selected reading materials paired with reading recommendations was associated with an increase in overall reading engagement and improved socio-emotional and academic outcomes (reading behavior, ES = +0.39; socio-emotional well-being, ES = +0.15; academic achievement, ES = +0.15). The researchers also performed a cost-benefit analysis that placed this intervention favorably compared to other educational interventions, demonstrating its scalability. These results underscore the importance of supporting families in creating home literacy environments that could not only close reading achievement gaps but positively impact children’s long-term outcomes.

 

Source (Open Access): Anger, S., Christoph, B., Galkiewicz, A., Margaryan, S., Peter, F., Sandner, M., & Siedler, T. (2024). A Library in the Palm of Your Hand? A Randomized Reading Intervention with Low-Income Children. IZA Discussion Paper No. 17322, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4970159 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4970159… Read the rest

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

To whom do results of SEL programs apply?

For decades, education experiments and meta-analyses have focused on how effective an intervention is on average. However, this assumes that the same effect is expected with all students and in all contexts, which educators know is unrealistic. The effectiveness of an intervention can vary depending on factors such as student characteristics, how the program is delivered, or its duration. More recently, there has been a shift toward designing experiments that clearly identify which populations results can be generalized to, helping practitioners better understand what effects to expect.

A recent review by Tiffany Jones and colleagues explored to what extent ethnic diversity of students was represented in studies evaluating SEL programs and which SEL programs benefitted ethnic minorities. They analyzed 97 experimental studies on school-based interventions listed in the CASEL framework, focusing on U.S. students aged 3-11.

The review found that ethnicity was not reported for 18% of students in these studies. Among those with reported data, White students were the most represented group (35%), followed by African American (28%) and Hispanic (23%), with less than 5% belonging to other ethnicities. Of the 69 trials that included a mix of ethnicities, only 13 investigated effects by ethnic group. Results showed that seven SEL programs had proven benefits for Black students, while four benefitted Hispanic students. These findings were based on studies that either focused on a single racial group or showed positive effects for a specific subgroup.

The authors concluded that most of the trials did not adequately consider the role of ethnicity in their evaluations, and that more research is needed to understand how SEL programs impact racial minority groups.

 

Source (Open Access): Jones, T. M., Kim, B.-K. E., Fleming, C. B., Deng, J., Duane, A., Gavin, A. R., & Shapiro, V. B. (2025). To whom do these results apply? Assessing evidence for the generalizability of social and emotional learning programs among specific racial and ethnic groups. Review of Educational Research, 00346543241310184. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241310184… Read the rest