A Tale of Two Districts: One High Poverty, One High SES

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A Tale of Two Districts One High Poverty, One
High SES

• 2008 IES Research Conference
• Dr. Jane T. Plenge
• Dr. Antoinette Rath

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Overview of Districts

• W-NJ
• B District
• 3/5 schools made AYP in 2007
• Majority white black

• MT-NJ
• J District
• 5/5 schools made AYP in 2007
• Majority white Asian

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State Assessment Results 2005-06

• W-NJ 05-06
• LAL PartProf/Prof/AdvProf
• Wh 40
• 32.5 37.5 30.0
• Bl 33
• 36.4 60.6 3.0
• MATH
• Wh - 40
• 32.5 55.0 12.5
• Bl 32
• 59.4 40.6 0.0

• MT-NJ 05-06
• LAL PartProf/Prof/AdvProf
• Wh - 287
• 2.1 45.3 52.6
• As - 69
• 0.0 30.4 69.6
• MATH
• Wh - 288
• 3.5 43.1 53.5
• As - 69
• 1.4 17.4 81.2

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Use of Research W-NJ

• WRITE in all content areas
• UPenn PENN Literacy Network
• Writing Across the Curriculum teacher
  constructed writing prompts
• Administered every course, every period, 3x per
  marking period
• Accountability Teacher portfolio due at time of
  APR
• Teachers not writing specialists focus on
  content understanding
• PD for full staff on-site graduate courses

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Use of Research W-NJ

• Writing in all content areas
• Research data from Education Trust
• PD - Standards in Practice
• Full staff study - use of standards (1 content, 1
  writing) in teacher assignments and resulting
  student work samples
• Cross content, within content, in grade level

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Use of Research W-NJ

• Achievement Gap
• PD to prep for research data collection Ron
  Ferguson, Harvard University - Tripod Project
• PD with Psychologist Howard C. Stevenson, Jr.
  GSE UPENN
• Playing with Anger Teaching Coping Skills to
  African American Boys Through Athletics and
  Culture

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Use of Research W-NJ

• Achievement Gap
• Minority Task Force community staff
• Book Study Groups for Staff Lisa Delpit, Gary
  Howard, Ruby Payne
• Membership in Delaware Valley Minority Student
  Achievement Consortium
• African-American Male Group, student focus groups
• On site qualitative study Gender, Race, and
  Representation in US History Films Impact on
  Identity Development in Black and White Females

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W-NJ After Research-Based Program Interventions
Over 2 Yrs (2003-04)

• Language Arts Literacy 99 tested
• PartProf Prof AdvProf
• 22.2(31.5) 64.6(59.6) 13.1(9.0)
• Passing 77.7 (04) 68.6 (03)
  gain 9.1
• Math 99 tested
• PartProf Prof AdvProf
• 38.4(57.3) 36.4(36) 25.3(6.7)
• Passing 61.7 (04) 42.7 (03)
  gain 19.0

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Use of Research MT-NJ

• Math Science curriculum renewal process
• Change deeply held beliefs of teachers and
  administration to change practice
• E.g. Everyday Math Physics First Promising
  programs based on empirical data NCTM and NSF
• Implement standards-based instruction and
  assessment
• Encourage constructivist inquiry learning -
  more than just procedural, i.e., conceptual
  understanding
• Support - extensive PD

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Use of Research MT-NJ

• TIMSS
• Focal Points
• Makes TIMSS research applicable
• Shifted emphasis for grade levels
• De-emphasized and eliminated some areas
• Moves closer to national curriculum
• NJ in process of planning implementation of Alg
  I, Alg II, Bio, Chem. end-of course assessments

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Use of Research MT-NJ

• Elementary Principal
• With parents to support instruction or issues
  with practice
• To redirect a teacher, e.g. use of negative
  discipline system
• Planning budgeting for resource purchases
• Answering questions from teachers and parents
• Move to non-fiction story books rather than
  history text

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Use of Research MT-NJ

• ETS Non-cognitive measures
• Construct and administer HS student survey
• Provide actions for self monitoring based on
  responses
• Utilize findings for research
• ERS
• Class size, study skills, reading recovery,
  grading/student evaluation, first grade,
  transitional/junior kindergarten, full day
  kindergarten, gifted education, MS transitional
  programs

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Thanks for your attention and your interest!