Educational Researcher 45卷1期

1. The Ties That Bind: How Social Capital Is Forged and Forfeited in Teacher Communities

Author: E. N. Bridwell-Mitchell and North Cooc

Source: Educational Researcher 45.1 (Feb. 2016): 7-17.

Abstract:

The effects of social capital on school improvement make it important to understand how teachers forge, maintain, or forfeit collegial relationships. Two common explanations focused on formal organizational features and individual characteristics do not address how social capital accrues from informal dynamics of teachers’ interactions in communities. Our longitudinal study of teacher networks in four urban public schools finds that teachers in larger communities and communities with stronger cohesion are more likely to interact with each other over time. Teachers who frequently span community boundaries are less likely to continue interacting. These community-level characteristics are stronger predictors than teacher traits and formal organization. Our results have implications for how schools can support teachers in maintaining relationships and generating social capital.

2. Science Achievement Gaps Begin Very Early, Persist, and Are Largely Explained by Modifiable Factors

Author: Paul L. Morgan, George Farkas, Marianne M. Hillemeier, and Steve Maczuga

Source: Educational Researcher 45.1 (Feb. 2016): 18-35.

Abstract:

We examined the age of onset, over-time dynamics, and mechanisms underlying science achievement gaps in U.S. elementary and middle schools. To do so, we estimated multilevel growth models that included as predictors children’s own general knowledge, reading and mathematics achievement, behavioral self-regulation, sociodemographics, other child- and family-level characteristics (e.g., parenting quality), and school-level characteristics (e.g., racial, ethnic, and economic composition; school academic climate). Analyses of a longitudinal sample of 7,757 children indicated large gaps in general knowledge already evident at kindergarten entry. Kindergarten general knowledge was the strongest predictor of first-grade general knowledge, which in turn was the strongest predictor of children’s science achievement from third to eighth grade. Large science achievement gaps were evident when science achievement measures first became available in third grade. These gaps persisted until at least the end of eighth grade. Most or all of the observed science achievement gaps were explained by the study’s many predictors. Efforts to address science achievement gaps in the United States likely require intensified early intervention efforts, particularly those delivered before the primary grades. If unaddressed, science achievement gaps emerge by kindergarten and continue until at least the end of eighth grade.

3. Public Pre-K and Test Taking for the NYC Gifted-and-Talented Programs: Forging a Path to Equity

Author: Ying Lu and Sharon L. Weinberg

Source: Educational Researcher 45.1 (Feb. 2016): 36-47.

Abstract:

The New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) gifted-and-talented programs aim to support all students of exceptional learning potential within the public school system. Using proprietary data made available to us by the NYC DOE, we show, however, that substantial disparities exist in the rates of gifted-and-talented admission test taking, the first step in the process of accessing these more challenging educational opportunities. While Black and Latino/a students take the test for gifted-and-talented admission at substantially lower rates than their White and Asian counterparts, we find the disparity to be significantly less for those enrolled in public prekindergarten programs. We likewise find similar results when comparing other subgroups defined by students’ family, borough, and neighborhood characteristics. These results suggest that public prekindergarten gifted-and-talented attendance could have played a role in ameliorating the gaps in test taking by providing greater access to information about the gifted-and-talented programs across subgroups of students.

4. Research–Practice Partnerships in Education: Outcomes, Dynamics, and Open Questions

Author: Cynthia E. Coburn and William R. Penuel

Source: Educational Researcher 45.1 (Feb. 2016): 48-54.

Abstract:

Policymakers, funders, and researchers today view research–practice partnerships (RPPs) as a promising approach for expanding the role of research in improving educational practice. Although studies in other fields provide evidence of the potential for RPPs, studies in education are few. This article provides a review of available evidence of the outcomes and dynamics of RPPs in education and related fields. It then outlines a research agenda for the study of RPPs that can guide funders’ investments and help developing partnerships succeed.