Browsing by Subject "elementary"
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Item Effects of Data-Based Writing Instruction on the Reading Outcomes of Elementary Students with Writing Difficulties(2023) Shanahan, EmmaDifficulties in writing can emerge as early as preschool, and often coincide with developing difficulties in reading (Berninger et al., 1997; Graham & Santangelo, 2014; Graham et al., 2020), as reading and writing are fundamentally connected skills (e.g., Fitzgerald & Shanahan, 2000). Writing instruction in general has had positive effects on reading outcomes of students across grade levels (Graham & Hebert, 2011). However, more research is needed to examine whether writing instruction can support the reading skills of elementary students with writing difficulties (Graham, 2020). Data-based instruction (DBI) in writing, which includes research-based writing instruction activities, frequent progress monitoring using curriculum-based measures (CBM) in writing, and data-based decision-making (DBDM) to individualize instruction, has been found to have promising effects on the writing outcomes of students with significant writing difficulties (McMaster et al., 2020), and may similarly support reading. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether DBI in writing can play a positive role in the foundational reading development of elementary students who benefit from intensive writing support. The current study used data from one cohort of participants in a multi-cohort randomized control trial evaluating the effects of DBI professional development on teachers’ use of DBI in writing and students’ writing outcomes. Participants in this study included 42 teachers (19 treatment, 23 control) and their 105 students with significant writing difficulties in Grades 1 to 5 (46 treatment, 59 control). Treatment teachers implemented writing instruction, collected CBM-writing data, and engaged in DBDM with fidelity while receiving ongoing, collaborative support via learning modules and twice-monthly coaching. Treatment students received an average of 37.3 hours of DBI in writing across 20 weeks of study participation. Depending on teachers’ assessment of students’ needs, teachers typically targeted spelling, but also taught handwriting and/or text generation. Pretest correlations indicated that the two reading outcomes, letter sound knowledge and decodable word reading, as measured by FastBridge Letter Sounds correct letter sounds per minute (LS CLSPM) and Decodable Words correct words per minute (DW CWPM), were associated with writing skills spanning from spelling to written expression. Hierarchical linear models controlling for the effect of teacher intercept indicated that DBI in writing did not have a positive effect on LS CLSPM. DBI did, however, have a significant positive effect on log-transformed DW CWPM after controlling for log-transformed pretest scores, meaning that DBI in writing had the strongest effect on the reading of students with higher initial decoding skills. Future research should investigate the effects of more specific letter sound writing interventions on letter sound knowledge and examine whether and why Matthew effects (Stanovich, 1986) may occur in DBI. Implications for teachers’ integration of reading and writing interventions as well as next steps for system-level writing assessment are discussed.Item How Teacher Self-efficacy and Mindset Influence Student Engagement and Math Performance(2020-07) Thayer, AndrewResearch continues to support the association between school engagement and math achievement, and active engagement in early elementary mathematics education appears to cascade into long-term math achievement. Teacher beliefs about themselves and their students and their behavior has the potential to influence student engagement and achievement. This study investigated how teacher self-efficacy, teacher implicit theories of intelligence, and the effectiveness of their math instruction practices influence multiple domains of student engagement and achievement. Using structural equation models, the relative importance of teacher beliefs and behaviors were explored. Specifically, the hypothesis that a teacher’s instructional behavior mediated the influence of their beliefs on students’ mathematics outcomes was tested. In order to determine how different subgroups of teachers influence student outcomes, mixture modeling was used to classify teachers according to their beliefs and behaviors. Results were unexpected and did not support initial hypotheses. Teachers’ self-efficacy and instructional effectiveness were not related to dimensions of student math engagement and performance. Teachers’ implicit theories about their students’ intelligence evidenced a positive relationship with behavioral engagement. Four teacher subgroups were identified that differed primarily in their implicit theories. There were mostly no differences in student outcomes between teacher subgroups. Implications for research, theory, professional development, and measurement are included.Item Minneapolis Public Schools Observational Drawing Evaluation Report(Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, 2011-06) Sheldon, Timothy; Peterson, KristinMinneapolis Public Schools (MPS) was awarded a grant by American Honda Foundation to implement observational drawing in 20 elementary and middle school classrooms in 2010. Minneapolis Public Schools used observational drawing to teach skills of observation and apply them in the context of scientific investigation. Classroom teachers and the teaching artists had varying levels of experience with observational drawing. Minneapolis Public Schools contracted with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) to assess the impact of implementing this technique in a sample of MPS classrooms.Item Student Teachers Learning Together to Enact Culturally Relevant Pedagogy for English Learners(2015-05) Benegas, MichelleAs Minnesota's schools currently educate 65,000 English learners (ELs), a 300% increase over the past two decades, teachers and school administrators are called to consider how best to meet the needs of this changing demographic. Given the firmly entrenched opportunity gap between ELs and their English-proficient peers, meeting the needs of this growing population of students is particularly urgent. Researchers assert that culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) is essential in closing the opportunity gap, as it recognizes the central role of students’ cultures in all aspects of teaching and learning and it acknowledges and responds to the current schooling climate that places students from diverse cultural backgrounds in learning environments that do not mirror their home cultures and values. Unfortunately, CRP is a commonly misunderstood framework and little is known about how teachers can be prepared to enact it. This collective case study examined four student teachers as they participated in a community of practice focused on CRP for ELs in an urban elementary school. The researcher sought to understand how the participants’ understanding and enactment of CRP for ELs evolved and how they overcame perceived obstacles to CRP enactment. Prior to the onset of data collection, the elementary school adopted a new literacy curriculum that required teachers to deliver lessons by reading from scripts. The participants identified the standardized curriculum as the most significant obstacle to CRP enactment; however, findings from this study reveal that the participants developed a system (that the researcher and participants coined “weaving”) in which they attended to the “non-negotiables” of the curriculum while incorporating themes that reflected their diverse students’ lived experiences. Additional findings indicate that participant examination of their own evolving sociocultural identity was a critical aspect in their cultural competency development and that learning to enact CRP for ELs took place within and between community of practice meetings.Item Transforming the University: Recommendations of the PreK-12 Strategy Task Force(University of Minnesota, 2005-12-12) Harvey, Patricia; Maruyama, GeoffreyThe University has not been and cannot afford to be passive observers of preK-12 education. Engagement with preK-12 touches all parts of the University. Within Minnesota, the University of Minnesota uniquely possesses the capacity to generate ongoing and systemic research that will improve the lives of all Minnesotans. This capacity is particularly critical in preK-12 education, where separating what is believed from what is known through research is critical for the success of education. The University has a history of extensive engagement with preK-12 schools, but successes have been limited by the way the engagements have been structured, largely as individual initiatives rather than as an ordered and integrated array of activities. The task force recommendations attempt to frame and organize efforts without limiting faculty in their attempts to create relationships that reflect their research interests.