Abstracts of Articles Published in Volume 4, 1996 |
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Volume 4 Number 1 |
January 23, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
The Achievement Crisis is Real:
A Review of The Manufactured Crisis
Lawrence C. Stedman
State University of New York-Binghamton
stedman@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu ABSTRACT:
In a provocative new book, The Manufactured Crisis, David
Berliner and Bruce Biddle make four sweeping claims about U.S.
achievement:- there never was a test score decline,
- today's students are "out-achieving their parents substantially" (p. 33),
- U.S. students "stack up very well" in international assessments (p. 63), and
- the general education crisis is a right-wing fabrication.
Volume 4 Number 2 |
February 17, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Staff Development Policy:
Fuzzy Choices in an Imperfect Market
Robert T. Stout
Arizona State University
stout@asu.edu
ABSTRACT:
It is argued here that staff development in the public elementary
and secondary schools of the United States is misguided in both
policy and practice. In its current form it represents an imperfect
consumer market in which "proof of purchase" substitutes for
investment in either school improvement or individual development.
A policy model based on investment in school improvement is shown,
in which different assumptions about how to improve schools are
linked to different alternatives for the design and implementation
of staff development. These are argued to be based on an investment
rather than consumption model.
Volume 4 Number 3 |
February 26, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Making Molehills Out of Molehills:
Reply to Lawrence Stedman's Review of
The
Manufactured Crisis
David C. Berliner
Arizona State University
berliner@asu.edu
Bruce J. Biddle
University of Missouri
psybiddl@mizzou1.missouri.edu
ABSTRACT:
Berliner and Biddle answer Lawrence Stedman's review of
their book The Manufactured Crisis, which was published in the
Education Policy Analysis Archives as Volume 4, Number 1, 1996.
Volume 4 Number 4 |
March 15, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Standard Errors in Educational Assessment:
A Policy Analysis Perspective
Greg Camilli
Rutgers University
camilli@zodiac.rutgers.edu ABSTRACT:
In many educational settings, educational gains are measured and evaluated
rather than absolute levels of achievement. Gains might be estimated for
individual students,teachers, schools, districts, and so forth. In some
educational programs, schools are required to make "statistically
significant" progress over the course of one school year. This would
typically require and estimate of the standard error (SE for short) of the
gain, which is a number representing the precision of the gain similar to
the "margin of error" in polls. Because SEs can be used to define educational
targets, it is important to understand precisely what a standard error is
-- and this requires going beyond the simple textbook definition.
Statistical methods are tools for understanding social processes, but there
is no necessary connection between a statistical method and an empirical
outcome. A policy analyst must ask how closely features of the statistical
theory correspond to aspects of the measured outcomes for a given purpose.
For example, how much does it matter if the assumption of random sampling
is violated in certain ways? Can one assume that the children or educators
at a particular school during a given year constitute a random sample of
some population that is perhaps spread across time, space, as well as
cultural and institutional dimensions?Volume 4 Number 5 |
March 25, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Opening up Jewish Education to Inspection:
the Impact of the OFSTED Inspection System in England
Judy Keiner
University of Reading
J.C.Keiner@reading.ac.uk
Abstract:
Although Jewish schools in England are generally deemed successful,
internal communal surveys have highlighted concerns about
their teaching of Jewish studies and modern Hebrew. The UK government in
1993 established detailed national criteria for four-yearly published
inspections of all schools. This imposed the need to develop criteria for
the evaluation of these specifically Jewish subjects, and both schools and
foundation bodies have begun to respond through training and development
activities. Analysis of the first published reports, shows evidence of
mismatch
between Jewish
schools' aims for Jewish Studies and their practice. Common findings
on modern Hebrew teaching indicate concerns about planning, methodology and
assessment. The response of Jewish communal bodies is explored, showing an
increasing focus and some rivalry towards servicing the inspection and
developmental
needs of Jewish schools. Jewish communal press reporting and parental
response to inspection is considered.Volume 4 Number 6 |
April 3, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
The 1976 Illini:
Sweet Memories of Alma Mater
Diya Dutt
University of Illinois--Urbana, Champaign
dutt@uiuc.edu Abstract:
The purpose of this article is to explore the attitudes of
graduates of the class of 1976 from the University of Illinois
toward their alma mater over a period of fifteen years. The
central question addressed in this article is: How do former
students feel about their educational institution as time passes?
Early research suggests that students' attachment to their
educational institution becomes weaker with the passage of time.
This panel data on alumni attitudes towards the academic
environment indicates that contrary to evidence from past
research, students developed a stronger attachment towards the
educational institution with passage of time. A similar positive
pattern was evident when examining the attitude towards the
program major. It is possible that better experiences in the real
world have made the alumni comprehend the quality of education
they received at the University of Illinois. Also, favorable
disposition toward one's institution seems to be, to a very
considerable extent, the college's contribution to the intellectual
development of the student.Volume 4 Number 7 |
April 4, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Respecting the Evidence:
The Achievement Crisis Remains Real
Lawrence C. Stedman
State University of New York-Binghamton
stedman@binghamton.eduAbstract:
Wherein Stedman answers Berliner and Biddle's reply to his review
of The Manufactured Crisis.
| "It ain't so much the things we don't know that get us into trouble. It's the things we know that just ain't so." .....Artemus Ward |
Volume 4 Number 8 |
April 21, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Developmentalism: An Obscure but Pervasive Restriction
on Educational Improvement
J. E. Stone
East Tennessee State University
STONEJ@EDUSERV.EAST-TENN-ST.EDUAbstract:
Despite continuing criticism of public education,
experimentally demonstrated and field tested teaching methods have been
ignored, rejected, and abandoned. Instead of a stable consensus regarding
best teaching practices, there seems only an unending succession of
innovations. A longstanding educational doctrine appears to
underlie this anomalous state of affairs. Termed developmentalism,
it presumes
"natural" ontogenesis to be optimal and it requires experimentally
demonstrated
teaching practices to overcome a presumption that they interfere
with an optimal
developmental trajectory. It also discourages teachers and parents
from asserting
themselves with children. Instead of effective interventions, it
seeks the preservation
of a postulated natural perfection. Developmentalism's rich history
is expressed in a
literature extending over 400 years. Its notable exponents include
Jean Jacques
Rousseau, John Dewey, and Jean Piaget; and its most recent
expressions include
"developmentally appropriate practice" and "constructivism." In the
years during
which it gained ascendance, developmentalism served as a basis for
rejecting harsh
and inhumane teaching methods. Today it impedes efforts to hold schools
accountable for student academic achievement.
Volume 4 Number 9 |
June 12, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Markets Versus Monopolies in Education:
The Historical Evidence
Andrew Coulson
andrewco@ix.netcom.com
Abstract: A common point of contention among educators and
economists is the
likely effect a free market would have on modern education. Most
supporters of
public schooling maintain that the field would either be adversely
affected by
competition and choice, or that the effects would be
insubstantial. Conversely, a
significant number of critics argue that education, like all other
human exchanges,
would respond to market incentives with improved performance,
increased
attention to the needs of families, and greater innovation.
Historical evidence is
presented indicating that teachers and schools are indeed affected
by the financial
incentives of the systems in which they operate. In particular,
the data show that
economic pressures have forced schools in competitive markets to
meet the needs
of families, through methodological advancements and diversity in
curriculum,
while centralized bureaucratic systems have generally been
coercive and
pedagogically stagnant.
Volume 4 Number 10 |
June 30, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Being Popular About National Standards:
A Review Of
National Standards in American Education: A Citizen's Guide.
Michael W. Apple
University of Wisconsin, Madison
APPLEMW@macc.wisc.edu
Abstract:
I assume that Diane Ravitch is someone who is as
deeply committed to a fair and socially just education as I
am--even when our political and educational agendas may
differ--I also
assume that re-stratification and fostering the power of the
conservative restoration is not what she wants either. Thus, I do
urge you to read this book, but perhaps for different reasons: to
see it as a cautionary tale and then to watch as the public
policies that are justified under its rhetorical umbrella and that
are actually implemented on the ground go in uncomfortable
directions.
Volume 4 Number 11 |
July 24, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
National Education 'Goals 2000':
Some Disastrous Unintended Consequences
Robert H. Seidman
New Hampshire College
seidmaro@nhc.edu
Abstract:
"Goals 2000: Educate America Act" aims to, among other things, increase
the high school
graduation rate to at least 90% and eliminate the
graduation rate gap between minority and non-minority
students. However well intentioned, this goal is doomed to
failure. Powerful systemic forces converge to stabilize
the high school graduation rate at about 75% where it has
been since 1965 and where no traditional national
policy will be able to advance it very much. Even if
education policy could succeed in increasing the rate to 90%
or beyond, undesirable consequences of potentially great
magnitude, especially for the targeted minority groups,
would result.Volume 4 Number 12 |
August 8, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Public School Reform:
Potential Lessons from the Truly Departed
J. Dan Marshall
Pennsylvania State University
jdm13@psuvm.psu.eduJames P. Valle
Donegal School District (PA)
Abstract:
In this article, the authors present data from a small study of 19
families who educate their children at home in
rural Pennsylvania. Findings relative to why they opted out of
the public education system and whether they
would return are analyzed in light of a previously established
construct (Idealogue/Pedagogue) before being used
to critique and expand it in light of broader cultural concerns.
The authors argue, overall, that home educators
are asserting their historical option of cultural agency and
schooling. (Note 1)
Volume 4 Number 13 |
August 15, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Implementing AIDS Education:
Policies and Practices
Grace C. Huerta
Utah State University
graceh@cc.usu.edu
Abstract:
The world has been challenged by the AIDS
epidemic for 15 years. In 1985, the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control,
allocated funds to all state departments of education to assist
schools in the development of AIDS education policies and programs. Yet,
these policies do not ensure that all students receive effective AIDS
education. On September 21, 1991, the Arizona Legislature passed Senate
Bill 1396, which requires public schools to annually provide AIDS
education in grades K-12. The bill was rescinded in 1995.
With prohibitive curriculum guidelines, limited teacher training
opportunities and tremendous instructional demands, this educational
policy was implemented in disparate forms. By examining the perspectives
of the Arizona educators (representing three school districts), this
qualitative study reveals how teachers ultimately controlled the delivery
and nature of AIDS instruction based upon personal values, views of
teacher roles, and their interpretation of the mandate itself.
Volume 4 Number 14 |
August 27, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Actual Schools, Possible Practices:
New Directions In Professional Development
Rebecca Novick
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
novickr@nwrel.org
Abstract:
There is increasing recognition that school reform and staff
development are integrally related. Yet, despite a rich
literature on adult learning and human development which supports
teachers' need for a wide array of opportunities to construct
their own understandings and theories in a collaborative setting,
top down mandates have frequently left teachers out of the reform
process. It is argued here that effective staff development
should be tied directly to the daily life of classroom and
grounded in the questions and concerns of teachers. Both a
theory of pedagogy that advocates teaching for understanding and
learning as understanding and a model of staff development based
on practical knowledge enriched by critical reflection are
discussed. Volume 4 Number 15 |
September 6, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
A Review of Dorn's Creating the Dropout
Sherman Dorn. (1996) Creating the Dropout: An Institutional and Social History of School. Praeger. $55.00.
Aimee Howley
Marshall Univerisity
ess016@marshall.wvnet.edu
Abstract:
Let me recommend Sherman Dorn's new book, Creating the Dropout.
The book undertakes a scholarly trek through the rhetoric of school
leaving, construing economic and political vagaries as the occasions for a
manufactured problem. At the end of the trip, the sympathetic reader is left
wondering why he or she wasn't politically savvy enough back then to desert
high school or, at the very least, to boycott the graduation ceremony.
Volume 4 Number 16 |
October 6, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
A Review of Computers as Tutors: Solving the Crisis in Education
Frederick Bennett. (1996) Computers as Tutors: Solving the Crisis in Education
Greg Sherman
Emporia State University
shermang@esumail.emporia.edu
Abstract: It was with great interest that I began reading Frederick
Bennett's book Computers as Tutors: Solving the Crisis in Education
(1996). Published
on the Internet and located at
http://www.cris.com/~Faben1/, Bennett's book not only
represented the first complete book I have ever tried reading straight
off the computer, but it also represented the only book on education I have
ever read in which the title purported to have a solution to education's
problems. It took me less than twenty minutes to discover that the book failed me
miserably on both accounts. Volume 4 Number 17 |
November 11, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
What Does the Psychometricians Classroom Look Like?:
Reframing Assessment Concepts in the Context of Learning
Catherine S. Taylor
University of Washington ctaylor@u.washington.edu
Susan Bobbitt Nolen
University of Washington sunolen@u.washington.edu
Abstract:We question the utility of traditional
conceptualizations of validity and reliability, developed in the
context of large scale, external testing, and the psychology of
individual differences, for the context of the
classroom. We compare traditional views of validity and
reliability to alternate frameworks that situate these
constructs in teachers' work in classrooms. We describe how we
used these frameworks to design an
assessment course for preservice teachers, and present data that
suggest students in the redesigned course
not only saw the course as more valuable in their work as
teachers, but developed deeper understandings of
validity and reliability than did their counterparts in a
traditional tests and measurement course. We close by
discussing the implications of these data for the teaching of
assessment, and for the use and interpretation of
classroom assessment data for purposes of local and state
accountability.Volume 4 Number 18 |
December 3, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Review of Michael W. Apple
Cultural Politics and Education
Dieter Misgeld
dmisgeld@oise.on.ca
Department of Theory and Policy Studies
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
of the
University of Toronto
Abstract:
Review of Michael W. Apple, Cultural Politics and Education.
New York, 1996. Teachers' College Press. Columbia University.
Volume 4 Number 19 |
December 24, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
Inclusive Education in the United States:
Beliefs and Practices Among Middle School Principals and
Teachers
C. Kenneth Tanner
The University of Georgia ktanner@moe.coe.uga.edu
Deborah Jan Vaughn Linscott
Fulton County (GA) Schools
Susan Allan Galis
Commerce City (GA) Schools
Abstract:School reform issues
addressing inclusive education were investigated in this nationwide
(United States) study. A total of 714 randomly
selected middle school principals and teachers responded to concerns about
inclusion, "degree
of change needed in" and "importance of" collaborative strategies
of teaching,
perceived barriers to inclusion, and supportive activities and
concepts for
inclusive education. There was disagreement among teachers and
principals
regarding some aspects of inclusive education and collaborative
strategies. For
example, principals and special education teachers were more
positive about
inclusive education than regular education teachers. Collaboration
as an
instructional strategy for "included" students was viewed as a
high priority item.
Responders who had taken two or more courses in school law rated the
identified barriers to inclusive education higher than those with
less formal
training in the subject.
Volume 4 Number 20 |
December 24, 1996 |
ISSN 1068-2341 |
The Bell Curve: Corrected for Skew
Haggai Kupermintz
Stanford University haggaik@stanford.edu
Abstract:This commentary documents
serious pitfalls in the statistical analyses
and the interpretation of empirical evidence presented in The Bell
Curve.
Most importantly, the role of education is re-evaluated and it is
shown how, by
neglecting it, The Bell Curve grossly overstates the case for IQ
as a dominant
determinant of social success. The commentary calls attention to
important
features of logistic regression coefficients, discusses sampling and
measurement uncertainties of estimates based on observational
sample data,
and points to substantial limitations in interpreting regression
coefficients of
correlated variables.