Theodore Coladarci

Teacher Efficacy, Supervision, and the Special Education Resource-Room Teacher

ABSTRACT The Gibson and Dembo Teacher Efficacy Scale was modified for use in the special education resource-room context. A factor analysis of the modified instrument resulted in a factor structure comparable to one based on regular-education teachers, as reported in prior research. The relation between instructional supervision and teacher efficacy among these teachers was also examined. With sex, age, resource-room tenure, and job satisfaction held constant, the perceived utility—but not frequency—of supervision was significantly related to teacher efficacy. The implications of these findings for both research and practice in the special education context are considered.

Consequences of Dropping Out of School: Findings From High School and Beyond

Abstract The dropout problem has recently been the focus of considerable concern and the subject of much research. Nevertheless, the lack of a careful and systematic assessment of the consequences of dropping out still exists. The purpose of the present study was to examine the personal, social, and economic consequences of dropping out of school. The High School and Beyond (HS&B) data base was used to investigate the experiences of dropouts and high school graduates in 1986, 4 years after the projected date of graduation. Specifically, dropouts and graduates with no postsecondary education were compared on (a) self-esteem, (b) alcohol use, (c) political/social participation measures, (d) work satisfaction, (e) salary of current job, (f) periods of unemployment, and (g) number of jobs. Multiple-regression analyses were used to determine the degree to which dropping out explained variance in those measures when race, urbanicity, geographic region, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement were held co...

Comprehension and Attitude as Predictors of Implementation of Teacher Training

Research on teaching traditionally has sought to discover which teaching processes are most effective in promoting student achievement. Typically, this research has been correlational. During the past few years, however, several classroom experiments based on correlational findings have been conducted to investigate the causal relationships between teaching processes and student achievement (Crawford, Gage, Corno, Stayrook, Mitman, Schunk, Stallings, Baskin, Harvey, Austin, Cronin, 8 Newman, 1978; Anderson, Evertson, 8~ Brophy, 1979; Good 8 Grouws, 1979; Stallings, Needels, 8~ Stayrook, 1979; and Gage & Colardarci, 1980). In these experiments, teachers or schools were randomly assigned to experimental conditions. Experimentalgroup teachers received training materials containing empirically-based recommendations for teaching; control-group teachers taught in accordance with their own style. The students of the two groups of teachers were compared on endof-year achievement. Further, classroom observations were conducted to assess the degree to which experimentalgroup teachers implemented the teaching recommendations. These classroom observations, as well as those in other implementation studies, have indicated that teachers vary widely in their actual adoption of change proposals (Fullan 8 Pomfret, 1977). Researchers are now beginning to address this variance in implementation through studying the processes underlying teacher adoption of new practices. Berliner (1978) emphasized the importance of &dquo;understanding the reasons teachers have to support certain kinds of performance theories.&dquo; Koehler (1979) urged us to study the &dquo;how&dquo; and &dquo;why&dquo; of teacher behavior change. Observational data have demonstrated that the range of actual implementation is considerable and, further, have provided information on how teachers implement training recommendations. If our goal is to improve teaching, we need to discover not only which teacher behaviors are most effective but also why teachers do or do not adopt recommended teaching practices. This paper reviews two developing theories on why teachers act

Effects of a Minimal Intervention on Teacher Behavior and Student Achievement

Results from recent classroom-based experiments suggest that teacher behavior can be modified and student achievement improved through minimal interventions where (a) teacher training is carried out in correspondence course fashion and (b) comprehensive classroom observations are not conducted. This experiment represents such an intervention, carried out in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classrooms of 32 volunteer teachers. The experimental group teachers received through the mail a series of teacher training packets containing recommendations for teaching practices derived from the results of four large-scale correlational studies of teaching. Before and after training, classroom observations were conducted for 2 hours on two occasions. Analyses indicated that the intervention did not effect significant change in training-related teaching practices or end-of-year student achievement. Discussion of these results addresses factors that probably mediate treatment implementation and, consequently, effects on student achievement in research of this kind.

Age, Sex, and Body Mass Index in Performance of Selected Locomotor and Fitness Tasks by Children in Grades K-2

The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of 3 predictor variables (age, sex, and body mass index) to performance of 7 fundamental movement skills (locomotor; run, gallop, hop, leap, jump, skip, and slide) and 4 fitness tasks (grip strength, step test, sit and reach, and timed sit-ups) by 65 children in Grades K-2 (M =6 yr.). A multiple regression analysis indicated that running, leaping, and skipping improved with age. No sex differences were observed on any of the seven skills. In terms of the four fitness tasks, age was positively associated with timed sit-ups and grip strength and inversely associated with step-test performance. Sex was associated with step-test and sit and reach performance (girls performed better on both). Finally, body mass index was related to increased grip strength and fewer timed sit-ups.

Growth rates in running speed and vertical jumping by boys and girls ages 11-13.

This study examined growth rates in running speed and vertical jump among middle school children. 45 boys and 31 girls ages 11–13 years were tested on running speed and vertical jump three times (September, February, and May) during the school year. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate initial status and growth rates for the entire sample (base model) and the association of running and vertical jump with height, weight, and sex (conditional model). Positive overall growth rates were found for both running speed and vertical jump. Increased height and weight at the time of measurement were not significantly associated with growth rate for running. The growth rate for vertical jump was positively associated with height but unrelated to increased weight. Boys showed steeper growth rates than girls in jumping. No sex differences were found in running speed for either initial status or growth rate. Furthermore, these results suggest highly variable rates of physical maturation but no general period of ‘adolescent awkwardness’.

Adequate Yearly Progress, Small Schools, and Students with Disabilities: The Importance of Confidence Intervals When Making Judgments about AYP

Indicators of school-level achievement, such as the percentage of students who are proficient in a particular content area, are subject to random year-to-year variation in much the same way that the results of an opinion poll will vary from one random sample to another. This random variation, which is more pronounced for a small school, should be taken into account by education officials when evaluating school progress in a policy climate of high stakes. To do otherwise is to risk the false identification of a failing school, whether for all students combined or for the subgroup of students with disabilities. In this article, I describe the application of confidence intervals to the evaluation of “adequate yearly progress” for No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Throughout, I demonstrate the particular relevance of confidence intervals for small schools in general and, more specifically, for the (smaller still) subgroup of students with disabilities.

School Climate Assessment Encourages Collaboration

An approach to school cli mate assessment that involves staff members, stu dents, and parents can result in greater levels of collaboration and improved climate. These authors describe their six-step plan.

The Relevance of Educational Research for Identifying Master Teachers

Although the research on teaching can equip educators with a framework for viewing teaching, one should be cautious in transforming these results into criteria for identifying effec tive teachers in general, and master teachers in particular, says this writer, who discusses his reasons on the following pages.