William M. Saunders

Moving the Learning of Teaching Closer to Practice: Teacher Education Implications of School-Based Inquiry Teams.

A 5‐year prospective, quasi‐experimental investigation demonstrated that grade‐level teams in 9 Title 1 schools using an inquiry‐focused protocol to solve instructional problems significantly increased achievement. Teachers applying the inquiry protocol shifted attribution of improved student performance to their teaching rather than external causes. This shift was achieved by focusing on an academic problem long enough to develop an instructional solution. Seeing causal connections fosters acquisition of key teaching skills and knowledge, such as identifying student needs, formulating instructional plans, and using evidence to refine instruction. These outcomes are more likely when teams are teaching similar content, led by a trained peer‐facilitator, using an inquiry‐focused protocol, and have stable settings in which to engage in continuous improvement.

Inside the Black Box of School Reform: Explaining the how and why of change at Getting Results schools

This article reports key findings from a process‐focused external evaluation that compared a subset of Getting Results project schools and comparison schools in order to understand the dynamics of school‐wide reform efforts at these primary schools. Findings shed light on the “black box” ofschool reform and illuminate the limited empirical basis for understanding the inner workings of most reform efforts. We describe how Getting Results Model elements—goals, indicators, assistance, leadership, and settings—worked in concert to improve teaching and learning at project schools. We also describe factors that inhibited and promoted change, as well as implications for how whole‐school reform might be accomplished through purposeful manipulation of these essential change elements.

Is a Separate Block of Time for Oral English Language Development in Programs for English Learners Needed

The issue of whether to separate English language development (ELD) into a separate instructional block or whether to integrate it with reading/language arts instruction is an unanswered question with theoretical and practical implications. We addressed this question by observing instruction across the year in 85 kindergarten classrooms that varied in (a) whether ELD was a separate block and (b) whether the program was characterized as English immersion or bilingual. Observational data indicated that classrooms with separate ELD blocks had greater percentages of instructional time devoted to oral language and literacy activities for both types of programs. In comparison to English learners in classrooms without separate ELD blocks, English learners in classrooms with separate ELD blocks had modestly but significantly higher English oral language and literacy scores on the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery, controlling for fall performance. Educational implications are discussed.