Journal of Educational Controversy

This new peer-refereed journal will be published semiannually by the Center for Educational Pluralism of the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University. The journal publishes primarily original essays in response to the dilemma or controversy announced in the theme for the issue. The first issue was published in November.

"The Journal of Educational Controversy raises controversies that result from teaching and learning in a pluralistic, democratic society."

2 new books available from RAND

The following new books are available online from RAND. You can access these publications online through the RAND website, or through the WSU Library Catalog.

Reforming Teacher Education: Something Old, Something New by Sheila Nataraj Kirby et al.

Teacher education has been subject to scathing criticism and innumerable efforts designed to reform it or to save it from being dismantled. One of the latest and best-funded efforts aimed at teacher education reform is boldly titled Teachers for a New Era (TNE). Eleven colleges and universities nationwide were selected to participate in TNE. The RAND Corporation and the Manpower Research Demonstration Corporation followed and evaluated the TNE initiative from 2002 to 2005, conducting on-site interviews with TNE grantees. This study places TNE in the larger context of teacher education reform and critically examines the process by which reform will result in highly qualified teachers capable of producing improvements in student learning.

Improving Mathematics and Science Education: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relationship Between Reform-Oriented Instruction and Student Achievement by Vi-Nhuan Le et al.

This book presents the findings of a multiyear study of the effectiveness of reform-oriented science and mathematics instruction. This project builds on prior RAND research, incorporating diverse indicators, innovative measures, and a longer-term period of study.

What It Takes to Make a Student

The November 26 New York Times Sunday Magazine reports on recent research the effects of poverty on student achievement, and aligns these findings with the impact of No Child Left Behind on closing the minority achievement gap. (You may need to create a free account with the NYT to access this article).

PISA: Program for International Student Assessment

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an assessment (begun in 2000) that focuses on 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy. Access PISA data and link to reports compiled by NCES from PISA data.

Data Snapshot from PISA 2003 Assessment:
Average Problem Solving Literacy Score
U.S.:477
OECD average: 500

Controversy over Reading First grant funding

This short article responds to the recent controversy regarding reading funding from the Reading First program (from a recent edition of Education Digest (Nov. 2006, 72(3) p. 70) Reading First Disgrace

You can read the Inspector General's Report on the Reading First Program's Grant Application Process here: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/aireports/i13f0017.pdf
Part of the article points to this report:
What Education Schools Aren’t Teaching About Reading and What Elementary Teachers Aren’t Learning

This report comes from the National Council on Teacher Quality,
Here’s what they have to say about themselves:
The National Council on Teacher Quality advocates for reforms in a broad range of teacher policies at the federal, state, and local levels in order to increase the number of effective teachers. To support our mission, we identify and encourage policies and practices that can lead to better teaching and increased student achievement. In particular we recognize the absence of much of the evidence necessary to make a compelling case for change and seek to fill that void with a research agenda that has direct and practical implications for policy. We are committed to lending transparency and increasing public awareness about the three sets of institutions that have the greatest impact on teacher quality: state departments of education, teacher preparation programs, and teachers unions.

The report was funded by the D&D Foundation. As reported in the Education Digest article, the D&D Foundation has no address, web page or listing in the Foundation Directory. The Chair of the D&D Foundation is Kimberly O. Dennis, who is a member of the Philanthropy Roundtable.
The Philanthropy Roundtable is described on the Dissident Voice blog on March 28, 2005 as follows: “a conservative counterpart to the mainstream Council on Foundations -- was initially operated under the aegis of the Institute for Educational Affairs (IEA), an organization founded in 1978 by two seminal figures of conservative philanthropy, William Simon and Irving Kristol. The IEA now operates as the Madison Center for Educational Affairs”

School 2.0: What is the future of education?

Michigan REMC 12 Director Mike Oswalt shared an excellent PowerPoint on School 2.0 at http://techplan.edzone.net/TDM2006/DIDYOUKNOW.ppt that was recently shown at the Michigan Technology Directors meeting. (Originally posted to the TTW blog).

Children's Books: Free Online Resources

The Notebook section of the most recent issue of American Educator noted these two freely available sites which have children's books available. The International Children's Digital Library has online books in 38 languages. SillyBooks.net has animated books with audio, and includes corresponding puzzles, games, lesson plans and learning activities.

United States High School Sophomores: A Twenty-Two Year Comparison, 1980-2002

Using questionnaire and test data collected in 1980, 1992, and 2002, this report presents time series data on three cohorts of high school sophomores. The report presents information on the changing context of cohort demographics, family characteristics, school characteristics, and school experiences, after school activities, and future plans and expectations. Tested achievement is also presented with results in math from 1980 to 1990 and 2002, and results in reading from 1990 to 2002. (NCES Newsflash Service)

College Rankings Reformed

"COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES have the raw materials with which to build a better rankings system, but many institutions do not want to abandon the current model. As a result, students
rely on commercial guides that provide little useful information, according to a report (College Rankings Reformed) scheduled to be released today by a research group in Washington." From the Chronicle of Higher Education, Sept. 22, 2006

Education Sector decribes itself as an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan education policy think tank devoted to developing innovative solutions to the nation’s most pressing educational problems. Its founder is Andrew J. Rotherham, former director of the 21st Century Schools Project at the Progressive Policy Institute.

Educating School Teachers

A recent report, from the Education Schools Project (led by Directed by Arthur Levine,
who recently left the presidency of Teachers College, Columbia University to become president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation), concludes that "a majority of teacher education graduates are prepared in university-based programs that suffer from low admission and graduation standards." The Educating School Teachers report "provides an examination of the successes and failures of university-based teacher education programs, offers “criteria for excellence” on which to judge the quality of programs, and sets forth a comprehensive five-point plan for improving programs and changing teacher-education policy. The report identifies several model teacher education programs at the nation’s 1,206 university-based education schools."

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to WSU! I hope everyone had a restful, productive, relaxing, exhilarating summer!

We have a few new things to share for Fall 2006--let's take a look
A new library web portal specifically designed for our first-year students (but a good page for any undergraduate) http://www.lib.wayne.edu/fye/

An online Assignment Planner, to help students organize and manage library research assignments: http://www.lib.wayne.edu/planner

Even more selections of Drop-In Workshops, including RSS and Blogging, Using Google and EndNote http://www.lib.wayne.edu/services/instruction_tutorials/drop_in.php (Remember, these workshops are for everyone--students, staff AND faculty)

EndNote X has been released. You can download this newest version at http://computing.wayne.edu/software

A new online APA Style Guide, with lots of examples
http://www.lib.wayne.edu/resources/subject_guides/guide.php?id=164

And don't forget about our old favorites:

See what's new in the library's collection through the New Titles List http://www.lib.wayne.edu/resources/new_books/index.php

Use the GET IT button in the library catalog to have books paged for you and ready for pick-up at any library circulation desk.

Have a great semester!

New report examines alignment of high school, college and work

Closing the Expectations Gap 2006: An Annual 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Work is a recently published report from Achieve.org, a "a bipartisan, non-profit organization that helps states raise academic standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability to prepare all young people for postsecondary education, work and citizenship." Achieve's Board Members include Michigan's Governor, Jennifer Granholm.

This report examines progress states are making in closing the gaps between high school standards and requirements and postsecondary and workplace expectations, which were identified through a 50 State survey done by Achieve.org in December 2005.

The issue of K-12 and postsecondary/workplace gaps was also recently discussed in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education (Powerful Forces Draw Academe Into the Fray 3/10/2006), which referenced the following additional reports on the topic.

A Nation at Risk (1983)
The Governance Divide: A Report on a Four-State Study on Improving College Readiness and Success (2005)
Betraying the College Dream (2003, Stanford)
School & College (Special Report, Chronicle of Higher Education, 2006)

Copyright law impede progress in Educational Technology

A recent report from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society explored the impact that copyright law provisions have on the use of digitial technology in education.

"Drawing on research, interviews, two participatory workshops with experts in the field, and the lessons drawn from four detailed case studies, the white paper identifies four obstacles as particularly serious ones:
* Unclear or inadequate copyright law relating to crucial provisions such as fair use and educational use;
* Extensive adoption of digital rights management technology to lock up content;
* Practical difficulties obtaining rights to use content when licenses are necessary;
* Undue caution by gatekeepers such as publishers or educational administrators.

The report is available online, and it titled The Digital Learning Challenge: Obstacles to Educational Uses of Copyrighted Material in the Digital Age

2005 Digest of Education Statistics Available

Announcement from the NCES Newsflash Service:
The 41st in a series of publications initiated in 1962, the Digest of Education Statistics provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from prekindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances, and federal funds for education, libraries, and international comparisons. Some examples of highlights from the report include the following items.

--> Enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools rose 22 percent between 1985 and 2005. The fastest public school growth occurred in the elementary grades (prekindergarten through grade 8)
-->Public secondary school enrollment declined 8 percent from 1985 to 1990, but then rose 31 percent from 1990 to 2005, for a net increase of 20 percent.
-->The number of public school teachers has risen faster than the number of students over the past 10 years, resulting in declines in the pupil/teacher ratio.
-->Between 1994 and 2004, the number of full-time college students increased by 30 percent compared to an 8 percent increase in part-time students. During the same time period, the number of men enrolled rose 16 percent, while the number of women enrolled increased by 25 percent.

New Journal: Journal of evidence-based practices for schools

We have recently added a subscription to the Journal of evidence-based practices for schools. Please note that this journal is available in print only, it has not been made available online from the publisher. We currently have volume 6 (issues 1 & 2)in our collection in the Kresge Wing of Purdy/Kresge Library. (We are missing the most current issue, v.7 (1) Winter 2006, but have a request into the publisher for a replacement).

Fellowships in Child Development

The Foundation for Child Development is accepting applications for its Young Scholars Program. Eligible researchers will have earned their doctoral degrees within the last 15 years, and be full-time, faculty members of a college or university in the United States. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. or its equivalent in one of the behavioral and social sciences or in an allied professional field (e.g., public policy, public health, education, social work, nursing, medicine). Three to four fellowships of up to $150,000 for use over one to three years (maximum) will be awarded competitively. Please note tenure equivalent positions are not eligible for the fellowship.--Program description from the FCD website.

Search any library easy with WorldCat Online!

From The Chronicle of Education Wired Campus Blog:

The OCLC Online Computer Library Center, a nonprofit group, announced this week that it was making available to the public WorldCat’s search engine of library holdings. WorldCat, which is maintained by the library center, is a database of materials from 10,000 libraries worldwide. Previously, only library patrons could gain access to WorldCat’s search tool. Now available through WorldCat.org, the search tool also helps people locate the library nearest them that has the book, article, or video or audio recording they are looking for. "People are starting their searches on the Web rather than in the library, and that’s where we want to be," said Bob Murphy, a spokesman for the library center.—Andrea L. Foster

APA citation style for Dissertations from the ProQuest Databases

The APA style manual does not have an example of how to cite dissertations in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. A representative from APA recently posted the following to an inquiry on the EBSS (Educational, Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarians) listserv.


"The ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database appears to include dissertations abstracted in Dissertation Abstracts International. If the reference you are citing was abstracted in DAI but obtained from ProQuest (similar to Examples 54 and 55 in the Publication Manual), I would probably add that information to the reference entry as well:

Gibson, G. (2006). Between voice and silence: Identity development in Black adolescent females (Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo). Dissertation Abstracts International, 54, 100. Retrieved August 15, 2006, from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

If there is no DAI information available, then you could simply skip right to the retrieval information."

Citing Wikipedia: A policy for students?

Dr. Alan Liu from UC Santa Barbara, developed a policy for his students on the appropriateness of using Wikipedia as a resource for class assignments. His original posting, along with additional commentary, is available at Kairosnews: A Weblog for Discussing Rhetoric, Technology and Pedagogy.

ETS Poll: Americans See Math and Science as Key to U.S. Competitiveness

"In a major new opinion survey on education reform, a majority of adults, parents, high school teachers, administrators and college faculty believe that our nation's schools are coming up short in putting students on the path to compete for highly technical scientific and engineering jobs with young people from other countries and are going to have to challenge students more if America is to maintain its global economic edge."

"The results are from Keeping Our Edge: Americans Speak on Education and Competitiveness, ETS's sixth annual "Americans Speak" public opinion poll. The poll was conducted for ETS by Democratic pollster Peter Hart and Republican pollster David Winston." ETS Press Release

Teaching students about plagiarism: An internet solution to an internet problem

In this article from the latest issue of the online journal Innovate, Eleanour Snow from Univ. of South Florida generally discussed the problem of plagiarism in higher education, and describes how she developed and used an online tutorial as a proactive approach to the problem of plagiarism in her own classroom.

The Condition of Education 2006

"Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released The Condition of Education 2006. This annual report summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available data. The 2006 report presents 50 indicators on the status and condition of education and a special analysis on international assessments. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on the most significant national measures of the condition and progress of education for which accurate data are available." NCES Newsflash Service

2005 science assessment National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 science assessment were just released, detailing national performance at grades 4, 8, and 12 and state performance for most states at grades 4 and 8.

National findings since the previous assessments in 1996 and 2000 show:

• 4th grade students scored higher than either previous year, and lower-performing students made the largest gains since 2000.
• 8th graders’ overall performance remained unchanged compared with either previous year; gains by lower-income students narrowed the gap since 2000.
• Scores for 12th graders remain unchanged since the last assessment, but are lower than in 1996. However, the White-Black gap has widened since 2000.

(NCES Newsflash Service)

What predicts achievement? Self-discipline or IQ?

An article published in the December 2005 issue of Psychological Science reports on a study of 140 8th grade students and predictors of final grades. The authors, from the Positive Psychology Center at U Penn, discuss their findings from the study that suggest that the "degree to which students practiced self-discipline" was twice as likely as IQ to predict final grades. The article, titled Self-Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents, by Angela L. Duckworth and Martin E.P. Seligman, is available online thorough WSU in Psychological Science, v. 26, issue 12, page 939.
(Reported in AFT On Campus, May/June 2006.)

Michigan Online Learning Requirement from ESchool News Online

Read this article about Michigan's Online Learning Requirement, and check out eSchool News Online, a commercial publication that focuses on disseminating current news on education technology in all its aspects--from legislation and litigation, to case studies, to purchasing practices and new products.

New Access to Your WSU Library Account

Beginning today, you will be able to use your WSU Access ID and Password (same as Pipeline, Blackboard and WSU e-mail) to access your WSU "My Library" account. Once you log in to your library account, you can renew books, save searches, or check on holds.

Try it for yourself. Log in to your library account

Calories In, Calories Out: Food and Exercise in Public Elementary Schools 2005

"This study, prompted by concern over the rate of obesity among school-age children, was designed to obtain current national information on availability of foods and opportunities for physical activity in public elementary schools. The report includes findings on the types of food sold at one or more locations in schools and in their cafeterias or lunchrooms; the types of food sold at vending machines and school stores or snack bars, and times when foods were available at those locations; food service operations and contracts with companies to sell foods at schools; scheduled recess, including the days per week, times per day, and minutes per day of recess; scheduled physical education, including the days per week, class length, and average minutes per week of physical education; activities to encourage physical activity among elementary students; and the physical assessment of students." From NCES Newsflash Service

James Manning named as Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education

James Manning, of Virginia, was appointed by President Bush today to be Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education at the Department of Education. Manning replaces Sally L. Stroup as the department’s top higher-education official.

Mr. Manning was formerly the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Education, and also served as Acting Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid.

Some biographical information is available from this press release from 2003, when Manning was named Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Additionally, Manning was appointed in 2002 as acting Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Department's Federal Student Aid office. The posting of that announcement from the Dept. of Education reads: "Manning is a veteran of the Reagan and prior Bush administrations, having worked from 1989 to 1993 in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education as chief of staff and deputy assistant secretary. Since June 2001, he has served as the Deputy Secretary's chief of staff, advising him on major budget and policy decisions and day-to-day operations. In between, Manning was chief executive officer of the Congressional Award Foundation."

Manning is also a former Director of International Events for the National Basketball Association.

From the Capital to the Classroom: Year 4 of the No Child Left Behind Act

"On March 28, 2006, the Center for Educational Policy released its fourth annual report on the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. The report is a comprehensive analysis of how the law is being implemented at the state, district and local levels. Based on a survey of 50 states, 299 school districts and 38 case studies of school districts, the report provides the most up-to-date information about the law's implementation and shares the opportunities and challenges that it has presented for states and districts" (From the CEP Website)

The Center for Educational Policy describes itself as a national, independent advocate for public education and for more effective public schools. Funders include The George Gund Foundation, The Gates Foundation and Phi Delta Kappa International.

EBSCO Offers Free Access to Teacher Reference Center

EBSCO Publishing (http://www.epnet.com/) is offering free access to the new Teacher Reference Center, a bibliographic index of more than 260 titles from teacher and administration trade journals, periodicals, and books. The database, delivered via the EBSCOhost platform, is available as a free resource to anyone interested in teaching and education.

Teacher Reference Center is currently available at http://www.libraryresearch.com/, along with EBSCO Publishing’s free Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database. In the coming weeks it will move to http://www.teacherreference.com. Existing EBSCOhost customers may request to have Teacher Reference Center added to their existing EBSCOhost profiles at no additional charge. http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/wnd060410.shtml#3[ITI NewsLink NewsBreaks]

Windows Live Academic Released in Beta

A beta version of Windows Live Academic was released this past week. If you are familiar with Google Scholar, you will see many similarities with Windows Live Adademic. It currently claims to index content related to computer science, physics, electrical engineering, and related subject areas, and limit to peer reviewed materials.

School Libraries and Student Achievement

"A study funded by the Ontario Library Association offers the first Canadian finding that shows a positive correlation between student achievement and library resources and staff. Released April 6, School Libraries and Student Achievement in Ontario includes assessment data from more than 50,000 students and over 800 of the province’s publicly funded elementary schools.

Among the findings were:

• Grade 3 and 6 students in schools with teacher-librarians are more likely to report that they enjoy reading.
• Schools with trained library staff are more likely to have a higher proportion of grade 6 students who meet Ontario standards on reading test scores.
• Schools without trained library staff tend to have lower achievement on the grade 3 and 6 reading tests."

From American Libraries Online.

WSU COE Library and Research News Friday Roundup

Paying Back, Not Giving Back: Student Debt's Negative Impact on Public Service Career Opportunities

PIRG has issued a new report which looks at the issue of unmanageable debt as it pertains to college graduates entering two critical public service careers: teaching and social work.

The state Public Interest Research Groups are a network of independent, state-based, citizen-funded organizations that advocate for the public interest. Each state Public Interest Research Group is independent and locally based. The state PIRGs work together nationally to share ideas and resources and cooperate on regional and national issues. The Michigan PIRG is PIRGIM (Public Interest Research Group in Michigan).

ERIC's Structured Abstracts Initiative

ERIC acknowledges the recent focus on evidence-based decision-making in the Educational Community, and has begun a structured abstract initiative for research submitted directly to ERIC through its Online Submission System. (These are the types of reports formerly submitted through the Clearinghouses as ERIC Documents).

ERIC wants to make it simpler for decision-makers and researchers to see at a glance such key elements in the abstracts as Background, Purpose, Research design and Findings.

Contributors of research through ERIC's Online Submission System located in the My ERIC section of the ERIC Web site are asked to provide this information when submitting research report for review and inclusion in the ERIC database.

Guys Read--literacy for boys

Jon Scieszka is a former elementary school teacher, and children's book author. His innovative program GUYS READ, was established to help boys read. Take a look at his innovative website for inspiration on encouraging guys of all ages to read.

Claiming Common Ground: State Policymaking for Improving College Readiness and Success

A new report out today from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education says that states can improve their students’ readiness for college and the workplace by: (1) better aligning high-school curricula and college admissions standards; (2) providing more state funds for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary education; (3) creating information systems to track students’ progress from high school through college; and (4) holding all educational institutions accountable for the outcomes of their students. Those recommendations have been previously made by other policy experts, and described in depth in a special report, “School & College,” published this month by The Chronicle. (From the Chronicle of Higher Education News Blog)

School & College

This special website from the Chronicle of Higher Education accompanies their upcoming publication SCHOOL & COLLEGE, which will report on how well (or not so well) America is preparing its young people to make the most of a college education. SCHOOL & COLLEGE will look into the ways in which society is dealing with the issues that will determine the future of education — day to day, year to year, kindergarten through college.

The website has links to articles, discussions, other resources and an order form for the print or digital version of the published report SCHOOL & COLLEGE.

Early Childhood and Child Care free online database

Research Connections provides researchers, policymakers, policy influencers, and practitioners with one-stop access to a continually updated, comprehensive, and searchable collection of Original Research and related resources including Syntheses, Datasets, Statistics, Instruments and Measures, and comparative State Data Tools. Research Connections' goal is to promote high quality research and the use of that research in policymaking. (description from the website)

New library resource for readers "Fiction Connection"

Are you a fiction reader? Easily find books you know you’ll love! The WSU Library System announces the addition of Fiction Connection to our user-friendly patron resources. You can now use Fiction Connection to find book suggestions based on books you have already read, authors you like, or topics of interest. You can access Fiction Connection through the BooksInPrint database (Click here to connect). Easily create a personalized list of recommended titles based on characteristics you enjoy. Fiction and biography titles are included and suggestions can be printed or e-mailed for later review.

For more information on using Fiction Connection, contact me at ag6887@wayne.edu or 313-577-4217.

Interactive learning fails reading test

An article from the Sydney Morning Herald, reporting on a study published in Education 3-13 which found that children using an interactive software story program experience a significant drop in recall when compared to a group that experienced the story with voice and text only.

The Partnership for a Nation of Learners

WASHINGTON, DC--The Partnership for a Nation of Learners (PNL), a leadership initiative of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), will sponsor a series of five, monthly one-hour professional development web casts designed to help local museums, libraries and public broadcasters work collaboratively to address local needs.

Although geared toward these public agencies, the site and broadcasts are excellent resources for thinking about how K-12 educators and schools can collaborate with these institutions.