Search

Black and Hispanic students are more likely to exercise public school choice. Previous large-scale quantitative studies have ignored ethnic distinctions as well as choice's multidimensional nature. As a result, the effects of public sector choice policy on the academic achievement of minority students are unknown. This study uses data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988 in a structural equation model to test and compare the effects of school choice on the academic achievement of 853 Black and Hispanic high school students. It is concluded that school choice has no indirect effect on academic achievement. Other findings include: (1) a student's socioeconomic status predicts choice; (2) school choice positively influences a sense of belonging and support; (3) school choice's influence on student effort is indirectly transmitted via an enhanced sense of belonging and support; and (4) choosing does not increase the likelihood that students will enroll in an academically rigorous program. (Contains 5 tables, 6 figures, and 109 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper presents a study conducted with two goals in mind: (1) to employ an operational definition of school choice that is more faithful to orthodox choice theory than are extant definitions; and (2) with this definition, to assess possible effects of school choice on students' academic commitment and achievement. Claims for the positive effects of school choice on student achievement deserve serious scrutiny because of increasingly widespread support for school-choice initiatives. Proponents for school choice believe that choice results in a better match between the student and the school, which, in turn, should result in greater academic commitment and academic achievement. To date, however, the research regarding the results of school choice is inconclusive. The definition of school choice captures these three elements: (1) school choice involves a public-school student selecting another public school; (2) school choice requires active selection from among perceived alternatives; and (3) school choice effects will be greater when the chosen school presents itself as a magnet school or "school of choice." The paper details the methodology of the study, including data sources, dependent and independent variables, and outcomes. The results indicate that school choice had no effect on students' subsequent academic commitment or academic achievement. Contains 23 references. (RJM)

Educators have voiced concern that leadership development has not been a part of their graduate education. But little is known about how leaders learn and how that learning affects their behavior and their success on the job. School leaders participating in a program at the Main Academy for School Leaders examined the connections between leaders' learning, their behaviors, and student outcomes. Since January 1992, 66 teachers and administrators have developed Leadership Development Plans (LDPs), carried out these plans in their work places, and evaluated the progress and results. In phase I, school leadership needs were evaluated, leader readiness determined, and goals established. In phase II, members developed LDPs, which were implemented and evaluated in phase III. Three styles of leadership learning and action were identified: (1) think it through, act, then think back; (2) act it out, then sort it out; (3) clarify what should happen, try to make it happen, evaluate progress. The study revealed that the transition from a cognitive-based learning model to a field-based one is difficult. No learning style is best in all situations. Leadership styles should take greater advantage of learning opportunities in the workplace. Lastly, structures that support adult learning are central to success. (JPT)

In response to national calls for educational reform, Maine's legislature established a career ladder certification system with three steps: provisional, professional, and master teacher. The goal was to tie teacher advancement to evidence of improved teaching and classroom management. The 1984 plan required that teacher committees develop certification criteria at the local school system level and that the new certification strategy be pilot tested in selected districts for a three-year period. Maine's law gave local administrators responsibility for setting standards and for measuring their colleagues' performance. This paper analyzes the master teacher criteria created by local committees in 16 pilot districts. The length of typical Maine criteria lists and the variety of topics covered made it difficult to summarize their content. However, the items were grouped into the following categories or domains. The teacher: (1) prepares for instruction effectively; (2) uses teaching strategies and procedures appropriate to the content, objectives, and learners; (3) uses evaluation to improve instruction; (4) manages classroom activities effectively; (5) establishes and maintains a professional leadership role; (6) communicates effectively; and (7) manages routine business and recordkeeping efficiently. Each item on a local district list was assigned to one of these categories. Results showed that pilot sites did not create criteria stressing improved teaching and classroom management. One-third of all criteria were professional leadership items, while instuctional and classroom management items comprised only 17 percent and 16 percent of the total, respectively. Committees relied on nonpedagogical aspects of teacher performance and produced remarkably similar lists. Also, the 16 pilot site lists contained many hard-to-measure process-type criteria and used high-influence language creating interpretation problems. Maine's effort to engage teachers in certification calls into question several propositions concerning the benefits of professional self-regulation. Still, teachers' trust in the criteria and process may compensate for these difficulties. Included are seven references and five tables. (MLH)

Maine Bill L.D. 1228, passed in June 1985, changed the groundrules for administrator certification, giving district-based administrators and others (as opposed to universities) the planning, support, and review authority over competency development of candidates for administrator certification or recertification. Between July 1985 and September 1987, three multi-dimensional sites tested the new law. This paper focuses on three questions that arose from these pilot attempts to place the responsibility for the development of administrator competencies in the hands of local collegial teams: (1) How did those responsible for certification or renewal assess the candidates' existing competencies at the outset of the project? (2) How were the growth plans conceived and carried out? and (3) What procedures were used to assess the outcomes of the development process, and was there evidence of growth that could serve as a basis for certification decisions? Findings showed that Maine administrators and aspirants to administration were unable to make the Administrator Action Plan work cleanly for three reasons. First, field-based assessment teams lacked a common conceptual model for administrative competency against which to define and measure performance. Second, practicing administrators did not have time to provide continuous, first-hand observation of performance and personal feedback to candidates. Finally, the field-based administrator certification programs were afflicted with ambiguity about their goals. Nevertheless, the pilot programs did provide collegial networks the support and responsibility for professional growth, and were therefore valued by participants. (TE)

Current developmental theory and research are inadequate in explaining the development of rural youth, but a mid-1970s study of adolescents from a small Maine community provided three patterns of growth and suggested four lessons for social service professionals who work with rural adolescents. The study of "Sawyer, Maine" (a pseudonym) attempted to documet the manner in which youth view adulthood and their own movement toward it by focusing on 46 youth between the ages of 17 and 24. Major themes for the age span included high school, work, marriage, and the community. Three growth patterns emerged which could be offered as abstracted and "purified" developmental paths--about 50% of the youth were "traditional," 40% were "modern-achieving," and about 10% were "questioning." Those who work with rural youth should (1) learn four lessons about the distinctiveness of rural community membership: a single conception of development violates the integrity and diversity of rural peoples and cultures; (2) learn to differentiate among youth, their aspirations, and the models they draw upon in defining adulthood; (3) remember small community membership has an immense influence on individual development; and (4) work towards ways to bridge the worlds of native rural communities and rural America without denegrating one or the other. (BRR)

While studies of school climate abound, conceptual frameworks have been ambiguous, and parent perceptions of climate are seldom considered. This paper describes a school improvement model employed in four rural Maine school districts in which (1) a school climate assessment is designed collaboratively with school staff; (2) the assessment is conducted and the results summarized; and (3) staff, citizens, and consultants review the data for purposes of plannning school improvement. Research was based on two premises: school climate as an empirical issue and the validity of school members' perceptions as sources and determinants of the learning environment. The approach involved several steps, including (1) consulting school staff about problematical aspects of school climate; (2) developing school climate instruments; (3) distributing and analyzing surveys; (4) reviewing results with school members; (5) pursuing selected findings; (6) generating multiple explanations for each climate condition identified; and (7) following up district action plans and evaluation efforts. Three lessons were learned from these successful consultations: (1) staff and citizens are receptive to survey results when involved in developing the instruments; (2) most school members are eager to read and discuss results; and (3) the staff development resulting from these steps often yields greater climate improvement than the action plan produced by the model. Included are four references. (MLH)