Eds module 1.dis 2
Unique1961
coll.resp..docxAssignment Task PART 2
Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.
Respond to at least two or more of your colleagues in any of the following ways in a 150 word response each:
· Explain an additional target area that would apply to both your and a colleague’s program or specialization.
· Offer additional support or a reference to the data to support your colleague’s target area(s).
Katheryn Gonzales
Data collection can have a significant impact on making educational and social changes for a community. According to Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin (2016), longitudinal data systems incorporating administrative records, learning management platforms, and analysis and reporting tools provide significant feedback to stakeholders and diagnostic tools to help create system change. The need for longitudinal data comes from the fragmented approach of data collection that makes it difficult for policymakers, school districts, and all stakeholders to analyze and utilize data that regularly comes from educational institutions.
Grand City has collected data over time and from many different platforms, including demographics, graduation rates, test results, family information, occupational information, educational information, and early childhood educational data. Using this data, the Grand City Task Force can look for trends, compare data, and aggregate data from many sources to address different areas of concern and questions presented to the task force (Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin, 2016).
Based on my specialization, Early Childhood Education, I find that three areas that need improvement include: increasing the amount of children ages three to five years old who attend preschool, increasing the amount of subsidized preschool and daycare, and working with the community outreach center to advance early literacy to improve overall K-12 English Language Arts test scores.
The first area that needs improvement is increasing the number of incoming kindergarten students attending preschool. The current data from Grand City shows that only 43% of incoming kindergarten students have participated in preschool (Walden University, 2016b). Research suggests that phonological awareness at the preschool level is a predictor of early learning success (Callaghan & Medelaine, 2012). Students who lack quality literacy instruction are at risk for future academic struggles.
Grand City data indicates a low level of students who meet the academic benchmark in English Language Arts test scores. 3rd – 5th-grade students scored as meeting or exceeding the benchmark at 25.7%. The percentage of students who scored as meeting or exceeding the standard in grades 6th – 8th dropped to 19.7%, and the rate of 11th-grade students scoring as meeting or exceeding the benchmark dropped even further to 13.5% (Walden University, 2016b). To begin to make a positive change, the Early Childhood Center and the Early Childhood Program Association will need to work with Grand City’s Community Outreach Center to support families to help provide early childhood programs, literacy opportunities, and support to families in the community. Quality preschool education can strongly influence the development of young children. Early childhood learning experiences allow children to develop social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills and concepts that will lead to lifelong academic success.
Lastly, Grand City will need to find a way to subsidize preschool and daycare for families. Grand City data indicates that 48% of families need funded preschool and 72% need subsidized daycare (Walden University, 2016b). These numbers demonstrate the importance of providing state-funded prekindergarten and financial assistance through HeadStart and Early HeadStart to provide childcare for children birth to five years old.
Targeting these areas will be most effective in supporting positive change within my specialization of Early Childhood Education, as well as Grand City community because providing a solid foundation for our youngest community members will reap benefits that can be seen throughout K-12 to graduation and into the workforce.
References
Callaghan, G., & Madelaine, A. (2012). Levelling the playing field for kindergarten entry: Research implications for preschool
early literacy instruction. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(1), 13-23.
https://doi.org/10.1177/183693911203700103
Gonzalez-Sancho, C., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems.
Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. Doi:10.1177/1478210316649287
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2017a). Grand City opening task force meeting [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016b). Grand City education and demographic data files [PDF]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Amanda Puryear
Module 1 Discussion 2: TARGET AREAS FOR CHANGE
After reviewing the Grand City Education and Demographic data files (2016b), I identified three target areas that require improvement in my field of curriculum and instruction. These areas are (1) curriculum and training, (2) discipline, and (3) special education.
According to reports, there is a growing racial imbalance between teachers and students. The present data shows that 83 % of the teacher population is white, while the population of students is 75.5 % minority. The data also shows that 88 % of students are on free or reduced lunch, and 24.8% live in poverty (Walden University, 2016b). This imbalance calls for teachers to be trained in interacting with students from diverse backgrounds. A possible solution to this area of need is the integration of culturally relevant teaching strategies. In these strategies, teachers are trained to understand and relate to culturally diverse students. Teachers and curriculum specialists will also need to review the curriculum to ensure that students can see themselves in the curriculum and become more invested in the educational process and enabling them to build a sense of belonging in the classroom. (Quinonez & Olivas, 2020). Integrating more culturally diverse learning materials will aid in this investment.
Over the past five years, the rate of office referrals and suspensions has increased (Walden University, 2016b). The largest increase has been seen in the minority groups of African American, Hispanic, and Riza refugees. As students are referred to the office and/or suspended, they are out of the classroom and losing instructional time. When this cycle is allowed to continue, the student falls further behind, and motivation decrease. A possible solution is the use of restorative justice practices. Restorative justice practices have been proven in several studies to positively impact student outcomes by decreasing office referrals and suspensions ( Katic et al., 2020). Restorative justice accomplishes this by validating the views of each student and allows for students to discuss problems in a structured setting and heal any wrongs that could have happened.
The number of students receiving special education services has grown from 15% to 18 % (Walden University, 2016b). This increase could lead to a deficit in sound accommodation practices due to a lack of training or support for the general education teacher. For the student, this can lead them to become frustrated and disengaged in the lesson. The Co-teaching model can address the issues that arise with the increase in special education students. This model pairs a special education teacher and a general education teacher to plan and execute lessons. This model can help general education teachers properly serve their special education students and help them feel included (Jortveit & Kovač, 2022), therefore increasing their engagement and positive student outcomes.
References
Jortveit, M., & Kovač, V. B. (2022). Co-teaching that works: special and general educators’ perspectives on collaboration. Teaching
Education, 33(3), 286–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2021.1895105 Links to an external site.
Katic, B., Alba, L. A., & Johnson, A. H. (2020). A systematic evaluation of restorative justice practices: School violence prevention and
response. Journal of School Violence, 19(4), 579–593. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2020.1783670 Links to an external site.
Quiñonez, T. L., & Olivas, A. P. (2020). Validation theory and culturally relevant curriculum in the information literacy classroom. Urban
Library Journal, 26(1), 2.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016b). Grand City education and demographic data files [PDF]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Elizabeth Anne Mcclenaghan
YesterdayDec 5 at 8:18pm
Module 1 Discussion 2: Target Areas for Change
Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin (2016), argue that while the use of data has become a prominent strategy for educational innovation and improvement across multiple countries, due to the fragmentation of data collection, a longitudinal data system that incorporates administrative records, learning management platforms, and reporting tools are needed to help create change. Access to longitudinal information can not only help educators identify and monitor student academic progress, but it can also help to gauge the effectiveness of implementing various programs and provide education policymakers with more accurate and reliable data needed to evaluate school systems.
Though the data collected by Grand City (Walden University, 2016b), is fragmented, providing a small snapshot of information about five years ago and the current year, it does allow the Grand City Task Force to compare the information, analyze it for trends, and generate questions and concerns to be researched.
Based on my specialization in elementary and middle school academics and after reviewing the Grand City Education and Demographic data files (2016b), the areas that I find need the most improvement include increasing the percentage of children ages three to five who attend early childhood programs, increasing the percentage of students attending school daily, and discipline.
In Grand City, only 43% of children ages 3-5 years old attend preschool, this is 22% lower than the state average. When broken down into demographics, the data indicates that currently, Grand City has fewer children than the state average in all demographic groups. As stated by Ms. Stephens, the youngest members of the community will be the future of the community and should be a priority for the task group. Studies have shown that students who are academically behind at the end of third grade have little to no chance of closing the gap and being on grade level. Early childhood education has also been shown to not only increase reading and math abilities, but also increases a child's ability to socialize with others relating to a decrease in discipline issues (Nold et. al, 2021). The Task Force will need to analyze the cost and availability of early childhood programs, the quality of programs being offered, other reasons why families are not sending children to preschool, and possibly offering courses or classes for stay-at-home parents on ways in which they can support their children’s educational foundation.
Over the past five years, Grand City the average daily attendance rate has decreased and there has been an increase in chronically absent students across most demographic areas (Walden University, 2016b). Chronic absence is a measure of how much school a student misses for any reason, missing more than ten days in a given school year will place students in the chronically absent category. The most significant increase in chronically absent students was seen in the minority groups of African-Americans, Native HI/Pac Islanders, and Riza. According to Cunningham et. al (2022), children’s absence from elementary school is associated with lower academic achievement and increased social difficulties. If absenteeism is persistent in early education, it will often continue or worsen as students progress into secondary education, leading to increased discipline and dropout rates. The role of the Task Force will be to investigate solutions to help families get their children to school, analyze school transportation, work with teachers to increase the level of student engagement during class periods, delve into cultural expectations and beliefs regarding education, and look at the possibility of providing work-study programs for high school students that are working to help provide for their families.
Similar to the attendance data, Grand City is seeing an increase in the percentage of students receiving office referrals or suspensions, especially in many of the minority groups. A study conducted by Chu and Ready (2018) found that while suspensions were designed to be aversive, aiming to deter students from exhibiting the same behaviors in the future, they can exacerbate the negative behaviors, increase dropout rates, and cause students to rebel or feel stigmatized. The implementation of restorative practices and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a possible solution for the Task Force to research. PBIS, which involves practices designed to improve academic and social-behavioral outcomes for all students, has been shown to reduce the number of office discipline referrals and suspensions, increase academic achievement, and improve perceptions of school safety (Hollands et. al, 2022).
References:
Chu, E.M., & Ready, D.D. (2018). Exclusion and urban public high schools: Short- and long-term consequences of school suspensions. American Journal of Education, 124(4), 479-509. https://doi.org/10.1086/698454 Links to an external site.
Cunningham, A., Harvey, K., & Waite, P. (2022). School staffs’ experiences of supporting children with school attendance difficulties in primary school: a qualitative study. Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties, 27(1), 72-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2022.2067704 Links to an external site.
Gonzalez-Sancho, C., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. Doi:10.1177/1478210316649287
Hollands, F.M., Leach, S.M., Shand, R., Head, L., Wang, Y., Dossett, D., Chang, F., Yan, B., Martin, M., Pan, Y., & Hensel, S. (2022). Restorative practices: Using local evidence on costs and student outcomes to inform school district decisions about behavioral interventions. Journal of School Psychology, 92, 188-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.03.007 Links to an external site.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016b). Grand City education and demographic data files [PDF]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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Collapse Subdiscussion Sophia Lanette Ruffin Hedrington
Sophia Lanette Ruffin Hedrington
YesterdayDec 5 at 11:26pm
Grand City is a town on the rise both economically and educationally because Mayor Tara Keller has decided to incorporate a Task Force to develop a plan to improve how to town approaches education, healthcare, childcare, and technology. Under the mayor’s guidance the taskforce has comb through years of data to target the main challenges that Grand City is faced with today. Within the educational realm, one of the main focuses of the task force is special education.
To improve special education, the task force has three target areas within the specialization of Special Education that they will focus on the rise in the number of students who have qualified for special education, teachers’ preparation, and teacher availability. The rationale behind focusing on these three targets to bring awareness to the community. The subjective realities of these targets show Grand City that if things cannot be changed or improved than the educational system of Grand City will begin to fail (Fullan, 2016).
Stabilizing the number of special education referrals is the number one target. According to the data, 18% percent of the students enrolled in the Grand City School System have some exceptionality and receives special education services. The city also had a 20% influx of students with disabilities from Riza (Walden, LLC, 2016b). School districts must do a better job at gathering appropriate and culturally responsive data during the pre-referral process. Many of the special education evaluations are dated and do not give an overall clear picture of the students’ academic performances (Fullan, 2016).
The second and third target correlate because school system are lacking qualified teachers and those who are teaching are not equipped to handle the cultural change they are faced with in the classroom. Offering more professional development to teacher to help them learn how to incorporate more culturally responsive lessons and activities into their teaching is critical. The teachers must be able to meet the needs of each student and understand how each students culture and background relates to how they learn in the general education setting (Samuels, 2018).
It is important to target these areas because Grand City leaders want to promote positive change in the growing community. If more teachers are trained to incorporate culturally responsive pedagogy into their lesson instruction by differentiating and scaffolding more students can be reached at one time (Mandinach et al., 2015)). Another way to make things easier for Grand City is to incorporate a longitudinal information system that collects and maintains data across systems (Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Lacrin, 2016).
Positive change begins with the government’s ability to identify the problem and designate a team of leaders with an invested interest in seeing Grand City thrive. Mayor Tara Keller has assembled a team of leaders to dissect their respective specialization and make recommendation of how to improve them. This is the first step lowering special education numbers, improving attendance, increasing the graduation rate, and increasing the number of students attending pre-school.
References
Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of education change (5th ed.)/ New York, NY: Teacher College Press.
Gonzalez-Sancho, C. & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. doi:10.1177/1478210316649287.
Mandinach, E.B., Parton, B., Gummer, E.S., & Anderson, R. (2015). Ethical and appropriate data use requires data literacy. Phi Delta Kappan 96(5), 25-27. doi:10.1177/0031721715569465
Samuels, A. (2018). Exploring culturally responsive pedagogy: Teachers' perspectives on fostering equitable and inclusive classrooms. SRATE Journal, 27(1), 22-30.
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016b). Grand City education and demographic data files {PDF}. Author.
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Collapse Subdiscussion Ida M Green
Ida M Green
1:23amDec 6 at 1:23am
Three target areas that need improvement or change
Three different areas will need improvement/change in this specialization: the education sector. One situation facing the school system in Grand city is overcrowding schools. The student population in the school district has increased significantly, and this has caused a significant burden on administrators and the school staff (Hachem & Mayor,2019). Another major issue affecting the education sector in this scenario is inadequate personnel and the requirement for special-skills training for teachers, which can help support the education system. And last, the significant change in Grand City calls for a demand for a wider variety of educational approaches for the students.
A rationale for each area supported with specific data from Grand City
Evidence from data concerning Grand City gives sufficient information concerning the issues of concern in this scenario. Overcrowding in schools is a major issue. A quarter of public institutions have registrations which have about 5 % of the capacity that the organization can hold (Mandinach et al., 2015). Additionally, a third of the schools have enrollments below their required capacity. This means that overcrowded schools will usually be overburdened by too many students and will experience wear and tear on their facilities. Limited staff in schools is a significant issue that impacts the education sector, leading to a lower quality of education (Howells, 2018). Evidence reveals that nearly 44% of public schools have a low number of staff, which leads to low teacher-to-student ratios, affecting the quality of education the students receive. Sectors such as special education will usually experience the most vacancies due to fewer teachers who specialize in such sectors.
Evidence also reveals increased demand for a wider variety of student educational approaches. There is a need for new and more practical skills in education, which would improve outcomes for the student population, leading to improved outcomes in education (González-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin, 2016). The issues for broader educational goals, especially with rapid advancements in science and technology have widened inequalities (González-Sancho & Vincent-Lancrin, 2016). Educational instructors will need to require skills that can create new value, leading to improved outcomes in the educational sector.
How and why targeting these areas will be effective in supporting positive change
These targeting areas are important to support positive change. Addressing overcrowding in schools will not only lead to improvements in the educational sector but will improve the quality of education at Grand City, leading to better overall educational outcomes (Howells, 2018). It will also lead to more individualized focus, which means that the teachers can dedicate specific time to each student to improve their quality of education. Addressing overcrowding will ensure that the struggling students can be attended to, which would lead to positive outcomes in their performance. Solving the issue of limited staff in the school setting is critical to better education outcomes (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2013). Increasing staff members that are skilled and talented will help ensure that all students receive equal attention in the classroom. This will improve service delivery because teachers can deliver the syllabus to the students according to the required specifications, which would lead to positive outcomes for the student population (Hargreaves & Fullan, 2013).
The third targeted area is the demand for new educational approaches, a critical issue in the education sector. By dealing with this issue, the teachers will gain specialized skills for dealing with the new student population based on new teaching approaches, such as integrating technology into student teaching. Additionally, by addressing this issue, the educational sector will create a more inclusive environment for learning, which would lead to improved education outcomes for all students.
References
González-Sancho, C., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 741-758. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210316649287 Links to an external site.
Hachem, H., & Mayor, P. (2019). Overcrowding in schools: Why is it a huge Issue? Retrieved December 4, 2022. https://patch.com/michigan/dearborn/overcrowding-schools-why-it-huge-issue Links to an external site.
Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2013). The power of professional capital. The Learning Professional, 34(3),36. https://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/Domain/219/JSD-Power-of-Professional-Capital.pdf Links to an external site.
Howells, K. (2018). The future of education and skills: education 2030: the future we want. http://www.oecd.org/education/2030/E2030%20Position%20Paper%20(05.04.2018).pdf Links to an external site.
Mandinach, E. B., Parton, B. M., Gummer, E. S., & Anderson, R. (2015). Ethical and appropriate data use requires data literacy. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(5), 25-28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721715569465 Links to an external site.
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Collapse Subdiscussion Jermaine White
Jermaine White
1:34pmDec 6 at 1:34pm
With my specialization being in administration with a focus on high school, there are a few things that I could target when it comes to improvement in Grand City. When looking at the Grand City Education and Demographic data files (2016b), the three areas that I would focus on are discipline, instruction, and special education.
When looking at the discipline for Grand City, 16.7 % of students had at least one office referral last year, and at least 19% were suspended at least once last year (2016b). The data for suspension has been broken down further to show the ethnicity of the student referrals. When looking at the number of students with referrals and students that have been suspended, all races have shown an increase in referrals. African American students have been identified as the group with the largest number of referrals.
The next target area that I have identified is an instruction in the classroom. This is evident when it comes to students' test data. When looking at the test data for math, only 36.8% of 11th graders meet or exceed the state benchmark test (2016b). When looking at the test data from five years ago, the number of students who met or exceeded the math benchmark was 46.2%. When looking at the English Language Arts test data, they also have gone down over five years. The English scores went from 25.7% of students met or exceeded to 13.5% met or exceeded the necessary score on the exam(2016b). When looking at these scores show that there is an issue with teachers' methods when it comes to the delivery of instruction. Training needs to occur to show how data can be used to improve their instructions. For example, data can be used to differentiate instruction for students (Mandinach et al., 2015). The percentage of students being successful on the test was already low but has gone down even further. Instruction looks like an area that needs attention to correct the direction that the test data is going in.
The last target area that would be a focus would be special education. When looking at special education can also coincide with the instructions piece for the teachers. When looking at the students in Grand City, 18% of students qualify for special education services (Walden, 2016b). When looking at the demographics of the students, each group has had an increase in special education services over the past five years. For special education students to succeed, systems need to be in place. For this to occur, teachers need to be trained to ensure that special education services are in place, which would also impact the instruction that is given in the classroom. If the students are not getting proper support could also lead to struggles in the classroom.
When looking at these three target areas, if changes are made, it can impact the schools as a whole. These three areas can help with a culture change in the schools. When looking at these three areas, systems, along with training, will need to be implemented for success. For Grand City to see improvement, the use of a longitudinal information system would be beneficial. This system would allow for different forms of data to be collected and link them together over time to provide a complete academic and performance history of students (Gonzalez-Sancho & Vincent-Laurin, 2016). The schools could partner with the community to help with things in school that could improve in the target areas. Starting with these target areas could build the ideal environment, which would lead to school improvement.
Reference
Gonzalez-Sancho, C. & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. doi:10.1177/1478210316649287.
Mandinach, E.B., Parton, B., Gummer, E.S., & Anderson, R. (2015). Ethical and appropriate data use requires data literacy. Phi Delta Kappan 96(5), 25-27. doi:10.1177/0031721715569465
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016b). Grand City education and demographic data files {PDF}. Author.
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Collapse Subdiscussion Kelli A Barnes
Kelli A Barnes
3:25pmDec 6 at 3:25pm
Grand City has experienced many changes within their community that has affected many components of their society. With the leadership of Mayor Keller and the task force developed, positive progress is the goal for Grand City. Along with the leadership of the task force, Mayor Keller and her advisers are tasked with supporting the economic, educational, and social change and development of their city. For change to occur, a new direction with transformation within a system must be evident (Gonzalez-Sancho, et al, 2016). Three target areas that fall under my specialization in Early Childhood Education are the decline of students having preschool or daycare experience before entering kindergarten, the increase in special education services, and the decline of students attending school consistently.
Only 43% of students entering kindergarten in Grand City had previous preschool or daycare experience (Walden, 2016). This proves to be an issue as early literacy deficiency was detected in students entering school. As an early childhood education specialist literacy is the foundation to all learning. Without the phonemic awareness or previous exposure to letters, sounds, or books being read, students enter kindergarten with a lack of foundational skills.
Another area of concern is connected to the lack of literacy foundation building. In Grand City the student numbers of those receiving special education services rose from 15%-18% (Walden, 2016). This could be due to demographics or more interestingly, there is lack of students entering kindergarten with previous foundational skills. Unfortunately, schools are faced with increasing numbers and lack of support. Thus, Grand City’s task force has identified this as a target concern. Rationale for the concern would be the lack of students attending due to their frustration with school and lack of services that they are intended to receive.
Lastly, it is evident how the next area of student attendance becomes a plane of the scaffolding concerns in Grand City. In Grand City, student attendance has been on a steady decline (Walden, 2016). Students are skipping school due to lack of interest or consequence, while younger students are not attending for lack of parental responsibility. Grand City will have to become more supportive of students’ overall development to ensure their motivation to attend (Cunningham, et al, 2022). As analyzed, this could be due to demographics or socioeconomics. However, it is apparent that all three target areas are intertwined and affect one another. Thus, Grand City will need to address the lack of foundational readiness that students have entering kindergarten. Then, each target area will be addressed, and support given for all parties. With appropriate acknowledgment and support for each area, Grand City could be on the bring of a social and developmental change. Considering families, students, teachers, and staff, Grand City can potentially build a better and stronger school system for their community.
References
Cunningham, A., Harvey, K., & Waite, P. (2022). School staffs’ experiences of supporting children with school attendance difficulties in primary school: a qualitative study. Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties, 27(1), 72-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2022.2067704 Links to an external site.
Gonzalez-Sancho, C., & Vincent-Lancrin, S. (2016). Transforming education by using a new generation of information systems. Policy Futures in Education, 14(6), 1-18. Doi:10.1177/1478210316649287
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2016). Grand City education and demographic data files [PDF]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
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