The relationship between the secondary mathematics curriculum, college persistence, and success at an urban community college

According to Venezia, Kirst, and Antonio (2003) and Barth’s 2002 Thinking K16 Ticket to Nowhere report, the disconnect between K-12 and postsecondary education was a contributing factor to high attrition rates. Since mathematics emerged as a primary concern for college readiness, Barth (2002) called for improving student transitions from K-12 to postsecondary institutions through the use of state or local data. The purpose of the present study was to analyze mathematics course-taking patterns of secondary students in a local context and to evaluate high school characteristics in order to explore their relationships with Associate degree attainment or continuous enrollment at an urban community college. Also, this study extended a national study conducted by Clifford Adelman (The Toolbox Revisited, 2006) as it specifically focused on community college students that were not included his study. Furthermore, this study used the theoretical framework that human capital, social capital, and cultural capital influence habitus—an individual’s or a group’s learned inclination to behave within the parameters of the imposed prevailing culture and norms. Specifically, the school embedded culture as it relates to tracking worked as a reproduction tool of ultimate benefit for the privileged group (Oakes, 1994). ^ Using multilevel analysis, this ex post facto study examined non-causal relationships between math course-taking patterns and college persistence of public high school graduates who enrolled at the local community college for up to 6 years. One school-level variable (percent of racial/ethnic minorities) and 7 student-level variables (community college math proportion, remedial math attempts, race, gender, first-year credits earned, socioeconomic status, and summer credits earned) emerged as predictors for college persistence. Study results indicated that students who enter higher education at the community college may have had lower opportunities to learn and therefore needed higher levels of remediation, which was shown to detract students from degree completion. Community college leaders are called to partner with local high schools with high percentages of racial/ethnic minorities to design academic programs aimed at improving the academic preparation of high school students in mathematics and promote student engagement during the first year and summers of college. ^

The Annual Condition of Education Report, 2013

The 2031 edition of the Annual Condition of Education Report provides a rich tapestry of information about Iowa's Education system. The data presented in the report examines longitudinal trends about our students, our teacher and our schools from many perspectives. Information such as demographic characteristics, assessment results, college readiness, college readiness measures, courses taken, and financial health are just a few examples, Below are highlights from the 24th edition of the report.

The Annual Condition of Education Report, 2014

The 2031 edition of the Annual Condition of Education Report provides a rich tapestry of information about Iowa's Education system. The data presented in the report examines longitudinal trends about our students, our teacher and our schools from many perspectives. Information such as demographic characteristics, assessment results, college readiness, college readiness measures, courses taken, and financial health are just a few examples, Below are highlights from the 24th edition of the report.

How can strategic philanthropy contribute to innovation for companies

This investigation proposes to explore the existing link between a strategic conception of philanthropy and innovation. Indeed, the nature of the research question relies on an unexplored field in the CSR and Innovation management academic literature. It starts with the interest to know which the benefits are for a firm encouraged to invest strategically in philanthropy. In this regard, the analysis contributes in fitting this gap by following different objectives in an exploratory perspective. Throughout the research it will be analyzed the concept and the current and past contributions on the different branches of innovation (product innovation, managerial innovation, technological innovation), to accentuate the relation between an accurate strategic approach to philanthropy and the impact on the organizational value. Indeed, analyzing philanthropic innovation may provide insights about business opportunities and notions related to social investments and profit. That aspect includes the link between those strategic decisions that a firm can use to maximize those investments as it was part of their core business. It also proves the existing link between CSR and innovation, and the possibilities that the enterprises have towards this subject.

MITEP: REFLECTIVE JOURNEY

This research looks at the use of the Interactive Student Notebook (ISN) in the math classroom and the impact on student achievement as part of the MiTEP program. A reflective critical analysis of the MiTEP program discusses impact on teacher pedagogy, leadership, and connections to people and resources. The purpose of the study stemmed from the lack of student retention, poor organizational skills, and the students’ inability to demonstrate college readiness skills such as how to study, completing homework, and thinking independently. Motivation also stemmed from teacher frustration. The research was conducted at Linden Grove Middle School in Kalamazoo Michigan in a strategic math class. Twenty-two sixth graders, thirty-two seventh graders, and forty eighth graders were part of the study.Students were given the Strategic Math Inventory (SMI) test in week 1 of the class and again at the end of a 12 week marking period. Students participated in an attitude survey to record their feelings about the use of the ISN in the strategic math classroom. The data compared the control group (the previous year’s [2012-2013] growth data) to the experimental group, the current year’s (2013-2014) growth data. Both groups were statistically similar in that the mean average was about a 4th grade level equivalency and the groups had similar numbers of grade level students. The significant findings were in the amount of growth made using the ISN. The control group started with a mean average of 586.6 and ended with a mean average of 697.1, making about one year’s growth from a 4th to a 5th grade level equivalency. The experimental group started with a mean average of 585.2 and ended with a mean average of 744.2, making about two years growth from a 4th to a 6th grade level equivalency. This is double the growth of the control group. The Cohen’s test resulted in a score of 0.311 which describes that the teaching method, the use of the ISN in the math classroom had a medium impact on student growth.

Diagnóstico del rendimiento académico de estudiantes de una escuela de educación superior en México

El objetivo del artículo es realizar un diagnóstico sobre la percepción de los factores que intervienen en el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de cinco carreras universitarias en una escuela de educación superior en México, para así reconocer las áreas de oportunidad que permitan sugerir políticas y estrategias para elevar su rendimiento. Se utilizó una muestra de 1651 estudiantes, se obtuvieron los datos a partir de un cuestionario con treinta preguntas que estudian la percepción del rendimiento académico en escala tipo Likert. Se realizó un análisis factorial exploratorio que permitiera reducir los datos, facilitar la interpretación y validar el instrumento. Se identificaron tres factores: a) el rol de los profesores, b) la evaluación y c) la motivación de los estudiantes. Se llevó a cabo un análisis comparativo por carrera. Se encontró que los estudiantes perciben que la mayoría de los maestros no se preocupan por la condición de los jóvenes en situación de reprobación. Además, casi no motivan y carecen de expresiones de sentimientos de orgullo por los logros académicos de los estudiantes. La mitad de los participantes piensa que los docentes no cubren el temario en su totalidad. Se detectó que los estudiantes poseen una alta motivación siendo esto positivo porque son alumnos dedicados y responsables. Se concluye realizando una serie de sugerencias y explicando las implicaciones que tiene este trabajo para las instituciones de educación superior.

The Annual Condition of Education Report, 2015

Annual Condition of Education Report provides a rich tapestry of information about Iowa's Education system. The data presented in the report examines longitudinal trends about our students, our teacher and our schools from many perspectives. Information such as demographic characteristics, assessment results, college readiness, college readiness measures, courses taken, and financial health are just a few examples.

THE USE OF THE EARLY WARNING INDICATOR REPORT TO IMPACT NINTH GRADE PROMOTION RATES IN A LARGE URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how four high schools used an Early Warning Indicator Report (EWIR) to improve ninth grade promotion rates. Ninth grade on-time promotion is an early predictor of a student’s likelihood to graduate (Bornsheuer, Polonyi, Andrews, Fore, & Onwuegbuzie, 2011; Leckrone & Griffith, 2006; Roderick, Kelley-Kemple, Johnson, & Beechum, 2014; Zvoch, 2006). The analysis revealed both similarities and differences in the ways that the four schools used the EWIR. The research took place in a large urban school district in the Mid-Atlantic. Sixteen participants from four high schools and the district’s central office voluntarily participated in face-to-face interviews. The researcher utilized a qualitative case study method to examine the implementation of the EWIR system in Wyatt School District. The interview data was transcribed and analyzed, along with district documents, to identify categories in this cross case analysis. Three primary themes emerged from the data: (1) targeted school structures for EWIR implementation, (2) the EWIR identified necessary supports for students, and (3) the central office support for school staff. The findings revealed the various ways that the target schools implemented the EWIR in their buildings and the level of support that they received from the central office that aided them in using the EWIR to improve ninth grade promotion rates. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher provided a number of key recommendations: (1) Districts should provide professional development to schools to ensure that schools have the support they need to implement the EWIR successfully; (2) There should be increased accountability from the central office for schools using the EWIR to identify impactful interventions for ninth graders; and (3) The district needs to assign dedicated central office staff to support the implementation of the EWIR in high schools across the district. As schools continue to face the challenge of improving ninth grade promotion rates, effective use of an Early Warning Indicator Report is recommended to provide school and district staff with data needed to impact overall student performance.

Analysis of the readiness of Nigerian undergraduates for eLearning courses : understanding undergraduate's perspective

There is much enthusiasm about developing eLearning coures in Nigeria, but majority of the eLearning platforms introduced from developed countries to Nigeria hardly resulted in desired outcome. Proposed reasons are lack of infrastructures such as stable electricity, inadequate rate of internet penetration, low bandwidth and low accessibility of undergraduates to sophisticated devices. These seem valid initially, but findings of this study proved otherwise. This study took a deeper evaluation of the scenarios and made viable discoveries which deviate from early findings. First, the former attempts to introduce eLearning for students in Nigeria were implemented with a rural mindset. Secondly, the undergraduate student`s technical readiness were not properly studied, also their technology user acceptance was also not properly checked and the eLearning platforms were not localized. This study conducted interviews among tertiary students at Yaba College of technology and gathered valuable information towards their readiness for eLearning.

Factores de riesgo del comportamiento y readiness de aficionados inscritos a carreras atléticas de fondo de 18-64 años en Bogotá D.C., 2014”

La participación en carreras atléticas de calle ha aumentado; esto requiere detectar riesgos previos al esfuerzo físico. Objetivo. Identificar factores de riesgo del comportamiento y readiness de inscritos a una carrera. Método. Estudio transversal en aficionados de 18-64 años. Encuesta digital con módulos de IPAQ, PARQ+ y STEP. Muestreo aleatorio sistemático con n=510, para una inactividad física esperada de 35% (±5%). Se evaluó nivel de actividad física, consumo de alcohol (peligroso), de fruta, verdura, tabaco y sal, y readiness. Resultados. El cumplimiento de actividad física fue 97,4%; 2,4% consume nivel óptimo de fruta o verdura (diferencias por edad, sexo y estrato), 3,7% fuma y 44,1% consumo peligroso de alcohol. El 19,8% reportó PARQ+ positivo y 5,7% requiere supervisión. Hay diferencias por trabajo y estudio. Discusión. Los aficionados cumplen el nivel de actividad física; pero no de otros factores. Una estrategia de seguridad en el atletismo de calle es evaluar los factores de riesgo relacionados con el estilo de vida así como el readiness.

Student Transition to College

In this action research study of recent graduates from my district, I investigated their level of readiness for college-level mathematics courses. I discovered that the students have a wide variety of experiences in college. There are many factors that determine success in college mathematics courses. These factors include size of college, private or public, university or community college. Other factors include students’ choice of major, maturity level, and work ethic. As a result of this research, I plan to raise the individual expectations in my classroom. It is our duty as high school educators to prepare the students for a wide variety of experiences in college. We cannot control where the students attend college or what they study. High schools need to prepare the students for all possibilities and ensure that they have a solid knowledge of the baseline mathematics skills.

The impact of the Florida state -mandated Basic Skills Exit Tests at Miami -Dade Community College

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Florida State-mandated Basic Skills Exit Tests (BSET) on the effectiveness of remedial instruction programs to adequately serve the academically underprepared student population. The primary research question concerned whether the introduction of the BSET has resulted in remedial completers who are better prepared for college-level coursework. ^ This study consisted of an ex post facto research design to examine the impact of the BSET on student readiness for subsequent college-level coursework at Miami-Dade Community College. Two way analysis of variance was used to compare the performance of remedial and college-ready students before and after the introduction of the BSET requirement. Chi-square analysis was used to explore changes in the proportion of students completing and passing remedial courses. Finally, correlation analysis was used to explore the utility of the BSET in predicting subsequent college-level course performance. Differences based on subject area and race/ethnicity were explored. ^ The introduction of the BSET did not improve the performance of remedial completers in subsequent college-level courses in any of the subject areas. The BSET did have a negative impact on the success rate of students in remedial reading and mathematics courses. There was a significant decrease in minority students' likelihood of passing remedial reading and mathematics courses after the BSET was introduced. The reliability of the BSET is unacceptably low for all subject areas, based on estimates derived from administrations at M-DCC. Nevertheless, there was a significant positive relationship between BSET score and grade point average in subsequent college-level courses. This relationship varied by subject area and ethnicity, with the BSET reading score having no relationship with subsequent course performance for Black non-Hispanic students. ^ The BSET had no discernable positive effect on remedial student performance in subsequent college-level courses. In other words, the BSET has not enhanced the effectiveness of the remedial programs to prepare students for later coursework at M-DCC. The BSET had a negative impact on the progress and success of students in remedial reading and mathematics. ^

The impact of the Florida state-mandated basic skills exit test at Miami-Dade Community College

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the Florida State-mandated Basic Skills Exit Tests (BSET) on the effectiveness of remedial instruction programs to adequately serve the academically underprepared student population. The primary research question concerned whether the introduction of the BSET has resulted in remedial completers who are better prepared for college-level coursework. This study consisted of an ex post facto research design to examine the impact of the BSET on student readiness for subsequent college-level coursework at Miami- Dade Community College. Two way analysis of variance was used to compare the performance of remedial and college-ready students before and after the introduction of the BSET requirement. Chi-square analysis was used to explore changes in the proportion of students completing and passing remedial courses. Finally, correlation analysis was used to explore the utility of the BSET in predicting subsequent college-level course performance. Differences based on subject area and race/ethnicity were explored.