Teaching practices and student achievement : report of first-year findings from the "Mosaic" study of systematic initiatives in mathematics and science

In Our Increasingly Technological Society, Improving Students' Performance In Mathematics And Science Has Become A Critical Challenge. During The 1990s, The National Science Foundation Funded A Series Of Systemic Initiatives Designed To Change The Way These Subjects Are Being Taught In Schools Throughout The Country. These Initiatives Sought To Align All Aspects Of The Educational System In Support Of Ambitious Curriculum And Performance Standards, With Particular Emphasis On Teacher Training And Professional Development To Promote Effective Changes In Instructional Practice. States, Urban School Districts, And Consortia Designed Programs To Implement Reforms That Were Consistent With Nsf's Goals, And In 1996, Rand Undertook A Study To Investigate The Relationships Between Student Achievement In Mathematics And Science And The Use Of These New Instructional Practices. The Authors Examined Six Sites That Were Implementing Systemic Reforms During The 1996-97 School Year, And A Similar Set Of Sites During The 1997-98 School Year. This Report Presents The Results Of Theiranalysis Of Data From The First Year Of The Study. The Findings Provide Some (albeit Weak) Support For The Hypothesis That The Reform Instructional Practices Are Associated With Improved Student Achievement In Both Mathematics And Science. However, As With Most Large-scale Field Studies, There Are Many Factors That May Have Artificially Increased Or. Decreased The Observed Effect Sizes. Nevertheless, The Consistency Of The Results Across Sites Is Encouraging. Data From The Second Year Of The Study Will Provide Additional Evidence To Aid In The Interpretation Of These Findings. Chapter One -- Introduction -- The Systemic Initiatives Program -- Earlier Evaluations Of Systemic Initiatives -- Evidence Of Relationships Between Teaching Practices And Achievement -- Measuring Student Achievement -- Overview Of The Mosaic Project -- Chapter Two -- Methods -- Site Selection -- School, Subject, And Grade-level Selection -- Data Collection -- Student Achievement Data -- Teacher Questionnaires -- Demographic Data -- Participation Rates -- Analysis -- Chapter Three -- First-year Results -- Distributions Of Teaching Practices -- Relationships Between Teaching Practices And Student Achievement -- Alternative Formulations For Site Models -- Differences Between Test Formats -- Study Limitations -- Chapter Four -- Discussion -- Summary Of Year 1 Findings -- Plans For Future Data Collection And Analysis. Stephen Klein ... [et Al.]. Mr-1233-edu. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 81-84). Many of the mathematics and science education reforms that are currently under way in the United States seek to improve achievement by fostering classroom practices designed to enhance the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, particular among low-income and minority students.