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Evaluating the Effects of Arts-based Instructional Strategies on Student Achievement and Character in Grades K-8
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| Presenter(s):
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| Melinda Mollette, North Carolina State University, melinda_mollette@ncsu.edu
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| Richard Benjamin, Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency, rbenjamin@pioneerresa.org
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| Mary Lasris, Pioneer Regional Educational Service Agency, mlasris@pioneerresa.org
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| Abstract:
This paper presents results from years 1-3 of the School Transformation: Character through the Arts project being implemented with over 1800 students in grades K-8 at three north Georgia schools. The project framework uses the Artful LearningG™ model, developed at the Leonard Bernstein Center/Grammy Foundation, as well as the eleven principles of effective character education, developed by the Character Education Partnership, to increase the leadership capacity of teachers, and expand instructional creativity and effectiveness, and student engagement. Additionally, this project is explicitly designed to integrate proven character education strategies with the arts as a vehicle for promoting character growth along with academic growth. This evaluation utilizes a quasi-experimental longitudinal design, involving pre and post-testing in both project and matched comparison schools. The implementation process, along with results from formative and summative instruments, such as surveys, classroom observations and achievement tests, will be discussed, along with plans for future evaluation measures.
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Applications of Quasi-Experimental Research Designs: An Innovative Approach to Increasing Rigor in Evaluations
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| Presenter(s):
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| Elena Kirtcheva, Research for Better Schools, kirtcheva@rbs.org
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| Abstract:
This paper presents an innovative use of quasi-experimental research designs and social scientific methodology to rigorously evaluate the impact of a professional development program on the gains in content knowledge of elementary and middle school science teachers. It addresses the pronounced need in the field of content knowledge assessment for methods that enable efficient controlling for spurious relationships without increasing the cost of evaluations. The author uses data from a professional development intervention to illustrate the use of the Non-Equivalent Dependent Variable (NEDV) and Non-Equivalent Groups (NEG) research designs in evaluation.
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Integrating Quasi-Experimental Design and Case Study to Address Diverse Stakeholders: An Evaluation Design for a Teaching American History project
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| Presenter(s):
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| Leanne Kallemeyn, Loyola University Chicago, lkallemeyn@luc.edu
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| Crystal Johnson, Chicago Metro History Education Center, cjohnson@chicagohistoryfair.org
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| Abstract:
Evaluations of U.S. Department of Education Teaching American History Grantees are required to utilize experimental or quasi-experimental designs, as wells as report on specified Government Performance and Reporting Act (GPRA) indicators. The purpose of this paper is to describe the evaluation design of a Teaching American History grant, which was a case study with an embedded time series, non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design that utilized the school district's existing criterion-referenced U.S. History Test to assess student outcomes. I will discuss how this evaluation design met federal requirements for a quasi-experimental design and GPRA indicators, while also being responsive to local stakeholder information needs. Finally, I will critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of this approach based on the first year of the evaluation.
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