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Talent Development of Students Placed at Risk |
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A Special interest group of the American Educational research association |
Spring
2002 Newsletter |
SIG Newsletter
Volume
3, No. 1
Officers and Committee Chairs
President
Eric A. Hurley
Teachers College,
Columbia University
Secretary
Kellie Lee
CRESPAR, Howard University
Treasurer
Jo-Anne Manswell Butty
CRESPAR, Howard University
Newsletter Editor(s)
Sean Coleman & Kenneth Tyler
CRESPAR, Howard University
Program Chair
Deirdre Thompson
CRESPAR, Howard University
Nomination Committee Chair
Constance Ellison
CRESPAR, Howard University
Award Committee
Hakim Rashid
CRESPAR, Howard University
PRESIDENT*S MESSAGE
Eric A. Hurley, Ph.D.
I would like to start this by taking a moment
to thank the SIG officers for their hard work this year. For a relatively young
SIG, we have come a pretty long way in getting some key elements in place and
stabilized. We should always remember that these elements come about and are
maintained because already-busy people donate their time and effort.
There are still significant struggles ahead of us. We continue to struggle for example, to reach the next level in our membership. This is critically important to our central mission of promoting Talent Development in education because as our numbers increase so does our representation in the programming at the annual meeting. Membership issues have been especially complex the last few years because of changes in AERA policy, and yet I believe we can overcome them. I also believe that, in this as in most things, the simplest solution is the best. Members, you can help with a small act. Mention the Talent Development SIG during your presentations at the annual meeting this year and whenever you discuss your work. A personal and one on one approach is bound to be more effective than any public relations or advertising blitz we might launch from the membership committee (but we*ll do that too). That*s all for now. It has been a busy but good year. I am really looking forward to seeing many old and new friends in New Orleans. See you there.
I would like to
personally acknowledge the great loss we all have suffered with Dr. Sylvia
Johnson*s passing. She will be missed as an inspirational colleague and human
being.
Membership business:
Our business is membership
Two years ago AERA central administration decided to collect SIG membership dues with AERA membership dues. Sounds simple but is not. The decision has resulted in a lengthy debate and significant protest from SIGs. Since SIGs are allocated sessions at the annual meeting based on the number of AERA members who belong to the SIG and since the current policy is one session for every 43 members, issues aroundcoordination,communication and synchronization of membership information have become crucial to the life of many SIGs, especially small ones. Initially the main difficulty was around cycle. AERA membership is handled on a rolling basis. One (or two) years from the date you join is when you are due to renew. This means that recruiting cannot be concentrated at the annual meeting as it has always been, since potential members might have to recall which SIG made an interesting pitch up to 11 months earlier. It turn out this was the smaller issue. Next came the dual database problem and the inaccessibility of electronic membership reports. The dual database problem refers to the fact that the SIG membership information is kept in a separate database from the general AERA membership and the AERA divisions, which complicates the exchange of pertinent information and lead to errors in the membership tallies for many SIGs including ours. Thanks to the persistence of several SIG chairs, however, there seems to have been some movement at last. Upon William Russell's retirement, Gerald E. Sroufe has taken over as the Interim Executive Director as well as the Director of Government Relations. Mr. Sroufe has temporarily taken the lead in trying to address many of the SIG difficulties. To this end, the following specific steps have been taken: mechanisms established to facilitate electronic election of two members to the SIG council; quarterly reports to each SIG; and current electronic membership reports. Furthermore, a major upgrade in the database software and procedures is currently being negotiated and is expected to be operational shortly after the Annual Meeting. The Executive Director-Designate is Felice J. Levine and she will assume her position of May 6, 2002. Mr. Sroufe has expressed that he is looking forward to the Annual Meeting as a time to discuss strategies for improving the administration of the SIG program.
AERA 2002 Convention New Orleans, Louisiana
April 1-5, 2002
The theme for this year*s AERA convention
is "Validity and Value in Education Research." AERA Program
Chair Victoria Purcell-Gates indicates, in the November 2001
"Annual Meeting" column of the Educational Researcher that the
first part of the theme, validity, focuses on the adequacy and appropriateness
of the interpretations made from research. The second portion of the theme,
value, is concerned with the usefulness and importance of the obtained research
results. Purcell-Gates states that disagreement on the criteria used to define
these terms, particularly resulting from the multitude of research methods
employed in education and related fields, allows this year*s meeting to provide
the necessary forum for discussion and debate about the validity and value in
education research.
At this year*s convention, there will be nearly 1,600 paper and symposium sessions, invited presentations, dialogues, poster sessions, roundtables, networking events, professional development courses, state-of-the-art addresses, graduate student seminars, membership meetings, and receptions.
Two association-sponsored activities that may be of particular interest to SIG members include: (1) a presentation by Faustine C.Jones-Wilson, winner of hte Mary Ann Raywid Award on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002, from 6:15-8:15 p.m. in the Marriott, Balcony N, 3rd Floor. Dr. Jones-Wilson talk is entitled "Characteristics of schools/programs that successfully serve low-income urban African-Americans". The chairs for the presentation include William H. Schubert, University of Illinois at Chicago, Robert C. Morris, State University of West Georgia, Joseph L. Watras, University of Dayton and Joseph DeVitis, University of Louisville.
Dr. Sylvia T. Johnson, Remembered
Dr. Sylvia Taylor Johnson passed away on August 10th, 2001. Professor Johnson was a distinguished faculty member of Howard University*s School of Education and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Negro Education. She was Professor of Research and Statistics and Principal Investigator of the Assessment and Evaluation project, one of several research project of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed-At-Risk (CRESPAR) at Howard University*s School of Education.
Dr. Johnson was nationally known for her work in educational measurement and assessment. She was a crusader for quality and equalized testing for minorities and developing innovative research ideas in many areas of assessment and testing. Her extensive research activities, publications, and grants were concentrated particularly in the use of standardized measurements to assess educational progress, and assessing the achievement of talented African-American youth.
Dr. Johnson received numerous prestigious awards including the Lifetime Career Award from the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) awarded last year at AERA*s annual conference in Seattle, Washington. In addition, she was active in a number of professional associations, including the American Psychological Association (APA), Educational Testing Service (ETS), and the College Board. Also, she was an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Johnson received the B.A. in Mathematics from Howard University, the Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University and the Ph.D. in Educational Measurement and Statistics from the University of Iowa. Professor Johnson served and taught in the School Of Education for more than 25 years with distinction and high respect. She was a former Department Chairwoman, advised a number of doctoral dissertations, and served on or chaired numerous university committees.
Dr. Johnson will be sorely missed the member sof AERA, Howard University and everyone who knew and worked with her.
-Adapted from the Obituary,"Sylvia Remembered", August 15, 2001.
-*--NEWSFLASH--*-
Eric A. Hurley, Ph.D., 2001-2002 Talent Development SIG Chairman and ...was recently awarded the 2001 Jeffrey S. Tenaka Memorial Dissertation Award for Excellence in Doctoral Research. The award, which is sponsored through the American Psychological Association*s Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA), is designated in the memory of an Dr. Tanaka, "whose career stressed the critical importance and relevance of the role of culture and ethnicity in the scientific understanding of behavior". Dr. Tanaka was a Fellow in the Division of Evaluation, Measurement, and Statistics, a member of the Divisions of Personality and Social Psychology and held the position of chair-elect of the Committee on Ethnic Miinority Affairs at the time of his death on November 3rd, 1992.
Dr. Hurley*s dissertation, entitled "Culture and patterns of cognitive development as they are related to the school performance of African American children" was completed in the April 2000, under the tutelage of A. Wade Boykin, Ph.D. in Howard University*s Department of Psychology. Along with holding a graduate research assistant position at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR), Dr. Hurley, recently completed pre-doctoral fellowship at Smith College in Northampton, MA and is currently affiliated with Teachers College, Columbia University, where he holds the position of post doctoral associate in the department of Human Development.
2001 AERA Presentations: Where We*ve Been:
At the 2001 AERA annual conference in Seattle, Washington, the Talent Development of Students Placed at Risk Special Interest Group (SIG) provided a very appealing set of presentations. Specifically, Last year, the Talent Development SIG sponsored one roundtable session, which consisted of seven presentations and one symposium, consisting of four paper presentations.
The roundtables and symposiums, all of which were well attended by educators, researchers and other invited AERA guests, provided a forum where individuals from all post-bacculaureate levels, could present and discuss several aspects of and positions within the research process dealing specifically with students placed at risk. There were several graduate students presentations, two of which were associated with the Center for Research on the Educational of Student Placed at Risk (CRESPAR) at Howard University.
One graduate student presenter, Peggy Peagler, presented a roundtable discussion on a paper entitled Teacher Efficacy: Implications for the Talent Development Model, which provided a in depth literature review on the construct of teacher efficacy and its relationship to instructional style and student achievement. The presentation also focused on the theoretical consolidation of teacher efficacy and the principles of Talent Development Model, which was believed to maximize at-risk students social and academic experiences in public school classrooms.
Kellie Lee, who serves as Program Director of the Talent Development Professional Development Project at CRESPAR, held a roundtable discussion on a paper entitiled Implementing a Talent Development Professional Development Program in Two Diverse Contexts: A Comparative Case Study. Ms. Lee discussed the qualitative research techniques employed in gathering data from teachers in order to co-construct professional development workshops and activities, that are not only consistent with the specific needs of teachers at their respective schools, but are also able to incorporate tenets of the Talent Development Model into the subsequent activities and workshops.
Sean Coleman, a developmental psychology graduate student at Howard University, presented a roundtable discussion on the preliminary findings of research employing culturally-appropriate teaching pedagogies on specific mathematic exercises. In particular, Mr. Coleman utilized an experimental design that placed four and six grade at-risk students in communal and individualistic conditions. Students in both conditions learning and practiced adding and subtracting fractions and their performance on the fraction problem solving tasks was assessed as a function of such conditions. Preliminary findings concluded that learning and performing fraction problem solving tasks under a communal condition allows for significant improvement on individual performance of such tasks than in the individual cultural condition. The title for the 2001 AERA symposium sponsored by the Talent Development of Students Placed at Risk SIG was From Kindergarten to College (K-16): Preparing Students to Meet the Academic, Social, Technological, and Professional Challenges in the 21st Century.
Participants in the symposium included Dr. James Moore, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of South Carolina-Columbia. The title of his symposium presentation was Factors that Impact the Persistence of African-American Males in Engineering Disciplines at Predominately White Institutions: An Overview of the Obstacles and Challenges. The following is a copy of the presentation abstract:
In higher education, there is increasing concern about the academic persistence and achievement of African-American males in engineering fields at predominately white institutions. Efforts to improve the retention and graduation rates of African-American male engineering students have not been very successful. This is likely because predominately white institutions have not adequately addresses the negative environmental factors inherent in both predominately white institutions and their engineering programs. Powerful forces, both overt and covert, inhibit the persistence and educational outcomes of African-American males. Such factors are directly or indirectly related to social isolation, white peer degradation, negative stereotypes, white faculty avoidance and lack of encouragement, and dearth of role models/mentors.
African-American males cope with these issues perhaps more than any other student population at predominately white institutions. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive, qualitative study that explored the academic persistence of African-American males (42 participants) in engineering fields. The presenter addresses the shortcomings of engineering programs at predominately white institutions with African-American males, identifies the conditions for success and failure, and provides recommendations for improving academic persistence and achievement of this specific student population.
Another presentation in the symposium was the research entitled Mathematics Achievement as a function of Technologyl, Pedagogy,andtheSocialContext of theSchool by Serge Madhere, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Howard University and Andrea Hogarth. An abstract is provided below:
This paper examines a number of
unresolved issues related to the use of computer technology in school. Noting
from the extant literature that the impact of technology on student performance
tends to be much smaller in longer interventions than in short-term treatments,
the paper raises the following questions: 1. Does the positive impact of
technology amount to a mere novelty effect?. 2. How is math achievement
impacted by certain applications of computer technology? 3. Can technology
remain effective in the presence of social constraints in the school
environment? Does the particular use of technology in school exacerbate the
divide between "haves" and "have-nots"? Using data from
NELS-88, a hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to predict math
achievement as a function of technology use (access, proficiency,
applications), instructional emphasis (problem representation, speed, or
memorization), social context of the school (racial climate, class size), and
student social background (race, SES). It was found that: 1. Instructional
emphasis (particularly a focus on problem representation) has a greater impact
on math achievement than does computer technology. 2. Knowledge gained through
the use of computers to build mathematical models does not appear to be
transferable to other, most frequently assessed areas of mathematics. 3. Over
and beyond SES and race, ethnic tensions in a school contribute to a sharp
decrease in student achievement. 4. The predicting coefficients did not have
the same strengths for those students who had a home computer compared to those
who did not have one. In other words, schools may be even-handed in providing
access to technology, however, any error in implementation seems to be much
more costly to those who are already disadvantaged.
TALENT
DEVELOPMENT SIG PRESENTS THE SECOND AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN GRADUATE RESEARCH
The Talent Development SIG is pleased to announce that Kerri A. Kerr is the winner of our second Award for Excellence in Graduate Research. The award is given for outstanding graduate student research specifically related to the Talent Development philosophy. Kerri A. Kerr, is a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University. Her research was "Easing the Transition to High School: The Effect of School Organization on Ninth grade Success". According to Ms. Kerr abstract, this research project examiens practices implemented by high schools in Maryland to promote ninth grade success ans assesses their implact on student achievement, promotion, and dropout rates. Results reveal a significant relationship between the totoal number of reform practices and lowered dropout rates. Stronger relationships are seen with practices identified as promoting a strong sense of school community. Additionally, practices used in a more widespread and sustained manner show stronger positive effects on students outcomes. Ms. Kerr will be recognized at the SIG*s business meeting at the AERA Convention. The Award Committee was chaired by Hakim Rashid, Ph.D. Committee members include Jo-Ann Manswell Butty, Ph.D. and Miichael Wallace, Ph.D.
Election of SIG Officers and Committee Chairs
Election of new officers and committee
chairs will occur at the SIG*s business meeting at the AERA convention. The
Nomination Committee will present a slate to the SIG members. Nominations
will also be accepted from the membership body at the SIG*s business meeting.
Talent Development SIG Programming
/Activities at the AERA Convention 2002
SIG Business Meeting:
Tuesday, April 2nd , 2002
6:15-8:15 p.m.
Sheraton, Edgewood, 4th Floor
There will be a special guest presentation by Dr. Carol Lee. Her presentation is entitled "A cultural lens on talent development: Drawing on students* prior knowledge to build academic excellence.
Also, there will be brief remarks by the winner of the SIG*s Award for Excellence in Graduate Research.
Paper Discussions:
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2002
2:15-2:55 p.m.
Sheraton, Armstrong Ballroom, 6th Floor
Participants
Finding value and validity in grade retention.
Ileetha J. Groom, North Carolina State University
Student involvement, student uninvolved activity, and disruptive behavior in three high-povery Philadelphia middle schools.
Susan C. Lorentz, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Social Organization of Schools
Crossing the borders: Using collaboration to improve student achievement
Rose A. Rudnitski, Margaret Ferrara, SUNY New Paltz
Parents management strategies in high-risk communities
Leslie M. Gutman, University of Miichigan; Roberta Hitt, University of Toledo; Jeanne
M. Nelson, University of Michigan
Gifted identification of at-risk primary students using curricular modification, family outreach, and a mentoring program
Tonya R. Moon, Carolyn M. Callahan, University of Virginia
The impact of meaningful television portrayals of African-Americans on the self-concept of African-American children
Leslie A. Arthur, Howard University
African-American students* perceptions of the school learning environment
Almeta S. Stokes, Howard University
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2002
2:15-3:45 p.m.
Marriott, Balcony M, 3rd Floor
Diversity issues in higher education
Participants
Keeping race in place: Discrimination on college campuses
Daniel G. Solorzano, UCLA: Grace Carroll, Howard University; Walter Allen, UCLA; Pedro Noguero, Harvard.
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002
2:15-2:55 p.m.
Sheraton, Armstrong Ballroom, 8th Floor
Research focus on the Caribbean and Africa SIG paper discussion
Participants
The Learners Placed at Risk Project (LEAPAR): A framework for implementing the Tale Model in South African Schools
Levi Engelbrecht, University of the Western Cape, Hakim Rashid, Howard University
Panel Discussions
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2002
12:25-1:55p.m.
Sheraton, Rhythms III, 2nd Floor
Participants
Schooling poor and Minority adolescents: Reflections on validity and value in education
Panel:
The manufacturing of low urban school achievement
Robert Balfanz, Johns Hopkins University
The possibilities and limitations of school reconstitution
Heinrich Mintrop, University of California, Los Angeles
The roles of African-American teachers in teacher preparation and educational reform
Antoinette Mitchell, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
School, family, and community partnerships and the African-American child
Mavis G. Sanders, School, Family, and Community Partnerships and the African Americans
Thursday, April 4th, 2002
8:15-10:15 p.m.
Le Meridien, France I, 3rd Floor
Valuing divesity and maintaining validity in the assessment process: Can the two co-exist side by side?
SYMPOSIUMS
Monday, April 1st, 2002
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Marriott, Balcony N, 3rd Floor
African American Male Teachers: Recruitment, Preparation, retention and aspirations.
Chair
Michael B. Wallace, CRESPAR/Howard University
Participants
Profile of African American male teachers in an alternaitve certification program
Joan W. Brown, Howard University
African American male teachers* aspirations: What do they want?
Jo-Anne L. Manswell-Butty, CRESPAR/Howard University
African American male pre-service teachers in a traditional certification program: Trials
Gerunda B. Hughes, CRESPAR/Howard University
Experiences of a former African American male teacher: In his own words.
Sean T. Coleman, Howard University
Experiences of a current African American male teacher: My story
Kenneth Smith, Central High School
Discussant: Miichael B. Wallace, CRESPAR/Howard University
Monday, April 1st, 2002
12:00-2:00 p.m.
Le Meridien, France II, 3rd Floor
Large-scale educational research with school randomization: Policy issues and questions
Promise and perils of randomized evaluations of comprehensive school reform models: Success for all
Robert E. Slavin, Johns Hopkins University
Monday, April 1st, 2002
4:05-6:05 p.m.
Sheraton, Grand Ballroom E, 5th Floor
Fostering narrative competency: Innovations in instruction
Promoting childrens reading and narrative development in success for all.
Bette Chambers, Nancy A. Madden, Success for All, Robert E. Slavin, Johns Hopkins
University
Thursday, April 4th, 2002
8:15-10:15 a.m.
Sheraton, Bayside C, 4th Floor
The minority student achievement network (MSAN): Linking research to practice to address the achievement gap in high performing urban-suburban districts
Chair: Kent McQuire
Participants
Allan Alson- Network Overview-Superintendent Evanston Township High School (ETHS) and Convenor, MSAN
Laura Cooper- Practitioner role in Research-Assistant Superintendent, ETHS, Facitiator MSAN Research Practitioner Council
John Diamond- Director Research, MSAN
Rossi Ray-Taylor- Superintendent, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Vice-President, MSAN (invited)
Ron Ferguson- Student survey results and research implications-Lecture in public policy & senior research associate, John Kennedy School of Government,Harvard University
Ruth Schoenbach- Network-Based Adolescent Literacy Research-Strategic Literacy
Initiative, WestEd.
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2002
10:35-12:05 p.m.
Sheraton, Grand Ballroom A, 5tth Floor
DeWitt Wallace-Reader*s Digest Distinguished Lecturer
Participants
Evidence-Based education policies: How they will transform educational practice
Robert Slavin, Johns Hopkins University
2:15-3:45 p.m.
Sheraton, Grand Ballroom C, 5th
Floor
Continuing the conversations on advancing research on Black education.
Participants
In spite of what you might have heard, the importance of quantitative methodology
Lloyd Bond, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Vinetta Jones, Howard University
Generating external funding for research and program purposes: Exercising control.
A. Wade Boykin, Howard University; Vivian Gadsden, University of Pennsylvania
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002
8:15-9:45 p.m.
Marriott, Regent, 3rd Floor
Culture based pedagogy and reflective teaching: Toward Paradigm shifts in teacher preparation and professional development for urban educators
Participants
Reflective teaching practice: A move toward teacher empowerment
Constance Ellison, Howard University
Breaking the shackles of hegemonic teacher education: Infusing Freire and Fanon into a teacher preparation curriculum
Hakim Rashid, Howard University
Culturally based teacher preparation and high-stakes teacher testing: Can the two efficiently co-exist in an equitable accountability system?
Gerunda Hughes, Howard University
From unintentional cultural comfort to purposefully planned cultural relevance: Culture and pedagogy in an alternative school setting
Dia Sekayi, Howard University
Discussant: Orlando Taylor, Howard University
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002
10:35-12:05 p.m.
Sheraton, Grand Ballroom D, 5th Floor
Charting a new course for the U.S. Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Participants
A. Wade Boykin,
Howard University
Thursday, April 4th, 2002
4:05-6:05 p.m.
Le Meridien, France I, 3rd Floor
Continuing the Conversations with Senior Scholars
Participants
In spite of what you might have heard, the importance of qualitative methodology
Lloyd Bond,
University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Vinetta Jones, Howard
University
Generating external funding for research and program purposes: Exercising control
A. Wade Boykin, Howard University; Vivian Gadsden, University of Pennsylvania
Friday, April 5th, 2002
10:35-12:05 p.m.
Marriott, La Galerie 3, 2nd Floor
Scholarship and Advocacy
Participants
Robert Slavin,
Johns Hopkins University
Friday, April 5th, 2002
12:25-1:55 p.m.
Le Meridien, Orleans, 3rd Floor
Methodological approaches to studying comprehensive school reform
Participants
Randomized evaluation of Success for All: Design Issues
Robert E. Slavin, Johns Hopkins University, Geoffrey D. Borman,
University of Wisconsin, Anne Chamberlain, Success for All
Foundation
Related Convention Programming
CRESPAR Reception: Wednesday, April 3rd from 6:45 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. at
the Sheraton New Orleans, Bayside B Room.
SUBMITTING SIG NEWSLETTER ARTICLES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
The SIG newsletter is produced on an Wordperfect/Word word processing programs. Submit article submissions in one of the following ways (listed in order of preference):
1. Via electronic mail
2. On a 3.5-inch diskette. Include a printed copy of the article. On the diskette label, list the word processing program used and your name and address
3. Typed double-spaced copy
4. Via fax
Articles should be no more than two double-spaced pages (or approximately 600 words). The newsletter is published twice per year and reaches readers approximately one week following each printing deadline (see below):
Fall Issue: September 30
Spring Issue: March 30
Send articles, announcements, and other news to:
Kenneth Tyler and/or Sean Coleman, SIG Newsletter Editors
CRESPAR, Howard University
Holy Cross Building, Rm. 427
2900 Van Ness Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008
202/806-8484 (tel.); (202)
806-8498 (fax)