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IES Grant

Title: Replication and Outcomes of the Teaching SMARTŪ Program in Elementary Science Classrooms
Center: NCER Year: 2005
Principal Investigator: Borman, Kathryn Awardee: University of South Florida
Program: Teaching, Teachers, and the Education Workforce      [Program Details]
Award Period: 4 years Award Amount: $2,288,100
Type: Efficacy and Replication Award Number: R305M050223
Description:

Purpose: In this study, the researchers proposed to test the efficacy of the Teaching SMART®, a widely used professional development program for elementary school teachers for improving grade 3 -5 teacher performance and student learning in science. In addition, the study will identify instructional methodologies and strategies that are effective in improving teacher performance and, in turn, student achievement.

Structured Abstract

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT DESCRIBES THE PROJECT AT THE TIME OF FUNDING

Setting: The research will take place inPasco County Schools, Florida (just north of Tampa) and will include schools from each of the urban, suburban, and rural regions within the county.

Sample: Third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers and their students will be the subjects of this study. The student population is about 15 percent minorities. About 9 percent of students are Hispanic, many of them children of migrant workers. There is a 44 percent student mobility rate. Most Limited English Proficient students in the county are Spanish speaking, but over 60 different languages are spoken in the homes of these students. A large proportion of students are of low socio-economic status.

Intervention: The mission of Teaching SMARTŪ is to encourage the performance and persistence of all students, particularly girls and minority elementary students. Teacher training sessions include effective teaching strategies that incorporate gender and minority equity, inquiry-based instruction, cooperative learning, coaching, real world connections and career awareness.

Research Design and Methods: All third through fifth grade classrooms in the county will be matched on student characteristics. Schools will be randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (10 schools in each). This will yield about 150 classrooms, and 3000 students each in the experimental and control groups. The experimental group will receive the SMART program. Fidelity of implementation will be examined at the school and classroom levels using data from classroom observations and staff and faculty interviews.

Control Condition: The control group will receive whatever professional development teachers in the district typically receive.

Key Measures: Outcome measures will include teacher and student attitudes toward science, teacher classroom practices, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test—Science (FACT-Science), and the Partnership for the Assessment of Standards-based Science (PASS) test.

Data Analytic Strategy: Analysis of variance, linear regression, and hierarchical linear modeling will be used to determine the effects of Teaching SMARTŪ program. Growth curve analyses will be used to look at long-term effects over 3 years. Qualitative information from classroom observations and interviews will complement the analyses.

Products

ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

** This project was submitted to and funded under Teacher Quality: Mathematics and Science Education in FY 2005.


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