Author: Curtis Griffin

MCPER receives $1.4 million to develop middle school professional development model

Curtis Griffin

The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) has received a $1.4 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to develop a professional development model specifically for middle schools.

The model will be developed over two years in collaboration with educators at all three middle schools in San Angelo Independent School District (ISD). Following development, a pilot study will be conducted to test the model’s potential effectiveness on students’ reading performance.

“We are honored to receive this funding from the Institute of Education Sciences,” said Christy Murray, principal investigator of the project. “Our goal is to develop a set of materials and professional development resources that help middle school educators implement powerful, research-based practices and, concurrently, build the capacity of on-campus leaders to sustain those practices over time.”

The grant will extend the work of MCPER’s Middle School Matters project, which was initially funded through The Meadows Foundation, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, The Brown Foundation, and others.

“Thanks to the amazing support of our initial funders, Middle School Matters has developed many wonderful resources, and we’re looking forward to enhancing those resources with the help of some talented educators in San Angelo ISD,” Murray said.

During the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 school years, San Angelo ISD educators will serve as the experts by partnering with researchers to improve middle school instructional materials and professional development efforts.

Sharon Vaughn, executive director of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, highlighted the importance of this collaboration. “The teacher perspective is very important in the development of instructional materials so that we can ensure they are usable and feasible in the classroom,” she said. “Incorporating their ideas will truly connect research to practice.”

Farrah Gomez, San Angelo ISD executive director of schools and school improvement, agrees. “The partnership with Middle School Matters has been invaluable,” Gomez said. “We are excited to continue our work together where the research can be put to practice in our classrooms. The communication and feedback loop between teachers and researchers is a vital part of the process.”

Middle School Matters was founded in 2010 by the George W. Bush Institute, which partnered with MCPER in 2012. Since that time, Middle School Matters has supported more than 100 schools, hosted four conferences, and developed dozens of resources and instructional toolkits.

To learn more about Middle School Matters and download free instructional resources, visit the Middle School Matters website.

Explicit Math Instruction Toolkit

Curtis Griffin

explicit math instructionNewsflash! MSMI releases a NEW Mathematics Toolkit: Explicit Instruction

During classroom instruction, teachers often engage students in learning about a new topic or procedure by having them explore the mathematics that will be involved. Due to the large teacher-student ratio, the standard instructional cycle of demonstration, guided practice, corrective feedback, and review may be insufficient to help all students make progress toward expected outcomes. Furthermore, students having difficulty with mathematics require explicit and systematic instruction that includes modeling concepts, procedures, and proficient problem solving processes; verbalizing thought processes; guided practice; corrective feedback; and frequent cumulative review.

Research Base for Explicit Math Instruction

Curtis Griffin

Jitendra, A. K., & Star, J. R. (2011). Meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities in inclusive mathematics classrooms: The role of schema-based instruction on mathematical problem-solving. Theory Into Practice, 50(1), 12-19. doi:10.1080/00405841.2011.534912

Kamps, D. M., Greenwood, C., Arreaga-Mayer, C., Veerkamp, M. B., Utley, C., Tapia, Y., …  Bannister, H. (2008). The efficacy of classwide peer tutoring in middle schools. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(2), 119-152.

Montague, M., Krawec, J., Enders, C., & Dietz, S. (2014). The effects of cognitive strategy instruction on math problem solving of middle-school students of varying ability. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(2), 469-481. doi:10.1037/a0035176

National Mathematics Advisory Panel.  (2008). Foundations for success: The final report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/ report/final-report.pdf

 

Slavin, R. E., Lake, C., & Groff, C. (2009). Effective programs in middle and high school mathematics: A best evidence synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 839-911. doi:10.3102/0034654308330968

Math Research-to-Practice Brief

Curtis Griffin

math instructionNewsflash! MSMI releases a NEW Research-to-Practice Brief

How Math Instruction and Math Intervention Can Improve Student Outcomes

Research-based principles and practices in math intervention research can be applied in the middle grades to improve student outcomes. These research-based strategies will enable middle-grade students to develop important mathematics knowledge and skills to become algebra-ready.