#5 - Empirical Research Posts

Idea

An experiment I would like to do is a study on the efficeny of note taking.If students are given a copy of the notes before class, then the students' test grades will improve.I would start off the first eight weeks of a semester with the standard note talking procedure. Then, I would give each student four tests during the eight weeks. Next, I would record and find the mean for each of students. For the next eight weeks I would supply the students with copies of the notes before class so they could pay attention to the content of the material presented. Then, I would administer four more similar tests on the new material and find each students mean. After all the data is collected I would compare the scores.

Idea

Many discussions have taken place as to why many South East Asian students do not participate in organized sports in high school. I would like to survey males and females ages 14-18, to find out why this is so. I would randomly pick 100 students from each high school in the area, then find if there is a common reason for non-participation.

Idea

Idea My school would like to think of ways to improve student achievement (and possibly improve test scores as well) in the areas of reading and math. We would like to start an after-school-tutoring program for teacher-identified students with low achievement in reading and/or math. We would try to implement this program by applying for a grant to receive funds to pay for materials and wages for teachers, education students, and/or college students to tutor for one hour a day, four days a week for one school year. After one school year we would compare participating students’ achievement in class through reports from the classroom teacher, grades from report cards, and other test scores in grades that are tested to see if students’ scores and achievement had improved.

Idea

Lisa Anderson Heidi Burress Sandy Karpen ED 707 – V. Empirical Research B. Plan an interview or survey

With all the excitement of the upcoming elections, and with all the advertising both positive and negative, we as a group would like to survey high school students on who they would vote for based on the more crucial issues at hand, i.e., the war, economy, education, environment, health care and social security.

After putting together both President Bush and Senator Kerry’s views on those topics, we would then present a survey to our high school students as follows:

1. Do you know whom you are voting for in the November election? ________ Who?_____________

2. Whose views do you support regarding our economy? Bush Kerry

3. Whose view do you support regarding the war in Iraq? Bush Kerry

4. Whose view do you support regarding our education? Bush Kerry

5. Whose view do you support regarding health care? Bush Kerry

6. Whose view do you support regarding social security? Bush Kerry

7. How many of Bush’s views do you support? _______

8. How many of Kerry’s views do you support? _________

9. Does this change your mind about who you will be voting for in November? ______

10. Why or why not? _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

Idea

At the beginning of the school year it is always a challenge to get to know each one of my students' personalities. Therefore, the research that I chose to plan for is related to the Meyers-Briggs personality test. I created a modified Meyers-Briggs survey for another university class. I would use this survey information to celebrate each of my students' classifications. Then, the results of the survey would be displayed outside my classroom door in the form of a color-coded personal flag. My goal as an educator would then be to utlilize this information to help me better understand how each of my students operates.

Idea

I am a dental hygienist and I teach dental materials in a dental program at a technical school in WI. One of the dental materials we discuss and learn about is all the whitening systems professionally available. We teach about these products because the dental consumer today is asking for this product. The patients have different shades of teeth just like different hair and skin colors. The question asked by the patients is often how well will my teeth bleach? We know the professional bleaching materials work. We as educators must prepare the dental hygienist for the demands of these products. It is unclear which teeth shade does actually bleach the best. The research will be performed on the patients that enter the dental hygiene clinic at the technical school that have an interest in bleaching their teeth. The teeth are characterized by four main shade groups. The groups are yellow, gray, brown and a combo of these shades. Within these shades there are ranges.All patients will begin with clean teeth and be given instructions.The instructions include food items not to ingest, not smoking and drinking dark beverages such as colas and coffee and tea. The patients will have a start shade taken, bleach their teeth for 14 days and be checked for changes along the way. The students will observe the changes and keep track of each individual that they are following the directions given. The research will give them valuable information when they are in the "real world" because they will be better prepared to answer patient's questions on the outcome of their bleaching. This is a procedure that is done everyday in the dental profession. The experiment/research will be very valuable to the education process as well as the professional experience.

Idea

The empirical research that I will perform has to do with the observation and experience I have had with patients that have a desire for whiter teeth. People have different shades of teeth just like people have different shades of skin or hair color. The different shades of teeth range with gray, brown, yellow and a combo of all these shades. The whitening systems all work that have professional strength but the question is, which shade of teeth whiten better? The research that I will do will be to research the enamel and composition thereof and actually under direction of a Dentist and permission from my institution of higher learning, I will bleach teeth on a group of patients that have an array of teeth shades.

Idea

I am interested in learning how the public perceives the value of art education in the schools. This research would actually be a baseline study accomplished through interviews. In our school district parent input has been sought regularly to determine the direction the district is taking in response the funding cutbacks. Historically, parents get the most attention and response from the administration regarding what gets funded. This,indirectly then determines where funding is cut. For example because parents know that class size impacts the quality of their childrens' education, they were very vocal when the program that reduces class sizes was going to be cut and they got results.

Art educators are very aware of the benefits of a quality art program to all students. There are many studies over many years that have shown the importance of art education to the development of learning in all areas. Art education also benefits many students with social and emotional problems as well as students who excel in academics but need the time to productively use a different part of their brains during a typical school day.

I would like to conduct interviews with a cross-section of parents, board members and school administrators to determine their understanding and knowledge of the benefits of a quality K-12 art program. Once the base of understanding is determined, the important step of where and how to begin educating the public about the benefits of art education can begin.

Idea

With most school districts shrinking in enrollments, so too are the monies available for extra curricular programs. I need to do something more to promote the sport of wrestling to gain more financial support from the area. One way that this can happen is via the use of technology. My first priority for the promotion of wrestling will be to start a Merrill Wrestling Website. The site would have several pages: Alumni, high school, middle school, elementary, and club information. One can definitely see the benefits of the organization. The second priority is to develop a data base of past, present, and future wrestlers. This data base would include name, address, phone numbers, email address... Obviously this will be a large undertaking, but the benefits of having phone trees, mailing labels, and email addresses is imperative. We want to eliminate the “I didn’t know about it” factor. A third and final goal would be to organize a quarterly Merrill Wrestling Newsletter, that wrestlers would be in charge of. This would be a branch off of the web page.

Idea

Experimentation is something that each of us participate in each and everyday. Who in the world does not have some kind of problems? How to tie a shoe? Is the food to hot? How do acid react with bases? Does following the state standards improve student scores? All of these are problems. When you have a problem there is one simple way to solve each problem, and that is by experimentation. In planning an experiment you should first state the problem or purpose of the experiment. The problem here is: “ Does hands-on learning in the classroom improve student learning, development, and proficiency? The next step in the scientific method is to develop a testable hypothesis. The hypothesis here is: If students are engaged in hands-on activities to better understand concepts covered in class, then students overall depth of learning, critical thinking skills, and interpretation will result in higher student proficiency levels. The next step is experimentation. To test this hypothesis several classrooms of different academic level, and content area would have to be used. In this experiment 2 elementary school classes, 2 middle school classes, and 2 high school classes would participate. I feel it is important to test them at different ages, because students my learn better by the use of hands-on activities at different ages. At a younger age students are also able to learn quicker than older students. This experiment would show the difference in impact that hands-on learning has at different levels. Students would be randomly assigned to their classes. The course of the experiment would be one year, with classes switching at the semester to give all students involved a chance to experience hands-on learning, and learning without. In the A classroom students would learn the material from their teacher, in the form of organized notes from each unit in the book. Students would be expected to take notes, answer book questions, complete worksheets, and then take a unit assessment. Each unit would cover several important concepts, align to the state and national standards, and be very structured and organized. Students would be expected to be prepared for class each day, and follow to the structured classroom rules and procedures closely. Students in classroom B would cover the same material throughout the school year, using the same book for reference. The teacher would introduce new concepts by demonstrations, pictures, notes, videos, and overheads that pertain to the new material being covered. Then for each new concept, a well-planned hands-on activity would be completed by students. The students are expected to use problem-solving skills and interpretation to complete each hands-on activities. These activities may range from a lab, data analysis, observations, or group debates or discussions. Along with the activity students would write a reflection on how the activity related to the new concept covered in class. The students in classroom B would not receive the same worksheets, notes, or other materials covered in classroom A. The assessment for each unit in classroom B will usually include a lab portion, or activity to be completed, along with a written portion. At the conclusion of the semester students from both classrooms would take the same standards based test. At the semester students from classroom A would switch to classroom B, and vice versa. At the completion of the second semester students from both classrooms would receive the same semester assessment. By using the same test analysis can be made by comparing the test results from each classroom. Also many other forms of analysis can be made. The results from students unit test scores can be compared from each class, and the average scores from each grade level can be compared. This information would be helpful and informative throughout the experiment. By comparing results from unit tests this would ensure the periodic collection of data. Also at the quarter and at the semester overall class averages can be compared, and if the averages are significantly increased in the hands-on classes then you could decide at that time if you wanted to continue the experiment for the second semester. If you continue the experiment through the second semester than you could compare each individual students scores from first and second semester. This would show the effects of hands-on activities, and lack of hands-on activities on individual student scores. Also you could then compare the two classes averages for each semester. Overall a lot of information and observations can be gathered from such an experiment. This information can be collectively put together in the form of tables and graphs. The information could then be more easily disseminated to other educators. It would take more planning time on the part of the teachers involved, but the results could be used to develop new curriculum, and to raise overall student proficiency.

Idea

Technology includes a wide range of tools for gathering information, analyzing it and disseminating it. Some of the most important computer skills that a student could learn to enhance his/her research process include word processing, spreadsheets, and databases. Word processing, spreadsheets, and databases make research information gathering, analyzing, and disseminating much easier and less cumbersome to report. Word Processing Word processing allows for the typewritten word either in paragraphs, tables, columns, and/or bulleted form, and allows the researcher to customize the looks of his/her research report by using any or all of the aforementioned forms to express research findings. Most word processing software provide font type and size, paragraph formatting, and document styles to choose from that also add a customized look to the document. But the most important feature – and anyone who is familiar with word processing software will agree – is the ability to spell/grammar check r the written word and correct mistakes without having to start the entire typing process all over again, or using messy white-outs or corrective ribbon. The researcher simply corrects the mistake, re-saves over the original document, and prints with the use of a few tool buttons or menu commands. As with all computer software, an added bonus occurs since the document is saved either on a hard drive or floppy disk; any time a hardcopy is needed it is only a print job away. Spreadsheets Spreadsheets are the equivalent of a computerized bookkeeper. If a researcher were looking to put together a table that would include text written information, the labeling of columns and/or rows, and the compilation of numerical data then using a spreadsheet would be most advantageous. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and subtraction are easily manipulated with a few choice formulas and the insertion of numerical data into a spreadsheet form – a worksheet of cells that allow for numerical data and text. With additional training beyond the basics, a researcher would be able to also use more advanced formulas such as COUNT, COUNT NUMS, and SUM, which would handle numbers counting and summation of those numbers automatically; very handy formulas when referring to research data. As with word processing, the ability to spell/grammar check the written word/formulas and correct mistakes without having to start the entire typing process all over again, or using messy white-outs or corrective ribbon. Simply correct the mistake, re-save over the original spreadsheet, and print with the use of a few tool buttons or menu commands. Data Processing Data processing software provides the ability to key (type) numerical and/or text into a database for later use in a word document, spreadsheet, report, labels, and or table reference. It is especially useful if the same information is to be used in several varying documents since the information remains initially in the database, and does not need to be re-keyed on each document; the information is simply merged into the other documents. For instance, a researcher wishes to record names, addresses, city, state, zip, telephone numbers, email addresses, and yes/no answers to 10 selected questions. A database is then created with the following categories: name, address, city, state, zip, telephone, email, q1 (question 1), q2, q3, q4, q5, q6, q7, q8, q9, and q10. Questions 1 through 10 would be given a yes and no check box that could be selected per the questioners’ response. The researcher now enters all information from the questioners, and then determines how he/she wants to report the information. A report can be provided in table form (either spreadsheet or report software) that could indicate where the questioner was from (city, state, zip), and their responses to the questions (q1-q10) by merging the database information into the spreadsheet/report. Also, if the researcher had indicated that the questioners would be informed of the results, he/she could now print address labels from the same database information by merging the name, address, city, state, and zip into an address label merge form in order to mail the questioners the results. It is seen that the database information was used twice for differing documents without having to re-key the information again. Using intermediate/advance database software will allow the researcher to select the recipients of the database that are included in document. That means that if the database was 100 entries, the researcher could select 25 to be included in one part of the report and the other 75 to be included in another part of the report depending upon what it is the report needs to show; the report might need separate tables to show different information. And as with spreadsheets and word processors, there is the ability to spellcheck the written word and correct mistakes without having to start the entire keying process all over again.

Idea

I plan on giving the parents of my students surveys so I can know more about their child at the beginning of the school year. I truly believe this will be beneficial for both myself and the parents. I believe that if these parents understand just how much I want their child to succeed and how much I want to know their child, then they will put more effort into the school year as well. I plan on using this survey to my full advantage by finding and teaching things that these children like to read or learn about. I will in no way hold any of these answers against any parent or student. Here are some of the questions I will be putting on my survey: 1. What is your child's favorite subject? 2. How was your child's 1st grade experience? 3. Is your child in any after-school activities such as dance or soccer? 4. What does your child like to learn about? 5. What does your child like to read about? 6. What would you like me to know about your child? (ie: shy, outgoing) 7. Do you read as a family? 8. What does your child like to do at home? (ie: play, watch t.v., ride bike) 9. I feel my child's best subject is... 10. I feel my child needs to work on ... 11. In second grade, I would like to see my child... 12. My child's school background is... (ie: likes it, doesn't like it) 13. These are some things I am concerned about... I feel that this simple survey will benefit me greatly and I do plan on using it for the upcoming school year.

Idea

The interview or survey I would like to conduct involves the parent(s)/guardians of incoming high school freshmen. I feel that the survey/interview would accomplish a few different goals. The first would be that we would gain a more in depth perspective of the behaviors, interests, and challenges of our new ninth grade students. Secondly, the survey/interview would possibly spark a new interest by parents to know and understand their children better and to help them grow as together as the child moves through high school. I believe that indirectly this survey could be extremely beneficial to society as well as directly beneficial to educators and parents. As I think about this idea, I realize that after discussing it with other teachers it could easily become a “get to know” or re-accent yourself with your child activity. It could also be presented to parents through our counseling and student services department.

Possible questions that I would like to have on the survey include:

1. How often does your child read? (answer in minutes or hours per week)

2. What was the last book your child read?

3. How often does your child watch TV? (answer in minutes or hours per week)

4. What hobbies does your child have? (list as many as you know)

5. What does your child dislike about school?

6. What does your child like about school?

7. What are your child’s strengths (what are they good at, or excel at)?

8. What are your child’s weaknesses (what do they struggle with)?

9. What is your child’s favorite type of music or who is their favorite musical group or musician?

10. Does your child spend more time talking on the phone or watching TV?

11. Who are your child’s best friends?

12. What responsibilities does your child have at home?

Of course, these questions are just a start, but I would be excited to learn these things about my new ninth graders, and if their parents didn’t already know the answers, they would most likely feel closer to their child after learning all of this information. I would feel like I knew the students better at the start of the year.

Idea

Every year, almost 75% of my freshmen in English 9 report that they don't like to read. I want to find out why! I created a survey for my students to complete on the first day of school. Every response reveals something about the student's personality any why he or she doesn't like to read. I'm hoping to use this information, such as the varying intelligences, interests, family obligations or limits on time, to design a new approach to independent reading. The questions on my survey are categorized into the following sections: THE BASICS, LIKES, DISLIKES, and DEEP. Knowing the problem behind the dislike of reading will help me find ways to change that way of thinking.

Idea

Idea

This has been the most challenging exercise, not in difficulty, but in focus. Each effort I make in composing a response is distracted by the allure of the other options. However, time and directives restrict me to one elective … but which? An analysis, no matter how brief, of the pros and cons of each may expose a beacon of direction.

Baseline study – I recall Dr. L Wilson of UWSP saying “an education is one of the few things we purchase that can not be test driven.” A baseline study of the educational system would benefit future consumers and marketers. Yet, the scope would need to be limited either in variables, subjects (schools), or both in order to retain some degree of manageability. Interview/Survey – As a comprehensive baseline would be unfathomable, perhaps I should start with an evaluation of current standards and practices. Again limiting the scope would be prudent as there is not doubt that teachers, administrators, and other education professionals of Central Wisconsin each have their own views and opinions regarding the status and direction of the educational institution in general – and of their immediate circumstances. History – But, in what context should the surveys or interviews be held? As educators we constantly strive for improvement – if not in ourselves, then of our charges. Yet, it is rare that time be dedicated toward the review or evaluation of past practice. Is it truly “new and improved” or merely the same shoe in a different box that we keep trying to sell (to ourselves and our students)? Critical – Perhaps this commentary would be enough to get something started – where have we been? Where are we going? Entirely fair questions of and from students … with a typical teacher response of “you’ll know when you get there” or “it’s not the destination that matters as much as the journey in getting there.” Yet, when educators are placed in the role of learner – we typically resist and rebel with the flair and flourish of the most unwilling and uncooperative student! Why? Experiment – I would love to explore the nature of teachers as learner. At what point do teachers and other education professionals deem that the rules, expectations, and standards applied to students no longer apply to themselves? It would be a simple test really – gather a group of educators, prep them for an activity of unspecific nature, and note the onset of behaviors that they themselves would not tolerate in a class setting. Data Analysis – Of course, part of the prep work would need to include gathering of standards – not just expressed policies, but hard evidence of real practice. Something as benign as: “for our next meeting, each of you must bring a listing of your classroom rules and policies, and an anecdotal observation of at least three of your colleagues concerning the format, structure, pacing, operation, and management of their classes. (Any guesses how many wouldn’t do their homework?) Tech tools – And yet all of the data (assuming some was gained) would need analysis and eventual dissemination for additional analysis, criticism, or eventual application. But why reinvent the wheel? We’re teachers! We know what’s best for kids; there’s no need to review where we are at, where we’re going, or – for that matter, where we’ve been! It’s the same explicative different day. We’ll continue to do what each thinks is best to contribute to the product … our children that will someday be running this world (God help us!).

Yes, in review of my options – perhaps developing a better understanding of computers and their maintenance/operation would be the best path to follow. Yep – when the kids rebel and every member of society turns to their neighbor and asks “Why did you let it fall apart?” I’ll be able to shrug my shoulders, turn to my computer, and ask it: what can I do to help prepare it for the unforeseen future … when the day comes that it will grasp the reigns of society to lead us unto the next day.

Idea

Transition Survey Follow up survey administered once a year, beginning one year after graduation, for the next five years to all seniors who received serviced from the EEN program during high school. Survey is sent to those who participated in the Employment With Promise program and to those who didn’t.

Purpose: To measure the success/failure of the Employment With Promise program.

Name (will be kept confidential): Year graduated from High School: Did you partake in the Employment with Promise Program? Did you have a job when you graduated from high school?

Instructions: Please answer the questions honestly.

Employment

1. Are you currently employed? Yes No (If no, skip to question 2)

· Where are you employed? · How long have you worked there · How many hours do you work per week · How much do you get paid? (go to question 3)

2. What is your reason for losing your job?

Quit Fired Laid-off

· For what reasons did you quit or get fired? · Are you currently looking for employment?

· How many hours a week were you working before you left your job? · How much were you getting paid?

Does the disability that you received services for in high school, keep you from getting/holding a job? If yes, explain why:

Independent Living

3. What is your living situation? (Circle a choice and then answer the questions that follow your choice) With Parent Do you pay rent? Have you ever lived on your own?

Rent Do you have roommates? How much is your rent?

Own Home How long have you owned your house? Who lives with you (family/roommates)

Other What is your living situation? 4. Are you single/in a relationship/married or divorced? 5. Do you have any children? Do they live with you?

Recreation 6. What do you do in your leisure time? Community Living 7. Have you attended any event sponsored by the community? 8. Did you vote in the last elections? 9. Do you do any volunteer work? 10. Do you receive any assistance from the community or government (ex. WIC, disability, social security, housing assistance)? Yes No If yes, what type of assistance are you receiving?

Transistion 11. Do you feel that your high school experiences have adequately prepared you for independent living? Yes No

If yes, what was most beneficial to you in high school:

If no, how could you of been better prepared for independent living?

Please share any additional comments with us:

Idea

My idea centers around one of my hypotheses from the first and second assignment. My goal is to find 5 schools that are closely related to our elementary school, and tour those schools and interview staff members to see what programs, curriculum, parent involvement plans, teaching practices and other activities people in the school have done to turn their school's test scores around. I want to see what worked best for these schools, so I can bring this information back to our school, to hopefully implement it and have our students gain better learning behaviors. These are the questions I would like to ask the staff at the 5 schools I have found: 1) What made you decide to change the status quo at your school? 2) What programs did you find to implement in the classrooms? 3) Were teachers trained differently in these programs and how did they get trained? 4) What has needed to change for parental involvement? Are you noticing more parents becoming more interested in their child's education? 5) Where did you find these programs/resources to help make changes in your school? 6) What recommendations do you have for our staff and school? 7) Any other comments or questions for me?

Idea

About six years ago our school district implemented computer labs in all of our elementary schools. When this happened they decided to teach the students keyboarding starting in second grade instead of cursive writing. The teachers in third and fourth grade are to continue keyboarding skills with the students, and if they have time they can introduce cursive writing. I would like to interview staff and parents about this change, and find out if they feel this change was beneficial to the students or not.

Survey Questions: 1. How do you feel about students learning keyboarding starting in second grade? 2. Do you feel cursive writing should be part of the curriculum, if so what grade should it be taught at? 3. Do you feel the students are physically ready to learn keyboarding skills in second grade (i.e. are their fingers long enough to be able to reach all the keys from home row)? 4. Have you seen any changes in the student’s computer skills now that they have keyboarding? 5. Have you seen any changes in the student’s writing skills now that they have keyboarding?

Idea

For quite a few years now, the hippest trend on the math front is a method of teaching that encourages students to find their own means to solving math problems rather than by using traditional approaches. Our district is currently up-in-arms over which method seems to be most useful to our students. The middle and high school and its principal all believe the best method is the traditional one. The elementary and its principal believe the self-discovery approach is better suited for learning. Although I have a definite desire to follow the traditional approach, for the sake of preparing for an argument, I will examine the pro's and con's of the self-discovery method. (Pro's and con's are listed in no particular order.)

PRO'S: 1. Much more suitable for varying learning styles. 2. Several methods to solving mathematical problems. 3. Much more thought-engaging. 4. Focuses more on why it leads to answer rather than focusing on only its solution. 5. Encourages student's to use prior knowledge to engage in the problem. 6. It MAY BE more meaningful to the students. 7. Encourages more real-life mathematical situations. 8. Successful countries, such as Japan, have used a similar method and been successful. 9. Forces the student to explain their thought-processes.

CON'S: 1. Forces students to solve higher-level problems without any prior practice. 2. Very difficult for low-ability students. 3. Requires too much independent help from the teacher. 4. TOO MUCH TIME--When the teacher does help, he or she has to learn what the student did before being able to help. 5. TOO HARD TO CORRECT--It is difficult to correct 25 assignments every day when each one was done differently. 6. Not enough practice. Like a bike, you need to practice before being good at it. This method doesn't allow for practice. 7. Because their is no definite way to solve problems in this method, there are no examples to follow. 8. Makes it difficult for parents to help their child(ren). 9. Difficult to associate math concepts with the work they do (i.e. they may know how to solve two-step algebraic equations in their own manner, but do not have any clue that is what they are solving). 10. Nearly impossible to avoid using formulas in geometry, trigonometry, calculus, etc. 11. Educators who teach higher mathematics need to focus on new concepts without having to be tied up on routine ones. For example, if I am teaching a statistics class and demonstrating how to solve a problem, I want to focus on the new concept and not have a student confused over how I did the multiplication portion of it.

Idea

Experiment: Teach one hour differently than the others and compare the results.

Last year we heard Sandi Redenbach talk in Neenah, WI. She talked about brain-based learning: teaching strategies to best fit how our students’ brains work. One of her biggest points was to use the first few minutes and the last few minutes of class for NEW instruction. She said that research shows that these are the optimal times for students to learn and retain new information. We want to restructure one of our classes to test this theory. Our experiment goes like this. Essentially we are doing the same experiment, but using two different methods (to see if one method works better for comparison). Nate will try this in two average math classes. In one class he will take the first 10 minutes or so to give new instruction, then correct the old assignment, then give practice with the new instruction, and save the last few minutes for review. In the other class he will correct the assignment first, give the new information and then assign new homework. Monica will try a different organization, but similar experiment. She will try the new structure in English all semester for the first semester and switch back to traditional methods second semester. Nate will review his findings after the first semester. Monica will review her findings after the second semester finishes up. We will look at grades, classroom discussions, and student reactions.

Idea

Two years ago our school district implemented a service learning class for 7th and 8th grade students. The intention of this class was to get our students involved in projects outside of the school so they could better their relationship with members of the community. I was not involved in the planning stages of this program because I teach 6th grade. However, I did volunteer to help out on big projects whenever I was available.

The first year went fairly smooth with most students working on some good projects. I could see there needed to be changes, but being it was the first year, growing pains were inevitable. In the second year teachers' assignments were changed, due to staff reductions, and the core teachers in the middle school no longer taught service learning. The teachers that were assigned to instruct this course were caught off guard and were not willing to put in the time over the summer planning for the upcoming year. Needless to say our service learning class was a total failure. One teacher told students that she was a Spanish teacher not a service learning teacher and refused to teach anything related in this area. She simply turned her first hour class into a study hall. Other classes were at best, kept busy. Most projects were done within the confines of the building and were not community related. After two years the class has been terminated.

To begin with I do not blame our principal for terminating this class. He was put in a difficult position and had to make a decision that would benefit the majority. I personally would like to see the class continue with some changes that I feel would make this class successful. To begin with you need to find teachers who are qualified and highly motivated about teaching service learning. Kids love to get outside the school and participate in projects that better their community. Highly qualified teachers would be willing to put the extra time in needed researching and developing these types of projects.

The next change would be to select a committee, one devoted to the cause, who would design a curriculum guide for this course along with a grading scale. None of these were in place before, hence all the problems.

Finally there would need to be some type of trial period given to teachers to see if this course was successful and fulfilled objectives that were set in place. Like any new idea, it takes time before all the kinks can be ironed out. I believe our school district, as well as the community, need quality service learning program.

Idea

In the District of Spencer, where I teach, all foreign language classes are taught by distance learning. When I was a student in Spencer High, I took four years of Spanish in that form, and luckily for me, it "clicked". I majored in both Spanish and English at UW-SP, and until two years ago, when I was hired to teach high school English in Spencer, I had always taught both Spanish and English. I propose that it would be better for the students of Spencer High to learn Spanish from me rather than from a series of distance learning sites. They currently study Spanish I and II from one site, and III and IV from another, so there is little continuity. Most students learn a second language better, more easily, and with a wider range of skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as better cultural knowledge) if they are taught by a teacher in the classroom rather than by distance learning. Students could take Spanish I through IV from me, and the distance learning sites in school could be freed up for other offerings. This arrangement would clearly benefit the students. In addition, the school would be wise to employ me to teach Spanish, and to hire someone else to teach the English classes I currently teach. Not as many foreign language teachers are available to teach in small, rural schools in Central Wisconsin as there are English teachers. Since I am a resident of Spencer and will not be moving, the school would be improved by having Spanish taught in-house by me, and hiring a new English teacher.

Idea

We would like to survey the teachers in our school as to their opinions on the effectiveness of the after-school tutoring program.

A new coordinator of the after-school tutoring program has expressed some discontentment with the value of the program. Presently, high school students visit our school twice a week to work individually with children. These children are in grades 3-5 and are referred to the tutoring program by their classroom teachers. The new coordinator believes the tutoring sessions can be more successful if the high school students are trained. Other staff members feel professional teaching staff should man this after school program. We would like to survey the teachers, who have children involved in the program, to assemble their opinions.

SURVEY:

We would like to evaluate the Stettin after-school tutoring program. Please take a few minutes to answer the following questions and add any other suggestions you feel would be helpful.

1. How do you use the after-school tutoring program (i.e. homework help or tutoring/skill practice/reteaching)? 2. Do you feel the high school students have been effective for the purpose you intended? 3. Would training of the high school students increase their effectiveness? 4. Who do you think would best fill the tutor positions? 5. Would you be willing to help train high school tutors? 6. What role would you like to play in the after-school program?

Additional comments:

Idea

Family and consumer science education programs have been cut from many middle/high schools in the state of Wisconsin over the last few years. I have heard and read that programs are being closed for many reasons including: budgets and funding, inability to find suitable teacher, and program is not necessary or beneficial. Some or all of these reasons and more could be possible. I believe it would be valuable to interview the administration of schools that have cut FCE programs. As I believe FCE is a valuable part of education and would not like to see any more programs getting cut, I would like to see why programs are being cut so that we can learn how to preserve current programs. Some questions I believe to be valuable to ask the administrators from schools that have cut programs are as follows. 1)How would you define a FCE program? 2)Please tell me about the FCE program that existed in your school when it was cut? 3)Why did you cut the FCE program from your school? 4)Would you like to see an FCE program back at your school? 5)What skills and knowledge are taught in FCE programs? 6)Where are your students getting these skills and knowledge without having and FCE program at your school?

Idea

I would like to develop a new system or way to use study hall time in our special education department. Traditionally, we assign students to small group study halls or resource centers. Often students do not use this time efficiently. This disturbes the students who want to work and study. It also makes the teacher responsible for the monitoring and completion of studnet work. This leaves the student with little to no responsibility. I would like to modify this into a sign in system. Students would sign in each hour to get help from an available instructor. These students would use the time for study if they are actively seeking out the assestance. It also will teach the students individual responsibility in the learning process.

Idea

To find out how to go about posting homework on a web page and keeping it up to date.

I interviewed Richard DCamp PhD, director of Foreign Languages Lab UW Oshkosh.

Q: How should a teacher start posting assignments once they have a web page? A: Since it's a document, when you save it, save as an HTML rather than a doc. and it will be formatted to go.

Q: How can the teacher keep the assignments current with the least amount of work? A: The key is when you create them copy file and save, but then save again in a file (that you actually overwrite)using the same name each time, such as Homework or Most recent assignment. You can also look for templates or applications that are already made.

Q: What is the biggest mistake you see teachers make in this area? A: Generally, the teachers try to be too creative and need to think in more simple, plain, terms of design.

Q: How much time can a teacher expect to put in each week per class? A: Obviously, in the beginning, it will take a lot of time, but as you become more comfortable, you could eventually expect this will take no more time than prep for a "live" assignment.

Q: What are the drawbacks to web postings? A: The most common drawbacks are accessibility, though this does seem to be improving and helping students with learning and physical disabilities.

Q: What is your best single piece of advice? A: My best single bit of advice would be to not take yourself or the computers too seriously... just get in there and try! Keep a sense of humor about working and don't be intimidated!

Idea

We would develop and maintain a Reading/Language Arts WebPage that would house links to reading and writing web pages and resources that would enrich beyond the regular classroom curriculum. Students would be able to work independently on self-selected extension options that are related to classroom literature and lessons.

The benefit to students would be that they have access to enrichment services, along with being involved in the classroom experience. Students will be able to take ownership for their own learning and tap into their intrinsic motivation.

Students will be encouraged to submit online book reports and book reviews. They will also have the opportunity to communicate and exchange ideas with students from areas around the world, via the Internet. An interactive website example is: Scholastic.com.

Idea

There are students that enter 1st grade not knowing all their letters. Some students just need more time and experience to develop their letter identification skills. However, some students have difficulties because they have letter reversals and confusions like: b and d, p and q, and lowercase l and capital I. One way to help all students identify letters easier and more fluently is to teach them the proper way to form them. Most students with b and d reversals have them because they start with the line first and then guess which way the circle goes. Students need to be taught that because you see the line first in the “b” you need to make the line first and because you see the circle first in the “d” you need to make the circle first. These handwriting techniques will help students identify and write the correct letter. Letter identification starts in Kindergarten and continues into 1st Grade. Handwriting is not as important as when I went to school, but there is still merit to teaching students the proper way to make a letter so it will be easier for them to recognize and write the letter when they need to.

I would like to see my school emphasize handwriting skills for two consecutive years and see if it makes a difference in students’ Letter Identification Assessment scores. This assessment can be given in both the fall and spring of Kindergarten and 1st grade and the results can be compared and contrasted with the scores before handwriting was emphasized.

Idea

Working in a district that is predominately rural and located near a Native American reservation the district intergrates a variety of unique individuals. However, the area is not without its troubles. Specifically, the school has issues with truancy concerning a number of students, generational poverty, as well as the more traditional discipline issues. The truancy and trans-generational poverty issues are most prevelant. Utilizing the historical aspects of the district as a research project can help create a deeper understanding for incoming teachers to the district. Incorporating interviews, surveys, and documentary style video a deep understanding of the reasons for these issues can be ascertained. The results of the documentary can be used to create strategies that may be used by the district to augment existing programs or to develop new programs.

Idea

Parent communication is an important factor in the Title I reading program. I document all contact throughout the year. Some parents are highly involved. They read with their child on a regular basis, attend conferences, call or write when they have concerns, listen openly to my feedback, and provide me with their own. Others do not participate in school events/activities at all. This may be due to reluctance because of limited English, work schedules, or simple apathy. While I know I cannot control their behavior, I can find ways to help make things more comfortable and convenient for them. It is my goal to encourage parents to participate fully in their child’s life at school. One way I would like to do this is through an informal parent survey.

At the beginning of every year, I give my students attitude surveys to help determine how each child feels about reading. I have shared these with parents but never had them complete a follow-up survey of their own. I would like to know their reactions to their child’s responses and hear about their own views on reading both in school and at home. The survey would include the following questions/topics: 1. Student Name 2. Parent(s) Name 3. Phone Number 4. When do you prefer to be contacted? 5. Do you prefer to be contacted by ______ phone, ______ mail, _______ personal meeting, ______ parent/teacher conferences 6. List 2-3 positive characteristics about your child. 7. Tell about your child’s strengths. 8. What is his/her favorite subject? 9. Tell about your child’s weaknesses. 10. What is his/her least favorite subject? 11. Have you been pleased with your child’s reading performance in the past? Yes/No Please explain your answer. 12. What do you like about the Title I program? 13. What suggestions do you have for improving the Title I program? 14. What additional parent involvement opportunities would you suggest?

The information provided would remain confidential and would be used to help understand each child better. This increased understanding would hopefully enhance my overall teaching practices.

Idea

We want to Email our weekly scouting reports and installments to our players using playmaker 4.2 attachments to a public folder sight called “Blackboard”. Only our student-athletes participating in football will be able to have access to this folder using the account and password we set-up for them. This process will save the athlete’s time because they can look this information up whenever they have spare time. It would also help because we don’t have to meet as a big group, at a time convenient for everyone involved. This is usually a difficult task because everyone has different classes and different time restraints. Using this visual aid that the Playmaker program brings, the student-athletes will be able to learn at their own pace and watch a play several times, rather than having someone in front of a room breezing through the scouting report just to get the meeting over with. The students will benefit from this system greatly.

Idea

I have a project I would like to undertake with technology. I take digital pictures of the children throughout the year and have a digital printer in my room. I print the pictures out, cut them out, and paste them on a page to make a memory book for each child to take home at the end of the year. It is tons of work and many times I feel it intrudes on the time that I would like to do other work for my classroom (as well in my personal life). I would like to make the pictures into a powerpoint to show off at parent teacher conferences. I wonder if it is possible to just drop the pictures into a publisher sheet or powerpoint presentation and print them right on the regular color printer and save on the photo paper cost and save tremendously on the time for cutting and pasting. I know nothing about powerpoint other than it is a great tool, so it would be great to use this technology to make my life a little easier!

Idea

I would like to interview district administrators, regular and special education teachers about their feelings toward sound-field amplification systems for the classroom. These systems have proven benefits for all students, not just those that are D/HH, as well as teachers. 1. What do you know about sound-field amplification systems? (Explain them if they are unfamiliar) 2. What budgetary restraints are there in the area of assistive technology in the classroom? 3.What do you see as potential hurdles in getting teachers to implement sound-fields in their classrooms? 4. Can you think of any benefits for you and the students in this district by having sound-field technology in the classroom? 5. Do you think the benefits would outway the cost of educating staff about and implementing the use of sound-field systems? 6. Can you foresee any resistance or challenges in the student population regarding sound-field amplification? 7. Do you have any other questions or concerns?

Idea

I would like to write a paper that explores the history of the Discipline Policy (DP) in effect at the school where I teach, Alexander Middle School. The policy was written when the location of AMS changed from the old Alexander High School building to a brand new school building. It is a comprehensive program that tracks problem behavior on a “Step Schedule.” The policy sets out definite consequences for misbehavior and affords students and parents the luxury of knowing these consequences in advance.

I came to AMS after the implementation of the new plan, so I did not experience the DP in “the old school.” From what I gathered, by listening to veteran teachers, there wasn’t a policy. I have been curious about how discipline was handled before, as compared to how it is handled now, so I asked several teachers for their thoughts.

One teacher taught under the old system, took a break to raise her family, and came back under the new system. She was not a part of the team that created the DP, but she did mention that previously “there was no uniform policy. Every teacher did their own thing with discipline. Some gave detentions for everything, and others only as a last resort. Kids who pushed the issue with a teacher too far usually got kicked out of class and sent to the office. There was no expectation of certain punishment, and there was no consistency, because each case was handled as it happened. Some of what we consider our real discipline problems now would have been considered minor back then by comparison.” She went on to say that one of the highlights of our new DP is that it treats everyone equally. It is consistent and progressive and the kids know at the beginning what will happen at each step, ie..step one is a lunch time detention, step 3 is an after school detention, etc. She also mentioned that she does not fear for her safety, now, although she did have a student at the old school take a swing at her. The child suffered no consequences because “he didn’t make contact.”

Another teacher fully supported the creation of the new policy stating that there were major problems at the old school. The discipline prescribed was at the discretion of the office and it fluctuated. On any given day, the punishment could swing from severe to nonexistent. The new policy is, as stated previously, affords every student the same consequences for misbehavior.

I would like to further explore the process the staff used to develop the current DP. I think that it would be interesting to investigate their rationale, follow the progression from the old DP to the new, and check to see if use of the new DP is fulfilling the expectaions of its creators.

Idea

We would like to develop a survey questioning parents on their view about the Accelerated Reader Program. The A.R. program is designed to help students become better independent readers as well as to increase reading comprehension. This program offers the student incentives such as small prizes, free homework passes, and pizza based on a point value system. The survey would give the teachers an understanding if the program is motivating the students to read independently at home. It would also give us insight to how we can improve or make changes to the program. The following are questions that we feel are beneficial for our survey:

1. What is your knowledge of the A.R. Program?

2. Does your child read independently at home? If so, how much time is spent each day reading?

3. Does your child share with you their A.R. test results on a regular basis?

4. Does your child show enthusiasm about the program?

5. Are there any ways that we could improve or change the program?

6. Would you like to learn more about the program?

7. Do you think that the A.R. Program is worthwhile?

Idea

Technology: Computer,

My idea is to create a third grade, classroom newspaper. After learning the basics about newspapers, students will choose topics to write articles about. The students will learn how to use the Word program to write articles, captions for pictures, and create the newspaper's layout. They will operate the scanner to size, crop, and enter pictures into computer layout. Students will use a digital camera to take photos for their articles. The internet will be used to aid in research for articles. Some students will use E-mail ask interview questions. Many different technologies, careers, and resources are explored and discussed along the way. To finalize the unit we will tour the local newspaper office.

Idea

I plan to interview two physical education teachers to obtain useful information for PE teachers who are going into their first year of teaching. The first PE teacher that I will interview will be one that has been teaching for no more then 5 years. Being newer to the profession, many aspects of their first year of teaching will still be fresh in their mind. The second teacher that I interview will be a seasoned veteran, one that has been teaching for 20 years-plus. The questions that I ask will mostly involve their experiences from their first year of teaching, which I believe will be useful for incoming PE teachers to make their first year easier. Often beginning teachers enter their first year not realizing some of the problems or scenarios that they will be faced with. Hopefully these interviews will make them more aware to these and help them deal with them.

These are some of the interview questions:

1) What is your name and how many years have you been teaching? 2) Where do you teach and what grades? 3) Where did you do your first year of teaching? 4) What were some things that you were not well prepared for? 5) What problems did you encounter? 6) Who helped you out the most? 7) What are some issues that a teacher will deal with, with today’s youth? 8) What did you do to gain your students respect? 9) Where did you get your teaching ideas, lesson plans, and curriculum from? 10) What aspects of your teaching have you kept the same or changed from your first year? 11) What are some things that make it easier/harder for 1st year teachers in today’s school system/ 12) What do you remember most about your 1st year of teaching, good or bad? 13) If you could do it over again, what would you change? 14) In conclusion, do you have anything else that you would like to tell first year teachers?

Idea

We would like to develop a survey questioning parents on their view about the Accelerated Reader Program. The A.R. program is designed to help students become better independent readers as well as to increase reading comprehension. This program offers the student incentives such as small prizes, free homework passes, and pizza based on a point value system. The survey would give the teachers an understanding if the program is motivating the students to read independently at home. It would also give us insight to how we can improve or make changes to the program. The following are questions that we feel are beneficial for our survey:

1. What is your knowledge of the A.R. Program?

2. Does your child read independently at home? If so, how much time is spent each day reading?

3. Does your child share with you their A.R. test results on a regular basis?

4. Does your child show enthusiasm about the program?

5. Are there any ways that we could improve or change the program?

6. Would you like to learn more about the program?

7. Do you think that the A.R. Program is worthwhile?

Idea

Social Science, U. S. History Class, 7th Grade: I would like to create a class webpage, which would include links to student assignments, grades, a student chatroom, a parent comment page, and class projects. Students love to nag about "what's my grade" and this webpage would keep them up-to-date and on pace with assignments and projects. The chat room would allow students to help those who have questions and may be struggling with homework questions. Chat room tutors could also receive extra credit. Many students have great artistic ability, and very few parents have time to attend open houses and parent teacher conferences to view their child's work. To display the student's art projects, I would use a digital camera and download the images to the web. Any written projects would be saved to a floppy and then inserted in the correct historical page. Each historical page would be represented with a number of posters, poems, songs, and stories the students have created within the unit. These pages would be directly linked off the class homepage. I also want to use the website as an avenue for parents and/or guardians to contact the teacher. I believe the technology available to us allows parents to email teachers if their busy work schedule interferes with the regular school hours. I personally would have to gain knowledge of digital photography and take advanced courses on web page design. I believe this would be a useful tool to students, teachers, and parents and be well worth the effort.

Idea

IDEA

Technology: We would like to see junior high students become globally minded. In keyboarding we would have epals. To improve their keyboarding and technology skills they could email students in India. Using scanners, digital cameras and web cams students could learn about customs, traditions, and cultures. At the same time they are gaining technology expertise. This would be a life-long learning experience that enhances the students’ technology skills while becoming a globally minded citizen.

Idea

My thesis project is going to be a family historical novel that traces 4 generations of my family. This will be a novel of at least 90 pages.

I am going to interview my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother (the last part will be my own history). The main focus of this book will be to have these women tell their stories of survival (they were all born and raised in different difficult times) and how they have kept their close-knit family so strongly together for almost 100 years.

I am going to use a tape recorder and have them tell me stories that are important to them, along with historical facts of the area they lived in. (We all still live within the 40-mile radius of where we all grew up and settled).

I also am going to do local research of the area. I am going to collect geographic, business and major event information. This will give the reader an accurate perspective of when and where my family lived and what was going on at the time, both personally and historically.

I will collect photographs of my family from different periods. I will also collect photographs from the area, depicting its changes over time.

While I feel this might, at times, be more personal than historical, I want it to be an accurate portayal of life in various generations while also being an enjoyable book to read. The stories that my family will tell will be their own personal experiences, yet they will be historically accurate. I will ensure this accuracy with photographs and historical research.

After compiling all my interviews, research and photos, I will organize it into chapters and specific areas. I will then write the thesis. This, I think, will be the most difficult part -- making sure all the parts fit together as a historic, enjoyable, accurate whole.

Idea

Technology Project (4th grade). For the past few years the 4th grade classroom teacher and I have collaborated on a unit related to the core literature book, “Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Although the book is read and studied in the classroom, my contribution is to help students research and learn about a 1880’s Wisconsin one room school. The class, teacher and myself culminate this unit with a day at our school forest facility recreating a one-room school. We dress and have an authentic lunch and learn the 3 R’s, as well as, other 19th century skills and recreational activities. As part of this unit I teach the 4th graders digital camera use including formatting disks, framing shots, and using special effects like sepia tone to give an old-fashioned look to the photos. The goal is for the students to document their day in the one-room schoolhouse.

However, I have been thinking it would be nice for students to create a product from their photos. We do some evaluation of photos; however, it would be nice for students to take the technology one step further than just photographs. The product could be creating an iMovie. Students would learn to import the photos into iMovie software, sequence shots into a story and narrate the photos to create a movie. The students would be able to synthesize their unit of study through the process of creating the movie and would then be able to share the product with other students and family. (We could show the iMovie off of the computer using a data projector OR we could export the iMovie back to miniDV and transfer it to a VHS tape for viewing. Either way, I would do this technical support - it would be too advanced at this point to teach to students.)

Idea

I would like to create a survey on student learning preferences. This survey would allow the classroom teacher to get to know their students better as learners. the survey would provide the classroom teacher with ideas about the general or perceived strengths / preferences of their students. It would also provide a background to determine what modalities and formats could work best and yield the best results and which ones will have to be strengthened or perhaps modified to be successful. In the end it will give the classroom teacher a starting point for which approaches to teaching their students will most likely be the most effective.

Survey

1. Do you learn best in _ a. small groups b. large groups c. individually d. a&b e. b&c f. a&c g. a,b & c mixed

2. Do you learn better by _ a. hearing b. seeing c. doing

3. When the teacher lectures do you focus on the _ a. visual aid (overhead) b. voice and words c. what you are writing

4. Do you like assignments that are _ a. wide open b. specific c. a mix of both

5. Do you like to _ a. write papers b. do class presentations c. make videos d. a&b e. b&c f. a&c g. a mix of a,b & c

6. Do you think it is harder to work on big projects _ a. in small groups b. in pairs c. individually

7. Do you like classes with _ a. one method of teaching b. 2 to 3 teaching / learning approaches c. more that 3 teaching / learning methods d. a mix of a,b &c

8. Do you perfer _ a. the teacher to tell you what you need to know b. the teacher to support you while you investigate what is important c. a mix of both

9. Do you like _ a. the same routine in class always b. a different dtructure each day c. a little of each

10. Do you perfer to _ a. read in groups b. read individually c. have someone read to you d. a&b e. b & c f. a & c g. a mix of a,b &c

11. Do you perfer to _ a. read at home b. read in class c. both

12. Do you like to _ a. move in class b. sit and listen c. sit and work d. a mix of a,b & c

Idea

I would like to create a survey on student learning preferences. This survey would allow the classroom teacher to get to know their students better as learners. The survey would provide the classroom teacher with ideas about the general or perceived strengths, preferences, and potential weaknesses of their students. It would also provide a background to determine what modalities and formats will work best and yield the best results and which ones will have to be strengthened or perhaps modified to be successful. In the end it will give the classroom teacher a starting point for which approaches to teaching their students will most likely be the most effective. Survey Questions 1. Do you learn best in __ a. small groups b. large groups c. individually d. a&b e. a&c f. b&c g. a mixture of a,b,&c

2. Do you rather learn by _ a. hearing b. seeing c. doing

3. When the teacher lectures do you focus on the _ a. visual (overhead/ect.) b. words and tone c. what you are writing

4. Do you like to _ a. write papers b. do class presentations c. make videos d. a&b e.b&c f. a,b&c mix

5. Do you like assignments that are _ a. openended b. specific c. both

6. Do you think that itis harder to work on projects in _ a. small groups b. pairs c. alone

7. Do you like classes with _ a. One method of teaching / learning b. 2 to 3 methods of teaching / leraning c. More than 3 different approaches d. a mixture of all a,b,& c

8. Do you perfer _ a. the teacher to tell you what you need to know b. the teacher to support you while you investigate on you own c. a mixture

9. Do you like _ a to have the smae learning structure in class each day. b. a different structure each day c. a little of each

10. Do you perfer to _ a. read in class b. read at home c. both

11. Do you perfer to _ a. read in groups b. read individually c. have someone read to you d. a&c e. a&b f. b&c g. a mix of a,b &c

12. Do you like to _ a. move in class b. sit in class c. both

Idea

I would like to create a survey on student learning preferences. This survey would allow the classroom teacher to get to know their students better as learners. The survey would provide the classroom teacher with ideas about the general or perceived strengths, preferences, and potential weaknesses of their students. It would also provide a background to determine what modalities and formats will work best and yield the best results and which ones will have to be strengthened or perhaps modified to be successful. In the end it will give the classroom teacher a starting point for which approaches to teaching their students will most likely be the most effective. Survey Questions 1. Do you learn best in __ a. small groups b. large groups c. individually d. a&b e. a&c f. b&c g. a mixture of a,b,&c

2. Do you rather learn by _ a. hearing b. seeing c. doing

3. When the teacher lectures do you focus on the _ a. visual (overhead/ect.) b. words and tone c. what you are writing

4. Do you like to _ a. write papers b. do class presentations c. make videos d. a&b e.b&c f. a,b&c mix

5. Do you like assignments that are _ a. openended b. specific c. both

6. Do you think that itis harder to work on projects in _ a. small groups b. pairs c. alone

7. Do you like classes with _ a. One method of teaching / learning b. 2 to 3 methods of teaching / leraning c. More than 3 different approaches d. a mixture of all a,b,& c

8. Do you perfer _ a. the teacher to tell you what you need to know b. the teacher to support you while you investigate on you own c. a mixture

9. Do you like _ a to have the smae learning structure in class each day. b. a different structure each day c. a little of each

10. Do you perfer to _ a. read in class b. read at home c. both

11. Do you perfer to _ a. read in groups b. read individually c. have someone read to you d. a&c e. a&b f. b&c g. a mix of a,b &c

12. Do you like to _ a. move in class b. sit in class c. both

Idea

The elementary schools in our district will be using a new report card this year. We would like to send a survey home after conferences to get the parents' reaction to the new report card. This information would be shared with the report card development committee.

Report Card Survey

Parents,

Please fill out this survey to help us understand your perspective on the new report card. You may send it back to school with your child. Thank you for taking the time to fill out this survey.

1. Does this report card give you the information you want about your child's learning?

Yes No No opinion

2. Is the new report card easy to understand?

Yes No No opinion

3. Was the continuum of learning sufficiently explained to you during conferences?

Yes No No opinion

4. Do you think this report card will help you understand your child's growth in learning?

Yes No No opinion

5. Please share any questions, comments, or concerns you may have about the new report card in the space below.

Thank you for your response to this survey.

Idea

Standardized testing seems to be a required activity for public school students. What about parents who believe that their child will be discriminated against if they take the tests? What about parents who believe that too much standardized testing stresses children out? What about parents who believe that standardized testing only benefits children who are assimilated into white society?

With the No Child Left Behind Act currently being activated, only a handful of states have politically organized to challenge the legality of mandatory testing on one’s child. I am curious as to why citizens in Wisconsin appear to be complaisant with whatever the state and federal government says their child must experience. Tax payers pay for school, why isn’t the system being challenged?

I am going to create a survey that will go out to 30 parents in my community. The parents will all have children in the public schools that are in the 4th grade. If the findings show that a significant percentage of parents do not want their children tested in 4th grade, then I would start an informational website which would help parents to take political action regarding this issue.

Dear parents of 4th grade students,

Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey about what you think about your child being required to take the 4th grade test this year.

Please circle yes or no.

1. Do you think the 4th grade test will tell you how your child is doing in school? Yes No

2. Do you think the 4th grade test will tell you how well the teacher is teaching your child? Yes No

3. Do you think the 4th grade test is an important experience for your child to have? Yes No

4. Do you think the 4th grade test results will tell you how your child might do in school in the future? Yes No

5. Do you think the 4th grade test results will show how a school is doing as a whole? Yes No

Idea

As a teacher in a residential treatment facility, we are frequently contacted by the students home schools. There are times when a school will call our principal wondering about the progress of one of their students. For our principal, it is very difficult to keep track of over one hundred students and their progress in each of their classes. I would like to try and help solve the problem by assigning each teacher certain amounts of students to check on each quarter. This would equal about 5-7 students per teacher. They would read the students IEP file and list their goals. They would then talk to all of the teachers for that student and find out the progress that they are making. They could make a form that list all of the things that the student is working on and if they are reaching their goals. An example of the form could look like this...

Name________________ Date of report_________________

Date of birth_____________ Date of placement______________

IEP Academic Goals

* * *

Progress...

IEP Behavioral Goals

* * *

Progress

Current classes_______________

Last quarters grades________________

Additional commments________________________

Signed _________________________

Idea

I teach in an Alternative High School. The students that I work with have for the most part, been unsuccessful in the traditional high school classroom. Many of the students that I see on a daily basis come to school with very defeatist attitudes. As a part of my job, I try to eliminate these attitudes and help these students build on their strengths, increase their self-esteems and supply them with social and academic skills that they will need in the future. Because we have a much smaller number of students in our program (100) verses the public high school (1400), I feel that there are a number of different strategies that I can use to do this. This coming year, I will be trying one such strategy in the form of an experiment. I am planning on writing each student a letter and sending it to his/her home at some point in the school year. I realize that this will be a very time consuming activity, but I am interested in seeing how it is: 1) Received by the students 2) If makes a difference in classroom behavior and achievement

I have to be careful when evaluating data on this experiment. I want the students that receive this letter to know that I have written it strictly because I care about them and think that they have many good qualities. I do not want to quiz them on how they felt about the letter, or ask them what their grandma said when she read it. I truly do not know if they will be embarrassed by such a letter or if it will be important to them. I am only planning on collecting data for my own benefit. I want to determine if there is a pay-back (in the form of better behavior and academic achievement) for the effort that it takes to write the letter. In order to measure how the letters are received, I am currently planning on keeping a running list of all students that I write to and when I send the letter. On this list I will write down any comments (positive or negative) that I hear from my students as they receive their letters. In an effort to see if there is a correspondence between letters and classroom performance, I will compare “Participation” grades for the year, noting when the students received their letters. I am very hopeful that these letters home will be useful tools in developing positive attitudes towards high school and future learning opportunities.

Idea

The school where I teach has problems with a majority (60%) of students who are tardy or absent on a regular basis (50%), or move from school to school. How can schools increase attendance rates? Many children have a school attendance level of 50% or less. There are various reasons for this low attendance. Poverty is one. School supplies are expensive. What little money there is has to go for the most basic necessities for the family. Also Parent work schedules of children from low-income homes puts the responsibility of getting up and ready on the child because some parents work evening and nights. Also some parents find the imporatnce of school and academics to be less important. They do not portray the importance of both and how we can work together to provide children with the lifeskills to have a successful life. Having a good education will help children get the best possible start in life. Regular attendance fosters a student's social development as well as academic growth. Attendance also Improves relationships between teacher-student and builds stronger relationships among peers. The shared experiences offer a sense of belonging and increase the willingness to contrubute to the school community. Which in return will develop respect for their own communities. It is important for schools to explore ways of reducing absences of whatever kind. Attending school regularly leads to a lifelong course of responsibility and commitment to oneself and to others. Also poor school attendance damages educational achievement and examination results. I have stated many benefits of children attending school on a regular basis but how can school increase attendance rates. 1)Having a parent information meeting possibly during Open House events to explain the importance and expectations of attendance in school. 2)Send home an easy to read (translated into various languages) list of guidelines for excused and unexcused absences. 3)A phone call will be made to the home if a child is absent. 4) If a child rides a bus and is frequently absent or tardy, then a wake-up call will be given to the home each morning. Hopefully as a school, attendance can be increased and educational achievement and examination results will improve.

Idea

Next year our district will be piloting a new report card for students that is on the computer. This sounds like a great idea for me. However, I am a teacher who spends countless hours at home writing out my report card comments. It would be interesting to be on the report card committee to find out how the report card is recieved by all teachers and if it will save time or make many of us spend lots of time typing at school instead of doing prep work. I value my time at school and at home and would like nothing better than to get things done efficiently. I enjoy new technology and will be looking forward to trying out the new report cards next year. I think we could then respond to the report card committee with our comments through e-mail or use of a on the web poll.

Idea

I would like to create a classroom web page. I think this would be a great tool for both students and parents. The web page would include the weekly agenda, daily assignments, project updates and due dates, as well as upcoming tests and quizzes. I would also include the links to our textbook website or any other related sites. Both students and parents would be able to access daily attendance as well as grades ( students would be issued a id # to keep this confidential). Students and parents would also be able to check for missing assignments. When students are out of class due to illness, appointments, or vacations, they will be able to use the web page to see what they missed in class and get the daily assignment. Overall, this would be a great communication tool for myself and parents.

Idea

I would like to send home a survey to several grade levels at the end of each quarter for the parents and student to fill out. The survey would be "HOMEWORK FROM SCHOOL." The questions I would use are as follows: 1. How much time do you spend a night on homework? 2. Who helps you with your homework. 3. Where do you do your homework. 4. What time do you do your homework? 5. Is the homework too difficult? 6. What subject if any seems to require more time than others? I have three daughters who are in 6th, 9th, and 11th grade and we are finding that homework is becoming a major issue at our home. My husband and I both feel that the quality and amount of homework given is ridiculous and that teachers are requiring too much from students. We would be interested in the results. We plan on giving this survey to several teachers we know at different grade levels to see what student and parent reactions are. We would like to see at least 75% response. With this survey we hope to change or modify homework requirements at our local school.

Idea

I am interested in revamping my kindergarten survey so it is my concise and takes less time for parents to complete. This survey assists me in getting to know my students better before they enter my classroom. The survey is also a means for me to find out who is available to assist in the classroom. The survey would be sent home two weeks before school begins and returned at our orientation meeting (the day before school begins). I will review the surveys before the students join me the following day. As a kindergarten teacher, I like to get to know my students personally and academically as soon as possible. I believe students are more relaxed, comfortable, and ready to learn when you truly know them. They are so amazed when I am able to share a bit of information that I know about them. I am also able to tailor my lessons around the students' interests for the first day of school.

Kindergarten Survey

Dear Parent(s): Could you please take some time to complete this survey, so I can get to know you and your child a little bit better before the first day of kindergarten? Your experience and parental expertise are greatly appreciated! I am very excited and eager to work with your child this year. We are going to have a great year. Thank you for your time; I truly appreciate it!

1. What is your child's name?

2. How would you like me to address your child at school (nickname?)?

3. Preferred contact person

4. When does the preferred contact person wish to be contacted?

5. Telephone number of the preferred contact person

6. My child's interests/hobbies are

7. My child seems to learn best by (ie. hands-on, watching, listening, etc.)

8. My child's strengths are

9. An area my child seems to have difficulty

10. What kind of discipline does you child seems to respond most positively to?

11. Something I would like to see my child do at school is

12. Something my child is most excited about doing at school is

13. My child has expressed concerns about

14. Is there any medical or special information you believe I should know about?

15. Are you able to volunteer to assist with our classroom centers from 12:30 to 1:30? _______ If so, which days work best for you (Mon.-Fri.)?

16. Are there any other times you would be available to volunteer to assist in our classroom? _______ If so, please list the days and time frames (ie.1:00-1:30) you are available.

Idea

As a high school Learning Disabilities (LD) teacher, I need to contact my students' parents more often than regular education staff. I have found it difficult to get several of my parents involved in their child's education concerns. I view parents as equal members of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) team and value their input. However some seem reluctant, others just avoid it, and only a few are very involved. I would like to start this yar out with a Contact Survey for my incoming students. I would preface the survey with a letter introducing myself and explaining the value of their input in these surveys. I feel the advantage of this survey is that it allows me to follow up with phone conference or meeting suited to the parents' needs. I would hope it would also open the channel of communication. Contact Survey 1. Student name 2. Preferred nickname (if any) 3. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) 4. Other parent (noncustodial) 5. Day phone number Contact person_____________ Evening phone Contact person_____________ 6. When do you prefer to be contacted? Morning Afternoon Evening 7. Do you prefer: ____Phone Conference _____Personal Meeting

8. List 2-3 positive characteristics of your child: 9. What is your child’s favorite pastime or hobby? 10. What is your child’s favorite school subject? 11. What is your child’s least favorite subject? 12. Have you been pleased with your child’s academic performance in the past? Yes No 13. If no, please explain:

14. Rate how you feel the Special Education services provide for your child’s needs. Given a scale of 1-5 with 1—Not at all, 3—sufficient, and 5—Excellent. 1 2 3 4 5 Please use the following space to comment or explain any of your answers.

This information is confidential and used only by me in order to establish a strong working relationship with you regarding the educational provisions for your child.

Idea

Survey—we would like to create a survey due to the idea generated in our smart people question.

This would be an oral survey either completed personally or on the phone.

The person being interviewed would be told the reason for the survey. The school is looking for the best way to communicate with families in regard to correspondence that needs to be returned to school.

Does your child bring home the school newsletter on Thursdays? Is there a better day for the newsletter to be sent home? Is written correspondence from school clear? Are forms and requests sent to you in a timely fashion? How do you handle time sensitive material that needs to be returned to school? Would you like information mailed? Are you willing to help alleviate the cost of this program? Do you use either the classroom or school website to obtain information about school events? If yes, would you download a time sensitive form from the site? About how much communication do you receive in an average week from school? Is this too much or too little?

Idea

When I arrive at school in September, waiting for me will be a list of committee members for the reading achievement strand of our school improvement plan, along with our goal. The goal states that 85% of students will be reading at grade level at the end of the school year. As the reading specialist and facilitator I need a framework to guide us as we work toward this goal. I’m proposing the following professional development plan to reach our literacy goal.  Identify desired results.  85% of students will read at grade level or above by the end of the school year.  Determine who will participate in professional development activities. Of those listed below decide if an awareness session is needed or one of high intensity. Who needs more support for sustainability and who needs less? Do parents & community need to be included? Who will be part of the implementation process (study groups, mentoring, coaching, strategies sessions, etc.)?  Whole staff  Reading/LA teachers  Content teachers  Support personnel  Administrators  Resource/curriculum teachers  Identify components to achieve the desired results  Analysis of past professional development [best/previous topics & experiences, overlap(duplications and links), consistencies (common topics & themes), gaps(topics/resources missing)]  Consider new and different professional development • Who will participate? • Identify components to target the desired results • Determine who will be responsible for the component • Determine how its effects will be measured • Provide an estimate of each component’s fiscal impact  Plan for implementation  Garner support, both fiscally and verbally from administration  Lay the foundation for positive communication throughout the planning process (many don’t take kindly to surprises)  Present professional development requirements in a positive light (know your staff and plan & tweak according)  Determine how you will recognize success  Changes in student performance, attitude and behavior  Teacher attitude and instructional strategies  Classroom visits, review of lesson plans, talking with students, parents, teachers  Daily discussion between administration and teachers about daily work related to professional development  End of year reflections on what has worked and what hasn’t

Idea

As a tool to assess the effectiveness of the various activities in my classroom, I have often wanted to survey my students and their parents at the end of the year. I have done it informally with the students during class meetings but never on an individual basis. For this question I have written two surveys which I think will be very valuable for me as I reflect over the past school year and plan for the next. Obviously, I won’t use it until next spring, however this way it is all ready for minor revisions (depending on actual topics taught, etc) rather than starting from scratch during a very busy time of year. The first survey is for the parents and asks for their reflections to help me grow as a teacher in meeting the children’s needs. Using a scale of 1 to 5, (5 meaning great, keep doing it to 1 not effective) I have asked them to rate the following ideas and experiences: weekly parent letters, biweekly homework assignments, guided reading books, Big Cheese, the feeling in our room, reading instruction and growth, math instruction and growth, math time tests, interest and growth in writing, and daily Stettin folders. I would also be interested to know what the children have talked about at home so I have included the following list of items: Fifth Grade Reading Buddies, computer lab, writer’s workshop, reading centers, guided reading groups, classroom meetings, service learning, friends, lunch, recess, field trip to Rib Mountain, science units, landforms project, field trips to the school forest and Grand Theater. These would simply be marked yes or no whether their child has talked about them or not. I have also included a place at the bottom for other comments and their name is optional. The student survey is set-up in a similar way so the students can use the 1 to 5 rating scale that they are familiar with from other classroom activities. Many of these overlap with the parent survey, however I would like to know what was of value to them from their own perspective. The following classroom experiences are included: reading centers, guided reading, read aloud, math time tests, math investigations, playing around the world, journaling, Writer’s Workshop, Buddy Study, weather, plants, landforms, class meetings, and computer lab. I have also included space for them to comment further. Both surveys can be completed in less than five minutes but also give the opportunity to comment further if desired. This should increase participation. The student survey will be done in class so I will receive all of them back. The parent surveys will go home in the Stettin folder and hopefully returned in one week. I would be very pleased if I received 75% of them back. I think this will be a very helpful tool in assessing the effectiveness of the many experiences we have and will help me focus my planning for the next year.

Idea

Baseline Studies and Proposed Improvements

Where I teach there has been an on-going controversy concerning Merit and Commons privileges. These privileges are awarded to students who meet the proper criteria. In order for a student to be on Commons, they must maitain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. These students may spend their studyhalls in the Commons area of our high school. The advantages are that they may talk freely, eat and drink, and in general, spend their time as they wish as long as they remain in the Commons area. In order to participate in Merit, students must solicit staff approval through the writing of an essay. Grade point average is not a factor as long as the students are achieving their greatest potential. One "no" vote from our staff means the student cannot participate and must try to improve their behavior in hopes of participating in the future. Merit students may leave campus during their studyhalls and lunch, use hallways and restrooms without a pass, and in general, move freely throughout the day.

The controversy over Merit and Commons privileges is that many students don't spend their studyhall time wisely. It frustrates many staff members to walk through the Commons area and see so many students visiting and playing games when they aren't attaining their greatest potential in the classroom. Another problem that frustrates the staff is having to repeatedly warn students not to loiter in the hallways. Yet another frustration is that the students have a much easier time "sharing" their work in this loosely supervised environment. Finally, many students have more than one studyhall and spend a great deal of their day "hanging out". Many feel that their time in our educational system should be spent on classes to improve their knowledge and skill rather than their social lives.

On the other hand, many staff members feel that students who are responsible need this social time in their lives for personal growth. Another benefit is that students are able to work collaboratively on different tasks and help each with homework. Also, by having some students leave studyhall, the staff member in charge has less students in their sometimes over-crowded classrooms to supervise.

In order to ascertain just how detrimental the current situation is, I would propose a study of our districts current situation. In the study I would like to research and review 1) the criteria to participate in each privilege; 2) the percent of students from each class who participate in either Merit or Commons; 3) the percent of males; 4) the percent of females; 5) where in the building (or out) students are spending their time; 6) the grade point average of students before they participate in Merit or Commons; 7) the grade point average after a semester of participating in Merit or Commons; 8) the number of students reprimanded for loitering in the hallways; 9) the number of students who have been suspended from or taken off either priviledge due to poor grades or poor behavior.

After such a review/study, we may very well find that the students who have been chosen for these priviledges are maintaining the same grade point average or higher. However, if not, we, as a staff, may find that we need to revise our criteria for participation. We may need to raise the required GPA to be maintained, limit the number of studyhalls students have, and stop allowing students to leave campus.

If changes are needed, I would propose that we introduce the new system at the beginning of a new academic year. The new program would be evaluated by using the same questions as outlined for the baseline study, then compare our findings. If satisfactory improvement has been demonstated we would continue on with the new system. If not, new criteria would once again need to be outlined and implemented.

Idea

Our district is very technology focused, which can be difficult for teachers of the primary students. It is extremely difficult to get enough time to get enough reading, writing, math, science, and social studies in. Yet we are asked to spend a good amount of time each week taking our classes to the computer lab. There are also mixed feelings because there is a need for books and literacy materials, but we are told there is no money. However, there is money to by laptop computer carts and cushioned chairs for the computer lab. My survey would be to parents of the primary students, especially kindergarten, first, and second graders. I would like to find out how much time they feel there kids should spend in computer lab as compared to time spent on reading, writing, math, etc...

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our school is fortunate to have computers available for the students. We would like to ask you a few questions about how you feel about the use of your child's instruction time while in school. 1. Which subjects (example: reading, math) do you feel the majority of instruction time should be spent on? 2. How much time do you feel is sufficient for your child to spend in computer lab over a one week period? 3. What type of instruction do you feel would be the most beneficial during this computer lab time? 4. Does your child get to use a computer outside of school? 5. What school instructional materials do you feel the should be a focus for district funds?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Please feel free to call the school with any questions or concerns. Return this form to your child's teacher.

Sincerely, Olga Brener Elementary Teachers

Idea

Our school is always finding ways to make a difference in our students’ learning, so we have come up with three goals in our building. I am going to share one of the goals. The goal is that our students will be productive citizens in the school and the community. This goal follows our mission statement that says students will develop the character building traits required to be responsible and productive citizens, and our vision statement that emphasizes that our school is a safe, caring, and positive environment. In order to accomplish our goal, we are doing many things. Each month, we hold a monthly assembly targeting one of the following traits: Respect, Responsibility, Generosity, Commitment, Honesty, and Compassion. After each assembly, each class develops a goal based on the month’s trait. They chart each day and evaluate how they are doing. Posters are displayed throughout the school. Bookmarks are given to the children, and the staff is modeling the traits. Lastly, classes are holding classroom meetings, where they share appreciations, and students come up with solutions to problems. As a staff, we were able to discuss and evaluate how the strategies are affecting the students’ behavior and learning in school. We have not asked for how it is affects the students outside of school. In order to evaluate this, I would like to send home a survey for parents to fill out.

Grade level of child ___________

Circle one: Y(Yes), N(No), NC(No Change)

1. Has your child’s attitude towards school improved? Y N NC

2. Did your child’s grades improve? Y N NC

3. Does your child have less homework? Y N NC

4. Did your child receive any inappropriate behavior notes? Y N How many? _________

5. Has the number of inappropriate behavior notes gone down from last year? Y N NC

6. Has the number of times your child complained about kids being unkind gone down? Y N NC

7. Did your child share the monthly classroom goals with you at home? Y N NC

8. Did your child’s behavior become more positive? Y N NC

9. On a scale of 1-5 (1 being the least important and 5 being the most important), how would you rate the importance of teaching the students the character traits? 1 2 3 4 5

10. Please write any other comments that you with to share.

Thank you for your time. It is greatly appreciated.

Idea

The person that I chose to interview is our Family/School Liaison, who is Marie Thomas. Her job was started three years ago, but Marie has had this position for 1 year. The original job description was that this person answered questions that parents had, gave tours to new families, organized family events, and worked closely with the staff and parents. Marie said that her job has changed a little from what it originally was, and now she gives tours, organizes before and after-school activities and communicates to the parents weekly in our school newsletter. The reason I chose to talk to her was because I was hoping to get her approval on starting a basketball camp for young children, which she is excited to look into. I also wanted to learn a little more about what she was planning for the future of our school. Our school has been receiving money from the 21st century grant and she is quickly finding new ways to spend the money. Last year, she approached our staff several times to ask if we had any new ideas for classes that we would like to teach. Between her, the staff and parents, she was able to organize classes such as: Knitting, foreign language- Spanish and German, games, blanket making, stamping, Hmong dance, babysitter training, sneaker moves (a morning dance class), tutoring, Lightspan (a computer class), and sign language. She said that these classes were all started because someone approached her and mentioned that they were interested in teaching. Her plans for next year include a bells class, cooking and aerobics. She is able to pay these volunteers $15.00 an hour, which seems to help to find new people. The overall idea has been very successful and the parents were extremely pleased. She is excited for the upcoming school year, but is a little nervous about the future. The PTO has also shared their concerns, due to the fact that this is the last year to receive money for this grant. We talked about the numerous grants that are out there, so she was happy to hear that there is something she can do. The plan right now is that the PTO is looking into funding a few programs, which may only include academic ones. So, in the near future, we will be writing a large grant to hopefully continue the program. This way the PTO can use their money in other ways. The final question that I had for Marie was which color group she felt that she fit in. I would have guessed that she was a blue or orange person, but she told me she would definitely fit in the gold group. She loves organizing, needs details, and enjoys harmony between people. Once she explained these qualities to me, I realized that she was the right person for the job that she has. An organized person would be a must to get the jobs done that she is presented with and she always has a smile! J Overall, Marie Thomas has showed me the importance of her job. We are very fortunate to have someone like her, who does so much for our students and parents.

Idea

The person that I chose to interview is our Family/School Liaison, who is Marie Thomas. Her job was started three years ago, but Marie has had this position for 1 year. The original job description was that this person answered questions that parents had, gave tours to new families, organized family events, and worked closely with the staff and parents. Marie said that her job has changed a little from what it originally was, and now she gives tours, organizes before and after-school activities and communicates to the parents weekly in our school newsletter. The reason I chose to talk to her was because I was hoping to get her approval on starting a basketball camp for young children, which she is excited to look into. I also wanted to learn a little more about what she was planning for the future of our school. Our school has been receiving money from the 21st century grant and she is quickly finding new ways to spend the money. Last year, she approached our staff several times to ask if we had any new ideas for classes that we would like to teach. Between her, the staff and parents, she was able to organize classes such as: Knitting, foreign language- Spanish and German, games, blanket making, stamping, Hmong dance, babysitter training, sneaker moves (a morning dance class), tutoring, Lightspan (a computer class), and sign language. She said that these classes were all started because someone approached her and mentioned that they were interested in teaching. Her plans for next year include a bells class, cooking and aerobics. She is able to pay these volunteers $15.00 an hour, which seems to help to find new people. The overall idea has been very successful and the parents were extremely pleased. She is excited for the upcoming school year, but is a little nervous about the future. The PTO has also shared their concerns, due to the fact that this is the last year to receive money for this grant. We talked about the numerous grants that are out there, so she was happy to hear that there is something she can do. The plan right now is that the PTO is looking into funding a few programs, which may only include academic ones. So, in the near future, we will be writing a large grant to hopefully continue the program. This way the PTO can use their money in other ways. The final question that I had for Marie was which color group she felt that she fit in. I would have guessed that she was a blue or orange person, but she told me she would definitely fit in the gold group. She loves organizing, needs details, and enjoys harmony between people. Once she explained these qualities to me, I realized that she was the right person for the job that she has. An organized person would be a must to get the jobs done that she is presented with and she always has a smile! J Overall, Marie Thomas has showed me the importance of her job. We are very fortunate to have someone like her, who does so much for our students and parents.

Idea

Baseline Studies and Proposed Improvements

Where I teach there has been an on-going controversy concerning Merit and Commons privileges. These privileges are awarded to students who meet the proper criteria. In order for a student to be on Commons, they must maitain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. These students may spend their studyhalls in the Commons area of our high school. The advantages are that they may talk freely, eat and drink, and in general, spend their time as they wish as long as they remain in the Commons area. In order to participate in Merit, students must solicit staff approval through the writing of an essay. Grade point average is not a factor as long as the students are achieving their greatest potential. One "no" vote from our staff means the student cannot participate and must try to improve their behavior in hopes of participating in the future. Merit students may leave campus during their studyhalls and lunch, use hallways and restrooms without a pass, and in general, move freely throughout the day.

The controversy over Merit and Commons privileges is that many students don't spend their studyhall time wisely. It frustrates many staff members to walk through the Commons area and see so many students visiting and playing games when they aren't attaining their greatest potential in the classroom. Another problem that frustrates the staff is having to repeatedly warn students not to loiter in the hallways. Yet another frustration is that the students have a much easier time "sharing" their work in this loosely supervised environment. Finally, many students have more than one studyhall and spend a great deal of their day "hanging out". Many feel that their time in our educational system should be spent on classes to improve their knowledge and skill rather than their social lives.

On the other hand, many staff members feel that students who are responsible need this social time in their lives for personal growth. Another benefit is that students are able to work collaboratively on different tasks and help each with homework. Also, by having some students leave studyhall, the staff member in charge has less students in their sometimes over-crowded classrooms to supervise.

In order to ascertain just how detrimental the current situation is, I would propose a study of our districts current situation. In the study I would like to research and review 1) the criteria to participate in each privilege; 2) the percent of students from each class who participate in either Merit or Commons; 3) the percent of males; 4) the percent of females; 5) where in the building (or out) students are spending their time; 6) the grade point average of students before they participate in Merit or Commons; 7) the grade point average after a semester of participating in Merit or Commons; 8) the number of students reprimanded for loitering in the hallways; 9) the number of students who have been suspended from or taken off either priviledge due to poor grades or poor behavior.

After such a review/study, we may very well find that the students who have been chosen for these priviledges are maintaining the same grade point average or higher. However, if not, we, as a staff, may find that we need to revise our criteria for participation. We may need to raise the required GPA to be maintained, limit the number of studyhalls students have, and stop allowing students to leave campus.

If changes are needed, I would propose that we introduce the new system at the beginning of a new academic year. The new program would be evaluated by using the same questions as outlined for the baseline study, then compare our findings. If satisfactory improvement has been demonstated we would continue on with the new system. If not, new criteria would once again need to be outlined and implemented.

Idea

My idea for emperical research is to propose an improvement of the learning process of my chemistry students. The first thing to do is to determine the problem. Our department's grading scale has been set so that a passing grade(D-) is actually learning less than half of the material presented. So then my question is how much are the students actually learning from class and taking with them? It would also be wise to determine if this improvement plan is going to be beneficial for the students. By determining where the average student is falling along the grading scale and where the majority of the students are located, it would tell us whether changes are deemed necessary.

In order to improve this situation, I have to look at the quality of instruction. Are we not covering the material in enough detail? We also must look at the test, which determine a large portion of the student's overall grade. Are the questions worded in a way that is inducive to the student's learning? Are we covering the same material in class or are we not spending enough time on certain concepts?

Step 1: Look at the scores from the tests that are given. Find out which questions were most commonly missed. Examine these questions in detail. Are they confusing to the student? If so, change the wording so that they are student-friendly. If not, determine how much time was spent on the concept being questioned. If there was too little, change the question or change the instruction to spend more time on learning that particualr concept.

Step 2: Once reviewing the test answers with students, mark any comments down from students regarding specific questions. If there are 5 or more of the same concern about one particular question, make a correction or modification to the question.

Idea

I would like to conduct a survey regarding the merits of the school's Lightspan program. It is currently being used by a handful of students from second through sixth grade. The objective of the survey is to get the parents' response on all aspects of the program to improve its efficiency in the future. My target audience would be the parents of the students who have used the program.

The Lightspan program is operated through a PlayStation via television. CDs from the school are available for reading and math. Skill levels on the CDs range from beginning (Level 1) to advanced (Level 3). Most teachers allow the students to take home one reading and one math CD every two weeks. The students then exchange them for two different CDs. Parents are encouraged to work with their child. Most teachers recommend about 30 minutes at least three times a week.

My survey, which would be anonymous, would include the following: (All answers should be yes or no.) Did your child enjoy Lightspan? Was the material too difficult? Were the directions in the CD easy to follow? Did the CDs help your child with his/her schoolwork? Did it interfere too much with your child's other homework? Did your child lose interest as the year progressed? Would you participate in Lightspan again next year?

(Use short answers for these responses.) Did you find the reading or math CDs more helpful for your child? What topics in reading or math did your child benefit the most from in using Lightspan? (Example: math - fractions) What level did your child mainly use? (Level 1, beginner; Level 2, intermediate; Level 3, advanced) How often, in total minutes, did your child use Lightspan in one week on average? What is the best thing you liked about Lightspan? What is something you liked least about Lightspan? What would your suggestions for improvement to the program be?

(Please answer: none, a little, a lot, or all the time) How often did you work with your child?

Other general comments about Lightspan (positive or negative)?

I would thank the parents for their time in participating in the survey and would instruct the students to drop off their parents' surveys in a designated box at school to ensure anonymity. I would then tabulate all the results and forward the findings to our principal and curriculum coordinator (superintendent) for any further action if the program were to become a schoolwide curriculum.

Idea

Education starts long before children step foot into the school system. I believe parent-involvement is an important factor for child success. This survey allows parents to express their feelings and provide information about their child. Parents have a positive or negative viewpoint about public schools and/or teachers before they bring their child into my kindergarten classroom (based upon their own experiences). The survey lets parents know that I feel their input is important and valuable to me as their child’s teacher. My survey would be sent home prior to school starting or during the first week of school.

Dear Parents,

No one knows your child like you do! Please take a few minutes to fill out this form and return to me. Thanks!

1. My child’s strong qualities are ____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. Something my child would like to do at school is _____________________________

________________________________________________________________________

3. Something I would like to see my child do at school is _________________________

________________________________________________________________________

4. Areas I feel my child needs to work on are __________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

5. My child expresses concerns about ________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

6. Is there any special information about your child that you think we should know

about?__________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Child’s Name ______________________

Date _________________________

Idea

Keyboarding skills are becoming essential in everyday life. However, students are not receiving instruction on keyboarding skills in our district early enough. There are technology standards that students should be meeting throughout their elementary school years, which include keyboarding skills, yet we are not providing instruction on these skills until fifth grade.

We have keyboarding programs the students can “play” with, and that is exactly what the students do, play. They can hunt and peck all over the keyboard and the program doesn’t know it. The games within the program generally focus on only a few keys at a time so students just use one or two fingers.

The times that our students use the computer lab may be daily or weekly, depending on the schedule, and is spent with the classroom teacher monitoring. Students in first grade type their stories on the computer, but it takes them days to complete only a few sentences. In third grade we have stopped publishing our work on the computer because it takes almost an entire week for some students to type a paragraph or two. These problems could be solved if our students were taught keyboarding skills.

As classroom teachers we feel it would be in the best interests of our students to have a qualified instructor to teach our students the necessary and correct methods of using a keyboard. We recognize the importance of proper instruction for any skill, including keyboarding, and do not want to misdirect students because we do not have the proper qualifications.

Our district needs to hire an instructor who will teach keyboarding skills all year long to all students in first through fourth grade. This instructor could be the same person who teaches keyboarding at the 5-12 building. This instructor will develop the curriculum for keyboarding, and even basic word processing skills, according to the technology standards. The instructor could also provide the classroom teachers with tips on how to guide students in their typing during regular computer lab time.

Learning any skill early in life makes mastery easier and quicker. With a skill like keyboarding, students need to use it throughout their schooling and careers so it should be taught as they need it, not after they have already developed bad habits that will be hard to break.

Idea

The empirical research idea I have is for my 8th grade health class. Right now we have a disease project where each student picks a disease to research and present to the rest of the class. All students are required to have at least three resources. One resource must be from the internet and one from a book. The other resource can be either or. This project really gives the students the confidence to use the internet for researching information. At first it seems simple but students soon find out they may have to use word association or a variety of different ways to find the information.

In the past the students printed out an outline of their presentation using computer word processing. The students are allowed to present the material anyway they like. They may use skits, lecture, overheads, etc... In 2003-04 the idea I would like to input is the use of a powerpoint presentation. This year I spent time familiarizing myself with power point and now I feel I have the ability to help students effectively with it's use. The students will still have the freedom to use other ways of presenting the material but they will be required to use powerpoint for some of the presentation. I feel this is important to get students to feel more comfortable using technology, especially power point. With this being fairly new to me as well I think the students will be less intimidated by what I am asking them to do. I may struggle or learn things through this process just like them. As you stated in part of your description of technology I agree there is no way to know everything about all the new technology but we must be willing to learn what we can.

Idea

Debbie Johnston/Peg Billing

A. Plan a baseline study or propose an improvement

Based on our background in special needs and library media, we are proposing to improve the methods for teaching and integrating the library media and technology standards into the special needs programming at the elementary level. Our question is to determine if special needs students are learning the basic skills of research through a group lesson taught in the computer lab by the library media specialist. Is this an effective means to teach research skills to special needs students?

Researching this hypothesis will require establishing a baseline of how effective this method of teaching the skills required to research a topic are in this format. To do this a classroom would need to be pre-tested on their existing research skills prior to starting the lesson taught by the library media specialist. Upon establishing a baseline or starting point the lesson taught by the library media specialist is taught and the assignment given. Special needs students are integrated into the class without any additional support. The students are then given a series of one class period assignments. Upon completion of each lesson the students are charted for their progress and understanding of the lesson. The special needs students are tested as part of the class until the entire unit is complete. Upon completion of the unit, all students are tested for their understanding of the unit. A comparison is made between the pre-test and the final test of all students. Attention is paid to the special needs students during all phases of the unit to determine if they are able to understand and comprehend the research skills being taught at an appropriate level to their individual ability in the group classroom setting. If it is determined that they are not able to keep up in the group setting inclusion strategies need to be implemented to promote success in the instruction of research skills.

Inclusion Strategies · Allow ample time for hands-on instruction. This will help actively engage the student in the learning process. Active participation is extremely important for this student. It will assist the student in remaining focused.

· Provide small group instruction as much as possible.

· Make sure you have the student’s attention when talking to him or her. Eye contact is important.

· Give one or two-step directions. Check for understanding of each direction.

· Give only one assignment at a time.

· Use computer instruction of academic reinforcement if appropriate. This allows the student to receive immediate feedback, it allows the student to self-pace the instruction and may help to increase motivation.

· Use a timer to assist the student in remaining focused. Set the timer to coincide with the amount of time you perceive the student is able to remain focused. Tell the student what you expect him/her to complete during the allotted time. Gradually increase the time.

· Modify daily assignments to alleviate frustration. (See the attached Modification of Daily Assignments).

Modification of Daily Assignments The student will be able to complete daily class assignments with the following modifications: Modify the length and grading of the assignment. Allow the student to work in a cooperative group. Allow the student to complete a portion of the assignment orally. Allow the student extra time to complete the assignment. Allow the student to have tests read aloud to him or her. The student will need the following supplemental services. A checklist of assignments and due dates. A complete set of the text should be provided for home use. A photocopy or consumable book. Provide an outline of each lesson.

Idea

Idea

I would like to write a research paper telling the history of a local building or place of business. In this paper, I would include information about when the building was built and the changes it has gone through such as additions and renovations. In addition, I would include the original name and whether or not it has changed owners. With that in mind, I would include how many owners have owned it and the impact their business had on the community.

Also, I would include photographs of the changes and newspaper articles regarding the services they provided to community. In addition, I would like to interiew the current owners and collect stories and interesting facts about the building. Once completed, this research paper would be copied and distributed to my students and collegues. I plan to use it as a challenge for them to take an interest in history. Of course, I will give a copy to the current building owner/s and they can do what they wish with it.

Overall, I think this is a worthy research because it is beneficial for students to understand how the community and economy changes over time. What better way to make it meaningful to the students then to examine a familiar place to them.

Idea

I will be addressing the computer skills I feel my students should have. First of all, all of these things should be seen as tools, not as outcomes in and of themselves. Students should use these to think critically and creatively problem-solve. The specific programs listed are not important – their function is. Any other similar program can be used as well.

Word Processing – This one is fairly obvious, particularly with me being in English teacher. However, no matter what the subject, all students need to be well-versed in a word processing program such as Microsoft Word to create well-formatted, typewritten assignments. Along with that, students also should have at least some basic typing skills so time is not wasted hunting and pecking when it could be used for critical thinking.

Presentation Software – Students should be knowledgeable in a presentation type software, such as PowerPoint when their task as students or, later as adults, is something more than just the written word. In addition to the basics of how to use the program, students should also be taught effective design principles as well.

Web-Browsing – Students should be web-literate. They need to know how to use a browser such as Netscape or Explorer to search for resources on the Web, efficiently being able to use search engines as well. In addition, they should also be able to use a bulletin board system as well, web-based or not, since more and more educational opportunities are going to be distance-based like this. In addition, it will give them skill in “telecollaborating” or the ability to communicate and dialogue with other students all over the world. Finally, they should also be able to develop a code of Web “ethics.” If we could get all students to do so, web filtering software would be come unnecessary.

Web-Creation – Students should also have some basic knowledge of a program such FrontPage or DreamWeaver so they can impart knowledge and products on a global basis as well.

Spreadsheet/Database – Finally, students should be able to use a program like Excel, so they can critically analyze statistics and data, and manipulate it accordingly.

Idea

Since I work with students who have a learning disability or an emotional disability it is hard to get them to complete their homework assignments. I propose to have them carry an Acceptable/Unacceptable sheet (AU) with them in their study buddy. On the AU sheet it would have their classes listed, a place where they can write their homework, a place for teacher's comments and signature, if their behavior was acceptable, if their homework was completed with acceptable quality and parent's signature. (Before hand we would review what acceptable quality is for homework. Some students feel that one word answere is acceptable when the directions say to write a complete sentence.) At the end of class the student would go to the teacher for a quick review of how his behavior and/or homework was for that class period. It should take less than one minute to do this. (I would give the teachers instructions if needed on how to do this.) At the end of the day the student would come back to my classroom to check out. I would make sure they have all the necessary materials for completing their homework. the would complete their homework at home, show it to their parents who would then sign off that their child completed the assignment. The student would check in with me before school showing me their homework. This is a tool that could be used to help the student take responsiblity for completing their homework. For this study I would keep track of how many homework assignments they have completed for a semester. I could then take a look to see if the AU sheet was effective in helping them to complete their homework assignments. I could then asjust accordingly to help them be successful.

Idea

Hypothesis: Various bulletin boards and classroom decorations have a significant impact on what children learn. The way I would structure the testing would be to have the same teacher teach two classes the same information. One calss would be taught in a classroom that has bulletin boards and classroom decorations around the room that compliment the lesson/unit. The other class would be taught in a classroom with no bulletin boards or decorations related to the lesson/unit. In the decorated rooms time would be set aside for students to explore the room and the related information.(20 minutes per week) During this time the students in the undecorated room would have a chance to look information up related to the unit via a textbook, encyclopedia, or the internet. At the end of the lesson/unit testing would be conducted. Test questions would come from only the material presented. An essay question would be included on the test that asks the students to list what they learned from either the bulletin boards and decorations, or the encyclopedia, textbook, and internet. This would indicate whether students learned more from the information that was made available or if they learned more from information they had to search for. I would use a tally system to calculate how many items where learned by each group. After each unit alternate rooms would be decorated. After a complete school year data would be compiled to see if the scores are consistently higher in the decorated rooms. I would also ask other teachers to participate so that my hypothesis coudl be tested in various subjects. If the decorated rooms showed consistantly higher test scores school administrators may find it beneficial to offer teachers time to create and gather necessary materials for decorations and bulletin boards.

Idea

Various bulletin boards and clasroom decorations have a significant impact on what children learn.

Idea

My idea is to construct a survey to send to local businesses through the mail. The purpose of the survey would be to see how much of a correlation exists between the computer applications I teach for in my Information Processing 1 and 2 courses compared to what is demanded in everyday commerce. More specifically, I would like to see if what Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards for Business and what area businesses (large & small)require and expect of their employees is what I'm teaching in the classroom.

The survey would consist of two sections; a computer software section and an actual computer application section.

In the computer software section I would list the basic programs in the Microsoft Office Suite, such as Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. Those taking the survey would respond by circling a number: 4-very relevant to their business & operations, 3-relevant, 2-somewhat relevant, 1-not relevant. From the responses here I can determine if I'm putting enough emphasis on the correct software applications or if I need to better allocate my classroom time for Excel compared to Access etc.

The second part of the survey would list specific applications and formats and ask those taking the survey to respond on the 4 point scale listed above. These applications would include the following:

business letters memos tables reports itineraries mail merge documents newsletters flyers (e.g. advetisements) financial reports charts/graphs creating & editing a database creating presentations (PowerPoint)

The results from this section would help me determine whether or not I'm placing enough emphasis in one area vs. another, or if I'm putting too much emphasis on flyers for example when I should be putting more time on memos etc.

From the results I'll be able to determine better if the state standards and what area businesses demand and expect correlate. From this I can better prepare students for the expectations employers will have of them when the enter the work force, whether it is full time or part time.

Idea

I work primarily with students who have exceptional educational needs. I have noticed a few individual teachers are consistently removing e.d. students from their classroom and have the highest number of office referrals. I would like to test the following hypothesis: Educational staff (teachers and teachers aides) of specific true color personality(ies) tend to have the highest amount of problems or incidents with students who have exceptional educational needs. Researching this hypothesis would require 4 steps.

Step 1. I would propose collecting data from our behavior management specialist of every incident report, major point fine (token economy) and office referral (student removed from the classroom) from last year. Step 2. Every teacher and teachers aide would take the true colors personality profile. This could be done via computer, and would take approximately 15 minutes of the individuals time to complete. Step 3. Sort individuals by their true color. Step 4. Compare data between incident reports and personality groups to determine if any one or two groups have the most problems. Or the data would show there is no correlation.

If the data shows a correlation to specific personality profile and high rate of incidents, administrators and special education teachers can use this information to help identify current and future employees who may need additional or specific training in how to deal with troubled youth. Personality profiling can be used in an interview process in a proactive approach of identifying potential conflicts of interest.

Idea

THe job that I have is a site supervisor for the 21st Century Learning Grant. THis grant was to be used to provide educational, as well as social, experiences outside of the regular school hours. The grant was designed in hopes that at-risk, new and socio-economically disadvantaged students would take advantage of these opportunities. Last April (2002), at the end of our first school year, I gave the students a survey to ascertain how we were doing regarding advertisements, participation, offerings, etc. One of the problems with our program was very low attendance at study group, eventhough 1/3 of the student population was receiving one or more failing grades. I was under the assumption that students did not want to attend study skills because they felt that they did not need it. Due to the fact that I feel that perception is reality, I asked the question "were you satisfied with your last report card". I felt that there may be a correlation between the student thinking they need help and going for help. ALthough I could not prove correlation, there were only 10 students that said they were not satisfied with their report card. Students that were failing classes, were satisfied, so why would they go for help? THis year in April, I gave the exact same survey so that the results could be compared. The survey consisted of the following questions, and the students were given the choices of yes or no for answers. 1. I know what CLC is. 2. My teachers tell me in class about activities after school. 3. If I needed help with my homework, I would ask the teacher who assigned it. 4. If I needed help with my homework I would ask another teacher. 5. If I needed help with my homework, I would ask the study skills teacher. 6. If I needed help with my homework, I would prefer to go for help in the morning. 7. If I needed help with my homework, I would prefer to go for help after school. 8. If I needed help with my homework, I would prefer to go for help throught the internet. 9. If I could log on from home to get help with my homework I would. 10. I have a computer at home with internet access. 11. I am satisfied with my most recent report card.

Idea

Survey Objective: 1.To allow my parents opportunity to express their feeling on their child’s school year. 2. To get constructive feedback on my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher.

My survey would be sent home the last week of school. Parents would not have to sign their name so they might be more inclined to share true feelings.

End of the Year Survey

Dear Families, As the year comes to an end I would like you to take a few minutes to share your feelings on your child’s year. Your honest responses allow me to reflect on my teaching practices and grow as an educator. 1. How would you rate my home/ school communication skills 1 being the lowest 5 the highest. Why? 2. Your child was in a SAGE classroom this year that allows the student teacher ratio to be kept under 15:1. Do you feel that your child received enough individual instruction? 3. What do you feel was your child’s greatest achievement this year? 4. Is there anything that you felt was missing from your child’s education this year? 5. Please list any other comments you would like to share with me regarding your child’s education this past year.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.

Sincerely, Shannon Miller

Idea

Idea

I became aware of an idea about improving reading fluency from a professor during my Reading Recovery Conference in Ohio this past February. What was stated was that if a child reads along with a fluent adult or an older good reader on a consistent basis for a period of time, the longer the better, that child will become a more fluent reader him/herself. I realize many classrooms have DEAR time or reading buddies periodically. What I would like to propose is that a poor reader team up with an older good reader and chorally read reading material that is at the younger student's level. My proposal is for them to team-up every day for fifteen minutes and read together. My hypothesis is that if the poor reader reads chorally along with the older good reader, he/she will improve his fluency in reading. To see if there is any improvement, I would take a running record of the given passage at the beginning and at the end of each week to record for fluency, which would include intonation, expression, and words per minute. If my hypothesis is correct. I would see evidence of increased words per minute and changes of improved intonation and expression during the running records. Taping the child each time would be beneficial to help analyze the data collected.

Idea

Technology is always a concern at our school. We constantly struggle between how much we should spend and how it can be best be used to reach our students. I want to take a survey of teachers asking their opinion about technology in their classroom and how they use it. I hope that this will give a clearer picture as to where the dollars should be spent on technology equipment and training in the future.

Technology Survey-Teacher's Perspective 1.Do you use technology to support learning in your classroom? If yes, how many times a week/month do you use technology? 2.Would student internet access in the classroom be used in your room? 3.What would you use computers in your classroom for the most? (ie. word processing, research, keyboarding, list other software) 4.Do we need to have a support person in our building to attend to questions and problems as they arrise? 5.Is there a need for teacher training? If yes, what would be useful to you? 6.Other comments regarding technology in the classroom:

Thank you for your time in filling out this information. I hope that it will benefit us all in the end!

Idea

My empirical research idea is in the area of educational technology. My proposal for this educational technology idea is to design and plan a statewide non-profit web-based educational and communication site. This educational website would increase the communication, collaboration, and educational effect for all five Catholic Dioceses of Wisconsin and will be here after named the Wisconsin Catholic Educational Network (WCEN). The design and plan would provide an educational, communicative, religious, and interactive website to all people, especially to individuals currently utilizing the educational system of the Catholic Dioceses of Wisconsin. The WCEN website would not only provide a learning opportunity to enhance knowledge about an individual’s own educational system of their Diocese, but also the other four Diocesan educational systems of Wisconsin. Currently, each of the five Catholic Dioceses of Wisconsin have their own general website, but the purpose and research goal of the proposed website is to enhance the current educational link of the five Catholic Dioceses of Wisconsin that currently doesn’t exist. This would strengthen the collaborative effect for the Diocesan educational processes as a whole. The WCEN website would encompass all pre-kindergarten, elementary, secondary, and post secondary educational programs, training, and resources currently utilized in the five Catholic educational Dioceses of Wisconsin. It would also include all religious, youth, and adult education programs currently in use throughout the five Catholic Diocesan educational systems of Wisconsin. The research design and plan of the WCEN website would also provide demographic data for each of the five Catholic Dioceses of Wisconsin, as well as statewide, national, and other related educational and demographic data.

Idea

My research idea stems from a question that I often have. Why are some parents uncomfortable communicating with their child’s case manager/ L.D. teacher? It is very hard to get some parents to commit to their child’s education. What is more frustrating is these are children that have complex learning issues. Who is going to know the child better than the parent? I often call to set up meetings or conferences and get quick responses. I often feel that the response is the same one that has been used since the day the child was staffed. When I first started teaching I thought it was just typical to not get a commitment from parents. I now realize that there are several factors and issues that affect how a parents responses to a teacher. By the time a student reaches my class they have usually been involved in Special Education programming for years. That is a lot of time for positive or negative events to occur while building the teacher/parent relationship. I think that the following survey will allow a teacher to understand a little of the parent’s background. It provides the teacher with good background information prior to oral contact with the parent(s) or guardians. The survey is a good way to start opening the lines of communication in hopes for a successful year with parent involvement.

Child’s name: ______________________________________________

Parent(s)/Guardians(s): _______________________________________

What is the best phone number and time to reach you? _____________

Would you like email? _______ E-mail address: ___________________

What 3 positive things I should know about your child? 1. ________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________

What strategies work at home with academics? 1. ________________________________________ 2. ________________________________________

What type of consequences do you use at home?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is there any area of your child’s education that you are not happy with but could be a focus this year? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taking time to fill out this survey helps me better understand you and your child’s needs. Together, we can make this a very successful year. Thank you for your time and contact me via email _______, work phone ______, or home phone _______.

Idea

Parent Involvment is a key element in a Title I program. I have an idea for a survey that I'd like to see Title I parents fill out, Title I parents from the whole district. As a district, right now we have three family night gatherings. In early fall we meet to discuss what Title I is and we provide a picnic supper. In February, we meet to make, play and keep reading and math games. And we meet again in spring to end the year with ice cream and swimming. In my building, during the months of November and December, I allow my students to check out learning materials. And I have a writing, Baggy Bear, activity that goes home in January. I send home a survey after the Baggy Bear activity so I can receive feedback from my parents. But now I'd like to send home parents surveys that deal with the Title I program from September thru May. Parent surveys to all Title I parents throughout our district. The surveys could be sent out at the beginning of May and ask that they be returned by May 15th. This would give all three of us Title I teachers time to meet to discuss the survey results. Every year, for the past eight years, we've had the same three district Title I meetings. It would be interesting to see how parents feel about our program. My question suggestions could be: 1. How could our program improve? 2. Should we meet more often during the year? 3. Would you be willing to help plan meetings? 4. In your opinion, did this program help your child during the school year? 5. Are there other ways we could help you or your child here at school or at home? 6. When would be the best time for family gatherings?

Idea

Next year will be the last year that we are in Wausau East High School as the new school will open in the Fall of 2004.

As a result, the students and I are going to do a documentary on the history of building. This will be done in the form of a slide show via Power Point that will be shown Wausau Eve which takes place during Homecoming.

We are going to research not only the physical aspect of the building, but also fashion, extra-curricular activities, etc. The slide show will have music from different decades. In addition, we are going to send out a mailing to Alumni asking them for their stories. During the slide show, some of the stories will be shared.

In order to make this happen, we will need to have a scanner, a computer with enough memory to store photos, a power point projector, a digital camera, and adequate planning time. Our school library has yearbooks from 1917, so that is the point at which we will begin our research. There are teachers at East and in the community who also have photos and stories to share.

If possible, we would also like to invite alumni of not only the most recent past, but from "way back" to join us in this event.

Wausau East High School has a rich and proud history in this community and the point of this research is to honor and document the history.

It is going to take some experimentation and self education on my part to learn how to use all of the necessary equipment. Although much more computer literate than I, the students do not know how to use the equipment either, so we will learn together.

Putting the research into Power Point form is technological, however, the content, historical.

Idea

I chose to focus on proposing an improvement in the public education system. I propose that public education needs to increase the amount of instructional time and instructional continuity during the school day. Due to personal teaching experiences, I feel this to be a pertinent area of improvement. Having been a specialist teacher for my years of teaching, I have grown accustomed to having only 30-minute snippets to teach a particular group/child. Often, students may just be developing independence in practicing the day’s skill and it is time for them to leave. By the time they meet again, they often forget. Classroom teachers have also expressed the same concerns from the school in which I work. However, they have students “coming and going” all day long in the middle of all lessons. By tallying interruptions over the last two weeks, I and a fellow co-worker, discovered that students experience a minimum of 10 interruptions per day during instructional times. In addition, fifty minutes, appeared to be the absolute longest time block for instruction during those two weeks. Through reading educational articles, I have come to realize that discontinuity throughout the school day is common throughout many schools in America.

There are several reasons I feel it is necessary to increase/improve the amount of instructional time and continuity during the school day. They are as follows: · Most of the students who are “coming and going” all day long are those with special needs or learning difficulties. Students who have special learning needs require more, not less, focused and authentic instructional time and practice. · Greater focus, for both students and teachers, would be possible if it was not necessary to watch the clock at all times. · Greater continuity allows for greater student practice time, which leads to deeper learning and understanding of a topic. · Greater continuity allows for greater implementation of authentic learning tasks, such as experimentation, silent reading at individual level, researching a topic of interest, and individualized writing. · It allows for the ever-famous “teachable moment”. If an activity is really going well and students are delving deeper into the topic, the teacher does not have to end it simply because it is time for the Reading Teacher to take a group of students. · It allows for a more relaxing, less-hurried environment, which would benefit students who process more slowly.

The following procedures (as mentioned by Richard Allington in What Really Matters for Struggling Readers) may increase instructional time and continuity: · Allow paraprofessionals or bus drivers to take lunch count and attendance before the school day begins, so that once the students are in the classroom, instruction may begin immediately. · Limit interruptions, such as announcements, to specified times each day. For example, announcements could be made only in the a.m. and at lunch. · Create a 2 ½ hour time block in each classroom each day that is totally uninterrupted. No pullouts, specials, or interruptions would be tolerated. · Rethink special areas and support program designs. Perhaps these programs would schedule fewer, but longer periods of service to reduce fragmentation of the day. For example, children may receive special education assistance two times per week for fifty minutes, versus five times per week for twenty minutes. · Special area classes and support services may move their servicing times outside the “traditional” school day hours. Remedial reading or other special areas may be offered before or after school for those students who require supplemental services. This model would require a flex schedule in which some staff may work the traditional hours of 8:00-3:30 and others may work 9:00 to 4:30 – or some other variation. · Teach core area classes in which students require services using an inclusionary model that allows for the specialist to be part of the classroom. Then, create time blocks for more intense (small group or one on one) instruction in a before/after school format.

The following procedures may have to be done in order to achieve/try the afore-mentioned plans to increase school day continuity and instructional time. · Develop staff morale. Hold educational research committees who research each program. Have good PR of the programs. · Share the committees’ research with staff members of a specific school/district to see how they feel. What are concerns or issues? Or what possible plans do they like the best? · Take those results and use them to fit the needs of the select school/district who would be trying the program, while at the same time developing a model that would allow for greater instructional time and continuity. · Gain parent approval through holding meetings and sharing information through newsletters. -Ask them to vote, and if they are for it move on to the next step. · Contact the superintendent and school board. Present them with the results. Gain their approval for the program. · Since I am an optimist – after approval, try the program. Select a group of teachers, parents, and students who would be willing to implement the program on a trial basis while offering opinions/examples of how the program is going. · At end of year, re-evaluate. · This process may take many school years to achieve.

Idea

My survey idea revolves around the reasons why voter turnout in our community is so low especially on non presidential elections. For example, why do so little people vote for local positions like the school board?

The survey would focus on six survey questions. I want to limit the time it takes for a survey of this type because one of the reasons for people not voting might be that they feel it is a waste of there time. If this was true than they probably would not take the time for a lengthy survey on voting.

The six aspects of the survey would be: 1)How well do you know the candidates and there platforms? 2)Do you feel that your vote makes a difference? 3)How well do you know the duties and responsibilities for the people running for office? 4)Did you have transportation to go out and vote? 5)Do you know where to go to caste your vote? 6)Is voting a waste of your time?

The questions asked could allow me to get a better idea for why people in our community don't go out to vote. If the results show a lack of understanding on the candidates and there positions, then we could change our social studies curriculum to address some of the weaknesses in community understanding on our political system. Maybe we need to teach more about these positions or even show students how and where they can get information on candidates. However, the survey might show that it isn't a lack of knowledge. In this case other actions could be taken and the curriculum could remain in tact.

Idea

I would like to write a research paper telling the history of the elementary school I work at. This paper would include information about when the school was built, number of children who first attended compared to now, first teacher/s who worked there, if the name has changed along the way and how it got it’s name, how the area around the school has grown or changed, times when the school has made the local or national news, the demographics of the school compared to it’s success, quotes from people about what makes the school great, special programs offered at the school and the things I value most about my school. In this research paper I would include photographs, actual newspaper articles, and interviews from current or previous students, teachers, or administrators. This research paper could be posted at the school and included in a newsletter to make the current families of the school aware of its history.

Idea

Idea

In the school I teach at, we run a flex mod class schedule. Many classes, including science 9, are team taught. Because students have the option of taking one semester classes, or semester blocks of full year courses, such as physical education, new schedules for the students and teachers are created at the end of the first semester. In the course of a conversation among several teachers I commented about the fact that I have a high turnover rate (about 80% for each of the first two years) of students at the semester break for a year-long freshman science class. The reason given me for the high turnover rate is to simplify scheduling options for the computer. More restrictions, such as retaining the same teacher for both semesters, complicates the scheduling process for the computer, requiring more manual intervention. I am concerned that this high rate of turnover creates an unnecessary stress on the students, causing some of them to drop in academic performance due to the fact that they had to get used to a new teacher and new routines. There is also a need on my part to spend time reorienting the new students to the way I do things. This takes away from instructional time.

The problems with freshman transitions from middle school into high school are well documented in the literature. Many students struggle with adjusting to a new school, a new system of doing things, new schedules, new school expectations, moving back to the bottom of the social heap, etc. Much time and effort has been spent at our school to help ease the freshman transition. In my experience, there is a clear need for stability, whenever possible.

Besides the computer scheduling program, there is one other factor that contributes to the mix-up of students. This is the science acceleration program in place at our school. In this program, bright students are allowed to move to semester 2 of science 10 at the end of the first semester. This involves 30 to 90 students each year. The impact to the rest of the ninth grade students is the loss of these students from the staffing load. This year, the science 9 team will lose one instructor, dropping the team from 5 individuals to 4. The students of the lost teacher that will continue in science 9 must be reassigned to other teachers. This also results in fewer sections of science 9 available in the schedule, which further complicates the picture.

Some of my colleagues have suggested that if the program were more standardized that it wouldn't matter which teacher from the team a student would get. Student performance would be the same no matter who was teaching. I don’t feel this is a valid argument since every teacher has his or her own teaching style. It would be both unfair and unrealistic, not to mention undesirable, to expect all teachers to be the same. If all teachers teach exactly the same way, why bother with team teaching? One of the arguments for team teaching is to allow the team member with the greatest expertise on a topic to take the lead, thereby giving the students exposure to the best teachers possible on all topics.

Another argument for new teachers at semester, is that it is an advantage for the students to have different teachers since they are exposed to different perspectives and learning styles. While I agree that there is some truth to this argument, I also believe that too much of a good thing isn’t good either. Too many different styles creates confusion in the minds of young adults. As stated above, I believe that consistency with this age student is better for the student. I will concede that sometimes a student and teacher have irreconcilable differences in personality which dictate a change of instructor. In this case the performance of the student should improve with a new instructor.

My proposed improvement involves this hypothesis. If students benefit from having the same teacher for an entire year, and we check the performance of students who have the same teacher, versus students who have a different teacher at the semester break, then we will see that students who keep the same teacher throughout the year are more successful. Success can be measured by the number of assignments turned in on time, or on grade percentage, checked on a weekly basis. A third method of evaluation could be a student satisfaction survey. I’m not sure when the best time to do this would be. Would it be best to survey the students after the first week, the end of the semester, or somewhere in between?

To study this problem it is first necessary to know where you stand. Although, one could use the students retained for the semester, about 20% for each of the last two years, as a control group, but changing class dynamics could also be a contributing factor to a change in behavior. Thus, a baseline level of late and missed assignments should be established. This could be established by tracking these factors, or other performance factors listed above.

To establish a baseline, I propose that student performance be monitored for the second quarter of the year for each of the teachers who will teach science 9 the following semester. Late and missing assignments could be noted in each teacher’s gradebook. Data would be collected at the end of each week and plotted on a graph. When second semester arrives, the same data would be collected on a weekly basis. The students would be divided into two groups based on whether or not the student was retained by the teacher. Data would need to be collected throughout the balance of the year so that fourth quarter data could be compared to the second quarter data. It might be reasonable to assume that you would have a higher rate of late or missing work if the “best and brightest” students were removed from the study. This could maybe be allowed for if data for these students were not included in the second quarter baseline study. That would still leave the influence of having these students present in the class uncontrolled between the two semesters. I’m not sure what you could do about that.

Idea

I want to survey how much reading time is devoted to pre-school reading, by parents, to try to see if it correlates to poor reading ability later in school. If results would support the need for parents to work with reading with their child BEFORE school begins, the school might want to look into developing a program to assist with that.

In an effort to understand why some children become good readers, while others do not, we are asking you to answer the following questions, as they relate to your son or daughter. Your answers will provide us with information to help us determine if the School District needs to implement reading programs for children prior to entering kindergarten. Of course, the information you provide is confidential, and anonymous.

Please circle the correct answer:

1. Is your child: male female 2. Is your child in grade: K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 3. Did you read to your child during his/her preschool years? Yes No 4. How often? once a day every other day several times per week weekly every two weeks every three weeks monthly rarely 5. Who read to your child most frequently? mother father sibling relative other 6. What is the highest education level of the reader? grade school high school college 7. At what time of day was your child read to? mornings afternoons evenings a variety 8. Did your child own books? Yes No 9. If yes, about how many? 1-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 more 10. Where did your child obtain these books? as gifts from the library we bought them 11. Who chose the books most often? parent/adult child 12. How did you decide on the book? by the pictures by the difficulty of words by the number of pages by the price by popularity 13. What categories of books did your child enjoy as a preschooler? nursery rhymes picture books fairytales general stories specific subjects (like trucks, bugs, etc.) 14. Did your child participate in library programs? Yes No 15. If no, why not? Not convenient time or place Cost Not interested Other 16. Did your child participate in any pre-school reading program, such as attending a preschool, a library or community program, or the like? Yes No 17. On a scale of 1 to 10, circle how important it was, to you, that your child could read by kindergarten? Very Important 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Not Very Important 18. Has your child struggled with reading, other than for a diagnosed reason? Yes No 19. If yes, can you describe what he/she struggled with, and for how long? ____________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ 20. Do you feel a reading program should be made available for pre-school age children? Yes No 21. Do you read for pleasure? Yes No 22. Does your child read for pleasure? Yes No 23. On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is it to you that your child becomes a fluent reader? Very Important 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Not Very Important 24. Do you believe a high level of reading is important to job success? Again, rate, from 1 to 10 : Very Important 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Not Very Important 24. Other comments: ________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to answer this survey!

Idea

We thought that it would be interesting to have children, entering first grade classrooms around the county, tested on key concepts from the content areas of science, social studies, reading, and math. They would be tested using a standardized form designed to demonstrated experiential knowledge. This data would be very helpful by showing what children, on average, already know in these curricular areas before starting graded schooling. Since most states do not have mandatory attendance policies for preschool and kindergarten programs,it would be beneficial to collect this data at the state and national levels to show where children are functioning when they begin formalized education. Data could be collected and organized to show similarities and differences between students with and without previous school experience. This information would be helpful to teachers, administrators,childcare professionals, and parents. Organized effectively and communicated in an easily understood fashion, the data could show teachers those content areas children are the weakest in and what information specifically from each of the areas that the children will need prior to instruction in their first grade classrooms. This information could also be shared with parents and their childcare providers with the expectation that parents and their childcare providers would help build stronger foundations in the weaker areas on which teachers could later build upon. With this baseline information teachers would also know that on average, what experiences children entering first grade have. Teachers could use this information to build curriculum to meet the needs of children in their district and in their state. The most effective teaching builds upon students' prior knowledge. This information would help provide teachers with answers to their questions about their students' level of knowledge in the key areas. The teachers would be better prepared for the year ahead. They might also be able to plan for supplimental instruction if they know that the students are weak in a particular subject. The teachers would be more knowledgeable about the knowledge they have to scaffold with and what foundations they will need to lay themselves. Furthermore, with baseline information taken at the beginning of the year, schools would have a tool with which they could demonstrate academic growth and achievement at an early age, or the lack of such growth. The test would have to focus on key elements from each of the four content areas. Math questions would, for example, be about shapes, colors, numbers, classifying, and patterning. Early reading and communication skills such as letter recognition and phonemic awareness could be tested. Information on the awareness of such science concepts as living and non-living, solid or liquid, weather elements, plants and animals, and our physical world, would be important for laying the foundation for a year-long science program. The social studies concepts of family, community, and neighborhood, as well as personal safety, and good citizenship could be tested and recorded as well. This information could be collected by a core group of staff within each building one or two days prior to the beginning of the school year. Any parents who were unable to bring their children in before school began because f work or other commitments, could arrange for their child to be tested within the first few days. A panel of teachers would work with the United States Department of Public Instruction to create a test which would be given one-on-one through a play-based format. The test should be short enough that it could be administered within 15-20 minutes per child. The test would have to have a standardized answer key or rubric.Many teachers, because we have so many other items which need our attention throughout the school day, would most likely say that they would not participate because of the time involved to test each child. We propose that the testing be done before school starts and that the district either pay teachers or other district staff to administer the test outside of the normal school day. We feel that this information if collected over many years could show trends in topics of interest for children in early education and demonstrate just how much our youngest learners really do know when they start their first grade year.