Archived: The Educational System in the United States ...

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The Educational System in the United States: Case Study Findings

National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum, and Assessment Office of Educational Research and Improvement U.S. Department of Education

Acknowledgments

The Case Study Project was directed by Harold Stevenson and co-directed by ShinYing Lee of the University of Michigan's Center for Human Growth and Development. From careful conceptual planning to the insightful feedback on multiple drafts of these chapters, their leadership has been inspirational and motivating. The project was administered by Roberta Nerison-Low, whose attention to the day-to-day management of a project unfolding on three continents made the entire endeavor possible.

We would like to thank Lois Peak of the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education, who coordinated the Case Study Project with the other major studies in this collaborative effort. We would like to thank those at Westat, Inc., especially Trevor Williams and Nancy Caldwell, who provided administrative and organizational support. Our appreciation also goes to the members of the advisory panel who provided useful comments on the chapter drafts, including Robert LeVine and others. We also thank David Uttal and Kathleen Darling for providing us with knowledgeable assistance in the planning stages of the project. In addition, we would like to acknowledge and thank the individuals who researched and wrote the literature review of the topics slated to be investigated in the case studies in Japan, Germany and the United States. The contributing authors include Mark A. Ashwill, David Crystal, William C. Foraker, Chris Frasz, Andrew Fuligni, Barbara K. Hofer, Kazuo Kato, Wolfgang Mack, Carolyn A. McCarty, Mark Milotich, Ute Milotich, Naoko Moriyoshi, Roberta Nerison-Low, Heidi Schweingruber, and Douglas Trelfa.

Our greatest debt of gratitude is owed to all of the teachers, parents, students, and administrators who allowed us into their schools, their homes, and their lives and took the time to talk with us. Without their generous participation this project would have never come to fruition.

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Contents

Acknowledgments .........................................................................................

iii

Notes on Researchers and Authors .............................................................

xiii

Executive Summary .....................................................................................

xv

Chapter 1

Rationale for the Study ..................................... 1

By: Barbara Hofer

Introduction ...................................................................................................

1

Methodology ..................................................................................................

2

Structure of the United States School System ..............................................

4

Funding and Governance ..........................................................................

5

The Research Sites ........................................................................................

5

Selection of Schools ...................................................................................

6

Descriptions of Schools .................................................................................

6

Metro City Area Elementary Schools .........................................................

7

Metro City Area Junior High/Middle Schools ...........................................

8

Metro City Area Senior High Schools ........................................................

9

West City Area Schools .............................................................................

11

East City Area Schools ...............................................................................

11

Organization of the Volume ..........................................................................

12

National Standards .....................................................................................

12

Individual Differences ................................................................................

13

The Role of School in Adolescents' Lives .................................................

13

Teacher Participation and Teachers' Lives ...............................................

13

Chapter 2

The Development and Implementation of Education Standards in the United States ...... 15

By: Roberta Nerison-Low and Mark A. Ashwill

Introduction ...................................................................................................

15

Methodology ..............................................................................................

17

National-Level Initiatives ...............................................................................

19

National Education Goals ..........................................................................

19

National Standards .....................................................................................

21

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Voluntary national standards .................................................................

22

Teachers' Attitudes Towards National Standards ......................................

23

Parents' Attitudes Towards National Standards ........................................

24

State-Level Initiatives .....................................................................................

25

Attitudes Towards State-Level Initiatives ...................................................

28

District- and Local-Level Initiatives ...............................................................

29

Attitudes Towards District- and School-Based Initiatives ..........................

29

Curriculum .....................................................................................................

30

Curriculum Levels Reflect Different Standards .........................................

32

Curriculum Development ..........................................................................

33

Assessment .....................................................................................................

34

National-Level Assessment .........................................................................

34

Standardized Examinations ........................................................................

35

Views on standardized exams ...............................................................

36

In-Class Tests and Quizzes .........................................................................

38

Standards in the classroom ....................................................................

39

Learning Environment at School ...................................................................

40

Financial Support for Schooling ................................................................

40

Two Elementary Schools in Metro City ....................................................

41

Policies and Procedures That Influence Achievement in Elementary

Schools ...................................................................................................

42

Policies and Procedures That Influence Achievement in Middle Schools ..

43

Policies and Procedures That Influence Achievement in High Schools ..

45

Home Environment, Parental Involvement, and Parental Expectations of

the Schools .............................................................................................

46

Home Environment and Parental Involvement in Schooling ...................

47

Parental Expectations ................................................................................

48

The Transition Beyond High School .............................................................

51

Examinations for High School Completion and College Entrance ...........

52

Qualification for Post-High School Academic Choices .............................

53

Student and Parent Perceptions of College ..............................................

54

Summary ........................................................................................................

55

External Influences ....................................................................................

55

Internal Influences .....................................................................................

56

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Chapter 3

Individual Differences and the United States Education System ............................................... 59

By: Douglas Trelfa

Introduction ...................................................................................................

59

Field Research and the Topic of Investigation .............................................

60

Overview of Ability Grouping and Tracking in the United States ...............

61

Reactions to Tracking System ...................................................................

65

Career Guidance ........................................................................................

66

Perceived Sources of Differences in Ability and the Range of Differences

Within the Classroom ............................................................................

68

Teachers' Views .........................................................................................

69

Parents' Views ...........................................................................................

71

Students' Views .........................................................................................

73

Strategies for Dealing with Individual Differences .......................................

74

Age-Graded Classrooms in Elementary Schools ........................................

75

Individualized Instruction in Elementary Schools .....................................

76

Computers and individualized instruction in elementary schools .......

76

Tracking and Ability Grouping ..................................................................

77

Metropolitan School ...............................................................................

77

Vanderbilt Middle School ......................................................................

78

Cooperative Learning Groups ...................................................................

78

Tutoring .....................................................................................................

80

Question-and-Answer Periods ....................................................................

80

Homework .................................................................................................

81

Grading and Evaluation .................................................................................

83

Special Problems in Urban Schools ..............................................................

85

Low Attendance .........................................................................................

85

Discipline ...................................................................................................

86

Other Concerns and Issues .......................................................................

87

Summary ....................................................................................................

88

Gender Equity in Math and Science .............................................................

88

Ethnicity and Access to Equal Education ......................................................

90

Race and Tracking .....................................................................................

90

Peer Pressure .............................................................................................

91

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Peer pressure at Uptown High School ..................................................

92

Peer pressure in the suburbs .................................................................

93

Race and Vocational Education .................................................................

94

Vocational education at Hamilton High School ....................................

94

Vocational education at Uptown High School ......................................

95

Vocational education at South Central Vocational High School ..........

95

Education for Students with Disabilities .......................................................

97

Special and Remedial Education in the Case Study Schools ....................

98

Education for the Gifted Student .................................................................. 102

Programs for Gifted Students .................................................................... 102

Summary ........................................................................................................ 104

Chapter 4

The Role of School in United States Adolescents' Lives .............................................. 107

By: Barbara Hofer A Typical Day for an Eighth-Grade Student .................................................. 107 Introduction ................................................................................................... 108

Methodology .............................................................................................. 109 Time Use in Adolescents' Lives .................................................................... 112

School ........................................................................................................ 113 Extracurricular Activities ........................................................................... 116 After-School Activities ................................................................................ 119 Homework and Studying ........................................................................... 121

The nature of homework ...................................................................... 123 Studying .................................................................................................. 124 Parental involvement in homework ...................................................... 125 Chores ........................................................................................................ 125 Family ......................................................................................................... 126 Leisure Time .............................................................................................. 127 Social Lives ................................................................................................. 129 Employment ............................................................................................... 132 Perceptions of School and Education ........................................................... 135 Role of School ............................................................................................ 135 Purpose of School ...................................................................................... 138

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