CSF Research
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Indicators of School Quality:
The Link Between School Environment and Student Achievement Schools collect extensive data on student performance in an attempt to monitor school progress. Although these data provide a metric for measuring success, they often provide little information about the reasons for success. Indicators of School Quality (ISQ) is a comprehensive survey system for school administrators to evaluate the school learning environment. The purpose of this research was to examine how this measure of the school environment relates to academic achievement independent of other factors (e.g., socioeconomic status) |
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A Case Study of the
Relationship Between a School Learning Environment and Academic Achievement Initial research conduced in nearly 200 schools by the Center for the School of the Future (CSF) demonstrates quite clearly that the school learning environment, as measured by the Indicators of School Quality (ISQ) survey system, is strongly associated with standardized academic performance even after the effects of social and economic risk are statistically removed. From these data, researchers also drew tentative conclusions about cause and effect for individual schools. Schools that used ISQ as a foundation for change were identified to determine if changes in their ISQ data were mirrored by changes in their student's academic performance. This is a case study of one of those schools. |
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Increasing Appropriate Behavior:
A Praise Note System for Elementary Students Schools are often in need of low-cost, high-impact strategies to improve student behavior, especially in areas where student to staff ratios are very high, such as playgrounds, hallways, and lunchrooms. The current study demonstrated the effect of a simple schoolwide reward system based upon the teaching of appropriate lunchroom behaviors. The intervention consisted of giving students praise notes, specific verbal commendations, and additional rewards for improved performance. Occurrences of inappropriate behaviors were tracked and recorded. |
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Clocklight:
Affecting Group Behavior Using Immediate Feedback Clocklight systems have been implemented in classrooms and common school areas to increase the amount of “on task” behavior and decrease the number of problem behaviors. A clocklight instrument consists of an analog clock connected to a light that is controlled by a remote device. The clock accrues time and the light is illuminated when clearly defined expectations are being met by the group. The entire group is eligible for a reward when goals for the amount of “clock time” are reached. The purpose of the following study was to measure the effectiveness of a clocklight system in controlling the noise level in an elementary school lunchroom. |
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Prevention
Plus: Preventing Antisocial Behavior Among At Risk Youth A major issue facing today’s schools is recruiting and retaining quality teachers. Recruiting teachers is often out of school administrators’ hands, as when supply fails to keep up with demand. This problem has a direct impact on schools’ ability to provide quality instruction. Teacher retention, on the other hand, is both costly and the failure to retain teachers exacerbates recruiting problems. Fortunately, solutions are available to slow the attrition. |
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Precision Teaching:
Measurably Superior Instructional Technology Many problems in education are the result of using ineffective or less effective instructional techniques when more effective ones are available. Precision Teaching is an extremely efficient method of instructional assessment and curricular restructuring. It is designed to increase accuracy and fluency in student academic performance. The presented studies used student performance on academic achievement tests to assess the benefit of using Precision Teaching in the classroom. |
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Indicators of Behavior
Support: Relationships to Academic Achievement and School Safety Recent research conducted by the Center for the School of the Future shows that conditions of “behavior support,” as reported on the Indicators of School Quality (ISQ) survey system, are better predictors of academic achievement and school safety than are measures of socioeconomic status, maternal education, and other demographic variables. The analysis presented in this poster utilized “behavior support” data, compared to standardized measures of academic achievement and school safety, from more than 100 schools located in seven Western states and the District of Columbia . |
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Evidences of a School-Based
Positive Behavior Support System This poster outlines behavior support efforts at North Cache 8-9 Center in Richmond, Utah, in conjunction with Cache County School District, and the Utah Behavior Initiative; and supported bythe Center for the School of the Future. Data from school programssuggest a relationship between behavior support and positive school outcomes. Over the course of several years, North Cache 8-9 Center has designed and implemented a variety of programs to decrease problem behaviors and increase positive behaviors at school. Below is a description of these programs and data that support their effectiveness.
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