Making Sense of an Urban District’s Adolescent Literacy Reform

Patterson, Jean A.; Eubank, Heather; Rathbun, Shelia E.; Noble, Steve

doi:10.1177/0192636510387826

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Two-way communication influenced by a high degree of trust (more on this below), creates a sense of ownership in accomplishing group goals (Cox and McLeod, 2014;Patterson et al, 2010). In addition to traditional methods of communication, social media provides opportunities for network members to share knowledge among themselves and with others on a regular basis (Cox and McLeod, 2014).…”

Section: Network Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of effective leadership networks

Leithwood

Azah

2016

Journal of Educational Administration

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to inquire about the characteristics of effective school leadership networks and the contribution of such networks to the development of individual leaders' professional capacities. Design/methodology/approach -The study used path-analytic techniques with survey data provided by 450 school and district leaders in Ontario to test a path model of effective network characteristics. Variables in the model included network leadership, structure, health, connectivity, outcomes and unintended challenges. Findings -Results confirmed that the model was a very good fit with the data, and as a whole, explained 51 percent of the variation in network outcomes. Network leadership had the largest total effect on network outcomes (R 2 ¼ 0.56), followed closely by the effects of network health (R 2 ¼ 0.49) and network connectivity (R 2 ¼ 0.46). Research limitations/implications -The study was limited to leadership networks intentionally organized within districts, not networks organized by school leaders themselves or networks arising spontaneously by their members. Results cannot be generalized to other types of networks. Practical implications -In addition to a focus on single unit leadership development in districts, systematic initiatives should be designed to help prepare network leaders to foster the forms of collaboration that are so central to professional capacity development. Originality/value -Results of the study offer explicit guidance to network leaders about how to improve the contribution of network participation to their colleagues' capacities; it is one of a very small number studies in educational contexts to provide such guidance.

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Section: Network Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of effective leadership networks

Leithwood

Azah

2016

Journal of Educational Administration

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“…Twenty studies included data about students' experiences of curriculum and instruction in RICs (Bippert, 2019;Cantrell & Rintamaa, 2020;Cantrell et al, 2017;Frankel, 2016;Gerber et al, 2014;Ginsberg, 2020;Goering & Baker, 2010;Gomez et al, 2004;Greenleaf et al, 2001;Harmon et al, 2016;Houchen, 2013;Learned, 2016;Masterson, 2020;O'Brien et al, 2007;Paterson & Elliott, 2006;Patterson et al, 2010;Sarroub & Pernicek, 2014;Skerrett, 2012;Wexler et al, 2015;Wissman et al, 2012). The majority of studies reported on students' highly variable experiences in RICs, with many students responding in different ways, even when using the same program or approach, within the same school, or within the same classroom.…”

Section: Curriculum and Instructional Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Relevance. Eighteen studies addressed students' perspectives about the relevance of curriculum and instruction in RICs to their current or future lives (Bippert, 2019;Cantrell & Rintamaa, 2020;Cantrell et al, 2017;Frankel, 2016;Gerber et al, 2014;Ginsberg, 2020;Goering & Baker, 2010;Gomez et al, 2004;Greenleaf et al, 2001;Harmon et al, 2016;Learned, 2016;Masterson, 2020;O'Brien et al, 2007;Paterson & Elliott, 2006;Patterson et al, 2010;Skerrett, 2012;Wexler et al, 2015;Wissman et al, 2012). Classes that students thought were relevant tended to be taught by teachers who had some level of flexibility, and where skills and strategies were contextualized within broader purposes and practices that students perceived to be meaningful.…”

Section: Curriculum and Instructional Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research on Reading Intervention Classes in Secondary Schools

Frankel

Brooks

Learned

2021

Teachers College Record

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Background/Context: In the past two decades there have been at least 10 quantitative reviews, syntheses, or meta-analyses focused on literacy interventions in secondary schools. To date, much of this research has focused on quantifiable outcomes such as reading test scores, and few efforts have been made to synthesize studies of adolescent literacy interventions that attend to how students themselves experience those interventions and what mediates their experiences, which previous adolescent literacy research suggests should be considered alongside other outcomes. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: This meta-synthesis of qualitative research highlights additional factors that are overlooked when evidence of effectiveness is defined predominantly through assessment outcomes. It contributes insights from two decades of research on reading intervention classes (RICs), which are a long-standing approach to adolescent literacy intervention. We define RICs as compulsory, yearlong courses that supplement content-area classes with the goal of improving adolescents’ reading. Grounded in sociocultural theories of literacy and learning, our research question was: How do students experience and perceive RICs? Research Design: We conducted a qualitative meta-synthesis of 21 studies published between 2000 and 2020 that (1) focused on secondary (grades 6–12) RICs in the United States and (2) included data related to students’ experiences and perspectives. Data Collection and Analysis: We followed best practices in qualitative meta-synthesis, including assembling an author team composed of researchers with expertise in RICs, identifying a research meta-question, conducting a comprehensive search, selecting and appraising relevant studies, and coding and presenting findings using qualitative techniques. Findings/Results: We found that youth’s own diverse understandings of themselves as readers and writers, combined with the extent to which they viewed their RICs as relevant, agentive, and facilitative of relationships, mediated students’ experiences and perceptions of their RICs. In addition, students across studies described placement policies and practices as confusing, frustrating, and embarrassing. Conclusions/Recommendations: By providing a perspective that extends beyond test scores, the findings highlight some of the consequences of intervention placement policies and practices for adolescents. They also address the need for educational stakeholders to expand definitions of what counts as evidence of effectiveness to inform the future development of re-mediated literacy learning opportunities for adolescents that (1) rethink curriculum and instruction to affirm students’ literacy identities, histories, and capacities, and (2) reposition youth as literacy knowers and doers.

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“…The findings suggest the importance of allocating time for teachers to participate in sensemaking around issues of likely incoherence. Patterson, Eubank, Rathbun, and Noble (2010) also applied the sensemaking framework to understand how the perceptions of teachers, principals, central office administrators, and students related to a literacy intervention and influenced implementation. They found that each stakeholder made sense of the course in different ways regarding the rationale for adopting the program, how to implement the course, and its effectiveness in supporting students' literacy skills, therefore influencing how the course was implemented by teachers.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation as a Dynamic Process: A Case Study of Teacher Sensemaking of a Cross-Content Area Vocabulary Intervention

Rimbey

Kucan

2018

Journal of Education

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This investigation examined how middle school teachers implemented Word Generation, a cross-content vocabulary intervention and how the program affected student learning of academic vocabulary words. Participants included four content area teachers and their sixth-grade students. Students received vocabulary instruction in their social studies, science, and math classes. Results of the posttests revealed that students showed positive differences in their learning as compared with a comparison school and maintained those differences on a delayed posttest. In addition, teachers’ sensemaking was influenced by factors related to knowledge and experiences, policy initiatives, and the social contexts in which they worked. This investigation reveals the complex nature of intervention implementation in schools.

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Making Sense of an Urban District’s Adolescent Literacy Reform

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

Characteristics of effective leadership networks

Characteristics of effective leadership networks

A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Research on Reading Intervention Classes in Secondary Schools

Implementation as a Dynamic Process: A Case Study of Teacher Sensemaking of a Cross-Content Area Vocabulary Intervention

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