Ever wondered what makes some kids succeed in difficult subjects like math while others struggle? For many, the difference comes from the quality of the teaching at school.
A report titled A First Look at What We Can Learn From High Performing School Districts, may help us learn what schools can do to help students succeed. You'll want to read it if you care about parent involvement in education. The report examines why students in 18 affluent school districts in suburban Chicago performed well compared to random samples of students from other countries participating in the Third International Mathematics & Science Study (TIMSS), sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics. It examined public school policy, study time management and teacher involvement.
The report tells that, among other things, successful students:
- Are introduced to advanced math topics earlier than other U.S. students.
- Are more likely than other U.S. students to be asked to perform reasoning tasks than to practice computational skills.
- Are more likely to be assigned student homework daily and discuss completed assignments in class
- Have teachers who may be more likely than other U.S. teachers to participate in school-related activities outside the regular work day-meeting with colleagues, identifying and selecting textbooks, buying supplies and keeping up with new curriculum and methods for teaching.
The 18 schools studied form a coalition known as the First in the World (FiW) Consortium.
According to the report, "The Consortium has worked hard to create a structure for developing a cross-district community of learners that would involve educators, parents, & community leaders. It has established teacher learning networks in four areas: curriculum, assessment, instruction, & technology; & awarded grants to groups of teachers pursuing projects in these areas."