AERAs Ten Most Read Studies for 2014

Each year the American Educational Research Association (AERA) publishes its 10 most-read articles. Seven of the studies hold special interest for the design of education systems. This year’s list includes these papers of special interest:

1. Which Instructional Practices Most Help First-Grade Students With and Without Mathematics Difficulties: Researchers found that teacher directed practice and drill outperformed “creative” methods such as music, math toys and other constructivist practices in teaching mathematics. Traditional direct instruction was the only method associated with gains in performance on an adaptive, untimed, one-one-one administered test. The direct method was characterized by the teacher demonstrating how to solve a problem, followed by repeated opportunities for students to work by themselves, replicating the procedure with worksheets and drills.

2. The Effectiveness Of Alignment: This study found that aligning curriculum to standards produced no better student outcomes than curriculum that isn’t aligned. The researchers identified a weak to nonexistent relationship between state-administered value-added model measures of teacher performance and the content or quality of teachers’ instruction.

3. and 4. The Effectiveness of Higher Education: Two studies, Labor Market Returns to Sub-Baccalaureate Credentials and the Community College Route to the Bachelor’s Degree, shed light on critical outcomes for students attending community college. The research found that students earning short-term certificates or who attend community college, but did not complete an associates degree were unlikely to earn more or improve their employment opportunities than those not attending community college. Moreover, the research found that individuals earning a short-term certificate were less likely to earn a higher wage or obtain better employment than those who completed an associates degree program. Sadly, researchers found 42 percent of students who transfer from community college lose between 10 percent and 100 percent of their credits. Despite this serious disadvantage for those transferring to four-year programs, students who obtained an associate degree have similar graduation rates to those who started at these institutions.

5. What SEL-Based Curriculum May And May Not Be Able To Do: This study suggests that students in SEL-based classes (social-emotional learning) on average performed the same on math and reading tests when they are compared with a control group. On the other hand, the study found that treatment integrity (teachers using the curriculum faithfully to the way researchers designed the curriculum) accounted for substantial gains in math and reading.

6. Replication in Education Research: Central to the creation of an evidence-based model of education is the need to replicate the results of studies to assure the efficacy and robust nature of interventions. Without this essential feature of science, single studies have the potential to lead policymakers and practitioners in wrong directions, costing precious time and money and maintaining a pattern of flat achievement as evidenced by the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). Unfortunately, this research found less than one percent of studies in the top education research journals are replication studies.

7. How Teacher Evaluation Methods Matter for Accountability: This study of thirty schools suggests that how teachers are evaluated may affect which teachers are rewarded and can shape the quality of instruction. The research found that teacher value-added measures and principal evaluations are positively, but weakly, correlated. The study concluded that even in states, which highly weight tests scores, principals would include other measures of teacher effectiveness in the evaluation process. Important similarities in value-added assessments of teachers and principal evaluations as well as important differences were identified. Both emphasized teaching skills, but principal’s evaluations of teachers placed greater worth on training and a teachers demonstrated efforts.

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