Making Connections

Making Connections Schedule/Activities Teacher Feedback  

 

EVALUATION:

TEACHER GROWTH AND IMPROVED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

"ASHP/CML made an important contribution to NYC public education by helping schools and teachers significantly strengthen their curriculum and improve their instructional methodology." --Dr. Lynn Gregory, Academy of Educational Development

 

Giuseppe Accardo, a social studies teacher from Franklin K. Lane High School in Queens, shares an idea with F. K. Lane colleague Marc Belinfanti during an ASHP seminar. As the Academy for Educational Development concluded about ASHP's Making Connections program, "the net impact on faculty was to encourage and support their growth as thoughtful and creative teachers."

ASHP/CML education programs have been independently evaluated over the past ten years by:

  • Center for Research on the Context of Secondary Teaching, 2000
  • NYC Board of Education, Div. of Assessment and Accountability, 1998
  • Academy for Educational Development, 1997
  • Academy for Educational Development, 1996
  • Educational Resource Group, 1994
  • Hunter College Education Department, 1992

 

Evaluators have observed classroom instruction, conducted surveys and self-evaluations of students as well as teachers, observed staff development activities, collected teacher and student work, and analyzed results on standardized examinations. These data have indicated the following positive outcomes: activities.

Teacher Outcomes

  • Implemented an interdisciplinary approach to their curriculum
  • Designed more student-centered, academically challenging lessons
  • Gained an enriched knowledge of up-to-date scholarship
  • Deepened their reflectiveness about teaching and learning

Evaluations suggest that ASHP/CML has been highly effective at nurturing the development of teachers as professionals and reflective practitioners. The Academy for Educational Development concluded that, "The net impact on faculty was to encourage and support their growth as thoughtful and creative teachers." Teacher evaluations and feedback, too, have consistently given top ratings to ASHP/CML workshops, resources, program staff, and mentors.

Student Outcomes

  • Improved literacy skills (reading, writing, and critical thinking)
  • Heightened understanding of the connections between history and literature
  • Improved motivation and attendance
  • Increased achievement in NYS standardized examinations in history and English

According to the Academy of Educational Development, students in ASHP/CML courses perform 20-25 percent better on New York State Regents examinations in U.S. history and English Language Arts than similar students in non-ASHP control classes. Ongoing self-evaluations illustrate similar results. Some of the schools that have reflected this data include Martin Luther King, Jr. H.S., Curtis H.S., Telecommunications H.S., Park East H.S., and Hostos-Lincoln H.S, among others.

According to the NYC Board of Education 1998 report, "more than 90 percent of teacher participants rated ASHP/CML content as highly effective in improving their students' historical knowledge and literacy skills."

School Outcomes

ASHP/CML promotes the growth of life-long learning communities, with experienced ASHP/CML teachers serving as mentors and leaders. Evaluators have noted that this approach has had positive impact on the culture of participating ASHP schools -- and, that such ongoing professional growth and school-wide change cannot be sustained without onsite support by administrators.