Education 205X

The Impact of Social and Behavioral Science Research on Educational Issues:

Focus on English Language Learners and Issues of Policy and Practice

Spring Quarter, 2011

Tuesday 6:15-8:05 PM

Instructor:  Kenji Hakuta

This course will focus on issues of the role that research does and can play in educational decision-making. It will have a focus on issues that pertain to educating English Language Learner students, but the broader implication has to do with the way in which knowledge is optimized in the educational process. The course will draw upon work educational knowledge-building and knowledge-utilization, research on effective practices for addressing the needs of English Language Learners, and research on school leadership. This knowledge will be applied in class discussions to understand materials generated from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Public School Choice process for selecting among competing proposals to develop new schools and "focus" schools that have been deemed in need of major change based on student performance. The course project would be a revised proposal taking one of the actual proposals generated by an applicant, utilizing information gained from the course and additional research-based materials.

Recommended Purchase: C. Coburn & M. K. Stein (eds.) (2010). Research and Practice in Education: Building Alliances, Bridging Divide. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Purchase or Library.

March 29 - Introduction to the Course, Overview of Educational Policy Issues on English Language Learners - Slides 3/29

April 5 - Knowledge-Generating Partnerships

Engle, R. A. The Middle-School Mathematics through Applications Project: Supporting Productive Collaborations during Two Different Phases of Curriculum Design. In C. Coburn & M. K. Stein (eds.) (2010). Research and Practice in Education: Building Alliances, Bridging Divide. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Purchase or Library.

D'Amico, L The Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools: Evolving Relationships in Design-Based Research. In Coburn & Stein.

Rosen, L. Examining a Novel Partnership for Educational Innovation: Promises and Complexities of Cross-Institutional Collaboration. In Coburn & Stein.

April 12 - Introducing LAUSD PSC 2.0

Groupwork: Explore materials on LAUSD website about the Public School Choice 2, understand the process, choose one school site and read the proposals submitted, including the proposal chosen by the Board. Determine the key differences between the winning proposal and alternatives not chosen. http://publicschoolchoice.lausd.net/ and for the proposals, click under the link towards the bottom of the left navigation bar.

April 17 - LAUSD PSC 2.0: An Evaluator's View

Guest: Susan Bush, University of Southern California.

April 26 - The Role of Tools

Datnow, A. & Park, V. Success for All: Using Tools to Transport Research-Based Practices to the Classroom. In Coburn & Stein.

Ikemoto, G. S. & Honig, M. Tools to Deepen Practitioners' Engagement with Research: The Case of the Institute for Learning. In Coburn & Stein.

Baxter, J. QUASAR: The Evolution of Tools to Support Educational Improvement. In Coburn & Stein.

May 3 - Underlying Conditions for Knowledge Development

Perry, R. & Lewis, C. Building Demand for Research through Lesson Study. In Coburn & Stein.

Stokes, L. The National Writing Project: Anatomy of an Improvement Infrastructure. In Coburn & Stein.

May 10 - School District Decision-Making

Coburn, C. The Partnership for District Change: Challenges of Evidence Use in a Major Urban District. In Coburn & Stein.

Hubbard, L. Research to Practice: A Case Study of Boston Public Schools. In Coburn & Stein.

Coburn, C. & Stein, M. K. Key Lessons about the Relationship between Research and Practice. In Coburn & Stein.

May 17 - English Language Learners: English Language Proficiency Development

Saunders, W. & Goldenberg, C. (2009).  Research to Guide English Language Development Instruction.  In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. California Department of Education.

Snow, M. A. & Katz, A. (2010). English Language Development: Issues and Implementation in Kindergarten through Grade Five. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. California Department of Education.

Dutro, S. & Kinsella, K. (2010). English Language Development: Issues and Implementation at Grades Six through Twelve. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. California Department of Education.

May 24 - English Language Learners: Access to Core Content

Echevarria, J. & Short, D. (2010). Programs and Practicies for Effective Sheltered Content Instruction. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. In Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based Approaches. California Department of Education.

Common Core Standards - see draft of standards posted at http://www.corestandards.org/

May 31 - Presentations and Discussion