Search results

Showing 1 – 3 of 3 results.
Curated

High School and Beyond, 1980: Sophomore and Senior Cohort Second Follow-up (1984) (ICPSR 8443)

Released/updated on: 1992-02-16
Geographic coverage: United States
This data collection constitutes the third wave of data in the High School and Beyond series. The base-year data (ICPSR 7896) were collected in 1980, and the first follow-up (ICPSR 8297) was conducted in 1982. The series is a longitudinal study of students who were high school sophomores and seniors in 1980. As with the first follow-up, the structure and documentation of High School and Beyond Second Follow-Up data files represent a departure from base-year (1980) practices. While the base-year student file contains data from both the senior and sophomore cohorts, the two follow-up surveys provide separate student files for the two cohorts. Each of the cohort files for this collection merges the base year and first follow-up data with second follow-up data. Data collected for the sophomore cohort second follow-up differ substantially from data collected for the first follow-up since by 1984 the majority of respondents were out of high school and enrolled in postsecondary school, working, or looking for work. File 1, the Sophomore Cohort Second Follow-up Sample File, includes detailed questionnaire responses on background information, education, other training, military experience, work experience, periods unemployed, family information, income, experiences, and opinions. Information is also presented on the kind of school attended, hours per week spent in class, degree, certificate or diploma being sought, and requirements completed. Financial information in this file includes items on tuition and fees, scholarships, and financial aid from parents to the respondent and to any siblings. Work history data, including occupation, industry, gross starting salary, gross income, hours per week worked, and job satisfaction, are available along with data on the family, including the spouse's occupation and education, date of marriage(s), and number of children. File 5, the Senior Cohort Second Follow-up Sample File, repeats many of the same variables that are present in the first follow-up for this cohort. Respondents were asked to update background information, to provide information about postsecondary education, work experience, military service, family, income, and life goals. New items include a limited series on computer literacy (e.g., use of computers and software, knowledge of computer language), detailed information on financial assistance received from parents for pursuing postsecondary education, education and training outside of regular school, college or military programs (on-the-job and other employer-provided training), and periods of unemployment. Files 9,11,12, and 13 contain transcript data from each postsecondary institution reported by sample members of the High School and Beyond elder cohort (1980 senior cohort) in their responses to the High School and Beyond First Follow-up (1982) and Second Follow-up (1984) surveys. Data are available for several types of postsecondary institutions, ranging from short-term vocational or occupational programs through major universities with graduate programs and professional schools. Data in these four rectangular files--Student, Transcript, Term, and Course Files--are organized to be used in combination hierarchically. Information is available on terms of attendance, fields of study, specific courses taken, and grades and credits earned. A supplementary survey, the Administrator and Teacher Survey (ATS), was conducted in 1984 in approximately half of the schools sampled in the original High School and Beyond study. The ATS was designed to explore findings from research on effective schools, which were defined as those schools in which students perform at higher levels than would be expected from their backgrounds and other factors. The ATS provides measures of staff goals, school climates, and other processes identified in the effective schools literature as being important for achieving educational excellence. Separate questionnaires were administered to teachers, administrators, vocational education coordinators, and heads of guidance. Items in the questionnaires were selected to complement information already in the High School and Beyond database. Included were questions on staff goals, pedagogic practices, interpersonal relations of staff, work load of teachers, staff attitudes, availability and use of guidance services, planning processes, hiring practices, special programs, and linkages to local employers, parents, and the community.
Curated
Partially restricted

Kentucky Professional Development Framework Impact on Quality and Child Outcomes, 2006-2007 (ICPSR 26341)

Released/updated on: 2010-12-16
Geographic coverage: United States, Kentucky
Time period: 2006-01-01--2007-01-01

In 2000, the Kentucky General Assembly passed historic early childhood legislation (Kentucky's KIDS [Kentucky Invests in Developing Success] NOW Initiative) of which a component included the development of a seamless professional development system. The professional development system includes core content, articulation, credentials, scholarships and a training framework. This comprehensive professional development system, along with other initiative components in assuring maternal and child health, supporting families, enhancing early care and education, and establishing a support structure, have moved the field of early childhood care and education forward in the state and improved child and family outcomes.

This study was designed to build on the KIDS NOW Initiative by conducting research investigating the degree to which a statewide unified professional development system impacted the educational level of early care and education providers and subsequent classroom quality. It focused on three major predictors of professional development outcomes:

  1. Individual teacher characteristics, including learning readiness, education (level and type), training experience, attitudes towards training, personality (conscientiousness, self-efficacy), job satisfaction (perceptions of support)
  2. Characteristics of the program administrator, including administrator education and administrator support of professional development
  3. Characteristics of the teacher's work setting, including program administration, and policies and procedures, and classroom setting (Child Care, Head Start, or Public Preschool)

The impact of these three predictors was measured on two major outcomes: (a) professional development outcomes, as measured by job status, learning and transfer of learning, and (b) organizational outcomes, as measured by program quality, child outcomes and staff retention.

The research questions guiding this research were focused on determining the degree to which (1) a unified professional development framework initiated at the state level results in positive child outcomes, and (2) the educational level of early care and education providers enhances the quality of classroom environments. Specifically:

  • What components of a professional development framework are more effective in encouraging and supporting individuals to remain in early care and education settings?
  • What components of a professional development framework are more effective in supporting early care and education professionals in enhancing classroom quality and child outcomes?
  • Are there specific factors that impact early care and education professionals' ability to participate in professional development activities at various levels?
  • Does the level and intensity of professional development experiences impact classroom quality and child outcomes?
  • What personnel factors have the highest impact on quality classroom environments and child outcomes?
  • What is the interaction between the personnel, professional development, and program variables on classroom quality and child outcomes?
Curated
Partially restricted
Simple Crosstabs

Social Capital and Children's Development: A randomized controlled trial conducted in 52 schools in Phoenix and San Antonio, 2008-2015 (ICPSR 35481)

Released/updated on: 2019-08-26
Geographic coverage: San Antonio, United States, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona
Time period: 2008-01-01--2015-01-01

The Social Capital and Children's Development data were collected in a study of the causal effects of social capital on levels and inequalities of children's social and cognitive development during the early elementary years. The study included 52 schools in Phoenix and San Antonio, including 3,084 first graders and their families, and over 200 teachers, with half the schools randomly selected for the intervention and half serving as controls. Children from low-income Latino families were a special focus of the study. The experimental design of this study allowed for testing of the causal role of social capital. Social capital here refers to trust and shared expectations embedded in social networks of parents, teachers, and children. For young children, social capital operates primarily through their relationships with their parents, enhancing development through mechanisms of social support and social control.

The research design was experimental: social capital was manipulated through a well-tested randomized intervention, Families and Schools Together (FAST), that enhanced social capital among parents, teachers, and children through an intensive after-school program and a 2-year follow-up program. FAST is intended to reduce parental isolation, enhance family engagement with schools, and strengthen family functioning; that is, to increase social capital between families and schools, among families, and within families to improve children's education and life-long outcomes. Key aspects of child development were assessed, including (a) social skills and problem behavior from standardized behavioral ratings by parents and teachers, and (b) grade retention, attendance rates, and third-grade reading and mathematics scores from school records. Social capital was measured with repeated surveys of teachers and parents that address the extent of social networks, parent involvement, trust, and shared expectations among parents, between parents and schools, and between parents and children. Demographic variables of this study include native language, years in the United States, date of birth/age, race/ethnicity, gender, and household composition.

Back to top