Research Sites

Welcome to TESA

For general information about TESA please see the web site at the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

http://www.lacoe.edu/orgs/165/index.cfm?ModuleId=1

For information about Kern County TESA please click on "Home" on the navagation bar.

The sites listed below are not a part of the TESA program but are offered as complimentary to it. The following is some research intended to be helpful for schools looking for information to assist in efforts for the improvement of instruction.

Research Evidence: Five Standards for Effective Pedagogy and Student Outcomes from CREDE web site
Some interesting information specific to ELL . . . . a strong effect for instructional conversation and contextualization combined: students in the IC + CTX group scored 1.07 standard deviations higher than students in the control group. This effect held up for both fluent and limited English proficient students.

Teaching Through Conversation from CREDE web site
Engage students through dialogue, especially the Instructional Conversation. Thinking, and the abilities to form, express, and exchange ideas are best taught through dialogue, through questioning and sharing ideas and knowledge.

Instructional Conversation is a methodology recommended for use with culturally and linguistically diverse learners (Tharp, 1997; Tharp & Gallimore; 1991). According to Cazden (1988, p. 54), instructional conversation is "talk in which ideas are explored rather than answers to teachers' test questions provided and evaluated."

Making Meaning: Connecting School to Students’ Lives
Connect teaching and curriculum to students' experiences and skills of home and community. The high literacy goals of schools are best achieved in everyday, culturally meaningful contexts. This contextualization utilizes students’ funds of knowledge and skills as a foundation for new knowledge. This approach fosters pride and confidence as well as greater school achievement.

Improving Classroom Instruction and Student Learning for Resilient and Non-resilient English Language Learners
Some English language learners (ELLs) do well in school despite coming from school and home environments that present many obstacles for learning. It is important to know why these students, who are at risk of academic failure, are resilient and successful in school while other ELLs from equally stressful environments are unsuccessful or non-resilient.

HP2 Symposium - Major Findings
Provide the HP2 schools with opportunities to chronicle successes and challenges on their journey toward high student performance. Allow HP2 schools and researcher-discussants to share reflections on what they have learned from one another. Encourage HP2 schools and researcher-discussants to examine how the lessons might be applied to the work of supporting effective classroom, school, and district practices that foster high-quality teaching, learning, and improved student performance.


CORRELATES OF EFFECTIVE SCHOOLS
THE CORRELATES ARE THE MEANS to achieving high and equitable levels of student learning. It is expected that all children (whether they be male or female, rich or poor, black or white) will learn at least the essential knowledge, concepts and skills needed so that they can be successful at the next level next year. Further, it has been found that when school improvement processes based upon the effective schools research are implemented, the proportions of students that achieve academic excellence either improves, or at the very least, remains the same.


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