It’s a common perception portrayed in movies from “The Breakfast Club” to “Mean Girls.” Teenage friendships are formed by joining cliques such as jocks, geeks and goths. But a national study led by a Michigan State University scholar finds that the courses students take have powerful effects on the friendships they make. The study...
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Michigan passed legislation in 2011 calling for sweeping changes that will make teachers and school administrators more accountable for student outcomes. The group responsible for building a statewide evaluation system for educators, the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness (MCEE), has recommended conducting a pilot program during the 2012-13 school year. Council member Mark Reckase,...
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MSU researchers including College of Education Professor Ken Frank say using nature’s beauty as a tourist draw can boost conservation in China’s valued panda preserves, but it isn’t an automatic ticket out of poverty for the human inhabitants. The policy hitch: Often those who benefit most from nature-based tourism endeavors are people who already...
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Having consistently good teachers in elementary school appears to be as important for student achievement as small class sizes, according to new research by a Michigan State University education scholar. The study by Spyros Konstantopoulos found that, starting in kindergarten, teachers can significantly affect students’ reading and math scores in later grades. The study,...
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University Distinguished Professor Mark Reckase is co-author of “The Road Ahead for State Assessments,” a new report that outlines changes needed to improve large-scale student assessment methods, especially as states adopt the Common Core State Standards in math and reading. The report was released this week by the Rennie Center for Education Research and...
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Professor Kim Maier’s online version of CEP 933, a required doctoral statistics course in the College of Education, was recently recognized as the Best Fully Online Course at Michigan State University for 2011. The honor, presented by the annual AT& T-sponsored Award Competition in Instructional Technology, also goes to technical advisor Robin Dickson and...
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