Studies of teacher satisfaction suggest that satisfaction is related to both the racial composition and the organizational structure of the schools in which teachers work. In this article, the ...authors draw from theories of race and organizations to examine simultaneously the effects of school type (traditional public vs. charter) and racial mismatch on teacher satisfaction and subsequent turnover. In doing so, they examine the organizational differences between traditional public and charter schools that contribute to systematic differences in satisfaction and turnover across these school types. Using 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey data, the authors find that charter school teachers are more satisfied than are public school teachers because of greater autonomy. Charter school teachers, however, are more likely to leave teaching than are traditional teachers. The authors also show that teaching in racially mismatched schools results in lower levels of satisfaction for white teachers and that being in a charter school reduces this negative effect.
•I use fixed effects models to examine how housework affects motherhood penalties.•The relationships between children, housework, and wages differ by race/ethnicity.•Household labor explains a ...portion of the motherhood penalty for White women.•White women face the most dramatic increases in household labor with children.•Additional children affect housework but not wages for Black and Hispanic women.
Motherhood affects women’s household labor and paid employment, but little previous research has explored the extent to which hours of housework may explain per child wage penalties or differences in such penalties across racial–ethnic groups. In this paper, I use longitudinal Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data to examine how variations in household labor affect the motherhood penalty for White, Black, and Hispanic women. In doing so, I first assess how children affect hours of household labor across these groups and then explore the extent to which this household labor mediates the relationship between children and wages for these women. I find that household labor explains a portion of the motherhood penalty for White women, who experience the most dramatic increases in household labor with additional children. Black and Hispanic women experience slight increases in housework with additional children, but neither children nor housework affects their already low wages.
Mixed-age groups have been shown to be effective in classroom settings, but only a handful of studies have explored mixed-age grouping in play. This research is a case study of one New York public ...elementary school that places great value on recess and mixed-age groupings. The school has implemented Let Grow Play Club before school one day per week for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. We use child interviews, teacher interviews, and parent surveys to examine the perceptions of mixed-age, outdoor play provided in Play Club and the school more generally. Across the different types of data, stakeholders expressed their support for cross-age interactions in mixed-age groupings. This play was perceived as valuable for helping build friendships and developing social skills, as older children become role models to younger ones. As suggested by Vygotsky's (1978) theories, children are learning from one another and enhancing their development through unstructured play.
We have created a new teaching tool—process memos—to improve student writing. Process memos are guided reflections submitted with scaffolded assignments that facilitate a written dialogue between ...students and instructors about the process of writing. Within these memos, students critically assess available teaching tools, discuss their writing processes, pose lingering questions about the assignment, identify weaknesses in their writing, and give advice to future students. Using process memos (N = 240) collected in spring 2014, we outline the benefits of process memos, including how this tool establishes a productive dialogue about writing and increases self-reflection among both students and instructors.
Two significant challenges in teaching college courses are getting students to complete the readings and, beyond that, having them engage in deep reading. We have developed a specific group work ...format within our courses to facilitate both deep reading and active discussion of course material. Early in the semester, students are assigned to their small groups and a set of rotating group roles: discussion leader, passage master, devil's advocate, creative connector, and reporter. Students meet with their group regularly in class throughout the semester. Before each group meeting, they are to complete a set of readings and a reading preparation sheet for their given reading group role. In this article, we outline how to implement these groups, the benefits of them, and variations to the standard format. We also present quantitative and qualitative student evaluations of this group work format demonstrating the success of this teaching technique.
This study offers a look inside one school community. The school implemented Let Grow Play Club and a recently expanded 40-minute recess period. Data are from observations of children's play periods, ...child interviews, and teacher interviews. We argue that play has significant cognitive, emotional, and social benefits for elementary school children. Periods of play at school help students to focus, build friendships, improve mood, work cooperatively, and work through conflict without adult intervention. The study has implications for the expansion of play, including recess and programs like Let Grow Play Club, for all schools as a social justice issue.
