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University Relations Tip Sheet - Education & Policy - October 12, 2004

EDUCATION/POLICY: No Child Left Behind Act should reward more than punish
While the controversial No Child Left Behind Act punishes schools and teachers when students don’t meet standards, a more effective approach might be to reward educators who are succeeding, suggests research by Gary Henry, professor of public administration and urban studies/educational policy studies at Georgia State University. Henry found that sanctions against poorly performing schools can lead to teachers who feel less engaged in teaching and who are less likely to use in their instruction what they have learned through professional development. Contact him at 404/651-2343 or gthenry@gsu.edu.

POLICY: Child-care subsidies help single mothers climb corporate ladder
Simply getting a job often isn’t enough to move single mothers from the welfare rolls to economic self-sufficiency. Child-care subsidies may make the difference, says Erdal Tekin, assistant professor of economics at Georgia State University. His research findings show that single mothers with a child-care subsidy are more likely to work at jobs with standard business hours (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday) -- positions that typically pay higher wages, provide better benefits and lead to promotions. “It is important to encourage low-income parents to seek jobs with a potential to move them up the income ladder,” Tekin says. “The findings of my research suggest that child-care subsidies induce mothers to work at standard jobs.” The issue of funding child-care subsidies is a timely one as Congress debates the future of welfare reform, Tekin says. Contact him at 404/651-3968 or tekin@gsu.edu.

EDUCATION: Schools should practice, not preach on diversity issues
Many school systems and institutions say they value diversity in the classroom, but often fail to fully embrace cultural differences in practice, says a Georgia State University expert in diversity education. “We throw the word ‘diversity’ around, but what exactly does that mean?” asks Joyce King, Benjamin E. Mays Chair of Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership at Georgia State. “There’s a difference between diversity as inclusiveness and diversity as assimilation or erasure,” she says. “Rather than provide the opportunities for people to disappear into the mainstream, we need to create an environment where people can learn to be themselves while learning to be part of the community.” Changes in curricula and texts that emphasize minority groups’ contributions to society are a step toward that goal, King says. “We need to understand the resources that diversity brings to the education setting and our society as a whole, and begin to reclaim the history or legacies of people who have been neglected or set aside.” Contact her at 404/651-3158 or jking@gsu.edu.

POLICY: Bringing home the business
Economic developers seeking better strategies for attracting businesses should pay attention to recent research by associate economics professors Robert Moore and Bruce Seaman. They were contracted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development to investigate ways for the state to focus international economic development efforts on countries and companies most likely to bring business. In their report, “International Trade and Economic Development Strategy: Can Foreign Direct Investment Be Predicted?” the Georgia State University researchers move away from the predominant focus of existing research -- the characteristics of recruiting markets -- to examine the traits of investing regions and markets. “Our efforts were directed at finding variables that could be applied to better target potential foreign investors,” Moore says. “What the research found was that special attention should be given to specific foreign industries that have a few key characteristics. Recruiters should pay attention to companies or industries that are increasing exports to the United States, experiencing relatively high growth in wages and employment, and shrinking their number of establishments abroad.” Contact Moore at 404/651-3756 or rmoore@gsu.edu and Seaman at 404/651-2775 or bseaman@gsu.edu.

EDUCATION: Negative experiences contribute to Latina drop-out rate
More Latina students drop out of school than any other ethnic group, with 30 percent of young women quitting before high school graduation. Though marriage and teen pregnancy partially account for the disproportionately high rates, other factors – including Latina students’ experiences in the schools – contribute to the growing trend. “Schooling can sometimes be hostile to their identities and their academic performance,” says Mary Ariail Broughton, assistant professor of middle/secondary education at Georgia State University. Broughton is completing a seven-year longitudinal study of working-class Latina girls, finding that attitudes of teachers and school administrators toward Latina students make a difference in how these students view their own scholastic abilities. Latinas who were labeled “good,” “smart” and “hard-working” by schools were more likely to be successful in the classroom. Those labeled “bad” or “troubled” were more likely to struggle with their courses or drop out, says Broughton. “In order for students of color to succeed, they need both supportive institutional agents and family networks that assist them in learning the social codes and conventions of schooling without abandoning their cultural and familial affiliations,” she says. Contact her at 404/651-0177 or mbroughton@gsu.edu.

EDUCATION: With pressure to succeed, schools struggle with best ways to teach ESOL
As public schools increasingly rely on standardized tests to measure performance, systems with large numbers of immigrant students are under mounting pressure to meet federal and state academic standards. “The expectations for children are extremely high – often they are tested soon after they arrive in the United States, without much time to acquire English-language skills,” says Ruth Saxton, clinical assistant professor of early childhood education at Georgia State University. “There’s a great deal of pressure on schools and teachers to meet those standards quickly.” Schools with high enrollment in ESOL programs are experimenting with “pull-out” methods, in which students with limited English skills leave mainstream classes for short periods to work with trained ESOL instructors, Saxton says. “It allows children to work on language skills and concepts in small groups – but it’s still for only a short time each day,” she says. “There’s only a limited amount of time teachers have to work with these students, so they have to maintain strong collaborations with general classroom teachers to ensure their instruction supports what’s being taught in the main classroom.” Contact her at 404/651-2584 or ecerrs@langate.gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

Campaign forecaster to speak at Georgia State
Presidential campaign expert James Campbell will speak about the 2004 presidential race at 11 a.m. Oct. 14 in the Georgia State University Student Center Speakers Auditorium. A question-and-answer session follows. Campbell, a professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, SUNY, is a noted expert on elections who developed the “trial heat” election forecasting calculator, which predicts the outcome of presidential elections based on polling data and economic conditions. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Randy Trammell in the College of Arts and Sciences at 404/463-9538 or rtrammell@gsu.edu.

Diversity education scholar to speak at annual Mays lecture
Teacher educator and diversity-education scholar Joyce King will give the keynote address, “A Call for Human Excellence in the New Century,” during the 16th annual Benjamin E. Mays Lecture/College of Education Speaker Series at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts. A reception precedes the program at 6 p.m. in the Rialto lobby. King, former provost and professor of education at Spelman College, was recently appointed the Benjamin E. Mays Chair of Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership at Georgia State University. The lecture is sponsored by Georgia State’s College of Education and Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the College of Education at 404/651-2525.

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