Supporting STEM Teachers with Actionable Content-Based Feedback

January 25, 2024 by Jonah Hall

Supporting STEM Teachers with Actionable Content-Based Feedback

By Dr. Mary Lynne Derrington & Dr. Alyson Lavigne 

Please Note: This is Part 2 of a four-part series on actionable feedback. Stay tuned for the next posts that will focus on Leadership Content Knowledge (LCK) and teacher feedback in the areas of STEM, Literacy, and Early Childhood Education.

Missed the beginning of the series? Click here to read Part 1
on making teacher feedback count!

For school leaders, providing teachers with feedback in unfamiliar subject areas can be a challenge. At the same time, we know that teachers highly value feedback on their teaching content area as well as general pedagogical practices. When school leaders deepen their understanding of different subjects, it can prove a powerful lever to giving teachers the feedback they deserve and desire. Today, we’ll discuss ways to support teachers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) area.

Imagine you are scheduled to observe a STEM lesson, an area where you might not feel confident. What might be some ways to prepare for this observation? Sarah Quebec Fuentes, Jo Beth Jimerson, and Mark Bloom recommend post-holing. In the context of building, this refers to digging holes deep enough to anchor fenceposts. As it pertains to your work, post-holing means engaging in an in-depth, but targeted exploration of the content area.

Another strategy is joining a STEM instructional coach or specialist for an observation and debrief. A third way to learn is to attend a STEM-focused professional development for teachers. These activities can help you think more deeply about the content and how it is taught.

In addition, you can identify subject-specific best practices to integrate into a pre-observation or post-observation conversation. This might look like adapting a subset of evaluation questions to specifically reflect STEM objectives. For example:

1. Poses scenarios or identifies a problem that students can investigate (Bybee, et al., 2006).
2. Fosters “an academically safe classroom [that] honors the individual as a mathematician and welcomes him or her into the social ecosystem of math” (Krall, 2018).
3. Avoids imprecise language and overgeneralized tips or tricks (e.g., carry, borrow, FOIL) and instead use precise mathematical language grounded in conceptual mathematical understanding (e.g., trade, regroup, distributive property) (Karp et al., 2014, 2015).
4. Uses models to communicate complex scientific concepts, emphasizing that models are only approximations of the actual phenomena and are limited simplifications used to explain them (Krajcik & Merritt, 2013).

Let’s imagine a meaningful mathematical talk emerges as an important practice from your post-holing in mathematics. In a pre-observation you might ask the teacher about their plans for creating meaningful mathematical talk in the lesson. During the observation, you can note if those questions appeared and/or when moments of meaningful mathematical talk were taking place. In a post-observation, you might ask teachers to reflect upon the moments they felt meaningful mathematical talk was occurring, and what inputs yielded those outcomes.

This blog entry is part of a four-part series on actionable feedback. Stay tuned for our next two posts that will focus on Leadership Content Knowledge (LCK) on concrete ways to provide feedback to teachers in the areas of, and Early Childhood Education.

If this blog has sparked your interest and you want to learn more, check out our book, Actionable Feedback to PK-12 Teachers. And for other suggestions on supervising teachers in STEM discipline areas with specific pre-observation and post-observation prompts and key practices for observation, see Chapter 8 by Sarah Quebec Fuentes, Jo Beth Jimerson, and Mark A. Bloom.

Kelchen Once Again Named Top Scholar Influencer

January 4, 2024 by Jonah Hall

Kelchen Once Again Named Top Scholar Influencer

Courtesy of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (January 4, 2024)

We’ve all heard the term, “influencer.” Many of us associate an influencer as someone with a large following on social media, such as Instagram or YouTube, who set trends or promotes products. But did you know that there are a select group of scholar influencers who help shape educational practice and policy?

One of those scholar influencers is Robert Kelchen, who serves as department head of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEEHHS).  Kelchen is ranked 41 out of 20,000 scholars nationwide in Education Week’s Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings for 2024. In fact, Kelchen is the only scholar from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to make the list.

“As a faculty member at a land-grant university, it is my job to help share knowledge well beyond the classroom or traditional academic journals,” said Kelchen. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with policymakers, journalists, and college leaders on a regular basis to help improve higher education.”

For 14 years, Education Week selects the top-200 scholars (out of an eligible pool of 20,000) from across the United States as having the most influence on issues and policy in education. The list is compiled by opinion columnist Rick Hess, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and director of Education Policy Studies.

The selection process  includes a 38-member Selection Committee made up of university scholars representing public and private institutions from across the United States. The Selection Committee calculates scores including, Google Scholar Scores, Book Points, Amazon Rankings, Congressional Record mentions, media, and web appearances and then ranks the scholar accordingly.  Kelchen is considered a “go-to” source for reporters covering issues in higher education, with over 200 media interviews, year after year. If there is a story about higher education in the media, you’ll more than likely find a quote from Kelchen as an expert source.

“In the last year, I have had the pleasure of supporting several states on their higher education funding models, presenting to groups of legislators, and being a resource to reporters diving into complex higher education finance topics. These engagements help strengthen my own research and give me the opportunity to teach cutting-edge classes to ELPS students,” said Kelchen.

In addition, Kelchen received national recognition by the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) for his research on higher education finance, accountability policies and practices, and student financial aid. ASHE’s Council on Public Policy in Higher Education selected Kelchen for its Excellence in Public Policy Higher Education Award.

Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu

Make Your Feedback to Teachers Matter: Leadership Content Knowledge is Key

December 12, 2023 by Jonah Hall

Make Your Feedback to Teachers Matter: Leadership Content Knowledge is Key

By Dr. Mary Lynne Derrington & Dr. Alyson Lavigne 

Please Note: This is Part 1 of a four-part series on actionable feedback. Stay tuned for the next posts that will focus on Leadership Content Knowledge (LCK) and teacher feedback in the areas of STEM, Literacy, and Early Childhood Education.

The most important job of a school leader is to focus on the central purpose of schools—teaching and learning. Feedback to teachers on how to improve instructional practice is a critical element in promoting school success.

On average, principals spend 9 hours a week observing, providing feedback, and discussing instruction with teachers. Including documentation, this equates to nearly six 40-hour work-weeks and as much as 25% of a principal’s time.

Besides the time principals spend in these tasks, they are costly. It costs $700 million a year to observe all 3.1 million K-12 public school teachers just twice a year. All these efforts are based on the belief that, when school leaders observe teachers, they provide teachers with meaningful feedback — and that feedback, in turn, improves teaching and learning.

So, how does a school leader ensure that their feedback impacts practice? Feedback only matters when it can be acted upon, so what makes feedback actionable? We can all agree that for feedback to be actionable it must be timely, concrete, and clear. But it must also relate to the task at hand—teaching subject matter content.

When researchers ask teachers about the feedback they receive from school leaders, half of teachers reported that the feedback received from principals is not useful. Teachers say that they rarely receive feedback about their teaching content. Yet we know that pedagogical content knowledge is important for effective teaching and for student learning.

If you want to make your feedback to teachers matter, emphasize a teacher’s curriculum subject matter content as a part of your feedback. This requires differentiation for each teacher by subject matter and context of the classroom. Differentiation personalizes the feedback and emphasizes that the subject, content, and context of the classroom matters.

How can school leaders meet this lofty goal and possess expertise in every content area? First, a strong background in effective teaching practices is an important start. Second, leaders need a deep content knowledge of the subject and how it is learned (by students), and how it is taught, sometimes referred to as post-holing.

Principals can gain content expertise in many ways. For example:

• Work with a content PLC team
• Learn the standards for the subject
• Review discipline-specific best practice research
• Attend a subject-specific conference

Post-holing provides a great opportunity to align with other activities that might be occurring in the school, and demonstrates that you care about the subject matter and the teacher by providing deeper differentiated feedback. Challenge yourself to tackle one subject matter each year.

This blog entry is part of a four-part series on actionable feedback. Stay tuned for our next three posts that will focus on Leadership Content Knowledge (LCK) on concrete ways to provide feedback to teachers in the areas of STEM, Literacy, and Early Childhood Education.

If you want to dig into this content (pun intended!) a bit more, check out our book, Actionable Feedback to PK-12 Teachers. And for other suggestions on differentiated feedback, see Chapter 3 by Ellie Drago-Severson and Jessica Bloom-DeStefano.

Martinez Coaching Ugandan Olympian in 2024 Paris Games

November 10, 2023 by Jonah Hall

Martinez Coaching Ugandan Olympian in 2024 Paris Games

Kathleen Noble, a 2020 Olympic singles rower from Uganda, is being coached by Dr. James Martinez, an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies (ELPS). Dr. Martinez, himself a 5-time U.S. National and Olympic team member between 1993-1998, began working with Mrs. Noble this past July after she moved to Knoxville with her husband, Nico.

“Kathleen is an exceptionally competitive athlete, and an even better person,” says Dr. Martinez. A 28-year-old graduate of Princeton University, Mrs. Noble was an internationally competitive youth swimmer, having competed at the 2012 Short-Course World Championships in Istanbul. Holder of many Ugandan national records in freestyle and butterfly events, she started rowing as a walk–on athlete in her sophomore year of college and ultimately competed at the 2019 Under-23 World Rowing Championships.

Competing for Uganda in the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to COVID), Mrs. Noble is the first rower ever to compete for her country. “Kathleen is a world-class athlete in every sense of the word,” says Martinez. “Her passion to understand every aspect of the sport, from racing, to nutrition, to training, to rigging the boat is inspiring.” Dr. Martinez and Mrs. Noble recently returned from the African Olympic Qualification Regatta in Tunisia, where she placed fourth among fifteen woman single scullers, qualifying her for the Paris games.

Dr. Martinez balances his UTK research (focused on school administrator self-efficacy), teaching and service demands and family responsibilities while supervising Mrs. Noble’s preparation for the Olympics. “Days are pretty full,” he says, “but no more so than when I was a schoolteacher and in training myself while raising our young children back in the day.”

Dr. Martinez credits his wife, Elizabeth, who earned her Master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s School of Landscape Architecture, for her incredible support.. “She’s the glue that holds it all together,” he says.

Introducing UTK ERO: Your Bridge to Education Excellence

October 24, 2023 by Jonah Hall

Introducing UTK ERO: Your Bridge to Education Excellence

By Karina Beltran

The Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department (ELPS) within the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) is proud to announce the launch of the Education Research & Opportunity Center (UTK ERO). UTK ERO represents the merger of The Center for Education Leadership, The Postsecondary Education Research Center, and the College Access and Persistence Services Outreach Center. UTK ERO builds on the long tradition of excellence established by these prior CEHSS efforts with a renewed passion and enhanced capacity for producing high-quality research, delivering high-impact outreach, and improving policy and practice in education. 

The mission of UTK ERO is to produce high-quality research, conduct high-impact outreach, and promote effective policies and practices that increase educational success and opportunity. 

High Quality Research  

Our research spans the entire education spectrum, from early childhood to adult education, addressing critical issues in education policy and practice. At UTK ERO, we hold our research to the highest standards, making sure it is: 

1. Relevant: We understand the importance of timely, pertinent research. Our work focuses on critical educational issues, and we strive to deliver research that matters when it’s needed most.
2. Rigorous: Trust is paramount. All our research undergoes a rigorous internal and external review process to ensure methodological soundness, responsible data management, and freedom from errors or biases.
3. Actionable: We bridge the gap between academic concepts and real-world impact by providing concrete action steps for policymakers, school leaders, and educators.
4. Accessible: We believe in making knowledge accessible to all. Our research findings are disseminated through a variety of channels, including social media, website blog posts, podcasts, and practitioner-oriented venues. We present results in graphical, text, audio, and video formats.

High Impact Outreach  

As a land-grant university, the University of Tennessee takes pride in enhancing economic, social, and professional opportunities for all Tennesseans. UTK ERO manages five U.S. Department of Education TRiO outreach and student services programs, all designed to increase college access and success for first-generation, low-income students in East Tennessee and surrounding rural areas.  

Our outreach programs are guided by these core values: 

1. Service: Our main priority and passion are to increase access to and success within postsecondary education for students from disadvantaged and historically underrepresented groups. Every student, every opportunity.
2. Stewardship: We are committed to managing public resources and funds with the utmost responsibility, transparency, and fiscal integrity. We aim to create a safe, positive, and fair environment for our employees and the students we serve.
3. Community: Our connection with the communities we serve is central to our success. We value engagement with and support of these communities, maintaining regular and effective contact with our project partners to provide comprehensive, community-specific support for students and communities.

Stay Connected 

For more information, please visit the UTK ERO website at ero.utk.edu. There you can follow UTK ERO on social media, receive news and updates related to our research and outreach, and follow our blog!  

Website: ero.utk.edu 

Social Media Platforms 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utk_ero/ 

Meta: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Education-Research-Opportunity-Center/100090028087658/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/education-research-and-opportunity-center/about/ 

X: https://twitter.com/utk_ero  

Kelchen Nationally Recognized for Research in Higher Education Policy

October 12, 2023 by Jonah Hall

Kelchen Nationally Recognized for Research in Higher Education Policy

Courtesy of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (October 4, 2023)

Robert Kelchen has a highly regarded national reputation for insights into higher education policy. Reporters from the New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed, regularly seek out his expertise when covering current trends in the higher education landscape. In fact, Kelchen conducts around 200 interviews with reporters yearly and was named a 2023 Top-200 in Public Influencer by Education Week. He has a knack for taking  complex issues in higher education and making them accessible to a broader audience.

Robert Kelchen

Now, Kelchen has been recognized by the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) for his research on higher education finance, accountability policies and practices, and student financial aid. ASHE’s Council on Public Policy in Higher Education has selected Kelchen for its Excellence in Public Policy Higher Education Award.

According to the ASHE website, “This award recognizes excellence in work at the nexus of academic scholarship and policy practice. This award focuses on research and/or practice in the policy field that advances the public policy discourse in higher education and/or evidenced-based public policies and equity-focused public policy.”

“It’s great that ASHE has recognized Robert’s significant policy work,” said Ellen McIntyre, CEHHS Dean. “He is known nationally, of course, but has already made an impact here in Tennessee.  Everyone I meet in higher education praises his work.”

Kelchen serves as head of the department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS) in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This award from ASHE is just one of many accolades Kelchen has received in his career.

“I’m thrilled to be receiving this award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education,” said Kelchen. “The goal of my work is to help people make informed decisions about higher education, and I’m grateful that I have been able to talk with so many policymakers, journalists, and institutional leaders during my career. It makes my work fun to do!”

Kelchen will receive the award in November at the 2023 ASHE Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu

CEHHS Welcomes New Distinguished Community Lecturer

October 12, 2023 by Jonah Hall

CEHHS Welcomes New Distinguished Community Lecturer

Courtesy of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (September 20, 2023)

Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker joins the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) as the latest Distinguished Community Leader Lecturer. Fitzgerald-Baker has an extensive track record for her exceptional leadership and commitment to serving the Knoxville and surrounding communities. She currently serves as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion manager at Knoxville Utilities Board.

The position of Distinguished Community Leader Lecturer was created as an engagement service to both the university and the local community, with the goal of providing our departments access to leading professionals and practitioners from the Knoxville community whose work falls within the college’s various areas of study. It is an opportunity for faculty and students to learn about work being done in our fields of interest beyond the “walls” of CEHHS, and to meet and engage with some of the prominent members in the surrounding area. Learn more about what this role entails in a post about our inaugural Distinguished Community Leader Lecturer, Pastor Daryl Arnold.

Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker

Fitzgerald-Baker’s leadership journey began in her hometown of Knoxville, where she graduated as the valedictorian from Austin-East High School. She continued her education, earning a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from Florida A&M University and a Master of Science in Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her passion for making a difference led her to complete a certificate in Social Enterprise Effectiveness from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam School of Business, equipping her with the knowledge and skills to drive positive change.

Throughout her professional career, Fitzgerald-Baker has been a champion for equity and access, particularly for those underserved and underrepresented in communities facing challenging circumstances. Her leadership in the educational arena has garnered respect and admiration, as she has tirelessly worked to create opportunities and remove barriers. Tanisha’s strategic mindset, analytical expertise, and community-focused approach have made her a sought-after leader, consultant, and presenter.

Fitzgerald-Baker’s leadership extends beyond her professional responsibilities. She is the founding member and current president of the Five Points Up Community Action Group, an organization that has made a significant impact in the community. She has also played pivotal roles in various community initiatives, including being a founding member of the East Knox Lion’s Club and serving on the steering committees for the Eastside Sunday Market and the Community Voices Coalition. Her dedication to community service is evident through her involvement on the boards of directors for the YWCA, Change Center, and Metro Drug Coalition. Additionally, she chairs the African American Equity Restoration Taskforce appointed by the City of Knoxville, demonstrating her commitment to promoting equity and justice.

Fitzgerald-Baker’s leadership and contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades and awards. Her nomination for the city of Knoxville’s Good Neighbor of the Year Award by former Mayor Madeline Rogero is a testament to her positive impact on the community. She has received the “Woman 2 Woman” award for Community Outreach sponsored by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the MLK Commission’s Award for Community Service. Tanisha’s passion for community outreach has also been showcased through features in Girls Go Hard magazine and her role as a talk show host on Talking with T and co-host on What’s Going On.

In addition to her leadership endeavors, Tanisha is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She resides in Knoxville, with her husband, Darritt Baker, and their son, Tylan Baker.

CEHHS is honored to have Tanisha Fitzgerald-Baker as our Distinguished Community Leader Lecturer, and we are excited to continue to witness the positive impact she will continue to make through her exceptional leadership and dedication to creating a better future for our communities.

You can learn more about Fitzgerald-Baker and her professional experience here.

Biddix to Receive Award From National Panhellenic Conference

October 12, 2023 by Jonah Hall

Biddix to Receive Award From National Panhellenic Conference

Courtesy of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (August 24, 2023)

J. Patrick Biddix, Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Endowed Professor of Higher Education, will receive the 2023 Interfraternal Partner Award from the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), October 19-21 in Dallas. The award recognizes an individual who played an important role in the conference’s advancement over the past two years.

J. Patrick Biddix

Biddix’s recognition comes from his most recent research focused on measuring belonging and well-being among college sorority members. According to NPC, his work has had a direct impact on NPC and its member organizations as they work to improve the sorority experience for today’s students.

“Dr. Biddix has been a true partner to NPC during the past several years,” said NPC Chief Executive Officer Dani Weatherford “His insights, based on academically-sound research with collegiate sorority women, have given us the ability to see the impact the sorority experience is making on current collegiate women and compare the findings to larger subsets of students.”

In September 2022,  Biddix was named the first-ever Jimmy and Ileen Cheek Endowed Professor in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences (CEHHS). He serves as a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (ELPS). Among his scholarly achievements, he has written or edited 10 books in the past 8 years, two of which are standard texts in the field of student affairs. He is considered the national expert on fraternities and sororities and currently is engaged in a multi-institution, interdisciplinary project to address mental health issues, alcohol misuse, and hazing. He has worked on several state-sponsored grants to study Tennessee Promise and currently works with the Division of Student Success and the Office of Diversity and Engagement at UT on numerous impactful projects related to student success.

Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu

CEHHS Students and Faculty Celebrated at Honor’s Banquets

October 12, 2023 by Jonah Hall

CEHHS Students and Faculty Celebrated at Honor’s Banquets

Courtesy of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (May 5, 2023)

ELPS PhD Candidate Receives National Grant Funding for Scholarship Research

October 12, 2023 by Jonah Hall

ELPS PhD Candidate Receives National Grant Funding for Scholarship Research

Courtesy of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (April 11, 2023)

Research Investigates Scholarship Effects on Student Outcomes

Zachary Hyder, a third-year doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Administration program in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies department (ELPS) is the recipient of a $3,000 Education Finance Policy Research Grant from the National Education Finance Academy (NEFA). Hyder’s recognition is for his proposal for an econometric analysis of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Pledge Scholarship Program. A scholarship program similar to the Tennessee Promise and UT System Promise program, which guarantees free tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying Tennessee residents.

Hyder plans to utilize a regression discontinuity design to evaluate this institutional promise program for causal effect on the student-level outcomes of time-to-degree and post-graduation salary. The UT Pledge scholarship is a unique promise program as an institutional-level, last-dollar scholarship that covers the tuition, fees, and the on-campus average cost of room and board. Hyder looks forward to examining project data to understand the effect these scholarship funds can have on students’ time-to-degree and post-graduation salaries.

While Hyder will continue dissertation work through the coming year, he will have completed the required course work for his departmental studies, a Legal Studies Graduate Certificate with the UT College of Law, and a Ph.D. minor from the Intercollegiate Graduate Statistics program by the end of the spring 2023 term.

Named for the generous contributions of William J. Fowler, Jr. and Patricia R. Fowler, this grant supports promising graduate students focused on applied research for the improvement of education finance and budgeting practice. The mission of the National Education Finance Academy is to provide a non-partisan policy forum focused on education finance. NEFA provides an international venue for annual collaboration among scholars, education practitioners, legislators, and policy researchers dedicated to understanding and improving education finance at all levels. This grant seeks to increase the disciplinary diversity of the nation’s academic and organizational research personnel by increasing the number of education finance policy researchers that investigate the perennial issues of P-20 education finance, including questions of equity, adequacy, productivity, and efficiency.

Hyder would also like to thank his mentors on this project, Robert Kelchen, dissertation chair and ELPS department head and Lisa G. Driscoll, retired ELPS faculty.

Through its eight departments and 12 centers, the UT Knoxville College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences enhances the quality of life for all through research, outreach, and practice. Find out more at cehhs.utk.edu