take part in the intervention program. A second group of 90 high-risk children will serve as a comparison group in their business-as-usual classrooms. As many as one-fourth of children in Head Start classes exhibit significant behavior problems that place them at elevated risk for negative developmental outcomes, and most have never been in structured classroom situations prior to entering preschool. “Children who exhibit problem behavior in preschool are more likely to develop negative interaction patterns with teachers, and research suggests that these negative interactions continue into elementary school and beyond,” Dr. Sutherland said. “BEST in CLASS targets improving these interactions, resulting not only in improved child behavior in the short term, but also an improved classroom atmosphere in the long term.” Through 14 weeks of classroom-based coaching, Sutherland and Conroy will train teachers to implement effective instructional strategies for improving children’s behavioral competence. The BEST in CLASS model emphasizes both individual and classwide interventions to improve interactions between the teacher and students and enhance the overall classroom atmosphere for learning. Teachers discuss classroom rules and routines with students and praise specific desirable child behavior — for example, sitting and waiting their turn in a circle during a game or sharing time. Such strategies aren’t necessarily new, but teachers will be shown how to use them more precisely and intensely for given situations. The teacher works to prevent any problem behaviors during typical classroom activities. The intervention program also has a home-school component in which teachers send home a daily “behavior report card” stating, in a positive manner, how the child behaved or which corrective behaviors he or she learned that day.
Zumbrunn Receives VCU Presidential Award to Research Student Writing Perceptions and Success
factors that might influence student writing success from elementary school through high school. Writing is fundamental to student success in school. Through writing, students not only are able to demonstrate their knowledge, but also their ability to gather, remember and share what they learn. Writing also is an essential skill that many students will use in their post-school careers. According to the National Commission on Writing, the majority of large American companies consider writing ability when making hiring and promotion decisions. Significant concerns exist, however, about student writing in all grades. Results from the National Assessment of Education Progress consistently show that students are below grade-level proficiency. In 2007, only 24 percent of 12th-graders were at or above the proficient level in writing, and 18 percent could not write at the basic level.
Dr. Sharon Zumbrunn
“Research is needed to better understand the critical factors that nurture the growth and success of developing writers,” Dr. Zumbrunn said. The project will develop a psychometrically sound measure designed to assess elementary, middle and high school student writing perceptions, motivations, behaviors, products and perceived success. In collaboration with Chesterfield County Public Schools, the project will measure these constructs at two points to examine differences across the developmental span. Approximately 2,100 students from grades 3 through 12 will be invited to participate in the study. Dr. Zumbrunn was one of 23 faculty members to receive an award this year from the VCU Presidential Research Incentive Program, which supports faculty members engaged in new, emerging or continuing research.
Department of Foundations of Education Assistant Professor Sharon K. Zumbrunn, Ph.D., will use a nearly $50,000 award from VCU to examine several
VCU School of Education 3