tag:theconversation.com,2011:/institutions/teachers-college-columbia-university-1228/articlesTeachers College, Columbia University2021-05-19T13:32:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1608282021-05-19T13:32:49Z2021-05-19T13:32:49ZLes étudiants trichent ? C’est parce qu’ils manquent de motivation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401070/original/file-20210517-23-151fjyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C15%2C5113%2C3403&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Il ne faut pas exagérer l’importance des notes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sam Edwards/OJO Images via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Depuis que les collèges et universités ont été forcés d’adopter l’enseignement à distance en raison de la Covid-19, <a href="https://www.wiley.com/network/instructors-students/covid-19-online-teaching-resources-1/is-student-cheating-on-the-rise-how-you-can-discourage-it-in-your-classroom">enseignants</a> et <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11218-021-09612-3">étudiants</a> s’inquiètent de la recrudescence de la tricherie et du plagiat en milieu scolaire.</p>
<p>Des ressources technologiques considérables ont été mises en place afin de <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/12/test-monitoring-student-revolt/">surveiller les étudiants en ligne</a> dans le but de détecter les tricheurs. Cette surveillance a toutefois <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/students-are-pushing-back-against-proctoring-surveillance-apps">augmenté les sentiments d’anxiété et de détresse</a> chez les étudiants. Par exemple, certains d’entre eux <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/12/test-monitoring-student-revolt/">rapportent</a> qu’ils doivent rester « vissés » sur leur chaise sous peine d’être qualifiés de tricheurs.</p>
<p>Si la surveillance électronique peut partiellement réduire le risque de tricherie, on sous-estime un autre facteur qui explique ce phénomène : la démotivation.</p>
<p>Notre équipe de chercheurs en <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=g5Av10MAAAAJ&hl=en">psychologie éducative</a> et en <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LzYJGa8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">études supérieures</a> a étudié la corrélation entre la motivation des élèves, ce qui les pousse à réussir, et leur propension à tricher.</p>
<p>À cet effet, nous avons <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10648-020-09557-7">analysé 79 études sur le sujet</a> et publié nos résultats dans le <em>Journal of Educational Psychology Review</em>. Nous avons établi qu’une variété de facteurs entrent en jeu, allant du désir d’obtenir de bonnes notes à la confiance en leurs compétences scolaires. En tenant compte de ces facteurs, voici un certain nombre de façons par lesquelles <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00405841.2017.1308172?journalCode=htip20">étudiants et enseignants peuvent augmenter le niveau de motivation</a> afin de combattre la tricherie, qu’elle se produise en classe ou en ligne.</p>
<p>En voici cinq :</p>
<h2>1. Ne pas mettre l’accent sur les notes</h2>
<p>Bien sûr, c’est gratifiant d’obtenir de très bonnes notes. Mais plus les élèves se concentrent sur cet objectif, plus ils seront susceptibles de tricher. Si la note devient le seul but, la tricherie devient le moyen de l’obtenir.</p>
<p>Le désir d’apprendre diminue lorsque l’enseignant met trop l’accent sur le résultat aux examens, l’augmentation des moyennes, et les classements des étudiants. Les notes sont nécessaires, mais ce qui compte, c’est l’acquisition de connaissances et l’apprentissage du contenu des cours.</p>
<h2>2. Se concentrer sur la compétence et la maîtrise des sujets</h2>
<p>Le fait de vouloir accroître son savoir et améliorer ses compétences dans un domaine étudié est associé à une diminution de la tricherie. Plus l’étudiant vise à s’améliorer, moins il est susceptible de tricher. Les enseignants devraient donc mettre l’accent sur la maîtrise du savoir acquis, en donnant par exemple la possibilité de refaire un devoir ou un examen. Ce qui renforce l’objectif d’épanouissement et le désir d’amélioration.</p>
<h2>3. Combattre l’ennui par la pertinence de l’enseignement</h2>
<p>Certains groupes d’étudiants, toutefois, manquent carrément de motivation. Rien, que ce soit dans leur entourage ni en eux-mêmes, ne les pousse à étudier. Pour ceux-ci, tricher est une solution acceptable plutôt que de faire l’effort d’étudier. Mais ces derniers sont moins susceptibles de tricher lorsqu’ils trouvent le contenu de leurs cours pertinent.</p>
<p>Quand ils peuvent établir un rapport entre le cursus scolaire et d’autres champs d’études ou le métier qu’ils désirent exercer, cela peut raviver leur intérêt pour la matière enseignée. C’est aux enseignants que revient le travail d’établir un lien de pertinence entre la matière enseignée et ce qui allument les étudiants.</p>
<h2>4. Encourager la responsabilisation</h2>
<p>Lorsqu’un étudiant en arrache, il a parfois tendance à attribuer ses problèmes à des circonstances externes, telles qu’une exigence déraisonnable de la part de son professeur. Nous avons établi que lorsqu’un étudiant se sent lui-même responsable de son apprentissage, il a moins tendance à tricher.</p>
<p>Il faut donc sensibiliser les étudiants à la nécessité d’être partie prenante dans leur apprentissage, et à y consacrer les efforts nécessaires. Les responsabiliser peut contribuer à réduire les infractions académiques. Leur offrir des choix peut aussi encourager les étudiants à prendre en charge leur éducation plutôt que de la subir.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Une jeune étudiante assise à son bureau est heureuse après avoir reçu de bonnes nouvelles" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Enseigner la confiance en soi est une bonne façon de diminuer la tricherie.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/african-schoolgirl-sitting-at-desk-feels-happy-royalty-free-image/1133045054?adppopup=true">fizkes/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>5. Aider l’étudiant à développer son assurance</h2>
<p>Nous avons établi que lorsque l’étudiant croit en la possibilité de réussir son cours, la tendance à la tricherie diminue. Quand l’étudiant ne croit pas en lui, l’approche pédagogique dite « d’échafaudage » vient à la rescousse. Cela consiste à adapter les travaux aux capacités de l’étudiant, puis d’en augmenter progressivement le niveau de difficulté. Cette approche améliore petit à petit l’assurance nécessaire pour permettre à l’étudiant de faire face à de nouveaux défis. Et au fur et à mesure de ce processus, l’étudiant voudra consacrer <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1041608013000071?via%3Dihub">plus d’efforts</a> à son cours.</p>
<h2>Une solution à bas coût</h2>
<p>En suivant ces conseils, nous croyons que le risque de tricherie pourrait être moins préoccupant, que ce soit durant ou après la pandémie. Se concentrer sur la motivation des étudiants est une façon moins controversée et plus économique de contrôler le penchant à la tricherie chez certains.</p>
<p>Cela sera-t-il suffisant pour éliminer le problème ? Non. Mais cela vaut la peine d’adopter ces stratégies – parmi d’autres – pour lutter contre la malhonnêteté en milieu académique.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160828/count.gif" alt="La Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>Pour éviter la tricherie, les recherches suggèrent que les professeurs se concentrent sur ce qui pousse leurs étudiants à apprendre en premier lieu.Carlton J. Fong, Assistant Professor of Education, Texas State UniversityMegan Krou, Research Analyst, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1577382021-04-02T12:16:02Z2021-04-02T12:16:02Z5 ways parents can help children with the ‘new’ math<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392345/original/file-20210329-23-yt4yl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=60%2C0%2C6720%2C4456&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many parents have had to play the role of a substitute math teacher during the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teenage-boy-having-problems-in-finishing-homework-royalty-free-image/1033164818?adppopup=true">damircudic/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tg3C4bhhz4">March 2021 Netflix special</a>, comedian Nate Bargatze complains about having to teach his kids a confusing <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/03/19/parents-confused-common-core-math/">“new math”</a> based on standards known as the Common Core.</p>
<p>“The goal of Common Core is to use one sheet of paper for every problem,” Bargatze jokes. He observes that this new math requires people to “keep breaking the problem down.”</p>
<p>“You put the problem at the top, and it just keeps going,” Bargatze says. “And then what’s funnier is you see old math in the middle of it. As you break it down, old math gets in there and you’re like, ‘Oh, just do that at the top.’ I don’t even know what we’re doing.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-tg3C4bhhz4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Comedian Nate Bargatze tells a joke about Common Core math during his comedy special.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Math worries</h2>
<p>Bargatze is by no means alone in his frustration. Since many schools went largely remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, countless parents, <a href="http://www.clarissathompson.com">me</a> included, are becoming <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/parenting/coronavirus-remote-learning-burn-out.html">burnt out</a> as we find ourselves thrust into the role of <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-12-22/parents-feel-the-strain-as-pandemic-adds-new-role-teacher">substitute math teacher</a>.</p>
<p>Why does this so-called new math – which has actually been around for over a decade – draw so much <a href="https://slate.com/business/2014/07/common-core-math-questions-show-why-parents-are-upset-about-its-methods.html">scorn</a> from parents?</p>
<p>This new math is based on a <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/">list of standards</a> that students should master within each grade. It’s different from “old math” in that the standards focus not only on the step-by-step procedures to solve math problems, but also on <a href="https://www.nctm.org/Standards-and-Positions/Common-Core-State-Standards/Teaching-and-Learning-Mathematics-with-the-Common-Core/">why those procedures work</a> in the first place. The idea is to teach the procedures in such a way that children can apply this knowledge to <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Practice/">future math problems that they encounter</a> – both at school and in real-life contexts. </p>
<p>For instance, in solving the multiplication problem, 312 x 23, parents historically might line the problem up and start multiplying from right to left. We were told that we had to include the 0 on the right under 936, but I don’t recall ever being told why. But under the Common Core standards, students are encouraged to break the problem down into hundreds, tens and ones. This newfangled way to do the math makes it more transparent where the answer, 7,176, and that mystery 0 come from.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1248106005868744709"}"></div></p>
<h2>Overcoming math anxiety</h2>
<p>As Bergatze’s stand-up bit points out, this new math has triggered some parents’ “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00196">math anxiety</a>” – a common apprehension that can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13546783.2018.1475303">impair math performance</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000307">many studies show</a>.</p>
<p>Researchers haven’t completely figured out how to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2018.1447384">eliminate math anxiety</a>. But as a researcher who studies why people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1653815">hate math</a>, I believe there are steps parents can take to combat any negative attitudes they may have toward math and to improve children’s math understanding. Five of those steps are listed below.</p>
<h2>1. Point out math in everyday life</h2>
<p>Math learning doesn’t happen just in classrooms. Parents can draw children’s attention to <a href="https://playfullearninglandscapes.com/">math all around them</a>. They can talk about math in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12195">grocery store</a> or at the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2019.1673753">bus stop</a>. One idea is to incorporate positive <a href="http://bedtimemath.org/apps/">math talk</a> while reading books with our children, even if <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02242">the books don’t inherently include numbers</a>. For example, even though the classic children’s book “<a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/very-hungry-caterpillar-la-oruga-muy-hambrienta/oclc/1196094219&referer=brief_results">The Very Hungry Caterpillar</a>” doesn’t include counting or comparing how much the caterpillar eats each day, parents can insert guiding scenarios like “The very hungry caterpillar ate 4 strawberries. Let’s count them. 1-2-3-4. Did the caterpillar eat more plums or strawberries?” This is a “two-for-one deal” that could help time-strapped parents promote literacy and numeracy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of children gather to play Chutes and Ladders on the floor." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=405&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/392346/original/file-20210329-15-1czm3ua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Playing Chutes and Ladders can help children learn to identify, compare and estimate numbers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/october-2008-credit-katherine-frey-twp-bluemont-va-the-news-photo/97161275?adppopup=true">Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>2. Play board games and card games</h2>
<p>Children can learn about math as they play fun board <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00714.x">games</a>, such as Chutes and Ladders, and card <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-228X.2012.01149.x">games</a>, like war. Research has shown that playing board games pays off. One study found that while low-income families played board games <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01131.x">less at home</a> than middle-income families, even one hour of board-game play across a period of two weeks increased low-income children’s math performance to the level of their middle-income peers. </p>
<h2>3. Break math down step by step</h2>
<p>To help kids avoid the <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/kids-are-behind-in-math-because-of-covid-19-heres-what-research-says-could-help/2020/12">COVID slide</a>, a major dip in math performance occurring during the pandemic, parents can <a href="https://doi.org/10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.21.1.0026">break down math problems step by step</a>. As they learn the procedure at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3663">each step</a> children can then better understand how to get to the correct answer, or where they made a mistake along the way.</p>
<h2>4. Draw connections to more familiar and well-liked math</h2>
<p>Parents can also help children understand more difficult math concepts, such as fractions, by drawing connections to more familiar, well-liked and less anxiety-provoking math, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.03.011">such as whole numbers or percentages</a>. For instance, parents can show that ¾ – that is, three-fourths – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogpsych.2011.03.001">is the same as</a> 75 out of 100, or 75%. Parents can draw a connection to money, too. There are four quarters in a dollar. Each quarter is worth 25 cents. That means that three out of four quarters is worth 75 cents. </p>
<h2>5. Avoid negative math attitudes</h2>
<p>This recommendation goes hand in hand with our first recommendation. Parents should seek out opportunities to talk about math at every chance they get, but they should avoid negative math talk. Many an American will freely admit to being <a href="https://osf.io/hcqst">“not a math person”</a>. These off-the-cuff remarks can have serious consequences for children, who <a href="http://doi.org/10.1126/science.274.5294.1926">soak up information in their environments</a>. </p>
<p>Math-anxious teachers and parents can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910967107">transmit their anxiety to children, especially girls</a>. Girls and women have <a href="http://doi.org/10.1186/1744-9081-8-33">higher math anxiety</a>, which could be one reason they have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/11409.1556-1631">lower math performance and less confidence when estimating numbers</a> and are less likely than men to pursue <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100614541236">STEM careers</a>.</p>
<p>I hope parents embrace their new role as math tutors, because it seems as if home schooling <a href="https://info.burbio.com/school-tracker-update-feb-22/">will continue throughout the spring for many students</a>. It shouldn’t go unmentioned that kids aren’t all that enamored with their home-school teachers either. Some may even hope they won’t have the same teacher next year.</p>
<p>[<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=experts">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get expert takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157738/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clarissa A. Thompson receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marta Mielicki receives funding from the U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Charles J. Fitzsimmons, Daniel A. Scheibe, and Lauren K. Schiller do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Parents thrust into the role of math teacher can take simple steps to help their children understand math better and dread it less.Clarissa A. Thompson, Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Kent State University Lauren K. Schiller, Adjunct assistant professor, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityMarta Mielicki, Postdoctoral research associate, Kent State University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1552742021-03-04T13:13:53Z2021-03-04T13:13:53ZMotivation is a key factor in whether students cheat<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387579/original/file-20210303-12-11f9ary.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C0%2C5120%2C3426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Putting less emphasis on grades is essential. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/student-working-on-laptop-in-library-royalty-free-image/143071328?adppopup=true">Sam Edwards/OJO Images via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic caused many U.S. colleges to shift to remote learning in the spring of 2020, student cheating has been a concern for <a href="https://www.wiley.com/network/instructors-students/covid-19-online-teaching-resources-1/is-student-cheating-on-the-rise-how-you-can-discourage-it-in-your-classroom">instructors</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-021-09612-3">students</a> alike.</p>
<p>To detect student cheating, considerable resources have been devoted to using technology to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/12/test-monitoring-student-revolt/">monitor students online</a>. This online surveillance has <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/09/students-are-pushing-back-against-proctoring-surveillance-apps">increased students’ anxiety and distress</a>. For instance, some students have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/12/test-monitoring-student-revolt/">indicated</a> the monitoring technology required them to stay at their desks or risk being labeled as cheaters.</p>
<p>Although relying on electronic eyes may partially curb cheating, there’s another factor in the reasons students cheat that often gets overlooked – student motivation.</p>
<p>As a team of researchers in <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=g5Av10MAAAAJ&hl=en">educational psychology</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LzYJGa8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">higher education</a>, we became interested in how students’ motivation to learn, or what drives them to want to succeed in class, affects how much they cheated in their schoolwork.</p>
<p>To shine light on why students cheat, we conducted an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09557-7">analysis of 79 research studies</a> and published our findings in the journal Educational Psychology Review. We determined that a variety of motivational factors, ranging from a desire for good grades to a student’s academic confidence, come into play when explaining why students cheat. With these factors in mind, we see a number of things that both students and instructors can do to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2017.1308172">harness the power of motivation</a> as a way to combat cheating, whether in virtual or in-person classrooms. Here are five takeaways:</p>
<h2>1. Avoid emphasizing grades</h2>
<p>Although obtaining straight A’s is quite appealing, the more students are focused solely on earning high grades, the more likely they are to cheat. When the grade itself becomes the goal, cheating can serve as a way to achieve this goal.</p>
<p>Students’ desire to learn can diminish when instructors overly emphasize high test scores, beating the curve, and student rankings. Graded assessments have a role to play, but so does acquisition of skills and actually learning the content, not only doing what it takes to get good grades.</p>
<h2>2. Focus on expertise and mastery</h2>
<p>Striving to increase one’s knowledge and improve skills in a course was associated with less cheating. This suggests that the more students are motivated to gain expertise, the less likely they are to cheat. Instructors can teach with a focus on mastery, such as providing additional opportunities for students to redo assignments or exams. This reinforces the goal of personal growth and improvement.</p>
<h2>3. Combat boredom with relevance</h2>
<p>Compared with students motivated by either gaining rewards or expertise, there might be a group of students who are simply not motivated at all, or experiencing what researchers call amotivation. Nothing in their environment or within themselves motivates them to learn. For these students, cheating is quite common and seen as a viable pathway to complete coursework successfully rather than putting forth their own effort. However, when students find relevance in what they’re learning, they are less likely to cheat. </p>
<p>When students see connections between their coursework and other courses, fields of study or their future careers, it can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019506">stimulate them</a> to see how valuable the subject might be. Instructors can be intentional in providing rationales for why learning a particular topic might be useful and connecting students’ interest to the course content.</p>
<h2>4. Encourage ownership of learning</h2>
<p>When students struggle, they sometimes blame circumstances beyond their control, such as believing their instructor to have unrealistic standards. Our findings show that when students believe they are responsible for their own learning, they are less likely to cheat.</p>
<p>Encouraging students to take ownership over their learning and put in the required effort can decrease academic dishonesty. Also, providing meaningful choices can help students feel they are in charge of their own learning journey, rather than being told what to do.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Schoolgirl sitting at desk feels happy after receiving great news" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387575/original/file-20210303-19-1hm3b78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Building confidence in students is a good approach toward reducing academic dishonesty.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/african-schoolgirl-sitting-at-desk-feels-happy-royalty-free-image/1133045054?adppopup=true">fizkes/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>5. Build confidence</h2>
<p>Our study found that when students believed they could succeed in their coursework, cheating decreased. When students do not believe they will be successful, a teaching approach called scaffolding is key. Essentially, the scaffolding approach involves assigning tasks that match the students’ ability level and gradually increase in difficulty. This progression slowly builds students’ confidence to take on new challenges. And when students feel confident to learn, they are willing to put in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2013.01.005">more effort</a> in school.</p>
<h2>An inexpensive solution</h2>
<p>With these tips in mind, we expect cheating might pose less of a threat during the pandemic and beyond. Focusing on student motivation is a much less controversial and inexpensive solution to curtail any tendencies students may have to cheat their way through school.</p>
<p>Are these motivational strategies the cure-all to cheating? Not necessarily. But they are worth considering – along with other strategies – to fight against academic dishonesty.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In order to keep students honest, research suggests that educators should focus on what’s driving them to learn in the first place.Carlton J. Fong, Assistant Professor of Education, Texas State UniversityMegan Krou, Research Analyst, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/803322017-07-03T10:37:37Z2017-07-03T10:37:37ZSo much for Dutch tolerance: life as an LGBT asylum seeker in the Netherlands<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176400/original/file-20170630-15554-n3k7av.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The minority view ...</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amsterdam-netherlands-february-62016-public-multicultural-372970717?src=vMKq9FPUaHWENKCEZUjOzA-1-91">Melanie Lemahieu</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Aziz is from Kabul in Afghanistan. His boyfriend was murdered by his own family in early 2014. They threatened to kill Aziz too, so he fled. After he arrived at an asylum camp in the Netherlands, the family beat his mother and siblings. He sought asylum claiming he was in fear of his life, but the Dutch authorities rejected the application. </p>
<p>Aziz then discovered he could appeal based on his fear of persecution in Afghanistan for being gay. He was told to gather as much evidence as possible. Yet despite even managing to retrieve documents verifying that a tribal council had approved the boyfriend’s family’s request to kill him on sight, he was rejected. </p>
<p>The judge doubted his sexuality because it had only been raised after the initial rejection. The judge also dismissed a document from a family member confirming the mortal threat, claiming an Afghan would not help a gay relative in this way. </p>
<p>Aziz is far from alone. According to <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ebba7852.html">a report from 2011</a>, approximately 200 people seek asylum in the Netherlands each year fearing persecution either for sexual orientation or gender identity. Across the EU, the report’s co-author told me that she roughly estimates there are 10,000 applications per year.</p>
<h2>LGBT asylum explosion</h2>
<p>Beyond this, however, we don’t know enough: there is no official data on applicants’ religious backgrounds, how they fare or how the numbers are changing over time. One clue to what is happening to the numbers across Europe may be an <a href="https://www.ilga-europe.org/resources/rainbow-digest/february-2016">estimate that</a> LGBT asylum applicants to Belgium nearly tripled between 2009 and 2014.</p>
<p>A 2011 EU <a href="http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32011L0095">directive</a> made persecution for sexual orientation or gender identity valid grounds for asylum – just in time for the dramatic increase in refugees to the continent. With 76 countries criminalising same-sex sexual relations and five applying a death sentence, LGBT asylum applications in Europe are almost certainly surging. </p>
<p>The Netherlands is particularly interesting. As the first country to legalise gay marriage, the Dutch see gender and sexuality as central to a proud progressive history. Amsterdam has long been a global gay capital. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176403/original/file-20170630-8187-rc81s5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Amsterdam’s famous Gay Pride canal parade.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/amsterdam-netherlands-august-2-2014-participants-310469141?src=CsXBEThCnXOiQB2IkG1geg-1-28">Kavalenkava</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet like much of Europe, the past 30 years has seen a resurgence of xenophobic populist nationalism in the Netherlands. Amid continuing waves of migration, notably from former Dutch colonies and Turkey and Morocco, nationalists warn of the threat to the national culture and the country’s liberal tradition, particularly from Muslims. </p>
<p>With more than a million Muslims in a country of 17m, fears about the supposed exceptional homophobia of Muslim migrant communities <a href="https://www.jwduyvendak.nl/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2010sexualpolitics.pdf">have ignited</a> a <a href="http://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=16019">moral panic</a> over “tolerating intolerance” in the past decade. This has been amplified by Europe’s refugee crisis. </p>
<p>Pim Fortuyn crusaded to end immigration of Muslims to the Netherlands until he was killed in 2002. His successor, Geert Wilders, has <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/18/geert-wilders-attacks-moroccan-scum-launches-election-campaign/">campaigned</a> to ban the Qur'an and “send Moroccans back”. Many might consider these politicians “far right” and “extremist”, but their Islamophobia has helped shape the public discourse. </p>
<p>Refugees are often met with suspicion, and Muslims in particular are <a href="http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.anthro.34.081804.120338">often seen</a> as having loyalties elsewhere that will stop them from assimilating into the (presumed homogenous) “native” population. Yet despite this fear of an emergent “parallel society”, scholars <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781403969804">have found</a> it is the majority that tends to isolate itself and treat newcomers with hostility rather than the other way round. </p>
<h2>What’s going on</h2>
<p>It is generally understood that a Dutch person’s sexual identity may be fluid. Yet LGBT asylum applicants must often conform to strict stereotypes. Applicants have been rejected for various failings in their “gay performance”, including not being effeminate enough or not participating in a gay scene in their home country. A young Pakistani whom I interviewed was rejected because he did not cite any great personal struggle in “coming out”. The courts said he couldn’t be gay in Pakistan without facing such a struggle. </p>
<p>My research also confirms <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ebba7852.html">previous reports</a> that applicants have been denied for not being familiar with homosexuality laws or with LGBT bars in their home country. Others have been rejected for being married to a member of the opposite sex or having children. Similar cases <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/4ebba7852.html">have been recorded</a> across Europe.</p>
<p>I’ve spoken to Dutch asylum seekers who have been asked during their asylum procedure how they reconcile being LGBT and Muslim. They felt a pressure to disavow their faith and their home country. Would someone of any other faith be asked this question? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/176404/original/file-20170630-8242-17ckqx0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A warm welcome?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/commercial-airplane-landing-amsterdam-airport-schiphol-573215191?src=vMKq9FPUaHWENKCEZUjOzA-1-24">Novikov Aleksey</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is <a href="https://www.ilga-europe.org/sites/default/files/good_practices_related_to_lgbti_asylum_applicants_in_europe_jul14.pdf">no longer</a> considered appropriate in Europe for an interviewer to ask applicants about their sex lives, as it’s deemed an invasion of privacy and an offence against human dignity. But I found they still sometimes do in the Netherlands, often to the great humiliation and confusion of the applicant. </p>
<p>Equally, a “discretion requirement” used to allow asylum rejections if it was decided the individual could safely return home by covering up their sexual orientation or gender identity. This was <a href="https://www.ilga-europe.org/sites/default/files/good_practices_related_to_lgbti_asylum_applicants_in_europe_jul14.pdf">struck down</a> in 2007, yet my research in the Netherlands shows it still sometimes decides applications.</p>
<p>In short, LGBT people face challenges that are a whole level beyond the great difficulties the rest of asylum applicants go through. If it’s this bad in the Netherlands, we urgently need more research into other Western countries. </p>
<p>The last time I was in contact with Aziz in early 2016, he had been sent to a “freedom-restricting location” for asylum seekers awaiting deportation. The only thing keeping him in the country was a rule preventing deportation because the Dutch government considers Afghanistan unsafe for LGBT individuals. </p>
<p>Others will not even enjoy this distressing limbo. Until we recognise the unique difficulties of LGBT applicants, we are simply reinforcing the bigotry that has destroyed their lives back home.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article is part of a series on sustainability and transformation in today’s Europe, published in collaboration with <a href="http://www.europenowjournal.org">EuropeNow Journal</a> and the <a href="https://councilforeuropeanstudies.org">Council for European Studies (CES)</a> at Columbia University. Each article is based on a paper presented at the <a href="https://councilforeuropeanstudies.org/conferences/upcoming-conferences/2017-ces-conference">24th International Conference of Europeanists</a> in Glasgow.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80332/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah French Brennan receives pre-dissertation funding from the Society for the Anthropology of Europe and the Council for European Studies. She is affiliated with the Vrije University Amsterdam as a Visiting Researcher.</span></em></p>Experiences of LGBT asylum seekers in Netherlands flies in the face of the much-vaunted Dutch reputation for tolerance.Sarah French Brennan, Doctoral Researcher, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/658692016-11-09T11:06:39Z2016-11-09T11:06:39ZAre wealthy donors influencing the public school agenda?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144904/original/image-20161107-4711-ztg3ae.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A campaign for Los Angeles Unified School District school board candidates. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/local99/8554994975/in/photolist-e2YzXn-e2YA84-9eURCL-9chSab-e35hi1-e2YzTv-ayha1Q-e35huU-e2YAdX-e35h5w-e35hbS-e35gVy-e35hmm-e2YzFr-e2YAma-e35hwd-67s9Nw-e35hrh-e35h9j-e2YApM-e35hcY-e35hjf-e2YA2P-e2YzJk-e2YA9H-e2YzLn-Jtmtf-e35ho1-e35hej-e2YzYR-e2YzQP-e35gSN-6RxVaY-e35h2s-e2YzMX-9vMoNQ-suGwU9-e35hpy-apfKHG-j2ybSo-j2v9DE-j2vnro-j2uKj2-e35h4u-8LAmzc-bjog9-9kwJUR-vMQG5J-k2H3L-4nKVq">SEIU Local 99 | Education Workers United Follow</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>School boards have often been portrayed as old-fashioned and dysfunctional, so much so that <a href="http://educationnext.org/lost-at-sea/">some school reform leaders have advocated</a> for eliminating school boards altogether. </p>
<p>It is no surprise then that school board elections have mostly been known as being <a href="http://educationnext.org/the-union-label-on-the-ballot-box/">sleepy affairs</a>. Most candidates in the past have been known to <a href="https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/HessFeb2011.pdf">spend less than US$1,000</a> toward campaign expenses such as campaign literature and name recognition efforts. In 2010, for example, <a href="https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/HessFeb2011.pdf">less than 3 percent</a> of candidates reported spending more than $25,000. </p>
<p>However, this reality, as we have known it, is changing. Of late, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/04/school-board-races-attract-big-outside-money/">out-of-state donors are writing</a> very large checks to support candidates and <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/05/23/32adv-local.h31.html">political action committees (PACs)</a> in local school board elections. Yes, there are PACs now involved in local school board elections. </p>
<p>Recent school board elections in places such as <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/big-money-bad-media-secret-agendas-welcome-americas-wildest-school-board-race/">Denver</a>, <a href="http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2014/10/27/behind-five-figure-fundraising-ips-board-races/17980029/">Indianapolis</a>, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-lausd-election-money-20150515-story.html">Los Angeles</a>, <a href="http://www.startribune.com/out-of-state-money-pouring-into-minneapolis-school-board-race/280863712/">Minneapolis</a> and <a href="http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/10/orleans_parish_school_board_ca.html">New Orleans</a> have seen candidates routinely raising at least 50 times as much money as the 2010 national average. </p>
<p>Why is this happening? And how might the involvement of these large wealthy donors change our local schools?</p>
<p>We are scholars of politics and education. Our research shows that such large donations have the potential to change who is elected to govern and, as a result, how our schools are reformed. </p>
<h2>Why do school boards matter?</h2>
<p>First, let’s look at the unique arrangement of power in the U.S. education system to understanding why this new infusion of funding is significant. </p>
<p>The U.S. education system is highly decentralized, with control of schools spread across over <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_098.asp">13,000 independent, local school districts</a>. Most boards, comprising five to eight members, <a href="https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/HessFeb2011.pdf">enjoy considerable power</a> <a href="https://www.nsba.org/about-us/frequently-asked-questions">over many areas,</a> <a href="https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/20060228_SchoolBoards.pdf">including</a> whom to hire, what to teach, when to hold school and how to allocate budgets.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144896/original/image-20161107-4704-1c6wsy8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">State of Maryland school board meeting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mdgovpics/6973055520/in/photolist-bCbJtb-4x9RNU-oR7oB7-sq8LAW-qLARnd-hcKA2y-bCbCDq-bCbWwY-bR6oNz-bCbLKw-bR6Tpt-bCbZZm-bR6Pj8-bR6E7P-bCbStq-bCc97A-bR6tTk-bCcavG-bR6JZ6-bR6Lui-bR6FJe-bCc7VY-bR6BY4-bR6Rpa-6Hz6yp-bCc2uS-bR6LMP-bR6jhx-bR6rHt-CqJyt-sqg7q2-4TgSjk-bCbWKG-bR6DLv-bR6KTa-bCbRBS-bCbXSf-bCbMTC-bCbFn9-bCc8vs-bCbZHq-bCbLn7-bCbR2b-8Zdkbv-bCc1E3-bCc64f-bR6Jpn-bCbEj7-bBLYhZ-bR6N4V">Maryland GovPics</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is true that of late, the decision-making power of school boards has been curtailed by recent national (e.g., <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml">No Child Left Behind</a> and <a href="http://www.ed.gov/essa">Every Student Succeeds Act</a>) and state (e.g., <a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED473720">state takeover laws</a>) policies. For example, when NCLB came up with its own guidelines for “highly qualified teachers,” school boards had to ensure that their definition for teachers’ qualifications aligned with federal standards and not only with local priorities and standards. Ignoring these federal guidelines was accompanied by the potential loss of federal funding. </p>
<p>Even with these recent limitations, however, school boards nonetheless remain important. They can modify, regulate, innovate and resist state and federal policy demands. </p>
<p>This ability to resist or modify policy guidelines was evident recently after the Obama administration released its <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-201605-title-ix-transgender.pdf">“Letter on Transgender Students,”</a> which advised school districts to treat transgender students based on their expressed gender identity rather than their sex assignment at birth. </p>
<p>School boards across the country were called upon by local citizens to resist this policy. In some cases, <a href="http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/education/2016/02/23/lgbt-brevard-school-meeting-draws-crowds/80814556/">local school boards voted</a> to not comply with the Obama administrations guidelines. </p>
<p>Thus despite their relatively low profile, school boards have the power to dramatically shape local educational experiences by modifying, or even at times ignoring, state and federal rules and regulations. </p>
<h2>How widespread is outside money?</h2>
<p>This ability to alter or resist state and national policy may be the motivating force behind the recent investment by wealthy, national donors. </p>
<p>To examine this rise in donations to local school board candidates, <a href="http://uar.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/08/09/1078087416663004.full.pdf?ijkey=VwXQR0XzBxo8aFx&keytype=finite">we investigated over 18,000 campaign contributions</a> in local education elections between 2008 and 2013 in five cities (Bridgeport, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and New Orleans). We selected these five sites for examination because they were geographically and politically diverse and yet all five had school board elections where national donors became involved. </p>
<p>We found that donations from outside donors were widespread and significant. In the 2012-2013 elections, for example, we found that large outside donors gave over $2.8 million to school board candidates and committees, comprising 44 percent of all funds contributed by individuals. <a href="http://uar.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/08/09/1078087416663004.full.pdf?ijkey=VwXQR0XzBxo8aFx&keytype=finite">This represents a significant increase</a> from 2009-2010, when large outside donors comprised only 4 percent of donations in the cities we examined. </p>
<p>The figure below shows the growth of out-of-state donations by individuals in each city. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144610/original/image-20161104-27925-ymve9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=584&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In-state vs. out-of-state individual donations by city and by year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Data Source: Authors’ Data</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who’s making the contributions?</h2>
<p>By examining publicly available campaign finance disclosure reports, which are filed by all candidates, including school board candidates, and list each donor and the amount donated, we were able to track a list of wealthy donors who contributed at least $1,000 in one election cycle (<a href="https://ethics.lacity.org/campaignfinance.cfm">see here</a> for an example of how to access these data). In total, we found 96 large national donors involved in education philanthropy and education reform. These donors included, for example:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reed-hastings-netflix-bio-2015-8">Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix</a>, who donated in Los Angeles in 2011 ($150,000) and 2013 ($100,000) and in New Orleans in 2013 ($2,500). The high-tech billionaire is active in supporting the development of new charter schools and founded educational organizations such as NewSchools.org and Aspire Public Schools. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144898/original/image-20161107-4683-10ajx7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Reed Hastings.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/re-publica/16760697834/in/photolist-rx5XwS-stYCEg-scMne8-9jdZbs-j3EXbe-5BQvAf-srNyUo-q8qJnA-egnoEy-scEEdw-scEsMY-9jasn7-A5FGZ-eaTzdN-fvZNk6-sud3qH-9UgLqZ-eaTAFf-eaMYHV-eaMXbP-eaMY8a-iZu339-2AJju-eggDGg-5BQvAC-2WrM-egnoUA-sGZuJY-n9ETU-61T2xM-5BLdKZ-9UgLr6-82WugK-sccaXs-xkS59-5BLdNg-82ZCUA-9UgLr8-6qW2ct-4SeARf-5BQvzq-47aZAA-476V2t-9TvUCF-snKfP-9UgLri-5qJi5-sK7ZVJ-5BQvwQ-5BQvz1">re:publica</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=4509275&privcapId=4509225">Alan</a> and Jennifer Fournier, who donated in Indianapolis in 2012 ($4,000), Los Angeles in 2013 ($2,000) and New Orleans in 2012 ($2,200). Alan Fournier is <a href="http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wall-street-donors/alan-fournier.html">founder</a> of Pennant Capital Management, which manages $6 billion in assets. Alan Fournier cofounded (with <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/15/david-tepper-hedge-fund-manager-on-guard-toward-stock-market.html">David Tepper</a>, a hedge funds manager), <a href="http://b4njkids.org/">Better Education for Kids</a>, which advocates for tenure reform and greater teacher accountability. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.citybridgefoundation.org/team/katherine-bradley/">Katherine Bradley</a>, the president of CityBridge Foundation, which “finds, incubates and invests in the most promising practices in public education,” who donated in Denver in 2009 ($500) and 2013 ($6,500), New Orleans in 2012 ($2,500) and Los Angeles in 2013 ($2,000). </p>
<p><a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/laurene-powell-jobs/">Laurene Powell Jobs</a>, wife to the late Steve Jobs and founder of Emerson Collective, who donated to Los Angeles in 2009 ($1,000) and 2013 ($103,000), New Orleans in 2012 ($2,500) and Denver in 2009 ($2,525). She is active in school reform and is a board member for several education nonprofits including Teach for America, the New Schools Venture Fund, and Stand for Children. </p>
<h2>Could the top 0.01 percent change local schools?</h2>
<p>Outside money may not be a bad thing if the values and interests of donors align with residents in the communities. It might even be a good thing if outside donations raise the visibility of school board elections, so often plagued by disengagement.</p>
<p>Perhaps bigger campaign war chests and close election battles will fuel engagement in school board elections, increase voter turnout and increase awareness of education issues. But these presumed benefits rest on the assumption that these elite donors share the same values and interests of the local community. </p>
<p>Research suggests that this assumption is unlikely to hold because policy preferences among the very wealthy differ from most Americans. Research by prominent academics working on economic inequality, <a href="http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/%7Ejnd260/cab/CAB2012%20-%20Page1.pdf">Benjamin I. Page, Larry M. Bartels and Jason Seawright</a>, captures these differences. These scholars found that,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“[o]n many important issues, the preferences of the wealthy appear to differ markedly from those of the general public.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>These different preferences are borne out in our data as well. We found that <a href="http://uar.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/08/09/1078087416663004.full.pdf?ijkey=VwXQR0XzBxo8aFx&keytype=finite">national donors favored</a> “reform” candidates, or, put simply, those who supported policies such as school choice, performance-based accountability and adoption of the Common Core of State Standards. </p>
<p>School choice offers parents the ability to choose a their child’s public school rather than being assigned one based on one’s home location. Performance-based accountability plans generally require that school or teacher performance evaluations be based upon student standardized test scores. Schools or teachers <a href="http://www.edweek.org/rc/articles/2008/03/04/sow0304.h27.html">may face sanctions</a> if these targets are not met. The <a href="http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/development-process/">Common Core of State Standards (CCSS)</a>, adopted voluntarily by states, outline what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. </p>
<p>We found that candidates who received union support <a href="http://uar.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/08/09/1078087416663004.full.pdf?ijkey=VwXQR0XzBxo8aFx&keytype=finite">received almost no support</a> from large, national donors. This targeted funding ultimately shaped, at least in some cases, the focus of the election debate.</p>
<h2>Here is why it matters</h2>
<p>The concentration of funds on candidates with particular policy agendas can squeeze out other policy issues. For example, a candidate we interviewed who was very interested in restoring adult education programs for immigrant parents noted,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It [money] changes the discourse…their [the reform candidates] message is the only message. Not just the dominant message anymore. It’s the only message that people are hearing.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>While this candidates wanted to focus on the importance of providing adult education programs for immigrant parents, he felt his message about the importance of this issue was unable to compete with the messages being put forth by the reform candidates because he lacked funding to promote his policy agenda. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/144895/original/image-20161107-4669-113sdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What changes in public schools when wealthy donors get involved?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/6233339252/in/photolist-auPuAq-eowcsm-nXst2t-gZxNxQ-aDoLpP-7NTPGn-nocbWr-dMbHcy-7z7nA8-pdkaV2-aEdWc5-6NzxWW-6Nzx1A-5wCB3M-8UAvRs-eKsFxB-ajCYNC-rk2pPy-8ruiG5-o6UDG7-dz27wr-enWtJ8-8rqyqn-4ahAgw-7zeVz-5CKuKa-nocygt-aDoUpH-5PR25T-5vmkcz-cbLMj1-8Gn5bq-3Rbvct-8zWhxG-fzk4cn-Ma595-nxNiDK-mYoBUQ-5HtRMq-oHQAkx-9YU2Bc-8MKniF-6r5HQf-9a6x89-7FMndG-newNtp-aa1tWH-dMaX4L-nXmJB-eM7jWY">woodleywonderworks</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In our interviews, candidates who received outside funds noted that additional funding enabled them to reach voters more often and through multiple strategies. One candidate supported by large, national donors explained that in addition to mailings and yard signs, more traditional forms of reaching voters, the additional funds enabled him to hire a professional videographer who filmed and edited three vignettes that were shown on TV: one at his home with his family, one in a local library in the community and one in a classroom. </p>
<p>Even traditional forms of contact were given an upgrade. For example, a candidate noted that her materials were “more polished” with “nice photos,” something other candidates were unable to do because of a lack of funds. </p>
<p>Some candidates we interviewed felt voters benefited from this, whereas others worried that voters were “inundated” with information from just a few candidates. One candidate described how a friend received seven mailers from a candidate supported by outside funding in a single day. Candidates without this level of funding repeatedly noted that their message couldn’t compete. </p>
<h2>Increasing polarization</h2>
<p>As with state and national elections, we heard from several candidates that outside donations were also leading to increased conflict during campaigns and less willingness to compromise once elected. </p>
<p>One candidate described the polarization of the local board as being “very much like our federal government” where board members were either “a charter school candidate or a union backed candidate” and when on the board, “nobody can cross the line.” </p>
<p>As a result, some expressed concern that voters were becoming more cynical and less confident in their local public schools.</p>
<p>One candidate shared that she heard from voters on several occasions to “please stop calling” because “I’ve already gotten 10 calls this week about the election.” This candidate was concerned that disengagement in the form of low voter turnout was a direct result of citizens being turned off by the election.</p>
<h2>What does this mean for public schools?</h2>
<p>We certainly support greater attention to improving our public education system. But reform takes time. It takes compromise. It takes understanding of the day-to-day realities of local schools. </p>
<p>The old fashioned school boards, with all of their faults, were often slow and pragmatic, a force that could shield school leaders, teachers and students from broader political forces that whip the local agenda back and forth. </p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether school boards are strengthened by the nationalization of local school board elections or whether the injection of national funds will hinder the ability of schools to improve.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65869/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Jacobsen receives funding from the Spencer Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Spencer Foundation provided us with a small grant for research on this topic.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Reckhow receives funding from the Spencer Foundation and W.T. Grant Foundation. </span></em></p>The involvement of large wealthy donors in local schools is influencing who gets elected to govern on school boards. Why does it matter?Rebecca Jacobsen, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Michigan State UniversityJeffrey Henig, Professor of Political Science and Education, Teachers College, Columbia UniversitySarah Reckhow, Assistant Professor of Political Science , Michigan State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/579392016-05-23T10:12:21Z2016-05-23T10:12:21ZCould a tweet or a text increase college enrollment or student achievement?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123413/original/image-20160520-10353-8ul9rq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When do texting, tweeting work?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/garryknight/7003178857/in/photolist-bER864-boFzXZ-Ft5Xgo-6BCFa1-5Q5fr6-aqryhz-AHzBz-8URHGt-edebYm-iCXCMt-nJkxJX-rgjf2s-af4pCw-8V8tAB-5fyta3-kwJtip-68YiR1-dYNhJq-9wExRp-8ModNU-ohaoWW-9n7AtS-d5pe2U-pszrNU-ecS4bj-ctKkzW-dNoPqv-9JfEcZ-f8sjnv-fM2ZcC-eCUmQ8-aUremF-8mFSHR-53upeE-iUiPSs-9wbQGN-6onNpx-6uxDqr-smXDy5-8yNVij-9DaPfM-6KpwXx-aSMgav-CXH8o-hWTp71-8xVZNQ-bLRvp2-6cdxFp-9Zvi9m-718Q3Z">Garry Knight</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Can a few text messages, a timely email or a letter increase college enrollment and student achievement? Such “nudges,” designed carefully using behavioral economics, can be effective.</p>
<p>But when do they work – and when not? </p>
<h2>Barriers to success</h2>
<p>Consider students who have just graduated high school intending to enroll in college. Even among those who have been accepted to college, 15 percent of low-income students <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ssqu.12032/pdf">do not enroll by the next fall</a>. For the large share who intend to enroll in community colleges, this number can be <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2014.12.008">as high as 40 percent</a>.</p>
<p>There are a number of possible reasons for this attrition: many families <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/staff_reports/sr739.pdf">overestimate the cost of college</a> because the sticker price of colleges can be much higher than the net price (the sticker price minus the potentially large amount of aid a low-income student could receive); students may struggle <a href="http://qje.oxfordjournals.org/content/127/3/1205">with complex financial aid forms</a>; there may be <a href="http://econ.msu.edu/seminars/docs/Carrell%20Sacerdote%20College%20Coaching%20Late%20Interventions%207.16.12.pdf">a lack of support</a> to guide them through the application process. So, even when low-income students who are high-achieving <em>do</em> enroll in college, the majority fail to enroll in a college that is comparable <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w18586">to their level of achievement</a>.</p>
<p>Can a few text messages or a timely email overcome these barriers? My research uses behavioral economics to design low-cost, scalable interventions aimed at improving education outcomes. Behavioral economics suggests several important features to make a nudge effective: simplify complex information, make tasks easier to complete and ensure that support is timely.</p>
<p>So, what makes for an effective nudge?</p>
<h2>Improving college enrollment</h2>
<p>In 2012, researchers <a href="http://batten.virginia.edu/school/people/benjamin-castleman">Ben Castleman</a> and <a href="https://www.education.pitt.edu/people/profile.aspx?f=LindsayPage">Lindsay Page</a> sent 10 text messages to nearly 2,000 college-intending students the summer after high school graduation. These messages provided just-in-time reminders on key financial aid, housing and enrollment deadlines from early July to mid August.</p>
<p>Instead of set meetings with counselors, students could reply to messages and receive on-demand support from college guidance counselors to complete key tasks. </p>
<p>In another intervention – <a href="http://siepr.stanford.edu/research/publications/expanding-college-opportunities-high-achieving-low-income-students">the Expanding College Opportunities Project (ECO)</a> – researchers <a href="https://economics.stanford.edu/people/caroline-m-hoxby">Caroline Hoxby</a> and <a href="http://curry.virginia.edu/about/directory/sarah-e.-turner">Sarah Turner</a> worked to help high-achieving, low-income students enroll in colleges on par with their achievement. The intervention arrived to students as a packet in the mail.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123416/original/image-20160520-4475-1x9fhgh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What happens when an intervention arrives in a mail?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&autocomplete_id=&search_tracking_id=3hUqWo4dsQ1x4jXBhvu-gg&searchterm=letter%20in%20mail&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=318761603">Mail image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<p>The mailer simplified information by providing a list of colleges tailored to each student’s location along with information about net costs, graduation rates, and application deadlines. Moreover, the mailer included easy-to-claim application fee waivers. All these features reduced both the complexity and cost in applying to a wider range of colleges.</p>
<p>In both cases, researchers found that it significantly improved college outcomes. College enrollment went up by 15 percent in the intervention designed to reduce summer melt for community college students. The ECO project increased the likelihood of admission to a selective college by 78 percent.</p>
<h2>Getting parents involved</h2>
<p>Of course, it’s not just at college enrollment time that nudging can be helpful. Parents also face behavioral barriers while their children are in middle and high school. Many parents underestimate the number of assignments <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/%7Epsb2101/BergmanSubmission.pdf">their child has not turned in</a> as well as the number of school days their <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16356435">child has missed</a>. Unfortunately, schools often do a poor job communicating this information to parents <a href="http://www.civicenterprises.net/MediaLibrary/Docs/one_dream_two_realities.pdf">in a timely fashion</a>. </p>
<p>I tested an intervention that sent text messages to parents about their child’s missed assignments and grades. The messages were frequent – sent four times more often than report cards – and provided detailed information to parents about their child’s missed assignments and grades. Each message listed page numbers and problems students needed to complete so that parents could track their child’s progress.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/123418/original/image-20160520-27853-iaepe9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The involvement of parents cam motivate children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/moregoodfoundation/5138615947/in/photolist-8Q5KuF-siP2uS-uC5VL-ct8Rq-6dduu-71Kr2J-aGRCxM-6MbZmy-6M7HQv-6M7Kfa-6MbXqm-6Cgx7-nN5dxA-5R2khv-kqWYbY-5LjvJG-31oyD-nyXG49-nHfFbY-2CwbS-6U7v28-fhUbjp-dLgMc-8GcWzL-ajrqZX-2Cwdr-h9PZC-fJYeFd-g1Hd9-6CgwC-6T9H6u-5PgmcR-cqYi9-5gZbNB-pzmWr-eNsbwW-5PkD1L-e1bVZ4-dfkPz-o4cGj-84YGY-rxBUk-bAyYsa-dyn9kZ-5fLGJg-o8WFKH-rxD8J-9d6YmX-5kB5qf-4VYQCe">More Good Foundation</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>Parents responded by communicating with the school more often and motivating their children to do the work: students turned in 25 percent more assignments, which led to <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/%7Epsb2101/BergmanSubmission.pdf">significant improvements</a> in grades and evidence of increased math scores.</p>
<h2>When there is no impact</h2>
<p>While these interventions are promising, there are important caveats. </p>
<p>For instance, our preliminary findings from ongoing research show that information alone may not be enough. We sent emails and letters to more than one hundred thousand college applicants about financial aid and education-related tax benefits. However, we didn’t provide any additional support to help families through the process of <em>claiming</em> these benefits.</p>
<p>In other words, we didn’t provide any support to complete the tasks – no fee waivers, no connection to guidance counselors – just the email and the letter. Without this support to answer questions or help families complete forms to claim the benefits, we found no impact, even when students opened the emails. </p>
<p>More generally, “nudges” often lead to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/opinion/15loewenstein.html?_r=2&hp">modest impacts</a> and should be considered only a part of the solution. But there’s a dearth of low-cost, scalable interventions in education, and behavioral economics can help. </p>
<p>Identifying the crucial decision points – when applications are due, forms need to be filled out or school choices are made – and supplying the just-in-time support to families is key.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/57939/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Bergman has consulted with Mathematica Policy Research, McGraw-Hill Education and Upraised Learning to develop scalable education interventions. He has received funding from the Smith Richardson Foundation and the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation to test the effectiveness of alerts to parents.</span></em></p>It’s that time of the year when students get ready to enroll in college. But many don’t, even after being accepted. What can be done?Peter Bergman, Assistant Professor of Economics and Education, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/126312013-03-15T00:01:08Z2013-03-15T00:01:08ZOnline students need more face-to-face time, not less<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/20954/original/pfwm4vgc-1362453075.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C0%2C958%2C739&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Online learning offers plenty of opportunities but only if it's done right.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Online learning image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Higher education, we’re told, is rapidly heading towards huge transformation and technological disruption.</p>
<p>Advocates of online education promise that advances in online learning technologies – by permitting course enrolments in the tens of thousands and leveraging crowd-sourcing for peer review — will make a high quality, low cost higher education accessible to any student.</p>
<p>In the meantime, in the US and elsewhere, universities and colleges are swiftly expanding their offerings of what one might call “old-fashioned” online courses: classes designed by individual instructors with enrolments of 25 or so students. </p>
<p>In 2011, almost seven million American undergraduates were enrolled in such courses. </p>
<p>For the sake of these online students, as well as those yet to enrol, it is important to withdraw our gaze from the glow of what could be, and direct it for a moment toward what is. Only by examining the actual experiences of students in online courses today can we understand both the potential of online learning, and its pitfalls.</p>
<p>Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, recently concluded <a href="http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Online-Education-Instructional-Technology.html">a series of studies</a> that took a close look at online courses
in one American state’s community college system. We found that most consisted of
readings and assignments placed online, along with “chat rooms” where students were
asked to hold discussions with their peers. </p>
<p>While the technologies deployed varied in
sophistication, in almost all classes one quality remained more or less constant: there
was little meaningful interaction between students and their teachers.</p>
<p>Students were acutely aware of this absence. They told us that if they expected to
struggle in a subject or really “wanted to learn something,” they preferred a traditional classroom where they had more contact with their teachers. </p>
<p>Interestingly, an analysis of the factors that predicted student performance in online classes — factors that included course design and use of technology, among others — found that only one predicted better grades: the depth of interpersonal interaction among students and instructors.</p>
<p>Another team of our researchers <a href="http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/defining-role-community-college-student.html">examined</a> the role that non-academic factors play in the ability of students to successfully complete a qualification. Interviews with students and faculty made clear made clear that many students arrive at college without possessing or understanding the skills and strategies necessary for academic success. </p>
<p>These skills are as basic as time management, taking notes, using a library and recognising when, how and whom to ask for help.</p>
<p>Interestingly, interviews with online faculty made clear that they expected their students
to be relatively adept and independent learners: students had to be able to manage
their time, take initiative, and generate their own approach to mastering course material.</p>
<p>In other words, to be successful, online learners needed precisely the skills we found to be so deficient in entry level students.</p>
<p>It is perhaps not surprising, then, that our studies have found that students fail and withdraw from online courses at a higher rate — in some subjects, up to twice as frequently — than they do from “face-to-face” classes. Even more troubling, <a href="http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/adaptability-to-online-learning.html">this decline in performance is steeper</a> for groups of students, including minorities, that
are already lower performing. </p>
<p>In other words, existing achievement gaps between, for example, whites and blacks or females and males are exacerbated in the online classroom.</p>
<p>Together, these findings suggest that large numbers of college students need more, not
less support from their teachers; yet, perversely, many online courses ask students to teach themselves. </p>
<p>This request may be reasonable when it is aimed at well-prepared students who have the habits necessary to succeed, and most discussions about the potential benefits of online learning are held with these college-ready students in mind. </p>
<p>For the millions of students who arrive underprepared, however, many from families
with no higher education experience, college or university is a place they go to learn how to learn. It is unlikely that even the most responsive technologies can replace the kind of student-teacher interaction that both hard data and anecdotal evidence indicate are vital in motivating and inspiring such students to succeed.</p>
<p>Online learning will continue to make significant inroads in the post-secondary sector; it may even lower costs. But it remains an open question as to whether this trend will increase access to high quality higher education, or further accentuate glaring gaps in educational advantage. </p>
<p>To ensure the latter does not happen, universities and colleges will have to rethink their approach to online learning.</p>
<p>To start with, the sector should spend fewer resources expanding online offerings, and more on preparing students and training faculty for the demands of online classes.
They should be more deliberate about which courses to put online, and expend greater
effort in evaluating and enhancing student preparation. </p>
<p>Finally, they must require faculty
training in methods that support meaningful interaction with students in the virtual
space.</p>
<p>These adjustments will require time and money, and there is the possibility that truly effective online learning will not cost significantly less than traditional classroom
learning. </p>
<p>However, if online learning is to achieve the purported goal of helping all students attain a quality higher education, now is the time to make these investments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/12631/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Higher education, we’re told, is rapidly heading towards huge transformation and technological disruption. Advocates of online education promise that advances in online learning technologies – by permitting…Shanna Smith Jaggars, Assistant Director, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityThomas Bailey, George & Abby O'Neill Professor of Economics and Education; Director, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.