Gina's Research

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I have decided to put myself out on the "proverbial limb" and share the first draft of my Executive Position Paper (EPP) for my Educational Doctorate Degree. My EPP will be based, as you are about to read, on my work at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown Delaware. You can link to my introduction to learn more about me, and perhaps I will go and update it now as well.

I returned to finish my Ed.D in the Spring of 2008. I am scheduled to complete my coursework in May 2010. I wrote this short proposal for my EPP last summer and have done a very few revisions based on my professors suggestions. My advisor has other suggestions.

I am posting it below - in the spirit of collaboration – and to share my progress with you - the online friends and colleagues whose opinions I have come to value.


Gina Lobaccaro 12/10/2009

Introduction and Problem Statement

Delaware and the Federal government recognize the attainment of a GED as a “primary education goal” for all incarcerated learners. It is essential that as many incarcerated students as possible earn a GED- in particular those who are going to be released from prison in one to three years (Foley, 2004; Nuttall, 2003; Steurer, Smith & Tracy 2001). However, at SCI, we have had long waiting lists of students for Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes, which must be completed before inmates can move into GED prep classes.

I manage all federal and state student and program data for the prison education department. These data show that the inmate students who entered our prison education program with GED prep level skills earned a GED in a reasonable period of time. Those inmates who score at the ABE level, however, have remained on a waiting list of 50-60 inmates for over 6 months. When they did get into ABE classes, they spent excessive hours in class. While some students make modest gains, usually these are not enough to move into GED preparation classes thus they fail to earn the GED which in turn hurts their chances of successful transition into jobs and society upon release.

Approximately two years ago, ABE & GED teachers were mandated to retest all students after every 60 hours of instruction. Six months later by tracking student data, I realized that our teachers were not following the 60 hour retesting mandate.

In December of 2007, to help the teachers with this problem, I created a report which has become known as the “60 Hour Monthly Reassessment Report”. Each month after I enter attendance data, I send the ABE and GED teachers a report listing each student’s name, the number of hours since their last assessment, and the next version of the TABE test that the student requires.

During the second half of the 2008 fiscal year the number of students who moved from the high intermediate to the low adult secondary (GED) level increased significantly. This fiscal year those same numbers skyrocketed. Information from the past five years, indicate the success of the “60 Hour Report”.


Description

It is evident that there was a significant increase in the number and percentage of students who moved from the high intermediate to the low adult secondary level and who moved from ABE to GED classes. There are other factors, unrelated to the “60-hour report” that may have influenced the dramatic increase, but I believe the report had a primary impact on the number of students who made the level change. It is imperative that we replicate the trends, numbers and percentages this fiscal year and in the future.

One reason for the long waiting lists was slow progress in their ABE classes. One way to improve their progress, it appears, is improved data management and interpretation. If we use data more effectively to monitor progress and manage instruction we can shorten student time spent in these classes, and transition students more successfully into the GED preparation class. I also believe that there are researched based instructional strategies that should be incorporated into the ABE classroom settings to make comparable and continued improvements.

There are currently over 60 men waiting for ABE class placement. The waiting list for the ABE class is still too long and the average waiting time remains at approximately 6 months. As a result of the increase of numbers of students who have made the level changes, there is now a waiting list for GED class.

Improvement Goal

My primary goal is to improve the effectiveness of the ABE classes. This is defined as decreasing significantly the number of hours SCI students spend in ABE classes before achieving the required academic levels necessary to qualify to take the GED test. The secondary goal is to shorten the average student’s time on the waiting list. Finally, based on the past two years’ outcomes, I expect to see a significant increase in the number and percentage of GEDs earned by inmate students on the main compound at SCI. I would expect to see an increase of at least 30 to 50% more GEDs earned in the 2010 fiscal year. I would also expect to see that trend increase in the future.

Problem Solving Plan

I will continue to explore the possibilities for improving the usage of data management for program improvement. Data management will include the continuation of the “60 Hour Report” and a reprioritization of the waiting list that more closely meets the state’s current guidelines.

I am also creating and teaching a model “Fast Track for GED” academic class in the computer lab which includes a smaller tutor to student ratio, a greater use of technology for instruction, and a student mentor training program. I hope to demonstrate this class as a model that can be replicated in other correctional education settings.

Improvement Goal

My primary goal is to improve the effectiveness of the ABE classes. This is defined as decreasing significantly the number of hours SCI students spend in ABE classes before achieving the required academic levels necessary to qualify to take the GED test. The secondary goal is to shorten the average student’s time on the waiting list. Finally, based on the past two years’ outcomes, I expect to see a significant increase in the number and percentage of GEDs earned by inmate students on the main compound at SCI. I would expect to see an increase of at least 30 to 50% more GEDs earned in the 2010 fiscal year. I would also expect to see that trend increase in the future.

Problem Solving Plan

I will continue to explore the possibilities for improving the usage of data management for program improvement. Data management will include the continuation of the “60 Hour Report” and a reprioritization of the waiting list that more closely meets the state’s current guidelines.

I am also creating and teaching a model “Fast Track for GED” academic class in the computer lab which includes a smaller tutor to student ratio, a greater use of technology for instruction, and a student mentor training program. I hope to demonstrate this class as a model that can be replicated in other correctional education settings.

Description


Key Questions and Tasks

Question #1: What are the benefits for inmate students who improve their education and/or earn a GED while incarcerated?

Rationale: This section of my EPP will show that that correctional education and GED attainment has a positive effect on recidivism rates, the inmates’ ability to survive on the outside in the “job market”, inmate morale, facility security and the cost of incarceration. Some studies are methodologically weak, but research shows that education program participants recidivate at a lower rate than nonparticipants. Most offenders eventually return to their communities, but many of them do so with what Coley and Barton term their own three strikes: 1) low literacy levels, which employers wish to avoid; 2) breaks in their employment history, which employers like to avoid; and 3) a general reluctance on the part of employers to hire former prisoners. Prisoners enrolled in education programs have reported serving as role-models for other inmates, causing others to evaluate their goals and motivation for the future. These same inmates reported improvement in their own personal behavior, citing a reduced number of infractions against prison rules (Gendron & Cavan, 1990)

Information Sources:

  • Wilson, D. B., Gallagher, C. A., & MacKenzie, D. L. (2000). A meta-analysis of corrections-based education, vocation, and work programs for adult offenders. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 37, 347-368.
  • Coley, Richard & Barton, Paul. Locked Up and Locked Out: An Educational Perspective on the U.S. Prison Population. Publication of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). 2006.
  • Gendron, D., & Cavan, J. J. (1990). Managing a successful inmate-education program: Why and how? Community College Review, 18, 31-39.

Question #2: What instructional strategies are being used at the other Delaware prison programs, and are they showing significantly higher outcomes (numbers of students moving from high intermediate to low adult secondary levels and from ABE to GED classes)?

Rationale: The ABE teachers at SCI have continuously and consistently used individualized instruction in math and reading but have done little if any writing instruction and have not adopted consistent computer assisted instruction. I have started to incorporate CAI within my “Fast Track” class and hope to promote its use more widely among all instructors.

I have started to review literature on direct instruction vs. individualized instruction strategies in ABE classes (prison classes as well as otherwise), but there is much more literature to be gathered and reviewed and so this task needs to be completed. I will continue to review the literature on computer assisted instruction.

I plan to interview Delaware (and perhaps Maryland and DC) ABE prison educators to determine what strategies they utilize regularly in their instruction and what strategies they believe are most effective. I will compare their responses to their outcomes (the number of students at the high intermediate levels that move from ABE to GED levels).

Information Sources

Batchelder compared traditional academic instruction and traditional academic instruction plus computer assisted instruction (CAI) in a maximum security setting. Students in the prison education program were randomly assigned to an intensive 80 contact hour (4-week) program in one of two formats; traditional academic instruction or academic instruction plus CAI. A comparison of pretest and posttest data indicated that a significant increase had occurred in achievement scores. A comparison of the effect of CAI was not significant, although the achievement scores of the students participating in CAI were higher than inmates participating in the traditional instruction only. CAI programs that incorporated individualized instruction and support from teachers or volunteers appear to yield significant increases in academic achievement.

  • Batchelder, J. S., et. al., Efficacy of a computer-assisted instruction program in a prison setting: an experimental study. Adult Education Quarterly v. 50 no. 2 (February 2000) p. 120-33

Question #3: What data are most critical for determining which students will be successful in education programs and for prioritizing students on the waiting list (within the the State of Delaware’s guidelines)?

Rationale: I have recently learned from the State Director that we were not prioritizing students correctly, but we have some leeway to make decisions in the future. I now have the correct guidelines, and in collaboration with the teacher supervisor and the educational diagnostician, we will determine the most fair and equitable way to prioritize the waiting list within the guidelines.

I will do further research on how the other prisons are prioritizing their waiting lists (if they do in fact have waiting lists).

Information Sources

What does research say about using data for program improvement? One quote: “Creating quality interim assessments and aligning them to student learning goals are critical actions in determining the next instructional steps and, ultimately, increasing academic achievement for all students.”

  • Pulliam, L. A. The Quest for Quality Instructional Data. T.H.E. Journal v. 32 no. 9 (April 2005) p. 36, 38


[edit]

Questions about Classrooms and Research

  • What are the best practices for preparing high intermediate ABE learners to take and pass the GED in the shortest period of time?
  • How are other prisons preparing high intermediate ABE learners for GED classes and/or to take the OPT and the Official GED, and have they been successful?
  • How can we best train and utilize inmate peer mentors and tutors to facilitate this process? Are there other training programs already established that prepare tutors and mentors to teach/mentor students in reading, writing and math?
  • What questions should I be asking the students now- at the beginning of the project? I want to develop a good, solid questionaire to determine students' goals as family members, community members, and workers (I will be using EFF guidelines), motivation, their previous school experiences, and


[edit]

My Links and Your Suggestions for Links

I plan/hope to collaborate with the prison treatment staff (who have manuals), the kitchen and laundry and other staff (who have directories/recipes/charts/etc), the law librarian (who has a wealth of simple and more complicated legal documents), the chaplain, and other prison staff to gather authentic reading and writing resources for our ABE staff to use to compliment our reading and writing instruction programs.

I find most of my research on WilsonWeb, a full-text data base provided online through the University of Delaware. Then I try to find a version of the article available online and available to others without the UD access. I liked this article. I am considering - no I am planning now - to start a writing project with the inmate students based on their own goals and needs and have them save their work in digital portfolios. I need to decide on a limited number of suggestions to research for my EPP.

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