Urban Education Commons^™

School Climate: A Comparison Of Teachers, Students, And Parents, James A. Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the benefits of positive school climate and to measure the perceptions of school climate for intermediate grades in a Northeast Tennessee School district. An online school climate survey was used to collect responses from participants in intermediate grades and focused on the 3 major components of school climate: school engagement, school environment, and school safety. Data were collected for 2 consecutive years in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Response totals included 1,955 student responses, 116 teacher responses, and 210 parent responses that were analyzed and used for this study. Of the student totals, some students ...

Parents With Criminal Record History And Their Experiences Navigating Parental Involvement In An Urban Elementary School: A Case Study, Stephanie White

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This dissertation examined the experiences of parents with criminal record history who want to participate in their child’s education. A convergent mixed methods design aided the researcher to quantitatively measure levels of involvement within a high poverty, urban elementary school with the Parent Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the Elementary and Middle Grades (Sheldon & Epstein, 2007) and qualitatively with an embedded case study (Yin, 2014) with parents (n=3) as embedded units of analysis. Participants in the case study had to navigate around a rejected volunteer background check and restrictive school district policy to be involved in ...

How Factors Of School Leadership, School Culture, And Teachers’ Perceptions Influence Parental Engagement In Two Title I Urban Middle Schools: Implications For Educational Leaders, Jenevee Spence

Electronic Theses & Dissertations Collection for Atlanta University & Clark Atlanta University

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify how the select factors of school leadership, school culture and teachers’ perceptions influence parental engagement in two Title I Urban Middle Schools. This study investigated the strategies and programs that have an impact on parental engagement to determine how these can be used to improve parental engagement in Title I Urban Middle Schools. In order to accomplish the goal of this qualitative study, two Urban Title I Middle Schools from a large school district in the Southeastern United States were selected. This research design provided the opportunity to address the research ...

Exploring The Community Cultural Wealth Of Low-Income Collegians Of Color In Their Transition From High School To College, Lindsey B. Jakiel Diulus

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This narrative study explores the transition from high school to college for low-income students of color who participated in a college access mentoring program, the College Admissions Project (CAP) while in twelfth-grade. A community cultural wealth (CCW) lens guides this research and is used to examine student experiences. CAP alumni who enrolled in an institution of higher education in the fall semester immediately following their high school graduation are the participants in this study. A narrative approach to inquiry is used because the author is interested in the particular experiences of a few individuals. Specifically, the experiences of low-income students ...

African American Women Baccalaureate Success: A Reflective Look At Pre-Collegiate Years Influencing Transition, Persistence, And Degree Attainment, Leilah K. Kirkendoll

Dissertations

African American women are graduating from college at rates higher than their Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American and even their African American male peers. This level of college persistence and success is occurring amid the challenges they face and share with their peers of the same schools, neighborhoods and society. Similar to many of their peers, these young women experience under-resourced schools and limited college preparation. In addition, they have unique school challenges including experiences with negative stereotypes and harsh discipline policies. African American women also face societal challenges through experiences with trauma, foster care and disproportionate early parenting ...

Principal Professional Development And Principal Self-Efficacy In An Urban School District., Brian Thomas Garrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educator professional development (PD) is a heavily relied upon method for school improvement, and administrator professional development (APD) is a key element to nearly all school reform efforts. District-wide APD in large school districts can carry a heavy cost in financial and human resources. Moreover, PD is frequently too inadequately planned and/or implemented to bring about lasting positive change in educator practice, school reform, and student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between principal PD focused on culture/climate or instruction and principal self-efficacy in an urban school district. Through hierarchical linear multiple regression ...

The Achiever April 2018, Dan B. Askey

EOP Newsletters

From the Director... pg 1
New Employee Highlights…pg. 2
Important Reminders…pg. 3
Motivational Corner…pg. 3
Nursing Support Group…pg. 4
Pre-Freshman Summer Program…pg. 4
Financial Aid Report…pg. 5
EOP @ Scholar’s Day…pg. 6
Women of Distinction…pg. 7
Study Abroad...pg. 7
Tips: LinkedIn…pg. 8
Graduate Highlights…pg. 9
Annual Banquet Highlights …pg. 10

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design ...

Educational Policy Development For Closing The Black And White Achievement Gap, Markisha Mitchell

Dissertations

Abstract

Across the United States in almost every city, every suburb, and every rural area, there is a gap between the achievements of Black and White students. The term “achievement gap” has become an accepted label in situations where Black students severely underperform relative to their White counterparts. Many school districts have discretely avoided discussing and/or addressing this gap for decades. School District Z, located in an urban suburb of a large Midwestern city, is the focus of this research as they attempt to address the gap. Approximately two-thirds of District Z is composed of students of color, yet ...

Increasing The Buy-In And Effectiveness Of A Social And Emotional Learning Class Program In A Single Sex, Urban And Charter High School: Social And Emotional Learning Specialists And Student Perceptions Of Its Implementation., Kizawanda A. Olowe

Dissertations

Social-emotional learning has yet to be implemented in many schools in America. Without adequate social and emotional skills, students struggle to navigate their academic and social environments. Students attending a single-sex, urban charter school participated in focus groups and completed surveys about their perceptions of a social-emotional learning program that was implemented during the 2015–2016 school year. Social-emotional learning facilitators completed surveys and participated in focus groups to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Graphs and themes based on the information gathered from the surveys, open-ended questions, and focus groups were used to analyze the data. Both ...

Chicago Public Schools (Cps) Systems To Support Administrators Plan, Jeffrey Alstadt

Dissertations

Wagner et al.’s (2010) change leadership model was used to assess culture, context, conditions, and competencies of a large, diverse urban school district to create a systemic plan for supporting building level administrators. Interviews were conducted with former building level administrators, teachers, and staff who worked with building level administrators within the district. Results indicated overwhelming support for the building level administrators in the district. Strategies for implementation included: creating professional learning communities, leading adult learning, and developing leadership capacity. To achieve the much-needed changes, CPS personnel must be ready for a complete change in thinking, and it will ...

Supports Provided To Improve Schools In Need Of Intensive Supports In Chicago Public Schools (Cps) Evaluation, Jeffrey Alstadt

Dissertations

The program evaluation examined systems provided to schools in the city of Chicago which needed intensive supports. This was done by evaluating qualitative and quantitative data. Much of the qualitative data was derived from interviews, while the majority of the quantitative data was compiled through Chicago Public Schools’ publically accessible data system. There were many advantages to looking at only the schools needing intensive supports. There were many similarities in these schools which helped strengthen and align with the qualitative data produced from the individuals interviewed. There were also publically released studies that validated the qualitative data from this study ...

Organizational Change Plan For Closing The Black And White Achievement Gap, Markisha Mitchell

Dissertations

Abstract

Across the United States in almost every city, every suburb and every rural area there is a gap between the achievements of Black and White students. The term “achievement gap” has become an accepted label in situations where Black students severely underperform relative to their White counterparts. Many school Districts have discretely avoided discussing and or addressing this gap for decades. School District Z, located in an urban suburb just outside of a large midwestern city, is the focus of this research as they attempt to address the gap. Approximately two-thirds of District Z is composed of students of ...

Program Evaluation For Assessing The Effectiveness Of Tracking The Academic Growth And Attendance Of Black Students In Closing The Black And White Achievement Gap, Markisha Mitchell

Dissertations

Across the United States in almost every city, every suburb, and every rural area there is a gap between the achievements of Black and White students. The term “achievement gap” has become an accepted label in situations where Black students severely underperform relative to their White counterparts. Many school districts have discretely avoided discussing and or addressing the gap for decades. School District Z, located in an urban suburb just outside of a large midwestern city, is the focus of this research as they attempt to address the gap. District Z is composed of approximately two-thirds students of color, yet ...

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Character Education Program In A Single-Sex, Urban Charter High School: Learning From Teacher And Student Perceptions Of Its Implementation., Kizawanda A. Olowe

Dissertations

Students who are taught the Illinois State Board of Education’s social and emotional learning standards are granted skills that help them make positive contributions to society. Well-rounded individuals have acquired abilities that allow them to make sound decisions, interact with others, and develop self-awareness skills. Adept individuals who have the skills to teach students strategies that help them to develop an emotional intelligence should implement character education programs using evidence-based strategies. Students who attended a single-sex charter school in an urban area participated in a program evaluation to determine if it was being implemented with fidelity. Students and program ...

An Interpretive Study Of African American Female Elementary Principals Experiences In A Southeastern Public Urban School District, Tiffany Marshall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This study is an interpretive study of African American female elementary principals’ experiences in a Southeastern public urban school district. The purpose of this interpretive research is to specifically examine five African American female principals’ perceptions of supports and barriers on the career pathway to the principalship in urban public elementary schools. The questions for this research included: How do African American females experience the process of becoming elementary school principals in a Southeastern, urban district? How have African American female principals described their experiences with educational institutions, communities and professional organizations? Tillman and Lomotey’s research is used to ...

Behind The Numbers: Conditions Of Schooling In Boston (1981), Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article includes portions of a report on the structure, governance, operations, and effectiveness of the Boston School Committee that was commissioned by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau in 1980. The passages provide an overview of the mandate, background, and recommendations, examining how a set of prominent professionals and citizens viewed the problem facing school department governance, including its isolation and the longstanding credibility gap fueled by patronage politics. It also looks at continued tensions between “equality” and “quality,” which occupied the heart of court-ordered desegregation; rising demands on a system that lacked the capacity to serve a broad array ...

Introduction, Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

America faces a reckoning, a crucible of what Reinhold Niebuhr observed more than eighty years ago. Our democratic principles and traditions are imperiled by the power of financial oligarchs and unfettered money flows, which have contributed to massive inequality that, in turn, has given rise to political unrest and a sense of cultural unmooring.

The articles presented here are both descriptive and normative, setting forth a complex social problem with seemingly bottomless proportions and then offering a design or set of remedial actions to alleviate them. Drawing on my professional experience going back to the mid-1970s, I wrote these pieces ...

Getting Power Back: Court Restoration Of Executive Authority In Boston City Government (1985), Marcy Murninghan

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article, originally published in 1985, is based partly on the author’s experience with the Boston school desegregation case, but goes beyond it. It chronicles some of the events that occurred when a state and a federal court attempted to disengage from active jurisdiction over two Boston public systems: the Boston Public Schools and the Boston Housing Authority. It makes three proposals, which, if enacted, would help to keep the courts out of day-to-day management of municipal operations. It also makes some generalizations about the court-agency interplay that are relevant to the post-remedial phase of institutional reform litigation. The ...

A Case Study: The Perceptions Of Teachers Of Urban Eighth-Grade At-Risk Students, In One Nj School District, Regarding The Classroom Factors That Facilitate And Inhibit At-Risk Student Motivation To Excel Academically, Tabina H. Adam

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of teachers of urban eighth-grade at-risk students in one New Jersey school district regarding the classroom factors that facilitate and inhibit at-risk student motivation to excel academically.

An interview protocol that included semi-structured, open-ended questions was utilized to capture the perceptions of 18 teachers of at-risk students in core content areas. Interview questions were designed in consultation with seminal research in the area of student motivation as well as Maslow’s (1943) Hierarchy of Needs. The latter also provided the conceptual framework through which the study’s findings were ...