Urban Education Commons^™

Just "Level The Playing Field" In My Classroom And Watch Me Excel!, Baruti K. Kafele, Baruti K. Kafele

National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah

This engaging, interactive, self-reflective session focuses on equity at the classroom level. It challenges teachers to look within themselves relative to how they relate to and engage with their at-risk students of color and other underserved students. It challenges teachers to confront whatever biases they may bring to these students that may be either blatant, subtle, undetected or unacknowledged. It argues that high-performance is an impossibility in classroom environments where equity fails to exist.

Building Impactful Instructional Leadership Teams That Bolster Student Growth And Achievement, Jason Stamper, Shatavia Elder

National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah

Are you a K-12 educational leader and have been searching for that high leverage initiative that will thrust your student growth and achievement to the next level? After attending this session, you will leave with a clear blueprint for establishing and maintaining a strong Instructional Leadership Team focused on the right work and equipped for unprecedented student growth and achievement.

Choices And Consequences: A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste, Ian Elmore-Moore

National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah

Choice and Consequences: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste is a presentation that highlights the functionalities of the human brain. Through our presentation attendees will be able to identify the four main components of the human brain that control our emotions and behaviors. We will provide evaluation-based techniques to strengthen self-awareness. It is our goal that attendees will grasp scientific information of the human brain as well as learn a new skill set to improve social emotional learning and restorative practices in order to deescalate conflicts.

Tools And Techniques To Foster Restorative Outcomes, Louis L. Fletcher Phd, Kim Boyd Psyd

National Youth-At-Risk Conference Savannah

Restorative practices are proactive approaches to creating a fair process and providing students with a voice in their classrooms, schools, and school district. This presentation focuses on the practical skills that are used to facilitate restorative practices. The presenters will pose scenarios and facilitate discussions to increase the attendees' ability to use restorative tools and techniques.

Summer Camp And Experiential Learning – A Qualitative Study Exploring The Perspectives Of Selected Participants, Living In Poverty, While Attending A Sleep-Away Summer Camp In Northern Minnesota, Mary Achelpohl

Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Summer breaks vary in length and depth of experiences for many children and families. The summer learning gap has been widely researched as problematic to the cognitive, social, and emotional development for many children, especially children living in poverty. At the same time, best practices in summer learning initiatives have a narrow research scope. This qualitative phenomenological research study explores participants’ perceptions of their time at a sleep-away summer camp in Northern Minnesota. All participants were living in poverty during their time at summer camp. A major focus will examine summer learning opportunities and the importance of creating experiences for ...

Advanced Placement (Ap) Computer Science Principles: Searching For Equity In A Two-Tiered Solution To Underrepresentation, Keith E. Howard, Douglas D. Havard

Journal of Computer Science Integration

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between students’ participation in the two high school AP computer science exam options and their selected fields of study once they enter post-secondary education. Two studies using national public-use datasets of participation and performance were conducted. Study 1 compared score distributions for the traditional Computer Science A exam to those of the newer Computer Science Principles exam during its first two years of implementation. In Study 1, Chi-square analyses revealed large differences in performance between the two exams, with the Computer Science Principles scores clustering more around marginal pass rates ...

Advanced Placement (Ap) Computer Science Principles: Searching For Equity In A Two-Tiered Solution To Underrepresentation, Keith Howard, Douglas D. Havard

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between students’ participation in the two high school AP computer science exam options and their selected fields of study once they enter post-secondary education. Two studies using national public-use datasets of participation and performance were conducted. Study 1 compared score distributions for the traditional Computer Science A exam to those of the newer Computer Science Principles exam during its first two years of implementation. In Study 1, Chi-square analyses revealed large differences in performance between the two exams, with the Computer Science Principles scores clustering more around marginal pass rates ...

The Education Of Escobar Cruz: Sports, Identity And Masculinity In Middle School, Eligio Martinez Jr.

Middle Grades Review

Some assert that middle school should be the stage in an individual’s educational trajectory where they begin to make plans for the future. For many young men of color, middle school becomes a stage where they begin to get off track academically. This is the story of Escobar Cruz, a young Latino male student, and his navigation through the 7th grade attempting to figure out who he is and who he wants to become. Escobar must choose between listening to his English Language Arts teacher or his peers and soccer coach and make decisions that will impact his future ...

Life In Balance: The Work-Life Balance Stories Of Black Female School Leaders, Jaime Mecholle Johnson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the work-life balance experiences of Black females school leaders. Due to the inherent intersectionality of race and gender that is experienced by Black females, a study of their unique experiences with work-life balance is valuable to the field of educational leadership. The responsibilities associated with school leadership positions are extensive and those school leaders who also have spouses and children must figure out a way to fulfill responsibilities associated with each role. Work-life balance is important to understand for school leaders whose career responsibilities may interact with those associated with their personal ...

A Qualitative Study On Teachers' Perceptions Of Co-Teaching In Inclusion Classrooms, Cheryl M. Banks

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this research study was to examine teachers’ perceptions toward co- teaching in inclusion classrooms and provide valuable information on relevant content, activities and assignments that focus on collaboration between school professionals. A second purpose of this study was to add knowledge to the existing literature describing factors for developing effective co-teaching programs in schools that serve large populations of students with disabilities in urban schools. This included examining their perspectives about the co-teaching model, their relationships formed with their co-teacher, and the support given by administration. The study was a descriptive study that used qualitative research methods ...

Student Voices: African American High School Seniors' Perception Of Culturally Responsive Teaching., Whitney M. Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined African-American high school seniors’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching in one public high school within a large urban public-school district in the southeastern region of the United States. It begins with a brief historical overview on the plight of African-Americans in the US public education system and how public school educators have failed to leverage Afrocultural learning orientations as an asset to educate and increase the academic achievement of African-American students in classrooms. The Philosophical Aspects of Cultural Difference Framework (Nichols, 1986, 1995) will guide this dissertation study. The latter part of the dissertation reveals that a ...

Counter Narratives: A Phenomenological Study Of High Achieving African American Male High School Students., De'nay Lanise Speaks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the contributing factors to the success of high achieving African American male high school students who attend an all-male, predominantly Black, college-preparatory academy. The study took place in an urban, Midwestern school district and highlighted the lived experience and perspectives of students who have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory, this study was an effort to bring attention to counter narratives to the otherwise deleterious image portrayed of African American males. The history and plight of the African American male is included to provide a comprehensive understanding of ...

"The Achiever" October November 2018, Dan B. Askey

EOP Newsletters

Director 1

Spotlight 2

Motivation Reminders 3

50th Anniversary 4

OAP Alumni 5

Careers 6

Cultural Clubs 7

Who Is Preparing School Leaders To Transition Into The Job Of Urban School Principal? Analyzing The Impact Of A Regional Principal Readiness Education Program On Principal Self-Efficacy, W. Sean Kearney, Nathern Okilwa, Jeff Goldhorn

School Leadership Review

Preparing junior administrators to step into the role of school principal is a challenge many urban school districts face. Typically a large school district will leverage an existing pool of experienced assistant principals and vice principals to fill principal positions. At a minimum this ensures the candidates are familiar with internal structures, district culture, policies and procedures, and the community which the school district serves. However, unless addressed in a strategic manner, the assistant and vice principal role lacks many of the critical components which are required of the principal position. While the majority of these individuals will have completed ...

An Analysis Of Urban School Leaders' Role In Community Support And Involvement, Mary Keller Boudreaux

School Leadership Review

While school systems have the arduous task of educating a plethora of diverse students from different backgrounds and social economic status, the task is multifaceted. Epstein (1995) argued that to successfully meet the goal of improving education for all children, there must be considerably more involvement from parents, the community, and other stakeholders working together to promote the success of all students. That is, "students learn more and succeed at higher levels when home, school, and community work together to support students' learning and development" (Epstein & Sanders, 2006, p. 87). To meet the needs of such diverse students, their families, other administrators, and faculty (i.e., school community), school leaders, according to Green (2013, p. 14), must engage in several processes: (1) have knowledge of the emerging issues and trends that can potentially impact the school community; (2) be able to recognize the need to involve stakeholders in school decision-making; (3 ...

Patterns Of Failure In Texas Urban Improvement Required Schools: An Equity Audit Expansion, John A. Branch, Melissa M. Leigh

School Leadership Review

The achievement gap is a concept that has long been explored in education; students of color, low socioeconomic status, those who speak languages other than English, and students labeled as special education perform lower on student achievement tests and often receive less in terms of funding and resources (Harris & Hopson, 2008). Brown (2010) stated, "As a result, these students, without realizing it, often fall into a predetermined mold designed for school failure and social inequity" (p. 2).

Perceptions: Are Mandatory Mentoring Programs Contributing To Beginning Teachers' Retention In Urban Public School Settings In Northern New Jersey?, Ronnie Estrict

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The research performed for this study examined the perceptions of beginning teachers who participated in mandatory mentoring programs, to discover whether such programs contributed to teacher retention in urban public settings in Northern New Jersey. Characteristics found to have an influence on beginning teachers’ retention rate in the existing literature were evaluated and reported. The interview questions were developed based on the literature review and advice from a jury of expert administrators. The beginning teachers participated in semi-structured interviews lasting 45 minutes each to provide insight into their experiences, their participation in mentoring programs, and their view of the teaching ...

Place-Based Learning Across The Disciplines: A Living Laboratory Approach To Pedagogy, Anne E. Leonard, Karen Goodlad

Publications and Research

Faculty participants in a fellowship designed to engage students at an urban commuter college of technology in their general education curriculum evaluated and redesigned their courses to include place-based learning (PBL) using the Living Laboratory model of pedagogy. Focused on faculty perception of the relationship between PBL and its influence on general education, the study illustrates how faculty from across disciplines apply PBL techniques to revitalize general education learning outcomes. Findings include the influence of the fellowship on the design of PBL activities and perceived levels of student engagement, especially when compared to more traditional classroom instruction.

D-Stem Equity Model: Diversifying The Stem Education To Career Pathway!!!, Adrienne Coleman

Adrienne Coleman

According to the National Science Foundation, “the U.S. STEM workforce must be considered in the context of an expanding and vibrant global scientific and technological enterprise” (2014). “The National Academy of Sciences further suggests that, without the participation of individuals of all races and genders, the increasing demand for workers in STEM fields will not be met, potentially compromising the position of the United States as a global leader”. The stark reality is that there are a disproportionate number of Blacks and Latinos who lack the access and exposure to become STEM-literate. In order for the U.S. to ...

“…But You Don’T Know Me Like The Sun; You’Ve Never Seen My Horizon” (Bennett, Cole, Segal, And Warner, 2015, Track 3): Exploring The Invisibility Of A Hyper-Visible Black Woman In Education, Janae' Alfred

Dissertations

As a Black woman in the field of education, I feel as if I am not valued or seen as an equal member of the institution. This has been extremely evident as I served as an Instructional Coach in a predominately Black public school district where the teachers and administrators were predominately White. Race has come to the forefront as a prominent barrier for effective Instructional Coaching across the color line. In this dissertation, I reflect on my experiences as an Instructional Coach and analyze them through the lens of Critical Race Theory using autoethnography as a research method. My ...