Education Commons^™

A Case Study On Illinois Regional Public Universities And The 2015-2017 Budget Impasse, Colin L. Roberts

Masters Theses

This study explores the lived experiences of administrators who led their institutions through the two-year Illinois budget impasse. This study also reviewed archival evidence of measures taken by public regional universities in Illinois to mitigate the loss of state appropriations. Previous research has shown that the business model of public higher education in the United States is undergoing disruption. Changing demographics, enrollment concerns, and rising tuition were just some of these issues pressuring public institutions of higher education. The temporary loss of state appropriations exacerbated these issues and had long-lasting effects even after the Illinois budget impasse ended. In order …

An Analysis Of School Climate Surveys As A Measure Of Student Voice, Deanna L. Oliver

Theses and Dissertations

Student voice may seem like a new concept; however, it has a long history of being engrained in public schools in the United States. The trend towards incorporating and expanding student voice opportunities in high school is based on the tenets of democracy. Educators seek to provide an opportunity for students to practice democracy in their school environment. Students are commonly disregarded as viable stakeholders in their schools. The Illinois State Board of Education offers students in grades 4 through 12 the opportunity to provide input on their schools using the Illinois 5Essentials Survey.

This research sought the input from …

The Influence Of Student Discipline Practices On Students, School Climate And Culture, Matthew J. Clark

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The enactment of Senate Bill 100/Public Act 099-0456 (SB100) in 2016 compelled school districts throughout Illinois to evaluate student discipline policies. This dissertation examines the impact SB100 had on middle and high schools throughout the state and within a large suburban K-12 school district. This dissertation is organized into three separate papers. Paper 1 provides a historical context for disciplinary practices used for students in public schools both in Illinois and throughout the country and explores new discipline practices that have emerged since the passing of SB100. Paper 2 examines the implementation of SB100 through an SDT framework to investigate …

Realizing The Ideal School District Size: How District Size Affects Achievement And Expenditure, James L. Hayes Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what size district (or range of sizes) better fosters an environment conducive for high student achievement and low district expenditure. The ideal district size debate goes back centuries, with the initial efforts to reform small districts that had their start in the early 19th century as rural single room schools. Literary work on this topic is quite polarized, without a clear and modern consensus. This study contained a quantitative study using a correlational research design to explore the affects of district size on student achievement and district expenditure.

Perceived Leadership Practices Across Two Generations Of Community College Deans: “Baby Boomers” And Generation Xers”, Donna J. Mccauley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine what Illinois community college academic deans perceive to be important leadership practices to enhance faculty effectiveness. A sequential mixed-method study was performed with academic deans at Illinois community colleges across the state. In Phase I of the study, 70 of the 164 academic deans in Illinois completed an anonymous online survey ranking importance of leadership practices that enhance faculty effectiveness. Eight of the academic deans who are Generation X volunteered to participate in the second phase of the study which consisted of in-depth, one-on-one interviews to identify what leadership practices they …

Illinois Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of Advanced Placement® And Dual Credit Courses, Glenn A. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced Placement® and dual credit coursework have been associated with positive educational attainment outcomes for students and yet opportunity gaps exist for children to access these programs depending on the school they attend. The many benefits of Advanced Placement® and dual credit coursework for students make it necessary that any education agenda by policymakers should include avenues to increase access to these programs for students. This study explored Advanced Placement® and dual credit coursework in Illinois through the perceptions of teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members using a cross-sectional survey. The survey was administered to examine whether there are …

Mckinney Vento Legislation: A Policy Analysis Of The Evolution Of Homeless Law In Illinois, Cathleen J. Weber

Theses and Dissertations

This policy analysis looks at the evolution of homeless education laws both through federal legislation and state laws. A policy analysis was utilized to show changes through the reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Act.

One aspect of this analysis utilized qualitative data from four individual administrators in four central Illinois school districts. The qualitative data reviewed the training received by each administrator and the policies guiding their enrollment procedures.

Another aspect provided in this analysis is the changes established in response to court cases filed when school districts violated the provisions of the McKinney-Vento Act. The reauthorizations that followed each finding …

Where Schools Close In Chicago, Randall K. Johnson

Faculty Works

It is often assumed that schools close, disproportionately, in disadvantaged parts of Chicago. The assumption, however, has yet to be substantiated by research. As a result, this article tests the assumption in order to explain where schools close in Chicago. It does so by introducing a new Chicago Public School (CPS) closings dataset. The dataset sheds some light on the phenomenon by identifying 130 schools that closed, twenty-seven ZIP codes that experienced CPS closings and three demographic characteristics of these ZIP codes. In the process, this dataset helps to explain how CPS closings relate to race, income and location.

Growth Model Evaluations: Possibilities And Pitfalls, John A. Dively Jr

John A Dively Jr

In response to Race to the Top mandates, student academic growth models are being incorporated into teacher evaluation processes across the country. Illinois’ version of the reform is the Performance Evaluation Reform Act. This paper briefly summarizes the new law and its impact to date. Further, the paper provides reflection upon the current research related to VAMs, and the possible legal consequences of relying on student growth models as a significant component of teacher personnel decisions.

Growth Model Evaluations: Possibilities And Pitfalls, John A. Dively Jr

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

In response to Race to the Top mandates, student academic growth models are being incorporated into teacher evaluation processes across the country. Illinois’ version of the reform is the Performance Evaluation Reform Act. This paper briefly summarizes the new law and its impact to date. Further, the paper provides reflection upon the current research related to VAMs, and the possible legal consequences of relying on student growth models as a significant component of teacher personnel decisions.

Growth Model Evaluations: Possibilities And Pitfalls, John Dively

Faculty Research and Creative Activity

In response to Race to the Top mandates, student academic growth models are being incorporated into teacher evaluation processes across the country. Illinois’ version of the reform is the Performance Evaluation Reform Act. This paper briefly summarizes the new law and its impact to date. Further, the paper provides reflection upon the current research related to VAMs, and the possible legal consequences of relying on student growth models as a significant component of teacher personnel decisions.

The Differences Between Novice And Experienced Public Middle School Principals In The Decision To Remediate A Tenured Teacher, Andrew James Reuland

Dissertations

School principals in Illinois face an ethical dilemma when evaluating tenured teachers. Giving an unsatisfactory rating and placing a tenured teacher under a remediation plan opens the door to a time-consuming process filled with legal and financial issues that will strain relationships in the school. However, giving a less than honest rating results in leaving the teacher in the classroom and not making decisions in the best interest of students.

Presented here is a review of current research on evaluating tenured teachers and a framework of ethical lenses that can be applied to a principal's decision-making. This study looks at …

Professional Learning Communities In Improved Illinois Elementary Schools: The Value Of Professional Learning Communities For Leaders Of Illinois Elementary Schools Formerly In "No Child Left Behind" Status, Steven James Thomas

Dissertations

The "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 has created a system, which potentially labeled 82% of US school as "failing" in 2011. Consequences for failing schools go beyond public ostracism to the release of numerous staff and school leaders or the closing of the school. Reforms to prevent these consequences come in two forms, structural and cultural. Structural reforms in schools are often include hiring staff or implementing new programs. Often structural reforms only focus on non-proficient or nearly proficient students. Cultural reforms change the way staff educate all students. One …

Superintendent's Perceptions Of Adequacy In Illinois School Finance, Mark Alan Cohen

Dissertations

This qualitative research study investigated superintendents' perceptions of school finance in the State of Illinois. An online survey instrument, distributed via email, was used to collect the results. Superintendents that chose to participate answered questions about themselves as well as the demographic variables of the district they represent. The participants then went on to answer the finance survey questions. Responses to the finance survey were triangulated with the particular demographic information, much of which was separated into quartiles. The study sought to determine the answers to the following questions: (1) Do public school K-12 superintendents believe that they have sufficient …

Academic Library Directors' Perceptions Of Joining A Large Library Consortium Sharing An Integrated Library System: A Descriptive Survey, Dennis Krieb

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The collective holdings of CARLI’s (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois) “I-Share” catalog total approximately 32 million items. It is the third largest academic catalog in the United States, however only 76 of CARLI’s 148 academic libraries participate in I-Share. This descriptive survey examined the factors that influenced a CARLI academic library director’s decision to join, or not join, I-Share’s integrated library system. Seventy-seven of the 145 CARLI library directors sampled completed the web-based survey. This represented a 53.1% response rate.

The framework for the survey was designed around three sections; advantages, disadvantages, and obstacles to participating in …

The Impact Of Title I Program Funding Through A Comparison Of Schoolwide Assistance And Targeted Assistance On Fifth Grade Reading Achievement Scores In Illinois: Implications For Leadership In Public Education, Michael E. Robey

Dissertations

The ability to read with proficiency and comprehension is one of the basic goals of our educational system. Adequacy of funding these goals, particularly for lower income students, continues to be a challenge. Despite the efforts of a variety of educational reforms many students, particularly the economically disadvantaged, continue to struggle with basic reading skills.

The intent of this study is to help school leaders in identifying whether schoolwide or targeted assistance programs funded through Title I schools are associated with higher reading achievement. The study measured reading achievement for fifth grade students in Illinois using data from the Illinois …

Length Of School Calendars And Student Achievement In High Schools In California, Illinois And Texas, James M. Pedersen

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Roles And Responsibilities Of The Principal As Perceived By Illinois K-8 Principals Who Belong To Generation X, Keith Westman

Dissertations

The roles and responsibilities of the school principal have changed throughout the years, and, with that, the face of the principalship has changed, too. The average age of principals in the United States is 57 with a significant portion of those individuals retiring within the next ten years (United States Department of Labor, 2008). As these principals retire, the qualities and characteristics of the next generation of principals must be identified. However, it may not be as easy to fill these vacancies as it once was. Within the context of the research that has been done on Generation X, the …

Jefferson Middle School: A School Of Achievers, Gary C. Niehaus

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was to develop a detailed five-year strategic plan for Jefferson Middle School. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Middle School Future Planning Consortium had twenty-four middle schools across the nation that worked collaboratively to share and build their plans. Jefferson Middle School was part of this consortium. The researcher utilized the ASCD format and the expertise of those schools involved to develop the Jefferson Middle School plan. The format has four major areas of focus: (1) Organization, (2) Core Curriculum, (3) Improved Teaching and (4) Educational Technology.

This field study report is …

An Evaluation Of The Altamont Community Unit #10 Gifted Program, Ann Louise Mcdaniel Chandler

Masters Theses

Purpose

The purpose of this field study was to research the entity of gifted education from an historical viewpoint, to review gifted education as it is today, and most importantly, to review evaluation procedures and studies connected with gifted education. A formal evaluation had never been done in the history of the Independent Study Program at Altamont Community Unit #10. The result of the evaluation procedure was to determine how to modify, revise, and re-evaluate the program in order to more effectively meet the needs of the gifted students in the school district.

Procedure

After the historical review of gifted …

Administrative Field Experience In The East Richland School District, Mike Kowalis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Desegregation Issue In The Centralia City Schools, Kenneth E. Spicer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Building Program Study, Dawsie Frederick Edwards

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Planning For Improvement, Noble Foreman Wright

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.