Education Commons^™

In Pursuit Of A Balanced System Of Educational Assessment: An Evaluation Of The Pre-Kindergarten Through 8th Grade Math Assessment System In One Massachusetts Regional School District, Rita Joyce Detweiler

Open Access Dissertations

School leaders in the United States live in an educational era characterized by a desire for and expectation that all students attain high levels of academic proficiency. There is an increased reliance on all types of educational assessment as a key component to help school leaders attain that goal. The purpose of this study is to understand how school administrators can foster a balanced system of assessment at the local level to genuinely harness the power of assessment to enhance student learning. The significance of the study rests in the fact that there is a general failure of states and …

Evaluating The Role Of Principals In Teacher Teams: A Longitudinal Analysis Of Principal Involvement And Impact In A District-Wide Initiative To Increase Teacher Collaboration, Craig Michael Outhouse

Open Access Dissertations

Principal leadership is one of the most heavily researched topics in the field of education and is a key to increasing school effectiveness and stimulating school change. One of the most important principal roles that have emerged in the literature is the facilitation of a collaborative culture. Teacher collaboration has been linked to a variety of positive outcomes such as improved instruction and student learning. Research indicates that collaboration is most effective when it is part of a district's professional development. Using a theory-driven approach, the present study evaluated a four-year collaboration initiative aimed to increase student learning in one …

Unpacking Voice And Silence: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Women And Latinas In College Classroom, Shelly A. Perdomo

Open Access Dissertations

Unpacking Voice and Silence: A Phenomenological Study of Black Women and Latinas in College Classrooms

Evaluating Irt- And Ctt-Based Methods Of Estimating Classification Consistency And Accuracy Indices From Single Administrations, Nina Deng

Open Access Dissertations

Three decision consistency and accuracy (DC/DA) methods, the Livingston and Lewis (LL) method, LEE method, and the Hambleton and Han (HH) method, were evaluated. The purposes of the study were (1) to evaluate the accuracy and robustness of these methods, especially when their assumptions were not well satisfied, (2) to investigate the " true" DC/DA indices in various conditions, and (3) to assess the impact of choice of reliability estimate on the LL method.

Four simulation studies were conducted. Study 1 looked at various test lengths. Study 2 focused on local item dependency (LID). Study 3 checked the consequences of …

Beyond School Inputs And Resources: An Assessment Of The Effects Of Program Intervention On Learning Achievement In Rebep Schools In Sierra Leone, Aiah As Mbayo

Open Access Dissertations

The EFA conference in Dakar 2000 ushered in new momentum for ensuring universal access to education and advocacy for improved educational quality in all aspects (UNESCO, 2000). While significant progress has been made in expanding access in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly for girls, efforts to ensure improved educational quality in terms of learning, have not matched the drive for universal educational access. Rather, educational quality in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa has been seriously compromised by rapid expansion given the limited resources.

In many attempts to ensure the delivery of quality education in developing countries, the thrust of delivery strategies has …

Latinas In The Pipeline To Baccalaureate -Prepared Nursing: Challenges And Supports In Persistence To Degree And Professional Licensure, Cheryl Ann Sheils

Open Access Dissertations

The United States is rapidly becoming a more racially diverse nation. Racial minority groups are projected to make up 47% of the total population in 2050 and if current population trends continue, they are projected to surpass the non-minority population by the end of the twenty-first century. Furthermore, the Latino population, already the nation's largest minority group, is expected to triple in size and is projected to account for 29% of the total U.S. population by 2050. Unfortunately, the educational pipeline has created a shortage of Latinos in higher education. At the same time, the United States is suffering from …

Implementing Change In Instructional Delivery Of Classroom Curriculum: A Phenomenological Case Study Of Classroom Teachers Implementing A Problem-Based Learning Approach In The Classroom, Maura Anne Hart

Open Access Dissertations

This qualitative research study examines the holistic experience of secondary classroom teachers who are changing their predominant instructional technique from a mostly traditional teaching method to a student-centered, problem-based approach to curriculum delivery. Using field notes, interviews, focus groups, observations of classrooms and faculty meetings and related document study in conjunction with, and as driven by, simultaneous analysis, the researcher inquired about the nature of implementing change in instructional delivery and those influences that both help and hinder the process. Data revealed four categories with related findings: practices of changing instructional delivery, a teacher focus on students, elements of working …

Teacher Inquiry Group: The Space For (Un)Packing Representations Of Discourses Of Achievement Gap And The Possibility Of An Institutional Transforming Practice, Floris Wilma Ortiz-Marrero

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation explores implications about teacher inquiry group (IG) practices through the representations of achievement gap (AG) discourses. The study draws from the challenges, struggles, and accomplishments of a middle school inquiry group of teachers and staff that worked collaboratively, as an institutionalized practice, with the intention to develop recommendations for closing the AG. After five years of collaborative work, the group did not get to develop an action plan. This longitudinal, ethnographic, qualitative study unveils multiple and contested representations of AG discourses and unpacks three assumptions about teacher inquiry group practices as a strategy for institutional and/or individual change: …