Education Commons^™

A Case Study Of Turnaround Principal Identification And Selection In One Urban School District, Kondra T. Rattley

Education Dissertations and Projects

Through a case study approach, this qualitative study examined public school district leaders’ perspectives on turnaround principal competencies and actions. Furthermore, this study explored the strategies for identifying and selecting turnaround principals among district leaders in one district and their perceptions of the challenges associated with turnaround principal shortages. Participant responses were compared to existing, research-based turnaround principal competencies and led to direct reflections of the existing competencies. The research findings indicated that participant perspectives of the competencies associated with turnaround principals reflect existing, research-based competencies. The results also indicated that the participants placed more emphasis on certain competencies than …

The Perceived Impact Of Professional Learning Communities On Collective Teacher Efficacy In Two Rural Western North Carolina School Districts, Katie Thompson Bailey

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) on collective teacher efficacy in two rural western North Carolina school districts. The theoretical framework for this study began with the assumption that there was a direct linkage between PLCs and collective teacher efficacy.

The Professional Learning Communities Assessment-Revised (PLCA-R) survey instrument was utilized to collect data in two rural western North Carolina school districts. An elementary, middle, and high school from each district were involved in the study. Through the use of the PLCA-R, 95 total responses were obtained. In an attempt to …

Examining Corrective Instruction With The Balanced Literacy Framework And Middle School Students’ Academic Achievement In Reading, Reynelda Marie Babb-Brown

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects on reaching achievement for middle school students using Test one and Test three of the Discovery Education™ assessments. Students took the pretest and participated in corrective instruction and interventions. After interventions, students took Test three. A quantitative research design was used to examine data collected from 116 students from three southeastern state public schools from the school years of 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

This research study explored teachers’ perceptions of time using the 2014 North Carolina Working Conditions Survey time construct from the three public schools. An additional research question addressed …

A Grounded Theory Exploration Of The North Carolina Educator Evaluation System And Its Effects On Teaching Practices And Teacher Leadership, Daniel A. Wydo

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the effects of the recently implemented North Carolina Educator Evaluator System (NCEES) on teaching practices and teacher leadership in a mostly rural county in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. NCEES is designed to improve teaching practices and teacher leadership through performance-based standards. This mixed-methodology study began using grounded theory to form categories from qualitative data collected from piloted focus groups and interviews. Categories derived from the grounded theory analysis were refined in a secondary research method guided by a historical analysis of the processes related to teacher evaluation systems across many decades. The refined categories were …

Dig Into Learning: A Program Evaluation Of An Agricultural Literacy Innovation, Erica Brown Edwards

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study is a mixed-methods program evaluation of an agricultural literacy innovation in a local school district in rural eastern North Carolina.

This evaluation describes the use of a theory-based framework, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), in accordance with Stufflebeam’s Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model by evaluating the implementation and use of Dig into learning: An agricultural Literacy Innovation. This study evaluated teacher perceptions and use of agriculture as a context for teaching and learning in Grades K-5 by utilizing Stages of Concern (SoC) and Levels of Use (LoU) components of CBAM in relation to the CIPP model for …

On The Move: A Mixed-Methods Study To Examine The Impact Of Kinesthetic Learning Tables On Student On-Task Behavior And Academic Growth, Natalie Boone

Education Dissertations and Projects

Kinesthetic learning tables, which incorporate movement, are innovative alternatives to traditional desks. The tables provide movement with bicycle pedals, balance seats, ski swings, cross lateralization, and elliptical, all while students are seated or standing. It is time to investigate whether incorporating movement within the classroom could impact student behavior and academic performance.

The goal of this study was to examine the impact kinesthetic learning tables on student on-task behavior and academic growth with an emphasis on reading skills. The study considered the effectiveness of interventions implemented in one first-grade and one fourth-grade classroom based on current research on brain-based learning …

Connected Classroom: A Program Evaluation Of The Professional Development Program Of A One-To-One Educational Technology Initiative In South Carolina, Kelly James Grant

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the first year of a multi-year, district-wide professional development program for teachers that accompanied a one-toone Apple device rollout for all students. A mixed-method research design was used to perform a logic model of program evaluation. Teacher self-reported proficiency in basic device usage, student productivity, student multimedia usage, and academic communication were gathered before the professional development program began and collected again at the 1-year mark. Data from both administrations were analyzed to determine the impact of professional development on teacher self-reported proficiency of technology integration. The researcher collected …