Education Commons^™

A Statewide Study Of Secondary Cte Policies, Practices, And Procedures, Avery D. Anderson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of selected CTE directors regarding policies, practices, and procedures in West Virginia. Specific CTE components investigated included philosophy and rationale, structure, curricula, partnerships, evaluation, challenges, and future goals. Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to select study participants (N=20) who were active CTE directors in West Virginia. Participants had to possess at least one year of experience as a CTE administrator in their current position to be eligible for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the 20 directors to gather their perspective regarding CTE policies, practices, and procedures. …

In The Eye Of The Storm: West Virginia's Uniquely Clear Opportunity To Revise Its Education Funding Formula During Covid-19, Lauren Trumble

West Virginia Law Review

Public school advocates in West Virginia have long voiced sharp criticism over the state's funding of education-and justifiably so. Although more than one in four West Virginia children live in poverty, the state's school funding formula does not account for the increased costs associated with educating low-socioeconomic status ("SES") students. As a result, low-SES students are not receiving a constitutionally adequate and equitable education, by the state's own standards.

Now, in the wake of COVID-19, with mounting costs and challenges, allegations of "inadequacy" and "inequity" abound. Ifpast is prologue, districts that serve high concentrations of low-SES students will be the …

Perceptions On Charter Schools In West Virginia, Donna R. Dixon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018 and 2019, the public school teachers in West Virginia walked out of their classrooms to protest charter schools opening in the Mountain State. During a special legislative session in the summer of 2019, the state's first charter school law was passed, paving the way to open West Virginia's first charter school. This research provides data on whether the COVID-19 global pandemic changed how individuals in West Virginia view charter schools. A concurrent nested mixed-method approach was used for this research. A twenty-one-question survey, Perceptions on Charter Schools in West Virginia, was developed using both Likert scale and …

Teacher Unrest In West Virginia, 2018-2019, Lindsey D. Reed

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018, the United States saw an influx of teacher strikes which were largely propagated by red-state legislation. Then and now, teachers are trying to gain a voice in educational legislation despite corporate and political strongholds on legislators. As a last measure to gain access to the policymaking process, teachers strike. When teachers strike, it becomes a social issue which puts pressure on families, the economy, and legislation. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of teachers who participated in the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia teachers’ strikes as they relate to their interactions with …

Staying Informed: Superintendents And Their Experience With Evidence-Based Research In The West Virginia Public School System, Gabriel Dwayne King

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the sources used by West Virginia public school superintendents to stay informed; how useful they find evidence-based research; the perceptions they have regarding the overall usefulness/credibility of evidence-based research; the barriers that exist to the use of evidence-based research; and whether there are relationships between selected demographic variables and superintendents’ consumption of evidence-based research. Data were collected using a 10-question researcher adapted survey administered to 59 superintendents in West Virginia. This study continues the work of Treadway (2015) and Hoylman (2017) in the local public education arena. The most relied upon source …

Education Reform In West Virginia And The Effect Of District Takeover, Michael Cunningham, Eugenia Damron, Jessica Hanna

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

The original purpose of this venture was to provide a tool for West Virginia county school board members to perform a mandated annual self-assessment on board effectiveness and to provide appropriate feedback to them. This tool was in the form of a survey instrument that captured both quantitative and qualitative data. A one-way ANOVA analysis, along with descriptive statistics, and an emergent category analysis were performed to interpret the data and provide the needed feedback to the school boards. However, a post-hoc analysis of this state-wide data (55 districts) revealed differences in the data between autonomous districts and those that …

The Role Of Evidence-Based Research In The Decision-Making Process As Perceived By Local Board Of Education Policymakers In West Virginia, Elizabeth Anne Hoylman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This non-experimental, descriptive study explored the perceptions of PK-12 policymakers in West Virginia regarding the sources of information they use in the decision-making process; whether and how evidence-based research is relied upon; whether evidence-based research is considered credible and usable; and what barriers, facilitators, and demographic data may play roles in the decision-making process. Data were collected from a 15-question researcher-created survey administered to nearly 200 county board of education members. Results indicated that while policymakers think evidence-based research is important, they nonetheless use it less than other types of information. Consumers consider research reports too lengthy. Respondents indicated they …

Principal And Faculty Senate Chair Perceptions Of Faculty Senate Participation In Teacher Hiring In West Virginia Schools, Sarah Elizabeth Grose

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to assess principals’ and faculty senate chairs’ perceptions of the effectiveness of WV BOE Policy 5000: Procedures for Designated Hiring and Transfer of School Personnel, in improving teacher hiring practices in West Virginia schools. Policy 5000 was enacted on September 16, 2013; therefore, West Virginia’s schools were required by state policy to include a configuration of faculty senate committees in the hiring process, if the faculty senate voted to participate. A wide-scale effectiveness status check has not been conducted since that date. A mixed-methods study was designed to examine the perceptions of principals and …

An Application Of The Delphi Method Of Forecasting To The Future Of Public Education In West Virginia, Carl H. Friebel Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study investigated the nature and types of events that will affect the future of public education in West Virginia. A three round modified Delphi design was used to identify the events, estimate when each might occur, and determine their level of impact and desirability.

In Round 1, surveys were mailed to forty-seven educational leaders representing various educational agencies and constituencies in West Virginia. In response to the first survey, panelists generated a total of one hundred thirty-four events which had at least a 50 percent probability of occurrence between the present and the year 2020. In Round 2, panelists …

Educational Development Of Preston County, George P. Ayersman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Preston County 1g ono of the important counties of the State of West Virginia. It borders on two state a, Pennsylvania and Maryland, and four counties of West Virginia, Tucker, Barbour, Taylor and Monongalia. Preston County was formed from Monongalia in 1818. It has an area of seven hundred square miles, being one of the larger counties of the state. It extends along the full eastern Maryland line, thirty-six miles and along the Mason and Dixon line, twenty-two miles. The first efforts to provide education were patterned after the schools in England. Also, included apprenticeships for orphans sent from the …