Education Commons^™

Redesigning Field Experiences To Support Rural Schools: A Praxis Reflection, Vicki S. Sherbert

Educational Considerations

The on-going social and political climate, with polarizing stances on everything from issues of social justice to mandates for mask-wearing and vaccination, brings non-normative stressors into the lived experiences of students, families, and educators everywhere. These stressors are often magnified in rural communities and schools. Yet, in spite of these challenges, many schools in rural areas have embraced opportunities for creative collaborations which foster connections and celebrate the unique richness of their communities.

This Praxis Reflection describes one such collaboration between a teacher educator at a midwestern university and a rural junior high/senior high school 300 miles west of the …

Students’ Re-Imaginations Of The Future Of Higher Education In Cameroon, Etta Mercy Aki, Nguehan Simeon Boris, Echari Lisa Ebenwei

Educational Considerations

The unprecedented changes in our society are re-shaping the future of higher education; therefore, re-imagining the future of higher education is a constructive process of development. This study is aimed at exploring the re-imaginations of students in higher education from their own analysis of their previous and current experiences at three key stages: before entry, participation, and graduation. This exploratory study collected qualitative data from 68 current students through synchronous online focused group discussions. Analysis revealed that students’ experiences position higher education in Cameroon as invisible at lower levels, providing limited opportunities and promoting dependency upon graduation. However, they hope …

Alternative Application Of Oral History In The Secondary Classroom, Alan English

Educational Considerations

While oral history has been demonstrated to hold potential as a more engaging and rigorous alternative to textbook-centered instruction, it has also failed to replace textbooks as the mainstream methodology in high school classrooms. Here, the author presents oral history data from Jim Walch, a WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War veteran who “retired” as a Red Cross emergency relief worker as well as sample classroom activities derived from that data. The objective is that these sample activities may be received as more approachable than traditional oral history methodology to secondary teachers who are accustomed to textbook-based instruction. It is …

Latinx Teachers Advocating And Providing Support To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students And Their Families, Pedro S. Espinoza, Kay Ann Taylor

Educational Considerations

This study explores how Latinx teachers engage in social justice agendas for their Culturally and Linguistically Diverse students, specific barriers and support systems these Latinx teachers encounter in their social justice work, and the educational strategies Latinx teachers value in their role as advocates in their social justice work. The following three themes emerged from participant data: (a) Tesoros from students and families, (b) Advocacy for CLD students: High expectations of all students, (c) Support system as pre-service and in-service teachers: hechale ganas/work hard. We briefly formulate each of these themes, providing fragments from participant testimonios as examples. After formulation …

A Critical Look At Women's Role In Physical Education And Sport In The 1930s, Mark Ellner

Educational Considerations

This historical research focuses on the role of women in physical education and sport during the 1930s. The purpose is to explore the trends that led to a vast difference between men’s and women’s roles and expectations in physical education and sport during this time period. To engage in effective research of this societal difference, a Feminist Theoretical Framework was employed to analyze primary and secondary sources related to physical education and sports during the 1930s.

The research reveals that while sports and physical education became an increasing part of life in the United States during the 1930s, women’s roles …

A Critical Historical Examination Of Tracking As A Method For Maintaining Racial Segregation, Todd Mccardle

Educational Considerations

Using a Critical Race Theory framework, this manuscript examines the scholarly literature on the intersection of tracking and its historical use as a method for establishing and maintaining racial segregation in American public schools. I begin by exploring accounts of tracking in American public educational institutions as researched by historians of education. Then, I examine contemporary manifestations of tracking in American public schools beginning in the 20^th century by sociologists of education. Within the discussion of contemporary tracking, I explore the use of tracking through magnet schools in order to circumvent federal legislation aimed at desegregating American public schools. …

Self-Acceptance Of Adolescent Latino Students With Disabilities, Diane Rodríguez, Kenneth J. Luterbach, Sara B. Woolf, Sabino Peralta Rivera

Educational Considerations

This study examines the relationship of 165 adolescent students who self-identity as Latino and have been identified as having a disability. The participants completed the Perceived Stigma in People with Disabilities (PSPID) and Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH) questionnaires to examine factors that may affect the academic engagement of adolescent Latino students with disabilities. The researchers investigated self-acceptance as a factor that may positively predict the academic engagement of adolescent Latino students with disabilities

'We’Re Like Family And Stuff Like That': Relationships In After-School Programs, Alan English

Educational Considerations

After-school programs have been demonstrated or theorized to be associated with a wide variety of positive youth outcomes and have become a more widely-accepted aspect of the greater educational system. One of the most commonly-cited vehicles for these positive outcomes is relationships developed within the after-school program. This paper investigated youth perception of after-school program relationships through a phenomenological case study. Analysis of interview, observation, and artifact data indicated the potential for the individual positionalities with which youth approach involvement in after-school program relationships to dramatically impact youth outcomes. Consequentially, these individual positionalities need to be considered when developing conceptualizations …

Redesign: A Case Study Of Change In A Kansas School District, Fred Van Ranken, Lori Goodson

Educational Considerations

USD 240 Twin Valley School District, consisting of Bennington Grade School and Bennington Junior High/High School in Bennington and Tescott Grade School and Tescott Junior High/High School, was one of seven districts initially selected in August 2017 as part of the first cohort of Kansas State Department of Education's Kansas Can School Redesign Project. This article shares the journey, told by the superintendent and a researcher, of USD 240 as part of the ongoing program which now involves multiple cohorts of districts developing their own pathways toward improvement.

Here Is The Place To Begin Your Explorations: An Autoethnographical Examination Into Student Teaching Abroad, Amanda D. Lickteig, Josie Rozell, Ashley Peterson

Educational Considerations

Participation in study abroad programs has increased steadily since the late 1980s and has tripled in the past two decades. Benefits of these experiences include positive academic performance, improved mental health, and better professional development—but for pre-service teachers who study abroad, these positive benefits can also transfer into culturally relevant pedagogy. As the need for teacher preparation programs to equip their students with global competence grows, cultivating undergraduates’ abilities to appreciate diverse perspectives not only empowers them to thrive in an interconnected world but also enables them to meet the academic and social needs of their culturally diverse students. In …

Teaching For Global Citizenship With Young Adult Literature In The Social Studies, Casey Holmes

Educational Considerations

The rapid increase in communicative and technological integration through the late 1990s and early 2000s has reanimated the discussion surrounding the need to prepare young people to be global citizens. While the exact definition of global citizenship is difficult to pinpoint, the global community has identified several competencies that comprise responsible global citizenship. Although this idea has not yet saturated the American educational system, it will now be tested on an international scale when the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation conducts the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) this year. When the 2018 results are published in 2019, “global competence” will …

A Year On The Rock: A Methods Professor Returns To The Classroom, Bradley J. Burenheide

Educational Considerations

As a Methods Professor in a Research I institution in the Midwest and the largest education program in its respective state, I faced a crisis after ten years in higher education. The concern I faced was whether or not the repertoire I taught my students was appropriate and meaningful in their training. While staying abreast of current research and strategies, I wanted to ensure that my techniques were still applicable to working with students after ten years of less connection with classrooms. This article discusses the framework employed in the research experience as well as the big lessons that were …