Education Commons^™

The Incidence And Impact Of Workplace Incivility: A Quantitative Study Comparing Public University Staff Member Experiences In The Northeast, Tracy St. Pierre

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Workplace Incivility (WI) is a construct similar to sexual harassment or bullying - it is unwanted behavior and can cause negative emotions for those who experience it. However, it lacks a clear definition or legal repercussions that have been established for sexual harassment and bullying. Thus, incivility is able to thrive in the workplace with little intervention and can create adverse consequences for employees and the organization. Several studies demonstrate that up to 96% of employees have experienced WI (Porath & Pearson, 2010, p.64). Employees who experience WI reduce their work effort and decrease productivity by “venting” to co-workers (Cortina …

Community Driven Student Leadership: The Doce Approach, Courtney Caouette, Jordan O'Hearn, Stacy Henson-Drake, Michaela Stone, Gabrielle Lodge

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Universities and the communities in which they reside must maintain an interdependence to thrive. The USM LAC Druker Office of Community Engagement (DOCE) follows a unique model of student-faculty collaborative leadership to model how public universities can partner with their communities. Developing long-lasting community-university relationships holds mutual benefits. DOCE connects students, faculty and staff with over 90 community partners. As a synergetic cooperative team, we believe community engagement is essential in the growth and learning of the whole student, faculty and staff of USM.

Our recent Community-Based Participatory Research (CPBR) works in integrating the classes and curriculum of the Social …

One School, One Family: Portland High School Climate In The Age Of Trump, Naomi Abrams Hawkes

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The 2016 U.S. presidential election led to one of the most contentious seasons in American politics. Citing the inflammatory rhetoric of public figures, a growing body of literature documents a dramatic increase in bias-­‐related bullying and feelings of anxiety in K-12 schools across the country since the 2016 election. Using student and faculty interviews/focus groups, secondary data analysis, and direct observations, this case study offers a comprehensive examination of the effects of the substance and tone of the current sociopolitical climate on students at Portland High School. Data was analyzed and suggestions made for administration to help create a more …

Telling Room: Color In Action, Ryan Poag, Meaghan Gonsior

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The Telling Room is a nonprofit writing center in Portland that helps young writers ages 6 to 18 build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and provide real opportunities for students to display their creativity for audiences. Every year they approach creative writing through a unique theme to help keep young writers engaged. Their anthology’s theme this year is COLORS. Colors can symbolize and illustrate various aspects of life including human emotion, energy levels, and cultural phenomena. Using the connection between color and creativity, we have embarked on a project to produce a series of six short videos based on the colors …

The Student Experience Of Sexual Education In Maine Public Schools, Grace Nevins, Michael Johnston

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The modern sexual climate of the Unites States often contradicts the moral values taught to young people in sexual education classes in the public school system. Studies have shown that the traditional “abstinence only” method, which was made popular during the 1990’s, was ineffective in the prevention of young pregnancy and the reduction in sexually transmitted diseases (Schwarz, 2007). Teenagers are increasingly exposed to more sexualized content through a variety of media; however, this often contradicts the messages they receive in schools, particularly the “abstinence only” educational model.

A Qualitative Study Of English Language Learners In The Portland Public Schools, Victoria A. Hynes

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

The purpose of this research is to identify the demographic characteristics of English Language Learner (ELL) students who successfully complete secondary education in the Portland Public Schools. The first phase of this project involves identifying ELL educators and staff to participate in interviews about this demographic and the curriculum used. This information is analyzed using Qualitative Data Analysis(QDA) to determine if there are any similar concepts or themes in the information gathered. The school and home environment and prior education experience were examined. Additionally, protective factors in the school or community were explored to see these factors made on the …