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Full-Text Articles in Education

Utah Kindergarten Teachers' Challenges And Concerns About Teaching Kindergarten, Ruth Jane Liebschutz Moore Dec 2010

Utah Kindergarten Teachers' Challenges And Concerns About Teaching Kindergarten, Ruth Jane Liebschutz Moore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This qualitative study was an exploration of 55 Utah kindergarten teachers' perceptions of challenges in teaching. It investigated written concerns teachers expressed in a statewide survey of kindergarten teachers. Study findings indicated that two main issues were communicated by teachers: a disparity between their developmentally appropriate beliefs and practices in the classroom, and concerns about children's kindergarten readiness and transition to school. About 56% of teachers felt a struggle in implementing their developmentally appropriate beliefs about education, for a variety of reasons: large class sizes, district and state mandates, and lack of resources, particularly time. Furthermore, 53% of educators conveyed …


Identifying Social Studies Content Embedded Inelementary Basal Readers, Wendy Taylor Workman Jul 2010

Identifying Social Studies Content Embedded Inelementary Basal Readers, Wendy Taylor Workman

Theses and Dissertations

In the current educational climate of federally mandated assessments of student learning, the survival of the elementary social studies curriculum may depend on interdisciplinary instructional methods to link social studies to the accountability-favored discipline of literacy. The purpose of this content analysis study was to examine and identify social studies content embedded within a second grade and a fifth grade basal reader from the 2008 Houghton Mifflin Reading Series. Each of the basals were read and coded using the Utah State Office of Education Social Studies Standards indicators and the National Council for the Social Studies Standards as a priori …


A Principal’S Dilemma: Instructional Leader Or Manager, Bettye Grigsby, Gary Schumacher, John Decman, Felix Iii Simieou Jul 2010

A Principal’S Dilemma: Instructional Leader Or Manager, Bettye Grigsby, Gary Schumacher, John Decman, Felix Iii Simieou

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

This study focuses on the emphasis principals’ place on the design and delivery of curriculum and instruction on individual campuses and the extent federal regulation has impacted principal behaviors as instructional leaders. The transformation from the principal’s role of manager to that which is inclusive of instructional leadership is due to the steady increase of the regulations governing the accountability system culminating in No Child Left Behind. In fact, “ … one in three principals says implementation of NCLB is the most pressing issue he or she is facing” (Sergiovanni, 2009, p. 44).


Administrator’S Electronic Checklist A Teacher Accountability System For Building Transformation, Michael Mott, Jerilou Moore, Temeka Shannon Jul 2010

Administrator’S Electronic Checklist A Teacher Accountability System For Building Transformation, Michael Mott, Jerilou Moore, Temeka Shannon

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Data-driven decision making is a major role of principals and school-based administrators. These decision makers use data to improve not only student performance, but also to identify teacher competency, needs for professional development, allocation of resources, and communication of data results (3D, 2010). The format used to collect and report data is varied, but technology seems to be the most widely used means of collection by school districts. There are web-based systems, as well as district developed formats for monitoring student achievement. An effective system of data collection is a simple, easy to use format that provides results in a …


No Child Left Behind: School Processes Associated With Positive Changes, Collaborative Partnership, And Principal Leadership, Thienhuong Hoang Jul 2010

No Child Left Behind: School Processes Associated With Positive Changes, Collaborative Partnership, And Principal Leadership, Thienhuong Hoang

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Parent involvement is one of the key components of the NCLB Act. Under NCLB, every school district is mandated to develop processes to ensure meaningful ways to engage parents. The requirements for parental involvement rest on the premise that parents acting as informed advocates to hold schools and school district accountable. The value placed on family involvement at the federal, district, and local school levels reflects decades of research showing the connection between family involvement and positive student outcomes. Studies on family involvement have concluded that students’ home environment and family involvement are important predictors of a variety of academic …


The Evolving School Improvement Fund, Anne-Maree Ruddy, Ellen Prusinski Jul 2010

The Evolving School Improvement Fund, Anne-Maree Ruddy, Ellen Prusinski

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The School Improvement Fund (Section 1003(g) of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) recognizes that schools with high percentages of students in poverty may require additional support in order to help their students achieve academic proficiency. As such, the 1003(g) School Improvement Fund has since 2007 provided competitive funding opportunities to Title I schools considered to be in improvement status under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The Fund has provided vital financial support necessary to make critical improvements in the teaching and learning environment of grantee schools, including enhancing professional development for teachers, …


The Impact Of Evaluation Upon Teacher Leadership, Ismael Abujarad, Noraini Yusof Apr 2010

The Impact Of Evaluation Upon Teacher Leadership, Ismael Abujarad, Noraini Yusof

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Mary Olsen took over the Principalship of a large elementary school of over 1500 students in a crowded urban area. From day one, things did not go as she had planned. The first day it rained, upsetting her plans to have an outdoor line up and greet the students and parents together. When meeting the teachers, she expected a sense of collaboration and willingness to work hard. Instead she faced two diverse groups of educators: one was the veteran work force who did not want any changes, having been at the job for twenty plus years. The second group was …


Home Learning Activities: A Feasible Practice For Increasing Parental Involvement, Heather Bower, Joelle Powers, Laurie Graham Jan 2010

Home Learning Activities: A Feasible Practice For Increasing Parental Involvement, Heather Bower, Joelle Powers, Laurie Graham

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Research has substantiated the importance of increased parental involvement in schools for improving student academic outcomes. Parental involvement in education has been found to be positively associated with child academic success across multiple populations and age groups (Gutman & McLoyd, 2000; Lareau, 2000; López, Scribner & Mahitivanichcha, 2001; Steinburg, Lamborn, Dornbusch, & Darling, 1992). Results suggest that when parents are actively involved in their child’s education, long lasting academic, social, and emotional benefits occur (Chavkin, 2006). For example, Hill and Craft (2003) found that increased parental involvement leads to early social competence, which predicts academic success. Similarly, parental involvement in …


Predicting Adequate Yearly Progress: Leaving Explanation Behind, Jenifer Moore Jan 2010

Predicting Adequate Yearly Progress: Leaving Explanation Behind, Jenifer Moore

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The purpose of this research was to determine if the variables included in the Mississippi Report Card utilized for the calculation of AYP can be used to predict whether or not Mississippi LEAs will attain adequate yearly progress in reading and math using the logistic regression technique. This study demonstrated that using the variables utilized for the calculation of AYP, a predictive model can be successfully utilized to classify Mississippi LEAs that will and will not attain AYP in reading and math with an accuracy greater than that which can be attributed to chance.


The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence Of Principals And Student Performance In Mississippi Public Schools, Wanda Maulding, Amy Townsend, Edward Leonard, Larry Sparkman Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence Of Principals And Student Performance In Mississippi Public Schools, Wanda Maulding, Amy Townsend, Edward Leonard, Larry Sparkman

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Just as the quality of teachers affects students’ academic success, the quality of school leadership is significantly related to student achievement, (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2000). The job of the school administrator is challenging in any set of circumstances, but the leadership in low and marginally performing schools presents additional and unique challenges. In fact, some districts are faced with the socio-economic circumstances often correlated with poor performance (Heck, 1992). Breaking the cycle of poverty for these students is much more likely to occur if the type of quality educational programming afforded to prospective school administrators is dramatically and innovatively enhanced.