Education Commons^™

Arkansas’S 9th Grade Course Failures And Building Configurations, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Sarah R. Morris

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we examine the relationship between course failures among Arkansas’s 9th grade students and the grade levels served in their school. We find that in schools that terminate at 9th grade, 9th graders are less likely to fail one or more course during the year compared to failure rates in schools that terminate at 12th grade. We suggest an increase in awareness and examination of how we assess 9th graders in Arkansas.

Cluster Analysis Of The National Examination: School Grouping To Maintain The Sustainability Of High School Quality, Raoda Ismail, Heri Retnawati, Okky Riswandha Imawan

REID (Research and Evaluation in Education)

This study aims to classify high schools in Papua Province, Indonesia, based on the 2019 National Examination scores so they can be considered in maintaining the sustainability of school quality in Papua. In this study, all senior high schools in Papua Province were grouped into three clusters: Cluster 1 (high), Cluster 2 (medium), and Cluster 3 (low clusters) using the K-Means Algorithm on the 2019 National Examination data. The data were obtained through the website official Center of Educational Assessment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. Clarification was done by grouping data …

Beating The Odds: High-Growth Schools Based On The Act Aspire Examinations, Serving Low-Income Communities, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high-growth schools across Arkansas based on the ACT Aspire examinations in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) for the 2020-2021 academic year. For these awards, we consider schools where at least 66% of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL).

High-poverty schools are ranked by school level (Elementary, Middle, or High) based on Overall Growth (Math and ELA combined), as well as for growth in each content area independently. High-poverty schools are also ranked within each region of the state. Tables include the region in which the school is located, the number of …

High-Growth High Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examination, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2022 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

The Relationship Between Introverted Student Behavior And Teacher Perception Of Student Engagement, Megan M. Dubee

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this quantitative survey study was to investigate if a relationship exists between introverted student behavior and teacher perception of student engagement. The purposive sample was composed of high school teachers in the United States. Using the Engagement Rating Scale, teachers scored student engagement across four domains when considering two descriptions of students. One student was described using characteristics of an introvert; teachers then completed an identical version of the scale for a second student who was described using characteristics of an extravert. Independent samples t-tests were used to analysis differences in scores by personality type and revealed …

The Application Of Praxis In High School Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study, Tonia R. Maher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the application of educational research-based instructional methods by teachers in public secondary high school classrooms in Colorado. The use of educational research-based instructional methods will be defined as praxis. Bruner’s constructivist theory of learning and instruction guided this study. This qualitative case study employed an epistemological perspective that provided the framework for predicting, describing, empowering, and deconstructing worldviews by increasing the knowledge that leads to further understanding of the application of praxis in public secondary high school classrooms. The setting was Colorado public high schools. Data were collected from interviews, …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of Student Participation In High School Athletics And Grade Point Averages In A Rural Title I School District, Robert Ebert

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative, associative/predictive study was to evaluate the relationship between participation in high school athletics and grade point averages (GPAs) for graduated cohorts in a rural Title I school district. Study data were collected in archival form from three graduating cohorts of students from a rural Title I school district in Florida. Study findings indicated that senior students who were identified as student-athletes had a mean GPA that was significantly higher than students who were identified as non-athletes. Furthermore, when considering the effect of GPAs by gender, both female and male student-athlete GPAs were statistically higher …

Arkansas High School Freshmen Course Failures 2009-11 -- 2018-19, Sarah R. Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This study assesses the course failures among Arkansas high school freshmen by different student demographic and programmatic characteristics. We analyze 10 independent cohorts of Arkansas freshmen for descriptive analyses, and then we limit our analytic sample to the two most recent years of data. Algebra I is the most commonly failed course among Arkansas freshmen. Using logit analyses, we find economically disadvantaged students are nine percentage points more likely to fail a course their freshman year than their more advantaged peers after controlling for prior academic achievement and district characteristics and fixed effects. This study is the first research study …

Arkansas High School Freshmen Course Failures, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah R. Morris

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we examine course failures among Arkansas high school freshmen by different student demographic and programmatic characteristics. We find economically disadvantaged students most likely to fail a course their freshman year. We suggest policies to benefit all student demographic and programmatic characteristics

Movin' On Up: An Examination Of Value-Added Growth During School Transition Years In Arkansas, Kathryn L. Barnes, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Charlene A. Reid

Arkansas Education Reports

This study assesses the impact school transitions have on grade-level value-added growth scores in Arkansas. Arkansas is unique in that the autonomy of setting building level transitions is left to individual districts. This distinction allows researchers to make comparisons between student groups that where students transitioned upward to a new building and those who did not. Using data covering five different school years, this study evaluates mathematics and English language-arts value-added growth scores of grade levels that transitioned to a new building and compared them to grade-level growth scores of buildings where students did not make a transition. Using regression …

Student Views On Starting High School, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

Forums held with students in Years 6, 7 and 8 in Australia on the topic of starting high school have shed light on what concerns them the most about the transition process, and what has been helpful to them along the way. Here, we share some comments from the students.

The Journey To Improving Student Connectedness: Exploring Teacher Self-Efficacy, Use, And Perceptions Of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Christopher F. Cipriano

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

This Dissertation in Practice investigated to what extent professional learning impacted teacher perceptions, instruction, and self-efficacy of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) at a Catholic high school. The dissertation followed an Improvement Science framework to address a specific problem of practice: a lack of universal student connectedness at the high school level. As students begin ninth grade, the connectedness to school many experienced on the elementary level often wanes, with academic, social, and emotional impacts. To build connectedness, the researcher selected a specific change idea focused upon CSP. The intervention consisted of two professional development (PD) sessions and several opportunities for …

Transforming Educators' Social Emotional Learning (Sel): A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring The Impact Of A Trauma-Informed Sel Intervention To Mitigate Educator Implicit Bias, Kemen Holley

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

While research has indicated that social emotional learning (SEL) approaches promote essential, long-lasting individual and collective development for students, the literature indicates a lack of evidence that educators are implementing SEL approaches to affirm the assets, lived experiences, and identities of students, particularly those belonging to minoritized groups. This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) employed a mixed-methods pragmatic, researchintervention process model that utilized a community-based action research approach to evaluate a trauma-informed SEL professional learning (PL) intervention as a viable practice to mitigate high school educators’ implicit biases. Through an anti-racist, anti-oppression framework, this study sought to determine the …

Examining Arkansas' Freshman Gpas And Long-Term Outcomes, Sarah R. Morris, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Charlene A. Reid

Arkansas Education Reports

This study examines the Grade Point Averages (GPAs) of high school freshman in Arkansas and their relationship with later outcomes. Using de-identified student-level data from 2009-10 to 2018-19 from the Arkansas Department of Education, this research investigates trends in freshman GPAs, how these trends vary for different demographic and socioeconomic groups, and the relationship of freshman GPAs to high school graduation and college enrollment.

We follow seven cohorts of Arkansas first-time freshmen who were enrolled in twelfth grade four years later. Using regression analyses controlling only for student demographic characteristics, we find a one-point gain in freshman GPAs to be …

Examining Arkansas' Ninth-Grade Gpas And Long-Term Outcomes, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah R. Morris

Policy Briefs

In this brief, we examine Arkansas’ students’ ninth-grade GPAs and their relationship to high school graduation and college enrollment. We follow seven cohorts of Arkansas first-time freshmen who were still enrolled in twelfth grade four years later. We find ninth-grade GPAs strongly influence future academic successes. We suggest policies to help all freshmen succeed.

Beating The Odds: High-Growth Schools Based On The Act Aspire Examinations, Serving Low-Income Communities, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high-growth schools across Arkansas based on the ACT Aspire examinations in Math and English Language Arts (ELA) for the 2020-2021 academic year. For these awards, we consider schools where at least 66% of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL).

High-poverty schools are ranked by school level (Elementary, Middle, or High) based on Overall Growth (Math and ELA combined), as well as for growth in each content area independently. High-poverty schools are also ranked within each region of the state. Tables include the region in which the school is located, the number of …

High-Growth High Schools In Arkansas Based On Performance On The Act Aspire Examinations, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This section highlights high schools across the state whose students demonstrated high growth on the Arkansas ACT Aspire exams. The ACT Aspire was administered to students in grades 3 through 10 in April 2021 in Math and ELA courses which include English, Writing, and Reading.

Each table in this section presents the Top 20 schools for the noted subject area and school level. In addition, these tables include the region in which the schools are located, the grades served at the school, the weighted achievement score, and the content growth score in that particular subject.

The level of the schools, …

A Phenomenological Study To Understand The Transformation Of The Education System In A Rural Missouri High School In The Wake Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amanda R. Burdick

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the transformation of the education system in a rural-distant Missouri high school in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven content-area educators participated in the study. Data was collected through interviews and archival documents. The data analysis revealed three themes: transition to virtual learning, the new classroom experience, and emotional impact. Within those themes, participants described specific institutional and curricular changes that were made, and the emotional impact that the COVID-19 teaching experience had on them. Results of the study indicated that teachers felt very alone navigating through all of the …

High School Students’ Learning During The Covid Pandemic: Perspectives From Health Sciences And Technology Academy Participants, Sherron Benson Mckendall, Alan Mckendall, Ann Chester, Catherine Morton, Sean Freeland, Summer Kuhn, Mary Mcmillion

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

This paper examines the perspectives of Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) participants as they navigate through their West Virginia (WV) high school learning environments (i.e., in-person, blended/hybrid, complete virtual) during the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. In March of 2020, the participants in this out-of-school-time (OST) academic enrichment program for exceptionally driven, yet underprivileged, at-risk students, with over 70% living in rural areas, started receiving remote learning instruction through learning management systems or via paper packets. In August of 2020, school systems provided parents and caregivers alternative learning environments for their student(s). In order to understand the learning experiences …

Netsci High: Bringing Agency To Diverse Teens Through The Science Of Connected Systems, Stephen M. Uzzo, Catherine B. Cramer, Hiroki Sayama, Russell Faux

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

This paper follows NetSci High, a decade-long initiative to inspire teams of teenage researchers to develop, execute and disseminate original research in network science. The project introduced high school students to the computer-based analysis of networks, and instilled in the participants the habits of mind to deepen inquiry in connected systems and statistics, and to sustain interest in continuing to study and pursue careers in fields involving network analysis. Goals of NetSci High ranged from proximal learning outcomes (e.g., increasing high school student competencies in computing and improving student attitudes toward computing) to highly distal (e.g., preparing students for 21st …

Understanding How Experienced World History Teachers In Minnesota Choose Course Content: A Mixed Methods Study, Kathleen Ferrero

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Education in the United States has consistently utilized tests as well as a relatively standard curriculum to educate the youth. However, the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act and the subsequent implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, has created an educational environment focused largely on math and literacy skills. This mixed methods study discovered the primary factors experienced world history teachers in Minnesota utilize to balance historical thinking skills and the inclusion of current events against national and statewide curricular standards. Five experienced teachers were interviewed, and their responses coded using qualitative methods. These themes informed …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Thompson’S (2105) Survey Of Language Usage And Spanish Of Heritage Learners Placement Program Exam At The High-School Level, Elizabeth Villanueva

Doctoral Dissertations

Language placement test serve with multiple purposes to measure the language abilities and performance of language learners to place them in the most appropriate language course with curriculum that best meets the language needs. There is the need to assess appropriately the Spanish heritage language learners’ (SHLLs) abilities at the high-school level. Therefore, this mixed-method study investigated how Thompson’s (2015) modified Yes or No 10-question Survey of Language Usage (Survey) and the three part Spanish for Heritage Language Learners Placement Program Exam (Placement Test) could be used effectively with three Spanish class levels of HLLs at the high-school level to …

The Relationship Between The Next Generation Content Area Reading Professional Development Program On The Effectiveness Of Teaching Literacy Strategies In High School Biology Classes, Tia Pridgen Brown

Dissertations

The need for effective content area reading teachers have continued to increase since the introduction of one public school districts’ Content Area Reading Professional Development (CAR-PD) in 2006. In 2011, modifications were made to improve the program, and it became known as the Next Generation Content Area Reading Professional Development (NGCAR-PD). The purpose of this program evaluation is to investigate the relationship between NGCAR-PD certified Biology teachers and their ability to implement reading strategies with science content effectively. The context of this inquiry is a mid-sized public school district that has implemented the program since 2006 at the middle and …

Making Change Stick: A Case Study Of One High School’S Journey Towards Standards-Based Grading, Matt Townsley, Megan Knight

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this study was to explain the experiences of high school teachers and administrators in the midst of transitioning to standards-based grading practices. The researchers used a single case study methodology to investigate how teachers and administrators described their school’s implementation successes and challenges. Data triangulation occurred through analyzing semi-structured interviews, meeting agendas, handbooks, and relevant documents provided by study participants. Using Kotter’s eight steps for leading organizational change as a framework, we recommend school leaders blow off the cobwebs and get started, understand staff needs and provide teacher support, and be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Arkansas High School Graduation Rates: 2013/14-2017/18, Martha Bradley-Dorsey, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This report examines trends in high school graduation rates for the state of Arkansas. Graduation rates are evaluated at the school level for students overall and for students who face economic disadvantages. Earlier research by the Office for Education Policy (2014) found that larger high schools and schools serving more economically-disadvantaged students have lower graduation rates. We update the report by examining graduation rate trends across the five-year period of 2013-14 through 2017-18. We consider the relationship between graduation rate and variables of interest including school-level indicators of geographic region, achievement in literacy and math, proportion of racial minority and …

The State Of Education Reform, Danielle Weatherby

Arkansas Law Review

From the earliest days of the common school to the present struggle to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population, the country has expected that education will equip citizens for economic survival and growth; prepare them for an increasingly global marketplace; strengthen the bonds among people from different racial, ethnic, cultural, and social class groups; and sustain the nation’s democratic institutions. If schools are to do their part in contributing to fulfilling these goals, they need to be extraordinarily resilient and resourceful, and they need to be open to change.

Organizational Management Of Distance Learning: An Analysis Of Teacher Feedback Throughout Hampton Roads Public High Schools During The Covid-19 Pandemic Response, Cody P. Trudeau

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Public schools throughout the United States experienced closures and transitions to online curriculum in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many of the policies and strategies implemented to manage teaching faculty were hastily designed and employed out of necessity. This study sought to examine organizational management policies and strategies throughout public high schools in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia through teaching faculty perspectives. This cross-sectional study examined descriptive and correlational statistics of survey responses to determine and evaluate how schools managed communication, responsibilities and delegation, and training for distance learning in order to provide policy …

Stem Opportunities - High School 2019, Huey-Xian Kelly Wong, Madeleine Rauhauser, Annie Morgan Nelson

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This publication details the lesson plan for the “Opportunities in STEM” club for the summer of 2019. This club began out of a desire to educate high school students about the opportunities and careers available in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Often, students feel that the prospect of entering a STEM field is daunting and out of their grasp. What it means to be a scientist is often unclear, and students never consider opportunities out of the fear of the unknown, particularly when science is associated with complexity and difficulty. This lesson plan integrates experiments with a wealth …

Data Diving Into “Noticing Poetry”: An Analysis Of Student Engagement With The “I Notice” Method, Scot Slaby, Jordan Benedict

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This paper explores students’ engagement in reading poems, examining data on their self perceptions of their confidence and competence in reading poems before, during, and after using the “I Notice” methodology as adapted from The Academy of American Poets’ unit plan, “Noticing Poetry” (Slaby, 2017). The data was collected over the course of a month from January 9 through January 30, 2018 and involved five classes of one hundred general English tenth grade students across three teachers’ classrooms at Shanghai American School’s Puxi High School Campus. Data indicates that the “I Notice” method and the “Noticing Poetry” unit and its …

Resilience And Academic Achievement In Minority Students, James A. Britton

Theses and Dissertations

Students can thrive within school programs and sustain their capacity for success despite seemingly overwhelming obstacles. A model of school-based resilience can insulate students from risk and help students acknowledge challenges, embrace them, and learn as students encounter challenge and surmount it.

This study of a high school program analyzed the relationship between educational resilience and academic achievement through a direct measure of resilience. The research investigated whether a program increased resilience for minority and low-income high school students and whether stronger resilience was associated with improved academic outcomes. Students in the program produced significantly better academic outcomes, as measured …