Education Commons^™

Administrators' Capacity For Supporting Reform-Oriented Science Instruction: An Urban School District Case Study, Venicia Ferrell, Joanna K. Garner

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Secondary school administrators play a vital role as instructional leaders, but little is known about their knowledge of science practices and perceptions of strategies for supporting reform-oriented science instruction. This multiphase, mixed-methods Q-Methodology study explored administrators' perceptions of instructional leadership and, in particular, high-quality science instruction. After a concourse of 40 items was developed through a review of literature and an expert panel, n = 22 administrators from one urban school district completed a Q-sort and a post-sort questionnaire in which they commented on a lesson excerpt. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was used to assimilate the participants into …

Addressing The Principles For School Mathematics: A Case Study Of Elementary Teachers Pedagogy And Practices In An Urban High-Poverty School, Robert Q. Berry, Linda Bol, Sueanne E. Mckinney

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The extent to which four novice teachers assigned to an urban high-poverty school implemented the Principles of School Mathematics during their mathematics instruction program was investigated using a case study design. The research team conducted 36 unannounced observations of the participating teachers and utilized a developed assessment to guide their observations. Results indicated that only one teacher was judged proficient for all the principles. The remaining three teachers fell short in the implementation and direction of the principles. Detailed descriptions of the pedagogical practices of the teachers are provided.

Elementary Guidance Services In Urban And Rural Schools In Tidewater, Virginia, Berkley Edgerton Ashby

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to assess the relative importance of the ten most significant components of an elementary guidance program. A second purpose was to identify differences in guidance services provided in selected urban and rural schools and also the perceived effectiveness and adequacy of the services as viewed by counselors and teachers. The study was conducted with elementary guidance counselors and elementary teachers in 48 urban and 48 rural schools in Tidewater, Virginia.

The National Study of School Evaluation instrument for secondary schools was modified for use in this study. A pilot study of the revised instrument …

Defining The Role Of School Personnel Directors In Urban School Divisions Of The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Arnold Coy Nye Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to identify disparities between perceptions of the public school personnel director's role by both personnel directors and superintendents. The study was limited to personnel directors and superintendents employed by urban school divisions in Virginia. The study sought to identify (1) disparities between perceptions by personnel directors of their ideal role versus their actual role, (2) disparities between perceptions of personnel directors and superintendents of the personnel director's actual role, and (3) disparities between perceptions by public school division superintendents of the personnel directors ideal role versus the actual role.

A role analysis questionnaire was …

A Study Of The Planning Process Utilized By Urban School Divisions In Constructing Public Schools In The State Of Virginia, 1984-1989, Patricia Liverman Powers

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research tested utilization of the "team approach" to planning for new school construction. The "team approach" is characterized by seven essential variables. To successfully plan a new school building, educators must: (1) involve more than one individual in collecting data; (2) provide quantitative data to the architect; (3) provide qualitative data to the architect; (4) provide data to the architect in advance of design; (5) provide data to the architect in written form; (6) provide original data, not prototype data; and (7) provide data which is used by the architect. Collective use of all seven variables constitute the "team …

The Effects Of An Inservice Training Program For Cooperating Teachers On The Supervision Of Student Teachers In An Urban School System, Cheryl S. Baker

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The primary task of this research was to develop, implement, and evaluate an inservice training program designed to provide cooperating teachers with supervisory skills. The research design employed to evaluate this study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods and procedures. Quantitative methods included a quasi-experimental design with the inservice training program as the independent variable and the posttest measure of cooperating teacher effectiveness as the dependent variable. Participants in the investigation were 42 student teacher triads--student teachers from two large urban universities, their cooperating teachers in schools providing placements for the student teaching experience and their university supervisors. The 21 …

The Identification Of Gifted Children At The Kindergarten And First-Grade Level In An Urban And Rural Population, Flora Carter Roberts

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study examined the nomination procedures and assessment instruments employed in the gifted programs in ten urban and four rural southeastern Virginia school divisions. The procedures and instruments were examined in relation to the proportionate number of black and white children nominated for and determined eligible for the gifted program at kindergarten and grade one. The odds-ratio, a measure of association, was the primary data analysis technique employed.

In urban divisions in which K-1 membership was reported as white, black, other, white children were four times as likely to be a member of the gifted program at the end of …

The Effect Of Mobility On The Academic Performance Of Grade Six Students In An Urban School, Arnold Hugo Lindblad Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of mobility on the standardized achievement test scores of grade six students in an urban school. The study sought to (1) identify the degree of mobility experienced by grade six students in the Chesapeake Public Schools; (2) identify the degree of mobility within the Chesapeake Public Schools; (3) determine the socio-economic, gender, and ethnic characteristics of the extra-city mobile, intra-city mobile, and non-mobile grade six students; (4) determine if there were differences in the standardized achievement test scores of extra-city mobile, intra-city mobile, and non-mobile grade six students; and (5) …