Education Commons^™

Teachers' Attitudes Toward The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In The General Education Classroom In A Rural School District, Robin M. Pelt

Theses and Dissertations

According to the research, inclusion in the general education setting is valuable to the academic and social development of students with disabilities. Teachers play a significant role in the success of students with disabilities in this setting (Coombs-Richardson & Mead, 2001; Fuchs, 2010; Test et al., 2009). Research shows that teachers display positive and negative attitudes toward inclusion based on the severity of the disability category (Cook, 2001; Ernest & Rogers, 2009). The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classroom in a rural school district. An …

Reading And Math Interventions At The Secondary Level: A Research Brief, Ashlee Lester, David Naff

MERC Publications

Starting in the early 2000’s with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, federal and state education authorities promoted the use of accountability policies that require schools to meet certain measures of academic progress overtime. Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) have become the new measure of school success. These policies rely heavily on students’ Math and Reading achievement at particular benchmark grades, leading local educational agencies (i.e. school divisions) to place increased emphasis on the reading and math results of state-mandated testing. In Virginia, pressures to meet AYP and AMOs by improving school performance on the …

Role Clarity And Instructional Technology Support: A Naturalistic Examination Of Various Perceptions Of The Role Of The Itrt Within And Across Three High Schools, Ann Nash

Theses and Dissertations

Role clarity for any individual leads to more successful implementation of his or her job expectations. In a school, there are many individuals with various roles to fill. The Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT) has multiple roles within a school including: training teachers, designing integrated curriculum, managing learning resources, modeling instructional strategies, acting as a technology resource, assisting content specialists, and preview and recommending software. This study found that stakeholders in schools consistently recognize the ITRT as both a trainer and designer of integrated lessons. Other instructional support roles are recognized only by some stakeholders in schools. When a greater …

Fairness In Secondary Specialty Centers And Magnet School Admissions: Contending With The Equity-Excellence Tension: A Review Of Literature, Kurt Temhagen

MERC Publications

The purpose of the review is to consider the fairness of admissions processes related to magnet schools and specialty centers. Are criteria appropriate? Is there an under-representation of minority/low socioeconomic groups in such schools and programs? If so, what built-in and unforeseen bias exists in the admissions process? Finally, are there examples of programs that are overcoming these admissions-related problems and, if so, what can be learned from them?

There is some conceptual muddle as to whether magnet schools and specialty centers “work.” In order to know what is meant by “work”, relevant terms must be clarified and aims must …

Differentiation Of Instructional Methodologies In Subject-Based Curricula At The Secondary Level, Edward Hootstein

MERC Publications

Currently, efforts to detrack secondary schools have called attention to the need for instructional practices to address the increase academic diversity within many classrooms. The purpose of this student was to examine how teachers address that diversity and what steps they take to meet students' instructional needs. The purpose of the study was brought into focus by posing the following research questions: How important is addressing students' diverse academic needs to secondary school teachers? (b) Which instructional methods do secondary school teachers use to address students' academic differences? (c) which instructional methods do secondary school teachers think are effective in …

Early Reading Interventions: What Works?, Anne J. Atkinson, Jennifer L. Uram

MERC Publications

The purpose of this study was to: 1) examine differences in the programs and practices employed in area schools to teach successful and unsuccessful at-risk students, 2) determine relationships among identified problems, reading interventions, and outcomes, and 3) present implications of the study for schools.

Scheduling Secondary Schools: Questions And Answers, Lynn Westfall

MERC Publications

Some researchers believe scheduling techniques have changed frequently and dramatically since the early 1960's. And, there is no doubt that changes have occurred in education. Changes such as the development of computerized scheduling techniques in the 1960's; the increase in the number of courses offered; the concern for equal opportunity; the individualization of instruction; and the increase in the variety and flexibility of scheduling models available to schools, led to a growing awareness of accountability by the 1970s (Dempsey * Traverso, 1983). The quality of individual opportunity prompted educators to revitalize conventional scheduling, and to consider diverse options.

Though such …