Education Commons^™

Inequitable School Funding In Illinois Colorblind Or Blindfolded: A Critical Race Theory Analysis Counterstory Of Illinois' Lewis E. V. Spagnolo, Mariette Yevette Cheatam

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the Illinois school funding formula continuing to be one of the most staggeringly unequal in the nation, the Illinois State Supreme Court excludes school finance from judicial review. Although entities such as the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education, continue to both collect and analyze education results along racial and ethnic lines, many studies leave out the importance of racism in their analysis.

In its search for the colorblind doctrine, this critical race theory (CRT) study focuses on Lewis E. v. Spagnolo, 710 N.E.2d 798 …

The Relationship Between Teachers’ Levels Of Cultural Competence And The Nomination/Referral Process For Gifted Identification Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students, Patrice C. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which teachers’ levels of cultural competence is a factor in the nomination/referral process for gifted identification of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Specifically, this study compared the self-assessed perceptions of second and third grade elementary teachers’ cultural competence to the various factors included in the gifted referral process. A quasi-experimental quantitative study was used. However, this study superficially included some qualitative exploration due to the nature of the open-ended survey questions and secondary data set analysis. Quantitative data were collected via an adapted version of the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment for Teachers survey created by …

The Effects Of The Property Tax Extension Limitation Law Adjustment And Hold Harmless Provision On Equity In The Illinois General State Aid Funding System, 2000-2011, Toni Marie Waggoner

Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzed the effect that the General State Aid (GSA) Property Tax Extension Limitation Law adjustment and Hold Harmless component had on equity in the Illinois General State Aid funding system. The equity criteria defined in the study was permissible variance, wealth neutrality, and conditional wealth neutrality. This study consisted of four simulations. First, baseline indices were calculated for the Illinois funding system for 2000 to 2011. Second, the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law adjustment (PTELL) was eliminated, the associated cost savings used to increase the GSA foundation level, and new equity indices were calculated. Third, the Hold Harmless …

An Explanatory Mixed-Methods Approach To Tracing “Career Pathways” Policy In Virginia: How School Counselors And Student Demographics Influence Implementation Fidelity, Michael Ormsmith

Theses and Dissertations

This explanatory mixed-methods policy analysis describes how school counselors' thoughts and attitudes contribute to the implementation fidelity of the Academic and Career Plan (ACP) policy in a suburban Virginia school division. A quantitative survey investigated counselor thoughts about the policy, implementation behaviors, and counselor ideas about equity issues related to providing college and career planning services to at risk students. Counselor interviews were conducted to provide deeper insight about the street level implementation practices and beliefs of counselors. Findings reveal that counselors place substantial value in the ACP policy and think the process is useful for connecting student interests and …