Education Commons^™

Barriers Teaching Environmental Justice Education, Jodi Devonshire

Dissertations

The idea of freedom in education has its roots in the social justice movements of the 1950s and 60s. Civil rights groups coalesced independently of other marginalized groups and movements of its time. While similar in nature, environmentalism and civil rights issues rarely crossed paths. As environmentalism made its way into science education and curriculum, social justice issues were restricted to historical perspectives in education. This research initially sought to create an understanding of purpose driven, social justice conscious, Environmental Education as it is related to marginalized learners and identify the barriers of creating and implementing culturally relevant environmental education …

Which School- And Community- Characteristics Lead To Charter School Success?, Susan Marino, Sarah Ranney

Dissertations

Charter schools have existed in the United States for thirty years, with mixed results. Research has largely focused on charter school failure and an analysis of what led to the demise. This study aimed to understand characteristics predicting charter school success, alongside those predicting failure. Specifically, it focused on a charter school’s first six years to understand how one successfully establishes a strong foundation, with the expectation that early success will lead to long-term success.

To understand characteristics predicting charter school success and failure, a review of existing data determined which charter schools were successful. Then, founding school leaders were …

Teacher Retention And Attrition In Missouri: Who Should Solve The Problem? A Three-Tiered Analysis Of Teacher Retention And Attrition In Missouri, Joshua Flores

Dissertations

Abstract

Teacher attrition is an ongoing issue in the United States and more specifically in the state of Missouri. This dissertation, using a three-tiered analytical approach, offers suggestions, recommendations, and strategies, aside from raising salaries or increasing benefits packages, that schools, their districts, and leaders can implement to bolster teacher retention. The findings are based on the practices of successful districts, buildings, and leaders. The first level of research included semi-structured interviews with district level personnel to offer guidance and recommendations that can be implemented at the local school district level. Similarly, the second level of research utilized the same …

Invisibly Visible: A Study Of African-American Females And Their Ascent To The Superintendency, Tracy M. Hinds

Dissertations

African-American women leading school districts as public school superintendents of schools is rare. It is even more infrequent for multiple African-American women to serve in the position of superintendent of schools in the same state. This historical qualitative study investigated and documented the history of African-American women who served in the position of public superintendent of schools in the state of Missouri. Research on the topic of African-American female superintendents is scarce. This study contributed to the growing body of research focused on the personal stories and experiences of African-American women who served and continue to serve as superintendents. The …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Nonverbal Kindergarten Ability And Third-Grade Reading Achievement, Aaron John Wills

Dissertations

Increased scrutiny of educational proficiency targets has intensified the urgency for educators to identify measurements that indicate students’ likelihood of eventual achievement in reading. This regression analysis explored the relationship between nonverbal ability in kindergarten as measured by the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) and eventual third-grade achievement in reading and writing as measured by the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). Naglieri and Ronning (2000) found a range of correlational r values from .49 to .56 when comparing NNAT results to results from the Stanford Achievement Test 9 (SAT-9) in reading when tested concurrently at various grade levels. The present research …