Education Commons^™

The Long Island Opt-Out Movement And Local Politics In Four School Districts, Raymond James Webb

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study focused on the political influence of the Long Island Opt-Out Organization, an interest group that promoted the right of parents and guardians to have their children opt out of standardized testing. The study examined the activism and influence of this group on school board elections and policy agendas in four school districts in Long Island, New York during 2014-2019.

A Comparative Study Of Leadership And Management In Rural Schools Achieving Above Predicted Graduation Outcomes, Brian David Rhode

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

School systems are expected to demonstrate outcomes that are equitable for all students. Despite an abundance of educational legislation aimed at raising all students’ achievement, gaps persist, especially among critical populations such as economically disadvantaged, English language learners, African-American and Hispanic/Latino students. This study is a comparative study of leadership and management in positive outlier schools and typically performing high schools, the first type has demonstrated a trend of above-predicted graduation outcomes for rural youth.

Hidden Resistance In Rural Education : A Study Of Two School District Consolidation Attempts In New York State 2008-2014, Casey T. Jakubowski

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study explores two rural school consolidation attempts in upstate New York during the “Great Recession” between 2008 and 2014. One consolidation received voter approval, the other was defeated. Case study research (Stake, 1995; Yin, 2018) formed the structure examine how the two attempts were alike and different. Official school documents, reports in local newspapers, and online discussion boards formed the source material used in this dissertation. Gee’s (2014) Discourse Analysis became the methodological framework used in analyzing source materials. As part of the analysis process, a hole in policy implementation literature became apparent, namely the lack of local voter …

Examining The Experiences Of Retained Non-Rural Teachers Serving In High-Turnover Rural School Districts, Whitney Leigh Prowell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe factors and conditions necessary to retain non-rural public school teachers in high-turnover rural districts in South Carolina. Research on retaining non-rural teachers in rural districts is scarce. This phenomenological interview study describes rural teaching experiences from the perspective of non-rural teachers and provides insight into factors that influence the decision-making of non-rural teachers regarding continued employment in their district.

Data was gathered from interviews with 11 participants. South Carolina was selected because it is a highly rural state with a severe teacher shortage. A phenomenological design helped to answer the study‘s overarching …

Exploring The Capacity Development Of Novice School Administrators: It's Not Only Where Capacity Sources Are Accessed But Also How, Aaron Ross Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Although many school districts provide inservice professional development to build the capacities of novice principals, some of these supports are proving inadequate in recruiting or retaining qualified leaders. Research on capacity development for novice principals is scarce, yields mixed results, and employs methodology which has invited participant response bias. Reflecting the school level, gender, and Title I experience of novice principals within a large school district in the mid-Western United States, a sample of 24 novice principals respond to semi-structured interview questions. Iterations of transcription coding, member-checking, and analysis yield findings that help school districts better understand the capacity development …

The Experiences Of Teachers At Southern California Continuation High Schools: Exposing The Barriers Within Alternative Education, Gabriela R. Ornelas

Pitzer Senior Theses

My project explores the role of teachers at Southern California continuation high schools as it relates to serving low-income students of color in the face of the institutional barriers within alternative education. My study focuses on the teachers’ career, interactions with students, and opinions on accessibility to resources and funding. I have examined their experiences through twenty in-depth, semi-structured interviews with teachers from three districts. My findings indicate that district members’ misconceptions of Latinx students as inherently deviant and academically unengaged drive institutional issues creating financial burden for which teachers are forced to compensate. My study highlights that continuation high …

San Francisco Bay Area School Districts Contracted With California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) And The Impact Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act Of 2010, Michael David Blanco

Doctoral Dissertations

San Francisco Bay Area school districts contracted with California Public Employees’ Retirement system (CalPERS) and the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

This qualitative study examined the impact of high cost CalPERS medical plans on the participant’s school district in regards to the 2020 Cadillac Tax, the types of administrative action the participants have taken to comply with the mandated reporting to the IRS, and the types of administrative measures the participants have taken to comply with the offer of coverage to employees working a minimum of 30 hours per week. The theoretical framework used …

On The Cusp: A School District And Two Communities Respond To An Oil Pre-Boom, Vincent Roman Genareo

Theses and Dissertations

This case study is an investigation of the attitudes, perceptions, and reactions of school staff and community members in a rural pre-boom school district. In the early stage of an oil boom, real and perceived disruptions commonly occur in the schools and communities that are affected. The preparations and responses that residents make to the changes may determine the community’s future success, so understanding the impacts in the initial pre-boom growth stage is vital. Using qualitative methods of interviews, participant observations, and document analyses, this study researched 41 participants in a rural school district and two communities. The literature review …

Adequate Yearly Progress And Dropouts: An Analysis Of Kentucky High Schools & Districts, Michelle Schardein

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Education accountability measures, especially since the passage of No Child Left Behind, have been assessed for a variety of factors in empirical research. A large portion of this literature finds that overall, accountability measures increase performance, but also increase the achievement gap. These findings have inspired this research to examine what other marginal groups of students have been affected by the unintended reaction to the consequence-based incentives found in minimum competency accountability programs, such as No Child Left Behind.

In particular, this research looks at how the changes in a high school or school district’s Adequate Yearly Progress marks affect …

Causes Of Job Turnover In The Public School Superintendency: An Explanatory Analysis In The Western United States, Toby A. Melver

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the factors that affect public school superintendent turnover in five western states. An explanatory theory was developed to cover all of the possible variables and show the relationship between those variables. The questions that guided this research study were:

(1) What environmental factors influence the tenure of superintendents in western states?

(2) What governance factors influence the tenure of superintendents in western states?

(3) What personal factors influence the tenure of superintendents in western states?

(4) What are the incentives and/or disincentives that influence the tenure of superintendents in western states? …

Data-Driven Decision-Making: A Case Study Of How A School District Uses Data To Inform Reading Instruction, Terese Ann Brecklin

Dissertations (1934 -)

This case study investigated the organizational structure, assessment philosophy, and instructional practices of one Wisconsin public school district in order to learn about the ways in which the district used assessment data to inform reading instruction. The study was situated within the context of the high-stakes testing environment created by No Child Left Behind legislation.

Data from multiple sources informed the study, including documents, interviews, and classroom observations. Participants included three district administrators, three elementary building principals, three elementary reading specialists and seven elementary classroom teachers. A within and cross-case analysis was conducted to determine the interrelationships between perceptions about …

Program Recommendations To Fulfill Restrictive Procedures Training Requirements For School Districts, Annette M. Kleinschrodt

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Minnesota Statute 125A.0942, Standards for Restrictive Procedures goes into effect on August 1, 2011. This law includes stringent training requirements for licensed school staff to complete if they will be using any type of restrictive procedures in their district. The policy encourages proactive methods to address behavior, emphasizes restrictive measures to be used only in cases of emergency, and implementing the least intrusive intervention. The training component is a large part of accomplishing this goal. The purpose of this project is to examine existing programs that train school personnel in administering restrictive procedures. Training programs are reviewed for their evidence-base …

Similar Districts With Different Results: Using The Baldrige Scale To Understand Outcome Differences In Rural School Districts In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Miguel Angel Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The research for this study describes the organizational characteristics and the personnel behaviors distinctive to high-achieving rural school districts. A comparison between two rural school districts, one high-achieving and the other low-achieving was completed using a survey instrument. The Baldrige National Quality Program instrument was administered used as the instrument from which seven dependent variables were utilized: (a) leadership, (b) strategic planning, (c) student, stakeholder, and market focus, (d) measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, (e) faculty and staff focus, (f) process management, and (g) perceptions of organizational performance. Fifty-eight teachers and administrators were sampled from two rural school districts in …

How Small School Districts Can Organize To Afford Their Small Schools, Christine Burton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

An Historical Description Of Collective Bargaining In New Jersey Public Schools And An Analysis Of Current Negotiation Agreements In Essex County School Districts With Heavy Local Tax Burdens, Margaret Mary Mingin

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

A Study Of The Fiscal Impact Of School District Consolidation Upon The 23 Non-Operating School Districts Within The State Of New Jersey, Ann F. Murphy

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

A Comprehensive Community Relations Plan For The Sunnyside School District, Gary Street

All Graduate Projects

An action planning team, composed of fifteen Sunnyside community members and school district personnel, created several comprehensive action plans designed to improve public relations within the district boundaries by increasing the interaction/involvement between the school district, parents, and community. The process for developing the plan was divided into five steps: 1) Strategy Analysis; 2) Information Gathering; 3) Action Plan Writing; 4) Cost Benefit Analysis; and 5) Presentation of the Action Plans.

A History Of The Big Trees And Avery School Districts, 1881-1940, David E. Gano

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The history of a school district is usually presented as a local history. This type of history is very thorough in naming names, locating sites, and explaining events as they affected the local scene. History does not occur in a vacuum, and often the explanation for certain behaviors or events lies beyond the local phenomena. It is the intention of this study to present the history of the Big Trees and Avery School Districts within a larger context of national forces which were also at work and sometimes, dominated the events. It is hoped that the effort to bring education …

A Policy Handbook For The Union Gap School District, Gary Fredrick Johnson

All Graduate Projects

This project presents a proposed policy handbook to the board of directors of the Union Gap School District which will replace the present outdated handbook. Prior to writing the new policies, a review was made of educational literature on policy development, the Union Gap School District's board minutes, and surrounding school districts policy handbooks. The policies from the surrounding school districts were categorized according to subject matter, and, utilizing these policies along with a close communication with the school board and the superintendent, new policies were developed that would meet the unique needs of the Union Gap School District.

Survey Of Second And Third Class School District Administrator Evaluation In Washington State, Mack Douglass Armstrong

All Graduate Projects

In October 1974, a pilot survey was conducted at the state convention of the Washington Association of Secondary School Principals in Spokane, Washington. The concern of the pilot survey was to indicate the general compliance for school administrators with RCW 28A.67.065. The results indicated that 75 percent of the districts surveyed evaluate their principals while only 41 percent indicated an evaluation of the superintendent. Were these percentages to hold true and accurate, eighty districts in the state would not be evaluating their principals and 188 superintendents would not be evaluated. Fifty-nine percent of the school districts then would be failing …

A Survey Of String Programs In The Texas Public Schools, Dennis Lee Bell

OBU Graduate Theses

Orchestras suffered considerably during and immediately after the second World War. The rise of military bands and school bands overshadowed the efforts in developing a well-rounded music curriculum of instrumental music in the public school. However, the trend is now reversed. As a shortage of string players for the symphony orchestras become apparent, a move was initiated to provide training in the public schools for students who wished to play string instruments. With the rise of more American composers, conductors, and symphony players, interest increased in string programs and they began to grow.

The purpose of the survey was to …

A Study Of The Need For School District Reorganization In The Southeastern Part Of Thurston County, Washington, Rollo Walters

All Master's Theses

The reasons for this paper are (1) to study the literature to determine the qualities of adequate school districts; (2) to make a study of three small school districts and one larger district with the idea of a possible merger for the three smaller districts; and (3) if deemed advisable, recommend a plan of reorganization.

A Study Of A Proposed Plan For School District Reorganization In Sultan, Gold Bar And Index, George Thomas Sofie

All Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a need for reorganization in Sultan, Gold Bar and Index school districts. If reorganization was needed, this paper will propose a plan by which this reorganization can be carried out.

A Comparative Study Of The Evergreen School District Before And After Reorganization, Walford Neal Johnson

All Master's Theses

The problem of this thesis was to examine the Evergreen School District, both before and after its reorganization, to determine whether or not the reorganization of the district resulted in more acceptable educational services and facilities for all school children residing within its boundaries. Further, an attempt was made to compare the cost of education before and after reorganization.

Comparison Of Two Plans For Administration Organization Of The School Districts Of Sanpete County, Leon F. Christiansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Educational administration exists to develop and guide the educational program. Every local public school system is a legal agency of the state for the conduct of public education. State laws usually set up the administrative units for school districts and places upon local boards of education the responsibility for the management of the local schools. Such boards represent the people of the state, and the district, and they perform a large number of legally designated functions.

The constitution of the State of Utah states clearly the responsibility for the maintenance and establishment of the schools. The following are extracts from …