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A Mixed Methods Approach To Exploring Relationships Among Professional Preparation, Professional Development, And The Implementation Of Sex Education In Mississippi, Joyee Washington

Dissertations

The state of Mississippi has led the nation in high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents, despite mandating sex education in public schools for over a decade (SIECUS, 2011; SIECUS, 2016; SIECUS, 2017). Although studies conducted among Mississippi sex educators in the K-12 setting have shown that teachers receive very little to no professional development and desire more training, there is little supporting evidence to understand the position of professional development relative to sex education implementation in the state (Kolbo, Werle, Ismail, Arrington, Harbaugh, & Esters, 2015; Arrington, Ismail, Werle, Esters, Frederick, Ellis, & Kolbo, 2018). …

The Influence Of Administrators On Literacy Instruction Through The Promotion And Selection Of Professional Development, Lucy K. Johnston-Josey

Dissertations

Literacy is a key component to success in school and in life. Literacy has been a focus of education since 1965 when President Jimmy Carter announced a “war on poverty.” Since then, history has shown that educators should place an emphasis on literacy within schools. Because literacy is so important, I set out to explore how administrators influence literacy through the promotion and selection of professional development.

Mississippi was chosen as a basis for the study because it falls below the nation in terms of literacy rates on the National Assessment for Educational Progress assessment. Nineteen participants from four school …

Employee Participation In A College Based Wellness Program: Leader Support, Incentives, Job Satisfaction, Absenteeism, And Self-Efficacy, Tara Rebekah Rouse

Dissertations

This study investigated employee participation in a college based wellness program using the following factors: leader support, incentives, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and self-efficacy. Specifically, the research was conducted to determine whether there was a significant relationship or difference in participation in a college based wellness program when looking at leader support, incentives, and individual self-efficacy and if participation made any difference on job satisfaction and/or absenteeism. The theoretical framework of this research is based on Bandura’s social learning theory, also known as social cognitive theory and was supplemented using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior. This study could be beneficial to …

Effective Instructional Strategies Utilized In Successful And High Performing Secondary Schools In The Southern Region Of Mississippi, Jeanifer Lynn Pearson

Dissertations

The schools in the United States have implemented measures intended to close the achievement gap for over fifty years (Solomon, 2009). The mandates handed down by the federal government cannot be altered. Therefore, schools are required to determine specific measures that increase student academic success. Prior research has demonstrated that schools can be successful if effective leadership at the district, school, and classroom level was present (Gregory, 2003; Johnson, Livingston, & Schwartz, 2000). At the classroom level, it was the leadership of the individual teacher to determine the creation of innovative techniques aimed at academic success of all students (Farr …

The Relationship Between Shared Leadership, Teacher Self-Efficacy, And Student Achievement, Anjanette Fuller Zinke

Dissertations

Decisions about ways to improve student achievement have been of concern over the years (Reeves, 2011). Multiple reforms have been attempted (Evers, 2000; Marzano, 2000), but researchers have differed in viewpoints on their effectiveness (Jennings & Rentner, 2006; Rose, 2010). State test scores in Mississippi have not risen to levels mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and waivers have brought new challenges to districts (Ravitch, 2012). Administrators have to focus their attention in areas other than new programs and new personnel to correct the path of education (Coburn, 2001; Hargreaves & Macmillan, 1995; Sledge & Moorehead, …

Establishing Construct Validity Of The Biology I Subject Area Testing Program In Mississippi, Christy Michelle Hollis Philippoff

Dissertations

Science education has undergone many revisions since it was permanently embedded in the country's educational curriculum at the end of the 19th century. Some of these revisions occurred as a direct result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This legislation placed more accountability on schools than ever before by requiring that all students pass a series of standardized tests (USDE, 2010). High schools in Mississippi require four areas of standardized testing: English II, Algebra I, U.S. History, and Biology I (Wroten, 2008). The focus of this study is the Biology I Subject Area Test.

In an effort to …

The Relationship Between Readability Level Of Mississippi's Middle Schools' Websites And Seventh Grade Language Arts Mct2 Scores, Anna Marlene Graves Pickard

Dissertations

Today’s educators face the unprecedented challenge of increasing achievement for all students. One response has been to increase and improve parent involvement and school-to-home communication through the use of school websites. The quantitative section of this study analyzed the readability grade level of the website as it relates to state test scores. For the qualitative section of the study, a sample of middle school principals’ levels of interest and involvement with parents through the website and other methods of communication for student achievement were examined through the use of principal interviews.

Seventh grade Language Arts MCT2 scores from 205 Mississippi …

Retention, Social Promotion, And Dropout Rates In Mississippi, Jennifer Jo Woodruff

Dissertations

There has been much research in the past two decades about the dropout problem in America. Dropout rates have become a focal point for all public schools in the nation largely due to components of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Dropout Prevention Act that associate monetary rewards to schools that raise the graduation completion rates to 90%. The dropout rates for the United States rank the educational system 17th for graduation completion rates among developed countries. Mississippi has repeatedly earned the title of low-ranking among all states in the nation.

Dropping out of high school is followed …