Education Commons^™

Raising Student Achievement Through Programmatic Initiatives And Instructional Improvement, Philip S. Georgia

Dissertations

This dissertation consists of a program evaluation, a change leadership plan, and a policy advocacy proposal.

The program evaluation studies the impact of initiatives implemented at an elementary school near a large city in Illinois using a case study methodology. The school was required to restructure during the 2013-2014 school year as a result of the performance mandates outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. To compare the post-restructuring status of the school with the pre-restructuring status, student growth data for multiple grade levels and for each federal subgroup was collected. In addition, the staff’s perceptions about …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Teachers’ Attitudes Towards A Computer-Based Assessment System And Student Achievement, Felicia M. Griffin

Dissertations

Since the introduction of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), districts across the country implemented computerized benchmark, or interim assessments, into their curriculum as a means to monitor and improve student achievement. Often, a change in curriculum entails a demand of educators’ time, whether through professional development or lesson planning, and therefore affects teachers’ attitudes. The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, relationship there was among middle school teachers’ attitudes, monthly computerized benchmark assessments, and student scores on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). Educators of the communication arts and mathematics content areas from one middle school were …

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between Act Scores And One-To-One Computing, Jeffrey Brian Heath

Dissertations

This study examined whether a relationship exists between one-to-one computing and student achievement, specifically ACT scores. This study also examined whether relationships exist among teachers’ perceptions of one-to-one computing, teachers’ years of experience, subjects taught by teachers, teachers’ skill level in the use of a computer for instruction, and teachers’ perceptions of changes in ACT scores. The results of this study could help policymakers and educators with decisions regarding implementation of one-to-one computing programs.

The sample of schools for investigating the relationship between one-to-one computing and ACT scores consisted of 33 secondary public schools with one-to-one computing programs located in …

Teacher Evaluation And Student Achievement In Elementary Education, Eric L. Allen

Dissertations

Historically, the state of Missouri has utilized the Performance-Based Teacher Evaluation (PBTE) system developed by Dr. Jerry Valentine from the University of Missouri (Valentine & Harting, 1986). The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 mandated more rigorous accountability standards for state education systems (Moe, 2014). The 2012 revisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provided to Missouri by the U.S. Department of Education relieved the original mandates of the NCLB Act (MODESE, 2015a). However, added were provisions for teacher and administrator accountability which required evaluation of research-based principles of effective instruction (MODESE 2015a). In this study, …

Career And Technical Education: The Impact Of Leadership On School Improvement And Student Achievement, Eric T. Keeling

Dissertations

The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE) College and Career Readiness (CCR) Model elevated CTE in the public education arena forcing a paradigm shift in the administration of CTE across the Commonwealth. Instructional leadership and school improvement are viewed as important components of CCR. The perceptions of teachers concerning school improvement and the leadership behaviors exhibited by principals are essential in the daily operation of CTE schools. The purpose of the current study was to provide a body of knowledge revealing the relationships among Leadership, Instruction, and Student Achievement in the CTE setting. KDE adopted the Standards and Indicators for School …

A Study Of The Impact Of Retention On Student Achievement In Three Rural Missouri School Districts, Jon Thomas Johnson

Dissertations

A case study was performed using archival data from retained students in three rural Missouri school districts. The data were examined to determine if a correlation existed between grade level retention and improved student achievement in Math and English Language Arts. A t-test was used to determine the impact retention had on student achievement. Scores were collected from the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) data from retained students the year before they were retained, as well as the year following when they were retained. Data were collected from 2006-2014. Data from this study revealed students who were retained showed significant gains …

Merit Pay For Educators: An Investigation Of Components Significantly Impacting Student Achievement, Lisa G. Carlon

Dissertations

With teacher evaluations, school ratings, and ultimately school funding being linked more and more to student achievement data, U.S. public schools are searching for new and effective ways to boost academic testing scores. This study examined teachers’ and administrators’ experiences with and perceptions of merit pay, with the goal of identifying key program components positively impacting student success. With this information, solid and successful merit pay structures could be implemented in schools across the nation. Professional educators from two Midwest states who were involved in performance pay programs participated in the study through both a survey instrument and personal interviews. …

Instructional Leadership And Deliberate Practice: A Framework For Improving Student Achievement, Matthew Henry Banach

Dissertations

This study examined whether the theory of deliberate practice could be applied and expanded to the field of education to explain how school leaders successfully work with teachers to improve student achievement in schools with a high percentage of student identified as minority and low income. For the purpose of this study, deliberate practice is defined as practice that is "(a) at an appropriate level, (b) provides informative feedback, (c) provides for opportunities for repetition, and (d) allows for correction of errors" (Sternberg, Grigorenko, & Ferrari, 2002, p. 71).

The researcher completed a qualitative case study of two public elementary …

Effect Of A Substance Abuse Intervention Program On Student Achievement At A Midwest University, Terry Russell

Dissertations

Through empirical research, this dissertation examined whether a substance abuse intervention program implemented at a Midwest university could prove beneficial in addressing the problem of substance abuse on college campuses. Drawing on multiple resources, including Department of Education, psychologists, scholars, and other professional sources, this dissertation provides information on the importance of intervention and behavioral adjustment. This study covered statistical data over a two year period on an intervention program including measurements such as: grade point average, attendance, number of months in the program, and degree persistence. A second area of research was directed at determining the effect of the …