Education Commons^™

Building Visible Allies For Safe And Supportive Environments: Systemic Implementation Of The Out For Safe Schools Campaign, James Marshall, Rachel Miller

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

Contemporary data illustrate a greater risk in school environments for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, or queer (LGBTQ). Verbal or physical harassment, and feeling generally unsafe in school, can lead to higher absence rates and lower levels of academic performance for these youth, when compared to their heterosexual peers. School districts across the country are responding to this challenge. This article profiles an implementation of the OUT for Safe Schools Campaign which is designed to provide visible adult allies for LGBTQ students throughout a school district. It highlights the systemic nature of both the OUT for Sale …

Walking The Talk: Promoting Middle School Philosophy By Embracing Student Voices, Rick Marlatt

Middle Grades Review

This practitioner perspective responds to recent scholarship calling for reinvigorating middle level education by suggesting that the purposeful inclusion of student voices in collaborative learning activities can help educators champion the academic and social growth of early adolescents. The recent practicum experience of a preservice candidate who prioritized the voices of her students illustrates the promotion of democratic education, innovation, and social justice in middle level education.

Interaction Between Students’ Motivation And Physics Teachers’ Characteristics: Multiple Case Study, Fikret Korur, Ali Eryilmaz

The Qualitative Report

This study identified the process of interaction between students’ motivation and characteristics of two physics teachers: one who exhibited effective physics teacher characteristics frequently and one who exhibited the characteristics rarely. The two case teachers were selected to predict contrasting and comparable results. The data gathered from the semi-structured interviews, follow-up interviews, direct observation, video recordings, and field notes were analyzed both by single case and by cross-case analysis to strengthen the findings from two case teachers. Findings indicated that teachers’ characteristics like enthusiasm and giving examples from daily life increased students’ motivation by increasing their attention and willingness to …

The Effects Of Code-Mixing On Second Language Development, Aimee K. Spice

Channels: Where Disciplines Meet

Second language development is an important topic of discussion in an increasingly multilingual world. This study aims to examine and detail research on the effects of code-mixing (CM) on second language development, answering how CM facilitates or constrains second language acquisition. Peer-reviewed articles on the topic published between 2013 and 2018 were examined and synthesized. Language learners/multilinguals answered questionnaires about their views on CM and second language acquisition, and a language teacher was interviewed regarding use of L1 in the language classroom and CM as a pedagogical tool. This study found that CM can be a beneficial tool for language …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of Teen Mothers Who Graduated From An Alternative School, Olivia P. Modesto 5721808

The Qualitative Report

Many studies support the recurring theme that due to early childbearing, the education of teen mothers is jeopardized. Negative stereotypes towards them also prevail representing the view that teen mothers are wayward, divergent, and burdensome to society. However, there is support from the literature that the majority of them maintain career and educational aspirations. Moreover, access of pregnant minors and teen mothers to public education is guaranteed by law. With this in view, the researcher explored the educational experiences of teen mothers, particularly those who chose to enroll in and eventually graduated from an alternative public school that exclusively serves …

Unspoken Barriers: An Autoethnographic Study Of Frustration, Resistance And Resilience, Rose M. Wake

The Qualitative Report

Immigration, cultural capital, cultural hybridity are the contributing players within my autoethnographic research as a second-generation daughter of southern Italian migrants from the post war era. This autobiography of my lived experience identifies contributing influences of arrested development within my educational and life trajectory and explores theoretical frameworks as key comparative indicators for my thwarted stages of psychosocial development. My identity and role as a female is further explored within the construct of a determined and culturally hybrid adolescence in an effort to answer research questions of identity and role confusion. My narratives situate my life as a daughter, student, …

The Complexity Of Learning To Teach News Media In Social Studies Education, Mardi Schmeichel, Jim Garrett, Rachel Ranschaert, Joseph Mcanulty, Shannon Thompson, Sonia Janis, Christopher Clark, Stephanie Yagata, Briana Bivens

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This research reports on data generated through an initial teacher certification program for secondary social studies teachers that introduced a specific and program-spanning focus on news media literacy. Growing out of the urgent need for pedagogies that address and promote critical engagement with the kinds of news media sources upon which civic decisions are made, our project follows teacher candidates from their initial certification coursework through the culminating student teaching semester. Our work with teacher candidates over this time was explicitly intended to intervene in and develop teacher candidates’ understandings of news media literacy, its place in social studies education, …

Hermeneutic Phenomenological Interviewing: Going Beyond Semi-Structured Formats To Help Participants Revisit Experience, Alexandra A. Lauterbach

The Qualitative Report

Phenomenological research traditionally involves multiple focused interviews that rely on the participants’ memories and reflections to revisit experiences. There are many other interview formats that have the potential to support participants in this process by instead engaging with the phenomenon as it presents itself to their consciousness. In this paper, I present an example of how multiple interview formats, including think-aloud, stimulated recall, and semi-structured were used in a hermeneutic phenomenology study exploring expert teachers’ perceptions of teaching literacy within their content area to secondary students with learning disabilities. I provide example protocols in which I used multiple interview formats …

What Students Tell Us About School If We Ask, Nancy K. Votteler, Mary E. Robbins, Debra Price

School Leadership Review

This article examines what school climate factors students perceive as helping them be successful in school, and what school administrators can do to aid the process. Specifically, the questions that drove this inquiry were

• How does sociocultural theory impact student voice and student engagement in the classroom?
• How does caring pedagogy impact student voice and student engagement in the classroom?
• What school climate factors do students perceive as helping them to be successful in school?

The Effectiveness Of An Online Credit Recovery Program On Improving The Graduation Rates Of Students At Risk Of School Failure, Carrie Eddy, Julia Ballenger

School Leadership Review

Students are dropping out of high school at alarming rates. Reports suggest that between 6,300 and 7,000 high school students drop out daily (Dessoff, 2009; Stanley & Plucker, 2008), and more than 1.3 million students drop out each year (Long-Coleman, 2009; Zehr, 2010). In the United States, nearly one in five individuals has not earned a high school diploma or General Equivalency Degree (GED) (Kaufman, Alt, & Chapman, 2004). Every member of society feels the impact of high school dropouts, given the enormous economic and social costs (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2009). For example, over the course …

Community And Student Engagement: A Committee's Weaknesses And Strengths, Stacy Hendricks, Malinda Lindsey

School Leadership Review

Good, bad or indifferent. .. things are not always as they seem. The first glance often deceives many. School districts are no different; districts face many challenges every day, and with these challenges come weaknesses and strengths. Some of the challenges include areas such as assessment and accountability, teacher turnover, vouchers, diversity, bullying, technology, and funding (Cavanagh, 2011; Harris, Irons, & Crawford, 2006; Nelson, 2014; Ronfeldt, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2013; Spector, 2013; & Terry, 2010). With these challenges, legislative mandates often create a level of apprehension or uneasiness for school district personnel. In May 2013, House Bill (HB) 5 was …

Texas School District Liability In Pupil Transportation: A Legal Analysis Of The Texas Tort Claims Act And Sovereign Immunity, Kayne M. Smith, Melissa Arrambide, Timothy Letzring, Chuck Holt

School Leadership Review

Despite information and research being available in the area of tort liability, including relevant topics in public school law, there are limited resources on the topic for school transportation litigation. The question arises with the motor driven vehicle exception of sovereign immunity and how this may pertain to litigation involving school bus services.

I'M Telling: A Quantitative Analysis Of Reporting Cyberbullying Versus Reporting Of Traditional Bullying In A School Setting, Amy Burkman

School Leadership Review

Bullying is a widely used, familiar term for aggressive behavior traditionally perceived as a customary rite of passage, particularly during a child's early middle school and high school years (Lusk, 2012). The old adage, kids will be kids, is a common misperception based on lack of knowledge about the impact of bullying exhibited by parents, educators, and community members. Bullying in all forms has become a larger issue for law enforcement, educators, and society as a whole. An increasingly growing phenomenon, cyberbullying, has become a new form of this aggressive behavior in society. Bullies have essentially moved beyond the school's …

The Predictability Between Demographic And Institutional Variables Of Texas High School Principals And Their Attitudes Towards Parental Involvement, Michael D. Milstead, Nicole Walters, Lillian Poats

School Leadership Review

Over the past decades, the public school enterprise has been saturated with a myriad of social, political and academic ills. Problems such as reductions in state and federal funding, double digit percent student drop-outs, misidentification of students with learning disabilities, insufficient development of language skills in limited or non-English speaking students, shortage of highly qualified classroom teachers, unsafe schools, and students lacking college readiness are a few barriers to a student’s success in school. Perhaps the most disturbing of these issues, however, is the high percentage of students from low income households who are not meeting academic standards on statewide …

Patterns Of Failure In Texas Urban Improvement Required Schools: An Equity Audit Expansion, John A. Branch, Melissa M. Leigh

School Leadership Review

The achievement gap is a concept that has long been explored in education; students of color, low socioeconomic status, those who speak languages other than English, and students labeled as special education perform lower on student achievement tests and often receive less in terms of funding and resources (Harris & Hopson, 2008). Brown (2010) stated, "As a result, these students, without realizing it, often fall into a predetermined mold designed for school failure and social inequity" (p. 2).

Differences In Dropout Rates As A Function Of High School Size For Students In Poverty: A Texas Multiyear, Statewide Study, Amy R. Ambrose, George W. Moore, John R. Slate, Cynthia Martinez-Garcia

School Leadership Review

Child poverty in the United States, with regard to student achievement, has grave challenges for the children who face poverty (Scott & Pressman, 2013). Not only is living in poverty associated with lower academic achievement, but student poverty is also associated with lower rates of school completion (Borg, Borg, & Stranahan, 2012; Cooper & Crosnoe, 2007; Kena et al., 2015). Consequentially, students who do not complete high school are more likely to (a) serve time in prison, (b) need government assistance, and/or ( c) die at an earlier age (Messacar & Oreopoulos, 2013). With the increasing number of children who …

The Relationship Between School Climate And Teacher Self-Efficacy In A Rural Virginia School System, Paige Lacks, Scott B. Watson

School Leadership Review

School climate is one of the most significant factors in solidifying an effective learning environment. In today’s complex educational system, leaders face daily challenges in the world of high stakes testing and state accreditation that force them to ensure that they have implemented reforms that will provide sustained improvement in student achievement. As a result, school leaders and teachers must possess the ability to change and adapt to their conditions for continuous organizational improvement despite possible resistance from stakeholders. Moreover, with diverse teacher experience levels, leaders consistently assess and evaluate the instructional practices in their building to empower teachers to …

Why Teach With Pbl? Motivational Factors Underlying Middle And High School Teachers’ Use Of Problem-Based Learning, Huei-Chen Lee, Margaret R. Blanchard

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

This quantitative study examined factors underlying middle and high school teachers’ choices about whether to use problem-based learning (PBL). Survey items measured respondents’ perceived competence, autonomy, and relatedness, and the value and costs they placed on implementing PBL. Teachers who have taught with PBL (n = 126) had significantly more formal PBL professional development, higher levels of perceived competence and value for this pedagogy, perceived more support from peers, and perceived lower costs than did the non–PBL use teachers (n = 30). Findings highlight the importance of formal PBL professional development in increasing teachers’ intention to implement PBL …

A Love-Hate Relationship: Personal Narratives Of Pride And Shame As Patriotic Affects, Mark E. Helmsing

Occasional Paper Series

The Office of Alumni Relations for George Mason University—in Fairfax, Virginia, where I teach—is located centrally on the campus. The exterior of the building faces a busy walkway, displaying in vinyl lettering the official slogan of the university’s alumni association: “once a Patriot, always a Patriot.” This motto refers to the university’s Patriot mascot and implies that once a person joins the university as a student, that person becomes a Patriot and will forever remain a Patriot, which, the alumni office presumably hopes, will result in feelings of goodwill that prompt generous financial contributions from alumni donors.

In considering the …

Fostering Democratic Patriotism Through Critical Pedagogy, Hillary Parkhouse

Occasional Paper Series

When I was a high school US history teacher in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, I sometimes wondered about the relationship between patriotism and critique of one’s nation. Specifically, I questioned just how critical students could be without becoming disaffected toward the United States. I tried to be honest with my students about the nation’s mixed record of democracy—how the country was founded on ideals of equality and yet stole land from Native Americans, kidnapped millions of Africans as part of a massive system of chattel slavery, and denied the vote to women until 1920. But I …

Developing Political Thinking And Discussion Skills In Civics Classrooms. A Book Review Of Teaching Politics In Secondary Education: Engaging With Contentious Issues, Patricia G. Avery

Democracy and Education

In Teaching Politics in Secondary Education: Engaging with Contentious Issues, Wayne Journell displays his passion for politics, teaching, and research. He provides secondary social studies teachers and teacher educators with practical ideas for reorienting civics and government instruction toward the political sphere as it is, not the idealized politics often portrayed in textbooks. Drawing heavily from his research on civics classes during the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, Journell focused on two primary instructional goals: developing students' skills in political (or policy) thinking and discussions of controversial political issues. This accessible, informative, and inspiring book offers teachers a good first …

Political Simulations: An Opportunity For Meaningful Democratic Participation In Schools, Isolde De Groot

Democracy and Education

Political simulations are considered promising tools to instigate democratic learning in schools. This article reports a qualitative inquiry into student involvement in the organization of the 2012 mock elections—the shadow elections that schools can organize in conjunction with the official elections—in eight high schools in the Netherlands. The objective of this inquiry is twofold: to evaluate student involvement in mock elections in these schools and to lay the theoretical groundwork for further quantitative inquiries into student participation in political events. For the deductive analysis of student roles in organizing the mock election, I adapted Fielding and Moss’s (2012) “patterns of …

Last Year's Choice Is This Year's Voice: Valuing Democratic Practices In The Classroom Through Student-Selected Literature, Michael D. Boatright, Amelia Allman

Democracy and Education

The authors of this article explore democratic practices in the classroom by using student-selected literature. After multiple class sets of student-selected young adult novels were purchased using grant money, the authors set out to see what happens in a classroom when student choice is at the forefront of pedagogical decision-making and how students resonated with and voiced their experiences reading about those chosen novels. Because canonical texts are often used to help students understand allusions in contemporary texts, one adolescent novel and one canonical novel became the focal points for this project. With democratic practices undergirding this project, the authors …

Empowering Indigenous Learners Through The Creation Of Graphic Novels, Deborah Begoray, Alexis Brown

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this paper, we examine how Indigenous and non-Indigenous adolescents identify media influences as health/wellness related. We conducted research over a six-week period in two alternative high school settings: a culture-based Indigenous education program at one school and an arts-based program at another school, both in the same small, Western Canadian city. We taught students from both programs the principles of critical media health literacy. Small groups of students from the Indigenous program wrote narratives. Then small groups of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in an arts-based education program converted these stories into graphic novel/comic book format. Findings indicated a broad …

Multiculturalism To Diversity: Implications From An Slp’S Journey, Nola T. Radford

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

The current essay will review significant events in the history of the multicultural movement in the United States over the past 37 years. It is intended to encourage young scholars to study this movement, both the strengths and weaknesses of it, and examine their perceptions of current circumstances and proposed solutions for the discipline of speech-language pathology.

Gaming In The Social Studies Classroom: Student Perceptions Of Learning History With Mobile Media, Amie Musselman, Michael Edward Hess, Charles L. Lowery

Journal of Research Initiatives

Mobile media is the over-arching term for handheld devices with internet capabilities such as smartphones and tablets. This multifaceted, handheld technology is common amongst teens and young adults. Specifically, individuals between ages 18 and 29 are primarily wireless internet users and owners of cell phones, 81%, and 93% respectively. This study addresses the question: what are public high school students' perceptions of mobile media in a social studies classroom? Of particular interest in this work is a better understanding of how mobile devices affect student interest and enjoyment during a World War II lesson. Traditionally, social studies instruction is heavily …

Principles And Consequences In A Virtue Ethics Analysis Of Affirmative Action, Caleb H A Brown

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

In this paper, I evaluate affirmative action from the framework of virtue ethics. In doing so, I consider the principles behind affirmative action as well as its consequences because a perfectly virtuous person will act per just principles but will also be concerned with the consequences of her actions. An attempt to restore justice that utilizes a mechanism known to be ineffective is not truly an attempt to restore justice, and so is not virtuous. Therefore, if affirmative action is principally justified, a complete virtue ethical analysis will still ask, “Do we know if it works?” I conclude that affirmative …

Experiences Of Female Refugee Students From Burma In Multicultural Middle School Classrooms, Matthew C. Mcparker

Middle Grades Review

In middle school, adolescents are particularly focused on peer interaction to help form their identities. For marginalized students, especially refugees, peer interaction, peer interaction is especially important. To be successful in schools and gain cultural and social capital, refugee students must learn and internalize the specific norms of their classrooms. In multicultural settings, students have ample opportunities for intercultural interactions, which can help refugee students navigate their new settings and become more successful. One of the largest refugee groups entering the United States recently is from Burma. Refugee students face a daunting set of challenges, from language and cultural differences …

Through Their Eyes: Perspective Taking Activities For Social Studies Classes, William Gary Cole, Gary Padgett

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Perspective taking activities have been shown to yield a number of positive effects for students across disciplines. In this article, the authors provide two ready-to-teach lessons plans that encourage perspective taking through research, critical thinking, and creativity. By asking students to view history through the eyes of the people who lived it, these activities help students think deeply and creatively about social studies content.

"Misfits" And The Celebration Of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, And Queer (Lgbtq) Youth At A High School In The United States, Nathan N. Taylor

Journal of Research Initiatives

As part of a six-month case study, this article delineated the relationship between homonormativity and the victimization of students in a high school in the United States by investigating the strategies of policing, resistance, and queering. Not only do these strategies reappropriate practices inherent in homonormative practices, these strategies reconfigure practices associated with heteronormativity and homophobia. The undercurrent of this research highlights how schools marginalize identities in some spaces and elevate identities in other spaces, the socio-political readings of that positioning, and what educators can do to promote an inclusive environment for all students.