Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Contexts, Their Instruction And Math Achievement: Evidence From The 2018 Talis-Pisa Link Data, Meredith L. Wronowski, Xiaoyuan Chen

Thomas C. Hunt Building a Research Community Day

This study uses secondary data analysis of the 2018 TALIS-PISA link data combined with content analysis of policy and media artifacts to describe the relationship between teacher professionalization and working climate, self-efficacy, instruction, and mathematics achievement. In preliminary SEM models we identify three types of classroom instruction, Instruction Focused, Management Focused, and Comprehensive, based on a latent profile analysis of frequency of teacher behaviors. We also find that professionalization and working climate significantly predict teacher self-efficacy and instruction, but that instruction does not predict achievement when including school covariates. We also describe key differences in professionalization, climate, and math achievement …

Faculty Of Color And Collective Memory Work: An Examination Of Intersectionality, Privilege, And Marginalization, Rochonda L. Nenonene, Novea A. Mcintosh, Ramon Vasquez

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

As a means of highlighting new possibilities for interrupting White privilege, and supporting and honoring critical community building among faculty of Color in teacher education programs, this paper offers the theoretical and methodological resources of collective memory work as a tool for interrogating teacher education's entanglements in the complex, yet normalized, processes of White privilege. This paper, written by three faculty members of Color, aims to provide hope for an escape from the construction of hierarchies, taxonomies, and White/non-White binaries that establish and enforce arbitrary boundaries that prevent people from different racialized groups from working together to disrupt White privilege …

Adultification And Criminalization Of Young Black Girls: Using Culturally Responsive Education To Empower Adolescent Girls In Urban Schools, Jordan Bailes

Honors Theses

Within the education system and society, Black girls face higher levels of discipline and criminalization than students of other races or genders. The African American Policy Forum found that during the 2011-2012 school year in Boston, Black girls made up only 28% of enrollment, but faced 61% of all discipline, while white females made up 15% of enrollment and only 5% of all discipline (Crenshaw 19). This inequity can be credited to higher expectations for young black girls due to societal adultification. In her book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, Monique W. Morris defines adultification as “Black …

“We’Ve Been Forgotten”: First-Hand Perspectives On Teacher Leaders And Teacher Leadership In Urban Schools, Meredith L. Wronowski, James Olive, Wesley Henry, Bryan Vangronigen

Thomas C. Hunt Building a Research Community Day

The use of teacher leadership in PK-12 education has experienced a resurgence since the late 1990's as school leadership models have evolved to include the engagement of diverse stakeholders in school and district leadership processes aimed at positive change and improvement efforts. Despite the recent evolution of school leadership, there remain several barriers to understanding the nature of the work that teacher leaders engage in and the contributions that they make to improvement efforts. This grounded theory study examined teacher perceptions of teacher leadership, the types of work teacher leaders should engage in and the boundaries of that work, and …

Attending To Conditions That Facilitate Intercultural Competence: A Reciprocal Service-Learning Approach, Rachel M. B. Collopy, Sharon Tjaden-Glass, Novea A. Mcintosh

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Although service-learning can support the development of intercultural competence, it has also maintained power differentials, reinforced privileged perspectives, and strengthened deficit thinking. Recent research has investigated the conditions within service-learning associated with positive change in diversity-related attitudes. We extend that work, conceptualizing a reciprocal service-learning (RSL) approach that integrates conditions posited by contact theory and the process model of intercultural competence into service-learning’s core features of reflection and reciprocity. In an RSL approach, transformational reciprocity at the participant level supports cultural awareness, interdependence, and parity between participant groups. We created an RSL experience and measured change in three attitudes fundamental …

Expanding World Views And Supporting Intercultural Competence: A Model For Understanding, Assessment And Growth For Teacher Educators, Shauna M. Adams, Rochonda L. Nenonene, Pamela Cross Young, Novea A. Mcintosh

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Intentional efforts for teacher education candidates to expand their worldview throughout their program of study can lead to growth in their intercultural development as measured by the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer & Bennett, 1998). This study examines the impact of utilizing the Inter-Cultural Action Plan (ICAP), a results-guided self-designed action plan, on the developmental orientation (Bennett, 2011) of the candidate’s intercultural development as measured by the IDI. Significant impact on a candidate’s developmental orientation is identified when candidates take ownership of their experiences in the form of an action plan that includes coursework and out of class opportunities.

Teaching For Deep Learning In A Second Grade Literacy Classroom, Treavor Bogard, Annamary L. Consalvo, Jo Worthy

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

From a New Literacies Studies (NLS) perspective, deep learning involves the acquisition of social and cultural competencies valued within a disciplinary community, not merely propositional displays of what one knows. Drawn from a year-long qualitative inquiry, this case study examines how one exemplary second-grade literacy teacher taught toward deep learning, using a pedagogy of multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996). Selected episodes of instruction were analyzed in two phases. Initially, data were examined for evidence of three main competency sets of deep learning--cognitive, inter-personal, and intra-personal (National Research Council, 2012). In the latter phase, analysis focused on the teacher’s pedagogical stances …

Mentoring Strategies For The Support Of High School Students Experiencing Anxiety And Depression: A Case-Study Of Two Catholic High Schools, Karin E. Forsthoefel

Honors Theses

There is a high prevalence of anxiety and depressive related disorders among adolescents ages 13-18 in the United States, and these statistics do not include the undiagnosed experiences of anxiety and depression that are typical during adolescence. This case study examines the supports provided for students experiencing anxiety and depression in two Catholic high schools. The aims of the study were to collect a list of strategies and interventions being used in Catholic high schools to address the needs of high school students experiencing anxiety and depression, and to investigate the use of mentoring opportunities through which teacher-student relationships can …

Minding The Gap: Mentor And Pre-Service Teachers’ Ability Perceptions Of Content Area Literacy Instruction, Treavor Bogard, Mary-Kate Sableski, Jackie Marshall Arnold, Connie L. Bowman

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This mixed method study compared how student teachers rated their ability in implementing components of content area literacy compared to their clinical educators’ perceptions of the student teachers’ actual performance. The researchers collaborated with K-12 clinical educators to develop a scaled survey to rate level of skill in four components of content literacy instruction. 112 clinical educators (CEs) and 183 student teachers (STs) representing five teacher licensure programs completed the survey. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance measured the effect of Role (CE and ST) and Teacher Licensure Program on ability perception. Results indicated that Role and Program each significantly …

Working With Linguistically Diverse Classes Across The Disciplines: Faculty Beliefs, Jennifer Haan, Colleen E. Gallagher, Lisa Varandani

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The rapid growth of international students at United States universities in recent years (Institute of International Education, 2013) has prompted discussions about how best to serve this population in and out of the classroom. This article reports on faculty cognitions (Borg, 2006) regarding internationalization and the teaching of international students who are emergent multilinguals. Researchers surveyed faculty members on one campus about their beliefs regarding internationalization, techniques for instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, and their own efficacy in teaching international students. Results indicate a theory-reality split in beliefs about internationalization and techniques for teaching international students along with …

Tenure Wars: The Litigation Continues, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teacher tenure is a controversial topic that continues to generate litigation. Parents and advocates of educational reform have filed claims alleging, in part, that school officials violate the rights of students who are not achieving academically largely because of the ineffective instruction the students receive from teachers.

Typically, these suits also claim that conditions in districts where students perform poorly on academic measures are exacerbated by the protection that state tenure laws—in conjunction with union efforts—afford ineffective teachers, thereby making it difficult to dismiss the teachers for incompetence.

In North Carolina Association of Educators v. State (2016), a North Carolina …

"Designerly" Ways Of Reading: Insights From Reader Response In Drama For Enriching The "A" In Language Arts, Treavor Bogard

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

In this interpretive case study of reader response in drama, a drama troupe is the context for illuminating how young actors read in "designerly" ways; that is, how their reading processes facilitated constructive, solution-focused thinking in their development of characterizations. By examining the nature of reader response in the drama troupe, I hope to help educators understand how design thinking occurred as an aesthetic reading practice and consider ways in which design thinking can be cultivated in the language arts classroom. I argue that design thinking inspires the young to engage the imagination, practice teamwork, and take risks as they …

Synthesis Of Research On The Common Core State Standards And Dyscalculia, Melissa Siegel

Honors Theses

This thesis analyzed the implications for instruction under the newly adopted Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the effects they have on students with dyscalculia. The CCSS is an educational initiative created for students to succeed in their academic endeavors through college and their professional careers. Correlations were found in the research between the instructional implications under the CCSS and intervention strategies for students with dyscalculia. Parents, teachers and students were interviewed as evidence to verify this correlation.

Socialization To Academic Language In A Kindergarten Classroom, Colleen E. Gallagher

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Recognizing the importance of academic language for students’ success in schools, this article reports on an investigation of how narrative-focused literacy events in the classroom provide opportunities for academic language socialization. Data were collected from one public elementary school in a major metropolitan area in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Participants include an intact kindergarten class of 16 students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their teacher. The results of the investigation revealed that sharing time provides opportunities for socialization to academic register through: (1) requiring that students successfully navigate the academic language demands of the interaction, …

Consistency And Change: Becoming A Literacy Leader In An Urban School, Jackie Marshall Arnold, Mary-Kate Sableski

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

An effective urban literacy teacher is one who can weather the storm of change. Remaining committed to one’s students despite the challenges that an urban environment brings is a key element in facilitating student literacy improvement. In this article we present a case study of one teacher who participated in our three year professional development initiative to improve literacy practices in urban schools. We discuss the qualities that she possessed that helped her to persist through the pains of change to impact student learning, and how these qualities should be fostered in urban school teachers to improve achievement.

Stepping Out With The Fop: Literacies Of Embodiment And Becoming In Youth Drama, Treavor Bogard

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

Drawing upon perspectives of New Literacy Studies, characterization and gender performativity, this interpretive case study used Multimodal Inter(Action) Analysis and ethnographic methods to examine how a queer youth, Michael, embodied the fop character type as he acted in a youth theatre troupe. The study examines Michael’s embodiment of the fop as a composition process in drama that evoked discourses of queer masculinity and the performativity of selves becoming. Embodied composing of characterizations in the troupe, and specifically the fop, were multimodal designs that intertwined with Michael’s self-cultivation and self-efficacy as a queer youth.

Technology Paved The Road For Students In A High-School Dropout Recovery Program To An Online College Class, C. Jayne Brahler

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Although there are Federal programs that are intended to assist a wide range of people with getting a college education, the educational attainment statistics confirm that these programs are not reaching the students who are the least apt to go to college. This chapter describes how technology enabled 52 inner-city high school students, 49% of whom had cumulative high school grade point averages (GPA) that were between 1.0 and 1.9 points, to be dually enrolled in an online college class and their online high school classes. The class average for the quizzes the students completed was 88% and the students …

The Insider Perspective: Insights On Diversity From Award-Winning Diverse Authors, Jackie Marshall Arnold, Mary-Kate Sableski

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

There is perhaps no better source to speak about diverse literature than the “insider” authors who have been writing it for years. We were fortunate to speak with three accomplished authors of diverse books for children who invite students into their books—Pat Mora, Kadir Nelson, and Janet Wong. Invited to participate in phone and e-mail interviews based on their reputation for publishing diverse books, each author shares his or her perspective on this timely topic.

Pondering Diversity, Mary-Kate Sableski

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

I heard a story on the radio recently about Misty Copeland and Brooklyn Mack, two African American ballet dancers who starred in a production of Swan Lake by the Washington Ballet. It was the first time ever two black dancers starred in the production, and its significance lay in the symbolism inherent in the story of the beautiful white swan that falls in love with the handsome prince.

Reading Interventions In Relation To The Ohio Third Grade Reading Guarantee, Kathryn C. Auletto

Honors Theses

Reading is one of the most critical skills that students learn in their first few years of education. A strong foundation in reading at the early childhood level can promote success in the rest of schooling and beyond. This is especially true for children of poverty; reading abilities and the strong education that follows provide students with opportunities to break the poverty cycle. The importance of reading achievement is a political dimension, as demonstrated by Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee. This legislation, which has many implications in education, requires that all third grade students who do not pass the Reading …

"Friending" Students On Social Media, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The use of social media, particularly services such as Facebook and Twitter, has grown exponentially in recent years. Yet to date, relatively little litigation has arisen around the issue of teachers and other educators engaging in questionable or inappropriate use of social media when communicating with students. Even so, parental complaints do arise when teachers share inappropriate communications with students through social media. Consequently, as social networking continues to increase, school business officials and other education leaders should devise policies to help deal with this growing trend.

Given the widespread use of social media, this column examines emerging legal questions …

Has Teacher Tenure’S Time Passed?, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A recent trial court order (Vergara v. State of California 2014), which Governor Jerry Brown has already appealed (Nagourney 2014), has sent shock waves through the ranks of teachers and their unions because it threatens what is perhaps educators’ most cherished prize: tenure.

In Vergara, the court invalidated five statutes addressing tenure, procedural safeguards relating to teacher dismissal, and seniority as violating the equal protection clause in the California constitution. The court ruled that the challenged laws “impose a real and appreciable impact on students’ fundamental right to equality of education and that they impose a disproportionate burden on poor …

Beware: Teachers Who Blog, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A recent case from Pennsylvania, Munroe v. Central Bucks School District (2014), raises fresh questions about the free speech and expression rights of public school teachers as they use the Internet. In Munroe, when a board terminated a high school teacher’s employment for making controversial postings about her students and colleagues on her personal blog—postings that proved disruptive—a federal trial court rejected the educator’s claim that she was dismissed in retaliation for exercising her right to free speech.

Before reviewing the facts and judicial opinion in Munroe, it is worth noting that blogs (a term coined in the late 1990s …

Graduates’ Perspective Of Urban Teacher Academy Program Preparation And Benefits To Aspiring Educational Leaders, Pamela Cross Young, Rochonda Nenonene

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

As the dynamics of our interdependent society continue to change, the context of urban schools remain virtually unchanged (Delpit, 2012). “Students whose first language is not English, those living in poverty, and children of color disproportionately receive and experience the most disturbing educational experiences across the United States and in urban schools in particular” (Milner & Lomotey, 2014p. xvi). The current teacher preparation model provides little to no experience working in the urban setting. A considerable shift in our practices must occur if we are to improve the quality of education offered to our most vulnerable citizens.

This study investigated …

Workers’ Compensation And The School Business Official, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Workers’ compensation laws emerged during the Industrial Revolution to protect individuals and their families from salary losses and medical expenses that resulted from work-related injuries, illnesses, or death. The laws allow employees to receive partial or full benefits temporarily or permanently, depending on the seriousness of their conditions.

In light of the significance of workers’ compensation laws for school board budgets and staffing, this column begins with a brief history of the statutes; examines the components of a typical workers’ compensation statute, along with selected representative recent litigation; and then offers recommendations for school business officials (SBOs), their boards, and …

Literacy Instruction In Early Childhood Education: Ohio’S Third Grade Reading Guarantee, Jamie L. Dell

Honors Theses

This qualitative study’s purpose was to research effective literacy instruction in three separate primary classrooms. Three teachers were observed and interviewed as to how they are delivering best instruction in their respective classrooms. These observations were then compared with Gail Tompkins’ (2011) effective literacy educator statements as well as other best practice techniques. Once all of the data was collected, the primary investigator traced similarities throughout the three teachers and made five new additions to the collection of effective literacy educator statements by Gail Tompkins. Implications of this study include the impending Ohio’s Third Grade Reading Guarantee which is an …

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers To Work With English Language Learners, Alexandra Hill

Honors Theses

English Language Learners (ELLs) can be misidentified as students with special needs. Teachers often watch these students struggle in school and assume they have a cognitive delay, when in reality, they may just be struggling with their language delay. To be identified as needing special education services, these students undergo assessments to test their abilities. These assessments were created for students who speak English. Studies have shown that “Familiarity with Standard English accounts for more than 50% of the total test variance on IQ and achievement test measures for fourth graders and 60% to 90% of the variance for seventh …

Upper Grade Level Literacy: Instructional Strategies For Struggling Readers, Claire M. Shaw

Honors Theses

Education research has shown that a quarter of eighth-grade students perform below basic reading proficiency. Despite this, reading instruction often ceases after eighth grade while text structure and content area language become more difficult. This research project focuses on studying strategies used for struggling readers in seventh through twelfth grade and includes a case study of a struggling reader in order to identify some of the characteristics and needs of struggling readers. This research synthesizes ideas from previous studies, analyzes teacher interviews for literacy instruction strategies and, in the case study, uses observation, primary source study, and reading assessments.

Thresholds Of Knowledge Development In Complex Problem Solving: A Multiple-Case Study Of Advanced Learners’ Cognitive Processes, Treavor Bogard, Min Liu, Yueh-Hui Chiang, Yueh-Hui Vanessa Chiang

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This multiple-case study examined how advanced learners solved a complex problem, focusing on how their frequency and application of cognitive processes contributed to differences in performance outcomes, and developing a mental model of a problem. Fifteen graduate students with backgrounds related to the problem context participated in the study. Data sources included direct observation of solution operations, participants’ think aloud and stimulated recalls as they solved the problem, as well as solution scores indicating how well each participant solved the problem. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze stimulated recall and think aloud data. A set of thirteen cognitive …

Letters Of Recommendation: Honesty Remains The Best Policy, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Amid concerns over teacher sexual abuse and other misconduct involving students— although involving a very small percentage of educators—boards should strengthen their policies for evaluating the qualifications of potential teachers, including those with experience, by requesting letters of recommendation after they complete initial state-mandated criminal background checks.

As crucial as letters of recommendation are in the hiring process, litigation demonstrates that some education leaders fail in their duty to safeguard children from sexual predators. Cases arose when officials provided undeserved positive reference letters for teachers who engaged in sexual misconduct with students—teachers who moved on to other school systems where …