Education Commons^™

Advocating For The Development Of The Whole Child: How Public Urban Preschool Teachers Overcome The Pressure Of More Academics In Their Classrooms, Grizel Lopez

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Preschool teachers must overcome the pressure to become more academic in lieu of a whole child development curriculum approach in order to preserve developmentally appropriate practices and shape well-adjusted future citizens of society. In order to achieve this, it is important to give a voice to preschool teachers to better understand their struggle and to find effective resolutions. This is only possible through a qualitative case study that employs observations, interviews, and a focus group with an inductive analysis approach to the data. The development of the whole child will only be attainable through national policies that are supported by …

A Study Of Teacher-Buy-In And Grading Policy Reform In A Los Angeles Archdiocesan Catholic High School, Christian Martín De Larkin Ii

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Close Look At A Stem-Themed Magnet And Its Experiential Program On The Occupational Identities, Career Maturity, And Access Provided To Low Socioeconomic Minority Students, Urlette Reyes

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an experiential program on the occupational identity, access, and career maturity of Black and Latino students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Data shows these students to be underrepresented in STEM fields. Student interest and access are noted in the literature to be amongst the reasons minorities do not pursue a career in STEM related fields. Jobs within the STEM industry pay considerably more than non-STEM related jobs, access to these jobs can help individuals transform their socioeconomic status. Lack of access and exposure to these fields for low socioeconomic minorities …

Education Policy On Extra Classes: Implications For Secondary Education In Northern Ghana, Camillo Abatanie Bonsuuri

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In 1995, Ghana’s education policymakers imposed a ban on all extra classes initiated and organized on school premises and public buildings, by individual teachers or groups of teachers, for which students were charged extra fees. The ban is referred to as the “policy on extra classes.” This study examined the genesis and justification of the said policy, including the current phenomenon of extra classes in Ghana. The study analyzed the policy’s impact on secondary education in the country, particularly Northern Ghana, using the lens of education stratification in a qualitative interpretive policy analysis approach. Interviews of leading Ghana education officials …

Turnaround Strategies At An Underperforming Urban Elementary School: An Examination Of Stakeholder Perspectives, Angela Watkins Bass

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In August of 2007, Los Angeles Unified School District embarked on a new journey under the leadership of Superintendent David Brewer toward improving the achievement of some of Los Angeles’ lowest performing schools. By establishing a partnership with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, the goal of the improvements was to form a team of talented and experienced educators who would identify schools whose majority of teachers would be willing to be led and supported by these experienced educators under an umbrella organization called the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools in agreement with United Teachers of Los Angeles. The …

Taken Over: The Story Of The Locke High School Takeover Through A Qualitative Study Of Student Voice, Joshua Michael Beardall

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In Los Angeles, the charter movement has gained incredible momentum as Charter Management Organizations take over troubled public schools in working class neighborhoods and communities of color. In Watts, a Latino and African American working class neighborhood, Locke High School had long stood as a troubled school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. After decades of low test scores, violence, and astronomical dropout rates, Green Dot Public Schools took over the campus and, in 2008, opened Locke as a public charter school under its management. This study examined the perceptions, experiences, and stories of five 12th-grade students at Locke …

"If You Don't Read, It Is Like You Don't Exist": The Transformative Power Of Critical Literacy At An Alternative Charter High School, Jesse Sage Noonan

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this youth participatory action research (YPAR) project was to challenge the pedagogy of traditional literacy instruction for low-income Latino/a students, particularly the overuse of scripted curricula and standardized tests mandated through the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Twelve student participants served as co-teachers and co-researchers as they created, implemented, and evaluated a critical literacy class based on the theoretical frameworks of critical pedagogy and critical literacy and the methodology of youth participatory action research (YPAR).

The YPAR Critical Literacy Group and research took place at one of a network of small, independent-study alternative schools called Future …

Collaborative Strategic Planning: A Mixed Methods Study Of Models And Superintendents’ Perspectives, William Robert Espinosa

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

School district leaders use strategic planning as a tool for leading their complex education systems. They may be mandated to prepare a strategic plan or they may elect to use the strategic planning process to adapt, focus, and align their education system to improve student achievement. The challenge comes in the confusion around what constitutes an effective strategic planning model. Using models from other sectors such as business are often unsuccessful when they are modified to deal with the diversity of stakeholders, multi-discipline systems, and complexity unique to school district systems. The purpose of this study was to research the …

A Case Study Examining The Implementation And Assessment Of The Profile Of The Graduate At Graduation In A Jesuit Secondary School, Daniel Joseph O'Connell

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

In 2000 Campion High School, a Catholic, Jesuit, single-sex secondary school created and adopted the Grad-at-Grad statement as the school‘s expected school-wide learning results (ESLRs) and has articulated a need for a comprehensive, reliable assessment of these graduation outcomes. This case study used interviews, a survey, and participant observation to understand how the school has implemented and assessed the ESLRs since their inception. The study also thematically compared Jesuit educational philosophy to current theories of educative assessment and outcomes-centered curriculum development. Findings reveal that the school relies on a random, individual approach to curricular incorporation and has not incorporated the …

Literacy And Ideology: A Qualitative Research Study Of A Language Arts Class Of Language Minority Students Using The Scripted Curriculum High Point, Elizabeth Osorio-Arzate

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study inquired about the literacy experiences of language minority students in a middle school language arts classroom using the scripted program High Point. In addition, the study inquired about the ideology present in the curricular program High Point. Using qualitative methodology and an inductive analysis approach to the data, the findings of this study were alarming. The study found that there was no literacy or learning occurring in the classroom. There was not even functional literacy occurring in the classroom. On the contrary, students were being assimilated into a dominant culture different than their own, leading to …