Education Commons^™

Using Empathy As A Tool To Reduce Prejudice, Traci Lloyd

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Children are not born with prejudices. However, they are born with a natural inclination to categorize people and situations (Byrnes, 1988). As early as two years of age, children may begin asking questions concerning the differences and similarities they observe in the people around them (Derman-Sparks, 1993). Children may develop negative beliefs about these differences from a variety of sources. Parents and extended family may, through their words and actions, play a major role in the attitudes children develop about differences. Teachers, peers, television, books and movies also make large contributions (Byrnes, 1988; Derman-Sparks, 1993).

The Impact Of Total Quality Management On Student Achievement And School Improvement Team Performance In An Urban Elementary Setting, Jennette Ann Straus

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between TQM and student achievement, and TQM and faculty scores on the High PERFORMing Team Survey.

Currently, there exists no research which indicates that TQM can solve the problems of the urban schools. TQM is recommended by experts when the staff is highly educated, when management supports TQM, when team leaders can run meetings effectively, and when the organization can afford lost time and productivity while its team learns necessary skills.

The TQM schools used in this study began the transition to TQM in 1991. Reading comprehension and mathematics scores …

A Resource Guide For Teachers Of Kindergarten Through Second Grade With Skills To Enhance Classroom Management, Christie E. Cox

All Graduate Projects

It is the intent of this project to create a resource guide to provide general education teachers with effective strategies in dealing with primary aged students who exhibit aggressive behaviors. The resource guide will provide effective behavior management models, intervention strategies, and techniques for assessment based on selected literature.

A Look At The Middle Ages: Tying Together Social Studies And Language Arts, R. Eric Despain

All Graduate Projects

This project presents a thematic interdisciplinary unit. Fifteen social studies lessons are focused on the middle ages and tied together with the book, The Castle in the Attic. There is also a companion language arts unit for The Castle in the Attic. This project was developed to help sixth-grade students apply information taught in social studies to language arts and help them to see natural connections that occur in learning.

A Model School Volunteer Program For Daniel Elementary School, Kent, Washington, School District, Scott Wells Abernathy

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a volunteer work force model for an elementary school serving preschool through sixth grade students. To accomplish this purpose, a review of current literature and research regarding school volunteer programs was examined; information and materials from selected existing elementary school volunteer programs was obtained and analyzed; additionally school staff, administrators, parents, and community members were polled regarding volunteerism. The model was designed for implementation at George T. Daniel Elementary in the Kent, Washington, School District.

At-Risk Fourth Grade Students: Teaching Strategies For Developing Effective Interpersonal And Intrapersonal Skills, Robert Paul Griffith

All Graduate Projects

A representative sample of social skills and teaching strategies was developed for use by classroom teachers of students at-risk in the fourth grade. A literature search was conducted regarding characteristics of students at-risk, effective strategies for teaching social skills, and effective social skills programs. The strategies developed can be used by elementary classroom teachers to help improve prosocial skills of students at-risk.

The Development And Design Of Activities To Support Performance Based And Integrated Math Instruction For Fifth Grade Students, Lelia L. Coghill

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of the project was to develop and design activities and materials to support performance based integrated mathematics instruction for fifth grade students in the concept areas of place value, decimals, percents, and fractions. The activities and materials were prepared in conjunction with other disciplines, namely reading, writing, art, science, and social studies. The intent was to make mathematics relevant to real life with stress on student performance as an indicator of knowledge, understanding, and application. The activities make use of performance based, integrated, and real life situations, and the materials include technology, field trips, gaming, manipulatives, recording sheets, …

A Volunteer Program Resource Guide For Ocean Shores Elementary School Ocean Shores, Washington, Jodi Mae Mallonee

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop an elementary school community volunteer resource guide for Ocean Shores Elementary School to prepare for school volunteers. To accomplish this purpose, a review of current literature and research regarding volunteer programs in public schools was conducted. Additionally, materials descriptive of volunteer programs from selected school, school districts, institutions of higher education, and government agencies were obtained and analyzed. The guide was intended for use by the Ocean Shores Elementary School, North Beach School District, Ocean Shores, Washington.

The Master Parent: A Parent-Child Relationship Program For Parents Of Elementary School Students, Kimberly Ellen Miller

All Graduate Projects

This project presents a parent education program for parents of elementary school children. The project was created with an extensive literature review. Parent education coordinators from various schools, hospitals, and social service agencies were consulted in the development of this project. Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, a published program from American Guidance Services, was used as a conceptual framework for The Master Parent program. The program was developed to provide information and support to elementary school parents. A summary with conclusions and recommendations for future parent education programs is included.

English And Spanish Take-Home Reading Packets To Enhance Early Literacy And Parent Involvement, Catherine Mary Warren

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to influence student reading comprehension by involving parents in the literacy learning of their children. Researchers of language learning suggest that if children learn skills and content in their first language, they will later transfer that knowledge to their second language. To accomplish that end, literature packets that contain a book in Spanish or English with corresponding activities were created. The packets will be taken home by students to use with their parents to enhance reading skills and parent involvement.

Integrating Multimedia Education Into Learning Activities For Students Ages Five Through Seven, Sandra Jean Riley

All Graduate Projects

The intent of this project was to adapt curriculum activities that integrate Internet technology with activities for children ages five through seven. Review of selected literature, relevant to the integration of technology was conducted. Findings presented support the integration of multimedia technology into the instruction of young childre.n. Portions of the Washington State Essential Learnings for reading, writing, and communication were incorporated in the development of the activities for use in the early childhood classroom.

Writing To Learn Writing, Dawn M. Williams

All Graduate Projects

The literature and research regarding writing to learn writing was explored. Data were presented to support teaching writing in a holistic process approach such as the Writing Workshop. Mini-lessons for use in sixth grade Writing Workshop were developed to use as models for additional lessons created by the author or others. Implications for using a Writing Workshop format were discussed.

A Model Third Grade Science Curriculum For Use In A Magnet School, Tracy E. Schroder

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a model third grade magnet school science curriculum that would give students an opportunity for hands-on, experiential learning. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature on magnet schools, magnet science curricula, elementary science curricula, experiential learning and multiple intelligences were reviewed. Additionally, information and materials from selected magnet elementary schools around the Yakima Valley were obtained and analyzed. Finally, student learning objectives, performance criteria, learning activities, teaching strategies and instructional materials were adapted and developed.

Multimedia Prereading Strategies, Mary J. Wise

All Graduate Projects

Prereading activities are important in enabling students to comprehend and enjoy the books they read. Teachers are always in need of good prereading activities, and the increasing popularity of computers offers opportunities to fill this need, however, technology is not keeping up with educators' needs in this area. While there is an overwhelming quantity of commercially produced computer software programs, they are invariably generic in nature. No software relating to prereading strategies appears to be available. A CD containing multimedia prereading activities was produced to accompany a selected list of elementary level trade books. The CD is intended to be …

Regrouping For Instruction In Reading: Effective Practices, Leslie Jane Rogers

All Graduate Projects

It is the intent of this project to create a handbook providing information about a plan for regrouping for instruction in reading at Long Beach Elementary School. It will be presented to parents, teachers and administrators at workshops concerning regrouping for instruction in reading. The handbook will provide practical applications of curricular adaptation and instructional techniques that may be used to facilitate improvement in reading for students. The policies and procedures described in the manual will provide the following information:

• Assessment

• Placement

• Transitions

• Pace and Skill Levels

• Curricular Adaptations

• Teacher Collaboration and Consultation

• …

The Characteristics And Degrees Of De Facto Consensus Concerning The Mission Of K-12 Public Education In Virginia, Christopher Ryan Gareis

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The history of public education in the United States is replete with attempts to define the purpose, aims, or mission of K-12 public education at the local, state, and national levels. However, given the historical precedent of the local control of schools and the legal precedent of state-level governance of public education, this study sought to address the more limited question of the purpose of K-12 public education in the state of Virginia. Specifically, within the context of the contemporary educational planning theory of strategic planning, this study sought to determine what content characteristics concerning the mission of public education …

Principals As Managers And Leaders: A Qualitative Study Of The Perspectives Of Selected Elementary School Principals, Dean S. T. Cascadden

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The primary purpose of this study was to explore how selected elementary school principals described and defined their world in terms of leadership and management. There were three sub-areas of investigation under this primary purpose: (a) exploring the principals' conceptions about the constructs of leadership and management, (b) exploring the principals' beliefs about the role of their personal philosophies, goals, or values in relation to their practice, and (c) using content analysis to explore the language that principals use to describe themselves, their work and their schools. The theoretical perspective adopted for this study was that organizations are constructed human …

Transitions To U.S. Private Schools: Perceptions Of Six Immigrant Elementary School Boys, Philip Manwell

Doctoral Dissertations

"The United States is faced with the privilege and challenge of educating immigrant children, not only in a second language and other skills, but also in the many and varied dimensions of life in this country" (London, 1990; p. 287).

Whether these children have fled rigid dictatorial regimes or wars, whether they came to the U.S. directly or spent time in refugee camps or detention centers, whether they have little more than what they are wearing at the time, or their families have planned the migration carefully, leaving their countries of origin legally and peacefully, bringing currency and the promise …

A Study Of The Concomitant Problems Facing Most Of The "At-Risk" African American Students In The Benton Harbor Elementary School System: A Case For An Alternative Model, Simon M. Honore

Dissertations

Problem

It would appear that the problem of school truancy, retention, and subsequent academic failure is a major educational crisis which puts most of the African American students at risk in the Benton Harbor area schools.

Purpose

The purpose of this study has been to determine the concomitant educational problems facing the "at-risk" African American students in the Benton Harbor Elementary School System and to suggest positive changes through an alternative model.

Results

The results of the survey indicated that approximately 90-95% of Benton Harbor educators agreed to changes. Administrators and teachers strongly agreed that the recommendations, based on the …