Education Commons^™

From Inpatient Facility To The Everyday Classroom - Examining The Process Of Reintegration For Arkansas Youths, Grace Webb

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on analyzing the current policies set in place within the state of Arkansas for student reintegration following a prolonged absence from school due to mental health issues. It is designed to explore what barriers and disconnections there are between mental health care and continued care after discharge of youths from an inpatient mental health facility and re-entry into the classroom. Within this thesis, current conditions impacting youth mental health and education are explored, as well as current school counseling plans throughout four school districts in various regions across the state. To my knowledge gathered from my findings, …

The Mind Matters: Yoga And Mindfulness In Preschool And K-12 Schools, Anna E. Hall

Honors Theses

This study uses a systematic literature review to examine the efficacy of preschool and K-12 school based yoga and mindfulness programs. A collection of 47 sources were examined to compare and contrast results and determine best practices. The results of the literature review are divided into three primary categories: implementation methods, student outcomes, and teacher and student opinion. The results suggest that individual and whole school implementation methods are the most effective. The results also suggest that there are positive student outcomes in regards to classroom behavior, child executive functioning, and anxiety. Teacher and student opinion on these programs are …

Measuring The Accessibility Of Mississippi High Schools' School Wellness Policy Documents, Samikshya Thapa

Honors Theses

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern and its

prevalence is increasing. Since children spend much of their time in schools, programs available in this setting can play an important role in promoting student health and reducing obesity. With the purpose of addressing childhood obesity, the U.S. Congress passed the Healthy Hunger Free Kids (HHFK) Act, 2010, which strengthened the mandate and regulations for schools to develop and implement School Wellness (SW) policies put into place to promote students health. Transparency and accessibility of SW policies among schools and public communities are important and required for the development …

Creating Effective Mental Health Programs In Rural Middle Schools: A Case Study Of Challenges, Policy And Programming, Katelyn Kempf

Honors Theses

Using a case study approach, this study investigated the current status of mental health programs and resources within a specific middle school in Eastern Rural Pennsylvania. Interviews were conducted with a school counselor, principal, teacher, social worker and mental health liaison in order to uncover the perceived strengths and weaknesses of mental health resources at this school, and the perceived barriers to providing mental healthcare. Data analysis revealed that the main barriers included parental involvement, parental follow-through, transportation and funding. Further questions were identified for future research within this school in order to create specific recommendations for improvement. Additionally, a …

Does Public School Administrative Spending Affect District House Prices?, Catherine Degen

Honors Theses

Public schools are often criticized for the way in which they elect to distribute their limited resources. Perhaps the most critical assets for schools are teachers and administrators, and the compensation of these individuals varies widely amongst public school districts. There exists an optimal level of spending on district administration. Districts that pay administrators above or below this optimal point are likely not allocating their resources in the best possible manner, and educational quality may suffer. We hypothesize that within districts where either of the above situations is the case, home prices will be lower, as homebuyers will be less …

No Child Left Behind: A Critical Look At The Historic Educational Reform And A Proposal Of The Necessary Remedies, Meghan L. Hartnett

Honors Theses

On January 8, 2002, President George Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 into law. NCLB dramatically altered and expanded the federal role in both elementary and secondary education policy. The law was a result of a long standing history of educational reform for equality within the classroom coupled with a movement that began in the aftermath of the 1983 A Nation at Risk Report to make sure American youth stayed on par with other industrialized nations. No Child Left Behind was the most sweeping piece of transformational education reform since the Elementary and Secondary Education …