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Theses/Dissertations

2006

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Education

Are Public Schools Worth Saving? If So, By Whom?, Philip Edward Kovacs Sep 2006

Are Public Schools Worth Saving? If So, By Whom?, Philip Edward Kovacs

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WORTH SAVING? IF SO, BY WHOM? by Philip Kovacs While there is a loose coalition of individuals and organizations attacking the institution of public schools, there does not appear to be a coordinated defense of public schools. Without a coordinated defense of the institution, public schools will arguably 1) grow increasingly regulated and/or 2) be shut down altogether. Given that progressive scholars believe schools should exist to maintain a pluralistic and participatory democracy, should 1) or 2) continue, the progressive goal of democracy through education becomes increasingly removed from possibility. The failure of progressive educational reformers …

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Swimming Upstream: A Study Of Black Males And The Academic Pipeline, Rhonda Dayle Wilkins Sep 2006

Swimming Upstream: A Study Of Black Males And The Academic Pipeline, Rhonda Dayle Wilkins

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT SWIMMING UPSTREAM: A STUDY OF BLACK MALES AND THE ACADEMIC PIPELINE Rhonda D. Wilkins Post secondary participation and graduation rates of Black males are declining rapidly. Black women, however, are realizing substantial growth in both of these areas and account for the majority of the increase in Black student college enrollment. This qualitative case study addresses the decline in Black male participation in higher education by focusing on six Black men who completed college programs and the academic pipeline that brought them to their degree. The purpose of the research inquiry was to determine various factors that either helped …

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Cultural Identity, Voice, And Agency In Post-Secondary Graphic Design Education: A Collective Case Study, Larry Michael Stultz Sep 2006

Cultural Identity, Voice, And Agency In Post-Secondary Graphic Design Education: A Collective Case Study, Larry Michael Stultz

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT CULTURAL IDENTITY, VOICE, AND AGENCY IN POST-SECONDARY GRAPHIC DESIGN EDUCATION: A COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY by Larry M. Stultz This study investigates areas of conflict between students’ cultural identities and the educational environment established and maintained by their faculty and school. It analyzes the usefulness and value of personal creative expression in the classroom and how treatment of cultural identity and performance influences student persistence and success. Four theoretical frameworks ground this study and comprise the majority of the relevant literature. The inquiry is framed by theories in curriculum, performance, cultural difference, and symbolic interaction. Three purposely selected students participated …

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Exploring The Efficacy Of Pre-Equating A Large Scale Criterion-Referenced Assessment With Respect To Measurement Equivalence, Christopher Stephen Domaleski Sep 2006

Exploring The Efficacy Of Pre-Equating A Large Scale Criterion-Referenced Assessment With Respect To Measurement Equivalence, Christopher Stephen Domaleski

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

This investigation examined the practice of relying on field test item calibrations in advance of the operational administration of a large scale assessment for purposes of equating and scaling. Often termed “pre-equating,” the effectiveness of this method is explored for a statewide, high-stakes assessment in grades three, five, and seven for the content areas of language arts, mathematics, and social studies. Pre-equated scaling was based on item calibrations using the Rasch model from an off-grade field test event in which students tested were one grade higher than the target population. These calibrations were compared to those obtained from post-equating, which …

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Risk And The School-To-Work Transition In East Germany And The United States., Antje Barabasch Sep 2006

Risk And The School-To-Work Transition In East Germany And The United States., Antje Barabasch

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

This study investigates how young adults in vocational education perceive risk in regard to their professional futures in East Germany and the United States. It analyzes students’ career aspirations and life plans in both countries and how they cope with uncertainties at the labor market. It further outlines underlying values, beliefs, and attitudes that guide young Americans and East Germans in their planning. Several theoretical frameworks ground this study and comprise the majority of the relevant literature. This cross-cultural comparative case study takes a mixed method approach using a concurrent triangulation design. The inquiry is framed by theories in the …

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Benefits Or Harms Of No Child Left Behind, Judy Block Sep 2006

Benefits Or Harms Of No Child Left Behind, Judy Block

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT BENEFITS OR HARMS OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND by Judy Block The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reauthorizes and extensively amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and establishes control over the majority of federal programs and spending that affect public education. Embedded in the Act are various requirements that states and schools must adhere to as a condition of receiving federal education funds as well as harsh sanctions for failing to meet the requirements. No Child Left Behind notably shifts federal education policy by expanding its role into the areas of standards and assessment, …

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