Education Commons^™

Impact Of Single Gender Programs On Achievement, Attendance, Discipline, And Character: A Program Evaluation Project, Carla L. Sparks Dr.

Dissertations

The instance of single gender education in American public schools has risen since the 2006 amendments to Title IX permitting public schools to separate boys and girls for academic purposes. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of single gender education to promote gains in student academic achievement, increase attendance levels, support character development, and decrease student discipline problems. The context of this inquiry is a large public school district that incorporates single gender education applications across the district. My study is focused on an all-girls middle school and an all-boys middle school, and it demonstrates outcomes …

Academic Interventions And Academic Achievement In The Middle School Grades, Toby G. Kite

Dissertations

After the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004, many schools began to use a Response to Intervention (RtI) model instead of the discrepancy model when identifying students with specific learning disabilities (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2011). When elementary schools adopted the RtI model, it was shown to be successful with any students who need academic interventions (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2011). The success at the elementary level has led to middle schools adopting the model with varying success (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2011). In this study, middle schools that have developed …

Responding To Linguistic Diversity, Nancy Commins

Nancy L. Commins

Second language learners arrive at every grade level with a variety of experiences and differing academic backgrounds. Responding to their learning needs means accommodating the entire range of students from monolingual English speakers to monolingual speakers of other languages, and a variety of bilingual profiles in between. This article discusses how schools adopt a "blue pathway" mindset for improving instruction for all learners. The blue pathway, which also leads to academic competence, represents best practice for second language learners--strategies and approaches that from the outset account for language proficiency and cultural diversity. Instruction on the blue pathway can be summed …

A Descriptive Study Of The Linguistic Abilities Of A Selected Group Of Low Achieving Hispanic Bilingual Students, Nancy Commins, Ofelia Miramontes

Nancy L. Commins

A study investigated the notion that bilingual students' low academic achievement may be due to semilingualism (having limited language skills) in each of the two languages, and the cognitive deficits that presumably result. The subjects were two boys and two girls from the fifth and sixth grades with low proficiency in either English or Spanish. Data were drawn from observations and audiotaping of natural and structured conversations and interviews were conducted with each family to provide information on the students' language performance both within and outside school. No evidence emerged that any subject mixed Spanish and English, but all code-switched …

Affirmative Action: History And Analysis, Dorothy Garrison-Wade, Chance Lewis

Dorothy Garrison-Wade

From its inception, affirmative action policies were created to improve the employment and/or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women. Even today, however, the debate continues over the future of affirmative action. Proponents offer empirical evidence illustrating that affirmative action has been favorable in aiding minorities and/or women to achieve parity in seeking education at the most elite institutions in this country. This empirical evidence has focused on descriptive statistics such as increasing enrollment for minorities (NCES, 2001). Research supports that affirmative action promotes academic and social development for all students; diverse classrooms do not weaken student quality …

The Impact Of White Teachers On The Academic Achievement Of Black Students: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis, Bruce Douglas, Chance Lewis, Adrian Douglas, Malcom Scott, Dorothy Garrison-Wade

Dorothy Garrison-Wade

In today's school systems, students of color, particularly in urban settings, represent the majority student populations (Lewis, Hancock, James, & Larke, in press). Interestingly, the educators--teachers and administrators--that comprise these settings are predominately White, and, in turn, the students of color commonly face pressures that students who do not share the racial and cultural background of the educators do not (Landsman & Lewis, 2006). This study on black student perceptions of their White teachers is grounded in Milner's (2006) theoretical assumptions, which focus on problems that White teachers commonly experience when teaching students of color, particularly African American students in …

Extracurricular Activities And Academic Achievement In Fourth Grade Students, Jacqueline J. Perez, Gerene Starratt Dr.

South Florida Education Research Conference

This action research project will investigate the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and academic achievement of students in the fourth grade. Students’ achievement scores on the FAIR exams will be the measure of academic success. Analysis will consist of a correlation between extracurricular activities and academic success.

Deficit Discourse, Literate Lives: Success Narratives Of Black Youth, Ann Marie Bennett

Doctoral Dissertations

The current dialogue surrounding Black youth portrays these youth as “thugs” who come from “broken” families and “apathetic” communities. Even some educational discourses portray Black youth as “at-risk” students who lack the resources necessary to achieve in school. These dialogues traffic in deficit language without paying attention to the successes found in the Black community. The purpose of this study was to utilize an anti-deficit perspective to capture the stories of how urban Black children in a mid-sized Southeastern city are achieving positive literacy and academic outcomes in the upper elementary and middle grades. I sought to understand how Black …

A Textbook Case: The Connection Between Textbooks, Standardized Testing, And Student Achievement, Megan P. Miller

Theses & Honors Papers

The textbooks physical presence, though, is marginal compared to their theoretical presence, as textbooks can drive almost every decision a teacher makes when preparing for a day, a week, a month, the year. For example, in my 11^th-grade English classes at Grafton High School in York County, Virginia, there are two levels of understanding. One is that I am teaching American literature, its development, importance, people, and purpose; the other is that everything I teach will, in some way, better prepare my students for their SOL test at the end of the year. The textbook has been laid …

Student Participation In The Arkansas Better Chance Preschool Program Versus No Participation On Academic Achievement, Netlla Cureton

Dissertations

Education is the key to success and is vital for participation in a global society. With access to the internet, students in the United States are competing with students around the world. Providing excellence in education, pre-kindergarten through graduation, is vital to the success of America. To achieve excellence in education, students must have a solid educational foundation. In building this educational foundation, the groundwork must begin with rich early learning experiences in preschool settings.

In 1991, the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) preschool program was created to help Arkansas students succeed academically by providing them with access to early childhood …

The Effect Of Parents' Child-Rearing Attitudes On High School Students' English Learning Motivation And Achievement, Eun-Kyung Park, Tae-Young Kim

Dr. Tae-Young Kim (김태영, 金兌英)

An Examination Of Athletes And Non-Athletes Academic Performance At The Division Iii Level, Troy A. Lemke

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

This research examines athletes and non-athletes’ academic performance at the Division III collegiate level. The sample that was taken for this study was comprised of two groups of Division III college students. Athletes, that participate in intercollegiate athletics and non-athletes, that do not. Results of this study supports the following hypothesis: Division III college athletes have similar to lower academic success than those that do not participate in sports. A behavioral and demographic survey was administered to one hundred and sixty seven students and student-athletes (84 non-athletes and 83 athletes) at a Division III University, in the Midwest. A twelve …

2015 Otterbein University Academic Honors Convocation Program, Otterbein University

Honors Convocation

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Poverty On Elementary Academic Achievement In One Rural Elementary School In Missouri, Seth Allen Huddleston

Dissertations

The impact of poverty on one rural elementary school’s student achievement was measured based on formative and summative assessment data. Student assessment data were examined to determine if strong relationships can be linked between students living in poverty and academic achievement. Additionally, parental perceptions were addressed as to whether or not parents are engaged in their child’s education, and if so, does this engagement impact student achievement. The topic was chosen for the relevancy of determining students’ instructional needs and how best to move the elementary in a positive direction academically. The socio-economic levels of families in the area studied …

Listen. I Have Something To Say! A Critical Inquiry Into The Educational And Socio-Cultural Context Of African-American Male Student Achievement In An Urban School Setting, Patricia P. Watson

Theses and Dissertations

There is a general awareness that a substantial gap exists between the educational achievement of the White and African-American populations in our nation. Several prominent researchers have attempted to address this issue of the achievement gap. Kinjufu (1985), with his seminal work on the fourth-grade failure syndrome, Noguera (2008), Ferguson (2001), Tatum (1997), Payne (2005), and Gordon and Gordon (2006) all point to issues of race and income. Leary (2005) offers a theory of multigenerational trauma; Fordham and Ogbu (1986) present their theory of oppositional culture; while Sewell (1998), Gurian (2005), Kozol (1991), and Sax (2007) suggest that the gap …

Achieving The Gold Standard: How Exceptional Customer Service Creates Family Friendly Schools, Katy Gunter, Pam Pajerski, Natalie Sanfilippo, Jennifer Williams, Todd Smith, Daisy Tremps

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Cumming ES was one of four schools to be awarded Georgia’s Family Friendly Schools-Partnership Award in 2014. After partnering with the Ritz Carlton Buckhead, our beliefs of the importance of customer service have been further enhanced. Learn how to incorporate the “Gold Standard” in your school by engaging parents with exciting events and motivating them to attend with small incentives.

A Self-Determination Theory Model Investigating The Relationship Between High School Male Student-Athlete Motivation And Academic Achievement, Adam H. Ploeg

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This non-experimental regression study examined the relationship between six motivational factors and academic performance for male high school student-athletes. Research has shown motivation in athletics can have an effect on academic achievement. The study was conducted at six public high schools in the northeast region of South Carolina. The revised Sport Motivation Scale (SMS-II) was the survey instrument used to collect athletic motivational levels of the 10th-12th grade high school male student-athletes (n=140). Academic achievement was measured through overall student grade point average (GPA). Sport type and grade level were statistically controlled in this study making them covariates. The data …

An Examination Of The Relationship Among Iraqi High School Students' Science Achievement And Perceptions Of The Value Of Education, Parent Support, And Peer Support In The United States, Samir F. Al-Mandwee

Wayne State University Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to quantitatively study Iraqi students (N=90) who arrived in the U.S.A. in the last 20 years. A non-experimental, descriptive research design was used for this study, which took place in one of three high schools in a large Midwestern suburban school district, during the 2013-2014 academic year. Three factors, including the students' perception of the value of education, the parental support, and the peer support, were examined using the Facilitating Conditions Questionnaire. The three subscales were part of a larger self-administered questionnaire used by McInerney (1997). In addition to the FCQ survey, a student …

Relationships Between Specific Health-Related Fitness Components And Standardized Academic Achievement Tests, Tona Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an attempt to meet monetary-driven mandates to improve student achievement test scores, administrators are replacing physical education activities with subject matter classes in many American schools. This practice negates the positive contributions of physical activity to academic performance and student fitness. Guided by self-efficacy theory, this study assessed the impact of optimal versus minimal physical fitness state on student academic achievement. The study sample included 5,416 9th grade students from the same school district who completed a minimum of 5 of the 6 components of the FITNESSGRAM tests, and who also completed the math and English language arts (ELA) …

Are Associations Between Parenting Style And Academic Achievement Moderated By Ethnicity And Individualism-Collectivism?, Thiago L. De Oliveira

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have long been concerned in documenting the nature of associations between parenting styles and academic achievement in adolescents. Social learning theory has shown how domains such as individualism, collectivism, and ethnicity are associated with parent behavior. Research suggests compatibility between individualism and authoritative parenting and collectivism with authoritarian parenting styles, which could have critical implications in the relationship between parenting styles and academic achievement. Despite the robust research on parenting styles, no research has investigated the moderating roles of individualism and collectivism. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the associations between parenting style and academic achievement …

Examining Academic Engagement Among Elementary Students: The Role Of Parent-Child And Teacher-Student Relationships, Courtney Brooke Tolinski

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore academic engagement and academic achievement among elementary-aged students and examine the role of students' relationships with teachers and parents in academic engagement. The participants (n=354) were students enrolled in the third, fourth or fifth grade from a rural school district in southeastern Michigan. Academic engagement varied by grade, where students in 5th grade displayed lower levels of engagement than students in the third and fourth grade. Males were also found to display increased levels of behavioral disaffection than females. Relational support was correlated with academic engagement across both the parent-child and teacher-student …