Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between African American Students' Self-Beliefs And Beliefs About Teachers And Academic Outcomes And Disciplinary Referrals, James Matthew Thompson

Dissertations

This research study addressed a facet of the academic achievement gap regarding students' beliefs. The specific area that was examined is African American students' self-belief and beliefs about their teachers, while Caucasian students were used as a comparative group. The sample consisted of 34 African American and 65 Caucasian fifth-grade students from a southeastern public school district. The purpose of the study was to explore correlations between beliefs and African American students' academic outcomes. The theoretical foundations regarding beliefs, cultural context, and stereotype threat that were explored in this study addressed the variables located in Chapter III: Methodology. Additionally, these …

Student Identification Across School Levels, Roxanne Mitchell

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Failure to identify with school has been suggested as one explanation for why some students persistently fail to meet academic expectations. Identification with school has been conceptualized as involving a sense of belonging and a valuing of school and school related outcomes (Voelkl 1997). Students who fail to identify with school often experience a host of problems ranging from behavioral problems, social and emotional withdrawal, and academic failure. These students are also at-risk for delinquency and dropping out of school (Finn 1989, Finn & Voelkl 1993, Voelkl 1997). Empirical research thus far has attempted to explain this failure to identify …

Principals’ Strategies For Successfully Closing The Achievement Gaps In Their Schools, Hersh Waxman, Lee Yuan-Hsuan, Angus Macneil

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

One of our greatest educational challenges is reducing the achievement gap between successful and less-successful students. The achievement gap is usually discussed in terms of dramatic differences in graduation rates and the academic achievement between white and minority students such as Hispanics (Waxman, Padrón, and Garcia, 2007). Research in this area typically looks at school districts and/or schools that do better than others in reducing the gaps between groups of students. There are fewer research studies, however, that focus on achievement gaps within schools and classrooms. These “within” school educational disparities often are greater than the differences between schools or …

A Study Of Resiliency In African-American Middle School Boys, Andrea Celico

ETD Archive

While our nation claims that we provide "equal learning opportunities" for all, the Black-White achievement gap still exists. This leads to a variety of political, economic, and social ramifications for our students. With this said, seldom are studies conducted that disprove the countless theories that explain why African-American students are at-risk for academic success. As an attempt to determine environmental factors that contribute to the achievement gap between African-American and Caucasian students, it is important to gain a greater understanding of how academically successful African-American students have managed to translate their struggles and experiences of oppression into academic success (Griffin …

The Academic Achievement Of African-American Students In Orange County Public High Schools, Athena Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study was conducted to determine the disparity between the academic achievement of African American students and the academic achievement of white American students in the state of Florida, and more specifically, in five high schools in Orange County Public Schools. The term "African American" included all students who self-identified as that race upon enrollment into an Orange County public school. The study included male and female African American students from different socio-economic levels. The term "differences in academic achievement" is most commonly referred to as "achievement gap." Additionally, this study sought to determine the relationship, if any, in the …

Speaking The Language Of Integration: A Case Study Of South Boulevard Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet, Heather Kathleen Olson Beal

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Racial segregation and an achievement gap persist despite the promises of Brown vs. Board of Education (1954). In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, public schools are 83% Black, while nearly one-third of all children attend private schools which are 86% White. South Boulevard (SB) Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet Elementary is a counterexample because it has achieved integration and academic achievement well above district and state averages on high stakes tests. This research explores the culture of SB’s immersion magnet program in relation to its success as an integrated public school with high student achievement and explores the factors that motivated a …

Leadership In The Classroom: Closing The Achievement Gap Through Motivation, Janis Estrella

Honors College Theses

Implementing motivation strategies in elementary urban public schools can be challenging because of contextual factors such as socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, culture, physical and emotional health, and prior learning experiences. This thesis focuses on 1) how urban public school teachers can effectively motivate their students in spite of these factors, and 2)whether their motivation efforts really influence students' desire to achieve. Interview protocols and a survey instrument will be probed, and data will be collected from New York City public school teachers and from their general education elementary school students. The results of the study can be used to customize motivational …

The Effects Of Early Intervention And Parent Training On Vocabulary Development For The At-Risk Preschool Child, Sallie Averitt Miller, Sally Sinclair, Catherine Kostolnick

Perspectives In Learning

This interdisciplinary team research documents that when specific skills are taught systematically at home and at school, the low-high SES achievement gap shrinks. It provides a “close-up look” at the effects of early intervention and parent training on vocabulary development for the child, which resulted in an intergenerational achievement. The quintessential research goal is to make certain that parents are well equipped to develop their child’s vocabulary; using conversation, literature, environmental print, and a focus on selected proven strategies; that is, concept development, daily and repeated readings, and vocabulary games and activities.

Wealth And Achievement Gaps: An Examination Of Virginia Middle Schools, Paulette Natasha Richmond

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

Achievement gaps, the focus of this research, result from unequal achievement and the variance in achievement existing between different segments of the student population, for example, the difference in achievement between minority students and non-minority students. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) focus on achievement gaps despite contradictory expressions about the efficacy of the act. The No Child Left Behind Act has created discussion and awareness of race, SES (economically advantaged and disadvantaged) and academic achievement.

There are conflicting beliefs about the impact of resources, funding and wealth on student achievement. This study …

The Effects Of Health, Mobility, And Socio-Economic Status Factors On The Race Gap In Achievement, Rebecca Wetzler

Papers and Publications

This quantitative study measures the influence of health, mobility, and socio-economic status on the racial/ ethnic achievement gap. Through information from parent and student surveys, as well as student grades from transcripts, scores from state-administered achievement tests, and district gathered information on whether or not the student was eligible for free/ reduced-price lunch, it analyzes influences on the achievement gap in a suburban school district, and finds significant effects of race/ ethnicity on achievement, socio-economic status, mobility, and one health factor, as well as significant effects of socio-economic status, mobility, and some health measures on achievement.

Superintendents Speak Out: A Survey Of Superintendents’ Opinions Regarding Recent School Reforms In Arkansas, Virginia H. Blankenship, Joshua H. Barnett

Arkansas Education Reports

In an effort to improve educational opportunities for all students, Arkansas policymakers have made education reforms in many areas since 2003, such as increasing school funding by nearly 30 percent, consolidating both districts with enrollments below 350 students and inefficient schools, and strengthening accountability measures designed to raise academic achievement. However, there is little empirical evidence about how any of these reforms have impacted districts, schools, and students across the state, so policymakers have no way of knowing whether such reforms have the potential to improve student achievement and help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more …

Choosing Integration: The Significance Of Academic Performance In Suburban Families Choosing A Hartford Magnet School, David Macdonald

Papers and Publications

This policy analysis focuses on interdistrict magnet schools, the factors that lead parents to apply to lotteries, and their overall contribution toward reducing segregation, improving test scores of low-income children, and eliminating the achievement gap.

The Relationship Between Participation In Extended-Day Programs And Mathematics Achievement Of Title I-Eligible Students, Crystal M. Lovell

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Closing The Achievement Gap Of The Urban Minority Student Migrating To The Suburban Public High School, Joseph Pompilio

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Building A Framework For Change, Janet Lafortune, Carol Ann Wood

Perspectives In Learning

Change is never easy. Sustained change in education is particularly difficult. To get the desired results, all of the stakeholders must have a shared vision for learning. It is a process not a destination. Brewer Elementary School has been in the process of change in the past several years. Brewer is in the heart of Columbus, Georgia. The school opened in 1991. The building itself is a welcome focal point in a community of apartments, low rent housing, trailer parks and businesses. It is a safe, clean, happy place for children to learn. The school currently has approximately 520 students …