Education Commons^™

An Exploratory Investigation Of The Implementation Of Quality Staff Development And Campus Success, Cindy Hays Sadler

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to explore what proportion of staff development as measured by the National Staff Development Council’s Standard Assessment Inventory (SAI) contributes to campus success as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Two exploratory null hypotheses were generated and tested in an attempt to explore outcomes using the SAI and TAKS scores. H0 Campus Success (Y) based on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills is not a function of implementation of the National Staff Development Council Standards (X) based on Standard Assessment Inventory. H0 Campus success (Y) is not a function …

Teacher Leadership Practices In Large Texas High Schools With Different Accountability Ratings: A Mixed Methods Study, Cynthia Molina Saldivar

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

A promising strategy for improving education is to use the energy of teacher leaders as agents of school change. According to Katzenmeyer and Moller (2001), teaching and learning improve where shared leadership exists, and when there is no expectation of “heroic leadership” from one person. Therefore, this mixed methods study was designed to examine teacher leadership and the leadership styles and practices of principals in large Texas high schools with different accountability ratings. Two hundred and fifteen participants consisting of teachers, teacher leaders, and leadership team members from 24 high schools were surveyed; and personal interviews were held with principals …

Becoming A 21st Century University: How Usm Can Use Online Education To Meet The Needs Of Its Adult Student Population, Amy Gieseke

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The 21st century has been, and will continue to be, a time of great change within the world of higher education. One key demographic change lies in the growing number of adult students seeking educational opportunities. Higher education institutions, such as the University of Southern Maine, have not historically been structured to serve the needs of this important and growing student population. In the coming years, significant changes in structure and organizational mission will be critical to address the needs of these students and to capitalize on the influx of revenue they could bring to a financially struggling institution. This …

Memorization Techniques: Using Mnemonics To Learn Fifth Grade Science Terms, Juan O. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to determine whether mnemonic instruction could assist students in learning fifth-grade science terminology more effectively than traditional-study methods of recall currently in practice The task was to examine if fifth-grade students were able to learn a mnemonic and then use it to understand science vocabulary; subsequently, to determine if students were able to remember the science terms after a period of time. The problem is that in general, elementary school students are not being successful in science achievement at the fifth grade level. In view of this problem, if science performance is increased at …

Students With Learning Disabilities In Postsecondary Education: Differences Among Students With Varying Levels Of Self-Advocacy Skills And Academic Achievement, Diana Villanueva

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study described factors that promote or discourage self- advocacy among students with learning disabilities at the postsecondary level. Data were gathered from students with learning disabilities at the postsecondary level and faculty members at the University of Texas-Pan American to address issues on accommodations as well as students' self perceptions regarding their learning disabilities. Five questionnaires were utilized to describe student and faculty member perceptions regarding learning disabilities and the accommodation process at the postsecondary level. Data from the study helped increase an understanding of the factors that may increase or decrease student academic success at the postsecondary …

The Impact Of Focused Tutoring And Science Lab Instruction Strategies For An Elementary School In South Texas, Annabelle Paloma

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that focused tutoring and science lab methodologies have on 5th-grade student performance in science. The study examined how focused tutoring and science lab methodologies affect performance of 5th-grade students in science as measured by Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAKS). The problem is that far too many young Americans emerge from the nations elementary and secondary schools with an inadequate grounding in science. In correlation with this problem, if adequate instructional interventions are implemented, then students may be better prepared when tested with the science Texas Assessment of Knowledge and …

Education As Sustainability : An Action Research Study Of The Burns Model Of Sustainability Pedagogy, Heather L. Burns

Dissertations and Theses

Postsecondary teaching and learning must be reoriented to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, and values they will need for creating a more sustainable world. This action research study examined the effects of implementing the Bums model of sustainability pedagogy in university courses taught by the researcher. This model is comprised of five key dimensions: (1 )Content; (2)Perspectives; (3)Process; (4)Context; and (5)Design. The Burns model of sustainability pedagogy seeks to: (1) increase learners' systemic understanding of complex sustainability issues (Content); (2) provide learners with opportunities to think critically about dominant paradigms, practices and power relationships and consider complex ecological and …

Similar Districts With Different Results: Using The Baldrige Scale To Understand Outcome Differences In Rural School Districts In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Miguel Angel Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The research for this study describes the organizational characteristics and the personnel behaviors distinctive to high-achieving rural school districts. A comparison between two rural school districts, one high-achieving and the other low-achieving was completed using a survey instrument. The Baldrige National Quality Program instrument was administered used as the instrument from which seven dependent variables were utilized: (a) leadership, (b) strategic planning, (c) student, stakeholder, and market focus, (d) measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, (e) faculty and staff focus, (f) process management, and (g) perceptions of organizational performance. Fifty-eight teachers and administrators were sampled from two rural school districts in …

Use Of Distractor Analysis In Evaluating Instructional Effectiveness: A Method For Diagnosing Item Error Response Patterns To Improve Teaching And Learning, Eduardo Cancino

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of a method of distractor analysis for diagnosing item error response patterns and determine the effect of this intervention on student achievement levels on state administered spring mathematics assessments. Distractor Pattern Functioning was the treatment provided to teachers in this research study to evaluate examinee group performance on the incorrect answers by determining categorical patterns of group distractor selection. Methodology. This quantitative research reviewed four years of 3rd , 4th , and 5th grade mathematics Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) data. Three school districts selected for this study …

Evaluation Of Juvenile Justice Education Programs: What The Numbers Say About Juvenile Recidivism, Kevin Egan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year more than 100,000 juveniles are incarcerated in residential rehabilitative facilities. As part of their course of treatment, educational services are mandated for these incarcerated youth. Programs serving these individuals must provide adequate and appropriate educational programs for these juveniles. With a growing public concern over juvenile delinquency and recidivism, programs are being held accountable for the effectiveness and quality of the programming they offer. In Florida, juvenile justice programs offering educational services are monitored annually by the Juvenile Justice Education Enhancement Program. These programs receive a Quality Assurance (QA) rating as determined by a review team that spends …

Mixed-Method Analyses Of Federal Court Decisions During 1980-2007 Involving Race And Sex Discrimination Under Title Vii Of The Civil Rights Act Of 1964 And Faculty Tenure Denial Decisions In Higher Education, Jannifer Crittendon

Dissertations

Purpose

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has become the foundation of modem federal equal employment opportunity law. The application of this law to adverse tenure decisions, however, may differ from other adverse employment decisions because of judicial deference toward institutions of higher education. This present study analyzed published federal court cases decided during the period 1980-2007 involving Title VII, tenure denial, and higher education. This will contribute to understandings of the relationship between federal courts, faculty, and higher education by analyzing the extent of a statistical association between case and/or plaintiff characteristics and case outcomes; and isolating those institutional …