Education Commons^™

Professional Development For K-6 Teachers, Rebecca S. Monroe

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

For over a century, educators and politicians have been working on educational reform for various reasons and with the hope of a plethora of outcomes. Since at least the late twentieth century, educational reform has been undertaken for the purpose of increasing students’ academic achievement. While a shift in focus of teaching to a focus on learning has occurred, we know changes in the classroom and with classroom teaching still needs to occur. One recent incarnation of reform has been focused on the teacher and the professional development they receive.

Currently, the United States spends over 18 billion dollars annually …

Beliefs About Homework, Elizabeth Rose Taylor Smith

Dissertations

This mixed-methods research study aimed to learn the perspectives regarding homework of parents and teachers of students in grades two, three, and four. The definition used to define homework was based on Simplicio’s (2005) definition of homework as a period set aside to put in a plan to expand learning skills and support information that the student gained while in the classroom. There were three research questions that guided this mixed-methods research study; What are the parents’ perceptions of second, third, and fourth-grade students regarding homework? What are the perceptions of second, third, and fourth-grade teachers regarding homework? What are …

Case Study: Principal Knowledge, Principal Practice, And Student Achievement, Maritza Olivarez Braxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A school principal is a critical asset to the success of a campus, teachers, and students. Their role is and will continue to be complex with many responsibilities and challenges. Researchers have implied a disconnect between the level of a principal’s practice to their knowledge in the production of student success. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to reveal a deeper understanding of the theory-to practice gap between the professional practices of high school principals and their knowledge. This study attempted to answer the what, how, and why to help establish foundational information for improving and creating ongoing …

The Benefits Of Parent-Teacher Collaboration On Achievement In The Preschool Classroom, Samantha Frye

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research project was conducted to identify a correlation between parent-teacher collaboration and student achievement in the preschool classroom. Baseline data was gathered from the preschool student’s using fall Individual Development and Growth Indicators (IDGI) benchmark scores. Opportunities for parent-teacher collaboration began with monthly newsletters sent out on the classroom webpage, parent-teacher conferences, and signed homework assignments. Parent-teacher engagement was tracked through a tally system. A spreadsheet kept track of the number of communications that parents engaged in, as well as the type of communication. All students were progress monitored within each two week session using the IDGI’s progress …

Effect On Student Achievement For Middle School Math Students Using Blackboard, Canvas And Schoology In The State Of Virginia, Rosa Ann Woodley-Richard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative research was to compare the differences in middle-school student achievement for grade 7 math students among three different learning management systems: Blackboard, Canvas, and Schoology. The instrument was the Virginia Grade 7 Math Standards of Learning test. The population included students in the 7th grade attending a public school in the state of Virginia. The participants were the individual school districts. The study examined the means between the pass rates of the three learning management systems to see if there was a significant difference. The independent variable included the three learning management systems: Blackboard, …

The Effect Of Learner Profiling On Fourth Grade English Students' Pirls Achievement Scores Of Students Whose Teachers Are Credentialed Or Non-Credentialed, Raynor Stuart Roberts

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As the world enters the knowledge-based economy, schools across the globe look to teach up so students can become lifelong learners. Educators focus on implementing instructional best practices that will promote increased student achievement. The current study aims to determine if a significant interaction exists between teacher credentialing and the pedagogical act of learner profiling that would affect student Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) achievement scores. PIRLS is a recognized reading assessment proctored to over sixty-one countries that measures and benchmarks fourth-grade students’ reading achievement. The researcher deployed a quantitative, quasi-experimental nonequivalent control-group study to observe four groups …

Retention Of Novice Teachers, Renna Varano

Culminating Experience Projects

The field of education is a constantly unsettled field with new pedagogical trends, new policies and immense attrition rates at every turn. Upon attempting to study the causes and effects of teacher attrition, it can be deduced that there is no one cause yet one major effect: student achievement. Schools that have lower rates of student achievement typically have difficulty maintaining a highly effective teaching staff. This issue affects any and all types of schools, some more than others. In order to guarantee students a right to an equitable education, school leaders must create supportive mentoring and induction programs for …

What Happened During Covid-19? Instructional Setting As A Predictor Of Student's Academic Achievement, Wil Perkins Ed.D., Usen Akpanudo Ed.D.

Administrative Faculty Research and Publications

Our goal in the current study was to identify the degree to which instructional setting (remote versus traditional) predicted students’ academic achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. A matched sample of data from 194 undergraduate students who were continuously enrolled at a private university in the southeastern United States from the spring semester of 2020 through the spring semester of 2021 was selected for this study. Data from students enrolled remotely across 37 majors were matched by sex, enrollment status, and Spring 2020 GPA. Our findings showed that neither instructional setting, students’ sex, nor the number of hours they attempted were …

Curriculum Is A Map, Not A Gps: Culturally Responsive Reading Instruction In Urban Schools, Danielle Hay

Culminating Experience Projects

With the literacy achievement gap growing, particularly in urban schools, many teachers are missing the training, tools, and support necessary to best meet the needs of their students beyond the curriculum given. This project argues the importance of sustainable teacher improvement through reflective, collaborative professional development and the support of a literacy coach. To attain the highest impact on student achievement, teachers must have a deep understanding of their students as well as evaluate their current teaching practices to identify where students may need additional support and what classroom practices may need to be adjusted. By providing students with a …

How Teachers' Level Of Technology Use Affects Minority Students' Map Scores: A Causal-Comparative Study, Darron Hannah

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative study sought to assess group differences between teachers’ level of technology usage and minority students’ (i.e., Black and Hispanic) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) scores in grades 6-8 in Georgia public schools. This study adds to the body of literature that indicates academic gains from using digital technology in the classrooms and ensuring that digital technology interconnects with quality instruction to drive academic performance for minority students. The current study analyzed Teachers’ Attitude Towards Computers (TAC) and students’ examination scores from the 2021 to 2022 English, Reading, and Math MAP assessment to determine whether teachers’ technology usage level …

A Study Of South Texas English Learners’ Academic Achievement: A Function Of Sense Of Belonging, Acculturation, And Student Perception Of Teacher-Student Relationships, Cynthia B. Olivarez

Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at a group of Hispanic English Learners from a region in deep South Texas that is situated along the U.S.-Mexico border, and how their sense of belonging, acculturation, and their perception of the teacher-student relationship impacts academic achievement on the STAAR End-of-Course state assessments for English I and English II.There are limited studies on this population of students and these independent variables. Results from this study would help educators and school leaders assess student needs to improve student learning and close academic achievement gaps.

The Effects Of A Growth Mindset On Student Learning, Achievement, And Mental Health, Emily Cahill

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper analyzed research on the impact of a growth mindset on student learning, achievement, and mental health. This topic was explored through research regarding the impact of growth and fixed mindsets, what shapes students’ mindsets, and the impact of mindsets on mental health. Research has examined the impact of growth mindset interventions on students and has determined that these interventions improve academic success and increase task importance and interest in students. Additional research discussed a correlation between mindset and mental health and stated that children who believe their intelligence is malleable may feel the same about their emotions, and …

School Leadership That Impacts Student Achievement In Blue Ribbon Schools In The Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Sonya Y. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to determine the leadership actions, behaviors, and practices of effective school leaders in Blue Ribbon Schools in South Texas who resulted in the schools receiving the distinction by the U. S. Department of Education of being a Blue Ribbon School. Data were collected through a series of interviews with principals and teachers from the selected sample of Blue Ribbon Schools in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using inductive coding to determine themes.

Accreditation And Assessment: What You Need To Know!, Frederick Burrack

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

For many academic leaders, preparing for and successfully addressing accreditation expectations can be challenging. In this interactive session, a panel of representatives from multiple disciplines will provide advice and answer questions on how to prepare for and address accreditation expectations. Panel participants will be selected from assessment directors and program directors with successful experience in a variety of accreditation situations. Session participants will be invited to ask questions specific to their academic situations enabling the panel to provide insights toward a successful accreditation experience.

Increase Faculty Awareness Through Personal Experiences In Active Stem Teaching And Learning At A Christian University, Aram Agajanian

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Jesus Christ taught through parables, examples, teamwork, repetitions, and questions, which are the foundations of active teaching and learning. The purpose of this presentation is to increase and invoke faculty involvement in active teaching for optimal student achievement. To emulate Jesus, educators should continually implement hands-on lab experiments; peer-to-peer, project-based, and brain-based teaching methods in their classes. Mentoring students includes providing help through office hours, teaching assistants, weekly homework and exam review sessions, and study groups. Relating to students through social occasions such as meals at the cafeteria; attending the student organizations and sports events, concerts, competitions are additional creative …

Early Childhood Math Strategies, Nicole Merchant

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This action research was led by the researcher’s interest in improving early learners’ academic mathematics achievement, specifically in oral counting, number identification, and counting 1:1 correspondence up to twenty, for targeted students. The researcher is in her 14th year of teaching, but 3rd year as an Early Childhood Special Education teacher, where her own students participated in a trial group intervention study. The four-week intervention was performed where students engaged in mathematics practice with implementation of five instructional practices and providing interactive engaging math games that specifically focused on skills including oral counting, number identification, and 1:1 correspondence. Throughout the …

Effects Of Differentiated Literacy Instruction In A Kindergarten Classroom, Brenda Nagel

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

The purpose of this action research was to determine if using differentiating literacy in kindergarten led to more successful student achievement. This included implementing multi-sensory learning, learning styles, positive relationships, and relevant, specific data. The researcher is a kindergarten teacher in her 6th year of teaching, where her own students participated in the class-wide intervention. The timeline for conducting this action research was eight weeks. This included the quantitative phonics pre-assessment through FAST (Formative Assessment System for Teachers), implementation of differentiated literacy activities tailored to various learning styles, collection of purposeful and relevant quantitative data, and a post-assessment on literacy …

Pulaski County Education Report Card 2021, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Charlene Reid, Christine L. Magness

Education Report Card

The goal of this report is to help parents, school personnel, community members, and policy makers understand how effectively the students in their community are being served by public schools. The past two years have been difficult for families, teachers, and students, and throughout the challenging context, Pulaski County students demonstrated lower growth in achievement on the ACT Aspire than students in the state overall, and are performing below the state average in achievement, graduation rates, and School Quality and Student Success scores. Acknowledging the unprecedented circumstances presented by the COVID virus, Arkansas schools were not assigned an overall letter …

Nwarkansas Education Report Card 2021, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Josh B. Mcgee, Charlene Reid, Christine L. Magness

Education Report Card

The goal of this report is to help parents, school personnel, community members, and policy makers understand how effectively the students in their community are being served by public schools. The past two years have been difficult for families, teachers, and students, but despite the challenging context, Northwest Arkansas students are demonstrating greater growth in achievement and earning higher scores on the ACT Aspire than are the students in the state overall. Schools in NWA also have received higher School Quality and Student Success scores and are graduating a greater percentage of high school students. Acknowledging the unprecedented circumstances presented …

Teachers’ Perceptions On The Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities And The Relationship To Student Achievement, Marian Arnett

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

For decades, mandates have driven the way we educate our students. Seemingly ever since the inception of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), schools across the nation have struggled to meet federal standards for student success. However, when many schools still failed to show a significant amount of achievement, they became labeled "Priority" or "Focus" schools under the federally mandated laws of NCLB. The vital need to promote best educational practices leads to the educational strategy of teacher collaboration. Research calls for higher levels of teacher collaboration in the educational setting as a strategy to address lackluster performance trends (Anrig, 2015). …

Designing An Evaluation Plan For Hopewell City Public Schools Balanced Calendar, Joy Sheets Blosser, Ellen Elizabeth Burnett, Jeffrey Andrew Elmore, Michael Thomas Smith, Margot Marie Zahner

Doctor of Education Capstones

Hopewell City Public Schools (HCPS) began the 2021-2022 academic year with an innovative year-round balanced calendar that redistributes the 180 days of instruction and adds six enrichment weeks to increase student engagement, achievement and well-being. The purpose of this capstone project was to support the school system’s need for evaluation to ensure continual improvement and sustainable success.

Using improvement science concepts and tools, the team developed a theory of change and comprehensive evaluation plan of this balanced calendar initiative. The scope of work addressed three primary questions:

1. What are the essential components of a quality comprehensive evaluation plan for the …

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An Analysis Of Florida Educators' Perceptions Of The School Superintendency, Qualifications, Leadership Skills, Longevity, And Student Achievement: A Quantitative Study, Natalie Bruzzese

Theses and Dissertations

High turnover in the role of school superintendent signaled functional disruption, decreased morale and impaired student achievement. The principal researcher sought to explain perceptions among professional Florida K-12 public school educators about key factors related to the role of school superintendent, necessary qualifications, important leadership skills, longevity and its impact on student achievement.

The principal researcher disseminated a 10-question online self-administered survey she developed for the study to a sample of 199 professional Florida K-12 public school educators. Independent demographic variables among sample participants included: gender, current job, highest level of completed education and years of experience as an educator. …

The Impact Of Extracurricular Activities And Attendance On Student Achievement At A Mississippi Community College, Amanda Hyde Marbury

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the impact of extracurricular activities and class attendance on student achievement in science courses at a Mississippi community college. Public colleges are dependent on state funding for survival, with one main criterion for determining that funding being the number of students enrolled. Students need to be successful in courses to keep up the retention and enrollment rates. Student success is potentially linked to class attendance and student involvement in extracurricular activities. Schools need to look at factors that might be affecting students’ performance in the classroom such as participation in extracurricular …

The Relationship Between Student Perceptions Of School Climate Domains And Academic Achievement In Rural Schools, Robbie W. Mason

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine how accurately student achievement in reading could be predicted by student perceptions of certain school climate domains (student support, disciplinary structure, academic expectations, student engagement, and the prevalence of teasing and bullying). Research demonstrated a predictive relationship between school climate domains and student academic achievement. This study applied a quantitative, correlational design to determine the predictive ability of school climate domains on student achievement in reading in rural schools. Rural school outcomes were measured by student responses for each climate domain on the 2018 Virginia School Climate Survey while academic achievement in …

A Study Of The Comparison Between Teacher Perceptions Of School Climate And The Existence Of Professional Learning Community Dimensions, Ladwan Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has indicated that there is a direct link between student academic achievement and school quality. Research has also indicated that the leadership style of school principals influence teacher attributes, from adeptness and job contentment to academic focus and engagement levels. Even though the research on professional learning communities (PLCs) is extensive, there is a gap in the study of the perceptions that teachers and teacher leaders have on the essential dimensions that make up a community of learners and on whether the existing climate has an influence on making such a community possible within a school. The purpose of …

Teacher Perception, Experience, And Attitudes On Student Achievement In A Title I High School In Central Alabama, Marvin Augusta Carter Ii

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to share the lived experiences of teachers regarding how they supported student achievement in a Title I high school. After almost 60 years of Title I initiatives, the achievement gap between students in poverty and other more affluent students has not changed in any statistically significant manner (Jimenez-Castellanos, 2010). Due to the lack of academic growth for students in Title I schools as compared to students in non-Title I schools, parents, policymakers, and other stakeholders have increased pressure on educators and educational researchers to identify student achievement barriers and implement the use of effective …

Principal Supervisors Coaching Practices For Developing School Principals' Instructional Leadership Capacity, Jamila M. Mannie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Across the United States performance expectations of principal supervisors are shifting from a focus on compliance to a focus on instructional leadership development. The problem addressed in this study was that principal supervisors were applying feedback and coaching approaches inconsistently as they addressed school principals’ growth as instructional leaders. The conceptual framework was transformational leadership, through which leaders encourage, inspire, and motivate employees to innovate and create change that can help grow and shape future academic success for the students they serve. The research questions were designed to explore how principal supervisors provide feedback and coaching to develop school principals’ …

New Experience: An Ethnographic Study Of Students Who Transfer From A Low-Performing Public School District To A Better-Performing Public School District In Missouri, Yolanda J. Campbell

Dissertations

School districts in Missouri are responsible for public K-12 education and must be accredited to educate children. As a result, there is an evoking interest, demanding attention in Missouri public schools' quality and the students who transfer from unaccredited, critically low-performing schools to accredited, significantly betterperforming schools. These students have a higher risk of failing academically or dropping out of school and transitioning successfully into adulthood. Therefore, through this study, students, parents/guardians, and teachers tell their stories to empower the public to work together to raise all students' achievement in school, close the poverty and opportunity gap in education, and …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of The Student-Teacher Relationship On Student Achievement And Behavior, Sarah James

Dissertations

Researchers have documented the importance and value of the teacher-student relationship for over 20 years. The purpose of my study was to determine if teachers who had a positive and highly effective relationship with their students, as documented with informal and formal observations, also had higher student achievement and a lower discipline referral rate when compared to their non-highly effective peers. The context of this inquiry was kindergarten through eighth grade teachers in one public school district. In my study, I demonstrated both quantitative and qualitative data which matched current research to support teachers who are highly effective with building …

The Impact Of Advisory Programs On Student Achievement, Attendance, And Behavior, Joshua Colby Flora

Dissertations

The impact of advisory programs on student achievement, attendance, and behavior was explored in this study. The study was conducted to contribute to existing research and to gain insight as to whether or not advisory programs promote positive academic outcomes in schools. Four schools with advisory programs and four schools with academic homerooms participated in the study. Each school provided student achievement, attendance, and behavior data from the 2015‒2016, 2016‒2017, 2017‒2018, and 2018‒ 2019 school years. In addition, advisory teachers responded to a survey regarding outcomes of advisory and their perceptions of advisory programs. The data were analyzed using an …