Elementary Education and Teaching Commons^™

The Induction Process Of Newly Hired Teachers Into The Existing School Culture Of Niles Community Schools, Zechariah Matthew Hoyt

Dissertations

Problem

Schools, like other organizations, provide capital resources and experiences that promote the professional development of their employees. Professional learning and skill development are essential for educators as they work to improve student achievement. However, conventional professional development often fails to provide a collaborative social construction of knowledge that supports educators in transforming their schools into a strong culture of shared learning. This is especially evident when induction programs do not provide collaborative environments for new teachers to work with each other and other experienced teachers. This study explored the induction of newly hired personnel within a district located in …

Comparing Professonal Development Practices Of Low Performing Public Schools And High Performing Public Schools In The State Of Mississippi, Lori Rogers Wilcher

Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the professional development practices of public schools in Mississippi. More specifically, the causal comparative design sought to discover if there were differences in professional development practices between low-performing public schools in Mississippi and high-performing public schools in Mississippi. For the purposes of this study, high-performing schools were classified A or B and low-performing schools were classified D or F by the Mississippi Department of Education. Classifications were based on student performance measures from the statewide testing system for the 2012-2013 school year.

The review of literature guided the examination of differences in perceived value …

Elementary Principals’ Perspectives On Newly Graduated General Education Teachers’ Abilities To Teach Students With Disabilities In Inclusion Classrooms, Darla Jane England

Dissertations

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are being educated in inclusive settings within elementary public schools across the United States. General education teachers are being hired to fill these positions, yet the characteristics principals view as necessary for them to be effective in such classrooms had yet to be explored. This study captured data on the knowledge, skills, and experiences candidates, coming directly out of college, should and do possess in order to be effective inclusion teachers. Principals’ perspectives on inclusion, as well as possible predictors for such perspectives, were also examined.

An online survey was used to collect the …

The Influence Of Classroom Management, Administrative Support, Parental Involvement, And Economic Factors On The Retention Of Novice Teachers, Katrina Moody Dwyer

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of selected factors upon the intent of novice teachers to remain in the classroom. Teachers are leaving the profession in numbers that have prompted significant concern among policymakers and administrators. Many qualified college students are not considering the field of education as a potential career (Petty, 2007). Given that attrition rates among teachers are higher in their earliest years within the profession, it is essential to identify factors that contribute to the satisfaction and retention of novice teachers (Stockard & Lehman, 2004).

The primary data for this study were obtained …

Implications Of The No Child Left Behind Legislation On Career And Technical Education, Thomas Kyle Wallace

Dissertations

The passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2001 brought about a multitude of education reform policies for education institutions that made the future of Career and Technical Education’s (CTE) role in secondary educations unclear. These mandates forced educational leaders to emphasize student enrollment in tracks that prepare them for post-secondary educational opportunities that require a stronger background in academic courses. The standards-based mandates required by NCLB legislation make promotion of CTE courses more difficult because these courses are primarily elective courses and have caused educational agencies to look at what CTE programs provide in terms of meeting …

A Study Of Satp Scores And Principals’ Perceptions For Traditional And Alternate Routes To Teacher Certification, Eddie Eugene Moore

Dissertations

This study explores the differences between traditional and alternate route certification by focusing on the achievement of students who have been instructed by teachers from each program. In addition, this study identifies the strengths and weaknesses of teachers from each certification route through surveys and interviews with principals in the sample. Previous studies on this subject have focused on elementary or middle schools, which limits the information available for the high school level. This study was directed toward high school teachers in core subject areas tested in Mississippi’s accountability model. The purpose of this study was to connect student test …

Program Evaluation Of Universal Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In Kentucky, Kelly S. Davis

Dissertations

The current study was undertaken to examine the impact of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation on schools in Kentucky. Research questions evaluated (a) whether schools in Kentucky implemented PBIS with fidelity and (b) how PBIS implementation impacted student outcomes. Results of the study indicated that elementary, middle, and high schools implemented PBIS with fidelity. Associations were noted between PBIS implementation and decreases in office discipline referrals, out-of-school suspensions, dropout rate, and student retention rate. Results suggested that the PBIS model of training and technical assistance used in Kentucky demonstrates a reliable model for schools to follow to implement …

Professional Development Experiences Of Indiana K-12 Public School Teachers: Evidence From The Sass 2007-2008, Patrick David Weil

Dissertations

This investigation examines the professional development perceptions and experiences of public school teachers in the state of Indiana. This study is unique in two regards as it: (1) uses restricted data; and (2) exclusively studies the professional development experiences of public school teachers in the State of Indiana. By analyzing a national data set, the 2007--2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), this study provides a snapshot of the recent state of professional learning among public school teachers in the State of Indiana. Results of this study may track trends in professional development since the 2003--2004 SASS administration. Researchers can compare …

Highly Qualified Public School Teacher: Its Status, Distribution, Determinants, And Relationship With Job Commitment And Job Satisfaction, Samuel Striker

Dissertations

Highly qualified teacher (HQT) has been promoted as a policy instrument to improve our public education. In this study, I investigated the quality of public school teachers by examining the distribution pattern of highly qualified teachers across school level, urbanicity, minority student population, and core academic fields. I also investigated what teacher characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, total years of teaching, certification, bachelor's degree in mathematics and sciences vs. in other areas, teaching level) predict highly qualified teacher status after controlling for school characteristics (% of minority students, % of free and reduced-price lunch, school size, and school location). Finally, I …

Teachers' Participation In Formal Induction Programs And Their Subsequent Level Of Professional Growth In Wisconsin Public Schools, Paul Edmund Blanford Sr.

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between teachers' participation in formal induction programs and their subsequent level of professional growth as measured by two variables (graduate level credits/graduate degrees attained) as reported by public school teachers in the State of Wisconsin. In addition, selected demographic variables (teachers' age; teachers grade level taught; teachers' school district size; training and support provided to teachers in their first years of teaching; participation by teachers in mentoring and induction programs; teachers' level of education) were examined for their predictive relationships with teacher induction and professional development.

This study was conducted during the spring of 2007. …