Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Amesbury Early College Program: Second-Year Outcomes, John E. Leonard, Sue Grolnic, Roy Hamond

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

This program involves creating five-year longitudinal community-based program evaluation reports annually based on outcomes for early college program for academically average students in grades 10-12, in a suburban high school partnership with MA community college. The Mixed methodology employed uses surveys and interviews and quantitative student data to illuminate program design, measure student outcomes, investigate changes in teaching practice and examine effective leadership practices. The two-year results show impressive credit accumulation and improved college readiness skills in students. It also shows that strong support mechanisms promote student success. This Program is now being replicated in other communities.

Umass Boston Upward Bound, Erica Pernell

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Upward Bound is an intensive, year-round college-prep program. Our mission is to assist low-income, first-generation college bound high school students in the successful completion of secondary education and prepare them academically and socially for enrollment and completion of higher education. Upward Bound offers services to students through an after-school program at UMass Boston during the school year and a six-week residential program, currently at Regis College, during the summer.

Project Reach Talent Search At Umass Boston, Andrea Dawes

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

REACH identifies and serves disadvantaged young people who have the potential for education at the post-secondary level and encourages them to continue and graduate from secondary school and enroll in programs of post-secondary education. High school and post-secondary dropouts are also encouraged and assisted in returning to school.

The Urban Scholars Program At Umass Boston, David Lemmel

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Urban Scholars Program provides talented and gifted students—especially those from low income and minority backgrounds—with the resources to develop the skills and self-motivation needed to enter and successfully complete postsecondary education. The program accommodates 120 students, 75 students at the high school level and 45 at the middle school level

Promoting The Integration Of Vocational And Academic Skills Using The Principles Of The Let Me Learn Model: A Case Study Of Transformational Leadership, Debra Ihunnah

Theses and Dissertations

Two educational models, the Let Me Learn Model (TM) and the Integration of Academic and Vocational Skills Model IV were implemented at the Cumberland County Technical School in New Jersey. The purposes of the study were (a) to introduce and enhance the teachers' knowledge about the two educational models (b) to assist teachers in using that knowledge gained from implementation of the models as a catalyst to change their teaching practices and (c) to enhance student learning. This was an action research study that examined the implementation of the two models and examined my transformational leadership skills. The Let Me …

The Relationship Between Teacher Absenteeism And Fourth-Grade Student Mathematical Achievement, Charles Michael Brouillette

Doctoral Dissertations

Within public schools throughout the United States, an emphasis has been placed on improving education for all students. In turn, this has resulted in legislators and policymakers placing an emphasis on assessing student learning and holding the education community accountable. In this study, the researcher examined one variable in the accountability effort: teacher absenteeism. The major purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher absenteeism and fourth-grade student mathematical achievement.

Data for this study were generated from nine school districts located in northern Louisiana. Data consisted of attendance records of fourth-grade teachers and student performance on the …

Teachers Learning From Professional Development Programme For Primary School Teachers And Translating Their New Learning Into Actions In Primary Schools In The Context Of Chitral Pakistan, Mohammad Khan

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

Professional development programmes are criticized for not meeting the practical needs of teachers and teachers are blamed for going to their comfort zones despite their participations in professional development programmes. This qualitative case study explored effectiveness of the program of primary education certificate course looking into participant teachers’ new knowledge, skills and attitude gained from the programme and the implementation of their new learning into their respective classrooms. One program graduate from each nine participating schools participated in the study. Data was collected through semi-structured and open-ended interviews, classroom observations, documents analysis and conducting focused group discussions with students. The …

Adolescent Dating Violence: How Should Schools Respond?, Jeanne L. Surface, David Stader, Thomas Graca, Jerry Lowe

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying; therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of teen dating violence. Unfortunately, school district failure to take action is far too common, despite the statutory duty to ensure the safety of all students during school hours and at school sponsored events. School districts can be held liable for student dating violence under Title IX, under 42 U.S.C. …

It Takes Leadership To Build A Village: A Portrait Of A Public School Community That Is Closing The Achievement Gap, Julie Maccarthy

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This case study explored a high-achieving elementary school on Chicago’s far South Side that fosters academic success for its African American students who come from predominately low-income homes. Tyler School serves a demographic group that historically underperforms. Yet multiple measures of evaluating student achievement indicate that Tyler is an exceptional school.

The research question driving this study is this: How does the school’s administrative team at Tyler School create conditions that support student achievement? Secondary questions explore the school's climate, teachers' qualifications, curriculum, and the other factors that contribute to student success. Interviews with administrators, teachers, and parents, as well …

The Effectiveness Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Programs In Georgia Middle Schools, Kristy Rutland Arnold

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Discipline issues and inappropriate student behavior in the classroom are issues that administrators and teachers throughout the country deal with on a daily basis and often lead to a loss of instructional time. This causal comparative study examined school-wide discipline programs and compared the behavior of students in schools using school-wide positive behavior management systems to the behavior of students in schools that do not implement school-wide programs based on the numbers of office referrals at each level of behavior. Three middle schools in one northwest county in Georgia were compared based on the presence of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions …

Comparison Of The Effects Block And Traditional Schedules Have On The Number Of Students Who Are Proficient On The Biology End-Of-Course Test In Forty Public High Schools In The State Of North Carolina, Tonia Bonner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the difference between the number of overall students, African-American students, and students with disabilities on a semester 4 x 4 block schedule who were proficient on the North Carolina Biology End-of-Course Test and the number of the same group of students on a traditional 45-50 minute yearlong schedule who were proficient on the NC Biology End-of-Course Test in the state of North Carolina during the 2009-2010 school year. A causal-comparative design was used and three null hypotheses were tested using chi-square analysis. Archival data was used. The results showed that there was a significant association between the …

A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study Of The Role Of New Secondary School Assistant Principals, David Stanton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study followed five secondary school assistant principals during the 2010-2011 school year. The participants range in age from their early 30s to early 50s, three of the participants serving as assistant principals in high schools; and two as assistant principals in middle schools. All five participants work in two school districts in Oakland County, Michigan, a suburban county northwest of Detroit and were promoted to administrative work within the past three years. The participants provided monthly calendars and journals along with discipline reports to demonstrate through their schedules, duties, and, most importantly, their own words, the experiences of …

School Culture, Equity, And Student Academic Performance In A Rural Appalachian School, Roger Cleveland, Jennifer Chambers, Cretia Mainus, Norman Powell, Rose Skepple, Tiffany Tyler, April Wood

Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

The authors provide an overview of a culture-equity audit conducted in a rural Appalachian school. The purpose was to collect information that would assist the school to optimize student academic performance. School culture is critical to establishing successful school learning environments. It provides one of the most significant foundations for successful student achievement (Cleveland, Powell, Saddler, &Tyler, 2008). Some studies suggest that educational leaders could play significant roles in culture building (Deal, 1990, 1994; Levine, 1989; Parish & Aquila, 1996; Pritchard et al., 2005). A culture audit provides an opportunity to learn about the culture of a school or district. …

Is It The Way To Teach Language The Way We Teach Language? English Language Teaching In Rural Pakistan, Ali Nawab

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

With the growing importance and need of English language in the global context, efforts are being made in the developing context to improve the quality of teaching English with the assumption that teaching of English facilitates the acquisition of English Language. What is Pakistani teachers approach to the teaching of English language and does the way they teach English facilitate the language acquisition? The current study explores this question at secondary level in the context of Chitral, a remote district of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa province Pakistan. The researcher visited the randomly selected secondary schools and consulted English teachers interviewing them and …

Review Of Overcoming The Governance Challenge In K-12 Online Learning, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

Review by Michael K. Barbour.

Chubb, John E. Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning. Washington, DC: Thomas B. Fordham Institute, 2012.

This fifth and final paper in the Fordham Institute’s series examining digital learning policy is Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning. The purpose of this report is to outline the steps required to move the governance of K-12 online learning from the local district level to the less restrictive state level and to create a free market for corporate innovation in K-12 online learning. Unfortunately, the report is based on an unsupported premise …

Professional Learning Community Impacts On Student Achievement In Middle School Mathematics, Jessica Stuewe

Mathematics Graduate Theses

The development of professional learning communities in middle level education is a relatively new and trendy concept sweeping the nation. School professional development committees are training large numbers of teachers through conferences, book studies and online webinars on how to collaborate to improve student learning. This research will explore the impact of the first year of implementation of a departmental professional learning community (PLC) on student achievement at the middle school level in the content area of mathematics. Student standardized test scores from 2010 and 2011 will be compared as a measure of success of the PLC. Teacher surveys are …

Forging Ahead To College: Latino And African American Students’ Experiences With Their Former School Counselors, Amy Cook, Arthur Mccann

Counseling, School Psychology & Sport Faculty Publication Series

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, a student drops out of school every nine seconds, with Latino and African American students being disproportionately represented. A survey-based study conducted with a diverse group of college students regarding experiences with their former high school counselor revealed evidence-based interventions that could be implemented with Latino and African American students to promote college attainment. This session will provide you with the knowledge to address impediments that Latino and African American students encounter and how to promote college access. Discussion and sharing information about various school counselor practices will be encouraged.

Can The Law Keep Pace With Technology? Regulating Student Use Of The Internet And Cyberspace, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Who could have anticipated the effect of the Internet on education, or of social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace? Yet given the relatively new state of the law, as the legal system struggles to keep pace with technological advances, the courts are reaching markedly different outcomes on the extent to which education officials can punish students who violate school rules, especially if their behavior originated out of school or involved First Amendment free speech claims.

In light of the legal and technological challenges facing school business officials (SBOs), school boards, and other education leaders, the first part of …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Characteristics Of A High School That Influence Former Senior Year Dropouts To Graduate With A Regular Diploma, Rebecca Royal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the characteristics of a high school environment that former senior year dropouts were looking for when they returned to school to attain their diploma. A phenomenological qualitative design was used to identify the reasons seniors dropped out of school, the factors that influenced them to return, the characteristics of the high school environment they deemed most desirable, and the differences between the perceptions of African American and Caucasian students in their responses. Eight former senior year dropouts from one South Georgia school district participated in two individual student interviews and one focus group interview to determine these …

Alternatives To Grade Retention In A Pre-Kindergarten To Second Grade Setting: A Leadership Study, Phillip Neff

Theses and Dissertations

Many primary teachers (grades K-4) believe that retention is useful in maintaining grade level standards in light of high stakes state testing (Witmer, Hoffman, & Nottis, 2004). Despite perceived academic advantages, there is a great deal of research that suggests that retention may cause damage in later years, such as increased drop-out rates, while only temporarily addressing the immediate academic issues (Bonvin, Bless, & Schuepbach, 2008). The purpose of my action research project was to give teachers and ultimately students alternatives to grade retention. Through my action research project, Billingsport Elementary School changed from a culture that endorsed retention to …