Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

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 …

500 Million Frenemies: A Phenomenological Study Of The Prevalence And Perceptions Of Female Students And Male Students As It Relates To Cyber Bullying On Social Networking Websites, Dana Manzi-Schaed

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover the lived experiences of male and female high school students regarding cyber bullying on social networking websites. Previous research has shown that male and female students have very different experiences with traditional bullying; the current phenomenon of cyber bullying has yet to be widely researched. In addition, this research sought to better understand what, if any, the gender differences were in how students perceive adult prevention of cyber bullying as well as how both genders behave in informing adults of instances of cyber bullying. The goal of this research was …

A Study Of The Impact Of Single-Gender Classes On Middle School Students In An Urban Setting, Deniese Barnett-Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

With the passing of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the levels of accountability that it has placed upon educators and school districts regarding student performance on standardized assessments, there has been a surfeit of initiatives and options to address appropriate prescriptions for academically ailing students. A potentially dramatic turnaround came in March 2004, when the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) issued proposals that permitted public single-gender schools and classes with few limitations. Additionally, within the past decade, the release of restrictions of Title IX, which originally prohibited the separation of genders, facilitated opportunities to implement single-gender schools and classes …

The Relationship Of School Uniforms To Student Attendance, Achievement, And Discipline, Russell Edward Sowell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This causal-comparative study examined the relationship of school uniforms to attendance, academic achievement, and discipline referral rates, using data collected from two high schools in rural southwest Georgia county school systems, one with a uniforms program and one without a uniforms program. After accounting for race and students with disabilities status, School A (with uniforms) had significantly better attendance and somewhat fewer minor behavior infractions, but trended lower in standardized math scores and more intermediate and major behavioral infractions than School B (without uniforms). These findings failed to demonstrate an unambiguous advantage of school uniforms, consistent with the mixed results …

Changing Assessment Practices In Pakistani Schools : A Case Of Aku-Eb Middle School Assessment Framework, Amin Rehmani

Examination Board

Assessment is inevitably linked with the processes of teaching and learning. Assessment for learning (AFL), the focus of this paper, is germane to students’ learning in that the purpose of AFL is to help students improve their learning in light of the feedback they receive on the quality of their work. Educational research indicats that AFL is a viable alternative to traditional examination system at school level, and in case of high stake public examinations, it helps students perform better at summative examinations, especially when both formative and summative assessments are used in tandem (Assessment Reform Group, various papers; The …

Case Studies: Developing Decision-Making Skills In Diverse Simulated Environments, Samuel J. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traditional print case studies have been a long-standing instructional strategy for educational leadership preparation programs. With the advent of interactive online environments, the possibilities for simulations have increased exponentially—opening the way for data-rich, complex cases that the instructor can easily situate in diverse settings. One program offering such a problem-solving experience is Educational Theory into Practice Software (ETIPS). ETIPS is a federally funded program developed by professors of educational administration as a tool to teach data-based decision-making skills. Available for both pre-service and in-service use, ETIPS provides 10 problems that can each be situated in nine schools. The options for …

Impact Of Freshman Academy Experiences On Student Academic Intrinsic Motivation, Shirley C. Sealy

Education Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was designed to explore the transition of a group of ninth-grade students into a large rural upstate South Carolina high school. The primary focus was to ascertain the students' levels of academic intrinsic motivation toward English, math, science, history, and their general orientation toward school learning, and to explore those freshman academy experiences that the students felt most directly impacted these attributes. The freshman academy at this school was implemented in 2006 as a district initiative to strengthen the transition to high school and ultimately increase the graduation rate.

This was a mixed methods case study in which …

More Efficient High Schools In Maine: Emerging Student‐Centered Learning Communities, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd, Richard E. Barnes, Kenneth E. Kunin, Sarah E. Wintle

School Improvement

The Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine conducted a study in 2010-2011 of a sample of Maine high schools. Funded in part by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the study examined the degree to which these More Efficient high schools were also student-centered.

This report describes the methodology used to identify Maine schools that were outperforming expectations and reports the results from conducting case studies of a representative sample of these and other Maine schools. Through these case studies, we were able to uncover what the schools were doing that set them …

Developing A Business Plan For Sustaining School Mental Health Services: Three Success Storiess, Donna Behrens, Julia Graham Lear, Olga Acosta Price

Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

No abstract provided.

The Informal Learning Approaches Of Teachers In A Secondary School In Pakistan, Ali Nawab

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

The advocates of informal learning believe that learning is not always necessarily planned rather it could also happen informally in the workplace. Does informal learning equally happen in every context and setting? Using a qualitative approach, this study explores the nature of teachers’ informal learning in a secondary school in rural Pakistan. Data were generated through interviews and observations. The study finds that though limited in nature, there are some informal learning activities which the teachers are engaged in. Most of the informal learning happens through observations of the practices of senior colleagues. Moreover, the teachers also learn from the …

Relationship Between Assessment And Students’ Learning, Babar Khan

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

Assessment is a critical aspect of teaching and learning process which aim at collecting, interpreting and analyzing the regarding students’ performance. The quality of learning is determined by the quality of assessment practices in the classroom. There are many purposes of assessment that focus on the different dimensions of educational development, however, the most dominant purposes of assessment are improving students’ learning and develop accountability measures for learning at classroom and school levels. For effective assessment, using appropriate assessment strategies is significant. There are number of that can be employed to enhance students’ learning outcome but teacher rely on only …

The Moral Dimension Of Teaching, Affectionate Schools And The Student Drop Out: The Case Study Of A Mountainous Community In Pakistan, Zeenat Shah, Sultan Alam, Sharifullah Baig

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This study explored the perceptions, perspectives and viewpoints of the students about the reasons for turning the schools into uninteresting and unaffectionate places for the students eventually leading to the increased drop out ratio. This qualitative study was conducted in four secondary schools, which provide education to the children in four different educational systems of Gilgit- Baltistan, Pakistan. A number of six students from each school and altogether twenty four students were selected as the primary participants of this research. Semi structured interviews were the main tools of data collection. The findings highlighted the ethical, moral and behavioral aspect of …

Online Learning, Michael K. Barbour, Richard E. Ferdig

Education Faculty Publications

K-12 Online Learning has exponentially grown in the last 15 years. An estimated 1.2 million K-12 students took online classes last year; 45 states currently have some form of online learning at the state-level; and some states mandate some sort of online experience prior to high school graduation. Given its dramatic growth and ubiquity in K-12 schooling, it is critical that administrators learn more about K-12 schooling and the role it may play in their district or building. Unfortunately, there is not one single model of K-12 online schooling. Therefore, there is not one suggested set of recommendations, learnings, or …