Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Epistemological Ruptures: Flashback On Fieldwork Dilemmas While Doing Research On Friends At Home, Israel Aguilar

The Qualitative Report

While doing fieldwork at home and/or with people who are familiar can yield new knowledge, researchers using ethnographic techniques ought to first assume the role of apprentice and enact vulnerability before they can represent findings that represent what really happened. Doing otherwise can tarnish relationships or jeopardize a study. The history of narrative within ethnographic research is discussed as an introduction to the author’s own personal narrative, which is in the form of a flashback that illustrates the journey he embarked on in 2010 when he initiated dissertation research in his hometown of south Texas. It is here where he …

Proficiency-Based High School Diploma Systems In Maine: Getting To Graduation (Supporting Students In High Schools Implementing Standards-Based Education And Proficiency-Based Graduation Requirements), Erika Stump Phd, Bernadette Doykos Phd, Maria Rios Brache

Higher Education and College Readiness

Findings from this case study research indicate that, as part of the school and district work to implement a proficiency-based system, all case study schools were establishing definitions of proficient, aligning curricula and assessments to common content area standards, and building interventions to remediate with students struggling to demonstrate proficiency.

Mobility In Maine Schools: Impact On Student Performance And Proficiency, Craig A. Mason Phd, Shihfen Tu Phd

State of Education

The report examined non-promotional mobility in several ways over different time periods and outcomes in order to determine whether common themes emerged in how mobility impacted students.

The Role Of Conversation In How Educational Services Assistant Superintendents Lead Change, Lisa Paisley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the behaviors that exemplary educational services assistant superintendents practice to lead their organizations through conversation as depicted by Groysberg and Slind’s (2012b) 4 elements of conversational leadership: intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality. Methodology: A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study in order to describe the lived experiences and behaviors of exemplary leaders. The target population was educational services assistant superintendents in Southern California. Participants were selected using a purposeful, nonprobability, convenience sampling. Data gathering took the form of semistructured, in-depth interviews, observations, and artifact collection. Interviews were …

Using Argument-Based Science Inquiry To Improve Science Achievement For Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Classrooms, Jonte C. Taylor, Ching-Mei Tseng, Angelique Murillo, William Therrien, Brian Hand

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities have long lagged behind their non-disabled peers when it comes to science achievement. The increased emphasis on STEM related careers and the use of science in everyday life makes learning science content and concepts critical for all students especially for those with disabilities. As suggested by the National Resource Council (2012), more emphasis is being placed on being able to critically think about science concepts in and outside of the classroom. Additionally, the Next Generation Science Standards are asking teachers and students to better understand how science is connected to the everyday world through the use of …

From The Co-Editors..., Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Leading For Innovation: A Visual Ethnography Of Three Principals That Have Moved Their Schools From Low To High Achievement As Viewed Through Transformational Leadership Theory, Charan Cline

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This dissertation describes research where multiple case studies of principals that have successfully implemented innovative practices were conducted and analyzed. The researcher used visual ethnographic techniques to conduct interviews with three principals who have led their schools from Priority or Focus status to a high level of performance. In addition, school improvement coaches were interviewed and school improvement documents were reviewed. The journey of each school is described, and the actions of each principal are analyzed using transformational leadership theory as a framework to establish successful patterns of leadership for implementing innovations. The researcher recommends 18 questions derived from the …

The Road Less Traveled: How Asian Cultural Values Impact The Career Choice Tendencies Of Asian American K-12 Principals, Melissa Chan-Nauli

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this constructivist inquiry study was to identify and describe the perceptions of Asian American principals of how cultural values impacted their career choice tendencies in the K-12 educational setting.

Methodology: For the purposes of providing the most authentic and genuine lived experiences and perceptions of these Asian American principal participants, the researcher engaged in three primary methods of collecting data, which included demographic questionnaire, interviews, and artifacts. The study participants were 15 current Asian American full-time principals who work in school districts located in Los Angeles and Orange County, California.

Findings. A thorough examination of study …

Pipeline To Failure: Social Inequality And The False Promises Of American Public Schooling, Adia Wilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My experience as a New York City public school student was absolutely electrifying, though filled with many trials. While my mother would have preferred to put me in private school, having access to some of the world’s greatest institutions and resources offered unique opportunities and exposures. The performing arts provided me with an outlet to express myself and build skills and confidence. In particular, dance education kept me occupied and disciplined in a large city full of danger. Every so often, I witnessed hostile, or even violent exchanges between students, or students and staff. While some of my schoolmates became …

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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Case Study On Delegation Of School Nursing Practice: School Nurses, Teachers, And Paraprofessionals Perspectives, Sharon L. Schofield

Theses and Dissertations

For the past decade, there have been many changes to school nursing with the implementation of unlicensed assistant personnel now known as paraprofessionals. This process has brought about several concerns such as mode of delegation, education, training, ability to monitor health-care needs, and organizational effects that trended downward without direction. This qualitative inquiry gave an interpretative meaning to the process of delegation in school nursing, the factors that hinder the delegation process as well as components that are needed to effectively delegate and utilize support staff (paraprofessionals) without detrimental effects to students. This study interviewed 20 participants.

Results of this …

Principal Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Wvbe Policy 5800: Standards Of Professional Practice For West Virginia Superintendents, Principals And Teacher Leaders, Allen Ray Laugh Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the late 1980s, standards for students and teachers began to be the focus of education, creating demands and pressures on school leaders to become more than managers of a school. This change of focus expanded to include principals and required school leaders to possess instructional leadership qualities beyond managerial skills. In 2010, the West Virginia Board of Education enacted the Standards of Professional Practice for West Virginia Superintendents, Principals and Teacher Leaders (WVBE Policy 5800) to guide West Virginia educational leaders toward instructional leadership. The purpose of this study was to gain West Virginia principals’ perceptions at all grade …

3-D Mapping | Topography, Dana Hoppe

Honors Program: Expanded Learning Clubs

No abstract provided.

The Balancing Act: A Look At Dynamic School District Boundaries, Sheila Martin, Madison Levy

Metroscape

How do school districts throughout the Portland region respond to changes in student populations that cause overcrowding or under enrollment? In this article, we explore some of the key trends in school enrollment, describe the challenges faced by some of the districts in the region, and describe how different districts address those challenges.

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Selected Superintendent Attributes And Instructional Leadership Practices, Leatha G. Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative, survey-based study was to examine the relationship between selected superintendent attributes and their overall instructional leadership practices score calculated from the participants’ responses on the Instructional Leadership Practices Survey. The study used t-Tests, Chi-Square and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to analyze the relationship between the dependent variable of superintendent leadership practices score and the predictive variables of superintendents’ length of tenure in their current district, superintendents’ total tenure as a superintendent, superintendents’ total experience in education, whether the superintendent was hired from within or from outside of the district, superintendents’ instructional leadership perceptions and …

Novice Teachers' Perspectives Of Learner-Centered Reading Instruction, Jennifer Louden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Learner-centered reading instruction was underrepresented in novice K to 5 teachers' classrooms despite a district mandated requirement to use them. When learner-centered reading instruction is not used, students are less motivated to learn and less likely to become proficient readers. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to explore novice K to 5 reading teachers' perspectives of learner-centered reading instruction and how they taught a comprehensive reading curriculum in their classrooms. The conceptual framework was based on the Arkansas Department of Education's science of reading and Weimer's learner-centered teaching. The research questions focused on exploring novice K to …

Administrator And Staff Perceptions Of A Secondary School Antibullying Program, Suasn Kazmierczak

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the increase in bullying behavior that has occurred among high school students, there is a lack of age appropriate intervention programs available to assist secondary administrators and staff with this problem. The purpose of this case study in 1 high school in a suburb of a major Mid-Atlantic city in the United States was to determine the perceptions held by secondary administrators and staff of an adapted antibullying program, originally created for use in elementary schools, in reducing the incidences of bullying behavior and feelings of strain. This study was also designed to explore how administrators and staff perceived …

A Quantitative Investigation Of The Relationship Between English Language Assessments And Academic Performance Of Long-Term Ells, Yesmi Rios

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research shows academic literacy is a challenge for students classified as Long-Term English Language Learners (LTELLs). In the pseudonymous Windy Desert School District (WDSD), there are 17,365 students classified as LTELLs. Of these students, the majority are falling short of English academic literacy goals on the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs) test and 67% do not graduate from high school. This quantitative study examined the predictive relationship between ACCESS English language proficiency subscale scores in the language domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing and course semester grades in English 9, …

An Elementary Perspective Of The Value-Added Model, Pat Mccoy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a small, rural school district in the southeastern United States, elementary school teachers were receiving positive evaluation ratings while student proficiency on state assessments was below the state average. Due to changes in federal and state laws, school personnel evaluate methods have undergone significant reform. The purpose of this study was to answer the guiding research questions of teachers and administrators perceptions toward the value-added model (VAM) of evaluation and how those perceptions affect teacher performance. Taylor's scientific management theory, which suggests examining human productivity through the lens of applied science served as the conceptual framework. Data were collected …