Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

School Leaders As Participants In Teachers’ Professional Development: The Impact On Teachers’ And School Leaders’ Professional Growth, Annette Hilton, Geoff Hilton, Shelley Dole, Merrilyn Goos

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Over a two-year period, approximately 70 teachers from 18 schools participated in an on-going professional development program as part of a study to promote the teaching and learning of numeracy. Principals and other school leaders were invited to participate in the professional development program alongside their teachers, which 20 leaders from 11 schools chose to do. Throughout the project, data were collected from teachers and participating school leaders using surveys, interviews, and workshop discussions to investigate teachers’ and leaders’ professional growth. The findings showed that school leaders’ participation in teacher professional development programs has a positive influence on the capacity …

Teachers' Use Of Wikipedia With Their Students, Hagit Meishar-Tal

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One of the most impressive phenomena in the creation and dissemination of human knowledge in recent years is Wikipedia, an encyclopedia written collaboratively by Web users. Nevertheless, teachers tend to oppose the use of wikipedia by their students and question its reliability. This paper explore the perceptions of k-12 school teachers in Israel towards the quality of the information in wikipedia and the reasoning they hold for these perceptions. Findings show that most of the teachers perceive Wikipedia as an environment of middling to poor reliability, accuracy, and timeliness. Many teachers do not realize how authoritative information is when generated …

Managing Conflict By School Leadership : A Case Study Of A School From Gilgit-Biltistan, Darvesh Karim

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

Managing conflict at school has been an age-old challenge for educators. Conflicts are a natural part of life and therefore a natural part of school life. Learning to deal constructively with conflict is a life-skill need for educational leaders. This paper reports a case study of a private English medium school of Gilgit-Baltistan about exploration of the conflict management which advocates two approaches to manage conflicts at school level i.e. to follow strict rules and regulations and penalizing on violation and secondly, empowering the stakeholders to resolve their own problems by their-selves.These approaches have proved that competence in conflict resolution …

The Disconnect Between Policy And Research: Examining The Research Into Full-Time K-12 Online Learning, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

While there has been some improvement in what is known about supplemental K-12 online learning, there continues to be a lack of evidence to guide the practice of full-time K-12 online learning. This paper concludes that despite considerable enthusiasm for full-time virtual education in some quarters, there is little high quality research to support the practice or call for expanding this form of virtual schools.

An Examination Of What Principals Do To Create A Positive School Climate For Teachers In Elementary Schools And How Teachers Perceive Those Efforts, Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT PRINCIPALS DO TO CREATE A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HOW TEACHERS PERCEIVE THOSE EFFORTS

By Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015

Director: Whitney Sherman Newcomb, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Educational Leadership

School of Education

This qualitative study of elementary school climate explored the actions principals take to create or maintain a positive school climate for their teachers and teachers’ perceptions of those efforts. The study included individual …

Transforming Pedagogies: Emerging Contexts And Texts Of Teaching Learning, Dilshad Ashraf

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This brief offers recommendations for policy and practice around ensuring continuity of education in emergency situations. It also aims at engaging important stakeholders to assert the need for education in emergencies in countries like Pakistan, which frequently confront natural and human-led disasters. This brief also discusses the need for ‘education in emergencies’ in a ‘low HDI’ developing nation such as Pakistan, where being exposed to natural and human-led disasters seems to be a way of life. It provides an initial platform for those who are interested in understanding the scope of this theme, as well as designing and delivering educational …

Chronicles Of Change : Strengthening Teacher Education In Pakistan, Nida Dossa

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

A step towards improving education in Pakistan; being able to sit in a classroom, feel safe, learn about how the world works: being able to read a book, make up stories and discover new ideas - these are the basic rights of every child. however, millions of children in Pakistan have never seen a classroom or attended a lesson. Here, educational challenges are innumerable and oftentimes seem insurmountable. STEP - Strengthening Teacher Education in Pakistan works to improve the quality and delivery of elementary education services appropriate to the poor in the country, particularly women and children in Pakistan.

Global Interest In Student Behavior: An Examination Of International Best Practices, Charles J. Russo, Izak Oosthuizen, Charl C. Wolhuter

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A cornerstone for effective teaching and learning is vested in the quality of the way in which students focus on the content of their lessons. The chapters in this book, then, offer cross-national perspectives on best practices when dealing with the challenge of student misconduct. The chapter authors, all distinguished academics and/ or jurists, have contributed their reviews of the state of the law and practice in their nations. As readers peruse the chapters, they will recognize that the way in which educators address student discipline varies around the world.

The first book of its kind, this volume consists of …

International Perspectives On Student Behavior: What We Can Learn, Charles J. Russo, Izak Oosthuizen, Charl C. Wolhuter

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The second volume of companion books on comparative student discipline identifies the best practices in dealing with student misconduct, on six continents, in a legally sound manner. It is essential for educators to examine national as well as international practices addressing student misconduct in schools because learner misbehavior often has a detrimental effect on the quality of teaching and learning in elementary and secondary schools. The countries covered are Brazil, China, Malaysia, Turkey and South Africa.

Dual Language K-2 Latina Teachers: Juxtaposing Linguistic Identities And Pedagogical Practices On The U.S.-Mexico Frontera, Brenda Oriana Fuentes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This ethnographic study explored the linguistic identities and pedagogical practices of Latina bilingual-certified K-2 teachers in a dual language (DL) program in the U.S.-Mexico border area. Drawing on sociocultural theory, methods of data collection and analysis focused on linking DL Latina teachers' identity formation with both their conceptions of teaching and their actual pedagogical practices related to language use. The findings from this study painted a portrait of how DL teachersâ?? languages, literacies, and identities intertwined to shape their pedagogical practice. The linguistic backgrounds of DL teachers on the border were shaped by country of origin and languages, schooling experiences, …

Teacher Effectiveness And Student Achievement On Staar: Implications For School Leaders, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dr. Oliveras-Ortiz conducted a correlational study to examine the relationship between teacher effectiveness and student achievement in a north Texas school district. Results show that the issues school administrators face are much deeper than instructional practices and test preparation. Implications for practice are discussed.

Considering An Overhaul To The New Principal Preparation Program, Vance Vaughn, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Vance Vaughn and Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz provide suggestions for university faculty and administration preparing principals in their article, Considering an Overhaul to the New Principal Preparation Program. They recommended the importance of understanding accountability and reconstitution in the new age of accountability. In their case study research they examined three school districts over a five year span. From this research, they determined that universities need to include training on walkthroughs and appraisal systems, the correct use of data, and an understanding of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Principal Dispositions Regarding The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System, Theodore J. Kowalski, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) was first implemented during the 2013-14 school term. This study examined principals’ dispositions at the end of this school term. Findings revealed several major concerns. The most prominent were (a) not having sufficient time to implement the program properly, (b) basing a teacher’s performance heavily on student value-added data, and (c) being required to assist teachers in developing their annual improvement plans. Three independent variables, teaching experience, administrative experience, and level of school assignment, were found to have only a low level of association with principal dispositions. With respect to teacher evaluation generally, findings …

Has Teacher Tenure’S Time Passed?, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A recent trial court order (Vergara v. State of California 2014), which Governor Jerry Brown has already appealed (Nagourney 2014), has sent shock waves through the ranks of teachers and their unions because it threatens what is perhaps educators’ most cherished prize: tenure.

In Vergara, the court invalidated five statutes addressing tenure, procedural safeguards relating to teacher dismissal, and seniority as violating the equal protection clause in the California constitution. The court ruled that the challenged laws “impose a real and appreciable impact on students’ fundamental right to equality of education and that they impose a disproportionate burden on poor …

Linking Reading Assessment Data To Intervention Using The 4-Box Instructional Decision Making Model, Jeremy Husfeldt

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Reading is a vital skill and failing to learn how to read has consequences beyond the walls of the classroom. The importance of reading and its link to later success in life has gained the attention of many, including Congress, over the past couple of decades. Yet, despite an intense research focus and large amounts of time and resources being devoted to improving reading performance, too many American students continue to struggle to obtain reading proficiency. One possible explanation for this disconnect maybe the failure to match evidence-based instruction to struggling readers based on their specific reading needs. The 4-Box …

The Impact Of The Sra Corrective Reading Program On Standardized Testing, Tony Oyola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The implementation of effective reading programs for special education students is paramount for school success due to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the reauthorization of Individual with Disabilities Education Act. One local school implemented the Science Research Associates Corrective Reading Program (SRACRP) because their special education students did not meet the required proficient or advanced reading scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). The purpose of this quantitative within-group study was to determine if special and regular education students demonstrated growth in reading comprehension after the implementation of the SRACRP. The theoretical foundation …

Effects Of Embedded Study-Skills Instruction On High School Students' Attitudes Toward Mathematics, Alberta Diahann Banks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The target school used embedded study skills in Algebra I classes to improve attitudes toward mathematics. The purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was to examine the effect of embedded study-skills instruction on students' attitudes toward mathematics. Metacognitive theory was used for this study's framework. Participants were 28 Grade 9 and 10 students who repeated Algebra I. Quantitative data from the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory assessed students' pre- and post-instruction attitudes toward mathematics in 4 domains. Data were analyzed using 4 independent samples t tests for students who did and did not receive embedded instruction. Qualitative data were collected …

Intervention Strategies To Decrease Discipline Issues In An Urban Pre-K-8 Public School, Wendy Mason

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Intervention Strategies to Decrease Discipline Issues

in an Urban pre-K-8 Public School

by

Wendy A. Mason

MEd, Walden University, 2005

BA, Kean University, 1979

Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Education

Walden University

October 2015

The educational problem addressed in this study was the lack of empirically grounded evidence of the intervention strategies an urban school in the northeast region of the United States used to decrease school discipline problems. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify, explore, and understand the strategies used by school personnel to decrease …

Educational Infrastructure And Resources For Sustainable Access To Schooling And Outcomes: The Case Of Early Literacy Development In Southern Tanzania, Marriote Ngwaru, Mary Oluga

Institute for Educational Development, East Africa

Following on the 1990 and 2000 World Conferences on Education for All, African governments increased their focus on access to schooling (but not necessarily on outcomes) by providing more facilities for increased enrollments. The learning outcomes that had been neglected led to a call to focus on more sustainable access – re-examining the quality of some of those facilities against the anticipated quality of educational outcomes. Studies in Southern and Eastern Africa, including the one under discussion here, indicate that the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not rely only on school-based factors but also on the careful …

Creating An Enabling Environment For Community Engagement In School-Based Governance: A Glimmer Of Hope", Dilshad Ashraf

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

In 1960, the global enrolment of primary school aged children was less than half. By the 1990s, in spite of rapid population growth in much of the world, the proportion of primary enrolled school children was more than 75 percent. The credit to this spread in educational access does not only go the western of often called the formal form of school operations but to indigenous educational provision and management models as well. It has been observed in many developing countries around the world that indigenous development of a targeted geographical area.