Elementary Education Commons^™

Culturally Responsive Leadership For Newcomer Students: A Case Study Of An Elementary Newcomer Program School Leadership Team, Ahmad Fayaz Amiri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study focuses on the pivotal role of an urban elementary school leadership team with a newcomer program. It aims to uncover how school leadership decisions, practices, and policies address the diverse needs of newcomer students. Challenges faced by newcomers, including economic and social needs, cultural adjustments, and potential feelings of alienation despite academic success, are explored. The tension between preserving home culture and adapting to a new one adds complexity to newcomer students’ identity formation.

This study examines the practices of a newcomer school leader who addresses the diverse needs of vulnerable newcomer students. With schools being …

Culturally Responsive Coaching: Supervision With A Cultural Lens, Jouanna Crossland-Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Culturally Responsive Practices (CRP) are a focal point for many districts across the country. The emphasis of CRP is on how the institution enacts policies and practices for the benefit of the students they serve. This study views CRP from a different lens. The focus of this study is to 1.) center the voice of Black teachers and 2.) explore culturally responsive practices for the support and edification of the teacher from their coach/supervisor. The eight Black teacher participants and their instructional coaches engaged in interviews discussing current coaching models and the dynamics of their coaching relationships.

The relevant findings …

How Do Teachers Make Sense Of New Learning About Culturally Responsive And Sustaining Education?, Kristine Mustillo

Student Theses

The education of Black citizens has historically been unequal and plagued with deficit based approaches that result in the under-education and over-disciplining of Black youth in schools, with dire implications. Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education (CRSE)aims to change the narrative by honoring the racial, ethnic, linguistic and cultural differences of students of color who are marginalized in a school curriculum, featuring a pedagogy that empowers students (Ladson-Billings, 2021). Educators often report that they understand CRSE in theory but there is confusion when putting the theory into action and there are other challenges faced when working in current social and political …

Changing The Narrative: Student Empowerment In Unequal School Contexts, Stephanie A. Nisle-Mikos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational experiences affect a wide variety of life outcomes for individuals. The type of education an individual receives influences their occupation, the neighborhood in which they live, and even their risk of mortality (National Research Council, 2013; Sasson, 2016). In particular, the life trajectories of students who attend high-poverty schools are not the same as youth who attend schools with greater resources (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2013; Taylor, 2005). In this dissertation, I provide a brief background on current rates of disproportionality in education and examine how specific theoretical constructs and educational policies may be used to explain …

Northwest Arkansas Education Report Card 2023, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Charlene Reid, Christine L. Magness

Education Report Card

The goal of this report is to help parents, school personnel, community members, and policy makers understand how effectively the students in their community are being served by public schools. The past two years have been difficult for families, teachers, and students, but despite the challenging context, Northwest Arkansas students are demonstrating greater growth in achievement and earning higher scores on the ACT Aspire than are the students in the state overall. Schools in NWA also received higher School Quality and Student Success scores and graduate a greater percentage of high school students.

Pulaski County Education Report Card 2023, Sarah Mckenzie, Josh Mcgee, Charlene Reid, Christine L. Magness

Education Report Card

The goal of this report is to help parents, school personnel, community members, and policy makers understand how effectively the students in their community are being served by public schools. The past few years have been difficult for families, teachers, and students, and throughout the challenging context, Pulaski County students demonstrated growth in achievement on the Act Aspire that was similar to students across the state, but are performing below the state average in achievement, graduation rates, and School Quality and Student Success scores.

Perceptions Of Primary Grade Teachers About Reading Curriculum And Early Literacy Intervention, Melody Carr

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the perceptions of reading curriculum and early literacy intervention of primary grade teachers. The purpose of this study was to answer the following research questions: How do primary grade teachers view early literacy intervention? How do teachers perceive the basal reading program, Reading Wonders? While there are studies that focus on teacher perceptions, research is limited in the area of teachers’ perceptions of reading curriculum and early literacy intervention. Data was collected using a qualitative approach using a survey, interviews, and a focus group discussion. Findings reveal that teachers feel that they need to be prepared when …

Black Superintendents’ Perceptions On The Effectiveness Of Diversity And Equity Professional Development In New Jersey Schools, Tanisha Hinton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Providing an accessible and equitable education for all students has been an ongoing process mandated by the Managing for Equality and Equity initiative to close the achievement and opportunity gaps among students. This qualitative study examined Black superintendents' perspectives about the effectiveness and impact of diversity, equity, and inclusive initiatives in majority White staffed school districts in New Jersey. Furthermore, the study explored the perceptions of Black superintendents across different regions of New Jersey to understand if there were significant differences in how DEI initiative was perceived. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 Black superintendents and the data was analyzed …

Reading Interventionists Using Individualized Learning Plans And Instruction: A District Leader’S Response To Address Unfinished Teaching Opportunities In Reading, Nicole Almanzar

Theses and Dissertations

This action-research study explores a district leader’s experience implementing district-wide individualized learning plans (ILPs) and individualized instruction to enhance student outcomes in reading. The study utilizes collective leadership practices by collaborating with reading interventionists throughout. In addition, this study provides an alternative to the technology-based personalized learning and high-dosage tutoring models.

Literacy Instruction In Nature And The Development Of Kindergarten Literacy Skills, Lauren Angelozzi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines what happens when literacy instruction is implemented while students are outside in nature. Relevant theories that guided this research included the Attention Restoration Theory (ART), Stress Reduction Theory (SRT), and Culturally Relevant teaching (CRT). Throughout the four week study students participated in literacy lessons outdoors that focused on journal writing outdoors, outdoor teacher read alouds, and writing outdoors using tools found in nature. The final week of the study focused on how students incorporate these literacy skills into their own outdoor free play. This qualitative research focused on data collection from various sources such as: student artifacts, …

Primary Grade Teacher Perspectives About The Challenges Of Teaching Remotely, Jennifer Brooke Sample

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem this basic qualitative study addressed was that primary grade teachers, who taught different curricula, were not prepared to teach in a fully remote environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perspectives about the challenges they experienced teaching primary-grade students remotely and to explore their perspectives on providing remote instruction training to teachers. This was accomplished using the conceptual framework of Garrison et al.’s community of inquiry model. Two research questions explored primary teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of teaching primary grade students in a remote platform and explored teachers’ suggestions for training in remote instruction. …

Primary Grade Teacher Perspectives About The Challenges Of Teaching Remotely, Jennifer Brooke Sample

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem this basic qualitative study addressed was that primary grade teachers, who taught different curricula, were not prepared to teach in a fully remote environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perspectives about the challenges they experienced teaching primary-grade students remotely and to explore their perspectives on providing remote instruction training to teachers. This was accomplished using the conceptual framework of Garrison et al.’s community of inquiry model. Two research questions explored primary teachers’ perspectives on the challenges of teaching primary grade students in a remote platform and explored teachers’ suggestions for training in remote instruction. …

Growing Together: Cultivating The Social-Emotional Effects Of Art Education Through Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Kaitlyn Lawrence

Masters Theses

In many societies, the process of art is recognized as a healing and transformative practice. In recent years, it has been emerging in tandem with social emotional practices and procedures in American education. However, it is also a fact that social emotional learning (SEL) does not account for all students due to its inability to account for the needs of all students in the classroom. SEL alone aims to teach healthy development and emotional management skills, but fails to account for students with varying experiences. While there are those who can and do integrate the skills from the Social Emotional …

Evaluation Of The Smiling Mind Primary School Program 2023, Tamara Van Der Zant, Katherine Dix, Toby Carslake

Wellbeing

In its various forms, the Smiling Mind Primary School Program (the Program) has been delivered in Australian schools since 2016. The Program is a mindfulness-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program designed for primary school students in Years 1 to 6. It aims to support the mental wellbeing and emotional resilience of students. The Program offers an online, digital, curriculum, delivered by trained classroom educators, that incorporates practices and techniques to help students develop skills for managing stress, building resilience, and enhancing their overall mental health.

The Program was delivered to 733 schools in 2023, and due to the ongoing …

Teaching Writing With The Digital Feedback Protocol: A Peer-To-Peer Intervention To Increase Elementary Student Writing Motivation, Karyn Keenan

Dissertations

Writing is a complex task, especially for elementary school writers; motivation in writing leads to greater writing performance and writing quality. Teachers enter their careers underprepared to teach writing and have to seek out professional development on writing for themselves. Technology can be leveraged in the elementary writing classroom, but it is an under researched area. The Digital Feedback Protocol is a case study dissertation study with an embedded professional development opportunity that supports teachers to implement a protocol for students to provide digital feedback to each other’s writing. The study was conducted with four third grade teachers and their …

The Impact Of Grade-Level Switching In The Elementary School Setting, Christine Priester

Dissertations

Teaching a new grade level in elementary school requires developing extensive grade- level-specific knowledge. In many school districts, the support for teachers who move grade levels within a district is glaringly absent. In this study, the frequency and impact of teacher grade switching in a school district were examined through a mixed-methods study that included surveys with teachers, interviews with teachers, and student data. The research question was: What is the impact of grade-level teacher movement on instruction? The findings of this study show how students are affected by teachers switching grade levels in elementary school. Results shed light on …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On The Academic Achievement And Mental Health Of Elementary Students: Covid-19 Effect On Students In Pre-K Through 4th Grade, Ashlee Stanley

Dissertations

School closures and student isolation due to COVID-19 affected all students, particularly those in poverty. In addition to the damage to student learning, a mental health crisis emerged as many students lost access to school services. This mixed methods study aimed to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on United States elementary students’ academic achievement and mental health. I found in my study teachers and school counselors struggled but were able to provide support to students in a variety of ways. I recommended a policy where all schools have a mental health therapist on site to assist students and teachers.

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Instructional Modality And Pedagogy Licensure Exam Scores In Post-Baccalaureate Educator Preparation Programs In Indiana, Kelly Eckel

Dissertations

The efficacy of the modality of instruction employed in higher education institutions has been a point of contention among students, faculty, administration, and other stakeholders in the educational realm. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online and hybrid instruction has become a valued and desirable option for Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) to offer for recruitment and retention purposes. The effectiveness of varying modalities in relation to teacher licensure exams has been limited in research and can serve as a critical quantitative measure for EPPs to assess. This longitudinal study examined the relationship between instructional modality and pedagogy teacher licensure exam scores in …

What Exactly Does Identity Have To Do With Teaching? Exploring The Connection Between A Teacher's Racialized Identity And Their Teacher Identity, Lizette Aguilar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study explores the relationship between race and teacher identity, specifically understanding how the two concepts intersect and (re)present themselves within the classroom environment. This study analyzes six teachers’ narratives of identity, race, and teaching to explore themes of race and identity as they traverse from their earliest experiences with race into their experiences as teachers. Findings conclude that, first, teachers’ narrative identities are a composite of key narratives—important moments of deep impact in the process of identity building—that accumulate over time to form what Dan McAdams (1993) calls personal myths. Since key narratives are continually shaping one’s personal myth, …

Utilizing Students’ Technological Knowledge To Develop Critical Reading Skills And Digital Literacy Identities, Rosemarie Mcgraw

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore how teachers can purposefully integrate and connect students’ digital literacy funds of knowledge into in-school digital literacy meaning making to enhance critical reading and thinking, and how it supports students’ development of their digital literacy identity. The theories that guided this thesis were from New London Group, Freire, Gee, Knobel, and Lankshear. This was a qualitative research study that collected data from surveys, interviews, observations, and student work samples. Over the course of the study, students participated in a controlled choice research unit. Throughout the study, students received specific instruction on how to use multiliteracies …