Secondary Education and Teaching Commons^™

Grades 9-12 Earth Science, Katie Whittaker

Science

New York state standards emphasizes the importance of connecting past and present events to possible future events. This lesson plan focuses on the geologic past as it is presented in the New York state referenced tables for Earth Science. The lesson plan features a clip from "you tube" as a hook, a RAFT assignment that embraces theories by Bloom and Gardner, a post card activity to test understanding, and a closure activity where students will predict future events based on patterns from the geological past.

Improving Academic Achievement Of Students With Problematic Attendance By Implementing A Multisystemic School-Based Model, James Edward Kay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared to excused absences and then develop a manual of best attendance policies to better serve all school-aged children. This study sampled 10,403 students in a southern United States county. Bivariate regression and ANOVA analyses examined the scores students earned on their first attempt at the Social Studies Georgia High School Graduation …

Narrowing The Academic Achievement Gap Among High School Latino Students Through Parental Involvement, Douglas L. Parry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low academic achievement among Latino students in many inner city high schools leads to higher failure, dropout, and absenteeism rates, as well as lower standardized test scores and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to explore whether Latino parental attitudes toward and perceptions, level of, and form of involvement may be linked to this low student achievement. The theoretical framework for this study was Epstein's parental involvement model. The research questions investigated the relationship between Latino parental attitudes toward and perceptions, level of, and form of involvement and student academic achievement. Fifty-eight parents participated in a parent …

Inclusive Education Training: Steps To Prosperity, Saima Khalid

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of The University Interscholastic League One-Act Play Competition As An Extracurricular Activity, David Christopher Rout

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In Texas the University Interscholastic League has had a significant impact in Theatre Education through their annual competitive One-Act Play Competition. In educational climates dominated by No Pass-No Play and TAKS Testing some schools may question the effectiveness of the UIL competition as an effective activity. This paper addresses this concern, a measurement of how effective UIL One Act Play is how FERPA is impacting research into UIL events.

Bilingual Education - A Historic And Programmatic Overview, Jens Tillmanns

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study is an archival research for historical understanding documenting historical trends in bilingual education in the United States. Relevant documents and literature were reviewed, analyzed, and coded to form the themes that examine the historical and programmatic development of bilingual education in the United States since its formation. It is particularly important to examine these roots of bilingual education in light of the ongoing political tensions around immigration issues. What historical events have impacted the emergence and shaping of and the resistance to bilingual education in the United States? What political and social forces have impacted the emergence and …

An Exploration Of Factors Influencing Effective Teachers' Decisions To Remain In Urban School Settings, Alison L. Grizzle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing problems identified in the literature on teacher retention and resilience include (a) a gap in understanding factors influencing urban teacher retention; (b) lack of clarity on multiple factors swaying teachers' decisions to remain despite challenges; (c) overlapping definitions of teacher retention, attrition, and resilience; and (d) absence of a theoretical framework for a potential relationship between retention and resilience. This embedded-case study sought to identify factors influencing effective teachers' decisions to remain in an urban setting and to examine the role of teachers' resilience, retention, and effectiveness with respect to this decision. Fourteen core-area secondary teachers, identified through criterion …

Exploring A Supplemental Educational Service Math Program: The Math Achievement Of Economically Disadvantaged Students And Teacher Professional Development, Vilma Caban-Vazquez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The No Child Left Behind education act mandates that school districts develop supplemental educational service programs for students not demonstrating mathematical proficiency on state standardized math assessments. Yet there is limited understanding of issues related to supplemental educational service math programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate a local after school math program to offer insight on the low math achievement for economically disadvantaged students involved in the program. Constructivist theories of math reform and education for economically disadvantaged students and English language learners guided this study of 10 teachers and 15 of their students in a …

Leadership To Sustain Professional Learning Communities, Kelly P. Gillespie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have shown promise as a means to meet the challenge of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. A problem that has surfaced is the inabilty of schools to sustain PLCs. This project study examined leadership characteristics of elementary school principals in selected school districts to determine how these characteristics shape organizational culture and provide support for sustaining professional learning communities. At the center of this initiative have been the school principals and their leadership skills. The theoretical underpinnings of this study were based on the work of DuFour and DuFour, which places leadership of …

Empowering Adolescents: A Multiple Case Study Of U.S. Montessori High Schools, Wendy J. Larue

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The standards-based, teach-and-test methods that have come to proliferate secondary education since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fail to adequately prepare students for higher education and employment. This system lacks opportunities for developing 21st century skills such as higher-level thinking, problem solving, and group dynamics, as well as opportunities for fostering spiritual growth and personal development. This problem impacts graduates of U.S. high schools because they are unprepared for higher education and the 21st century workplace. Using qualitative multiple case study methodology, this study examined five U.S. Montessori high schools through the lens of cultural-historical …

High School Teachers' Perspectives On Effective Approaches For Teaching Biology To Students With Special Needs, Agnieszka Kos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The demands of national educational reforms require high school biology teachers to provide high quality instruction to students with and without special needs. The reforms, however, do not provide teachers with adequate teaching strategies to meet the needs of all students in the same context. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to understand high school biology teachers' perspectives, practices, and challenges in relation to teaching students with special needs. This approach was used to develop a substantive model for high school biology teachers who are challenged with teaching students with and without special needs. Data were collected via …

Staff Development And Leadership Roles Related To Response To Intervention Levels Of Implementation In Rural Schools, Karin A. Strohmyer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The concepts of professional learning communities and organizational disciplines support staff development and leadership that lead to sustainable systems. Little research has examined the ability of rural schools to achieve sustainable systems. This quantitative design study considered the relationships between predictor variables of administrative roles and staff development and the criterion variable of Response to Intervention (RtI) implementation level. Administrator roles included planning and scheduling training, participating in training, planning implementation, building knowledge and commitment, selecting RtI teams, participating on teams, promoting parental involvement, evaluating RtI, and implementing follow-up and targeted training. Staff development practices addressed commitment and support, team …

School Administrators' Perceptions Of The Contributions Of No Child Left Behind To The Achievement Gap, Paula Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law (NCLB), schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) receive assistance and eventually are subject to corrective action if they do not improve. This qualitative case study used interviews with 10 elementary and middle school administrators from 8 public schools to assess the influence of NCLB on schools with a high percentage of students of color and students in poverty. This study was viewed through the lens of Toffler's conceptual framework of how change occurs, and on the current school reform climate surrounding NCLB and how its accountability system of assessments …

The Experiences Of Alternately Certified Teachers With Teacher Mentoring, Teacher Effectiveness, And Student Achievement, Charyl L. Pace

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Alternately certified teachers (ACTs) are teachers who receive teacher training in an accelerated program provided by alternate certification programs (ACPs). Induction/mentoring programs are provided to ACTs as a source of additional training. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers in relation to their students' achievement and the support provided to them as new teachers by their induction/mentoring training. The research question explored if there was a relationship between the amount of support provided to the ACTs from their induction/mentoring programs and the ACTs' perception of their effectiveness in relation to …

The Strawberry Grows Under The Nettle: How An Integrated Performance-Based Approach To The Teaching Of Shakespeare At The Secondary Level Affects Critical Thinking Skills As Measured By The California Critical Thinking Skills Test, Brent T. Strom

Dissertations

Though Shakespeare remains the most taught author in American secondary school curriculum, and though there is growing evidence to suggest that the best practice for teaching the Bard is through a performance-based approach, there has been no empirical evidence to support one methodology over another.

This study utilized the California Critical Thinking Skills Test to measure the growth in critical thinking skills that students obtained through a traditional `seat-bound' versus a `performance-based' approach to the teaching of Shakespeare at the secondary level. Its purpose was to determine whether there would be a statistically significant difference between the two.

Subjects were …

Teaching English Language Learner Students In Us Mainstream Schools: Intersections Of Language, Pedagogy, And Power, Katya A. Karathanos

Faculty Publications

This study explored to what extent two groups of mainstream teachers in the midwestern region of the USA with differing degrees of English Language Learner (ELL) specific universitypreparation reportedly engaged in practises that incorporated the native languages (L1) of ELL students in instruction. The study further examined specific strategies reported by mainstream teachers in promoting L1 use in instruction as well as challenges identified in implementing this practise. The study utilized a mixed-method design that included analyses of survey data from a quantitative study (n=227) and qualitative analyses of teacher discourse from course documents and open-ended survey questions. Findings indicated …

Ethnic Differences In Alcohol Use: A Comparison Of Black And White College Students In A Small Private University Setting, Kristie S. Gover

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An identified gap in the literature associated with college student alcohol use is the exploration of the problem based on ethnicity, specifically possible differences in use between Black and White college students. The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in alcohol use for Black and White college students at a small private university in the southeast United States. The study was conducted using the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey Long Form, which is designed to collect data related to self reported use of alcohol and perceptions of alcohol use among college students. A quantitative methodology was employed …

What's Race Got To Do With It?: A Historical Inquiry Into The Impact Of Color-Blind Reform On Racial Inequality In America's Public Schools, Lillian Dowdell Drakeford

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the history and impact of color-blind educational reform in the post-Brown era on racial inequality of educational opportunities and outcomes in America's public schools. Through the lens of critical race theory and race critical theory, the dissertation employs a dual analysis. A macro analysis of the evolution and impact of colorblind educational reform on the national level is juxtaposed with a micro, case-study analysis of the history of color-blind educational reform at a historically Black high school. The historical analysis of the relationship between race and education encompasses intellectual and social aspects of education in the U.S. …