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Is Enrollment In Algebra An Effective Strategy For Helping African American Students Pass The Mathematics Section Of The California High School Exit Exam?, Deborah Bradshaw

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Beginning with the class of 2004, all students in the state of California must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate from high school with a diploma. This study sought to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between the mean score of 10th-grade African American students who took an algebra class prior to taking the CAHSEE and the mean score of a matched group of their peers who did not take algebra prior to taking the exam.

Results provided by the California Department of Education showed that at both the state and district level, passing the …

Addressing The Response And Responsibility Of The Education System To The Social Concerns Of At-Risk Students In American Schools: An Evaluative Study Of A Partnership Intervention Program, Ina Dorman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The social problems of students and society in general have changed dramatically over the past 2 decades, and school leaders are now challenged with how to address these changes effectively while preserving the integrity and purpose of an institution of learning.

This study identified the social, environmental, and behavioral issues facing students in a large, urban school district with a population of over 250,000 students. This qualitative analysis examined the data and risk factors that impact the academic achievement of students and the response by the organization leaders to respond adequately to the challenges.

The school district is situated in …

Examining The Bullying Problem At Hopewell Memorial Junior High School, James M. Walsh

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study suggested a means for a school community to take a stand against student bullying. Many schools exist in the quagmire of disrespect and bullying. A school such as Hopewell Memorial Junior High is a typical example. In the 2000-2001 school year, there were 412 reported acts of student bullying to school administration. Of these discipline reports (referrals), 412 out of 785 total (52%) involved bullying. In the 2001-2002 school year, there were 306 reported acts of student bullying, which was 34% of the 877 total reports.

Through thoughtful analysis of this problem and consideration of the research literature, …

Implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports At Aspen High School, Kendall Evans

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was a case study designed to describe, analyze, and evaluate the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to reduce the incidents of problem behavior at Aspen High School. Data collected regarding discipline referrals to the office, during the years from September 1998 to May 2003 indicated that 84 individual students on average were referred to the office each year. In addition, students who were in the juvenile justice system represented a disproportionate number of discipline referrals to the office when compared to the percentage of the student body that they represented, and the educators at …

Addressing The Training Needs Of Educational Professionals Related To Students With Special Needs, Sue E. Bast

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was developed to provide a solution to the problem of the lack of training for teachers, regular and special education, related to students with special needs. Though the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act specifies that training should be provided to staff working with students having special needs, on-going trainings were not occurring in this writer’s district. Teachers expressed frustration and negativity related to having students in their class who have special needs. Often this was due to the fact that they had not received any training in their undergraduate courses.

To address this problem, an in-service of …

Ninth-Grade Transition: A Program To Ensure An Effective Transition To High School, Steven Ellis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Freshman performance at Hunt High School was unacceptable. The 1999-2000 school year records revealed that 16% of freshmen had a grade point average of below 1.0. A total of 68 students dropped out of school during the 1999-2000 school year; 33 of these students were freshmen. In addition, 35% of freshmen failed 1 or more subjects during the 1999-2000 school year. Freshmen were also 3 times more likely to be given referrals for discipline than older students and 4 times more likely to be suspended.

The writer first conducted a preliminary investigation to find answers to this problem. As a …

Meeting The After-School Needs Of Early Adolescents, Ann Michele Allen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a more attractive after-school program to youth at a middle school. The program was located on the school campus and offered minimal activities, which were facilitated by untrained staff, with limited activity space for the youth to congregate. The program met daily in a school classroom, offering limited supplies and activities to the youth after school. Due to these limitations, very few youth participated in the afterschool program, thereby placing themselves at risk for harmful and inappropriate behaviors in the after-school hours.

The writer developed a more attractive after-school program for the youth. …

Improving The Reading Comprehension Achievement Of Third Grade Students, Delores L. Bedar

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Students at DePriest Elementary School were performing poorly on standardized assessments in reading comprehension. The possible causes of low student performance were (a) teachers’ beliefs and practices, (b) the reading curriculum, (c) students’ lack of knowledge as to how to read for meaning, and (d) the lack of parent involvement in their children’s schooling.

This dissertation examined the improvement of students’ reading comprehension performance through the use of strategic reading instruction, professional development of teachers, and parental involvement. It examined whether instructing students in the use of comprehension strategies improved their reading comprehension performance.

A reading comprehension strategies curriculum model …

Attendance: The First Step Towards Success, Steven W. Green

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Student achievement is clearly the purpose of schools, and in today's world of high stakes testing, accountability has certainly been an educational buzzword. However, there are many factors that impact student achievement levels with many of these factors being out of the control of teachers and administrators. One factor on which school officials can have an impact is student attendance.

In the past at Dobson High School in Mesa, Arizona, student attendance was addressed in two ways: first, absences, were documented and recorded; second, punishments were applied after students accumulated too many absences. This was a cold and reactive process …

The Job Of An Assistant Principal In An Urban High School Setting, Brenda Savoy

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation provides an in-depth discussion of the problems that the researcher encounters as a high school assistant principal in an urban mid eastern city in the United States. In the first chapter, the reader is provided with a depiction of the most significant of the 16 duties assigned to her by the principal. Chapter 2 discusses the challenges that the researcher encountered before entering the position, primarily due to a lack of mentoring.

The report presents the most frustrating aspect of the position--not having a well-defined job description--and the fact that there is no structured order or time …

Third Grade Struggling Readers And Fast Forword, Jeannie Gallo

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation utilized an adaptive computer training program known as Fast ForWord as an intervention to improve the literacy skills of struggling, below-level third grade readers at Smyser Accelerated School. The intent of the intervention was to improve students’ phonemic awareness, reading comprehension, and spelling skills on standardized tests and to improve classroom performance grades in reading and spelling.

A large number of students in third grade are not able to achieve at or above level on the reading comprehension test of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. It was believed that a high mobility rate in second and …

A Second Chance For Struggling Students, Irene R. Fujii

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The focus on standards and the California high school exit exam has had an impact on all students, especially students who are already having a difficult time in school. For the past 3-year period, 1999 through 2002, students from a bay area continuation high school had a retention rate of less than 25% in career technical programs.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Skills Tutor Program (Achievement Technologies, 2000), a computerized instructional program, would assist continuation students to stay in school by helping them to enhance their academic performance and attitudes toward school.

The population for …

Ethical Decision Making In Speech-Language Pathology: What Is The Difference In Perception Between Faculty And Second Year Graduate Students?, Kerrilyn R. Phillips

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether speech-language pathology faculty perceptions of ethical behavior are different from speech-language pathology graduate students’ perceptions of ethical behavior. Participants consisted of 34 second-year speech-language pathology graduate students and 27 faculty members from Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) training programs in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana. All participants completed an investigator-designed instrument consisting of ethical scenarios. Results of this study indicated that significant differences between faculty and student perceptions for ethical decision-making were indicated in two of eight scenarios. The two scenarios in which significant differences were identified related to supervision and …

Political Agitation: Can A Political Mandate Be Used As A Catalyst For Creating A Learning Organization?, James W "Kip" Stevens

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation dealt with the efforts of the principal at Turner County Middle School to use state mandates as a catalyst for creating a learning community of teachers. The hypothesis was that the teachers’ anger at the politicians could be redirected by the principal into a unified vision of raising their students’ reading test scores on standardized tests. The principal sought to use inclusion, empowerment and co-operative peer led instruction for the mandated staff development course. The question was asked, “Can peer led staff development that has specific teacher and student outcomes outlined in advance increase student learning, resulting …

Developing A Support-Based Program To Decrease The Complaints Of Racial Profiling In The Miami-Dade Police Department, Richard E. Holton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to focus on the problem that African American citizens are complaining about being stopped and detained unnecessarily by police officers and treated unfairly for no apparent reason in Miami-Dade County. National police organizations, special interest groups, and local citizens have defined this action as Racial Profiling or Driving While Black (DWB). The Miami-Dade County Commission adopted a resolution prohibiting racial profiling; however this problem continues to exist. Minorities have argued in town hall meetings and filed complaints, indicating that the criminal justice system has been insensitive to what appears to be a system that supports …

Development Of A Comprehensive Mathematics Anxiety Intervention Program For Missouri Southern State College With A Plan For Implementation And Evaluation, Laura Schooler Adkins

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to develop a comprehensive mathematics anxiety intervention program for the preservice elementary education teachers at Missouri Southern State College (MSSC). The problem addressed was the need at MSSC for a mathematics anxiety intervention program to help hundreds of students experience increased academic and career success as a direct outcome of the intervention program.

The purpose of the project was to develop a comprehensive intervention program to prevent, reduce, or eliminate mathematics anxiety among the preservice elementary education teachers at MSSC. Three research questions provided the focus for the study: (1) How can mathematics anxiety be …

Improving The Reading And Writing Skills Of Retained Eighth Grade Students, Beverley Mckenzie

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to assist eighth grade students who were retained in improving their Reading and Writing skills. These students failed school courses and did not meet the required standards for promotion to high school. The students were previously in large classes with other low-achieving students, were not given individualized attention, were not exposed to the use of technologies, were not given adequate support services, and were not taught by experienced teachers.

The writer designed an after-school program to assist the students with Reading and Writing skills. An experienced Language Arts teacher was asked to work with the …

Evaluation Of The Math Project At Horace Mann High School, Lula Brooks Reeves

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation studied the improvement of student course grades through the math program in 10th grade at Horace Mann High School, Gary, Indiana. In order to improve students' outcomes, strategies using Performance Based Learning, small group instruction and student collaboration were implemented.

The Math Project was implemented with 10th-grade teachers who agreed to participate in this study. The students in the study were a heterogeneously mixed group of students with common scores from the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP+/state competency) test at the 8th-grade level, common socioeconomic status according to the Federal Lunch Program guidelines, and common …

An Intervention To Remediate Motivational Shortcomings Caused By Childhood Maltreatment, Glade Eggett

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

By using a program called the WhyTry Program (C. Moore, 2001), the researcher was able to change some motivation-related behaviors caused, in part, by parent maltreatment. The study took place in a school in the east Los Angeles area. Motivation was a key factor studied.

The applied dissertation utilized the theory of multiple intelligences (H. Gardener, 1987) in a counseling setting. The writer used the WhyTry Program to create a meaning modality of communication using the visual analogies, music, and interpersonal activities. Students increased positive behaviors. The study was conducted on students who were identified as being physically, sexually, or …

Analysis Of Cooperative Learning On Mathematics Achievement Of Comprehensive Program Sixth-Grade Students, Janice P. Hay

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The effect of cooperative learning instruction on mathematics achievement was the subject of this applied dissertation. Comprehensive program 6th-grade students at Glenarden Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, Maryland, were the subjects. The problem was to determine if there was a relationship between cooperative learning and mathematics achievement. The 6th-grade Comprehensive program students' national percentage rank (NPR) on the math subtests of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills, fifth edition (CTBS/5), had fallen below the national median score. Traditional teaching and learning methods had not succeeded in bringing the mathematics learning of these students to acceptable levels. Cooperative learning and teaching …

Strategies To Reduce Student Ejections From The Classroom, Phyllis Booth

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The developmental improvement of 24 teachers’ disciplining skills across one private school’s student body of 249 pupils was studied when trend data revealed that there were 141 student ejections from the classroom to the office in the span of 39 days. The students comprised of three groups: elementary, middle, and high school divisions. The investigation was done to increase teachers’ classroom management skills in order to decrease the number of student ejections from classroom to the administrative team’s office for correction.

Using an A-B-A research design, the investigator collected data across the school departments for eighteen weeks. The time was …

The Effect Of Humor On Test Anxiety And Performance In Distance Learning Students, John Briggs

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the study was to find if humor in testing alleviates test anxiety in distance learning students. The study determined if students given a test with humor had better performance than students given a “normal” test. The study included two groups of students: an experimental group that had humor inserted into the tests and a control group that had a normal test. The humor was “content irrelevant humor”, humor not related to the subject tested. Classes that teach at a distance were used in this study. The study measured the anxiety levels of students preceding the test, the …

Increasing Mathematical Thinking Skills Of Fourth-Grade Students By Improving The Quality Of Mathematical Tasks, Joan F. Sagona

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation studied the effects of the participation of a small group of 4th-grade teachers in professional development involving the use of worthwhile mathematical tasks on teacher practices and student learning. The intervention was designed to improve students' mathematical thinking and to help teachers balance conceptual mathematical understanding with procedural fluency. The instructional and assessment practices used by the 4th-grade teachers at this school were driven by a view of mathematics as computation and procedures. Research has documented higher levels of student thinking and teacher change through use of worthwhile mathematics tasks and job-embedded professional development.

The researcher developed …

The Effects Of An Inclusion Program In A Catholic School Setting On Students Who Experience Academic And Learning Difficulties In The Regular Classroom, Lucila E. Marazita-Espinosa

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

At Good Shepherd Catholic School, 37% of the students in the 5th grade were identified as experiencing academic and learning difficulties in the regular classroom. This conclusion was based on teacher referrals, low academic performance, educational evaluations, and results of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Cognitive Abilities Test, and the Scholastic Reading Inventory.

This research focused on the need to identify the causes that prevented these students from being academically successful in the regular classroom. Some of the concerns addressed included insufficiencies in the present remedial pullout program and the lack of staff development in the areas of …

Improving Kindergarten Children’S Writing Through A Comprehensive Writing Program, Lori Canning

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem investigated in this applied dissertation was that kindergarten children were not acquiring age appropriate writing skills. Without these skills, the children exiting kindergarten children did not have the proper foundation needed for writing success in first grade and the years beyond. This created a pattern of academic failure that followed the students throughout their education.

The goal for this applied dissertation was for kindergarten students to acquire age appropriate writing skills at the end of the implementation. The writer developed a comprehensive writing program to meet the needs of these students. The program was incorporated into the framework …

The Design And Implementation Of A Program To Improve Third-Grade Students’ Mathematics Scores, Mary C. Stuart-Fernandez

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

At Mater Academy Charter School, 35% of the 3rd-grade students scored below grade level on the mathematics portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in the 2001-2002 school year. The FCAT is given to all public school students in the state of Florida to assess achievement levels based on the standards set by the state. This applied dissertation focused on finding strategies that would increase mathematics achievement for these students.

Based on test score data, a program was designed to improve achievement in mathematics. According to M. Cain-Caston (1996) and R. Althouse (1994), the use of manipulatives helps students …

A High Teacher Attrition Rate: What Can Be Done To Address The Problem?, Frederick E. Menzer

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

South Carolina administrators recognized that the state has been losing a third of its teachers within the first five years of their career (SCASA, 2001). As experienced teachers retire, they will most likely be replaced by inexperienced teachers, whose attrition rates are higher than those of mid-career teachers (Archer, 1999).

The research goal of this qualitative study has been to develop and implement a teacher retention model that will significantly lower the high teacher attrition rate (of approximately eight teachers per year) at Marion Intermediate School (MIS). In chapter 1 the researcher discussed the significance of the work while addressing …

Implementing Strategies To Improve Student Behavior In An Alternative I School-Based Program, Delores D. Mcghee

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation is a descriptive study of a program designed to improve student behavior in Grades 6 through 8, an Alternative I School-Based Program, at Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring, Maryland. This intervention program model was a response to teachers’ request for assistance in decreasing suspensions, exclusions, removal of students from classes, and the placement of students in Alternative II Programs.

Solution strategies included an examination of (a) referrals for inappropriate student behavior, (b) parent and teacher involvement, and (c) recommendations for early intervention strategies. To accomplish these tasks, surveys and interviews were conducted to assess the needs …

Attachment Theory And The Secondary Student: Notes To Teachers, George H. Biggs

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide knowledge of attachment theory to secondary teachers in middle schools and high schools. Teachers were working with students who were displaying behaviors caused by student disruptive attachment to a primary caregiver. However, the teachers, not aware of attachment theory, misinterpreted the reason for the disruptive class behavior and associated the behavior with the behaviors of students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

The writer developed a series of monthly workshops that middle school teachers attended. The workshops focused on the following topics: attachment theory, children’s multiple foster placements, and the effects of multiple …

Evaluating A Life Skills Curriculum For Adolescent Males At New Direction, Fitzgerald B. Mcqueen

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation sought to evaluate a real-life Life Skills Curriculum for adolescent males with behavioral, emotional, and mental disabilities. The previous Life Skills curricula had not been revised since 1996. Survey and interview data obtained from counselors, current and past adolescents, teachers, and parents indicated that the previous Life Skills curricula failed to meet the adolescent’s needs, and was impractical and irrelevant.

Planned strategies included (a) evaluating the Life Skills curriculum for relevance and practicality to “here and now” issues of adolescents in an educational treatment facility, (b) evaluating the Life Skills curriculum for enhancement of adolescent’s verbal and …