Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Increasing Literacy Completion Points Of Adult English For Speakers Of Other Languages Students At Lindsey Hopkins Technical Education Center, Louise A. Hall-Motin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Legislation passed in 1998 reshaped the adult education system in Florida. A greater accountability for adult education was established. Due to this legislation, adult education’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program changed to performance based funding. Program funding was provided according to student mastery of Literacy Completion Points (LCPs). These LCPs reflected student achievement of academic competencies by way of standardized instruments, checklists, or portfolios. Funding was determined by the LCPs of student progression from one level to the next. The adult center in this study elected to use the state mandated checklist system to measure student achievement (Florida …

Development Of An Athletic Recruiting Plan For Long Beach City College With A Process For Implementation And Evaluation, Dan Ripley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Recruiting is a necessary component of a successful athletic program. There was no comprehensive recruiting plan at Long Beach City College (LBCC) to maximize the recruiting efforts of its athletic department. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to develop a specific recruitment plan for the LBCC athletic department.

This applied dissertation answered the following questions: (a) What are selected community colleges doing to attract student athletes, (b) what is the current status of athletic recruiting at LBCC, (c) what should an ideal athletic recruiting plan for LBCC include, and (d) what steps should be included in the implementation and …

Discovering, Supporting, And Advancing Gifted Education Students, Victoria Barkwell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the numbers of gifted students being identified and served in an elementary school setting. The numbers of students being served in the school’s Gifted Student Program (GSP) had declined steadily from 58 students in 1995 to 21 students in 2001. Factors that contributed to declining enrollment were: (a) a majority (68%) of faculty members had never referred students to the program; (b) referrals were not representative of the demographic profile of the school; (c) the majority of teachers (94%) had not participated in any in-service training to help them recognize gifted characteristics; and …

Meeting The Psychological Needs Of School-Aged Native Students In An Extreme Geographic Region, Deborah Diette Wilson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to meet the psychological needs of a unique Native population through a continuum of services and the utilization of technological platforms. The host community has experienced significant historical events including the exclusion in full participation education and the provision of educational curricula by individuals lacking the cultural competency base to provide appropriate educational experiences sensitive to Native learning styles. Psychological services were dictated by Federal and State mandates and consisted solely of educational and ability testing for the purpose of special education eligibility determination. As a result, school-aged Native students experienced significant social and emotional …

Increasing Parental Involvement Through The Use Of Homeroom Parent Support Groups, Shirley Ann Ewing

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation investigated the extent of parental involvement at the Daniel Boone Elementary School. Parents were visible on campus during the school day and at special performances featuring children, but according to the teachers, they were not actively involved in a manner that affects their children’s academic performance or success in school. Increasing parental involvement was not a priority at Boone School, as indicated in the 1999-2000 School Improvement Plan.

Therefore, a Homeroom Parent Support Group (HPSG) program was implemented to increase parental involvement in an elementary school setting. Parents and their third grade students were members of the …

The Relationship Between Technology Resource Teachers And The Delivery Of Job-Embedded Professional Development, Susan Abramson Lancaster

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Twenty Kentucky technology resource teachers (TRTs) participated in a study to determine the relationship between TRTs and the delivery of job-embedded professional development. Evaluation focused on collecting data through questionnaires, open-ended questions, surveys, and interviews. The questionnaires and interviews were conducted with Kentucky TRTs who had, as defined in their job descriptions, been responsible for delivering professional development for longer than 1 year.

This study concentrated on common concerns, strengths, and weaknesses of the job-embedded professional development model. Teachers, as adult learners, use a different learning style than their students. Therefore, professional development providers are required to accommodate the needs …

How Communities Of Practice (Cops) Contribute To The Professional Development Of Faculty In An Academic Setting, Patrick Stubbs

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Communities of Practice (CoPs), sometimes termed learning communities, commonly exist in academic environments. What is not well known is how participation in one or more of these communities bears upon the professional development of full time faculty in the community college environment. This applied dissertation investigated and analyzed the contribution of CoPs to faculty professional development in an academic setting.

A qualitative case study was chosen as the methodology for this study. By conducting a survey of all full time faculty, identifying existing CoPs, interviewing selected faculty, and observing selected CoPs, data was gathered to support the discovery of patterns …

Leading School Choice Staff Training Through The Development And Validation Of A Public Relations Training Program In The Age Of School Choice, Kenneth J. Gaughan

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The School District of Hillsborough County, Florida is implementing a controlled choice plan which will give parents increased opportunities to select their children’s schools. School choice has posed new challenges for public school leaders, that is, marketing their schools to the public. Thus, a new plan to train school leaders to promote their schools at a grass roots level was needed. Specifically, school leaders needed a trained cadre of faculty to serve as on-site public relations specialists to provide information relevant to parents who are making decisions about where to send their children to school. This project complemented concurrent efforts …