Digital Commons Network^™

Colorado Superintendency Attrition And Its Effects On The Fourth-Grade Reading Achievement: A Reflective Practitioner’S Investigation, Rod L. Blunck

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gather a greater understanding of the impact of superintendent turnover and the effect on student achievement. The data-based accountability systems in place in Colorado place a great deal of pressure on superintendents to produce empirical results indicating increased student achievement.

The author gathered data from the Colorado Department of Education for student achievement results for the 4th grade reading assessment as measured by the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) for academic years 2001, 2002, and 2003 and for superintendent turnover as measured during academic years 2001 and 2002. Randomly selected, 5 superintendents were to …

Implementation Of Professional Development Activities Related To The Integration Of Computer Technology, Robert Judson Bolles

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This program was designed to have teachers utilize computer technology as an instrument to develop the computer skills necessary to use computers in the classroom as an educational instructional tool. The goal was to assess the current professional development program and have a program designed to implement and train educators to use updated computer software and hardware. This program would have teachers utilizing computer technology as an instrument to assist in the delivery of specific curriculum.

Measurement and assessment instruments were instituted to assess the effectiveness of these activities and what impact, if any, this professional development program had on …

Limitado Empoderamiento Del Currículum De La Educación De Adultos Por Parte De Los Docentes, Onavis Cabrera

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

El propósito de esta investigación estuvo centrado en obtener las informaciones pertinentes para contribuir a explicar las causas socioeducativas del limitado empoderamiento por parte de los educadores que trabajan en la educación de adultos. En su fase de implementación se llevó a cabo en seis centros educativos del Distrito 10-04, de la Regional de Educación Santo Domingo I, ubicado en el municipio de Santo Domingo Oriental. Dicho estudio se efectuó durante un año y tres meses (enero 2003-abril 2004). La cantidad y calidad de la información obtenida permitió alcanzar los objetivos y comprobar las hipótesis de trabajo.

Sus resultaron lograron …

Symptoms And Possible Causes For Low Enrollment And Participation In The Advanced Placement Program, Debra A. Calvin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to increase the participation rate of students in the advanced placement (AP) program in a comprehensive high school. The participation rate at this particular site was 8.69% for the 2001-2002 school year. An audit conducted at that time indicated that given the school’s demographics, the AP participation rate should have been at 20%. A strong AP program is advantageous not only to the students actually taking the course but to the entire student body as well. A system was set in place that did not promote the growth and development of AP.

The writer developed …

A National Survey Of Civil Rights Training Programs For Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Civil Rights Training For Wic Employees, Beverley Demetrius

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was that the state of Georgia Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program was noncompliant with antidiscrimination laws and therefore, risked the loss of federal funds to operate the WIC Program. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to conduct a national survey of civil rights training programs with plans for development, implementation, and evaluation of training for Georgia WIC Program employees.

A combination of the development and evaluation methodologies was used to complete this study. The development methodology was used to develop the civil rights training program for Georgia WIC employees. The evaluation methodology that included process and …

Evaluation Of The Cooperative Education And Internships Program At Prince George’S Community College, Diana Y. Doman Wilkins

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The Cooperative Education and Internships program is charged with placing students in positions that will allow them to gain experience in a work environment related to their major area of study. Job development specialists receive no type of written feedback from the employer, the faculty advisor, or the student on whether or not the placement was successful. The problem is that Cooperative Education and Internships has not demonstrated its effectiveness; therefore, there is reluctance from students, faculty advisors, and job development specialists to continue participating and/or promoting the program.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of …

Professional Development And Turnover In Early Care And Education: Working Toward Solutions By Increasing Enrollment In A Professional Development Program, Sandra L. Duncan

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Teachers’ educational backgrounds and professional development are positive predictors of program quality while teacher turnover is a negative predictor of program quality. Recent research suggests a significant link between teacher turnover and opportunities for professional development. The supposition is that, if the early childhood field could increase the quality of professional development training, then the level of teacher turnover could be reduced. Therefore, nonparticipation in professional development training opportunities is a critical issue in the early childhood industry.

This research study examined why early childhood practitioners are not enrolling in the professional development program opportunity that was published in a …

Preparing Preservice Teachers To Understand, Adapt, And Apply The Reggio Emilia Philosophy, Nkechy Marie Ezeh

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to gain better understanding for the integration of the Reggio Emilia philosophy into the Early Childhood Education Endorsement program at a teacher preparation institution.

The methodology that was used included class discussion, observation, deconstruction of the Reggio Emilia principles, reflective practice, collaboration meetings, interviews, and field trips. The findings confirmed the findings in reviewed literature that the image and role of the preservice teachers should be that of an active apprentice not as an object of instruction.

Generalization of the findings to other teacher preparation programs must be done with caution because of the limitations …

The Development Of A 1-Year Practical Nurse Curriculum For Secondary And Adult Programs At The Career And Technology Center, Judith L. Gisondi

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied dissertation project was to develop a 1-year curriculum in practical nursing for secondary school and adult students at the Career and Technology Center in the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery Counties area of upstate New York.

Development methodologies were used to complete this study by addressing the problem and research questions. Procedures used included literature review, development and administration of data collection instruments, nominal group technique, modified Delphi technique, formative and summative evaluation, and analysis of collected data.

The result was a development of a 1-year practical nurse curriculum for secondary school and adult programs, including philosophy, nursing curriculum …

Assistive Technology: Increasing Access To The Curriculum For Students With Disabilities, Brian T. Fay

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Students with motoric and cognitive disabilities are unable to use traditional technology tools to complete the assignments on a daily basis. Lack of formal training in the field of assistive technology (AT) places elementary school special education teachers at a disadvantage for facilitating curriculum via technology. This applied dissertation proposed to increase students with disabilities' utilization of AT as a means of integrating components of the curriculum and to increase the full scope of educational opportunities, which then decreases the educational inequalities between regular education and special education students.

The writer used an inclusive model of AT integration during implementation …

Increasing Third-Grade Students’ Reading Achievement At Maximo Microsociety® Elementary School, Barbara F. Hires

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The goal of this study was to increase the reading achievement of 3rd-grade students in order to maintain little or no mandatory retention based on the new state law related to Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores. In the 2002-2003 school year, Maximo MicroSociety® Elementary School’s 3rd-grade mean score was 256 on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test compared to the district’s mean score of 292. An analysis of the 3rd-grade reading Pinellas Instructional Assessment Plan scores for the 2001-2003 school years indicated that the percentage of the school’s students reading below grade level was greater than that of the district. The …

Improving Classroom Management By Providing Continued Teacher Professional Development Training, Rosalynn L. Sanderlin

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve classroom management skills of teachers at James Madison Career Alternative School by providing continued teacher professional staff development. Teachers in the target group were experiencing difficulty establishing classroom behaviors that were acceptable and considered conducive to the learning environment. This study continued for 9 months beginning October 2002 and ending June 2003.

To help improve student achievement and create positive learning environments, the Teacher Expectation Student Achievement (Good & Brophy, 1978) staff development model was implemented as an intervention strategy in 8 middle school classrooms to reduce teacher referrals and classroom disruptions.

The …

Interventions To Improve The Reading Skills Of At-Risk Students, Shelley K. Lawyer

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the reading performance of students at an alternative school located in Fulton County, Georgia. At least 80% of the students who enrolled at the alternative school had reading deficiencies and left with no significant gains in reading as evidenced by school data for the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 school years.

After a careful review of the school’s curriculum, the writer who was relatively new to the school discovered that the teachers were not properly trained to teach reading nor did the school have a systematic reading program. Additionally, there was a lack of parental …

Factors Impacting Reading Achievement: Where’S The Accountability?, Theresa Ann Liggett Smotherman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Although the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education developed scales that measured variables of assessments, the state of Missouri failed to identify probable causes for the below level results. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to systematically inquire into detail factors which might have an effect on the teaching and learning process. These factors could explain the below level assessment results. The reading discipline was chosen from the Communication Arts component of the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP). This was the state’s testing instrument. Reading was a necessary skill in all tested areas and a criterion that gauged academic achievement; …

Experiential Learning In Communication Courses: Development And Evaluation Of Learning Activities With Development Of A Resource Manual For Experiential Learning At Olivet Nazarene University, Elizabeth J. Patrick-Trippel

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation addressed the relative lack of experiential learning activities in communication courses at Olivet Nazarene University. Though there had been changes in the curriculum, degrees, and identity of the department over the past 5 years, there had been no attempt to understand the pedagogical implications of these changes.

The objective of this applied dissertation was threefold: first, to develop original experiential activities for use in 3 different communication courses that were content/lecture-based courses; second, to evaluate the newly developed educational activities; and third, based on the evaluation information, to compile a resource manual for interactive learning for professors …

Development And Climate Change In Egypt: Focus On Coastal Resources And The Nile, Shardul Agrawala, Annett Moehner, Mohamed El Raey, Declan Conway, Maarten Van Aalst, Marca Hagenstad, Joel Smith

Egypt & Libya

This report presents the integrated case study for Egypt carried out under an OECD project on Development and Climate Change. The report is structured around a three-tiered framework. First, recent climate trends and climate change scenarios for Egypt are assessed and key sectoral impacts are identified and ranked along multiple indicators to establish priorities for adaptation. Second, donor portfolios are analyzed to examine the proportion of development assistance activities affected by climate risks. A desk analysis of donor strategies and project documents as well as national plans is conducted to assess the degree of attention to climate change concerns in …