Digital Commons Network^™

The Appropriateness Of Consolidation In Illinois: A Study Of The Impact Of Poverty, District Type, And Size On Expenditures And Achievement, James A. Dunlap

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether or not enrollment, poverty rate, and district type could be used to predict cost and achievement, as measured on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test and Prairie State Achievement Exam, at the building and district levels within the state of Illinois. This study provides quantitative data that will aidEducational leaders and policy makers in making decisions related to the appropriateness of consolidation as related to the factors of enrollment, poverty rate, and district type. This study revealed that these factors have varying relationships with the outcomes. All were significant predictors at some level. The most influential predictor, …

The Impact Of High School Schedule Type On Instructional Effectiveness And Student Achievement In Mathematics, Joel Hackney

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the impact of high school schedule type on instructional effectiveness and student achievement in mathematics. An analysis was prepared to determine the schedule types currently used in math classes, whether significant differences exist between schedule types on the percent of students meeting or exceeding on the 2011 PSAE math test, how teachers rate the effectiveness of a schedule they currently use versus how others that use a different schedule rate the same schedule for various student outcomes in mathematics, and whether significant differences exist in the effectiveness ratings between schedule types …

School Factors Related To Reading Achievement In Rural Schools With And Without High Poverty, Seth W. Miller

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study identified how rural schools differ on five school-level factors related to student achievement according to their performance on Grade 3 reading. Through use of a MANOVA test, it was shown that principals of high-poverty rural schools that made AYP in Grade 3 reading reported significantly higher levels of guaranteed and viable curriculum than principals of high-poverty rural schools that did not make AYP. There were no significant differences in the presence of the school-level factors in rural schools without high poverty based on the principal reports. Additionally, the study identified which school-level factors predict student achievement in …

The Impact Of An Influx Of Student Participants In Indiana's School Choice Scholarship Program On Non-Public Schools, Timothy A. Dickel

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Indiana School Choice Scholarship Program is the largest-reaching first year voucher program in the country. Non-public schools throughout the state reported a dramatic increase in enrollment as a result of this program. The purpose of this qualitative research case study was to discover the changes that occurred at non-public schools that have experienced a significant increase in enrollment as a result of Indiana‘s School Choice Scholarship Program. The interventions created at the school level to handle the learning needs of students on the voucher program were explored in an attempt to help schools understand how to adapt to the …

The Impact Of First-, Second-, And Third-Grade Teachers On Third-Grade Student Istep+ Scores, Jane A. Bartley

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used existing third-grade ISTEP+ data from a cohort of Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation students to evaluate various non-experimental methods for estimating teacher effects on student test scores. The study considered the impact that first-, second-, and third-grade teachers had on student performance as measured by the Indiana standardized test in third grade by looking for recognizable patterns of success based on teacher assignment in a cohort of 350 students. By making the assumption of randomness in assigning students to teachers and controlling for student transience, demographics, and teacher movement, the variances of mean ISTEP+ scores were examined to …

On Thinking (And Measurement), Raymond A. Younis

Philosophy Conference Papers

We do indeed “live and work in a time when the issues facing education, many of which have been with us for a considerable period, are being approached primarilythrough measurement – classroom assessment, research methods, standardized testing, international comparisons”. It is also true that “we do not often stop to consider what counts – and alternatively, what doesn’t count – in a climate where measuring up to a standard is the name of the game. At a deeper level, we rarely raise questions about measurement itself.” Heidegger argued that what is “most thought provoking [in this ‘thought provoking age’] is …

Culture In Successful Title I Middle Schools, Bruce C. Lautenschlager

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the culture of successful Indiana public Title I middle schools. This study examined differences in similar schools of poverty achieving adequate yearly progress as defined by No Child Left Behind. The study explored the cultural differences that allow for student success using middle schools with student populations from urban and rural areas. Schools at the middle level showing student success and growth as defined by adequate yearly progress should exhibit a school culture with a high degree of collaboration among the school staff. Schools showing little student growth or no student …

Undergraduate Mathematics Students' Attitudes Toward Using E-Learning In Saudi Arabia, Bakheet Wasel Alrehaili

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes of undergraduate mathematics students in Saudi Arabia towards online mathematicsEducation. Comparisons were made among male, female, underclassmen, and upperclassmen undergraduate mathematics students at the University of Tabuk (UT). Of 161 students enrolled in the mathematics program, 118 mathematics students responded to the survey. The sample consisted of 57 male and 61 female students. A 2 × 2 ANOVA test was used to reveal any statistically significant differences between the various groups based on gender andEducational level. The findings showed that underclassmen did not differ significantly from upperclassmen in their …

Engagement, Capacity, And Continuity: A Study Of The Impact Of Participation In Alternative Pre-Student Teaching Placements, Jodie Lynn-Smant Rose

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ENGAGEMENT, CAPACITY, AND CONTINUITY: A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPATION IN ALTERNATIVE PRE-STUDENT TEACHING PLACEMENTS

by

JODIE ROSE

December, 2013

Advisor: Dr. Thomas Edwards

Major: Education Curriculum and Design

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The training and preparation of prospective teachers includes an important phase where the future teachers begin to make a transition from learner to teacher. During this time, prospective teachers begin to utilize the knowledge they have gained through coursework and life experience to begin teaching students of their own. During this time, assignments and activities that prospective teachers undergo become less about conveying personal knowledge …

What Effective Principals Do To Improve Instruction And Increase Student Achievement, Elizabeth Anne Turner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this mixed method study were to (a) Examine the relationships among principal effectiveness, principal instructional leadership, and student achievement; (b) examine the differences among principal effectiveness, principal instructional leadership and student achievement; and (c) investigate what effective principals do to improve instruction and increase student achievement within their schools. All 585 pre-K through grade 5 elementary public schools in Indiana were included in the original sample. Phase 1 was quantitative using the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS, Hallinger, 1983) to examine the perceptions of the principals instructional leadership, the Principal Leadership Inventory (PLI; Downey, 1999) to …

Paradigms For Cybersecurity Education In A Homeland Security Program, Gary C. Kessler, James D. Ramsay

Applied Aviation Sciences - Daytona Beach

Cybersecurity threats to the nation are growing in intensity, frequency, and severity and are a very real threat to the security of the country. Academia has responded to a wide variety of homeland security (HS) threats to the nation by creating formal curricula in the field, although these programs almost exclusively focus on physical threats (e.g., terrorist attacks, and natural and man-made disasters), law and policy and transportation . Although cybersecurity programs are commonly available in U.S. colleges and universities, they are invariably offered as a technical course of study nested within engineering (or other STEM) programs. We observe that …

Resource Inequities In U.S. Public K-12 Education, Logan Bartholomew

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this paper is to explain the historical precedent of resource inequities in United States public K-12 education, and to offer solutions to remedy these imbalances. The historical use of property taxes to fund local education is explained, along with attempts through both the legislative and judicial branches of government to remedy inequities inherent to that system of taxation. Other, non-monetary areas of resource needs are also explored, with specific emphasis on teachers due to their role as the most important factor in a pupil's education. The paper's core finding is that resources, monetary and otherwise, should be …

Strengthening Student Achievement Through Family Learning Events, Jacquelin Ann Charlton

All Graduate Projects

Families and educators both have a great influence on a student's academic success. When the relationship between home and school is strained, students miss out on some of that success (Harris & Goodall, 2008). Parental influence is an important factor in a child's education, but parental engagement in their learning is even more important (Ho Sui-Chu & Williams, 1996). However, some parents may feel unwelcome or unneeded at school (Williams, Williams, & Ullman, 2002), so it's the educator's responsibility to understand and encourage parents to become more engaged in student learning. Hosting family learning events at school can build a …

The Global Sustainability Transition: It Is More Than Changing Light Bulbs, Michael P. Weinstein, R. Eugene Turner, Carles Ibanez

Faculty Publications

Current policies and norms to reconcile human demands for resources with the Earth’s ability to supply them have resulted in practices that mainly treat the symptoms of unsustainability rather than their underlying causes. Moreover, the increase in our knowledge about humankind’s role in ecosystems is not keeping pace with our understanding of the consequences of our actions, resulting in a deepening inability to address sustainability issues. The extreme complexity and intricate workings of the world require the expansion of our mental models in a systems-thinking framework if we are to realize a sustainable place for humans in it. The challenge …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Values, Sources Of The Values, And Its Influence On Student Personality Development: A Case Study From Pakistan, Sharifullah Baig, Zeenat Shah

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This study explores the perceptions and level of awareness of teachers’ personal values and their influence on the valuation processes of their students in the specific social and cultural context of Pakistan. Within the qualitative paradigm, this study employed the deeplystructured, self-reflection process involving six teachers from three different school sites. The research participants highlighted the morality and ethics, role-modeling, affection and empathy, nation-building, and professional competency as their articulated values. Among these values, almost all of the participants regarded morality and ethics as the most prominent of the teachers. Alternatively, the more experienced teachers in this study were more …

Components Of Family Engagement Programs In Evansville, Indiana, Middle Schools That Impact Parent Participation And Student Success, Elizabeth S. Wells

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Department ofEducation requires public schools to include strategies for increasing family involvement in their school improvement plans. However, a major problem exists for middle and high school principals: identifying these best practices. Therefore, school leaders at the middle and high school levels need to know how to increase and maintain interest in family engagement activities, as a means of enhancing student success and complying with federal policy. The purpose of this two-phase, sequential mixed methods study was to explore the parent responses to a district-wide building-level climate and engagement survey and to identify components implemented by successful urban …

K-12 System Reforms Across Studies: The Significance Of Change, Meta-Analysis, And Logistics Regression, Mashal Almutairi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this research was to survey the literature about the U.S.Education system and synthesize the important conclusions that could be identified as the main features of theEducation system in general as they relate to student achievement. The criteria were set and the meta-analysis procedures were carefully followed. This process identified a collection of studies that were categorized into three main groups which were named components to indicate the purpose of the research: (a) calendar, (b) teaching method, and (c) extracurricular activity participation. After calculating the effect size of each of these components, they were entered into a …

Retention As A State Policy Mandate: Iread In Indiana, Velinda F. Stubbs

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The interpretation of Indiana Public Law 109 and subsequent policy adopted by the Indiana Department ofEducation resulted in the Indiana State Board ofEducation mandating circumstances implemented during the 2011-2012 school year regarding grade level retention of Grade 3 students. IREAD-3, a standardized, gateway assessment, was administered to all Grade 3 students to determine eligibility to be promoted to Grade 4. Three quantitative studies analyzed the results from the initial year of assessment data for 1,712 students from one school district in Indiana to determine if there were factors that are predictive of performance on IREAD-3 and to better understand if …

Online Education: Issues, Challenges And Implications, Michael Olalekan Olatunji, Michael Olalekan

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Swenson (2007) observed that “in the space of one brief decade, the internet has changed our world and most of us with it”. He remarked further that our ways of doing things are different now as a result of digital revolution in education. To be successful therefore in a 21st century world, in which knowledge is generated at an ever increasing pace, requires that learning be made an ongoing process of skill development and knowledge creation. Online education programs are a reflection of this new world as they offer education without borders (Levine & Sun, 2003). Online education has experienced …

What Do Students Do In Self-Formed Mathematics Study Groups?, Gillian E. Galle

Doctoral Dissertations

An implicit assumption of many university classes is that students will spend a large amount of time outside the classroom refining their understanding of the material to develop mastery of the concepts. This is especially true in first year mathematics courses at the undergraduate level. However, little is known about what students do to fulfill this didactical contract with their instructors. The currently available research relies primarily on self-reported data from the students collected through questionnaires or interviews. This study sought to start describing what students do while studying mathematics in a self-created group outside of the classroom setting through …

Impressions Of College Intructors: Stability And Change In Student Ratings, Kari L. Dudley

Doctoral Dissertations

Although the topic of stability and change in classroom impressions research is not new, there remain unanswered questions about what impressions are stable, when they are likely to change, and for whom they are likely to change over the course of a semester. My research will begin to answer those questions.

My research took place in four college classroom studies and assessed students' impressions of their instructor's teaching effectiveness and personal qualities 1) after the first day of class, 2) before and following at least one exam, and 3) at the end of the semester. My results supported previous findings …

The Multifaceted Nature Of Mathematics Knowledge For Teaching: Understanding The Use Of Teachers' Specialized Content Knowledge And The Role Of Teachers' Beliefs From A Practice-Based Perspective, Lauren E. Provost

Doctoral Dissertations

This work investigates middle school teachers' mathematics knowledge for teaching (MKT) as defined by Hill (2007). Within this two-part dissertation, the level of MKT was considered as well as the role of teacher beliefs in actual specialized content knowledge (SCK) use, a specific type of mathematics knowledge for teaching vital in quality mathematics instruction. Additionally, the model of MKT knowledge was explored through confirmatory factor analysis on a large, national dataset of middle school mathematics teacher survey responses involving mathematics knowledge for teaching. SCK was found to be vital in quality mathematics instruction yet not sufficient. Teacher beliefs about the …

Nchc Publication Order Form

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Purchases may be made by calling (402) 472-9150, emailing [email protected], visiting our website , or mailing a check or money order payable to: NCHC • University of Nebraska–Lincoln • 1100 Neihardt Residence Center • 540 N. 16th Street • Lincoln, NE 68588-0627.

Notes Toward An Excellent Marxist-Elitist Honors Admissions Policy, Jerry Herron

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

I beg indulgence for an opening anecdote that will perhaps point the issue at hand in a useful direction. I am descended from an honorable line of traveling preachers and car salesmen. As to the preachers, one forebear in particular would occasionally suffer a certain reluctance among the flock when he made his call inviting potential congregants to come forward and receive the benefits of faith, which—to invoke the other side of my family tree—was not unlike the annual call to view new car models back when model change was real and something people could believe in. In order to …

Propensity Score Analysis Of An Honors Program’S Contribution To Students’ Retention And Graduation Outcomes, Robert R. Keller, Michael G. Lacy

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Honors directors and deans know or presume that retention and graduation rates of honors students substantially exceed those of non-honors students. In our research, we have attempted to better determine what portion of this success is attributable to the academic and other benefits of honors programs as opposed to the background characteristics of the students. Among the former, we would point to innovative and small classes, more individual attention for honors students from faculty and staff, residential learning communities, thesis experiences, and extra-curricular opportunities, all of which might be expected to make the college experience more engaging for honors students …

Editor’S Introduction 2, Ada Long

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

At least as much as the curricular or extracurricular opportunities that an honors program offers to students, its admissions and retention policies determine the teaching and learning that take place within it. In defining which students will be welcome in the community of honors, administrators broadcast their values before students even apply. If grades and test scores are the criteria for admission, then students can anticipate that the program will hold such competitive rankings in high regard. The higher the required grades and scores, the more rigorous the competition that students can expect. Students should also anticipate that retention policies …

Predicting Student Success, Ameliorating Risk, And Guarding Against Homogeneity In Honors, Scott Carnicom

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Jerry Herron’s thought-provoking essay raised three key issues in my mind that I hope to describe in this humble response to his fine work. The overarching theme of his essay was to inquire how honors administrators predict student success and how they use that predictive power wisely and objectively to admit students and maintain quality. I want to expand on this idea and point out that such algorithms ideally could also predict students at risk so that institutional personnel could mobilize support efforts more proactively. Additionally, Herron notes the honors community’s appropriate and unyielding focus on academic quality at a …

The Effects Of Moderate- And High-Fidelity Patient Simulator Use On Critical Thinking In Associate Degree Nursing Students, Jana Vieck

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of moderate- and high-fidelity patient simulator use on the critical thinking skills of associate degree nursing students. This quantitative study used a quasi-experimental design and the Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) to evaluate the critical thinking skills of third semester nursing students at two campus locations. Students in the simulation group had approximately 21% of the total traditional clinical hours replaced with simulation activities using moderate- and high-fidelity human patient simulators. Although all student groups demonstrated an increase in scores on the HSRT over the course of the semester, participants …

Equitable Mathematics Education Through Pursuing Quantitative Reasoning, Kyle Kimball

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this project is to develop means of addressing discrepancies between the mathematics education of students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The central question of the project is: How can I as a teacher foster quantitative reasoning so that underrepresented students gain access to meaningful understanding of mathematics? Access to mathematics is important in order to gain access to economic opportunities, meaning it is essentially a social justice issue. The project entailed secondary research of existing paradigms and research projects. The major finding of the project is that some of the classroom causes of inequity in mathematics education can …

Better Social Studies: Increasing Content Knowledge & Reading Simultaneously, Ellen Rae Weaver

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

When considering the impact of the new set of educational standards coming into effect across the nation, commonly known as The Common Core, it becomes necessary to reevaluate the emphases given to the different subject areas being taught. These new standards are heavily steeped in the empowering act of reading in education. I believe that reading, instead of overwhelming content with its different instructional needs, can instead be used to rejuvenate subject areas. Since the content area dubbed social studies is a diverse and greatly varied teaching subject it has a multitude of applications in education.; yet, due to the …