Education Commons^™

The Influence Of Reading Comprehension And Other Selected Factors On Student Dropouts In An Urban Southeastern School District In Virginia, Viola Garris Morgan

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this research was to examine the influence of reading achievement on the dropout status. The major research question was to determine to what extent does reading comprehension influence the dropout rate after controlling for demographic and performance characteristics?

The target population consisted of 677 urban twelfth-grade students attending schools in an urban southeastern school district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Of the 677 students, 142 were dropouts, and 535 were nondropouts. Simple and partial correlations were used to determine the relationship between variables after partialing out performance and demographic variables. In addition, the discriminant analyses were used …

The Effects Of Applied Technology Instruction On Mathematics Achievement And Career Interests Of Urban Seventh-Grade Students, Eric M. Fischer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The present study has been implemented to provide insight as to how, given limited resources, Technology Education curricula might be developed to best support the unique goals of an urban middle school aerospace magnet program. It was hypothesized that applied academic strategies, including interdisciplinary hands-on aerospace and computer-assisted instructional activities, would affect larger gains in mathematics achievement and would enhance career-interest development of urban seventh-grade students to a greater degree than would non-participation in such instruction. A randomized subjects, pretest-posttest control group design was used to assess treatment effects upon 71 urban seventh-grade students. Dependent variables were measured using the …

Computer Anxiety And Attitudes Of Urban Teacher Education Students, Alfred P. Rovai

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This three-part study used quasi-experimental methodologies to: (a) determine how a computer literacy course affects the computer anxiety and computer attitudes of urban teacher education students over time, (b) explain and predict urban teacher education students who are resistant to reduction of computer anxiety, and (c) determine whether a humanistically-focused treatment is more effective than a traditional cognitively-focused treatment in reducing computer anxiety and improving computer attitudes.

For the first part of this study 75 subjects were measured over three observations using a 13-week interval. The treatment, a mandatory computer literacy course for teacher education students, was conducted between the …

The Impact Of Total Quality Management On Student Achievement And School Improvement Team Performance In An Urban Elementary Setting, Jennette Ann Straus

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between TQM and student achievement, and TQM and faculty scores on the High PERFORMing Team Survey.

Currently, there exists no research which indicates that TQM can solve the problems of the urban schools. TQM is recommended by experts when the staff is highly educated, when management supports TQM, when team leaders can run meetings effectively, and when the organization can afford lost time and productivity while its team learns necessary skills.

The TQM schools used in this study began the transition to TQM in 1991. Reading comprehension and mathematics scores …

An Examination Of The Role Of The Assistant Principal In High Schools In Virginia That Are Restructuring, Teresa K. Mizelle

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study examined the assistant principalship in urban public high schools in Virginia that were restructuring. The study was designed to determine the role of the assistant principal, to identify how the role had changed as a result of restructuring, to identify concerns and issues to be considered for redefining the role, and to identify modifications to enhance the role.

The literature review revealed that the role in general and in schools that were restructuring had been ignored. Themes identified for exploration included role definition, ambiguity, and conflict; changing relationships; decision making; shared leadership; job satisfaction; and career goals.

A …

The Effects Of The Recommendations Of The Joint Legislative Audit And Review Commission On State Funding For The School Divisions Of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, And Virginia Beach, James T. Roberts

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the recommendations of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) on State funding for the school divisions in the Virginia cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.

The case study design provided the framework for the examination of the data. Records available from the Virginia State Department of Education, the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the Virginia Education Association (VEA), and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission were reviewed to develop the research questions and the interview guides. Interviews were held with key persons in the …

An Urban Education Study: Implementing Problem-Solving Strategies In Mathematics As A Function Of Teacher's Learning Styles, Mary Lou Meinhold Fogarty

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This qualitative research was designed to ascertain the impact of teachers' learning styles on an active teaching program. Using grounded theory procedures, the researcher explored the second-year implementation of Moretti and associates' Problem Solver Program by 67 second- through fifth-grade teachers in order to gain information on the major research question: How effective are teachers with different learning styles in implementing problem-solving strategies in mathematics that require an active teaching style? Three Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) instruments were used in this study. Two quantitative instruments were used: The Stages of Concern (CBAM) to determine the degree of program implementation …

The Routinization Of Innovations In An Urban School System, Thomas Mcanulty

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to identify conditions which make the success of innovations in public education more likely, thus helping administrators make better use of scarce resources. Nine innovations in Norfolk Public Schools in Virginia were examined. These included an automated student information system, electronic mail, an alternative school for pregnant teens, and a special education parent center.

A multiple case study methodology was employed in conducting this research. Data was gathered from interviews conducted with administrators, practitioners and other key actors involved with each innovation. Additionally, site visits were made for each case, relevant documentation examined, and …

An Evaluation Of The Performance Of Retired Military Personnel Who Begin Teaching As A Second Career, Wendell Edgar Parker

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

With the increasing shortage of quality teachers, alternative certification programs have become a major source of attracting professionals from other fields and training them for the teaching profession. As a possible source of quality teachers, military retirees represent a large pool of prospective candidates. Despite their experience, and because of their alternative teacher training, the quality of their classroom performance is often questioned by both teacher unions and teacher training institutions.

This study focuses on military retirees who have been trained via an alternative certification and begun second careers as public school teachers. Specifically, this study determines the level of …

Developmental Changes In Predictors Of Job Satisfaction For Female Elementary School Teachers, Donna Owens Collier

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to examine predictors of job satisfaction for female elementary school teachers. Specifically, how do personal variables and career variables affect job satisfaction at various age levels?

The subjects in this study were 386 females who teach kindergarten through sixth grade in an urban public school system. A survey was used to collect information about age, personal variables, career variables, and current level of job satisfaction. Personal variables included marital status, number of children and educational level. Career variables included number of years in the teaching profession, number of positions held during the teaching career …

Unit Plans, William A. Owings, Michael W. Bedwell, R. D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S. H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Careful unit planning as a framework for daily lesson plans can help teachers individualize instruction, manage time and classroom behavior, bring cohesive-ness to a series of related daily lessons, and ultimately improve student achievement. Principals can help teachers by providing clear expectations and a consistent framework for unit planning. School and district philosophy will help determine the particular model chosen from the wide variety available. Following is one format.

Leadership Styles, William A. Owings, R. D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S. H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Effective schools literature shows clearly that the leadership of the principal is key to the effectiveness of the school (Hoy and Miskell, 1982, and Arnn and Mangieri, 1988). To be effective, principals must use leadership styles appropriate to the situation.

Lesson Plan Designs, William A. Owings, Michael W. Bedwell, Charles Berry

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] The principal must observe teachers to improve and evaluate effectiveness. Since instructional planning is one of the keys to good instruction, one component of improving teacher effectiveness is the lesson plan. This article provides two formats for lesson planning: a narrative approach and a skeleton approach. Although the ideas in this article may be used whenever written plans are required, not all written plans require elaborate detail.

Student Scheduling, Nathan T. Hardee, William A. Owings, Wayne Wright

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph] Developing the master schedule and subsequent student schedules is one of the most important administrative tasks of the principal. Ensuring that appropriate courses are offered and that teachers are teaching courses they want to teach can go a long way toward creating a positive climate and an atmosphere where learning occurs. There are three ways in which student schedules can be developed: Computer, arena, and manual. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses. Principals must decide which approach is best for the school based on philosophy and available resources.

Virginia's Plan For Dual Enrollment, William A. Owings, John B. Titus, R. D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S. H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] There is a plan where Virginia pays Average Daily Membership (ADM) monies to a school system for a student attending a community college - and the community college collects the Full Time Equivalency (FTE) from the State. Principals must be aware of this dual enrollment plan for secondary students with community colleges approved in September of 1988. This plan provides options for students which were not available before. Dual enrollment allows high school students to accumulate credits for graduation while simultaneously earning college credit. The courses to be offered are to be mutually agreed upon by the school …

Grievances, Florella H. Johnson, William A. Owings, R.D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S.H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First Paragraph] The Virginia Board of Education has adopted a procedure for resolving disputes concerning the application of local board policies, rules, and regulations as they impact the work or disciplinary actions of teachers. It is vital that the principal be aware of the process and the timeline involved in the grievance procedure since the solution should be secured at the lowest administrative level in the process. It is beyond the scope of this article to provide every detail of the grievance process. For a complete detailing of procedure, please refer to Chapter 15, Article 3, Sections 22.1-306 through 22.1-314 …

Components Of Effective Leadership, William A. Owings, R. D. Barrack (Ed.), M. W. Bedwell (Ed.), J. S. Byrne (Ed.), S. H. Campbell (Ed.), T. Page Johnson (Ed.), R. E. Jones (Ed.), G. L. Koonce (Ed.), W. A. Owings (Ed.), H. R. Stiff (Ed.)

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] The effective schools literature demonstrates that the principal's leadership is key to the revitalization of schools. The purpose of this article is to feature those components of leadership on which principals need to place attention and to provide suggested activities to enhance these components.

An Analysis Of Urban Higher Education Ceo's Perceptions Of Critical Leadership Behaviors, Linda Ferguson Banis

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The research question for this study asked if CEO's (Chief Executive Officers) of urban higher education institutions hold the same values and beliefs as those attributed to business and industry CEO's through the business literature. Through survey methodology, the analysis of urban higher education CEO's perceptions of critical leadership behaviors revealed very similar belief patterns. The primary discrepancies between the research group and their industry counterparts lie in the degree to which critical behaviors are espoused and in the acceptance of transformational leadership as a proactive model for effective organizational change. The responses to the open-ended portion of the questionnaire …

A Study Of The Planning Process Utilized By Urban School Divisions In Constructing Public Schools In The State Of Virginia, 1984-1989, Patricia Liverman Powers

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research tested utilization of the "team approach" to planning for new school construction. The "team approach" is characterized by seven essential variables. To successfully plan a new school building, educators must: (1) involve more than one individual in collecting data; (2) provide quantitative data to the architect; (3) provide qualitative data to the architect; (4) provide data to the architect in advance of design; (5) provide data to the architect in written form; (6) provide original data, not prototype data; and (7) provide data which is used by the architect. Collective use of all seven variables constitute the "team …

Defining The Role Of School Personnel Directors In Urban School Divisions Of The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Arnold Coy Nye Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to identify disparities between perceptions of the public school personnel director's role by both personnel directors and superintendents. The study was limited to personnel directors and superintendents employed by urban school divisions in Virginia. The study sought to identify (1) disparities between perceptions by personnel directors of their ideal role versus their actual role, (2) disparities between perceptions of personnel directors and superintendents of the personnel director's actual role, and (3) disparities between perceptions by public school division superintendents of the personnel directors ideal role versus the actual role.

A role analysis questionnaire was …

The Role Of College And University Legal Counsel With Regard To Operational Or Policy Making Responsibilities For Student Issues On Campus, Dennis E. Gregory

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

During the past two decades, legal counsel has become an integral part of most institutions. This article examines the impact counsel has had on student affairs practice.

An Unsolicited Sociotechnical Intervention In A Public System: A Participatory Action Research Approach, Ely Alfred Dorsey Jr.

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research concerns itself with Participatory Action Research in a hostile setting. The thrust is a sociotechnical one, with the intent being to enhance the capacity of the Wallop Public School System, Wallop, USA, to address its problem of racial disparate treatment of Black children. The potential for Organizational Learning among the school system's senior staff is studied. Some new theory about such hostile interventions is proposed. Also discussed are questions about reliability and construct validity within the context of the multiple role playing that an interventionist has in this setting. The role of the press is reflected in the …

An Assessment Of The Utilization Of Permanent And Temporary Classrooms As It Relates To Cost And Efficiency In Selected School Divisions, E. Carlton Bowyer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

In the mid-1900s there were over eighty thousand public school buildings in the United States housing approximately thirty-nine million pupils. Many were constructed thirty or forty years earlier and have approached the end of their useful life without requiring major retrofitting or replacement. Rising construction costs prompt school systems to investigate alternative means of housing rapidly growing student populations. This study traced the historical background of the school facility and the development of school construction relative to the function of education.

The focus of this study was to ascertain the current use of temporary and permanent housing in the fifty …

Retirement And Re-Entry Decision-Making: A Faculty Perspective, Seth Zimmer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Universities are faced with an aging workforce and threatened with deficits in number and quality of replacements for retirees. New policies and programs affecting retirement and workforce re-entry are taking shape. This points to the need for research on the factors used by faculty members in the retirement decision-making process.

Faculty are somewhat unique in that their university roles and responsibilities often allow them to be professionally active simultaneously in other settings. The usual concept of retirement becomes somewhat blurred where faculty members are concerned.

The decision of when to retire and whether or not to re-enter the workforce must …

The Effects Of A Program To Develop Collaboration On Teacher Interactions And Norms Of Collegiality Within The School As A Workplace, Michael E. Sicignano

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of the Effective Teaching Network (ETN), a program designed to develop collaboration among teachers. This study employs the pretest/posttest nonequivalent comparison group design. The treatment group (n = 75) represents an intact group of teachers who participated in the ETN pilot program. Thirty teachers participated in the direct level of treatment, and 40 teachers participated in the indirect level of treatment. The comparison group (n = 77) represents an intact group of teachers who were matched with the treatment group on teacher characteristics and pretest scores. The Professional Collegiality Questionnaire …

Computer Technology For Executive Decision-Making In Urban Public Education Divisions In Virginia, Richard Kenneth Byrd

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study determines if Virginia urban public school executive leadership used automated informational systems to support policy, goal setting, and decision making typical of its job requirements. Secondly, the study describes the planning techniques specific to automated system development used by the school division where such automated executive support occurs.

The personal interview method was selected because it helps to insure 100 percent of the desired sample to participate. The interview technique insures responses to direct questions, to narrative responses sought, and to follow-up discussions necessary to insure clarification.

The instrument follows …

Factors Affecting Policy In Educational Media Services, Diane S. Barker

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Teachers use a variety of resources to motivate students and to enrich and expand learning experiences in the classroom. Media, including films, videotapes, and other audiovisual materials, are some of those resources.

Over the years, as teacher access to media increased, researchers began to investigate factors which encouraged or discouraged its use. Factors which had an impact on teacher use or lack of use of media were and are important indicators to administrators responsible for allocating resources and for establishing policy concerning how media are organized and distributed.

The purpose of the study was to investigate current factors involved in …

Parent Participation In The Educational Process And Student Achievement, Linda Worrell Deans

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of parental involvement between parent and child as well as between parent and school. After the level of parent participation was established, the data set was used to determine whether a relationship exists between the level of parental involvement and student achievement at selected secondary urban schools. The selected secondary schools include two different school divisions.

The study employed five approaches: (1) a descriptive analysis of the variables of parental interaction with the child as it relates to a personal, affective level; a monitoring level; and a social level; as …

Statewide Higher Education Governing Board Decision Making In Capital Project Planning, Richard Charles Runner

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Funds spent for capital construction in the United States reached $4.3 billion in 1985. As the amount of funds for higher education capital construction has increased, so has the concern for adequate controls on capital spending. The scope and size of the existing physical plants and the number of construction or remodeling projects currently underway call for careful scrutiny of the manner in which public governing boards carry out their responsibilities on the public's behalf.

The primary focus of this study was the involvement of statewide higher education governing boards in the review and approval of capital projects. The stated …

Supervisors' Perceptions Of Staff Development Needs Of Urban Vocational Teachers, Patricia Tynes Tompkins

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine vocational supervisors' perceptions of staff development needs of urban vocational teachers. The population for this study consisted of the vocational education supervisors in the urban areas of Virginia with a population of 50,000 or more. The Delphi technique was employed to gather the data from the supervisors.

The first research goal of this study was to determine the most pressing staff development need of urban vocational teachers as perceived by their supervisors. The results showed that the supervisors perceived the most pressing staff development need to be "Projection of a positive image …