Education Commons^™

Flying Universities: Educational Movements In Poland 1882-1905 And 1977-1981, A Socio-Historical Analysis, Gregory A. Lukasik

Masters Theses

In Poland in 1977, a group of intellectuals formed an independent educational enterprise under the name "Flying University." Interestingly, the original "Flying University" was organized by a group of radical professors nearly a century earlier, at a time when the Polish state disappeared from the political map of Europe. I was interested in seeing whether the two were the same, as their common name would suggest, or if they differed in any respect. I attempted to answer this question by focusing on the so-called universities' memberships, ideologies, and objectives.

I have followed the method of interpretive historical sociology (Skocpol, 1979) …

Implementation Of A Middle School Team Model: A Case Study, Deborah S. Lehmann

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that a paradigm shift from a junior high departmental model to a middle school team model had in one rural mid-western school district. The relationship between professional development in collaborative teaming and teaching, and the effective use of these skills, was studied. The researcher took the role of participant observer in order to obtain an inside view of the school for this case study. Participants were observed during team meetings and completed a questionnaire that addressed the identified variables related to interdisciplinary teaming, collaborative teaching, professional development, and administrative support. …

The Investigation Of Block-Eight Scheduling In Illinois High Schools, John E. Reif

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether principals believed that the implementation of block-eight scheduling in Illinois high schools had an impact on improved student achievement (specifically the A.C.T. and I.G.A.P. test scores), attendance, and discipline.

The results of this study should provide needed information to those school districts in Illinois that are contemplating the implementation or conversion to block-eight scheduling in their high schools.

The study involved a survey of principals of 160 high schools selected at random throughout Illinois. The school population of these districts ranged from 100 students to over 1,000 students. These school districts …

Referral Biases In The Schools, Camela P. Hayes

Masters Theses

Biases influencing teachers' referral decisions for special education services were examined. Specific biases identified and addressed pertained to students' type of problem behavior, gender and socio-economic status (SES). Subjects included 120 regular elementary school teachers from the western Chicagoland area. A total of 8 vignettes describing a child with varying behavior difficulties, gender and SES, along with 2 questionnaires were utilized. An Analysis of Variance revealed that teachers are less tolerant of students who are disruptive and are more apt to refer them than students with emotional difficulties less overt in their manifestation. The effects of SES on referral decisions …