Education Commons^™

An Examination Of The General Education Teacher Responsibilities, Collaboration Practices, And Professional Development Needs To Educate Students With Disabilities In The General Education Classroom, Ashlee Johnson

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has mandates that students with disabilities have access to the general education classroom to the maximum extent possible. Students with disabilities are increasing placed within the general education classroom for more of their school day. General education teachers, in turn, have been tasked with an increase in responsibilities to meet the variant needs of their students. The research concludes the importance of collaborative practices between general education and special education teachers and the need for professional development for educators to build the necessary skills to educate students with disabilities in the general education …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports And Its Influence On Effective Implementation, Tiffany J. Baskin-Downs

Theses and Dissertations

The use of a multi-tiered system of supports framework has been of growing interest in addressing issues related to disruptive behaviors and school suspensions. The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential, explanatory study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions (behavioral expectations defined, behavioral expectations taught, and an ongoing system for rewarding behavioral expectations) of their efforts toward implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports with fidelity in two middle schools within an urban school district located in Georgia. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, homogeneity of variance Levene’s test, t-tests, factorial analysis, a one-way analysis of variance, post-hoc tests, frequencies and …

Communities Of Practice And Legitimate Peripheral Participation: Teacher Learning In Social And Situated Contexts, Ryan Patrick O’Meara

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Learning through social interactions in situated contexts represents a significant means by which teachers in schools learn their craft (Brown & Duguid, 1991; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Orr, 1996, Scribner, 1999). While research into the phenomenon of situated teacher learning exists, research into teacher’s learning and evolving expertise with the context of high stakes accountability environments is lacking to date (Boylan, 2010; Davies, 2005; Hodkinson & Hokinson, 2003; Pyrko, Dörfler, & Eden, 2017). This case study explored how teachers with 5-10 years of experience have learned in social and situated contexts. Teachers studied taught within two different subject areas within …

African American Teachers’ Perspectives On Principals’ Leadership Styles And The Influence On Teacher Morale, Ernestine Young

Theses and Dissertations

Morale is a concept that denotes how workers feel about their work and the environment in which they work (Robbins, 2003). Low teacher morale is not a new problem; however, with increasing frequency of low morale, teachers are affected all over the nation because of the financial and academic toll it has on education. Low morale typically impedes the achievement of the organization’s desired outcome and corresponds with unresolved grievances, attrition, and high absenteeism. Low morale is associated with billions of dollars spent per year. Low morale is due to effects such as stress, teacher burnout, absenteeism, attrition, and small …

The Impact Of Elementary Mathematics Coaches On Elementary Teachers' Attitudes Towards Teaching Mathematics, Samuel R. Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study compares levels of mathematics anxiety and teacher efficacy between inservice and preservice elementary teachers. Prior research has indicated that mathematics anxiety is a common trait among elementary teachers. Mathematics anxiety has also been found to have a negative impact on preservice elementary teachers’ efficacy towards teaching mathematics. To address this challenge, some states have begun hiring elementary mathematics coaches to support elementary teachers. Besides focusing on mathematics anxiety and teacher efficacy, this study also investigated the impacts of elementary mathematics coaches on inservice elementary teachers.

A total of 174 inservice teachers and 51 preservice teachers completed a survey …

The Perceptions Of Instructional Leaders And Teachers Regarding The Factors That Lead To Positive Climate In Middle Schools, Emma L. Watson

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

School climate, more than other factors, determines efficiency. Building a positive school climate means creating conditions both for instructional leaders and teachers, which leads to student success. When teachers feel supported, safe, motivated, and satisfied with their outcomes, their work becomes more effective in a positive climate. In the light of much research, leaders in schools with a positive climate pay attention to the academic outcomes measured by mandated state assessments as well as the social and emotional well-being of every student and adult. The outcome of creating and maintaining a positive school climate has been studied and linked to …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Social Studies In The Context Of Accountability, Kristina M. Kelleher-Bianchi

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe urban public high school social studies teachers’ perceptions of social studies curriculum narrowing and its influence on their professional identity within the context of Massachusetts’ school accountability policies. This study gave nuance to larger quantitative studies by allowing policy and school leaders to hear directly from teachers who mediate the influence of accountability policies on students. It examined these questions: What were public school teachers’ understandings of the influence of testing pressure in their school? What were high school teachers’ experiences with social studies curriculum narrowing? How did teachers perceive their …