Education Commons^™

School Recess And Changes To Children's Play Opportunities In New York City, Keyonna Hayes

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The policy, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 in US public schools was designed to improve how children learn and test in schools, but it has resulted in the decline or removal of recess from most schools. This thesis examines two important issues. The first issue is to assess the play opportunities that public elementary schools offer to children, in terms of both the time available for recess and the quality of the spaces and resources for play during recess. The second issue is to learn, alongside the question of the quality of school recess, how parents’ work …

Imagine: A Picture Book About Imaginary Play In New York City, Natasha Peña

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper describes the process of researching, creating, sharing, and reflecting on a picture book that features two New York City siblings engaging in imaginary play at the playground. The paper begins by discussing the rationale behind creating such a story. It shares some of the research supporting the benefits of imaginary play and discusses the intended age range the book was created for in the child development section. The paper goes on to highlight the inspirational texts that influenced the story in a children’s literature review. After this, the original material is shared.

The story, Imagine, is about two …

Family–School Partnerships And The Missing Voice Of Parents, Laura R. Stein

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Educators, researchers, advocates, and others agree that effective family-school partnership is an important component in best supporting the academic outcomes and future success of students. However, schools and educators struggle in forming constructive partnerships with racially and economically marginalized and oppressed parents and families, particularly low-income Black parents and families. This compromises support for low-income Black students that are already served in underfunded and under-resourced schools compared to their White middleclass counterparts. Further, this phenomenon exacerbates a widely understood academic achievement gap between low-income Black students and White middleclass students. In seeking to unearth and better understand effective strategies and …

Ash Cans & Corn Fed Hares: Book One Of The Ny Explorer's Club, Corinne Flax

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Ash Cans & Corn Fed Hares is a work of semi-historical fiction (set in the present, dealing with facts of the past), which can be used in a classroom or in a home to help students/children forge connections with past and present. The book also helps students find and use some of the research resources available in New York. Ash Cans showcases alternative methods of information gathering in the context of adventure and mystery, while focusing on the importance of individual meaning-making.