Education Commons^™

Establishing A Student-Centered Culture: A Case Study Identifying Leadership Skills Of Exemplary School Principals, Katie Booth

Dissertations

Purpose: The phenomenological study identifies and describes how elementary school principals who have been recipients of the Terrel H. Bell Award develop a student-centered school culture.

Methodology: This qualitative study identifies and describes an elementary school principals’ ability to build guided coalitions and form strategic visions to ensure a student-centered culture. Participants were purposefully chosen based on specific criteria. The researcher collected data through semi-structured interviews, observations, and artifacts. Data was coded and themes were identified allowing the researcher to analyze findings and draw conclusions.

Findings: Analysis of data from 13 participants led to 10 major findings on how …

School Leadership Support: Understanding The Experiences Of Elementary-Level Teachers During A Global Health Pandemic, Kathleen M. Crawford, Pamela Wells, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Kristen N. Dickens, Katherine Fallon

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand how the current COVID-19 global health pandemic has professionally and emotionally impacted elementary-level teachers. Teachers experienced diverse challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from in-person to online learning. Two overarching themes emerged based on participant experiences: abandoning best practices and increased stress and emotional pain. Implications for practice included the need for school leaders to evaluate the current level of support being provided to teachers and assess areas of need to support professional and emotional growth with the backdrop of the pandemic. We encourage future research with all …

Title I Schools And Strategies That Work, Michelle Manriquez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the strategies principals of Title I schools perceived as most effective in improving English language arts (ELA) scores by at least 10 points, through the lens of WestEd’s Four Domains of Rapid School Improvement.

Methodology: This study utilized a qualitative methodology to gather data via the California Dashboard and semi-structured interviews of 11 principals from 11 different sites in northern California that showed at least 10-point growth on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) standardized test. The interview questions were based on the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement: …

Evaluating An Evidenced Based Program: Ruling Our Experiences (Rox) For 9/10-Year-Old Girls In The Yough School District, Lisa Mumau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During elementary school years, girls experience social, emotional, and physical changes that affect their abilities to manage relationships and establish positive images of themselves. Given the aforementioned issues, girls need effective elementary school programming to support positive self-esteem and the development of girls’ Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies. The purpose of this mixed-method study focused on evaluating the Ruling Our Experiences (ROX) program for 9/10-year-old girls. The methods used were designed to address the three research questions: Based on the implementation of the ROX program in Yough elementary schools, to what extent do participants exhibit a greater level of positive …

The ‘ Dialogic’ Of Pedagogical Design: Elementary Teachers Who Consistently Integrate Digital Technologies, Aaron R. Gierhart

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the pervasiveness of digital technologies in society and educational settings, gaps in digital participation for elementary learners and means-end views of the benefits and effectiveness of digital innovations for teaching and learning persist. The focus on digital technologies at the elementary level must shift to critical pedagogy in order to promote effective teaching and learning and equitable student participation in an increasingly digital society. A teacher’s pedagogy continually evolves across their entire life journey and is never fully mastered; therefore, in order to better understand the development of pedagogical design with digital technologies by elementary teachers, it was vital …

The Importance Of Administrative Support For Special Education Teachers, Shari E. Lujan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of special education laws in the 1970’s, special education teachers have been given the responsibility of educating children with exceptional needs. Those needs range from children with mild to moderate disabilities to children with moderate to severe disabilities. There are 13 categories that a child can qualify for special education services through an Individual Education Program (IEP). The majority of children with exceptional needs are educated on general education campuses. With high stakes testing and the push for academic excellence, one may wonder how a child with exceptional needs fits into a general education campus. The Education …

Leadership In Charter Schools A Case Study Of Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy, Sarah Defeo

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

This case study seeks to identify the leadership practices in a high performing charter school in order to determine specific practices that are effective, especially when educating minority and underprivileged students. This study is partnered with Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy (BVP), a mayoral charter school system consisting of six schools grades k-12. BVP is performing significantly statistically better than neighboring districts as well as Rhode Island schools as a whole. This research explores the leadership approaches and practices used to drive the success achieved by BVP. The data collected for this study derives from interviews with school administrators, faculty, …

Program Implementation And Upper Elementary Writing Achievement, Lisa` Weber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a significant percent of fourth grade students write well below the basic level. In one elementary school, teachers implemented a new writing program for all students at the school. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine the effects of this writing program A Language for Learning and Write from the Beginning-?¦and Beyond. Bruner's theory of constructivism formed the theoretical foundation of this study. The study included 172 students in third, fourth, and fifth grades. The research questions examined pre- and post-paragraph writing scores, extended writing scores, grammar and usage …

Imparting Practical Wisdom And Resilience To Our Students, Charles (Derrick) Lawson

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

The powerful impact of communicating a teacher’s belief in a student is presented. By sharing trade books and novels with metaphoric messages, teachers can impart practical wisdom and enable students to develop resilience when facing challenges.

The Relationship Between Opportunity For Physical Activity And Classroom Behavior In School Aged Children., Kortney Lee Aeikens

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between physical activity and students' classroom behavior. This descriptive study explored student classroom behavior. This study is to find answers to the following research question: What is the relationship between negative classroom behavior and the amount of time spent in daily physical activity?

Understanding the effects of physical activity on student classroom behavior can help school teachers and administrators in their creation of school scheduling and policy. A sample of students from grades kindergarten thru second grade was used from Pine Island Public Schools. The data was analyzed using aggregate …

Instructional Practices Of Teachers And The Academic Success Of African American Males At The Elementary Level, Donna D. Lewis

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

How can teachers improve instructional practices during interactions with African American males, a demographic where reform initiatives have tried to reduce an achievement gap? This qualitative study will examine this issue from the perspective of African American male students and the teachers who teach African American male students. It will specifically focus on what instructional methods and overall beliefs contribute to the academic success of African American male students. Findings indicated that relationship building and culturally responsive teaching strategies were both critical components of improving achievement.

Proper Classroom Management Is Essential For An Effective Elementary School Classroom, Kayla Cotter

Honors Theses

I am an elementary education major and have a deep love for seeing children make connections, and learn about not only academics but moral values and life lessons. As much as I have learned in different classes over the past four years of my education, I have learned the most during my Practicum and Student Teaching experience as I really have gotten to run my own classroom. I believe that classroom management is the most important tool of strong learning. It provides the atmosphere students need to learn to their best ability. My thesis paper discusses why classroom management is …

The Effect Of Positive Behavioral Intervention And Supports (Pbts) On Elementary School Student Academic Performance And Behaviors, Michelle Leblanc

Honors Projects

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a school-wide management program designed to improve student academic performance by providing a positive behavioral environment. Research was conducted to determine if there were any direct correlation between proper and consistent implementation of the PBIS framework and an overall increased student achievement on assessments such as the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). Test results were examined and 12 interviews were conducted with principals, teachers, and PBIS coordinators from six different Rhode Island public schools. The results demonstrated that a majority of the schools have improved over the last few years on the …

Judging Competence, Marie A. Lynch, Linda Capalbo

Faculty Publications

This study analyzed written records created by college clinical supervisors, of student teaching observations carried out during the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semester. Observations, conducted in public schools in a Northeastern state, reflected the dual enrollment status of each student teacher; that is, each candidate was observed, multiple times, in both a general elementary or middle level classroom and in a setting focused on students with special educational needs. The purposes of the analysis were to 1) examine the language used by the observer that both describes and evaluates the student teacher_s performance, particularly as it differentiates levels of …

Perceptions And Practices Of Pre-School Through Eighth-Grade Christian School International Administrators In The Selection Process Of Teachers, Timothy Van Soelen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Principals are the primary influencers in the teacher selection process. They have the opportunity to improve the quality their school each time a teacher vacancy occurs through the process of determining of their school’s need, recruiting candidates who might be a good match, and selecting what they hope will be a highly effective teacher. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare existing perceptions and practices that preschool through eighth-grade principals hold to during the teacher selection process. Specific characteristics of principals and the schools they serve were analyzed by the dimensions of a candidate’s personal traits, professional …

When Is It Time For Science?, Raymond J. Dagenais

Publications & Research

The title of this article begs the question, "When should we be teaching science to our children?"

Even before birth human beings may recognize natural phenomena such as pressure and temperature differences, and spontaneously react to changes in such things. These are learning experiences. It can be argued that as the brain continues to grow and develop, connections are beginning to be formed and subconscious memories created. Information gathered through the senses may be stored in unarticulated patterns in the brain. Here is the foundation for a scientific understanding of nature.

The Effects Of Instruction Utilizing The Arts On The Academic Achievement Of Fourth-Grade Students, Elizabeth Fallin Manning

Doctoral Dissertations

In this day of accountability, members of state government agencies are looking for ways to increase student achievement, especially in the area of high stakes testing. Louisiana's accountability program has yielded state curriculum standards which identify the content that should be taught by specific grade levels. Teachers are now charged with the responsibility of finding methods to teach these standards. With all of the attention to these academic standards, what is the role of the arts? The Louisiana Institute for Education in the Arts (LAIEA) suggests that the arts are the tools with which to teach these academic standards. This …

An Examination Of Ronald Edmonds' Effective Schools Theory Applied To Various Grades In Two Demographically Different Oklahoma City Elementary Schools, Faluv Tunley

McCabe Thesis Collection

Effective schools research has been a key to the improvement of education for many urban school children, especially in large cities such as New York City and Chicago, Illinois. This research has revealed many different ideologies on helping a child learn, helping teachers teach, and giving administrators the tools to handle their schools more efficiently. Effective schools research also addresses parents and their involvement in the school system. One researcher who constantly pushed Effective Schools research is Dr. Ronald R. Edmonds. Edmonds, along with many other researchers helped to restructure the urban area schools in New York City and Michigan …

Identification Of Tennessee Teacher And Principal Beliefs About National Standards And National Goals In Education, Shirley R. Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the beliefs of Tennessee principals and teachers in relation to national standards and national goals. This was a descriptive study, which utilized a survey methodology. The population under study was limited to 232 principals and 268 teachers randomly selected from the 1992-1993 membership of the Tennessee Education Association. The instrument, developed by the researcher for this study, was the National Standards/National Goals Questionnaire. The 32 item instrument was designed to determine the level of belief of national goals and national standards. Descriptive statements were used to analyze the data gathered from the …

A Description Of The Changing Role Of The Elementary Principal, Joe Martinez

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was as follows:

a. to demonstrate the changing role of principals.

b. to describe the characteristics of this new role.

c. to contribute with research and literature in education.

An Analysis Of The Parochial Elementary School Principals' Time Distribution In The Archdiocese Of Seattle, Ann Pizelo Snjm

All Master's Theses

The role of the principal has taken on new perspective with the evolution of education in the elementary school. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utilization of the parochial elementary school principal's time in the light of the changing school system. Through this time analysis, it is hoped that critical task areas which are possibly being neglected but, nevertheless, are fundamental to successful administration will be discovered.

A Plea For The Town System Of Public Schools, Ruth Hortense James

Student and Lippitt Prize essays

A guide to Rhode Island public education reform based on a community model for country towns. Expands the thesis "The wealth of a state is in proportion to the education which its children receive".