Education Commons^™

"It Hurts Me To Say": Preservice Teachers' Use And Disapproval Of Deficit Discourse In Urban Schools, Sherridon Sweeney, Brian Flores

Journal of Research Initiatives

Extensive research examines the development and impact of deficit discourse in schools. However, more research needs to be needed to explore how preservice teachers use this language during their preparation. Therefore, our qualitative study explored how deficit discourse became part of five preservice teachers' vernacular when speaking about children and teaching. Findings suggest participants (a) Relied on reductive labels to describe children, (b) attributed their use of these labels to their exposure to them during their practicum, and (c) demonstrated both cognitive dissonance and silent resistance toward deficit language. Implications are for teacher educators and school leaders.

Trends, Challenges, And Evidence-Based Strategies For School Dropout Prevention In Virginia, David B. Naff, Thea Racelis, Regina Frazier, Meleah Ellison, Christina Tillery, Andy Bristow, Audra P. Lancaster, Sabrina Evans, Leah Wiedenhoft, Dina Abdul Rahman, Sharrie Merritte, Karli Johansen, Sooyean Moon, Jean Samuel, Tara Davison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy brief explores school dropout prevention by focusing on recent trends and research. It addresses the following questions:

1) What are recent trends in school dropout?
2) What factors contribute to school dropout?
3) What are the consequences and implications of school dropout?
4) What are evidence-based strategies for school dropout prevention?
5) What are federal, state, and division-level policies related to school dropout prevention in the MERC region?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations.

Evaluating Equity: Examining Inclusionary Practices From Educational Organizations To Improve The Education Experience Of Lgbtqia+ Students, Jillian G. Torrento

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This qualitative study explored the ways in which education policy and practices within public schools are addressing the needs of minoritized populations with a particular focus on LGBTQIA+ students. This study first employed a document analysis to investigate the federal, state, and district-level equity practices that are mandated or elective in addressing the needs of marginalized populations and LGBTQIA+ students. Secondly, a critical discourse analysis was conducted to examine the specific language, word choices, and symbols found within the public documents that signify equitable practices pertaining to minoritized student populations and the LGBTQIA+ community. Ultimately, the goal of this study …

Strategies For Addressing Chronic Absenteeism In The Post-Pandemic Era, David Naff, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Morgan Meadowes, Kim Dupre, Zehra Sahin Ilkorkor, Jill Flynn, Jean Samuel, Christina Tillery, Meg Sheriff

MERC Publications

Although chronic absenteeism has been an enduring concern in PK-12 schools, it has doubled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore strategies for addressing this issue, this MERC research and policy brief answers five questions: 1) What are trends in chronic absenteeism pre and post-pandemic?, 2) What factors contribute to chronic absenteeism and which student groups are particularly vulnerable? 3) What are the connections between chronic absenteeism and other student outcomes? 4) What strategies are effective in reducing chronic absenteeism?, and 5) What are policies at the state and school board level intended to help address chronic absenteeism? …

Administrators' Capacity For Supporting Reform-Oriented Science Instruction: An Urban School District Case Study, Venicia Ferrell, Joanna K. Garner

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Secondary school administrators play a vital role as instructional leaders, but little is known about their knowledge of science practices and perceptions of strategies for supporting reform-oriented science instruction. This multiphase, mixed-methods Q-Methodology study explored administrators' perceptions of instructional leadership and, in particular, high-quality science instruction. After a concourse of 40 items was developed through a review of literature and an expert panel, n = 22 administrators from one urban school district completed a Q-sort and a post-sort questionnaire in which they commented on a lesson excerpt. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was used to assimilate the participants into …

High School Career Guidance: From The View Of A Street-Level Bureaucrat, George Clair Thomas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

High school counselors struggle to complete the tasks assigned to them. Often serving more than 500 students, counselors must address requirements specified by the American School Counselor Associationâ??s national model. They must also perform duties required by state and local policy, as well as campus-designated priorities. Empirical studies of school counselors have focused on identifying the duties that counselors perform, the effectiveness of training that counselors have received, and issues that occur from the standpoint of local control of counselor duties. I found no study that identified how counselors prioritize what they do or the level of discretion that counselors …

Cell Phones And Schools: A Merc Research Brief, Jesse Senechal

MERC Publications

This MERC research brief explores the following questions:

What are examples of district-level cell phone policies? What are the arguments and evidence for and against restrictive cell phone policies? What are the legal issues connected to student cell phone use?

Moving From Harm Mitigation To Affirmative Discrimination Mitigation: The Untapped Potential Of Artificial Intelligence To Fight School Segregation And Other Forms Of Racial Discrimination, Andrew Gall

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

No abstract provided.

A Correlational Study Of School Report Card Grades And Degrees Of Poverty, Morgan V. Blanton

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study explores the ways in which public schools are evaluated and the results are reported in North Carolina. Currently using a formula that calculates a summative score based on academic achievement and academic growth, the impact of poverty and the complexity of school evaluation is investigated using demographic and testing data from schools across the state. Furthermore, recommendations to alter current practices of school evaluation and reporting as well as suggestions for future research are discussed based on this study’s findings.

A Multi-Case Study Of Electronic Communication Policy In Rural East Texas School Districts, Laura Lynn Dacus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to conduct a policy analysis regarding electronic communication between educators and students in three rural East Texas school districts. The policy analysis for each district began with the initial implementation of teacher communication via electronic sources provided by the districts. The focus of the study was limited specifically to the policy regulating nonschool related, electronic communication by educators with students. The challenge faced by school districts to embrace technology with one-to-one classrooms, virtual classrooms, constant connectivity, school texting applications, and open availability to teachers via email, complicates restrictions placed on non-school related …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Factors That Limit Career And Technical Education Course Offerings, Antonio Cooper

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the problem of the lack of Career and Technical Educational (CTE) courses offered at 3 high schools located in a rural Alabama county. Guided by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, this study examined cultural capital in reference to the transference of knowledge that each high school in this study provides its students throughout their high school education. The research questions explored the stakeholders' perceptions of the factors that prevent the schools from offering more CTE programs and how CTE programs should be expanded in each school. A collective case study design was used for this study, with the …

Navigating The Waters Of Accreditation: Best Practices, Challenges, And Lessons Learned From One Institution, Tracey Covington Hasbun, Amanda M. Rudolph

Faculty Publications

In higher education, as many as 50% of educator preparation programs (EPPs) look to a national accreditation agency as one way to provide evidence of the rigor and quality of their programs. Although a large number of EPPs find value in the self-study and external review that come with the national accreditation process, the process itself can be daunting and time-consuming. Many look to the literature or to the accreditation experiences provided by other institutions as a means to assist their own accreditation journey. The purpose of this article is to discuss one regional, comprehensive EPP’s experiences with national accreditation, …

The Effects Of An Evidence-Based Food Allergy Management Plan To Keep Children With Food Allergies Safe At School, Scarlet R. Spain

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

The prevalence of food allergies in children has increased 18% between 1997 and 2007 (CDC, 2013). Furthermore, 84% of food allergic children will experience a reaction at school (Powers, Bergren, & Finnegan, 2007). An exposure in a sensitive child may progress quickly into potentially life threatening symptoms and death if not treated. The purpose of this evidence based practice (EBP) project was to determine if implementation of a food allergy management policy in a school setting reduced overall incidence rates of food allergy reactions in school children and to examine compliance to policy guidelines. The project encompassed implementation of a …

Common Core State Standards: Analysis And Policy Proposal, Savannah Rae Dabney

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Grading And Reporting Purposes And Practices In Catholic Secondary Schools And Grades' Efficacy In Accurately Communicating Student Learning, Peter Imperial

Doctoral Dissertations

Few aspects of school are as controversial as the practice of grading, for grades affect students' educational opportunities. The purpose of this study was to identify the practices Catholic high-school teachers employed in determining students' grades. The study investigated the extent to which academic achievement comprised the grades teachers reported, and the extent to which teachers' practices are consistent with their expressed purposes for grading. The study also explored the extent to which Catholic teachers' grading practices are consistent with their schools' purpose for grading. Using random sampling, 486 Catholic secondary school teachers and 50 administrators from 33 high schools …