Education Commons^™

Recalibrating Our Moral Compass: How America's Narrowing Value System Is Erasing Lgbtq+ People In Schools, Andrew Levalley

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis bridges the effects of society—meaning politics, policies, norms, and values—and school on LGBTQ+ students. Paramount educational philosophers, namely Dewey, Freire, Berliner, and Illich, understood that schools are a reflection of the communities they serve. I apply this common philosophy to the LGBTQ+ community to uncover the systems of inequalities that have negative effects on LGBTQ+ youth in order to promote better systems that include both LGBTQ+ youth and the larger LGBTQ+ community. To illustrate the effects of society and school on the LGBTQ+ community and youth, I use traditional peer reviewed researched data, current events that showcase America’s …

Equity Pedagogies, Hidden Curricula: Social-Emotional Wellbeing Among Students Of Color In Elementary School, Rebecca Haslam

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

The shift in the nation’s political climate between 2016-2019 has exacerbated the longstanding pervasive issues of racism and discrimination against People of Color and those marginalized by societal inequity. This has serious implications for teaching and schooling, as it causes children to feel unsafe, question their sense of belonging, and internalize racial oppression. Indicators of inequitable school experiences for Students of Color and students from marginalized identity groups warrant attention to the socially determined facets of public education: specifically a sense of school belonging (SOSB) for Students of Color, the impact of racial trauma, the patterns of social engagement …

Students In Transition: Introducing English Language Learners From Asia, Africa, And The Middle East To U.S. History, Bill Clark

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This two-year action research project discusses the transitions that English Language Learners (ELLs) experience in moving from remedial second language learning to content-area courses. Two cohorts of twenty-seven ELL students from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East—fifteen students in 2015-16 and twelve in 2016-17— participated in a U.S. History course while attending the pseudonymous West Ackerly High School.

Absent a pedagogical bridge connecting ELL instruction with social studies practice, I created a curriculum that emphasized the democratic principles embedded in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution—concepts that general education students have known almost from birth—as an entry point for …

Students' Experiences With Personalized Learning: An Examination Using Self-Determination Theory, Steven Netcoh

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, personalized learning has become a buzzword in the field of education and an approach that schools across the United States have adopted in their attempts to account for the diverse interests, aspirations, and needs of their students. Despite the growing interest in personalized learning, there is a dearth of empirical research on this educational approach, particularly as it relates to the student experience. Given the paucity of research in this area, little is known about the extent to which personalized learning can offer students a more beneficial quality of experience than traditional educational methods. This question is …

Middle Grades Students As Teacher Educators: Consulting With Students In Professional Development, John Matthew Downes

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Many teachers of young adolescents face compelling pressures to dramatically change their practice. The rapid adoption of 1:1 computing, whereby each student has nearly constant access to an Internet-connected laptop, netbook or tablet, poses unique challenges to established practices in curriculum, instruction and classroom management. A growing number of teachers also confront a movement to provide students more personalized and flexible pathways to high school graduation, including experiential, blended and online learning, and allow students to apply knowledge and skills to tasks of personal interest. How teachers cope in this dynamic period may hinge on their ongoing professional development.

In …

A Science Instrument For The Digital Age: #Scistuchat Participants' Perceptions Of Twitter As A Tool For Learning And Communicating Science, Ryan Liss Becker

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

The integration of digital technologies in K-12 education is ubiquitous. Web 2.0 technologies enable students who were once passive consumers to become active participants in, and even creators of, dynamic digital experiences. Social media, in particular, can connect disparate populations, minimizing traditional barriers such as time, space and geography. Similarly, science communication has also been influenced by an expanding array of media through which scientists can now connect directly with the public. #Scistuchat, the focus of this study, uses the social media platform Twitter to bring together scientists, secondary science students and teachers outside of school in monthly, science-focused Twitter …

A Sustainability Themed K-5 Magnet School: An In-Depth Case Study And Evaluation, Aleidria R. Lichau

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a descriptive case study of the first sustainability magnet themed elementary school in the U.S., the Sustainability Academy (SA) in Burlington, VT. The thesis provides an in depth case study narrative of the first pilot year of the SA (2009) as well as an examination of the analytical frameworks for evaluating the efficacy of sustainability movements in schools.

A literature review is provided to distinguish between a type of static sustainability that supports the current educational paradigm and a type of sustainable education that identifies sustainability as a moving target and a deep process to transcend the …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of High School Advisory On Academic Success, Connectdness And Personalization Of Education, Beth S. Brodie

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Public education is a cornerstone of our democracy and social advancement. However, current Vermont graduation rates would indicate that public education at the high school level does not address the needs of all twenty-first century learners. Research has revealed that personalization and creating a connected environment are promising innovations for improving education for all students. One structure that supports personalization, high school advisory, provides each student with an adult advisor that knows them well through their high school years.

This research on high school advisory in Vermont was divided in two phases: 1) an assessment of the current state of …