Education Commons^™

A Descriptive Study Of The Student Support Team Process In Elementary Schools In Georgia, Sarah Walls

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The goal of this descriptive study was to present basic information describing the Student Support Team (SST) process in elementary schools in Georgia. The research method used for the study was a quantitative analysis of data collected from a survey of randomly selected SST coordinators in elementary schools across the state. Results from the study were used to address research questions on the following topics: (a) percentage of student population involved in SST, (b) reasons students are referred to SST, (c) goals that drive the SST process, (d) individuals serving as members and coordinators of Student Support Teams, (e) tasks …

An Analysis Of Perceptions Of Online Instruction By Department Chairs In The Field Of Higher Educational Administration In The United States, Edna Lynn Levernier

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The rapid global emergence of a multi-billion dollar electronic (e)-leaming industry has forced department chairs in the field of educational leadership and administration in higher education institutions across the United States to assess the value, quality, and legitimacy of online instruction. For many, the concept of online education significantly challenges deeply held pedagogical beliefs and educational values such as academic freedom, protection of intellectual property rights, academic integrity, and quality. For others, the "fit" of online education with existing departmental and institutional mission statements, cultures, budgets, reward systems, policies and procedures, is unclear or uncertain. In an age where "technology …

The Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax Referendum And The Financing Of Public School Capital Projects In Georgia, Kathy Cox Peavy

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Although taxes have risen across the nation, funding for public school capital projects still remains a critical need in education. The public outcry for no new taxes has given arise to various types of creative funding for capital projects. The use of a 1-cent sales tax for educational purposes is one type of new funding for capital projects. This study was a mixed-method, descriptive design study gathering quantitative and qualitative data on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum in Georgia. Fifty-seven school districts in Georgia, with an approved SPLSOT referendum on March 18. 1997, along with four school …

Reconceptualizing Mathematics Education, Melinda Ann Smith

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This dissertation is to explore theoretically mathematics education in the United States and the need for reconcepualizing mathematics education. Mathematics education needs reconceptualizing because students know very little mathematics by the time they graduate from high school. Mathematics has become a subject to be feared and dreaded for centuries. High school teachers blame middle school teachers, middle school teachers blame elementary teachers, and elementary teachers blame parents for their students' lack of preparedness in mathematics. Elementary teachers express frustration in teaching mathematics because of their own lack of content knowledge and lack of preparation for the mathematics component of their …

An Archaeology Of Pain, Dennis Michael Gruber

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Pain is a discursive construct of science and medicine. Through the discourses of biopower and technoscience pain is used to construct and maintain the social body. Biopower and technoscience are discursive practices that are enveloped within the disciplines of Western society. Specifically, the disciplines of education, science, and medicine use biopower and technoscience to normalize the body and construct binaries which create the abnormal. The cyborg is a discursive practice used to implode the binaries of the disciplines which maintain the social body. Through the implosion of binaries, the binary of mind/body is no longer plausible in the explanation of …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of Teacher Performance Evaluation Systems In Two Georgia Public School Districts, Jane Ford-Brocato

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Teacher evaluation has the potential for improving teachers' skills and contributing to school improvement. This study was designed to measure and compare the perceptions of teachers and administrators regarding two performance evaluation systems that were in use in two comparable Georgia school districts during the 2001- 2002 school year to determine if teachers and administrators perceived any significant difference between the two systems of teacher evaluation and their impact on improving instruction and promoting professional growth. One of the school district's utilized a locally adopted alternative teacher evaluation system, while the other school district maintained its use of the Georgia …

Training Needs Of School Board Members As Perceived By School Board Chairpersons And Superintendents In Georgia, Johnny W. Robertson Iii

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This study explored how the school superintendents and school board chairpersons perceived the training needs of school board members across the state of Georgia. The study examined how superintendents and school board chairpersons perceived the actual and ideal knowledge level of school board members on six educational issues (student achievement, budget, school reform, curriculum, public relations, and the roles and responsibilities of school board members and superintendents).

The study utilized a self-designed survey questionnaire to address the research questions. The 20 item questionnaire had respondents rate both the actual and ideal knowledge level of school board members in order to …

An Inquiry Into Gardner's Theory Of Multiple Intelligences And Strengths Of Students Placed In Special Education Under Mildly Disabled Categories, Kathryn Sandiford Harrell

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This study explored the strengths displayed by 4th-5th grade students placed in special education under mildly disabled categories as compared to the intelligences defined by Howard Gardner in his Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 1983, 1999). These categories consist of Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and Mildly Intellectually Disabled (MUD). Critics maintain that special education has been focused on the weaknesses of students while overlooking their strengths (Miller, 1993; Armstrong, 2000). Under new legislation and new performance goals for special education, the time has come to focus on students' strengths and equal opportunities for students to learn the curriculum mandated by …

The Infusion Of Higher Education In The U.S. Army: A Sociolinguistic Study Of An Organizational Information Dissemination Process, Gerald Allen Kehr

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The present research was dedicated to uncovering sociolinguistic coupling mechanisms, specifically the metaphor, and their role in the infusion of higher education in the U S .Army It was argued that levels of ambiguity connected to inter-sociolect lexicons embedded within sociolect-specific metaphors may impede effective communication between officers and senior enlisted personnel regarding the role of higher education in the overall U. S. Army mission Information gained from this research is dedicated to the development of how the U.S military can better infuse higher education into its ongoing professional development programs. A qualitative interview method was used to conduct the …

Georgia Southern University's Mentoring Administrators Program: A Program Evaluation, Gina Gibbs Williams

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High stakes accountability in education has changed nearly everything in school leadership. In the past, principals were expected to simply hold school each day with classes running smoothly and in an orderly fashion. Rising expectations have prompted state legislatures across the United States to implement high stakes accountability systems that hold schools responsible for student achievement. The responsibility for raising student achievement rests student achievement. The responsibility for raising student achievement rests one way to cultivate and make ready new administrators for the challenges that they will face as they begin their careers.

The purpose of this study was to …

A Study Of Elementary Teachers' Abilities, Attitudes, And Beliefs About Problem Solving, Nancy Mullins Brown

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Problem solving has been alternately viewed as the justification for the study of mathematics or as the impetus and means for studying mathematics. This study examines characteristics—attitudes toward problem solving, beliefs about problem solving, and abilities to solve problems—of elementary teachers of grades three, four, and five that relate to problem solving.

Participants completed a two-part survey to quantify their attitudes and beliefs and a problem-solving activity which quantified their problem-solving abilities. Four participants were subsequently interviewed. Analyses showed that these teachers had generally positive attitudes toward problem solving, generally positive beliefs about problem solving, and generally poor problem-solving abilities. …

The Relationship Between Computer Skills And The Levels Of Technostress Among Faculty And Academic Librarians From Selected Institutions Within The University System Of Georgia, Sonya Senithia Gaither Shepherd

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The struggle to adjust to rapid technological change has increased for the majority of the population, especially those in higher education. Change is an inevitable part of society and each individual handles change differently. Furthermore, technology's effect on society, and in particular on higher education, has been positive and negative. There has been resistance to the increased development and use of technology and this resistance may be dependent upon certain factors such as age, sex, and computer experience.

The intent of this study was to determine if computer skills relate to the levels of technostress among faculty in the Colleges …

Messages For Girls: Looking At The Representation Of Women's Short Fiction In American Literature High School Anthologies, Aurelia Ramage Tippett

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The purpose of this qualitative study was to answer the question "What messages about the image of womanhood are available to adolescent females in female-authored short fiction that appears in a variety of American literature textbooks used since 1965, a few years preceding racial integration and widespread coverage of the women's movement in rural Georgia, through 2000?"

Five American literature anthologies that were used in the Laurens County Georgia School System for instruction in the required American literature course since 1965 were collected. Short fiction written by women was identified and then the researcher identified those women writers whose short …

Struggling High School Readers' Responses To A Literature-Rich Curriculum, Fran Harrison Stephens

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The purpose of this study was to determine how struggling readers in 11th grade Applied Communications classes responded to literary texts that are typically taught to college-prep students. Differentiation of literature for college-prep and techprep students began in the early twentieth century; since then, noncollege-bound students have traditionally studied literary texts that have been rewritten on a lower reading level to accommodate struggling readers in these classes. In this research project, I taught 11th grade Applied Communications students the same literature that college-prep students read; using a qualitative research design, I analyzed the impact of this literature on these students. …

Student Perceptions And Use Of Electronic Financial Aid Service Delivery, Kerri L. Chapman

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Few argue the premise that financial aid is one of the most vital services offered to college students. Over fifty percent of today's college tuition is actually paid by some form of student aid, whether it is from federal, state, private, or institutional resources. The public perception of the role of financial aid has changed drastically since its inception, the acceleration of which over the past decade has been staggering. The face of higher education itself has undergone a metamorphosis of sorts, with technological advancements at the forefront of the change. Technology has revolutionized the way we do business in …

Superintendents' Perceptions Regarding The Impact Of Class Size Reduction On School Facility Planning In Georgia, Andrea Jones Williams

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During the 2000 legislative session, Georgia lawmakers felt there was a need to improve education in Georgia. The A-Plus Education Reform Act of 2000 was passed in response to their concerns. One section of this act mandated that public schools reduce class sizes. This mandated reduction in class size has had different impacts on Georgia school systems. Successful implementation has been a daunting task for some school systems. School systems have reported different experiences and challenges during the initial phases of implementation. Problem areas have ranged from a lack of classroom space to teacher availability. These problems hav e been …

The Perception Of Ceos And Cios In Regard To Planning And Information Systems Success In Higher Education In The Southeastern United States, Howard Chambless Woodard

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As information systems become an ever-increasing part of the educational infrastructure, their successful implementation and operation become paramount and strategic. It appears that information systems have not been utilized in a paramount or strategic fashion by education, especially in organizations of higher education.

The intent of this research was to identify the perceptions of the presidents/chief executive officers (CEOs) and the senior information systems executive'chief information officers (CIOs) in not-for-profit institutions of higher education, accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and whose highest conferred degree is a master's degree or higher. The study reviewed certain institutional and …

The Level Of Involvement Of Georgia's Principals In Providing Inclusive Special Education Services, Marie Penkunas Klofenstine

Legacy ETDs

Increased responsibility of principals for all programs, including special education, comes at a time when administrative training provides minimal information on special education programs (Malloy 1996). Even though the trend in Georgia toward more inclusive practices has resulted in a call for major changes in teacher education programs, there have been little changes requiring principals to be competent, knowledgeable, or to take coursework related to special education administration. The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of involvement of Georgia's school principals in special education service delivery in their schools. The dependent variables were three specific categories related …

Georgia High School Principals' Perceptions Of Inclusion, James Timothy Yarborough

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While considerable research has been conducted concerning the perceptions of teachers regarding the practice of inclusion, there is little corresponding research about the perceptions of principals towards inclusion. Also, much ofthe existing research is contradictory. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide educational policymakers with data regarding inclusion. Since principals are responsible for designing and instituting inclusion programs at the school level, their current and prevailing perceptions regarding inclusion were the missing pieces of the information puzzle.

In an attempt to fill this void, the researcher created a survey with quantitative and qualitative components. The survey was distributed …

Educational Administrators' Perceptions Of The Use Of School Performance Profiles To Improve Student Performances, Eleanor Jean Janufka

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The purpose of this study was to examine educational administrators' perceptions of the use of school performance profiles to improve student performances. Using a survey instrument developed and validated at the University of Texas at El Paso, the perceptions of Chatham County administrators were examined and analyzed. Through the analysis of the open-ended questions and the Likert scale survey, the administrators' responses clearly showed that they accept the use of the school performance profiles to improve student performances, but they have doubts about the fairness of the documents as accountability measures. In addition, a significant difference was identified between the …

School Choice: Perceptions Of Magnet Schools And Charter School Principals And Parents In Georgia, Mark Lee Boyd

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The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of parents and administrators in selected magnet schools and charter schools in Georgia. The intent was to give administrators of schools in Georgia an understanding of which parents in Georgia are most apt to make a school choice. Additionally, the study was aimed at providing administrators with an understanding of the factors parents considered when selecting a school for their children and what sources of information the parents utilized to find information necessary to make a choice.

To collect data, a survey was distributed to parents and administrators in six magnet …

Reasons For Collaboration Among European And African American Greek Councils, James David Louk

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The study examines the barriers that inhibit collaboration between traditionally European-American fraternities and sororities and historically African-American fraternities and sororities. In the study, 176 members of the fraternity/sorority community responded to the survey. The survey was developed by the researcher to address issues of collaboration between similar governing council's member organizations, reasons for collaboration with organizations in the different governing council, as well as to explore reasons collaboration had not occurred. Membership in a governing council was used as the defining variable to different responses. The results indicated that lack of knowledge ofthe cross racial council's member organizations and members …

The Motivational Stories Of How Women Become Scientists: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry, Sandra White Watson

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The under-representation of women in science careers is well documented (Astin, Green, Kom, & Riggs, 1991; Felder, Felder, Mauny, Hamrin, & Dietz, 1995; Green, 1989; National Science Foundation, 1996, 1998; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Strenta, Elliot, Adair, Scott, & Matier, 1994; Tobias, 1990, 1992). While important information has been published concerning various factors that influenced women to pursue science careers (American Association of University Women, 1992; Debacker & Nelson, 2000; Samuels, 1999), very few research projects have allowed women scientists to share their personal experiences ofwhat motivated them to become scientists in their own voices.

The purpose of this inquiry …

Listening To Recent High School Dropouts And The Need To Reconceptualize School Violence Prevention, Beatrice A. Geddie

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As the high school dropout rates in Georgia exceed the national average, public concern mounts. The complex interactions of internal and external factors that contribute to students' decisions to leave school before graduation require reconceptualizing the educational process on multiple levels. This dissertation addresses current public school policies designed to prevent violent acts and punish offenders, policies that reveal limited understanding of underlying causes, deterministic assumptions and an overwhelming desire for quick fixes. Interviewees deemed many of these policies not only ineffectual, but also as contributing to a negative school climate that encouraged them to drop out. Furthermore, some participants …

What Principals Do To Minimize The Negative Effects Of The Incompetent Teacher, Georgia S. Collins

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Principals and teachers are being held increasingly accountable for student achievement. Every effort should be made to increase the chances of student success in school and in the global community. In this study, the researcher examined the perceptions of principals in the state of Georgia with regard to incompetent teachers, which according to the professional literature are a deterrent to student achievement. As previous research and literature have shown, incompetent teachers remain in school systems despite efforts of building-level administrators to dismiss them. The main focus of this study was to determine the means of minimizing the negative effect of …

The Personal And Professional Backgrounds Of Georgia's Female High School Principals, Marjorie H. Hamilton

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The purpose of this study was to describe the personal and professional backgrounds of the female public high school principals in Georgia. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to conduct the research. A demographic questionnaire, which included items addressing personal, educational, and professional background information, was mailed to all of the identified female public high school principals for the 2000--2001 school year. The quantitative data analysis resulting from the demographic questionnaire is presented in the narrative form with corresponding tables. The final item on the questionnaire asked whether or not the respondent would participate in a long, in-depth interview …

A Description Of New Teacher Induction Programs In The State Of Georgia, Judi Harris Wilson

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The purpose of this study was to descriptively analyze new teacher induction programs across the state of Georgia regarding the support programs school districts provided for new teachers. Subjects for this study were 500 randomly selected Georgia teachers who completed their first year of teaching during the 1999-2000 school year. Participation in this study required that the subjects complete and return a survey developed in 1990 by Dr. Shelby Talley and modified by the researcher for this study. There were 327 surveys returned with a collective response rate of 65.4%.

This study found that induction practices to socialize new teachers …

Georgia Elementary Principals' Role Perceptions: The Initial Phase Of The A+ Act, Amy Z. Wright

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The study explored the role of the Georgia elementary principal as the initial phase of comprehensive educational reform was implemented in the state. The study examined 320 principals' personal and professional demographics, role change as a result of implementation of selected law components, and district support during the transition phase.

The study employed a descriptive, survey approach to address the research questions. A self-designed survey questionnaire was developed to explore principals' perceptions of role change during restructuring, and included both a qualitative and quantitative orientation.

Findings indicated that the majority ofthe 320 Georgia elementary principals who responded to the survey …

The Relationship Of Financial Resources With Academic Achievement In Georgia Public Schools, Charles Richard Webb

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This study was intended to determine if certain financial resources were related to academic achievement in Georgia public schools. Four predictor variables representing different financial resources were compared with a criterion variable representing different financial resources were compared with a criterion variable representing differences were statistically held constant to reduce their possible effects. The four financial variables were Per-Pupil Expenditure, Average Teacher Salary, Per-Pupil Local Revenue, and Per-Pupil District Wealth, all measured by dollar amounts. The criterion variable was the Georgia High School Graduation Test Pass Rate, measured by percent for each school district. The three covariates were socioeconomic status, …

Role Perceptions Of Long-Term Georgia Curriculum Directors, Donovan Evans Hodges

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The purpose of the study was to describe the role perceptions of long-term Georgia curriculum directors who had been in that position at least 15 years. A qualitative method was used to conduct the research.

Employing a research instrument composed of 15 questions designed to elicit responses relating to five research subquestions, the researcher interviewed eight long-term Georgia curriculum directors to ascertain their perceptions of how their roles had evolved over their tenures. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for recurring patterns and themes by the researcher along with the use of QSR NUD.IST 5 software.

The most common …