Education Commons^™

Planting The Foundational Roots In Co-Teaching Between Secondary Ell Teachers And Mainstream Content Teachers, Amanda Cummings

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question in this capstone project that was explored was, “in what ways can building early collaboration between secondary mainstream teachers and ELL teachers positively impact student learning?” This research question explores collaborative co-teaching and its process based on past personal experiences and research to assist and boost ELL students’ achievement through collaboration. Based on research, secondary teachers are often on their own islands and do not have much of an opportunity to collaborate. Secondary teachers are also often voluntold to co-teach instead of volunteer. Even if a co-teaching pair is open to the idea, many have no idea …

In What Ways Are Schools, Districts And States Proactively Supporting The Mental Health Of Their Teachers To Reduce Teacher Turnover And Burnout?, Lauren Meyer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Teacher mental health is of high concern when looking at the number of teachers leaving the profession. Schools are facing high levels of turnover due to teacher burnout. This issue did not arise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of teachers leaving has increased since 2020. Teachers are feeling burnt out due to underlying issues of the education system. This research involves the reasons why teachers are feeling burnt out, what educators can do to help build self-resilience, and what leadership teams can implement to support teachers within their schools. The research goes broader and identifies …

Social And Emotional Learning In An Open Space, Emily Stein

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Utilizes an adaptation of the open space technology (OST) method to support 9‐12‐year‐old attendees of residential summer camps in proposing, developing, and facilitating own camp activities. Provides intentional support for development of social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies laid out by Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (2020). Specifies examples of skills from each competency and where practiced in the curriculum. Offers considerations for supporting diverse individuals and groups in practice.

Using On-Going Mentoring To Support Elementary Teachers Of Language Learners, Elizabeth Callaghan Done

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project was shaped from experiences as an ESL teacher, classroom teacher, and teacher mentor led me to research how teachers improve their practices, particularly around language learners in the mainstream classroom. The question became how can implementing a mentoring program support elementary classroom teachers in changing their practices with language learners. The research led in two directions: effective professional development and best practices with language learners. Based on this research, a determination was made that in order to support teachers in developing their practices with language learners, a mentoring program focusing on four specific areas – vocabulary, syntax, oral …

Muslim Parents’ Expectations In The Public High School Education System, Tamer Hamid

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project is, what are the expectations of some Muslim parents of high-school-age students. These expectations include prayer, Ramadan, observation of Islamic holidays, school schedule, school meals, school curriculum, gender separation in physical education classes, and teacher insensitivity. In a humble effort to set my fellow educators up for success and expand their knowledge base, a professional development plan is designed as a source that would mainly include high school administrators, teachers, staff members, community members, and anyone invested in the welfare and success of a school with any number of high school Muslim …

How Will Self-Centering And Breathing Practices Improve And Promote Purposeful Learning In Beginning Band, Leah Toppen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Rehearsing an ensemble of beginning band students is a joy and adventure. Every student who enters the band room for rehearsal is excited to take out their instrument and play. The excitement and other emotions students have when they walk into class can affect the energy and tone of a rehearsal. This capstone project is for band directors who teach beginning band and are in need of a more focused rehearsal setting and routine. Centering and mindfulness practices have been around for centuries. Practicing centering and mindfulness helps call down the mind and body. This capstone explores the question: how …

Developing A Framework For Citizen Science: Preparing Researchers For Success, Michelle Chmura

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Citizen science is a growing field of research that relies on public participation for successfully collecting and processing data in fields of ecology, astronomy and sociology. Citizen science has potential to connect diverse communities with science literacy, but historically has only reached a small portion of the population already invested in scientific research. Many citizen science projects fail to launch within the first year from researcher expectations not meeting volunteer expectations. Researchers face the same common pitfalls that others before them have with few stories sharing how success was achieved. A three day workshop was developed to explore the relationship …

Transformational Leadership Professional Development Website For Leaders Of Urban, Voucher Schools, Christina Lundberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Teachers in the United States are leaving the classroom at alarming rates (Ingersoll, Merrill & Stuckey, 2014). In order to give all students access to high-quality education, this issue of teacher retention needs to be addressed. The professional development website designed for this capstone project focuses on answering the research question: What effects does a principal’s transformational leadership style have on teacher retention at an urban, voucher school? There has been a great deal of research dedicated to the causes and solutions to teacher attrition (Darling-Hammond, 2003); however, there is little research specifically on how transformational leadership affects the retention …

Steam And Social Studies: Creating An Integrated Classroom, Anna Penner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to address the question what strategies does the research recommend for supporting social studies educators in integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) practices into their core content? STEAM education has been adopted by many American school districts to help prepare students to be successful in 21st century careers. With a focus on problem-based learning and critical thinking, STEAM education can teach students real world skills. The goals of social studies education include preparing young people to be empathetic, active members of society. When teachers are educated in the best methods of integrating …

Rural Community-Based Organizing For Social Change, Alexandria V.S. Romano

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone was, How can community organizers design and facilitate a series of workshops to develop rural leaders for social change in southeast Minnesota? In my effort to pose a solution to this question, I collaborated with other

community organizers to design educational activities and facilitation techniques used in four in- person, two-hour long sessions that would engage rural community members in social

investigation, reflection, and action. I analyzed literature detailing the rise of alternative learning models in U.S. adult education, social theories centered around liberation which drove the

popular education approach to critical inquiry, …

Creating A Culturally Proficient El Program: An Evaluative Toolkit, Julie Krohn

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Improving achievement of English learners (ELs) requires districts to examine the effectiveness of their EL programs, a measure required by Federal Title III law. This capstone project examines how might an EL program review toolkit, including an analysis of data, policies, practices, and beliefs, shape an EL program? To answer this question, a program evaluation toolkit was created to help leaders of EL programs analyze the effectiveness of their EL programs. Leading a team of teachers through the EL program toolkit, the author and team analyzed qualitative and quantitative data, identified an area of growth, and created a vision and …

Promoting Teacher Retention And Increasing Job Satisfaction By Preventing Burnout In The Early Childhood Workforce, Erin Bergevin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Burnout is a serious psychological condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). When early childhood educators experience burnout, it undermines educational quality, puts children’s emotional development at risk, and compromises teachers’ mental health. Furthermore, burnout contributes to the alarmingly high rate of teacher turnover in the field of early childhood education. This project addresses the research question: How can early childhood program leaders learn to implement supportive strategies to promote teacher retention and increase job satisfaction? The project is comprised of a series of professional development sessions and a comprehensive resource handbook intended …

Integrating Interprofessional Education Curriculum Into A Vascular Sonography Course, Tammi Wiesner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses interprofessional and collaborative learning and aids in answering the following question: What are the benefits and challenges of integrating Interprofessional Education into vascular sonography coursework? Teaching team-based care can be accomplished by integrating Interprofessional Education (IPE), a complementary curriculum that teaches students to collaborate with other health science students, into an already existing health science specific curriculum. The author addresses the need for finding new ways to teach IPE. IPE is typically taught in a half-day or full- day event with students from multiple health disciplines working together in one large room. The author weaves Interprofessional Education …

The Impact Of Newsela On Disciplinary Content Area Literacy To Improve Vocabulary Instruction, Nicole Anderson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, what is the impact of Newsela on developing disciplinary content area literacies to improve vocabulary instruction? The author describes the process of researching and creating a literacy action plan developed for the purpose of providing secondary schools with the timeline and implementation tasks for engaging students in authentic literacy experiences in all content areas. Research around effective literacy plans, specifically by Irvin, Meltzer, and Dukes assisted in development of goals, implementation tasks, and criteria for success. The author defines the key components of this plan, detailing new learnings and struggles throughout the …

What Are The Ways Do K-12 Public School Systems And Teacher Training Programs Contribute To The Exploitation Of Black Educators; What Political, Cultural And Economic Ends Does This Serve? How Does The Current Treatment And Deployment Of Black Educators Hamper Rather Than Further Black Educational Progress?, Donald W.R Allen Ii

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This Capstone Research Project: What are the ways do K-12 public school systems and teacher training programs contribute to the exploitation of black educators; what political, cultural and economic ends does this serve? How does the current treatment and deployment of black educators hamper rather than further black educational progress, is the first step into examining the K-12 teacher training programs in Minnesota and across the United States. I allege that University-based teacher training programs and school districts are in need of a reset for their rejection and racist extortion of the black educator that tends to center and reify …

Lead Like A Pirate: Fostering Leadership Development In Kindergarten Through Third Grade Girls, Jennifer Endres

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this project was, how can a summer day camp foster leadership development in kindergarten through third grade girls? It documents the author’s creation of a two­week summer day camp as an innovative and fun way to begin leadership development in young girls. The “Lead like a Pirate” camp includes a variety of activities to expose young girls to skills that most highly resonate with leadership and overall future success, including: self­esteem and confidence, grit and growth mindset, communication, vulnerability, self­reflection and creativity. The girls will be encouraged to take risks and step out of their …

Literacy Coaching: A Research Based Coaching Guide, Mary E. House

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The question that guided the work of the researcher was: What impact would a research based coaching guide have on a coach’s effectiveness with teachers, understanding that the end goal of coaching is increased student achievement? Research suggested that professional learning via coaching is key to building capacity in teachers. However, the researcher found that the role of the literacy coach in many schools is one with little or no initial training or a core resource from which to anchor a coach’s work with teachers. Research clearly suggested that the instructional coach role lacks effectiveness if the coach does not …

How Can Human-Centered Design Be Used To Implement A Teacher-Designed, Standards-Based Curriculum?, James P. Magee

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to create a framework, based on the principles of HumanCentered Design, to implement and continue the development of a Standards-Based Curriculum that was designed by the teachers using it. While going through iterations, the curriculum will remain true to the principles of Standards-Based Instruction. Much of the research supporting a Standards-Based Curriculum comes from Robert Marzano. One of the main goals of using Human-Centered Design, in addition to the continued design and implementation of a guaranteed and viable curriculum, is to increase Collective-Teacher Efficacy. Elmore and Hattie both cite extensive data suggesting that high …