Education Commons^™

How Are Teachers Leading Now? From Access To Activism: An Introduction To The Special Issue, Kaavonia Hinton, Jori S. Beck

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

In this introduction to a special issue on teacher leadership (TL), the editors argue that recent attacks against antiracist teaching have influenced TL. Thus, we offer an overview of several issues these collected authors explore related to TL, including access to TL for teachers of color; advancing equity through leadership teams; self-care for teacher advocates; and TL as advocacy, activism, and antiracist work.

Urban School Counselors' Perceptions Of Low-Income Families, Rebekah F. Cole

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

There is a paucity of research on the topic of professional school counselors and their perceptions of families. The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to examine how urban professional school counselors perceive low-income families in their schools. To accomplish this investigation, ten school counselors in two urban school districts were interviewed twice and were then sent an email with follow-up questions. The data was analyzed for themes and patterns, which were subjected to verification procedures. Three categories emerged from the data: urban school counselors' perceptions of the low-income families in their schools, effects of school counselors' perceptions on …

Effect Of Instructional Styles And The Duration Of Class Time On The Sense Of Classroom Community Of Military Urban Graduate Students, William J. Davis Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study measured the effect that instructional style, duration of class time, and repeated administrations of the Classroom Community Scale (CCS) had on the sense of classroom community of military urban graduate students (N = 263). The Instructional Styles Inventory (ISI) was used to determine instructional style, and the CCS was utilized to measure sense of classroom community. In addition, this research contained qualitative data that were extracted from a random sampling of participants during small focus groups.

Quantitative analysis of the data showed that duration of class time and instructional style had an effect on sense of classroom …

They Did Not Teach: Veterans' Experiences In A Mid-Career Transition Program At An Urban University, Joseph Franklyn Shipes

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This descriptive phenomenology examines the lived experiences of veterans who attempted a mid-career transition into teaching. The study identifies and describes experiences that led to the outcome decisions of 22 men who enrolled in a Military Career Transition Program (MCTP), completed a Master's Degree in Education, but did not become public school teachers. Self-descriptions of their experience were collected in multiple, open-ended interviews and analyzed using Moustakas's (1994) protocols.

Participants described a transition in four stages (a) preliminary conditions for change, (b) socialization and adjustment, (c) refocusing career goals, and (d) reflective assessment. Planning for career change began with ideal …

Implementation Theory And Determinants For Success: A Case Study Of Televised Distance Learning Implementation In An Urban University, Deanne Shuman

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to explore the implementation process of a distance learning initiative using televised instruction in an urban university. The scope and complexity of problems faced by colleges and universities today are growing, and public institutions are being asked to do more with less. Despite limited budgets and stretched resources, institutions are expected to be responsive to the challenges of change. Distance learning using televised instruction, which brings the classroom to the learner, is an available technology that can be responsive to students' diverse needs.

This study explores factors that facilitated or served as barriers in …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Multicultural Education On The Racial Attitudes Of Pre-K Through Grade 12 Students: A Comparison Of Curricular Intervention And Reinforcement Dimensions In Suburban And Urban Educational Settings, Ogochukwu Nkeiruka N. Okoye-Johnson

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This meta-analysis examined the effects of multicultural education on the racial attitudes of students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Multicultural education, which evolved as a direct result of the push for ethnic studies in schools, was operationalized for this study as programs and curricula dealing with racial and cultural diversity.

The findings of thirty selected studies were synthesized in this meta-analysis to examine whether students exposed to multicultural education developed more positive racial attitudes than students who did not. This meta-analysis compared the effect sizes of two dimensions of multicultural education, curricular intervention and reinforcement, to see the relative effectiveness …

The Effects Of School Uniforms On Student Behavior And Perceptions In An Urban Middle School, Jacqueline M. Mccarty

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Public opinion polls have consistently highlighted the prevalence of violence in America's schools. Specifically, school personnel have witnessed increased assault and theft related to the wearing of expensive clothing. Concomitantly, administrators have noted decreased attendance rates triggered by clothing issues. Given the gravity of these problems, school officials nationwide have enacted uniform policies in hopes of improving school safety and student behavior. However, current research establishing the effectiveness of these policies is largely anecdotal. The few studies utilizing empirical measures mainly highlight short-term outcomes and often fail to address student perceptions regarding clothing-related problems.

By contrast, this study investigated the …

Factors Which Contribute To Successful Schools For Disadvantaged Students: An Exploratory Case Study Of Two Urban Elementary Schools In Norfolk, Virginia, Lula Saunders Sawyer

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This exploratory case study examines the perceptions of parents, teachers, students and principals on eight factors of school effectiveness. Two low income elementary schools in the City of Norfolk, Virginia served as the research setting for this study. Though both schools consist almost entirely of African American students, and are otherwise similar in demographics, they have achieved at different levels. While one has been recognized as a national model, based on continuous improvement in students' academic achievement, the other has not attained the same level of achievement, based on standardized test scores.

A case study methodology has been used to …

The Influence Of An Early Childhood Program On The Academic Achievement, Attendance, And Attitudes Of Urban At-Risk Students, Daisy Mccray Murphy

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of an early childhood preschool program on the achievement, attendance, and attitudes of at-risk students in an urban Southeastern school division in Virginia. The study compared two groups of Title I eligible four-year-olds, those who participated (n = 88) and those who did not non-participate (n = 54), in a preschool program. A review of the literature revealed that early intervention efforts have addressed the school success dilemma for at-risk students with varying degrees of effectiveness. Increased attention toward the implementation of developmentally appropriate learning environments have afforded at-risk students …

A Comparison Of White Male College Students Attending An Urban Black University And An Urban White University: White Racial Identity And Perceived Comfort With Blacks, Cheryl Lorraine Evans

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in White Racial Identity and degree of tolerance for Blacks between two samples of White male undergraduate students attending an urban Black university and those attending an urban White university. The theoretical framework for this study was based in Social Contact Theory as a contributor to racial tolerance and Racial Identity Development Theory as a factor in human growth toward increasing acceptance of diversity. This was a quasi-experimental post-hoc design using intact groups.

The study analyzed the responses of 182 White male undergraduates using three instruments. A Background Questionnaire, designed …

A Meta-Analysis Of The Effect Of Computer-Assisted Instruction On The Academic Achievement Of Students In Grades 6 Through 12: A Comparison Of Urban, Suburban, And Rural Educational Settings, Edwin Patrick Christmann

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This meta-analysis analyzed grades 6 through 12 school students' academic achievement effect sizes from experimental, quasi-experimental, and correlational studies that examined the effects of microcomputer-based computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on the academic achievement of urban, suburban, and rural students across various subjects. Those studies compared secondary students who were exposed to CAI with those who were exposed to traditional instructional strategies.

A total of 3,476 students participated in 24 studies which resulted in 35 conclusions. The sample size ranged from 28 to 425; the mean sample size was 140 students.

The mean effect sizes of urban, suburban, and rural students uncovered …

The Effect Of Same-Sex Grouping Versus Mixed-Sex Grouping On Mathematics Achievement And Attitudes Of Academically Gifted Fourth And Fifth Grade Females In The Urban Classroom, Martha J. Tompkins

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

Reports of the neglect of gifted students in America's schools and the inadequate mathematics involvement of females have made educators aware of a crisis in public education. Attitudes and opportunities are believed to be major influences in helping females become more involved with mathematics courses and careers. The research project examined the effect of same-sex groups versus mixed-sex groups on mathematics attitudes and achievement in fourth and fifth grade females in a mathematically gifted pilot program at a magnet center. The experimental study was analyzed with Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Regression Analysis, Post-Hoc tests, and …

Attributions For Change In Attitude Among Urban Elementary Parochial School Teachers Toward Children Who Speak Nonstandard English, Charles A. Saglio Jr.

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

A comparatively large number of African American children fail in urban schools. Hundreds of research studies concerning interpersonal expectations suggest a link between teacher expectancies and pupil performance. Researchers have found that teachers expect less of students who speak nonstandard English. Attempts to modify teachers' culturo-linguistic attitudes and expectations have been unsuccessful. While teachers' beliefs, theories, and attitudes change over time as a function of teaching experience, the mechanisms for change are unclear.

This study has attempted to uncover events to which teachers attribute a change in their culturo-linguistic attitudes. Once causal conditions for change have been identified, then those …

An Analysis Of Urban Higher Education Ceo's Perceptions Of Critical Leadership Behaviors, Linda Ferguson Banis

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The research question for this study asked if CEO's (Chief Executive Officers) of urban higher education institutions hold the same values and beliefs as those attributed to business and industry CEO's through the business literature. Through survey methodology, the analysis of urban higher education CEO's perceptions of critical leadership behaviors revealed very similar belief patterns. The primary discrepancies between the research group and their industry counterparts lie in the degree to which critical behaviors are espoused and in the acceptance of transformational leadership as a proactive model for effective organizational change. The responses to the open-ended portion of the questionnaire …