Education Commons^™

The Matthew Effect Within South Side Chicago Public Schools, Jazmin S. Hollingsworth

Honors Capstones

The Matthew Effect was first developed by sociologist Robert Merton (1968) to describe a phenomenon they observed whereby wealth and credit is distributed to individuals based on the wealth or credit they already possess. Keith Stanovich further developed this theory around poverty and effects on students, their learning, and in particular reading (1986). The name Matthew Effect comes from the Bible book of Matthew chapter 25: verse 29. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath." The dynamics of poverty …

The Importance Of Emotional Intelligence And Leadership Development In Principal Efficacy, Lorine Olivarez Bazan

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, public schools have seen an increase in obstacles and challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and school leaders have had to pivot and adjust to meet these ever-changing demands (McLeod & Dulsky, 2021). Principals in today’s schools have had to discover new and innovative ways to successfully lead, motivate and support their school communities. This emerging leadership includes the leader’s ability to utilize emotional intelligence and leadership skills effectively and intentionally.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to take a deeper look at investigating the school principal’s utilization of emotional intelligence and effective leadership skills. This …

Assessing The Implementation Of Egypt’S Education 2.0 Reform: The Case Of Sohag, Norhan Zahran

Theses and Dissertations

Education is a key component contributing to a country’s socioeconomic status. Accordingly, countries that seek better economic development focus on the quality of education. Egypt realized that and started a series of educational reforms, none of which delivered the desired objectives. Regrettably, this was clear in Egyptian students' poor performance on international tests in the years 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 (World Economic Forum 2013; 2014). In 2018, the Egyptian Ministry of Education announced the launch of Education 2.0 (EDU 2.0) reform which adopted transformative, multidisciplinary, student-centered educational pedagogies to enhance the quality of education. This study presents the results of an …

Emancipation: Centering Black Parent Voices In The New Orleans Charter School Experiment, Nicole Moliere

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation

This phenomenological study explored Louisiana legislative charter school policies and the extent to which those policies empowered Black public-school parents in the New Orleans charter school experiment (NOCSE). Parent empowerment, the sharing of power with parents, has been a missing component both in scholarly literature and in charter school policy and implementation (Ferlazzo, 2011; Hsiao et al., 2018, Murray et al., 2013). Using semi structured interviews, the results of this study yielded three themes related to Black parent empowerment (BPE) and the public-school struggles Black parents face in an all-charter district. Based on the research findings, this study revealed that …

The Efforts Of K-12 School Principals To Increase Black Student Achievement, Kerry Moore

Educational Studies Dissertations

Policies typically hold schools accountable for student learning by isolating student groups within the school population to monitor academic achievement. Responsibility for ensuring academic growth and learning for all students often falls heavily upon the K-12 public school principal. This study investigated K-12 school principals’ beliefs, prioritization, and execution of research-based strategies meant to increase Black student achievement as well as their efforts to implement these strategies, including factors and conditions promoting or inhibiting implementation. Three guiding questions informed this study: (1) To what degree do principals believe leading efforts to improve Black student achievement is a priority? (2) What …

School Choice And The Necessity Of Vision, A Literature Review, Joshua Kier

Teaching and Learning (MA) Theses

School-choice has met opposition at the state level of politics in recent years despite growing support for all the policies covered under that broad category — Educational Savings Accounts, Tax-Credit scholarships, charter schools, and vouchers to name the primary policy options — from the voting public as well as the parents with children in schools. Because the predominant audience for reviews has been directed to state legislators, there is a gap that needs filling. That gap should be aimed at federal legislators and executive members to re-consider the purpose of the United States' universal public education in order that we …

Effects On Youth Experiencing Homelessness In Public Schools, Abby Golish

Counselor Education Capstones

Abstract

An examination of the issues of youth who are experiencing homelessness is crucial in supporting this vulnerable population. Public schools have a responsibility to assist these students in their academic, career, and social-emotional development. With unique, personal needs, students who are homeless must be understood by school counselors and other school personnel to be appropriately supported. Homelessness can be identified through many characteristics and identified needs. It is key for school counselors to recognize these characteristics and consider the impacts that the school and resources can make on the student’s life. Throughout the paper, the causes of homelessness, potential …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Instructional Coaches, Melanie Sharp

Master of Education Program Theses

This action research project examined teachers' perceptions of instructional coaches at a public, rural school in central Iowa. Thirty teachers participated in a confidential survey which examined their coaching experiences, their perceptions about coaching barriers and strategies to overcome those barriers. After the surveys were analyzed, six of the teachers were invited to engage in a follow-up interview to further explore common themes. One notable difference between teachers was found in the perceived role and responsibilities of an instructional coach. Findings of the study suggest that a lack of school structure and norms can greatly impede the teachers’ perceptions of …

Using Design Thinking As An Instrument For School Improvement And Innovation In Public Schools, Beth Emery Peterson

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Design thinking, a creative problem-solving method in which the end user is an active member of the design team, has historically been used in business and industry, but school leaders are beginning to use the process in education settings. This multiple-case study examined the experiences of two public school leaders who used design thinking for continuous improvement initiatives or to spur innovation in their school or district. Through interviews, the school leaders shared their purposes, outcomes, challenges, and insights of using design thinking to address complex educational problems. Results indicate that design thinking is appropriate to use for continuous improvement …

Why K-12 Public School Bus Drivers Stay In Their Jobs, Brian Patrick Carey

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study was designed to understand why K-12 public school bus drivers stay in their jobs. Currently, there is a perceived shortage of public school bus drivers nationally and locally. Many students ride the bus to and from school every day and without bus drivers, student access to education maybe at risk. This study was undertaken to learn if there is anything that public school administrators can do in the work environment to reduce turnover intentions of bus drivers. In 2021, surveys were provided to 301 bus drivers in 32 school districts in upstate New York to assess their turnover …

Narratives On The Academic Resilience Of Former Homeless Students, Alia Aboulhosn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The number of homeless students in U.S public schools continues to rise. Although many homeless students drop out due to challenges they face, lacking is research on how some homeless students overcome challenges and graduate high school, referred to as academically resilient. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences that promoted former students who were homeless during their senior year of high school to graduate despite adversity, using Resiliency Theory as the theoretical framework. Semi-structured interviews with five participants provided insight into the broader sociopolitical and personal contexts in their stories, …

Use Of Technology To Promote Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Learning In Elementary Classrooms, Theresa Wiggins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many students have been exposed to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in most schools. While STEM in public high schools, public middle schools, STEM-specific schools, and charter elementary schools have been researched often, the literature concerning STEM in public elementary school classrooms to promote learning is scarce. The purpose of this study was to explore elementary school teachers' use of technology, such as digital cameras, iPads, and laptops in STEM lessons. Vygotsky's constructivism theory was the conceptual framework used to guide the qualitative research questions in this study, which sought to explore how elementary public school teachers used technology …

Education Inequality In The United States: A Wicked Problem With A Wicked Solution, Lincoln Bernard

CMC Senior Theses

A problem wicked in its complexity and detriment; the United States has failed most of its students in its inability to address the unashamedly rampant inequality throughout its public education system. The inequality in American public schools appears evident and boundless, but the causes of that inequality, and especially its solutions, are not as obvious. It is easy to explain away the system’s failures as a product of the United States’ ultra-varied environment, but further investigation reveals much of the systems problems are self-caused, resulting from the United States’ uniquely local approach to supporting its schools. A misguided fear of …

Church And Public School Partnerships Creating Educational Equity, Michael L. Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The problem of this study involved how pastors can enhance their awareness of creating church and public school partnerships, the contributing factors that prevent the formation of public school and urban church partnerships, and the need to identify leadership strategies that can be implemented by school leaders and urban pastors to overcome those obstacles. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how urban pastors and public-school leaders could become more aware of church and public-school partnerships and address contributing factors that prevent church and public school partnerships. In addition, possible leadership strategies to increase church and …

Restraints In Massachusetts Public Schools, Elyce Hall

Master’s Theses and Projects

The purpose of this research study was to investigate the moral and legal issues around physically restraining students in Massachusetts public schools. As Massachusetts law is written, the use of restraints on a student should be the last possible resort. However, this thesis used data on restraint use from the Massachusetts Department of Education and a survey of school administrators to gain a better understanding of the 38,994 student restraints that were used in 2016-2017 school year. Findings of this study include that Hispanic and African-American students were more likely to attend schools that used restraints than those that did …

A Competitive Education: How Charter Schools Include And Exclude, Talia M. Bromberg

Scripps Senior Theses

A Competitive Education examines how the charter school movement is one of both inclusion and exclusion, while also serving as a study in rhetorical theory. Written as a senior thesis in the discipline of Writing and Rhetoric, this paper includes an introduction and reflection analyzing the text of the document from a rhetorical perspective. The article, written in a journalistic style, is presented in two ways: first, as one long article, and then as two shorter articles. The content of the articles looks at the history, politics, and real world effects of the charter school movement in California and across …

The Intersection Of Organizational Form And Employee Relationships: A Social Network Analysis Of Rural School Educators, Randi Beth Lowe

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Public schools in the United States are organized in a formal structure with a principal serving as a hierarchical lead, teachers in a variety of professional roles reporting to them and paraeducators supporting the work of teachers. As is seen in an increasing number of organizations, there are informal networks built on the inter-personal relationships of the members of the community (Krackhardt, 1993). The purpose of this study is to measure and describe four types of informal networks, to compare these networks to each other, and to learn about how professional roles influenced the formation of the networks. This study …

Towards An Understanding Of The Testing Opt-Out Movement: Why Parents Choose To Opt Out Or Opt In, Margaret Paladino

Theses & Dissertations

Long Island, New York has led the nation in parent opt-out rates. The Opt-Out Movement is a grassroots coalition of opposition to high-stakes tests that are used to sort students, evaluate teachers, and rank schools. Approximately 50% of students in grades three to eight opted out of the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics tests in 2019 (“Projects: ELA and Math Opt-Outs 2016-2019,” 2019). Quantitative research has shown a racial disparity between parents who opted out and opted in with White, middle-class parents participating in the opt-out movement at greater rates than Latinx, Black, and Asian parents (Au, 2017; Bennett, …

Cybersecurity Education In Utah High Schools: An Analysis And Strategy For Teacher Adoption, Cariana June Cornel

Theses and Dissertations

The IT Education Specialist for the USBE, Brandon Jacobson, stated:I feel there is a deficiency of and therefore a need to teach Cybersecurity.Cybersecurity is the “activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation” (NICE, 2018). Practicing cybersecurity can increase awareness of cybersecurity issues, such as theft of sensitive information. Current efforts, including but not limited to, cybersecurity camps, competitions, college courses, and conferences, have been created to better prepare cyber citizens nationwide for such cybersecurity occurrences. In …

Virtual Classrooms Bridging Homeschooling To Public Schools, Dennis I. Norman

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This research explored the preliminary results that show how technology through virtual classrooms has bridged the home and public-schooling systems. The research invites further reflection on the ways by which the home-learning process improves through the inclusion of other parameters such as the e-learning framework. Online education has been discussed extensively as a way of enabling the home-schooling with increased access to better teachers and learning materials.

The research identified the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a means of determining how new technologies in the online learning process compared to the virtual classroom learning experience. The research explored a case …

Promoting Resilience In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents Through School-Based Expressive Arts Groups, Bailey Knox

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Since 2013, the majority of students served by the public school system in the United States have been considered “low-income” by the federal government. The stressors associated with low socioeconomic status significantly increase risk for social, emotional and behavioral challenges at all age levels, but can be particularly damaging to adolescents coping with heightened stress levels related to the intense multi-dimensional changes that define this developmental period. As the correlation between economic disadvantage and negative socio-emotional and academic outcomes is increasingly evidenced, schools have begun to recognize their responsibility for providing preventative mental health care to high-risk students. Over the …

Inclusion Of Muslim Students In Ontario Public Education: A Qualitative Inquiry Of Elementary School Principals, Farah Ghonaim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In order to include Muslim students in Ontario schools, inclusive principals are expected work to understand the inclusion of Muslim students in order to grant them with equal recognition and opportunities as other students in schools. In Ontario, school principals can influence students’ learning and achievement through their leadership role and through their routine duties for leading schools, enacting policies, and ensuing quality of instruction at schools. As leaders, principals can enhance the inclusion of Muslim students through working with staff and teachers, and creating working conditions that support Muslim students learning. Ontario policies call for inclusion of all students …

Examining Self-Contained And Integrated Physical Education Experiences Among Individuals With Visual Impairments, Rebecca Coffey

Human Movement Sciences & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Introduction. While research to date has examined the views of individuals with visual impairments toward integrated public-school physical education, little attention has been given to examining perspectives toward experiences at residential schools for those with visual impairments. By understanding the perspectives of those who attended physical education in both contexts, researchers can gain valuable information about particularities that can make experiences meaningful or challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine how individuals who experienced physical education in both integrated and residential school settings viewed their physical education class experiences. Methods. This study utilized a retrospective interpretative phenomenological approach …

Strategies For Reducing Voluntary Employee Turnover In Public Schools, Peggy Teresa Proctor-Matos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The oversight of systematic approaches to reducing voluntary employee turnover decreases educational institutions’ budgets and performance. In the United States, public schools spend over $2.22 billion annually in voluntary employee turnover costs. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies public school leaders use to reduce voluntary employee turnover. The population consisted of 3 leaders from 1 public school located in Georgia, with successful experience reducing voluntary employee turnover. The conceptual framework for this study was grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory. The data collection process included semistructured interviews and organizational documents and artifacts. Data were analyzed …

Réflexions Sur L'Implémentation Des Tic Au Cours Du Stage Pédagogique, David Eduardo Avendaño Ubaque, Merilin Xiomara Acevedo

Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras

Este artículo da cuenta respecto a la investigación realizada para describir y reflexionar en cuanto a la implementación de las TIC para la enseñanza de FLE como practicantes, teniendo como objetivo detallar los progresos y las dificultades en cuanto a la implementación de la plataforma Edmodo y las herramientas tecnológicas (parlante, televisión/video -beam y computador) presentes en los salones de clase. Ésta es una investigación cualitativa descriptiva que se llevó a cabo en dos escuelas públicas de Bogotá, con adolescentes entre 13 y 18 años, en donde se recogió la información por medio de diarios de campo, observaciones y entrevistas. …

Perceptions Of Educators Regarding The Impact Nonprofits Have On Academically Unacceptable Schools In An Urban Louisiana Community: A Case Study, Frederic D. Washington

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of educators regarding the impact nonprofit sanctioned programs and services have on schools rated as failing, or academically unacceptable by the Louisiana Department of Education during the 2014-2015, 2015-2016, and 2016-2017 school years. The schools represented in this study are in an urban Louisiana community, serving grades K-8. Each of the schools represented in this study partnered with at least four nonprofit agencies that provide services in after school enrichment, community learning centers, fight diversion programs for students, mini grant programs for teachers, and sex respect/teenage pregnancy prevention for middle school campuses. This …

Lgbt Student Experiences In Boston Public Schools: A Case Study, David Geyer

Honors College Theses

While the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community has overcome great obstacles in its fight for equality, the newest challenge has become the poor mental health of the LGBT youth. In this study, the experiences of a recently graduated LGBT Boston Public Schools student were investigated through qualitative research methods. Interviews with the student were analyzed to determine what factors contributed to his overall positive experiences and mental health as a bisexual student attending Boston Public Schools. The showing of support from his mother and peers, along with the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at his school positively affected …

Cyberbullying, K-12 Public Schools, And The 1st Amendment, Jennifer A. Mezzina

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The first amendment protected students’ first amendment rights in K-12 public schools; however, state antibullying legislation required school officials to discipline students for bullying and, in most states, cyberbullying as well. An increasing number of students had access to mobile devices at home and during the school day. School officials had the responsibility to protect students from instances of bullying and cyberbullying; however, school officials did not fully understand the extent of their authority to discipline students for acts of bullying that occurred online, off school grounds. Despite the existence of state antibullying laws in all fifty states, contradictory appellate …

A Rhetorical Criticism Of Waiting For Superman, Jordan L. Baxter

Communication Studies

This project analyzes the documentary Waiting for Superman in order to better understand the rhetoric surrounding public education in America. I perform a close textual analysis of the documentary and explore the rhetorical strategies the film uses to persuade its audience. Through my analysis I argue that Waiting for Superman employs rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos, and logos to successfully characterize the public school system as a failing institution. This failure is largely blamed on teachers unions who are vilified throughout the film and shown to be preventing progressive reforms from passing. Lastly, through the use of identification Waiting for …

Little Data On Whether Charters Make A Difference When College Is The Goal, Erica Jackson

Capstones

Some charters are too young to measure how their students perform. Others collect data in a spotty way. And official statistics make comprehensive comparisons difficult.

Link to capstone project: http://citylimits.org/2016/12/28/little-data-on-whether-charters-make-a-difference-when-college-is-the-goal/