Education Commons^™

The Confucian Factor And Good Fortune In The National College Entrance Examination In China, Samuel Hinton

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background

Confucianism is highly optimistic about human nature. It teaches that ordinary human beings can become awe-inspiring sages and worthies (Confucius himself lived a rather ordinary life). It believes that human beings are teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal and communal endeavor. In ancient China Confucian education was based on hard work, compliance with state laws, and merit. A large number of students who took the Imperial examination at that time were from lower-class families. These observations are still true about the National College Entrance Examination. Confucius. Confucius regarded Heaven (T'ien) as a positive and personal force in the universe; …

A Collaborative Model For Implementing State Common Core School Standards, Ann Larson, Maggie Mcgatha, Sue Peters, Penny Howell, Jean Wolph, Joanne Webb, Starr Lewis, Seth Hunter

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

In this early part of the 21st century, education leaders are increasingly challenged to improve P-12 teaching and learning to increase student achievement and to prepare all students for college and career success. Education reforms such as the adoption of the Common Core Standards within existing policies and practices of state department, district and school bureaucracies requires the repurposing and refocusing of existing resources and structures. This article describes the efforts in one state to employ collaboration to meet the requirements of legislated mandates for implementation of the Common Core Standards in English language arts and mathematics and the implications …

Preparing Principals For Instructional Leadership: Integrating The Common Core Standards--Research, Gary Houchens, Jill Cabrera

Kentucky Journal of Excellence in College Teaching and Learning

Western Kentucky University has structured its own P-12 school principal certification program with a heavy emphasis on instructional leadership, starting with a strong understanding of the Common Core Standards and their role in providing a firm foundation for effective instruction. Educational research from the past 40 years reveals that effective school principals are “learning leaders” (Hallinger, 2011). Principals in high-performing schools devote much of their focus to the process of teaching and learning and dedicate their efforts to the improvement of both. Principal training programs must then make fostering instructional leadership a top priority (Jackson & Kelly, 2002). The purpose …

Student Voices On High School Mathematics Teaching And Learning: College Student Voices On Teacher Behaviors And Actions Impacting High School Mathematics Achievement, Elizabeth Anne Crane

Online Theses and Dissertations

According to the national Assessment of Educational Progress the national trend in mathematics achievement has not significantly changed from 1973 through 2012 for 17 year olds (National Center for Educational statistics, 2014). Student beliefs about mathematics learning are an important factor in determining the student's math achievement (Woodward, 2004). This qualitative dissertation explores college student perceptions of effective mathematics teaching and learning at the secondary level. Interview participants who are early in their college program were recruited from math classes at a southeastern university. Study participants reinforced the literature that knowing both the how and the why of mathematics is …

A Persistent Quandary: The Rural School Improvement Project, 1953-1957, Richard E. Day, Lindsey N. Devries, Amanda L. Hoover

Curriculum and Instruction Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Berea College's Rural School Improvement Project worked directly with more than 5,000 children and 63 teaching fellows in 39 different schools over 13 counties, and one independent school district, involving 10 county school supervisors. Project estimates claimed an indirect impact on approximately 45,000 children within the RSIP school districts. The RSIP represented the thinking of national leaders of rural education in the 1950s who promoted improved administration of the schools combined with an active community engagement program based on “full respect for human personality” and “shared judgments.” Following so many decades of poverty and isolation, it is no easy task …

The Relationship Among Principal Instructional Leadership, Collective Teacher Efficacy, Student Academic Achievement, And Socioeconomic Status In Appalachia Eastern Kentucky High Schools, William H. Salazar

Online Theses and Dissertations

Current studies have shown that principal instructional leadership can affect student academic achievement as much as 15% (Hallinger & Murphy, 1982; Hallinger & Heck, 1996; Leithwood & Beatty, 2009). Research studies on collective teacher efficacy have shown that teacher efficacy can significantly affect student academic achievement (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001; Tschannen, Moran &Woolfolk, 2001; Woolfolk; 2004; Goddard, et. al, 2000; Francera, 2009). Previous research has suggested that the effects of socioeconomic status of students can be ameliorated through a combination of principal instructional leadership and collective teacher efficacy (Howley & Howley, 2010; Coleman, 1966). This non-experimental research project developed four …

The Effect Of Academic Coaches On Teachers' Effective Use Of Data For Instructional Decisions, Barbara Quillen Shoemaker

Online Theses and Dissertations

One of the common themes in education reform is the use of data-driven decision making. The data provides the information we use to improve our knowledge of classroom instruction. Teachers need professional development to improve their ability to enable data driven decision-making. What data are available? What information can be gleaned from the data? What instructional changes based on data occur? Professional development, the nature of coaching, and their effect on teacher use of data have not been adequately treated in educational literature. This study will be based on an evaluation of an academic coaching project in a large urban …

Exploring The Attitudes Of Criminal Justice And Homeland Security Students Regarding Assessment Techniques In Online Courses, Terry Allen Taylor

Online Theses and Dissertations

Substantial increases in online education since the start of the 21st century requires investigation in to how online courses differ from traditional face-to-face courses. It is particularly important to discover how online students learn and which assessment methods they prefer and see as most beneficial to online learning. Using online assessment techniques that correspond with those rated highly my online students can lead to better student experiences in online courses and improved persistence rates in online courses, which have traditionally be lower compared to face-to-face courses.

The participants for the study sample included online students majoring in Bachelor of Science …

The Relationship Of Collegiate Athletic And Recreational Sports Involvement To Student Success And Persistence, Gregory Joseph Corack

Online Theses and Dissertations

Administrators often scrutinize extracurricular involvement in college as an unnecessary financial strain on dwindling university budgets. Student Affairs practitioners must constantly justify programs as adequate additions to the in-class learning students receive on a daily basis. The experiential education students receive through extracurricular programming is well documented, and an essential part of the college experience. Varsity athletes and intramural participants gain valuable skills through their participation in sports activities and are consequently present some of the highest group success rates on campus.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between involvement in collegiate varsity and recreational sports …

Retaking Summative Assessments At The High School Level, Katherine Gray

Online Theses and Dissertations

In 2010, under President Obama, A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was written to reform the No Child Left Behind Act that was signed into law in 2002 by President George W. Bush. The new goal under the reform was that by 2020 all students will graduate from high school and be college and career ready. With a growing emphasis on all students being successful in the classroom, educators had to explore different methods to implement in the classroom to help all students learn the state standards. Allowing summative assessment retakes was one …

The Effectiveness Of Manipulatives In A High School Algebra Ii Class, Brooke Elizabeth Bruins

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the use of manipulatives in high school Algebra II. The effectiveness of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) Model is compared to explicit instruction. The participants in this study are students from six high school Algebra II classes -two honors classes, and four standard classes. One honors class and two standard classes were randomly selected as the treatment groups receiving CRA instruction. The other three classes learned through abstract explicit instruction. Each class learned two new mathematical concepts, domain and range of quadratic functions and transformations of quadratic functions, through the selected method of instruction. At the end of instruction, …

Influential Factors In International Students' College Choice Of A Rural, Regional University, Mahsa Abdolalizadeh

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates college choice factors that influence the decision-making of international students to attend a regional, rural university. Specifically, the study examines students' priorities within and among four categories of characteristics, namely, institutional characteristics, program characteristics, marketing and recruitment characteristics, and significant others characteristics. Various items within each characteristic category measure the significance of the pertaining characteristic. Data was collected through a quantitative survey administered to enrolled international students at Eastern Kentucky University. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, means, and standard deviations were utilized to analyze the data. Results indicate that program characteristics (most importantly the programs' reputation and the …

Leadership Characteristics And Practices Of American Association Of School Administrators (Aasa) Superintendents Of The Year And Finalists, Doris Lynette Crawford

Online Theses and Dissertations

Houston (2007) concluded, "To preserve the possibilities for our children requires leadership, and that leadership is also a critical condition for success. While the educational journey takes place in the classroom and school, the trip is planned, the fuel is acquired, and the steering is done in the superintendent's office" (p. 432). The purpose of this study was to determine the key characteristics and practices needed by school district superintendents to meet the demands of this position in the twenty-first century. The key characteristics were identified by exemplary superintendents who had been recognized for their effectiveness. 55% of the population …

Impact Of Career And Technical Education On College And Career Readiness In Kentucky, Linda Smith Floyd

Online Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the college and career readiness (CCR) results of a persistently low achieving (PLA) high school located in rural Kentucky. The study included a quantitative analysis examining the statistical role of career and technical education (CTE) in the Kentucky accountability system for high schools. The study assessed student results on academic and technical assessments required by the state's accountability model for CCR as reported for the 2012 and 2013 school years. Frequencies and independent sample t-tests were utilized.

The absence of significant statistical differences between preparatory students, those completing two credits and enrolled in the third credit in …

A National System Of Reciprocity In The Fire Service, Bill Hicks

Online Theses and Dissertations

This paper reviews literature from on line, research papers, dissertations, conference proceedings, and monthly periodical sources discussing firefighter certifications to identify the current status of reciprocity in the U.S. Fire Service, as well as the components that make up the necessary steps to achieve a national system of reciprocity for fire service professionals. Accreditation (NFPA, 2011), programs, and agencies (IFSAC, 2012), (ProBoard, 2012) already exists to insure the levels of training set by nationally accepted standards (NFPA, 2013) are being meet by training providers, and are possessed by fire service professional. A model system that the fire service is already …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perceptions Of Student Management With Out-Of-School Suspensions And High School Graduation Rates, Caryn Letcher Huber

Online Theses and Dissertations

Teachers' perceptions contribute to who is removed from the classroom (Fenning & Rose, 2007). The Kentucky Department of Education use a teacher self-report instrument called the Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) survey to assess teaching conditions in eight areas to predict teacher satisfaction, employment trajectories and ultimately guide school improvement. The New Teacher Center found a correlation exists between the Managing Student Conduct construct of the TELL Kentucky Survey responses and student achievement (National Teacher Center, 2013). This study investigates the relationship between Managing Student Conduct construct with Graduation Rates and Out-of-School Suspension. Graduation Rate is one of five …

The Effect Of University Campus Recreation Programs On Student Retention, Caelin Scott

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect campus recreation programs have on student retention for full-time freshman students at Eastern Kentucky University. Gender, first-generation, non-traditional students and participation in recreation programs were used as predictor variables for the purpose of this study. Data were collected from Eastern Kentucky University's campus recreation database on the utilization of general gym facility use, Adventure Programs, and Intramural Sports. The analysis of the results revealed that the retention rates of students who participated in campus recreation programs were higher than the students who did not participate in campus recreation programs had a higher retention rate than …