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Family Experiences With Standardized Assessments Leading To Participation In The Opt Out Movement, Christy Lee Evans

Doctoral Dissertations

With the hope of giving voice to individuals who are usually left out of conversations regarding standardized assessments—the families who live with the effects of those tests on their children—this study was designed to answer the following research questions:

1) Who are some of the individuals who are participating in the opt out movement?

2) How are some individuals making the decision to participate in the opt out movement?

a) What knowledge do these individuals who are participating in the opt out movement have regarding the standardized assessments that their children are being given in public schools?

b) How have …

Principals' Perceptions Of The Tennessee Teacher Tenure Law: A Concurrent Mixed Methods Study, David John Lomascolo

Doctoral Dissertations

This concurrent mixed methods study examined principal perceptions of the teacher tenure law in Tennessee. The study examined the perceptions of K-12 public school principals toward the Tennessee teacher tenure law under Senate Bill 1528 and how principals perceived that the law has affected their ability to evaluate and retain effective teachers. The investigation followed a concurrent mixed methods design (QUAN + QUAL). The Tennessee Teacher Tenure Principal Perception Survey was adopted and slightly modified from Davidson’s (1998) study of principal perceptions of teacher tenure in Tennessee. At the conclusion of data analysis, findings were integrated and triangulated through Hess’ …

Solving The Migrant Children Public School Enrollment Issue In Urban China: A Policy Study Perspective, Hui Huang

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation is designed to learn lessons from China’s experiences of seeking to solve the migrant children’s education issue, specifically, the city public school enrollment issue. In China, access to public schools is the main channel for migrant children to be well educated. With the hope to inspire education policy makers and researchers on solving this issue, it is important to find out how the central and local governments work out proper policies to ensure equal compulsory education for migrant children. Qualitative research methods including content analysis and historical analysis are deployed in this dissertation to review related policy documents …

Teacher Attitudes Toward Work: A Mixed Methods Case Study Of Collaborative Work Group Influences, Jennifer Leigh Beavers

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed method, multisite case study was to explore how teachers’ attitudes toward their work were influenced by their experiences within collaborative work groups. The critical elements and structural conditions of effective collaborative work groups described by Little in 1981 was used as a conceptual framework. The sample consisted of three principals, one school counselor, and twenty-seven teachers across three high schools in the same southeastern state. Participants were interviewed and their collaborative work groups observed during which time artifacts were also collected.

Findings indicated teachers’ attitudes toward their work were influenced by eight variables: the support …

Administrative Support In An East Tennessee Rural School District During The Change To Common Core State Standards, Victoria Lyn Henley

Doctoral Dissertations

Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an initiative for standardizing learning in a more in-depth, analytical way, have been adopted by 45 states, Washington, D.C., and four United States Territories. When implementing such changes, rural schools face their own unique challenges, where principals and administrators play an important role in the successful culture of change. The purpose of this study was to examine how the principals and district-level administrators in Mountain View School District, an East Tennessee rural school district, supported teachers during the transition to CCSS. In this qualitative study, three principals, two assistant principals, and three district-level administrators were …