Education Commons^™

Suicide Prevention Strategies In Tennessee Community Colleges: A Case Study, Sandra Perley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students; annually approximately 1,100 students in institutions of higher education die by suicide. However, most research related to college student suicide was conducted using the sample of 4-year institutions. Community colleges have seldom been included in the sample of suicide research studies. This qualitative case study research explored the student suicide prevention strategies in the 13 community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents higher education system. Data were collected from surveys, institutional web sites, and interviews with institutional personnel.

Approximately half of the institutions offer suicide prevention information to …

Standing In The Intersection : Using Photovoice To Understand The Lived Experience Of Black Gay College Students Attending Predominantly White Postsecondary Institutions., Erica Caton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intersection of multiple oppressed identities is characterized by the compounded effects of victimization, intimidation and continued marginalization by dominant culture groups in society. Despite a growing body of knowledge about the individual experiences of racial and sexual minorities, there remains a lack of understanding of the unique life experiences of individuals with intersecting oppressed identities, specifically Black gay youth. Failure or inability to recognize, understand and take action in response to the needs of Black gay youth in college, perpetuates a culture of oppression that compromises the physical and mental well-being, and the academic success of these students. Engaging …

Teacher Well-Being And Virginia Standards Of Learning, Matthew W. Mccarty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs) were created by the Virginia Department of Education as a method to assess student learning. The SOLs were implemented in the mid-1990s and were used as end of grade and end of course assessments for grades 3-8 and secondary courses. The SOLs have taken on a foundational role within the Virginia public schools as they now count toward student graduation and teacher evaluation. Virginia now uses a teacher evaluation system that is in large part based upon student performance on the SOL assessments. This evaluation system is in place in all public school divisions …

Higher Education Governance Structures And Operational Efficiency And Effectiveness Of 4 -Year Public Institutions, Angela H. Claxton-Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study benchmarks 4-year public institutions in the Southern Regional Education Board to determine if there are significant differences between the institutions based on efficiency and effectiveness scores within the types of governance structures in operation among the states. Efficiency and effectiveness scores are also used to determine if there are significant differences between institutions based on state appropriation levels. In this quantitative study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to collapse selected institutional data reported to IPEDS into effectiveness and efficiency scores which were then used as the dependent variables. The variable returns to scale (VRS) model was used …

Online Coursework As Related To Graduation Rates Of At-Risk Students In A Rural Public High School In Bedford County, Tennessee, Robert E. Ralston

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between the academic achievement, disciplinary referrals, and attendance of at-risk students in rural Bedford County, TN, prior to and after participation in online coursework. The independent variables were the academic achievement towards successful course completions, disciplinary referrals, and attendance rates of at-risk students. The dependent variable was the participation in online coursework in Bedford County Schools (BCS) Online On-track (OLOT) program. A series of ttests and a chi-square analyses was performed to examine the differences in the mean course completion rates, discipline referrals, attendance rates, and …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of Novice And Veteran Elementary Teachers Levels Of Stress And Attitudes Toward Their Profession, Melissa Stukes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to evaluate the perceptions of novice and veteran teachers’ level of stress and their attitudes toward their profession. Stress may be caused by many different factors. Work related stress is common amongst many people in the work force. In education stress is endured, in some cases on a daily basis. There are many demands put on teachers to ensure student learning. These demands can cause an overwhelming amount of stress for teachers. This stress can have a positive or negative impact on teachers’ attitude toward their profession.

The qualitative research method is the method that was …

Tennessee Per-Pupil Expenditures In Special Education And Academic Achievement, Melanie C. Davidson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Federal legislation known as the No Child Left Behind act has required states to close achievement gaps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between special education spending by districts in the state of Tennessee and standardized achievement for students with disabilities.

Secondary data were obtained from the Tennessee Department of Education’s website (www.tn.gov/education). Data from each local education association were collected for the years of 2010-2014 in the areas of special education spending, special education population, and TCAP proficiency percentages in reading and math grades 3-8. Data from each local education association were collected …

African American Parents’ Perceptions Of Public School: African American Parents’ Involvement In Their Childrens’ Educations, Eric D. Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goals for public schools are to educate all students so that they may attend colleges and/or develop relevant job and citizenship skills. African American students enrolled in American public schools struggle to keep up academically, revealing a so called “achievement gap.” Consequently, many African American children are unable to realize their potential and participate as successful contributing citizens. This study examined how African American parents might engage in their children’s schooling and how schools might support this participation to better meet the needs of these students.

The segregation and racism historically practiced in public schools has led to negative …

Listening To The Voices Of African American Female Principals Leading "Turnaround" Schools, Vickie Pease Collins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This narrative study focuses on African American female principals' perceptions of the influence of gender and race on their roles as principals of turnaround schools. The work lives of the participants were situated in turnaround schools, schools receiving federal money to provide intensive interventions and leadership development support to break the cycle of chronic academic failure. Data included one-on-one interviews with the participants and a reflective journal. The basis for the data analysis was a three-dimensional space approach (that included the components of interaction, continuity, and situation or place). Black feminist standpoint theory (BFST), a revision of the earlier Black …

Innovative Educational Design: The Development Of Autonomous Schools, Jennifer E. Arzberger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Innovative Educational Design: The Development of Autonomous Schools captures an educator’s journey in developing an economically integrated, urban Expeditionary Learning charter school, an autoethnography of an educator embracing an entrepreneurial spirit and traversing the years prior to opening a school and obtaining unanimous approval from the authorizing board of education. Autoethnography provides the researcher with an opportunity to turn scholarly interests inward, bringing personal experiences to center stage revealing the culture of founding school leaders. Similar to an ethnographer describing the culture of a group of people and learning what it is like to be a part of the group …

High School Educators’ Perceptions Of Their Schools’ Conduciveness To English Language Learners’ Success, Jill Winiger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers in the high schools of Northeast Tennessee regarding their schools’ academics, climate, culture, parent engagement, and their English Language Learners’ school experiences. The researcher sought to ascertain if significant differences exist between the perceptions of different groups of educational professionals in the school, with those groups to include school administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers. Data were analyzed from 50 survey questions with 42 of those questions measured on a 5-point Likert scale, 5 questions as multiple choice, and 3 questions as open-ended. …

The Experiences Of Undocumented College Students Through Critical Evocative Portraiture, Erica García

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the college experiences of five undocumented students. Using data from three in-depth interviews, the study sought to offer insights to educational leaders on the in- and out-of-class validating experiences that influenced a group of undocumented students to persist in their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. Rendón’s (1994) theory of student validation provided the framework for the study. The qualitative method of critical evocative portraiture (Lyman, Lazaridou, & Strachan, 2013) was used to collect, analyze and present the data. Congruent with the methodology, the researcher constructed a critical evocative portrait of each of the participants. The portraits …

Exploring Trends In Disproportionality Of Emotional Disturbance Classification After The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (Ideia), Ghirmay Alazar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the trends of disproportionate representation of African American students in special education when compared to Caucasian special education students in emotional disturbance category as well as the trends in disproportionality of emotional disturbance classification after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). African American students in special education are disproportionately represented when compared to Caucasian special education students but uncertainty persists regarding the nature and the extent of the problem (Aud et al., 2010; Countinho & Oswald, 2002; Skiba et al., 2006, 2008). This study employed a mixed methods multiple …

How Global Education Is Understood And To What Extent It Is Implemented In One Educator Preparation Program, Lydia Valentina Amewu-Sirleaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed method study investigated the overarching question "how global education is understood and implemented in an educator preparation program in a Colorado university". The sub-questions used to answer the research question are:

* How is global education/perspective understood and implemented by the faculty?

* How do students perceive global education/perspective to be implemented in the program?

* How are the faculty and student's perspective similar and how are they different?

* How do the documents and artifacts support this?

The faculty members and pre-service teachers in this program were the research participants in the study. This area of research …

A Study Of Retention Rates Among Non-Resident Students Enrolled In Freshman Retention Programs, Chelsea Welch Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: this mixed methods, relational design involved a Qual-Quan sequential exploratory design to determine the relationship between two freshman retention programs, cohort-based and non-cohort based freshman year experience (fye) courses, and the retention of academically less-prepared, non-resident students at a Southern University (SU). Structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted for the qualitative purposes of this study. Qualitative data was obtained from 31 non-resident, first-year students at SU enrolled in either the non-cohort fye course (n=22) or the cohort-based fye course (n=9). Of the 31 participants, 14 were male, and 17 were female and, at the time of interview, all …

Effects Of Information Communication Technology Connectedness On The Stress Levels On Student Affairs Professionals, Joshua Coulter Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of A Secondary Student Advisement Program, Barbara A. Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods program evaluation examines the effectiveness of a high school advisory program in meeting its stated goals from the perspective of its various stakeholders. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods and applying a concurrent embedded strategy, the researcher uses Stufflebeam’s CIPP Model (Stufflebeam, McKee & McKee, 2003) as a framework to conduct a study of the Teachers-As-Advisors (TAA) Program in a rural high school in Georgia. Surveys were administered to 205 students, 40 parents, and 17 advisors. Two district administrators, three school administrators, and two counselors were interviewed. In addition, focus group discussions were held with a purposeful …

Fighting On The Frontline: An Examination Of Teacher Retention Practices In Urban Elementary Schools, Kelley J. Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For many teachers employed in schools in metro Atlanta, meeting the demands of No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top is complicated by social realities characterized by the urban environment. Teachers’ beliefs about learning, operationalized at either the individual or the collective level, are influenced by the context of the schools in which they teach, and when teaching in the urban context, it is critical that teachers believe students can learn despite their circumstances (Halvorsen, Lee, & Andrade, 2009). The purpose of schools is to ensure academic achievement for children despite age, creed, color, race, or religion; however, …

A Test Score Comparison Between Block And Traditional Scheduling, Yancy J. Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how schools utilizing block scheduling and traditional scheduling models differ in achievement levels on the five Georgia End-of-Course Exams (EOCT) and the Georgia High School Graduation Writing test (GHSWT) at two high schools in ruralSouth Georgia. The researcher will investigated if there is a differential benefit in terms of higher EOCT/GHSWT scores during block or traditional scheduling when considering demographic variables student gender, race, or SES. No experimentation occurred as the study relied on historical data. Both high schools were examined individually; comparing the five EOCT’s and the GHSWT under the block …

The Road Less Traveled: Alumni Perceptions Of The Georgia Early College High School Experience, Tequila Tranise Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the efforts of traditional high schools to educate all students, at-risk populations tend to lag behind their White and more affluent counterparts in educational achievement, high school graduation rates, and college attendance rates. Early College High Schools (ECHSs) were designed to attract and retain at-risk students through rigorous academic practices, strong support systems, and by providing free access to college credits while students are still in high school.

With the case study approach as a guide, this research used an open-ended interview protocol to collect data from a sample of 16 students who attended one ECHS in Georgia between …

The Landwarnet School, The Army Learning Model, And Appreciative Inquiry: How Is A Centralized Training Organization Improved By Introducing Decentralization?, Lisa Jayne Stamper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory, qualitative case study describes how a centralized training organization (LandWarNet School) was improved by introducing decentralization (Army Learning Model) toward “the best competitive position” or "sweet spot," defined by Brafman and Beckstrom (2006) as “enough decentralization for creativity, but sufficient structure and controls to ensure consistency” (pp. 189, 191). Any presence of the six chaordic elements of a decentralized organization, as described by Hock (1999), was also considered.

LandWarNet School (LWNS) trains approximately 6000 US Army Soldiers annually and is centrally organized. The new Army Learning Model (ALM) is a vision for a more decentralized training approach where …