Education Commons^™

Establishing A Culture Of Reading At The Middle School Level To Improve Reading Achievement, Neal W. Clark

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Based on an analysis of the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), 30% of 6th-8th graders at Wheeler County Middle school were not meeting state reading standards. Based on evidence from questionnaires and surveys to administrators, parents, students, and teachers, students spent little time reading and have poor attitude toward reading. Students at Wheeler County Middle School simply were not reading enough to build a sufficient vocabulary or an effective level of reading comprehension. Thus, the problem on which this study focused was how to get students to read more and be more positive about reading.

The intervention for this study …

Inservice Needs Of Online Adjunct Instructors, Judy Donovan

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation examined the inservice needs of adjunct online instructors in higher education, and offered training based on their self-reported needs and interests. One of the goals was to have the participants learn ways to improve their feedback to students. Another goal was to investigate the interest in staff development of online faculty. Online instructors often have an initial training course or workshop before beginning to teach online. Although this may teach the basics, enough to allow them to manage, it usually does not cover the finer points of the course management system, nor does it cover much pedagogy …

Improving Reading Instruction And Student Achievement In Fourth Grade, Manuel C. Barreiro

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

A disproportionate number of students in Grade 4 that attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary School scored at Levels I and II on the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) Reading sub-test. To increase the number of students scoring at or above Level III, the issue of teacher preparation in the area of reading instruction and the improvement of students’ reading skills were identified as factors that can impact student achievement as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT).

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to identify and implement successful teacher training and preparation programs, to review and revise current …

Development Of A Weapons-Of-Mass-Destruction First-Responders Training Program For Peterson Clinic With Plans For Implementation And Evaluation, Angela M. Thompson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem was that there was no valid training program in place to provide the Peterson Clinic first responders with the training they needed to respond effectively to a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incident involving up to 300 patients. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to develop a WMD First-Responders Training Program for the Peterson Clinic with plans for implementation and evaluation.

A development methodology with a plan to implement and a plan to evaluate was used to complete this project. As a preliminary procedure, the needs assessment methodology was used to determine the training needs of the …

Development Of A Strategic Plan For The Implementation Of A Baccalaureate Degree In Public Safety At St. Petersburg College, Carlene M. Peterson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

St. Petersburg College (SPC) was established in 1927 as a junior college; the name was changed to St. Petersburg College effective June 6, 2001, in legislation designating SPC as a 4-year college. The problem was that the college was awarded the opportunity to expand its academic offerings and did not have a strategic plan for the implementation of a public safety baccalaureate degree. The purpose of the applied dissertation was to provide a degree path for current associate degree students and for public safety professionals to advance to administrative positions in public safety agencies.

Seven questions were developed for this …

El Uso Del Tiempo En El Aula Y El Rendimiento Académico De Los Estudiantes De Educación Básica En El Estado Bolívar, Maria Milagros Draegert

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Esta disertación aplicada tuvo como propósito mejorar el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de tercer grado de una Unidad Educativa Estadal. Esta institución participó de una intervención entre los años 1996-2001 para fortalecer la gestión pedagógica de la escuela, sus resultados en la variable aprovechamiento del tiempo fueron muy desfavorables. Esta institución no se había planteado desarrollar una estrategia de solución para atender esta problemática. Es por ello, que se consideró que a través del la implementación de un conjunto de estrategias pedagógicas eficaces, que optimizaran el uso del tiempo en el aula, podría contribuir a mejorar la situación.

La …

Programa Instruccional En Estrategias De Aprendizaje En Línea Para Mejorar El Desempeño Académico De Estudiantes Universitarios, Lisette Poggioli

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Esta disertación aplicada tuvo como propósito mejorar el desempeño académico de los estudiantes admitidos al primer año de carrera en la Escuela de Educación de una universidad católica, privada. Esta institución no se había planteado desarrollar una estrategia de solución para atender esta problemática. Dado que esta escuela está distante geográficamente del campus central, se consideró que la aplicación de un programa instruccional en estrategias de aprendizaje bajo la modalidad de educación a distancia, en línea, en ambiente Blackboard, podría contribuir a mejorar esta situación.

La investigación fue de tipo experimental. Se utilizó un diseño de grupo de control preprueba …

Teaching Fifth Grade Students With Learning Problems To Self-Regulate Writing Utilizing Mnemonics, Mary Angela Gioscia

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide students with learning disabilities the opportunity to improve their writing skills. Students were expected to organize information and utilize correct spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure in order to write independently on grade level. This was not happening. For years the writer witnessed the struggle that students with learning disabilities had encountered with written language. Graphic organizers, writing programs, and modifications made to the curricula did not solve the problem of fifth-grade students with learning disabilities to demonstrate grade level writing.

In her research the writer discovered the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model of …

Bridging The Gap In Writing In High Poverty Schools, Alexis N. Gordon

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes an intervention to improve writing scores of the 180 third and fifth grade students in six high poverty schools. These schools received Title I service in grades three and five. The Delaware State Testing Program (DSTP) identified these schools as schools in school improvement for 2000-2001, under review for 2001- 2002 or both. There was a 35% difference within these schools between the students described as high poverty and those who were not who met the writing standard.

The planned solution strategy was the development of a comprehensive writing program. Two Title I Itinerant Writing Teachers coordinated …

A Brand New Middle School: Conception To Inception, Charles W. King Ii Ii

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a practical model for building a new school. The basis for this model was the author’s experience as a public school principal with the responsibility of opening a new school. The context of this paper involved the initiation of organizational and operational processes for systems and structures associated with a new school. This model utilized recollections and recommendations of an experienced practitioner and might be considered a combination of a diagnostic aide and operational guide. This work may provide a practical model for the development, design, construction, and initial operation of a new …

Graduate Education Students Attitudes And Sense Of Preparedness To Teach Emotionally Disturbed Children, Ruth Klein

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide graduate students with skills and strategies to better prepare them to teach students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the general education classroom. Graduate students at a small liberal arts college in an eastern upstate community were requesting courses to provide them with skills to enable EBD students to be successfully included in the general education classroom. Graduate students, depending on their undergraduate degrees are required to take 12-18 credits in special education courses to qualify for a permanent teaching certificate. This provided them with limited options to take electives. For EBD …

Measuring Teacher Effectiveness: An Examination Of Student Achievement And Teacher Influence, Timothy S. Markley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to examine new ways to evaluate teachers. The extant North Carolina model placed primary emphasis on the ability of the teacher to demonstrate the certain key practices. These practices centered around the activity of the teacher. The extant evaluation system failed to take into account student learning. This resulted in a system in which over 95% of teachers were rated at standard or better. The high rating of teachers contrasted to the passing rate of students on the North Carolina End-of-Course test. Their passing rate was closer to 60%.

The writer developed a statistical model …

Connected Math Program: A Math Intervention Program For Sixth-Grade Students, Kathleen Mrozak

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The objective of this study was to find a means of increasing math achievement in the middle school grade levels of the City School District of Albany. Low math achievement was documented on the Grade 8 math assessment of the New York State Testing Program for 1998-2001. Possible causes include poor alignment of the curriculum to the state learning standards and the state testing program in math. In addition, professional development on topics of math reform needed to be made available to middle school math teachers.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a program of math reform …

Increasing Enrollment At Community Christian School, Thomas R. Lamborn

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes a program to increase enrollment at Community Christian School (CCS). For the years 2000-2002, enrollment declined from a high of 243 to 200 students. As part of the problem, the faculty turnover was high, creating instability with the staff and concern on the part of parents. CCS had a faculty turnover rate of 48% and 45% for the same 2 years. Other possible causes included insufficient marketing of the school, weak instruction in the high school, low faculty salaries, and insufficient interaction between the administrators and the faculty.

A more definitive marketing plan was developed to be …

The Implementation Of Behavior Management Strategies In An Elementary School Setting, Leary B. Adams Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Action research methods were used to examine the effects of behavior management strategies on the rate of discipline referrals at Twin Lakes Elementary School, an inner-city elementary school in Nevada. A review of archival records revealed that during the 3-year period from 1997 through 2002, the number of discipline referrals at Twin Lakes Elementary School increased from 73 to 170 referrals while enrollment showed no significant increase.

Some possible causes of the large number of discipline referrals were identified as: (a) inconsistencies in the referral process, (b) lack of support for teachers experiencing difficulty with student misbehavior, (c) lack of …

Promoting Social Emotional Intelligence In Elementary School Children, Beryl Irene Bailey

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide educators with a curriculum embedded program to prevent, curtail, or reverse the negative trajectory of poor social emotional development of elementary students. Third-grade students failed to demonstrate social emotional intelligence. They lacked discipline. They exhibited difficulty staying on task and working cooperatively with peers, repeatedly interrupted instruction, used negative language, did not return homework, and were often referred to the office for disciplinary action.

In a 5-week training session, teachers learned how to implement the writer’s Sowing SEEDS (Social Emotional and Educational Development of Students) Curriculum. This literacy-based program contained children’s literature aligned …

Leading The District-Mandated Technology Focus At Twin Lakes Elementary Through The Development, Validation, And Implementation Of A Technology Training Program, Kristen E. Bazley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Twin Lakes Elementary will be emphasizing the areas of math and technology beginning in the school year 2003-2004. The school’s infrastructure and curriculum had to be completely revised in order for technology integration to occur. Moreover, most of the teaching faculty possessed few, if any, of the computer skills they needed to function in this new environment and there was a significant degree of skepticism and resistance in adopting this new way of teaching.

The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to develop and present a training program that would enable faculty members to utilize technology instruction methods in …

Development Of A Comprehensive Professional Education, Implementation, And Evaluation Plan For Part-Time Faculty At South Puget Sound Community College, Lee Paavola

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was the lack of a process to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of parttime faculty at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). The purpose of this study was to produce a comprehensive professional education, implementation, and evaluation plan for part-time faculty.

The following five research questions were investigated as part of this study: (a) What is the current status of faculty development at SPSCC? (b) At the national level, are there models for part-time development programs that could establish a benchmark for the SPSCC program? (c) What are the essential elements of a professional development …

Development And Pilot Testing Of An Experiential Learning Formative Assessment Instrument For Undergraduate Music Therapy Clinical Students, Sue Ann Shuttleworth

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this applied dissertation was to provide a method for evaluating and improving performance in music therapy pre-internship clinical training. Some students were not transferring relevant learning from one practicum context to another or to the internship. The study focused on developing a tool that would facilitate the student’s learning from experience. An Assessment of Experiential Learning in Music Therapy Clinical Training (AELMTCT), based on Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and a preexisting instrument (Dumas’ tool), was developed for assessment and teaching purposes.

Utilizing the development problem-solving methodology, criteria to evaluate an experiential learning assessment instrument were established by …

A Comprehensive Reading Program To Increase Reading Skills Of Low-Performing Students, Annie C. Savage

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This dissertation describes a schoolwide program that was designed to improve reading skills of students at a middle school with a population of 700 students. Located in the northwest section of Huntsville, Alabama, the public school houses students in grades 6, 7, and 8. An analysis of data from the Stanford Achievement Test, the Qualitative Reading Inventory, and the Student Test and Assessment of Reading indicated that more than 50% of the students in the school were reading below their grade-level equivalency.

Several previously implemented instructional strategies, such as Accelerated Reader and the Alabama Reading Initiative Program had not impacted …

The Design Of A Professional Development Program To Train Reading Teachers To Coach Content Area Teachers, Cara Richardson

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate and provide middle school content-area teachers with ongoing support in an effort to foster reading across the curriculum. Mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts teachers participated in a mandatory content area literacy training where they were provided with research-based reading strategies to implement into their classrooms. The requirement to implement these new strategies into their daily instruction seemed overwhelming, which led to reluctance and frustration among many of the teachers.

The development methodology was used to develop the product utilizing a formative and a summative committee. The formative committee gathered data that …

Improving Character Education In Preschool Programs Through Improved Program Policies, And Through The Training Of Teachers And University Student Teachers, Cheryl N. Priest

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide training, coursework, resources, children’s materials, and program policies that would improve the development of character within preschool children enrolled in a university laboratory preschool setting. Many of the young children enrolled in this school were not exhibiting the skills often associated with character development. A number of these children were not working with others to solve social problems, did not verbalize feelings or expressed feelings in unacceptable ways, and did not identify classmates as friends. Classroom teachers also found that some children were unwilling to help others and that they were doing nothing …

An Evaluation Of An Alternative High School As A Learning Organization, David K. Moore

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem that was addressed by this evaluation study was the failure of a majority of the students who entered the Alternative Program at Miami-Douglas MacArthur Senior High School South (MDMS) to return to their schools of residence. Of those who did return, over 60% were unsuccessful. The systemic changes that were needed to resolve this problem required the faculty to function as an effective learning organization as described in the research of P. Senge. Evaluation research was conducted to determine to what extent MDMS staff was functioning within each of the 5 disciplines of a learning organization.

The data …

Is Enrollment In Algebra An Effective Strategy For Helping African American Students Pass The Mathematics Section Of The California High School Exit Exam?, Deborah Bradshaw

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Beginning with the class of 2004, all students in the state of California must pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) to graduate from high school with a diploma. This study sought to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between the mean score of 10th-grade African American students who took an algebra class prior to taking the CAHSEE and the mean score of a matched group of their peers who did not take algebra prior to taking the exam.

Results provided by the California Department of Education showed that at both the state and district level, passing the …

Development And Implementation Of A Plan To Reduce The Rate Of Failure Of Ninth-Grade Students, Deborah M. Mieczkowski

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide new information for the students and staff at Manheim Central High School. The rate of failure of Grade 9 students increased from the end of the 1998 school year to the end of the 2001 school year. Teachers and administrators did not know how to improve the students’ academic performance level. Therefore, the writer developed strategies to assist both students and teachers at Manheim high school

Approximately 60 students from a class of 289 students or 20.76% of the Grade 9 students at Manheim Central High School failed one or more subjects as …

Addressing The Response And Responsibility Of The Education System To The Social Concerns Of At-Risk Students In American Schools: An Evaluative Study Of A Partnership Intervention Program, Ina Dorman

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The social problems of students and society in general have changed dramatically over the past 2 decades, and school leaders are now challenged with how to address these changes effectively while preserving the integrity and purpose of an institution of learning.

This study identified the social, environmental, and behavioral issues facing students in a large, urban school district with a population of over 250,000 students. This qualitative analysis examined the data and risk factors that impact the academic achievement of students and the response by the organization leaders to respond adequately to the challenges.

The school district is situated in …

Examining The Bullying Problem At Hopewell Memorial Junior High School, James M. Walsh

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This study suggested a means for a school community to take a stand against student bullying. Many schools exist in the quagmire of disrespect and bullying. A school such as Hopewell Memorial Junior High is a typical example. In the 2000-2001 school year, there were 412 reported acts of student bullying to school administration. Of these discipline reports (referrals), 412 out of 785 total (52%) involved bullying. In the 2001-2002 school year, there were 306 reported acts of student bullying, which was 34% of the 877 total reports.

Through thoughtful analysis of this problem and consideration of the research literature, …

Mesquite Leadership Academy: One Solution To The Administrator Shortage, Jeanne C. Stone

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to address the shortage of administrators in the Mesquite Independent School District. The school administrator has recently been described as an endangered species (Chapko and Buchko 2001.) Across the country, school districts are faced with the challenge of hiring and retaining competent principals and assistant principals. The Mesquite Independent School District in Mesquite, Texas found itself facing this same challenge in 2001, so much so that the district’s superintendent put it forth as one of the district’s four goals for the year: to build leadership capacity in the district. For a district as large as …

Entrance And Exit Guidelines For Speech And Language Programs In North Orange County, Joe H. Gillentine Jr.

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of applied dissertation was to assist the 5 school districts of the North Orange County (NOC) special education local plan area (SELPA) to develop entrance and exit guidelines for speech and language impairments (SLI).

Seventy-five state SELPA directors were asked if they had developed entrance and exit criteria for speech and language programs. Of the 18 responding, 4 directors reported that they had developed criteria. The state data revealed that all 4 of these SELPAs had a lower percentage of students identified as SLI than the NOC SELPA. Interviews of 10 speech and language pathologists (SLP) in the …

Rekindling The Flame: Avoiding Teacher Burnout And Stress, John White

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes a program that targeted the teachers at Carver Elementary School. Teachers have indicated through informal interviews and a formal survey that they are burned out. Attendance and sick leave records show that teacher absenteeism reached 319 days in 2002.

The school is a public school with a population of 680 students in Grades Kindergarten through 6. Implemented solution strategies included (a) a beginning teacher program, (b) a teacher incentive and rewards program, (c) a teacher resource plan, (d) a professional development plan, (e) a time management course, and (f) a leadership training for the researcher.

The …