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Gifted Education In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools: A Descriptive Study., Kathryn Ann Ross-Sisco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine gifted education programs in public schools in Northeast Tennessee. There is a wide disparity among established gifted programs regarding the identification of the students, the eligibility of the students, and the services they receive. This disparity has led to varying levels of support and service for gifted children in Northeast Tennessee. A survey was developed and distributed to individuals who oversee the gifted department in their school system. Data were collected regarding gifted student identification processes, individual program requirements, funding of gifted programs, professional development, and advanced teacher training.

National research has …

An Examination Of Science Nce Scores Of Students Of Participating And Nonparticipating Teachers In East Tennessee State University Summer Science Institute., Kevin Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of East Tennessee State University's summer science institute training through the effect on mean Normal Curve Equivalent science test scores of students in a Northeast Tennessee school system whose teachers participated in the ETSU summer science institute training. Data analysis were compiled using students' science NCE scores to determine if there were significant differences in scores for those students whose teachers participated in the summer science institutes and those who did not participate. Students' NCE scores were compiled from the middle school setting over a 3-year academic period: 2004-2005, 2005-2006, …

The Impact Of Systematic Professional Development On Selected Areas Of Student Performance In Selected Missouri School Buildings, Clifford J. Carver

Dissertations

With the constraints under the No Child Left Behind Act, schools face the challenges of meeting extremely high standards with students. Recent research generally focuses on the role of professional development in school reform. Although a great deal has been written on the topic of professional development, the empirical literature on the topic is much less extensive. Few studies have actually documented its impact on student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of systematic professional development on selected areas of student performance in selected Missouri school buildings. This research study was quantitative in nature and …

Culturally Relevant Professional Development: An Examination Of Race, Practice, And Self Through An Africa-American Teacher Study Group, Charnita V. West

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This naturalistic investigation examined how the implementation of a teacher study group assisted African-American teachers in instituting culturally relevant pedagogy. Ladson-Billings (1994) coined the term culturally relevant pedagogy to address the need for developing and implementing authentic methods for teaching African-American students. However, teachers also need opportunities to be engaged in learning experiences that will facilitate their growth in this area. Although teacher study groups are a popular form of professional development (Birchak et al., 1998), research on teacher study groups designed exclusively for African-American teachers is absent from the literature. Informed by tenets of sociocultural theory (Lave & Wenger, …

Acceptability, Integrity And Perceived Effectiveness Of Kinder Training, Natalya Ann Edwards

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

ABSTRACT ACCEPTABILITY, INTEGRITY AND PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS OF KINDER TRAINING by Natalya A. Edwards There has been limited research on the effectiveness of kinder training, but those studies that have been conducted show promising results. The majority of past kinder training studies utilized quantitative methods. The current study implemented a qualitative approach to examining the acceptability, integrity and perceived effectiveness of kinder training. The researchers explored the perceptions that a group of elementary school teachers had of the content and process of kinder training, including its impact on teaching beliefs and practices, student behavior, the teacher-child relationship, and classroom management skills. …

Exploring Current Practices Of Supervisors In Government Primary Schools In Karachi, Pakistan, Nilofar Vazir, Noor Hussain

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper explores the current practices of supervisors in Government Primary Schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Research participants included two supervisors, two head teachers and four primary school teachers. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, informal discussions, documents analysis. Findings suggest that since, the supervisors are not provided with the TORs by Education department their practices are influenced by the way they are appointed and the ways they learn about their roles and responsibilities in the schools. Since supervisory practices are mostly hanging between supervision and monitoring, these neither fulfill the criteria of Supervision nor of Monitoring and Evaluation. Their routine …

Multiple Paths To Critical Reflection: A Flexible Model Of Teacher Learning And Its Impact On Student Achievement, Susan B. Koba, Carol Mitchell

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This research evaluated impact of the Omaha Public Schools' Urban Systemic Program professional development model on mathematics and science teacher change and student achievement. The model offered various participation pathways, focused teachers' learning in three areas (beliefs, content, and pedagogy) and required teacher reflection during classroom strategy implementation. To determine teacher change, observations, interviews, action research, pre-post perception profiles, retrospective pre-post surveys (beliefs and understandings), and exit surveys were completed. Participants' action research determined impact . on students' understandings. Criterion Referenced· Tests, as well as leadership pre- and post- surveys, action research and interviews determined school change. To evaluate program …

Does Standards-Based Teacher Evaluation Improve Schools? An Investigation Of Teacher Perceptions Of Appraisal Systems, Joseph A. Batchelor

Master of Education Research Theses

Three years after implementing a standards-based teacher evaluation system in a private K-12 school, research was conducted to determine what attitudes and perceptions teachers had on the effectiveness of the system. The survey includes questions about the teacher evaluation process and the goals of the test school in implementing the process. The goals for adopting the standards-based teacher evaluation system were (1) increased student learning, (2) improving instruction, (3) developing a mentoring program, (4) focusing professional development, and (5) facilitating collegiality. The sample for the survey included 87 teachers (group AB) from schools in the Southeast, of which 21 (group …

Innovative Communication: Using Technology To Connect With Your Constituents, Larry D. Long

Larry D. Long

No abstract provided.