Education Commons^™

Teachers' Efforts To Support Undocumented Students Within Ambiguous Policy Contexts, Hillary Parkhouse, Virginia R. Massaro, Melissa J. Cuba, Carolyn N. Waters

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Although education scholars have recently focused greater attention on the experiences of undocumented youth in schools, few studies have examined educators' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities with regards to this population. Since the 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe guaranteed education to this group and barred schools from inquiring about immigration status, little additional policy has offered guidance on how schools can support this group while also refraining from identifying it's members. Policies are particularly lacking in new destination areas where there are fewer resources and less infrastructure for new immigrant populations. As increasingly harsh immigration enforcement policies …

The Preparation And Certification Of School Librarians: Using Causal Educational Research About Teacher Characteristics To Probe Facets Of Effectiveness, Sue C. Kimmel, Marcia A. Mardis, Shana Pribesh, Laura A. Pasquini, Barbara Schultz-Jones, Faye R. Jones, Lois D. Wine, Lenese M. Colson

STEMPS Faculty Publications

How do we define a high-quality school librarian? Decades of educational researchers have attempted to link teacher characteristics—such as how teachers are prepared, which credentials they carry, and years of experience—to student outcomes. These researchers have contended that individual educator attributes may have a direct effect on what and how much their students learn. School librarians are also teachers who have direct student contact, and although numerous studies have indicated that school librarian preparation, licensure, and other background characteristics are promising areas for further direct exploration, researchers have yet to examine if, how, and why school librarians’ certification or preparation …

Exploring Concerns Of K-12 Online Educators, Tadd Spencer Farmer

Theses and Dissertations

Although a relatively small number of K-12 students are currently enrolled in online classes, the dramatic growth in online enrollments in recent years suggests that online education will play a significant role in the future landscape of public education. While our understanding of online teaching and learning continues to grow, relatively little is known about the experiences of teachers as they engage in online teaching. In particular, very little is known about the concerns of teachers as they navigate their teaching roles and responsibilities in an online teaching environment. Using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, this qualitative study explored the …

Future Critical Issues And Problems Facing Technology And Engineering Education In The Commonwealth Of Virginia, Petros Katsioloudis, Johnny J. Moye

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this research was to determine the future critical issues and problems facing the K-12 technology and engineering education profession in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This study was based on the Wicklein nationwide studies (1993a, 2005). Even though this study did not exactly replicate the Wicklein studies--since it was limited to the Commonwealth of Virginia--the method and questions used were identical. The modified Delphi research design was used to draw consensus among technology and engineering education experts in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Seventy-five percent of the participants agreed with one another concerning the top five critical problems and …

Research Needs For Technology Education: A U.S. Perspective, Gene Martin, John Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This study was conducted for the purpose of identifying research needs for technology education by generating a rank-ordered list of research topics that the profession's members might wish to explore individually or in collaboration with colleagues and students. The researchers' goal was to provide a concise list of topics that could be used by the profession to better position itself within the greater educational community, not to provide a call for action. The anticipated beneficiaries of this study are researchers who identify themselves as furthering the development of the technology education school subject. Professionals may use the list found in …

The School Leadership Program Communication Hub: Building Actionable Knowledge About Improving Leadership Preparation, Steve Myran, Karen Sanzo, Jennifer Clayton

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Recent critics of university-based educational leadership preparations programs have alleged that the programs are out of touch with the contemporary practices of PK-12 school leaders. These complaints about preparation programs have resulted in new and innovative ways to prepare leaders, including the federally funded United States Department of Education School Leadership Program. This manuscript documents the development of a "Communication Hub", which serves as a vehicle to disseminate lessons learned about the United States Department of Education School Leadership Program. While the Communication Hub is still in its early phases of development and finding the best paths to serve the …

A New Generation Of Goals For Technology Education, John M. Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

[Introduction, First paragraph]

To develop meaningful instructional programs for technology education, goals need to be in place to direct the outcomes of curriculum development and teaching. Goals are program terminal outcomes that focus curriculum writers or teachers who structure content for learners. Goals provide direction so content can be delivered for long-term impact to students who study the subject. They go beyond everyday teaching objectives; they are directed at long-term learning and programmatic outcomes.

Nebraska Internet Evaluation Report, Year 5, Neal Topp, Neal Grandgenett, Elliott Ostler, Robert Mortenson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

his final report of a comprehensive five-year evaluation process focused on examining the progress of the statewide implementation of Internet technology, as well as the general impact on teachers, students, and schools of statewide connectivity and training efforts in K-12 schools in Nebraska. The evaluation process was based on three primary types of data--teacher/principal survey data, machine-based Educational Service Unit (ESU) support data, and observed classroom uses and projects. Results are reported in the following areas: teacher use of the Internet; principal use of the Internet; student use of the Internet; the impact of Internet on classroom settings; example teacher …

The Community Discovered: The Search For Meaning Through The Integration Of Art And Technology In K-12 Education - Annual Progress Report No. 3, Kathy Coufal, Neal Grandgenett, Westside Community Schools

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This third evaluation progress report concerns a 5-year project that links technology and the visual and performing arts with other subject areas to transform the education of K-12 students in Nebraska and nationwide. The report states that the "Community Discovered" project is continuing to make substantial and consistent progress in its training, classroom integration, and evaluation activities. It explains that the project focuses on enhancing education by developing interdisciplinary constructivist curriculum units that deliver the arts and art resources to the classrooms of Nebraska and the world via the use of the Internet, describing the project as a multi-element education …

The Community Discovered: The Search For Meaning Through The Integration Of Art And Technology In K-12 Education - Evaluation Progress Report No. 2, Kathy Coufal, Neal Grandgenett, Westside Community Schools

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

This second evaluation progress report concerns a 5-year project that links technology and the visual and performing arts with other subject areas to transform the education of K-12 students in Nebraska and nationwide. The report states that the project's focus is to develop curriculum models of engaged student learning using technology and resources of the Information Superhighway, and that a special emphasis has been placed on serving disadvantaged students in rural and urban areas. It also states that the project is being conducted by the Westside Community Schools in Omaha, Nebraska, and that five art museums are currently involved. The …

The Community Discovered: The Search For Meaning Through The Integration Of Art And Technology In K-12 Education - Evaluation Progress Report No. 1, Kathy Coufal, Neal Grandgenett, Westside Community Schools

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The project of focus in this evaluation progress report is currently completing the second year of full operation and is a 5-year project that links technology and the visual and performing arts with other subject areas to transform the education of K-12 students in Nebraska and nationwide. The report notes that special emphasis is placed on serving disadvantaged students in rural and urban areas. It states that the project's focus is to develop curriculum models of engaged student learning using technology and resources of the "Information Superhighway," and that five museums are also involved. The report explains that the project …

Nebraska Internet Evaluation Project: Year 2 Progress Report, Neal Topp, Neal Grandgenett, Elliott Ostler, University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Nebraska Consortium Of Educational Service Units

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The goals of the Internet Evaluation Project, undertaken cooperatively by the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the Nebraska Consortium of Educational Service Units, focus on a long range assessment of Internet integration into the K-12 Nebraska schools and the support delivered by the Educational Service Units (ESUs). The purpose of this report is to relate progress, after 24 months, of a comprehensive evaluation process, which is examining the impact on teachers, students, and schools. In addition to a pre-training and post-training teacher survey data, information is being gathered from machine-based ESU server support data, and observed classroom uses and …

Strategic Planning: Key Environment Indicators For Pennsylvania, Carole A. George

Carole A. George

Now that the State Board of Education has adopted new regulations requiring all school districts to develop a strategic plan, it seems useful to describe the role of demographic information in that planning process. This Pennsylvania Educational Policy Studies (PEPS) report provides a rationale for considering information regarding key environmental factors in the district's strategic planning process. The factors considered include those representing the family environment, the community, and the possible competition from non-public schools. This paper also describes ways in which Pennsylvania's school districts vary with respect to these demographic factors, and how the latest version of PEPS PC …

Developing School Based Decision Making Capacities In Kentucky: Communication Satisfaction After The Pilot Year, Jane Clark Lindle

Publications

Among several innovations in public school curriculum and financing, the 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) also included a school-governance provision. School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Councils include administrators, teachers, and parents in addressing school-level curriculum and instructional issues. These groups have not had a history of collaboration. This paper presents findings of a study that described the developing relationships among these constituent groups at the end of the pilot year. Data were derived from a survey that asked 385 pilot-year School Council members to rate their satisfaction with council communication on a Likert-type inventory. Usable responses were received from 211 …