Education Commons^™

Leading For Excellence: Leadership Behaviors That Support A High-Achieving School Environment, Amy Parangan

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the degree of importance for the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey, Drolet, and DeVore (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public school elementary principals in Northern California. A secondary purpose was to explore and describe the leadership strategies for implementing the 12-step principles proposed by Harvey et al. (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public school elementary principals in Northern California.

Methodology: The researcher used sequential explanatory mixed methods for this …

Contextualizing Aesthetics As Social Engagement For Teacher Education, Adam I. Attwood

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Aesthetics is a type of literacy; however, it has been missing in generalist meta-analyses of teacher education. This article adds to the literature by synthesizing aesthetics theory, especially for implications of the historical development of ideas related to visual arts and aesthetics broadly defined for inclusive teacher preparation that promotes social engagement. Various viewpoints are explored in this article for contextualizing the field of aesthetics education as it relates to the preparation of generalist K–12 teachers who are not training to be fine arts teachers. With context, generalist K–12 teachers can be equipped to integrate the arts across other content …

Voices Of African American Women In Computer Science: Implications For K-12 Stem Education And Beyond, Yolanda B. Sanders

Dissertations

Voices of African American Women in Computer Science is a qualitative dissertation about African American women who have successfully completed a computer science degree. This research explored how computer science education departments in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) contribute to the oppression of African American females. Critical race feminism (CRF) provides the platform that places the voices of women of color who have successfully obtained a computer science degree despite difficulties that have been imposed by the reality of racial biases that are present throughout the American education system and American culture at large. This research was guided by the following …

Resources For Teaching About Racism And Police Violence, Kerri Ullucci, Joi Spencer

Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Resource Guide For Schools And Districts: Addressing Racism In The Education System, Joi Spencer, Kerri Ullucci

Education Faculty Publications

This resource guide is designed for schools (public, private, charter, online, home, etc.), and school districts. We imagine it as a jumping off point for professional development about issues of equity, justice and anti-Blackness. Inside, you will find sources and readings to help us better understand and support Black youth. These resources can be used for ongoing professional development, for teacher book groups, with teacher leadership teams, as part of new teacher mentoring, and/or with administrative teams as they are charting new ways to support Black youth in your school.

The Effectiveness Of Codesters In Teaching Basic Computer Science Topics, Antonio Pedro Moctezuma

Theses and Dissertations

Founded in 2014, Codesters is a visual programming environment (VPE) like the popular Scratch and Alice. Its goal is to teach middle school and older student’s computer programming. Unlike its predecessors, users of Codesters drag and drop actual Python code instead of blocks and can edit the code themselves. Codesters has also developed modules that integrate coding lessons into the VPE.

In this study, we consider the Codesters Python 1 module and investigate its effectiveness in teaching the basic coding concepts of variables, loops and conditionals. During Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, we ran a coding class for eighth graders …

The Effectiveness Of Codesters In Teaching Basic Computer Science Topics, Antonio Pedro Moctezuma

Theses and Dissertations

Founded in 2014, Codesters is a visual programming environment (VPE) like the popular Scratch and Alice. Its goal is to teach middle school and older student’s computer programming. Unlike its predecessors, users of Codesters drag and drop actual Python code instead of blocks and can edit the code themselves. Codesters has also developed modules that integrate coding lessons into the VPE.

In this study, we consider the Codesters Python 1 module and investigate its effectiveness in teaching the basic coding concepts of variables, loops and conditionals. During Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, we ran a coding class for eighth graders …

An Examination Of Adult Bullying In The K-12 Workplace: Implications For School Leaders, Cynthia J. Kleinheksel, Richard T. Geisel

School Leadership Review

The issue of bullying in K-12 schools usually brings images of students to mind, but a recent quantitative study of a sample from K-12 school personnel in Michigan showed that 27.8% of adults in the K-12 workplace consider themselves the target of an adult bully. This study calls for school leadership to recognize and proactively address the issue of workplace bullying in K-12 schools through policy, procedures, training, prevention, enforcement, and positive resolution to provide a safe, non-threatening environment in which to work and learn.

Cambodian American Views Of Partnerships In Public Education, Peter T. Keo

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This study elicited the views of Cambodian American adults regarding public school partnerships. The central argument is that the paucity of extant literature and research on Southeast Asian American (SEAA) family-school partnerships in public education renders these individuals invisible. Given the fluid and dynamic lived experiences across and within the SEAA community, there is a critical need for empirical research that addresses issues particular to ethnic groups. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were utilized to collect data from Cambodian American respondents. Findings suggested the importance of culture and structure in building critical partnerships.

Where The Wild Things Are: Bring K-12 Students To Special Collections For Adventures!, Rachel Wen-Paloutzian, Carol Raby

Rachel Wen-Paloutzian

Mca Scores And Student Success, Aaron Jackson

School District Data

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) is a test taken by all Minnesota students in high school. There are three sections on the MCA Test: Math, Reading, and Science. MCA scores are used primarily for ranking Minnesota high schools. Schools are then able to tell where they rank in the state of Minnesota. The Reading and Science section are taken in 10th grade, with scores ranging from 1000-1099. Math assessments are given in 11th grade, with ranges 1100-1199. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU) used MCA scores to detect students who they believed would not be career ready. Numerous studies …

Map Test Analysis, Ansai Bio-Sawe

School District Data

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) is a computerized adaptive test, unlike a traditional test in which, students have the same questions with a predefined amount of time to take the exam. In the MAP test, each student has a different set of questions, which varies on responses to earlier questions. In fact, if the student gives the correct answer to a question, the next questions will be harder. The opposite occurs as well: if a student gives an incorrect answer, the next questions become easier. The MAP test is used to see if a student is on –track for …

Alignment Between Star And Mca For Grades 10 And 11, Li Xian Cha

School District Data

STAR, the products from a software company, Renaissance, are used for screening and progress-monitoring overtime. An alignment was completed by Renaissance between STAR and MCA, the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, for grades 3 through 8. This research study will help contribute to the research of alignment between STAR and MCA. This research is predicting the expected STAR scores by season for student proficiency in MCA reading and math at 50% and 90% probability levels. The STAR scores needed to achieve 50% and 90% chance of MCA proficiency for each season will be calculated in this study. Overall, the STAR scores needed …

Early Reading Analysis, Jessica Chiantera

School District Data

Students take different tests in Pre-K and Kindergarten to track their academic progress. For literacy skills, these tests are the Teaching Strategies GOLD, which is taken in Pre-K, and the FastBridge earlyReading, which is taken in Kindergarten. The objective of this report is to find the relationship between the Pre-K and Kindergarten tests and find which tests are the most important predictors of students overall success in Kindergarten. This study looked at students in three school districts: Princeton, Sartell-St. Stephen, and Sauk Rapids-Rice. The main things found in this research are the following:

• Regression models comparing the four Kindergarten subtests …

Being An Advocate For The Effective Integration And Education Of Refugee Children, Kate E. Crockett, Daniel Jeng

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Georgia has a growing refugee community (Division of Family and Children Services, n.d.). Successful refugee resettlement and K-12 education is dependent on school personnel understanding the emotional wellness and challenges of this population. Advocating on behalf of this population, this presentation will address the state of refugees in Georgia. Information and discussion will address the various emotional roadblocks experienced by refugees that can be an impediment to successful integration in K-12 schools. Presenters will also provide participants with available resources to address these challenges.

Not Just The Playground: Adult Bullying In The K-12 Workplace, Cynthia J. Kleinheksel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This non-experimental, explanatory, quantitative research study surveyed K-12 educators and other K-12 school employees to gather data about negative school workplace climate using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R). Through the NAQ-R and other demographic survey questions, the researcher studied the prevalence and characteristics of adult-on-adult bullying in the K-12 workplace. Categories of Emotional Intimidation, Workplace Intimidation, and Physical Intimidation were identified and regressions were completed to analyze results against a study by Einarsen, Hoel, and Notelaers (2009). Using R. J. Bies's four categories of interactional justice, the characteristics of adult bullying in the K-12 workplace were identified and analyzed to …

Are Teacher Pensions "Hazardous" For Schools?, Patten Priestley Mahler

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

I use a detailed panel of data and a unique modeling specification to explore how public schoolteachers respond to the incentives embedded in North Carolina’s retirement system. Like most public-sector retirement plans, North Carolina’s teacher pension implicitly encourages teachers to continue working until they are eligible for their pension benefits, and then leave soon afterward. I find that teachers with higher levels of quality, as measured by a teacher’s value-added to her students’ achievement test scores, are more responsive to the “pull” of teacher pensions. Younger teachers, those with higher salaries, and nonwhite teachers are also more likely to stay …

Teacher Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Technology Integration In K-12 Schools, Clarence W. M. Ames

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Advancements in technology often make life easier, make processes easier, and increase efficiency. While this is true as much in the public school system as it is in other aspects of life, technology integration initiatives often struggle in K-12 schools. In its first year of implementation, one statewide technology initiative targeting personalized learning for mathematics resulted in significantly improved proficiency in mathematics for students with high technology usage, but over 90% of students had low usage. This year, which is year two of the initiative, I went into some of the classrooms in the Junior High with the highest technology …

The Common European Framework Of Reference (Cefr) In Canada: A Research Agenda, Stephanie Arnott, Lace Marie Brogden, Farahnaz Faez, Muriel Péguret, Enrica Piccardo, Katherine Rehner, Shelley K. Taylor, Meike Wernicke

Education Publications

This article proposes a research agenda for future inquiry into the use of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in the plurilingual Canadian context. Drawing on data collected from a research forum hosted by the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers in 2014, as well as a detailed analysis of Canadian empirical studies and practice-based projects to date, the authors examine three areas of emphasis related to CEFR use: (a) K-12 education, including uses with learners; (b) initial teacher education, where additional language teacher candidates are situated as both learners and future teachers; and (c) postsecondary language learning contexts. …

Investing In Schools: Capital Spending, Facility Conditions, And Student Achievement (Revised And Edited), Paco Martorell, Kevin Stange, Isaac Mcfarlin Jr.

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Public investments in repairs, modernization, and construction of schools cost billions. However, little is known about the nature of school facility investments, whether such investments actually change the physical condition of public schools, and the subsequent causal impacts on student achievement. We study the achievement effects of nearly 1,400 capital campaigns initiated and financed by local school districts, comparing districts where school capital bonds were either narrowly approved or narrowly defeated by district voters. Overall, we find little evidence that school capital campaigns improve student achievement. Our event-study analyses focusing on students that attend targeted schools and therefore are exposed …

The Road Toward K-12 Excellence In Michigan, Kevin Hollenbeck

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Sexual Minority Educators And Public Disclosure: How Identity And Culture Influence The Decisions To Be Out In School Settings, Breanna Evans-Santiago

Theses and Dissertations

In thirty years, sexual minority educators will have taught at least 65,676,600 children. Several studies have shown that sexual minority teachers exercise the right to refrain from disclosing their sexual identity because they are aware of the possible repercussions when they "come out" in the K-12 educational setting. Choosing whether or not to disclose their sexual identities may result from the juxtaposition of deciding how and with whom to identify. This study specifically analyzes cultural factors and educators' commitments as professionals in educational settings. This study dissects the stories from five K-12 educators that identify as Lesbian or Bisexual. Several …

The Role Of Performance Management In Good Governance And Its Application In Public Education, Carolyn J. Heinrich

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Who Believes In Me? The Effect Of Student-Teacher Demographic Match On Teacher Expectations, Seth Gershenson, Stephen B. Holt, Nicholas Papageorge

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Teachers are an important source of information for traditionally disadvantaged students. However, little is known about how teachers form expectations and whether they are systematically biased. We investigate whether student-teacher demographic mismatch affects high school teachers’ expectations for students’ educational attainment. Using a student fixed effects strategy that exploits expectations data from two teachers per student, we find that non-black teachers of black students have significantly lower expectations than do black teachers. These effects are larger for black male students and math teachers. Our findings add to a growing literature on the role of limited information in perpetuating educational attainment …

The Road Toward K-12 Excellence In Michigan: How An Upgraded Financing System Can Better Support Enhanced Student Achievement, Kevin Hollenbeck, Timothy J. Bartik, Randall W. Eberts, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams

Kevin Hollenbeck

No abstract provided.

The Road Toward K-12 Excellence In Michigan: How An Upgraded Financing System Can Better Support Enhanced Student Achievement, Kevin Hollenbeck, Timothy J. Bartik, Randall W. Eberts, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams

Michelle Miller-Adams

No abstract provided.

The Road Toward K-12 Excellence In Michigan: How An Upgraded Financing System Can Better Support Enhanced Student Achievement, Kevin Hollenbeck, Timothy J. Bartik, Randall W. Eberts, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams

Randall W. Eberts

No abstract provided.

Did No Child Left Behind Affect Teacher Attendance?: Evidence From North Carolina, Seth Gershenson

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Intergovernmental (Dis)Incentives, Free-Riding, Teacher Salaries And Teacher Pensions, Maria D. Fitzpatrick

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

In this paper, I document evidence that intergovernmental incentives inherent in public sector defined benefit pension systems distort the amount and timing of income for public school teachers. This intergovernmental incentive stems from the fact that, in many states, local school districts are responsible for setting the compensation that determines the size of pensions, but are not required to make contributions to cover the resulting pension fund liabilities. I use the introduction of a policy that required experience-rating on compensation increases above a certain limit in a differences-in-differences framework to identify whether districts are willing to pay the full costs …

Impact Of Charter School Attendance On Student Achievement In Michigan, Randall W. Eberts, Kevin Hollenbeck

Randall W. Eberts

Proponents of school reform have argued that charter schools and vouchers can provide adequate market pressure to improve the performance of traditional public schools. While the number of charter schools and student enrollment have burgeoned, relatively little attention has been paid to their effects on student achievement. Proponents of charter schools suggest a direct effect on student achievement through the restructuring of teaching and learning processes and an indirect effect through peer effects on learning and through the market forces of competition. Of course, competitive pressures may result in higher achievement in traditional public schools as well. This paper focuses …