Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Managing Teacher Attrition: Improving Teacher Self-Efficacy Through The Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities, Stephanie Peagler

All Dissertations

Teacher retention is at a more critical place in education than ever before. School districts are struggling to hire and retain teachers, partially due to COVID-19 and its overwhelming impact. Teacher retention was an issue for South Carolina public schools before and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study focused on how the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) can increase teacher self-efficacy and teacher retention rates within a large high school in South Carolina. An improvement science study with a concurrent mixed methods study with an embedded qualitative study approach was used throughout the research study to …

Education And Entertainment: Developing New Pathways To Student Engagement Through Library Services And Student Life Partnerships, Ruth A. Monnier, Mary Mercer, Anna Stark

Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings

The COVID-19 pandemic caused higher ed professionals to pivot how they engage students in programs and events. For the 2020-2021 academic year, Pittsburg State University’s Student Life and Library Services created a series of virtual trivia nights. This paper will use the virtual trivia series as a case study to demonstrate the beneficial partnership between Student Life and Library Services at Pittsburg State University. This paper will highlight successes and suggestions on bridging the gap and replicating such a partnership at your institution.

Trust In Leadership To Develop Collaborative School Culture And Effective Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities, Kara Mieszanek

Dissertations

DISSERTATION: TRUST IN LEADERSHIP TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Kara N. Mieszanek National Louis University

ABSTRACT

In education, we are constantly working toward increasing student achievement. Often, we pursue technical elements such as implementing programs, data analysis, utilizing assessment tools, embedding evaluation systems, etc. However, there is another critical element that may all too often get overlooked—the culture. The purpose of this study was to strip away all the layers required to achieve systemic change by observing what is at the core of it all: trust. Through qualitative and quantitative research, I took …

Bringing Out The Best Of Leaders, Teachers, And Students In The Midst Of Covid-19: Lessons Learned From Russell County, Alabama, Adam Kilcrease Phd

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 caused negative effects related to the economy, families, and the public education sector; however, one system in Russell County emerged from the pandemic with stories to share. The purpose of this article was to describe an effective School Closure Plan related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russell County, Alabama. Guided by the system's superintendent, leaders, teachers, students, and guardians joined forces to navigate the unfamiliar roads of the health crisis while providing continued opportunities for students to learn in virtual and blended formats. With a focus on critical standards outlined by the Alabama State Department …

Experiences And Perceptions Of Rural Junior High Teachers Participating In A Professional Learning Community, Pamela Ann Mills Gambrel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative descriptive case study, the researcher investigated how junior high school teachers’ perceptions of the role of how professional learning communities (PLCs) shaped their instructional practices in a rural Title I school in Texas. Exploring and understanding the experiences and perceptions of the teachers and administrators that participated in an English, language arts, and reading PLC provided valuable data that helped the administration determine professional development opportunities that could improve the instructional strategies of the teachers. By collaborating, analyzing student data, and sharing teaching strategies, the teachers were empowered to take ownership and improve their instructional practices. Examining …

Co-Teaching As A Vehicle To Inclusion In A Diverse Suburban Middle School: A Case Study, Luis Correa

Dissertations

Many school districts across the United States have adopted, or are considering adopting, full inclusion to meet academic and social-emotional needs of increasingly diverse student populations. Co-teaching has become a popular approach for districts committed to inclusion. This study is about a Midwestern school district which more than 10 years ago committed itself to inclusion and co-teaching. The primary research question was: How do we make co-teaching more effective in the Fairview School District? A survey was sent to 120 co-teachers from three middle schools about their experiences with co-teaching in the areas of sharing responsibilities, co-teaching relationships, planning time, …

Video Composition, Creative Discourse, And Facilitated Freedom: A Teacher's Journey To Reveal Student Potential, Michael A. Brinkmeyer

MSU Graduate Theses

This research project was conducted in response to students’ lack of engagement in traditional modes of instruction and composition in a high school English Language Arts course. In order to better understand students as creative composers of knowledge, this research project asked students to engage in the video production process in collaborative groups. The research was conducted over the course of eight class periods in three different sections of Junior-level English Language Arts courses. Analysis of the data from this study reveals three important findings: 1) students respond well to creative and relevant performance assessments; 2) students’ collaborative conversations, or …

The Year One Book: Gemnasium (A Transdisciplinary Test Lab For Social Change), Brian Laduca, Adrienne Ausdenmoore, Anne R. Crecelius, Kevin P. Hallinan, Connie L. Bowman, Jackie M. Arnold, Philip Appiah-Kubi, Jana M. Bennett, Rebecca P. Blust, Michelle Hayford, Jerome Yorke, Mike Puckett, Castel Sweet

IACT Reports, Publications and Resources

Through an experimental process that is mutually beneficial to community partners, more opportunities for undergraduate research and experiential learning are cultivated. The GEMnasium accomplished this through active efforts of teaching, researching and partnering with the core ethos of the University in mind:

Learn: Teaching - Prepare servant-leaders through comprehensive academic and residential curricula and extraordinary experiential learning opportunities.

Lead: Researching - Perform research that leads to deeper understanding, addresses critical issues, and supports economic growth.

Serve: Partnering - Engage in mutually beneficial partnerships to strengthen our communities in Dayton and around the world.

In doing so, faculty and staff prototyped …

We Did It! A Collaborative Collection Development Project At The Ku And Ksu Libraries, Lea H. Currie, Mira Greene

Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings

For many years, the KU and KSU Libraries have looked for a method of combining their resources to create a collaborative collection development project. When KSU joined YBP as their main book vendor, it became evident that such a project might get off the ground since KU Libraries were longtime customers of YBP. Since Proquest was the main vendor for e-books for both schools and YBP sold e-books from Proquest, KU and KSU decided to approach their e-book specialist with Proquest to find out if a collaborative demand-driven (DDA) e-book project was possible. Proquest negotiated with the publishers the two …

Common Core State Standards : Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Administrator Supports With A Focus On Professional Learning Communities And Walk Throughs., Kara Joan Ammerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, there was a major instructional shift in the state of Kentucky. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted and funding was provided to the state by Race to the Top in order to facilitate implementation of the CCSS (Kentucky Department Education, 2014c). Within this framework, teachers and administrators have had to re-examine the education of students and, specifically, administrators have had to rethink their approach to supporting teachers. To address these new standards, teachers and administrators had to restructure how students were taught. Implementing CCSS requires teachers to teach students differently than they did before. Two widely implemented …

Learning Through Collaboration And Partnership, Gloria Creed-Dikeogu

Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings

Collaboration is vital when it comes to serving academic library patrons. In 2014, the Ottawa University library benefitted from six different partnerships. Along the way, librarians learned valuable lessons which can be applied to future collaborative endeavors.

College And Career Ready: What’S The Library Got To Do With It?, Janet Anderson-Story, Carmaine Ternes, Joy Haegert

Kansas Library Association College and University Libraries Section Proceedings

College and Career Ready, Career Clusters, and Career Pathways are buzz words often heard but not always understood. These terms will be discussed as information about the collaborative activities between Emporia High School (EHS) and Flint Hills Technical College (FHTC) is shared. One responsibility of Emporia High School guidance counselors is to assist students in exploring and choosing career pathway courses. To support the counselors, the librarians at both institutions have created resources and activities that engage students in career exploration. The FHTC librarian created a LibGuide that includes online handbooks, reports, and crosswalks from FHTC programs to the six …

Communication: The Key To Collaboration Between Special And General Education Teachers, Alexandra Slatoff

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Teachers often do not communicate with one another when working to meet the needs of their students. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the need, nature and manner by which general and special education teachers communicate and collaborate to address the educational needs of their students.

A review of the educational literature reveals that a burden is placed on the educational community given the often conflicting statutory obligations to: fully include special needs students in the general classroom, comply with State mandated general education curriculum requirements and implement instructional guidelines required by Individual Educational Plans (IEP) …

Importance Of School Library Programs, Cynthia Strong

SPU Works

Within the discipline of library science, over 20 research studies have been done in the United States attesting to how high-quality school library programs contribute to improved academic achievement. On the other hand, in the fields of education, school counseling, administration, and school leadership, and so on, there is a dearth of scholarship and recognition of the positive impact librarians and library media program have on student success. This conceptual paper first presents an overview of the empirical research on school library programs and the positive impact they have on the academic achievement of students in the United States. Second, …

Small Schools And Libraries: A Combination For Success, Kathryn L. Mcgrath

Faculty Works

This article explores the importance of library access for K-12 students and offers concrete solutions for making this possible for small schools.