Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Factors Which Impact The Conduct Of Fifth Grade African-American Males, Derricka Bashetta Thomas

Dissertations

This study examines the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American male students who participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K). The participants in this study are located throughout the United States of America. These students attend private and public schools. The data for this study were provided by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The researcher utilized ECLS-K’s Public Use Data File and Electronic Codebook to create an SPSS syntax file in order to measure the factors that impact the conduct of fifth grade African- American …

Myths And Poor Policy Affecting The Future Of School Superintendents, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Across the country, state policymakers are acting to weaken professional standards for school superintendents. Nine states no longer require a license for this position and among the remaining 41 states, over half (54%, including Ohio) have provisions for waivers or emergency certificates and 15 states (37%, including Ohio) sanction alternative preparation programs for licensure (Feistritzer, 2003). Sadly, this trend toward de-professionalizing the most influential position in public education is being fueled by myths and unless it is curtailed, it will seriously damage our public education system.

How Teacher Attitudes And Administrator Behaviors Affect Levels Of Technology Integration In The Classroom, Sheri Leigh Bradshaw

Dissertations

Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate how well teachers’ attitudes predict levels of technology integration into the classroom. This study also investigated whether perceived support from the administrator as the instructional leader was related to teachers’ levels of technology integration into the classroom. The population for this study included identified school districts in rural North Georgia. Utilizing the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the 2002-2003 school year, the researcher identified 5 peer districts: Franklin County, Gilmer County, Stephens County, Union County, and White County. All middle and high school teachers within a district were invited to …

Superintendents ’ Perceptions Of Clinical Supervision Practices In A District-Wide Implementation Program, Myrna Rae Ladner Bourgeois

Dissertations

In 1990 a new idea swept through the educational industry. Forty-nine school districts in Pennsylvania instituted a new form of organizational management called clinical supervision. In effect, this was a change in the relationship between administration and teachers concerning instructional behaviors. Formerly, when teachers were supervised and evaluated by administrators, they felt intimidated. They also felt their privacy was being invaded. Clinical supervision is an attempt to organize the methodology of teacher supervision while improving instruction. The purpose of this study was to provide data to the participating school districts for use in developing supervision, evaluation, and involvement training modification …

Indiana School Districts' Capacity To Use Student-Data Information Systems For Analysis And Decision Making, Rodney A. King

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study investigated if student data is readily accessible and utilized to determine the academic abilities of the student. This study also investigated the current capabilities of the district and school to perform multiple tasks pertinent to data collection, assessment, and to what extent the system could be utilized to predict the principles of instructional change, staff training, communication and feedback. A review of the literature was conducted to design a survey instrument to measure the capacity of school districts student data-information systems. The population of this study consisted of all superintendents, assistant superintendents, business managers, or technology directors in …

The Levy Process And Your Constituents: Know The Issues, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

School levies and bond issues have dramatically increased across the country. State funding formulas that limit inflationary growth in revenue, more man- dates that require additional resources, and changes in tax laws all contribute to this growing phenomenon.

More and more, school boards are turning to their constituents for financial support through the levy process. School business officials and other education leaders are looking at a variety of approaches and techniques for increasing the likelihood of voters’ approving levies. One technique is to survey constituents to determine the issues foremost on their minds. Data collected through statistically accurate survey techniques …

Mentoring Teacher's Stories: Caring Mentors Help Novice Teachers Stick With Teaching And Develop Expertise, Jarene Fluckiger, Sheryl Mcglamery, Nancy Edick

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The article describes the challenges being faced by novice teachers and the role of mentors for novice teachers to stay in the profession and develop expertise. Educators have gathered evidence showing the need for mentors to help novice teachers stay in teaching and develop into master teachers. Longitudinal quantitative studies have indicated that novice teachers participating in this comprehensive induction program improved their effectiveness faster than their peers not in such a program. A frequently cited reason for attrition is teacher isolation.

Teaching Quality In Self-Study Research, Ayesha Bashiruddin

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

This paper discusses how the Master of Education (MEd) students at AKU-IED are empowered to understand and monitor quality in self study research. The paper is based on the experience of teaching self study research over a period of three years. During this period, students in the Teacher Learning course in the MEd programme were asked to explore their journey of becoming teachers and teacher educators using self study research. As an end product the students were asked to write an autobiography. During these processes of self-exploration and the writing process, they were asked to follow guidelines identified by Bullough …

The Utilization Of Gender, Retention, Ses And Steep Scores To Predict Reading Mastery, Lisa Lee Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores to predict reading mastery. Second grade students’ records were reviewed to obtain demographic information. SAT 9 scores were used to measure students' reading mastery. SES was measured and defined by approved applications for free or reduced lunch for the 2004-2005 school year. Retention was defined as the number of students previously retained. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictive validity of gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores dependent on SAT 9 reading mastery. Gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores were entered as …

Effects Of Charter School Laws On Charter School Performance, Kristen R. Hoffman

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Problem Statement

Many issues exist in the public school system in the United States today. The main problems are: 1) American students are performing below their peers in other developed nations; 2) American high school graduates have trouble competing in the global economy; 3) Large achievement gaps exist between subgroups of American students. One of the many recommended policy solutions is to create charter schools to induce innovation and competition into the public school system.

Research Question

While many researchers have looked at charter school outcomes, few consider the effects of charter school laws on student achievement. My research question …

Principals' Use Of Student Achievement Data To Improve Schools And Influence Change, Tracy Lorey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to 1) determine how principals use student achievement data to initiate school improvement, and 2) examine the relationship between test scores and how change is influenced in schools. The study surveyed 262 principals of Title I elementary schools with a kindergarten through fifth grade configuration regarding data usage and their perception of change. 2004-2005 IS TEP+ percent mastery scores were utilized to determine the top and bottom performing schools for the data usage portion of the study. Percent mastery scores on the 2004-2005 ISTEP+ were also used to determine a relationship between perceived influences …

School Reform Strategies And Normative Expectations For Democratic Leadership In The Superintendency, George J. Peterson, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The concept of democratic leadership emerged in the early decades of the twentieth century in response to the effects of social change on schools and to growing dissatisfaction with autocratic management. One of its most prominent advocates was John Dewey, an eminent philosopher who viewed scientific management’s obsession with efficiency to be detrimental to a well-balanced social interest (Razik & Swanson, 2001). Democratic school administration was not practiced widely, however, until America had suffered a great economic depression circa 1930. After many successful businesses failed, classical theory and scientific management, the philosophical pillars of the Industrial Revolution, lost much of …

Facing An Uncertain Future: An Investigation Of The Preparation And Readiness Of First-Time Superintendents To Lead In A Democratic Society, Theodore J. Kowalski, George J. Peterson, Lance D. Fusarelli

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The preparation of superintendents is a critical component, an essential element, of systemic education reform, although as (Cooper, Fusarelli, Jackson, & Poster, 2002) observed, “the process is rife with difficulties,” including synchronization of preparation and actual practice, the theory-practice disconnect, the need for life-long learning, and development of an adequate knowledge base (Cooper et al., 2002, p. 242).

The vast majority of research on the efficacy of administrator preparation programs focuses on principals. Most doctoral programs in educational administration serve as de facto preparation programs for superintendents, even though some contain little coursework specifically tailored for the position (Andrews & …

Role Expectations Of The District Superintendent: Implications For Deregulating Preparation And Licensing, Theodore J. Kowalski, Lars G. Björk

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

At this juncture when policymakers are being asked to choose between deregulation and reform, problems affecting the superintendency need to be framed appropriately and policy decisions need to be based on evidence and not raw politics or emotion. Deregulating a profession clearly is a serious matter that is prudent either when the need for the state to protect the public from practitioners is no longer valid or when the underlying knowledge has been found to be fraudulent or irrelevant (Kowalski, 2004). This paper identifies role expectations and position requirements that have evolved for school district superintendents over the past 100 …

Why Are School Districts Abandoning The Core-Plus Mathematics Curriculum, Amber Rae Richgels

Mathematics Graduate Theses

In this paper, the author establishes that high schools are abandoning the Core-Plus Mathematics curriculum and determines the need for curricular reform and the motivation to develop such standards-based programs. She discovers that although Core- Plus is a nationally recognized, exemplary mathematics curriculum, school districts are deciding to discontinue the curricular option of Core-Plus. The author reviewed literature and interviewed teachers from schools that have recently decided to abandon Core-Plus in attempt to determine factors leading to these decisions. This paper discusses those interviews, provides suggestions for the future adoption of Core-Plus, and concludes with recommendations that further study be …

Action Research For Female Science Teacher Development: Case Pakistan, Harcharan Pardhan

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Primary Teacher Work Study Report, Jenny Wilkinson, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Adrian Beavis

Teacher workforce and careers

This research was conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2005. The study was a result of the New Zealand Primary Teachers Collective Agreement 2004-2007 which specified that a workload study be complete to consider how the work of a teacher could be better structured, resourced and organised to support more effective classroom teaching. The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the nature and patterns of primary teachers' work. The research was commissioned by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Developing Policy For Part-Time School Administration Faculty, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This inquiry is an analysis of the trend toward infusing practitioners into the preparation of school administrators. Motives for increasing the number of part-time employees in higher education are identified and specific problems associated with the deployment of these instructors are discussed. The argument is made that the merits of this trend depend on the extent to which department policy addresses adjunct faculty employment, deployment and development in relation to a reform vision and strategy. Essential policy considerations related to involving practitioners are recommended.

Evolution Of The School District Superintendent Position, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Clearly, no issue is currently more crucial to the future of the position of school district superintendent than the battle being fought over professional preparation and state licensing. The intent of licensing professionals is to protect society and not the licensee. Consequently, a decision to deregulate a profession should not be made solely in political arenas in which self- and group interests are more likely to outweigh societal interests. This chapter is grounded in the belief that persons within a profession, regardless of their personal views, have a responsibility to ensure that policy debates of this magnitude will be objective …

Researching Practice, Practicing Research: Impact On Teaching And Learning, Bernadette L. Dean, Rahat Joldoshalieva, Muneeza Kizilbash

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper shares the findings of an action research study on the use of whole class discussion (WCD) in the classroom and will concentrate on the benefits and learning that accrue to students and teachers from the use of action research to facilitate discussion. It was observed that teachers appreciated enlarging their instructional repertoire and they also acknowledged that stepping back during discussion, however difficult, had enabled them to learn more from the students and also develop key academic and social skills. During this project, teachers learned how to identify and address specific problems in their classrooms and students displayed …

The Effects Of The Use Of Dynamic Geometry Software On Student Achievement And Interest, Heidi B. Hansen

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This study examines the current research that exists on the effects that the use of dynamic geometry software has on student achievement and interest level in mathematics. Additional questions examined are whether using dynamic geometry software has a greater impact on high or low achievers, and what current methods of implementation are suggested by the research. A review of the relevant literature indicates that the use of dynamic geometry software does have a positive effect on student achievement, particularly achievement in areas of high-level thinking. Insufficient research has been done on the effect that the use of dynamic geometry software …

Benchmarks For Assessing The Technological Literacy Of A Highly Qualified Paraprofessional, Antoinette P. Bruciati, María Lizano-Dimare

Education Faculty Publications

Under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) all instructional paraprofessionals working in a program supported under Title I, Part A, are required to meet the federal definition of being highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. In meeting the NCLB requirements, the capacity to support teaching and learning activities in the content areas must be demonstrated. As school districts incorporate increasing amounts of technology into their classroom curricula, the role of the paraprofessional must keep pace with new pedagogical methods for using technology to support student learning. Through the development of …

Connecticut Blueprint For A Nclb “Housse” In Educational Technology, Antoinette P. Bruciati

Education Faculty Publications

According to the United States Department of Education, teacher quality is one of the most critical aspects of the teaching and learning process. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has required that state agencies assume the responsibility for increasing student achievement and ensuring teacher quality by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The NCLB outlines minimum qualifications that are needed by teachers who work on any facet of classroom instruction and authorizes state administrators to establish the criteria through which an experienced teacher will meet the subject matter competencies in a specific content area. This paper …

The Ongoing War For The Soul Of School Administration, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The volume in which this essay appears was a response to the book Better Leaders for America’s Schools: A Manifesto, published in 2003 by the the Broad Foundation and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. It was created around the premise that America's schools face a crisis in leadership. For America to have the great schools it needs, it contended, schools and their school systems must have great leaders.

The material to which Dr. Kowalski's essay responds is available online here>>>.

Web-Based Digital Portfolios And Counselor Supervision, Paul E. Barnes, Paul A. Clark, Bryce Thull

Counseling Faculty Publications

Web-based digital portfolios provide a promising tool for counselor supervisors looking for effective ways to evaluate counselor candidates while maximizing the associated learning process. This paper describes a project involving the use of web-based portfolios that were created by counselor candidates. The project illustrates the benefits of the web-based portfolio for both the counselor supervisor and for the counselors in training.

Today's Threats Prove To Be Tomorrow's Promise: Higher Education In 2027, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The effects of technology on the instructional mission of this nation's colleges and universities have been both positive and negative. While an estimated two million students, many of whom would not have had access to higher education a few decades ago, are already engaged in distance learning, this gain has been paralleled by a proliferation of inferior, profit-driven institutions and degree programs. Some observers already have predicted the demise of the modem university, claiming that a small number of independent, entrepreneurial scholars and an army of low-paid adjunct instructors using the Web and cable television will replace regular faculties in …

The Development And Validation Of The Ethical Climate Index For Middle And High Schools, Laura E. Schulte, Franklin Titus Thompson, Jeanie Talbott, Ann Luther, Michelle Garcia, Shirley Blanchard, Laraine Conway, Melanie Mueller

Counseling Faculty Publications

One school characteristic that needs to be considered as important in keeping schools safe is school climate. The purposes of this study were to develop and validate an instrument that measures the ethical climate of middle and high schools. To create the School Ethical Climate Index (SECI), we adapted the Ethical Climate Index for graduate and professional school programs to apply to middle and high schools. The SECI measures a school’s sense of community by assessing student and teacher interactions and relationships through the application of five ethical principles: respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, justice, and fidelity. To provide evidence …

Journaling In The Secondary Mathematics Classroom: An Introduction, Defense, And Resource, Emily K. Falgier

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Planning And Managing School Facilities, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Nearly half of the nation's school buildings need to be renovated or replaced. This book provides a knowledge base for administrators to plan and manage construction projects, and addresses specific planning tasks including public opinion polling, enrollment projections, financial planning, selecting architects and other professionals, and managing facilities once they are operational.

Theodore Kowalski addresses the administrative procedures associated with planning and managing school facilities. As noted at the outset, practitioner interest in school facilities has been growing rapidly in recent years because decades of neglect, poor planning, and cost cutting have created a situation in which large numbers of …

Bridging The Home And School: A Case Study Of One Web-Enabled Technology, Michael K. Barbour

Education Faculty Publications

In today's society, there are many new technologies that educators have at their disposal to use both inside and outside of the classroom. One such technology was the focus of the first stage of an on-going project on the "open school" model. This "open school" model is designed to provide access to information on a child's schooling to both students and parents outside of the traditional school day. This article considers the use of one web-enabled technology called ThinkWave in two one term, elective courses.