Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Superintendents In Arkansas: An Examination Of Expectations And School Effectiveness Research, Tracy Selby Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the expectations that six superintendents within the state of Arkansas held for building level administrators in effective elementary schools. Expectations were compared to the seven correlates of effective schools. Findings indicated that superintendents had at least one expectation related to each correlate. The major finding was for building level administrators to be strong instructional leaders. Other expectations included: (a) focusing on student learning, (b) knowing and living the expectations of the district and school, (c) being aware of things in the school building and on the campus, (d) communicating with staff and parents, (e) analyzing data, …

A Comparative Study Of Parental Demographics For Students In Open-Enrollment Charter Schools And Public Schools In Arkansas, Deborah Yeldell Mcafee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was designed to determine if there was a statistically significant difference based on parental demographics, and parental factors, of students enrolled in Arkansas public schools and Arkansas open-enrollment charter schools. Four Arkansas open-enrollment charter schools, chartered prior to the 2004-2005 school year, and four public schools, within close proximity, were surveyed. The information was disaggregated into parent demographics of age, gender, income, number of children attending school in the home, educational level, marital status and distance between the home and school. Forty parental factors were categorized into four headings: policy and procedures, career, academics and …

The Future At Risk: Child Labour, Bernadette L. Dean

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

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 …

Improving Practices In Early Childhood Classroom In Pakistan: Issues And Challenges From Field, Audrey Juma

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This article focuses on an early childhood programme that has been initiated by the Institute for Educational Development at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. The programme is a Certificate in Education and involves training teachers so as to enable them to understand early childhood education and development, and to become effective practitioners in their classrooms. The early childhood education and development programme is a field-based programme of six months’ duration, where the emphasis is on supporting and mentoring course participants as they implement the High/Scope approach in their classrooms and engage children in active learning. The article outlines …

0733: Harry Clagg Papers, 1935-1963, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Scrapbooks and papers related to Clagg's years as a football player, coach and principal in Cabell Co., W. Va. schools: football programs, photographs, playbook, diagrams.

A Preferred Vision For Leading Elementary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Mark R. Sade

Graduate Research Papers

I have chosen education as my lifetime career because I believe education is, perhaps, the most important occupation within our culture. I believe teachers, individually and collectively, not only change the world, but also improve it. In the service to children, I find personal and professional renewal. I am proud to be part of this noble profession and want to be counted among those in whom future teachers can say they found inspiration.

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>>>.

A Correlation Study Of Retention Research Knowledge And Practice, Donna Weidner Wright

Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary (K-6) principals' knowledge of student grade retention research and the nw11ber of students that were retained in their buildings to see if there was a difference between the grade level retention rates of principals who were aware of the negative affects of retention and those who were not.

Procedure: Responses were received from 32 Missouri public elementary school principals. The respondents were divided into two groups based on responses to the retention knowledge questions. Those respondents whose average retention research knowledge score was 3 or higher were placed in group …

A Vision For Administering An Elementary School, Karen L. Thorpe

Graduate Research Papers

My philosophy of educational leadership has developed from the experiences I have had over the course of my lifetime. It began with the values taught to me by my parents and has continued to build to the present. My parents provided a caring and secure family life for my four siblings and me. Neither my mother nor my father had the benefit of much formal education. Neither was able to graduate from high school because they had the obligation to contribute income to their families during the depression. Perhaps the hardships they lived through were the basis of the values …

A Framework For Effective School-To-Home Communication, Michael Shawn Ward

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the modes of communication that schools use with parents while identifying which modes are most preferred by parents. This study offers information toward expansion of school-to-home connections in elementary schools. This study demonstrates that what educators and parents think about parental involvement is not always the same. The conclusions that emerged from this study can be used by educators to develop a better understanding of parental needs and wants in the area of communication and parental involvement. From this base, research might be conducted in other grade levels and/or other states to determine if similar patterns exist. …

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.

Changing The Individual And World Around Her: A Case Study Of Female Teacher From Rural Sindh, Shazia Solangi, Munawar Hassan

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

As part of a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), AKU-IED implemented a research study that aimed to understand the Impact of AKU-IED Capacity Building Initiatives for NGOs/CBOs in Education in Sindh. This paper will present some of our findings on the nature of impact of the program on individual course participant. The paper will present the case study of Mariam1, a female teacher working in a school managed by an NGO in rural Sindh. She participated in a Certificate in Education: Primary Education Program organized for NGOs. After completing the certificate course Mariam was …

Head Teacher's Role In School Improvement, Zulfiqar Ali

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

After completion of my studies at Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED), I reported back to my parent organization Aga Khan Education Service for Pakistan in the first week of July 2002. I was posted in Aga Khan Girls High School Ovirk, Garamchashma as a headmaster on August 5, 2002. This school is situated in a very backward area of district Chitral. After joining the school I held meetings with teachers and members of the school management committee to introduce myself and also to get their views about the future of the school. I realized after the meetings …

A Reflective Paper, Yasmeen Bano

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

After graduating from the AKU-IED in 1998, I worked as the head teacher of a secondary school and am now working as the Program Officer with a team of PDTs for various schools. In both the roles, I got enough opportunities to work for programme development, teacher education and school improvement. I got opportunities to work in the school as a part of the school staff and I also got a chance to work for the schools as a part of the resource team. Based on the reflection of these experiences, I have drawn some lessons for school-based teacher educators. …

Moving Towards Educational Leadership, Nadim Farooqi, Saeed Nasim, Iffat Nayyar

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

Educational leadership focuses on building a shared vision, improving communication, making decisions collaboratively and remains consistent with the desire to bring about school improvement. Literature reveals that if head teachers / managers’ practices are not consistent with the above-mentioned areas of leadership; the expected outcomes of schools become difficult to achieve. In order to build leadership capacity for school / organizational improvement, Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) has offered various professional development programmes under the USAID Project III to the collaborating Non-Government Organizations / Community Based Organizations (NGOs / CBOs) working in the education sector of Sindh. These …

Restructuring For Instructional Leadership, Pamela S. Sloan

Theses

The purpose of this study is determine how the organizational structure for instructional leadership might look if the responsibility becomes a shared function of the stakeholders in the educational process. A questionnaire was distributed to educators who are in building leadership positions to determine if changes in the design of the instructional leadership position have taken place since the demands and expectations on principals have become so diverse.

Exploring Teacher Perceptions Of The Leadership Practices Of Middle And High School Principals, Donald W. Leech, Robert Smith, Ronnie Green, C. Ray Fulton

Essays in Education

As educators continue to restructure schools to better meet the needs of our everchanging society, the principal’s effective leadership practices become paramount as we enter the next generation of research into school effectiveness. This study of principals in a large urban school district endeavors to examine the differences in middle and high school teachers’ perceptions of the leadership practices of educational leaders. The sample consisted of 242 participants from 12 middle schools and 404 participants from 14 high schools. Each of the participants were administered Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory which identified the teachers perceptions of their principal’s leadership …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Peer Mediation Program In An Elementary School Setting, Theresa M. Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of a peer mediation program on students with behavioral problems and conflicts using an action research design. Further, it informed teachers, administrators, parents, and the guidance department as to the progress of the program.

All students at Mennies Elementary School in Vineland had, if needed, the opportunity to be involved in the conflict resolution program. The participants in the program were in traditional, bilingual, and special education classes. All stakeholders served as the primary data-gathering instruments in the research. To determine if peer mediation improved the climate in …

School-Based Management: Leadership Hand In Hand, Terrence O'Connor Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study, conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of the school-based management team, occurred at the Reeds Road Elementary School. An action research design, using both surveys and interviews, assisted in obtaining the data necessary to make an appropriate determination of the initiative's effectiveness in providing staff with more say in school affairs, as well as positively affecting the school's climate. Twenty-two staff members, chosen randomly to best represent all areas of the school's staff population, completed surveys regarding the school-based management team. In addition, six different staff members were also chosen randomly to participate in an interview process. …

Evaluation In-Service Program For Professional Development, Aida Colon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if an in-service would help the staff gain knowledge and experience in dealing and interacting with different languages and cultures that are represented in the school.

The staff was given an in-service, part of which placed them in different situations and required them to think and react to how they felt in that situation. There was a group of twenty students from different languages and cultures. The students spoke on how they felt being in a country where they did not understand the new culture and language. There was also a question …

The Effects Of The Development And Implementation Of The School Sanctuary Program On Safety And The Climate Of Safety At Egg Harbor Township High School, Theodore Pugliese

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate the effectiveness of the school sanctuary program on safety and the climate of safety at Egg Harbor Township High School (EHTHS), Using a case-study design, 56 teachers were first surveyed to provide a description of the climate of safety in the high school. It was found that, on average, the staff felt physically, psychologically, socially, and morally safe. Teachers also used the word safe to describe the overall climate of safety at school. Furthermore, this data would be used as a baseline for further comparisons and was to help the …

Evaluating The Effectiveness And Use Of The Peer Mediation Program In The Galloway Township Middle School, Susan Kerrigan

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and use of the peer mediation program in the Galloway Township Middle School in order to improve the program and increase its use.

Data was gathered using four separate research instruments. These instruments included a survey, monitoring the Peer Mediation Reports and interviews with the building administrators and the schools peer mediators. These methods were used to obtain the students' and staff members' perceptions of the process regarding its use and ways to improve the program.

It was concluded that peer mediation is used and supported by the teachers and administrators, however, …

Diversity In Education: Changing Faces, Angela Rose-Bounds

Theses and Dissertations

As America becomes more and more diverse, public schools are forced to adapt to the changing faces in education. The purpose of this study was to promote culturally responsive teaching and analyze programs that impact non-Asian minority students in a suburban school district. The intern used observations, surveys, and interviews to study programs at the Charles W. Lewis Middle School in Blackwood, New Jersey. The research began by examining the school's culture and then went on to form committees and groups to promote diversity throughout the building. During this research, the intern determined that non-Asian minority students were disproportionately represented …

Prospects And Challenges Of School Leadership In Pakistan, Muhammad Memon

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Custodial Staff Members, Roseanne Donnelly

Theses and Dissertations

This study of custodial evaluation forms was conducted to develop or revise the current form being used in the Mt. Holly School District. Requests for information from surrounding school districts were used to find what similar-sized schools were using and whether they were effective. The sample included eleven school districts in Burlington County, New Jersey. The requests were faxed to the selected school districts requesting they fax back a copy of their current custodial evaluation methods and any written procedures. Interviews were also chosen to get the staff's perspective. The sample included five custodians, the Business Administrator, and the Facilities …

Building A Professional Learning Community, Joanne T. Acerba

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of staff morale and student achievement levels through the formation of a professional learning community at the Ann A. Mullen Middle School in Sicklerville, New Jersey.

The project involved an analysis of the current school culture through small group and individual interviews, a survey, and an examination of the most recent standardized test scores. The researcher involved the entire staff in the creation of a shared mission statement as well as a shared vision statement to form the building blocks of a professional learning community. Teacher study groups were formed, …

How Can Technology Be Used To Improve Instruction And Student Learning?, Frank Corley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to research techniques for integrating technology into the curriculum in order to improve the learning of the students. This was accomplished through analyzing material submitted by the Clearview Middle School's teachers and through the research of the intern. Four different requests for technology information were distributed to the teachers. Only 10% of the teachers submitted material for the handbook. The limited amount of information received after the requests resulted in a technology questionnaire that was used to define the teachers' technology aptitudes and determine how technology was being utilized in the school. The results …

Analysis Of Small Learning Communities On Suburban Schools, Matthew G. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

Students in large schools are getting lost. In a school of over 2300 students, it is very easy for a student, who does not excel academically or athletically or those students who gain attention through negative behavior, to blend into the student body for four years without being noticed. Across the nation the move to create smaller learning communities has been an attempt to solve the ills that plague our inner city schools. The intended question of this study is whether or not the smaller learning communities will have the same measurable impact in a suburban district.

The data collected …

The Integration Of Personnel And Budgetary Software Databases At Upper Deerfield Township Schools, Bruce D. Harbinson

Theses and Dissertations

To better serve district needs, the business office developed integrated personnel and budget relational database applications that have the capability to store, compile, forecast, report, and seamlessly transfer in real time. The Microsoft Access server-based programs produce most mandated state and district reports and have the flexibility to incorporate new informational data fields to meet the demands of the ever-changing roles and accountabilities in today's educational field.

The research project is utilizing expert non-probability sampling because the stakeholders have demonstrable experience and expertise in this particular area or field and the population is the same size as the sample. The …