Parental Choice Of Charter Schools For Middle School Students With Disabilities, Oluwole Ilesanmi

Special Education ETDs

For many decades, traditional public schools were the dominant public schools available for educating students, including those with disabilities. However, in the current climate of school choice, parents can now choose from a variety of educational options for their children. This study sought to explore the reasons parents of students with disabilities enrolled their children in charter schools. Research questions addressed the reasons parents considered when enrolling their children with disabilities in charter schools, as well as their degree of satisfaction and experiences after enrollment in charter schools. A total of 108 parents of sixth-eighth grade middle school students with …

Diversity And Inclusion: Examining The Lived Experiences Of Lgbtq Students At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus) In The Bible Belt, Steven Jones

Dissertations

Throughout the twentieth century, the Gay Rights Movement has gained momentum as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) individuals have fought for civil equality and social acceptance. However, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been slow to adapt, implement, and effect change that improves the quality of education for LGBTQ students. Strong religious beliefs derived from the church; especially in the South, may be the connection to understanding why homosexuality isn’t vastly accepted or celebrated in the Black Community and at HBCUs; particularly, in the Bible Belt.

Thus, this phenomenological qualitative study, guided by the theory of care framework, …

The Language Of Parental Involvement: A Document Analysis Of Parent Involvement Plans (Pip’S) Of Title I Elementary Schools, Jacqueleen M. Bido

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research indicates that parent involvement increases student achievement. This qualitative research examined 30 elementary Title I schools’ Parent Involvement Plans (PIPs), seeking roles parents played in urban settings. This document analysis reviewed the descriptive language presented in each school’s plan and examined for fidelity. Using Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement and the Sample Practice, the researcher coded the Plans. Data displayed compliance with the mandated requirements of the Plans. Still, they indicated incongruencies with fidelity and alignment to proven best-practices research.

Fostering African American Female Students’ Sense Of Belonging: A Digital Storytelling Participatory Action Research Approach., Rajwinder Kaur

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Participatory Action Research dissertation discovers what fosters or diminishes school sense of belonging for African American female students. This is achieved by foregrounding the voices of the individual participants and the collective voice of those within this study. Both Critical Race Theory and Black Feminist Thought guide this dissertation study to ensure the intersectionality between race and gender is addressed. Data for this study was collected during five workshop sessions, where participants created digital stories on their sense of belonging. The findings revealed the importance of students’ racial identity, family, peer relationships, fitting in, safety, and being seen/heard by …

Exploring The Voices, Experiences, And Leadership Career Paths Of Women Of Color In Higher Education, Tonya P. Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the voices, experiences, and factors promoting the leadership career paths of senior-level women of color in higher education and to capture the voices of senior-level women of color on how they were able to overcome the barriers and challenges to breaking the glass ceiling on their leadership career paths to senior-level administration in higher education. A phenomenological research method was employed to capture the participants’ voices, experiences, and leadership career paths of their roles in higher education. Results show that the women of color in the study confirmed the perceived challenges …

Service-Learning In Catholic Higher Education And Alternative Approaches Facing The Covid-19 Pandemic, Qianhui Tian, Thomas Noel Jr.

COVID-19 and Catholic Schools

Drawing on a review of the literature on service-learning in Catholic higher education and the development of online service-learning, as well as an empirical case study of 2020 Vincentian Service Day at DePaul University, this article examines an alternative way to develop service-learning in Catholic schools in response to the reality and needs of the world in front of us. Service-learning is widely practiced in higher education institutions and plays an essential role in Catholic schools as it integrates students’ faith, morals, and spiritual growth with social justice commitments. School closures due to COVID-19 significantly impede service-learning. However, a successful …

Service-Learning In Catholic Higher Education And Alternative Approaches Facing The Covid-19 Pandemic, Qianhui Tian, Thomas Noel Jr.

Journal of Catholic Education

Drawing on a review of the literature on service-learning in Catholic higher education and the development of online service-learning, as well as an empirical case study of 2020 Vincentian Service Day at DePaul University, this article examines an alternative way to develop service-learning in Catholic schools in response to the reality and needs of the world in front of us. Service-learning is widely practiced in higher education institutions and plays an essential role in Catholic schools as it integrates students’ faith, morals, and spiritual growth with social justice commitments. School closures due to COVID-19 significantly impede service-learning. However, a successful …

Influences Impacting Child Study Team School Social Workers Decision-Making In A New Jersey Urban District On Placement Of Students Classified Emotionally Disturbed, Pia D. Moore

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research on students classified as Emotionally Disturbed (ED) shows that a disproportionate number of ED students are educated outside of the general education setting. In New Jersey a little more than half of students classified as ED are not educated in general education classrooms for most of their school day. The academic performance of ED students is often lower in self-contained environments than in the general education setting (Oelrich, 2012). ED students overall have poor academic and life experiences. The educational program and setting in which an ED student is primarily educated might have an impact on their current and …

Strategies For Equitable Access: A Discussion On Public School District Enrollment, Lisa A. Gooden

Presentations and Speeches

Presentation prepared for the Equity Oriented Strategic Planning Committee for Kansas City Public Schools. Discussion includes an analysis of current practices and outcomes, potential future goals, and annotated examples of enrollment strategies employed by school districts in the United States designed to foster equitable access.

Strategies For Equitable Access: Identifying Benefits And Strategies For Creating Integrated Public Schools, Annotated Examples Of Current School District Enrollment Practices, And Resources For Further Exploration, Lisa A. Gooden

Faculty Works

Prepared for the Equity Oriented Strategic Planning Committee for Kansas City Public Schools. Includes a summary of the benefits of integrated schools, strategies for creating equitable schools, annotated examples of current practices employed by public school districts in the United States to foster equitable access to education, and list of links to additional resources for further reading.

Discussion Questions For Teaching While Black, Pamela Lewis

Education

These discussion questions accompany Teaching While Black: A New Voice on Race and Education in New York City.

The Reproductive Health And Academic Impact Of The New York City School-Based Health Center Reproductive Health Project For Adolescents, Michelle Silverio

Dissertations and Theses

Background: Gaining an understanding of how school reproductive health policies impact adolescent sexual health and academic outcomes is a public health priority in the United States (U.S.) since it has the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among developed nations. Adolescence is a critical developmental period and influences in this period affect reproductive health and social well-being over a person’s entire lifespan. Almost all adolescents spend the majority of their time in school settings; therefore local school reproductive health policies may have substantial lifetime impacts. Policies such as providing comprehensive sexual health education and contraceptive access in …

Black Girls Matter: The Impact Of Historical Representation On Contemporary Education, Carolyn Strong

Dissertations

A long history of misogynoir and negative stereotypes about Black
girls and women can be found throughout the literature and popular
culture of the United States. These stereotypes inform the lived
experience of Black girls and women, and in particular interfere with
African American girls’ ability to thrive in a school environment. An
autoethnographic research approach shows that various strategies, in
particular, Black girl-centric spaces, have proven to be helpful in
supporting Black girls who have to negotiate varying degrees of
hostility in general environments. These could be applied more broadly
to improve Black girls’ mental, psychological, physical, and
educational …

“Give Them A Firm Handshake, Look Them In The Eye, Try To Make A Connection”: Critical Graduate Perspectives On School Advancement Practices Of De Marillac Academy, Alicia M. Tapia

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation engages graduates of De Marillac Academy, a NativityMiguel school in San Francisco, in critical inquiry regarding school advancement practices. Graduates were asked how they participated in school advancement practices face-to-face with guests and donors, through media, on-campus and off-campus at their Annual Scholarship Benefit. Graduates engaged in photo and video elicitation interviews, in which photos and videos were used to spark commentary regarding their thoughts and experiences in advancement settings. As Catholic school educators, we are called to investigate the effects of a student’s formal and hidden curriculum in all aspects of their educational experience. This study found …

Essential Instructional Leadership Behaviors In High Performing, Economically Disadvantaged Schools: Potential Content For Site-Based Leaders’ Professional Development, Karen Brooks Favorite

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Professional development of site-based leadership has become a growing area of focus to effect change in schools (Houle, 2006; Barnes, Camburn, Sanders, & Sebastian, 2010; Spanneut, Tobin, & Ayers, 2012; Price, 2012; Prytula, Noonan, & Hellsten, 2013; Ganon-Shilon, & Schechter, 2017). Defining what to present in site-based leaders' professional development remains a concern (Oliver, 2005; Da'as, Schechter, & Qadach, 2018). The conceptual framework and subsequent three research questions of the study grew from the need for clarity of content for site-based leaders' professional development. Hallinger's (1982, 1990), Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) three dimensions, and its ten …

A Leadership Change. A Culture Shift...And A Police Riot: The Story Of How The Highest College Going High School In San Francisco Became The Lowest Graduating School In The District, Emmanuel Padilla

Master's Theses

Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, located in San Francisco’s Bayview, Hunters Point, scored the third lowest in the most recent Academic Performance Index (API) Report. Based on the median household income, the Bayview is a low-income community and according to San Francisco data, is a high crime neighborhood. The odds are against Marshall to provide exceptional service to their students, but it once did. In 2001, Marshall had the highest college-going rate in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). Today, only 20% of its student body would be considered college ready. This study will look into what happened to …

Text Messaging Between School Counselors And Students: An Exploratory Study, Nicholas R. Gilly

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory case study examines the impact of text messaging on mentoring relationships when used as an outreach between school counselors and high school students, where established relationships are lacking. An SMS gateway was used to mediate communication between school counselors (N=2) and students (N=5) over a three-month timeframe. The SMS gateway converted email, sent from counselors, to text messages, which were received on mobile devices of students and allowed students to respond back to counselors. Findings indicate that the use of text messaging may ease scheduling of face-to-face meetings between counselors and students, but evidence does not support any …

Public-School Systems Are Criminalizing Our Young People: Giving Voice To The Marganilized, Carrie Stoltzfus

Graduate Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenological qualitative study using Critical Race Theory and counter-storytelling was completed to investigate what K-12 public schools should be doing to keep young people out of the school-to-prison pipeline (STPP). This study took place in a large city in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Interviews were completed with former students of the researcher who were previously incarcerated, educational professionals, and justice system professionals. Additionally, observations of the court systems and document reviews were completed in order to triangulate findings. Themes emerged around factors that lead to incarceration and the preferred practices to support young people to avoid …

Cooperative Learning Strategies In Technical Higher Education Programs, James Sulton Ed.D.

National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS)

Cooperative learning strategies are effective in raising student achievement in higher education settings. Positive evidence of the importance of small group structures are found in an in-depth literature review and summary of multiple key studies. The research found six features and benefits to be present in effective cooperative learning methodology for learners: positive interdependence, individual accountability, various leadership skills, information retention, identification of group facilitation techniques, and development of social skills.

Navigating School Choice With Racial/Economic Privilege, Lisa A. Gooden

Presentations and Speeches

A presentation created for parents/caregivers navigating school choice in Kansas City. Includes a discussion on critical consciousness, disparities in Kansas City schools, school choice, school assessment, White cultural supremacy norms, the benefits of integrated schools to students and communities, and strategies for families choosing integrated schools.

The Impact Of Professional Development Of Effective Teachers In Low Performing Schools, Brian Gibson

Dissertations

Abstract

Professional development is a substantial contributing factor to the success or lack of success in low-performing schools. Specific student-focused professional development can be used to increase academic achievement, school culture, and the level of effective teaching. A lack of attention to school-specific professional development can contribute to low student achievement, diminished school culture, and reduced teacher efficiency. In Florida, public schools have implemented the “4 Professional Development Standards” (Planning, Learning, Implementation, and Evaluation) to act as a tool to identify best practices in schools and classrooms as well as to determine what professional development is needed to improve instructional …

A Case Study On The Implementation Of Common Core State Standards In An Urban Charter School Of New Jersey And Its Influence On College Readiness Of High School Students, Mursel Gunes

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

For this research, four college readiness metrics were examined with the aim of analyzing the effects that implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in an urban charter school in New Jersey will have on the college readiness of the school’s high school students. These metrics used were (a) participation rates in PSAT/PLAN, SAT, and AP/IB tests; (b) percentage of students who took SAT and scored 1,550 or above; (c) percentage of students who took AP/IB tests and scored three or more; and (d) schoolwide post-secondary program enrollment rates. Using a sequential mixed methods design, the researcher first analyzed these …

High School Counselors As Social Capital In A Career Academy High School Model For Low-Income Students: A Case Study, Onyejindu Oleka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This qualitative study explored the idea that high school counselors, acting as a form of social capital, could influence the postsecondary opportunities of low socioeconomic students. This study used case study design to analyze freshman academy counselors and their influence in the career pathway selection process to answer two research questions: 1) Using the knowledge available regarding college and career opportunities, how do freshman academy counselors influence low socioeconomic students’ career pathway selections? and 2) How do freshman academy counselors’ perceptions of college and career opportunities for low socioeconomic students influence low socioeconomic students’ career pathway selections? This study uses …

The Influence Of A Phonics-Based Program, Wilson Fundations®, On Primary Children's Reading Skills, Teresa Debrito

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This case study focused on the experiences of teachers who utilized a reading program, Wilson Fundations®, to teach phonics-based instruction to primary age children at an urban elementary school. Face-to-face interviews and a review of preliminary data verified for this community of educators that the phonics-based program was leading to significant improvements in reading for their students.

Based on brain imaging and significant intervention research, children with reading difficulties do benefit greatly from multisensory phonics-based instruction. Although the research is clear, children in the United States continue to struggle with reading. The National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP) results …

Goals, Power, And Culture: The Effects Of School Organizational Features On Parental Involvement, Vandeen A. Campbell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing on organizational theory and the school effectiveness literature, this project incorporates new methodological approaches to the analysis of a national longitudinal data set (ECLS-K: 2011) in order to investigate ways in which school goals around parental involvement, distribution of power, and culture affect parental involvement in children’s education, especially in schools serving large proportions of lower socioeconomic status families.

Parental involvement is widely accepted among researchers and policymakers to be essential for students’ academic success; however, parents with lower socioeconomic status exhibit less participation in both home-based and school-based activities compared to those of higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

Many recent …

Democracy For Homework: A Review Of Civic Engagement In Urban Public Schools, Amanda B. Rosenblum

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Civic engagement education prepares students to actively engage in social and political processes and influence community change. Many educators believe that civic engagement ought to be a central mission of schools because: 1. Adolescent civic engagement predicts adult civic engagement; 2. Schools may be able to reduce the inequity in political participation between individuals of different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and 3: Civic engagement orientation and competencies can be developed through any and all content courses and extracurricular opportunities. This literature review on civic engagement education in urban public middle and high schools over the past 15 years explores: 1. …

The Impact Of Select Personality Traits And Resilience On Teacher Retention In An Urban School District, Kira Baskerville-Williams

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the challenge of teacher attrition in urban school settings. Currently, there is a gap in the literature that addresses the type of teacher most likely to stay in the profession past the 5-year mark, particularly in urban districts. Using personality theory and resilience theory as the theoretical framework, this study explored the influence of select personality traits and resilience on teacher retention in an urban school district. This study sought to identify whether conscientiousness and emotional stability influence teacher retention past the 5-year mark. This study also sought to identify whether resilience influences teacher retention past the …

Brokering Access, Belief And Opportunities: A Phenomenology Of Black Principals’ Leadership Through A Racialized Lens, Natalie Denise Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The educational landscape of the twenty-first century currently faces several significant challenges, including widening academic opportunity gaps. These gaps suggest that there is need to examine the perspectives of leaders in the role of principals more deeply. However, as leadership theories continue to develop, there has been limited research conducted on the impact of principals’ racialized experiences and their approach to leadership. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to center race by exploring the essence of Black principals’ understanding of their racialized experiences and its meaning to their leadership and school communities. Findings indicate that Black principals’ (a) understanding …

Racial Integration, White Appropriation, And School Choice: The Demise Of The Colored Schools Of Late Nineteenth Century Brooklyn, Judith R. Kafka, Cici Matheny

Publications and Research

This study examines school desegregation in late-nineteenth-century Brooklyn from a spatial perspective, analyzing enrollment data and policy debates within the context of the shifting racial and geographic contours of the city. We argue that “choice” on the part of black families only partially explains the demise of designated-black schools during this period. White interests also played a role in the closing of these institutions, as white families and developers sought, and ultimately acquired, control over formerly black spaces. This study contributes to a growing body of research on school desegregation in northern U.S. cities by exploring the perceived benefits of …

Supporting Student Mental Health During And After Covid-19, David Bryant Naff, Shenita Williams, Jenna Furman, Melissa Lee

MERC Publications

This report by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) in the VCU School of Education offers a rapid review of research about supporting student mental health as they return to school during COVID-19. It pulls from literature on natural disasters like hurricane Katrina, the psychological impacts of quarantine, and emergent research on the mental health impacts of the Coronavirus. The report is structured to answer three overarching questions: 1) Why is it important to address the mental health needs of students in schools? 2) How can we expect COVID-19 to impact the mental health of students? 3) What are some …