Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Constructed Patriotism; Shifting (Re)Presentations And Performances Of Patriotism Through Curriculum Materials, Nina Hood, Marek Tesar

Occasional Paper Series

What does it mean to be patriotic? How are notions of patriotism (re)presented and performed in curriculum materials? In attempting to answer these questions, we contend that it is necessary to move beyond the word patriotic as an isolated concept to explore it in relation to specific temporal, geographic, political, economic, and institutional contexts. Patriotism, or to be patriotic, is conceptualized and means something quite different—and manifests differently—in different eras and in different countries.

We utilize curriculum materials and documents as a lens through which to explore different conceptions and manifestations of patriotism as they pertain to the education of …

Patriotism, Race, And The Militarization Of Citizenship, Jenna Christian

Occasional Paper Series

The visual essay emerges from 2.5 years of ethnographic and arts-based research on the politics of race, citizenship, and military recruiting among Latinx youth in Texas. The essay juxtaposes two examples of how the military intersects with racialized constructions of a patriotic citizen: 1) the case of Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem at NFL football games, and 2) the role of military-run Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs in teaching citizenship. Through the two cases, the essay challenges readers—and educators—to attend to how patriotism is linked to both white supremacy and militarization within the United States.

This Is About Us: Drama Workshop As Patriotic Education, Samuel J. Tanner

Occasional Paper Series

For 15 years, I was a drama teacher in two large urban high schools in Minnesota. My classes were designed with the belief that theatre requires the downplaying or even sacrifice of the individual for the success of the collective. Yes, these classes involved practices that helped students rehearse basic tools of performance but, more importantly, they required participants to work together as a group. Each semester-long class ended with a theatrical production written, produced, and performed by the students for audiences of their peers. Careful not to impose my vision on the content of their productions, I worked to …

On Patriotism, William Ayers

Occasional Paper Series

What’s so great about America?

Near the top of my list is sweet home Chicago—a mesmerizing metropolis, once home to generations of Illini, Winnebago, and Miami peoples, rising along the shore of that immense inland sea and sweeping toward the dazzling prairie just beyond.

There’s Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street, Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March, and Richard Wright’s Native Son. There’s Nelson Algren’s The Man with the Golden Arm and Studs Terkel’s Division Street, Gwendolyn Brooks’s Maud Martha and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun.

So …

Patriotism And Dual Citizenship, Patricia Gándara

Occasional Paper Series

I am a citizen of two countries—the United States and Mexico—and I have a deep love of both, for different reasons. I believe that being a citizen of two countries allows me to be a partial outsider in each, which perhaps gives me an uncommon perspective on both. I know that there are those who argue that it’s impossible to be truly loyal to one country if one is also a citizen of another, and there are those for whom any criticism of one’s country is tantamount to treason. I reject both of those positions.

First, I believe that a …

“That's Quite A Tune”: An Interview With Bruce Springsteen, Mark T. Kissling

Occasional Paper Series

Greetings from State College, Pennsylvania.

My name is Mark Kissling. I am an assistant professor of education at Penn State University. I’m also the guest editor of the Bank Street Occasional Papers Series issue #40 titled, “Am I Patriotic?” The purpose of the issue is to complicate how we think about and enact patriotism, with a particular focus on how teachers teach and students learn about patriotism.

So how does this relate to Bruce Springsteen and the interview that you’re about to hear?

In mid-December of 2008, I spent two days at the Woody Guthrie Archives—then in New York City, …

A Note From The New Editor-In-Chief, Gail M. Boldt

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Learning And Teaching The Complexities Of Patriotism Here And Now, Mark T. Kissling

Occasional Paper Series

Last June, the day before the Philadelphia Eagles franchise was scheduled to celebrate its Super Bowl victory at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump revoked the invitation.

The majority of the players had made clear that they would skip the event. Instead of attending the presidential spectacle, they planned to celebrate elsewhere in Washington, D.C., including by touring the nearby National Museum of African American History and Culture (Nakamura & Lowery, 2018). In place of the event, the President led a ten-minute “Celebration of America” on the White House lawn that featured the playing and singing of the national …

(In)Visible Men On Campus: Campus Racial Climate And Subversive Black Masculinities At A Predominantly White Liberal Arts University, Quaylan Allen

Education Faculty Articles and Research

There is an emerging body of literature examining the academic success of Black men attending predominantly White colleges and universities, though less is known about Black college men’s experiences at liberal arts institutions. In this paper, I draw upon semi-structured and photovoice interview data from a study on Black male college students attending a predominantly White liberal arts institution in the USA. Specifically, I will present narrative and visual data of how Black college men perceive the campus racial climate and make sense of their (in)visibility at the university. Drawing upon poststructuralist theories of gender and critical race theory, I …

Theme-Based Lessons: Teacher Perceptions Of A Theme-Based Approach And Its Influence On Student Engagement In Grades 3-8, Robin Penna-Baskinger

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers in Grades 3-8 in one New Jersey school district perceive theme-based lessons on student level of engagement and teaching pedagogy when using their own initiatives to develop a theme-based approach. Research was conducted using a qualitative design to investigate the perceptions and observations of those directly involved in developing theme-based lessons in the classroom. Twelve participants, all experienced teachers within the district of study, participated in a pre-selection questionnaire and an interview process. Increased student engagement, good teaching practices, and teaching pedagogy were dominant themes in this study. The study …

The Predictive Relationship Between Student Engagement Scores And Pass/Fail Rates Of A Credit Recovery Course Among High School Students, Tara Douds

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this predictive correlational study was to examine the relationship between Finn’s conceptual framework of student engagement as it relates to the pass/fail rate of an online credit recovery course. A logistic regression was utilized in this study. The predictor variable was student engagement of high school students. The criterion variable was the pass/fail rate of a credit recovery course. The participants included a nonrandom sample of 49 students from two public high schools. The students completed the Motivation and Engagement Scale – High School (MES-HS) survey comprised of 44 questions, which measured student motivation and engagement. The …

Middle School Apathy: A Phenomenological Study From Students' Perspective, Debra Graves

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose for this phenomenological study was to investigate students’ perceptions as to why some middle school students lose their intrinsic motivation to learn and develop apathy toward learning while other middle school students thrive. The following question guided the research: Based on students’ lived experiences, what are the sources for motivation and/or apathy during the middle school years? Four sub-questions were also used: (1) What are students’ perspectives about the intersection of standardized testing and report cards to their motivation/apathy to learn? (2) What are students’ perceptions of the intersection of technology and motivation/apathy? (3) What do students perceive …

Finding Their Place: An Ethnographic Study Of The Culture Of Students Attending A Rural, Self-Paced, Alternative Evening High School, Teena Atkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to provide a cultural portrait as well as identify methods of success of nontraditional students attending a self-paced, alternative evening high school in the southeast region of the United States in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. An ethnographic research design was utilized employing data triangulation through observations, interviews, focus group, and journals as methods of data collection. Participants included nontraditional students who were currently attending or recently graduated from an alternative evening high school in the southeast region of the United States. This study sought to better understand what factors contributed to …

How The Leadership Of A Character Development Curriculum Effects The Standardized Test Scores Among 3rd Grade Students, Bonnie Sypolt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental causal-comparative study sought to determine if character development curriculum directly impacted student success, specifically in the area of academics through standardized test scores. Many articles presented an explanation regarding the need for character development curriculum, but very little research has been done regarding the positive academic impact on standardized test scores. By utilizing a quantitative design, standardized test scores for 168 students in third grade were collected from one school district and analyzed to determine a difference between scores in Language Arts and Math through the statistical MANOVA test. The standardized test scores for the …

The Effects Of An Online Math Intervention On The Math Anxiety Levels Of Community College Students, Rita Love

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Finding an inexpensive, timely, and effective intervention to reduce math anxiety in community college students is a worthwhile endeavor. Math anxiety left unattended can lead to the conscious and deliberate avoidance of math-heavy educational programs and careers. Previous investigations in math anxiety interventions have overlooked the potential for mastery learning-based online modules to reduce math anxiety. The purpose of this two-factor quasi-experimental posttest-only control group study is to investigate whether participation in Let’s Go Racing, a mastery learning-inspired intervention designed to prepare students for gateway math courses, affects math anxiety levels and whether the potential effect differs for male and …

Scholastic Liberation: Schools' Impact On African American Academic Achievement, Aaron M. Johnson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article addresses some of the factors that contribute to low achievement observed in African American students. It is common that either schools or school districts are unable to fix the problem or they are unaware about how the beliefs and attitudes about African American students can contribute to their low performance in school. Furthermore, this article encourages school institutions to examine themselves and change school environments to align to the identities of African American students. African American students must be liberated from negative assumptions about them and to do that, individuals and the institution of school as a whole, …

School Climate: A Comparison Of Teachers, Students, And Parents, James A. Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the benefits of positive school climate and to measure the perceptions of school climate for intermediate grades in a Northeast Tennessee School district. An online school climate survey was used to collect responses from participants in intermediate grades and focused on the 3 major components of school climate: school engagement, school environment, and school safety. Data were collected for 2 consecutive years in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Response totals included 1,955 student responses, 116 teacher responses, and 210 parent responses that were analyzed and used for this study. Of the student totals, some students that …

Digital Game-Based Learning And The Mathematics Achievement Of Gifted Students, Lynette Cooper

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group study was to determine the presence of a statistically significant difference in the mathematics achievement of gifted learners when utilizing digital game-based learning (DGBL) for supplemental mathematics instruction when compared to gifted learners not utilizing DGBL. This study compared the Student Growth Percentile (SGP) of 105 sixth-grade gifted participants from two public middle schools as measured by the Renaissance Learning STAR Math Test. The participants took a pretest, completed 540 minutes of supplemental mathematics instruction over a nine-week period, and took a posttest. Participants were randomly selected for the treatment group who …

A Case Study Of The Stakeholders' Perception Of The Effectiveness Of A South Carolina District Mentorship Program, Donna Floyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study is to understand the perceptions of participants in St. John’s County School District concerning the effectiveness of the mentorship program in the county. The Theory of Teacher Development (Fuller, 1969; Katz, 1972) guided the research. This theory states the induction programs should follow pre-service preparation, which will reduce the teacher attrition rate. A single case study was chosen so that the mentorship program could be studied using the perceptions of the participants in the program. The two research questions that guided the study is as follows: “What are the beginning teachers’ perceptions of the …

The Relationship Between Parental Expectations And Post-Secondary Choices Of High School Seniors, Katherine Clophus

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Parental involvement is a driving force in guiding the post-secondary plans of high school students. Although there are current studies that examine the link between parental involvement and the choice of secondary students to pursue college as well as parental involvement and students’ future career choice decisions, little research is available addressing whether parental involvement influences students to pursue careers contrary to the students’ wishes. Research shows that as students move into middle and high school, parental involvement in the form of parental expectations becomes important and often guides much of students’ decision making. This correlational study sought to determine …

The ‘Just City’ Or Just A City? : Evaluating Social Justice And Equity In Planning Education., Wes Grooms

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary evaluations of accredited planning education performance have eschewed the principles and methodologies of formal program evaluation and performance management. This dissertation tests hypotheses that this contributes to the lack of social equity and justice commitment, content, and inquiry on the part of accredited graduate planning degree programs, their clients, and administrators. The organizations, resources, and processes involved in the purveyance of accredited graduate planning education were conceptualized as a singular, evaluable program and illustrated in a series of program logic models. These models revealed sources of the inattentiveness to normative issues that past evaluations have evidenced, and informed assertions …

Cultivating A Professional Culture Of Peace And Inclusion: Conceptualizing Practical Applications Of Peace Leadership In Schools, Whitney Mcintyre Miller, Annmary S. Abdou

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Beyond the role of educating students across all academic domains, school leaders are tasked with the monumental responsibility of creating positive, engaged systems and cultures that embrace the growing cultural, economic, linguistic, and cognitive diversity in the United States landscape. With collective goals to create peaceful learning environments with capacity to serve diverse learners, many school leaders have embraced school-wide prevention and intervention efforts, such as Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for social-emotional and behavioral development of students. Unfortunately, due to the inherent complexities and fragmentation of such efforts, many school leaders have continued to experience significant barriers to sustainable …

The Impact Of Refusal Of Accommodations By High School Students With Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disturbance, Or Other Health Impairment On Their Attendance And Discipline Referral Rates, Lucheia Graves

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The inclusion of students with learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, and other health impairments in general education classrooms is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. For the majority of these students with disabilities, accommodations are necessary for them to achieve the same academic successes as their nondisabled peers. Therefore, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is put into place for students that mandates specific accommodations essential for each formally identified student for an equal chance to succeed academically. Unfortunately, there are instances when high school students with a learning disability (LD), emotional behavioral disabilities (ED), or other health impairment (OHI) …

Student Perceptions And Student Achievement In A Higher Education Partially Flipped Classroom, Katrina Atkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this non-experimental, causal-comparative and correlational study was to test Knowles’ (1973) adult learning theory, which states adults are self-directed and internally motivated. The study also examined if student achievement was related to student perception of the flipped classroom in a general education speech communication course, for college students (N = 109) at Florida College (FC; a pseudonym). The Blended Learning Survey (BLS) was administered to participants in the Fall 2017 semester. An independent samples t-test was utilized to determine if a difference existed between the two groups: high and low achievers. Bivariate regressions were utilized to determine …

Investigating Predictive Factors For Online College Coursework Success Among High School Students, Kenneth Tidwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study seeks to examine the relationship of motivation and self-regulated learning with online college course completion among dual enrolled high school students in Northwest Iowa. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a predictive relationship between high school student self-efficacy, intrinsic value, test anxiety, cognitive strategy usage and self-regulation strategy usage and successful completion of an online college course. A predictive correlational study was performed. A convenient sample of 23 high school students from one urban Northwest Iowa school district was utilized. Students were surveyed regarding these traits using the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire …

The Impact Of Teacher Motivation In Promoting Academic Achievement Among African American Male Students, Erroll Royal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the impact of teacher motivation in promoting academic achievement among African American male students in an urban middle school in northeast North Carolina. In this quantitative study, the sample population was comprised of fifty 7th grade students and fifty 8th grade students. Eight teachers, (four science teachers, and four math teachers) both male and female were given the Teacher Efficacy Scale (see Appendix G). The results revealed that there was no relationship between teacher motivation and academic achievement among African American male students. Further research should include similar studies that would examine the impact of teacher motivation …

Experiential Knowledge And Project-Based Learning In Bilingual Classrooms, Adriana Alvarez

Occasional Paper Series

Culturally and linguistically diverse children deserve sophisticated and dynamic biliterate learning opportunities that integrate the children’s life experiences and keen intellects. Dynamic learning in early childhood classrooms, including progressivist pedagogical approaches like project-based learning, has been shown to facilitate academic achievement as well as high-level learning capabilities including critical thinking, agency, problem solving, and negotiation (Adair, 2014; Bell, 2010; Hyson, 2008; Katz & Chard, 2000). Too often, culturally and linguistically diverse children are offered learning opportunities that fall short of helping students achieve their potential or of validating their life experiences (González, Moll, & Amanti, 2005; Nieto & Bode, 2008; …

Editor's Note, Jonathan Silin

Occasional Paper Series

No abstract provided.

Middle School Classroom Teacher Perceptions Of The Impact Of Formative Assessments On The Needs Of At-Risk Students: A Phenomenological Study, Gaye Walk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of middle school classroom teachers regarding the impact of formative assessments on the needs of at-risk students. A phenomenological approach was used to gain understanding of how the teacher works with at-risk students and how the steps of formative assessments meets the needs of at-risk students. The theory framing this study was Albert Bandura’s (1977) social cognitive theory and the self-efficacy belief system. Data collection took place with 12 middle school teachers and included a questionnaire, individual interviews, and a focus group. The study was guided by three research …

Einstein Or Columbine: Impact Of School Environment On The Socioaffective Development Of Gifted And Talented Adolescents, Rebekah Granger-Ellis

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Why do some gifted minds thrive in life while others fail to fulfill their potential? The spotlight on violence perpetrated by bright individuals questions what went wrong, could it have been prevented, and whether schools are meeting the needs of gifted individuals. Thus, it is important to examine the impact of participation in various gifted and talented programs on the socioaffective development of gifted adolescents. The purpose of this study was to understand (1) if gifted individuals’ social and emotional development were similarly developed as their academic and creative abilities, and (2) if a particular school environment led to differences …