Secondary Education Commons^™

Advanced Placement (Ap) Computer Science Principles: Searching For Equity In A Two-Tiered Solution To Underrepresentation, Keith Howard, Douglas D. Havard

Education Faculty Articles and Research

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between students’ participation in the two high school AP computer science exam options and their selected fields of study once they enter post-secondary education. Two studies using national public-use datasets of participation and performance were conducted. Study 1 compared score distributions for the traditional Computer Science A exam to those of the newer Computer Science Principles exam during its first two years of implementation. In Study 1, Chi-square analyses revealed large differences in performance between the two exams, with the Computer Science Principles scores clustering more around marginal pass rates. …

Global Poverty And The Effects, Antonio Sanchez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The project explores the global epidemic of poverty and how it creates issues among all groups of society. This issue includes demographics in the United States and other countries as well. Poverty affects all of society in one way or another and research provides insight on economical and societal effects as a result. Economically, in the United States, programs like Welfare, TANF, and Food Stamps that were designed to lift people out of poverty, actually kept them in poverty due to qualifications among other reasons. Societally, the poor are viewed in a bad light and are separated from the higher …

Successful Psychopaths, Amber Magallon

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

In the modern world, psychopaths are seen as nothing more than murderers or criminals. Psychopaths are those without empathy and emotions. They are callous, manipulative, and reckless. People may see these people as one thing, but they are actually many psychopaths who are thriving in the corporate world. They are business leaders, CEO’s, and politicians. There is that slight possibility that they are actually helping not hurting the world of work. Is this really true? The question remains unanswered, but there is proof to prove both sides of the argument.

● Around 1% of the population are psychopaths ● The …

Corruption Within The U.S. Justice System, Aleida Montanez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The U.S. criminal justice system has let down the American people when it comes to justice, and those failures not only impact the victims but the society as a whole. The judicial system was implemented around the 17th century, and corruption quickly followed it not long after. Although the justice system maintains some order in our society, it is not very effective when it comes to preventing any form of corruption within the justice system itself. The criminal justice system has empowered corporations and authoritative people to break the law and get away with it.

- Throughout this research, it …

Why Does He Abuse/ Why Does She Stay?, Esmeralda Ramirez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Domestic violence is generally defined as the use or threat of physical, sexual or emotional force by a partner. This research examines when a partner starts to physically or mentally abuse their significant other. Often the abuser assures their victim “they won’t do it again” yet continues to abuse their partner. Many factors contribute to the reasons a victim stays in an abusive relationship. One of the reasons a victim stays is because they want their partner to change. Although the exact reason as to why an abuser starts to abuse cannot be determined, there are signs in a person’s …

Exploring How Sleep Affects Teens, Hope Jensen

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Teens need sleep, but it can be compromised as a result of busy daily schedules, technology, and sleep disorders that can affect sleep cycles. Sleep is vital to the human body and the mind. Without it, there can be problems. Technology can greatly impact a teen’s sleep schedule. The busy daily life of a teen can also impact sleep. Sleep is very important to a maturing teen’s body and brain, but research proved that it can be compromised during adolescent years. It is important for teens to understand what sleep is and how sleep works for the mind and the …

Nicotine: Electronic Cigarettes Use Among Adolescents, Jaden Melgoza

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This research examines the chemical known as nicotine. Specifically, the popularity of electronic cigarettes, use of nicotine in adolescents, the possible e!ects of nicotine use among adolescents, and the possible negative outcomes that can derive from vaping and use of electronic cigarettes. This research also establishes the popularity of e-cigs and the epidemic of teen use in the current day. The shocking reality is that many kids are hooked on nicotine and it is a growing problem across the country.

Surgeon General Jerome Adams` ● More than 3.6 million U.S. youth have or use electronic cigarettes ● Believes nicotine should …

Child Abuse And Neglect, Gladys Martinez Cruz

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This research focuses specifically on informing on one of the most problematic issues around the country: child abuse and neglect. In depth, it examines the types of child abuses, the risk factors, the signs and symptoms, and the consequences this issue brings to the victims. Seen in various forms such as neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, child abuse is the intentional act of a parent/caretaker which results, or is likely to result, in physical injury to a child. This issue is important because several children are losing their lives, losing the opportunity of having a future.

● Young children …

The Discovery Of A Lifetime: Gravitational-Waves, Maria I Dominguez Barraza

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

This presentation offers an insight to one of the biggest discoveries made in science. The discovery of gravitational-waves had been a long journey to achieve for physicists and scientist. Now gravitational-waves are helping scientists study the universe in a more efficient way never seen before. The discovery of gravitational-waves is a sign that a new era of astronomy and physics is about to open doors for many scientists and astrophysicists.

● Gravitational-waves are energycarrying waves propagating through a gravitational field, produced when a massive body is accelerated or otherwise disturbed. ● Gravitational-waves prove the existence of Black Holes. ● Laser …

A Balance In Classroom Technology, Osvaldo Palma Vargas

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Looking through a historical, social, and psychological manner over the use of technology, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World envision the benefits and dangers of technology in society, the parallels to technology’s role in the classroom, and what the overall role technology in schools should be when it comes to how much power devices and tools should be given in a classroom. While both novels provide two sides of the argument over the endorsement or rejection of technology, it will be shown in Enhancing the Art & Science of Teaching with Technology by Sonny Magana & …

Effects Of Racial Oppression, Joana Reyes

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

During influential African-American movements, such as the Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights, texts were created to illustrate oppression and one’s search for identity within that oppression. This is most notably presented in works such as Invisible Man and A Raisin in the Sun; they accurately depict racial and social-economical differences and the struggle of the characters to find both their place and society as well as their confidence as defined by their race. Through both literary works, each was able to describe and show how these individuals faced oppression. Therefore these two individuals were able to break away from the …

Opioids: The Epidemic, Jocelyn Covarrubias

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

The new epidemic in the United States is a storm of the most powerful classification of drugs: opioids. Opioids are one of the most helpful yet dangerously addictive painkillers in the world. Illegal prescriptions and street drugs like heroin have plummeted the United States into the worst drug epidemic in the last decade.

● Heroin is an illicit drug but Hydrocode, Codeine, Fentanyl, etc., are not. They all require a prescription written from a doctor. ● Illegal prescriptions have played a big part in this epidemic. In 2012 alone, 259 million prescriptions were written, That is more than enough for …

Low Income Families: The Struggles Of Living In America, Rianne Rodriguez

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Living in America can be difficult at times. The amount of low income families is rising as years go on and no one seems to notice. Parents who have no college degree, low paying jobs with no benefits, or no job at all can make it difficult to provide for a family. Children also experience challenges of their own that their parents may not be aware of. Together a family can endure the hardship of being evicted from their home.

● Parents will often do odd jobs in order to make more money (Hill & Kauff, 2002, p. 3) ● …

Reality Check, Diego Almanza Zavala

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

There is much to discover when it comes to the development, process, and uses for augmented and virtual reality. This research analyzes a similar augmented reality device to a fictional counterpart called Augma. The investigation proceeds to examine the problems and challenges of augmented reality. Findings go in depth on the critical uses for virtual reality: medicine, games, empathy and fulfilling dreams. However, just like every other invention, there are challenges concerning the development of full-dive virtual reality. This project investigates how some experiments could be used to complete full-dive reality.

❏ Empathy is the ability to understand others and …

Promoting College And Career Readiness With Middle School Youth With Disabilities: Lessons Learned From A Curriculum Development Project, Meg Grigal, Lori Cooney, Debra Hart

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Engagement and academic success in middle school is critically important to ensure students with disabilities complete high school and have a viable path to and through postsecondary education. Although most middle school students say they want to pursue postsecondary education or training, a significant proportion are not actively engaged in college and career readiness (CCR) activities in middle school. This transition in practice article highlights the importance of early CCR instruction for middle school youth with and without disabilities. Lessons learned from developing an online CCR curriculum and implementing it with middle school youth in inclusive middle school settings will …

Thoughts Of A First Year Teacher: Know Your Students, Caitlin King

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This Ethnographic Narrative is a research based look into the lives of socially disadvantaged students in a low-income area. It breaks down the assets and needs of each student individually and discusses how to better help them academically and socially based on their individual personalities and needs. The narrative also discusses the community in which these individual students live and attend school, it looks at research on the community to determine how each student is affected by the city that they live in. Finally the narrative concludes by looking at the teacher over the course of this past year and …

Memories Of The Teacher: A Reflection Of Enduring Ideals, Katherine Cooke

CGU Theses & Dissertations

In order to educate my students in my first year of teaching, I embarked upon a research project that would allow me to get to know their strengths and needs in addition to identifying my own possible biases and pre-conceived educational ideas. My research spreads from my own life to the lives of three focus students from various populations: one English learner, one student who receives special education services, and one student who has had significant life experiences that might contribute to his academic work. I interviewed all three students and their families to develop an action plan to help …

The Effects Of A Transition Program On The Academic Achievement Of Ninth Grade Students In A California Suburban High School, Igor Nicholas Milosavljević

Dissertations

Problem

High school graduation rates have improved over the last decade. However, approximately one-fourth of U.S. high school students still do not graduate within four years. The rates are higher especially among minority and low socioeconomic status students, including students with special needs and English Language Learners. More ninth graders fail than any other grade in high school. A disproportionate number of students held back in ninth grade subsequently drop out. Students who do not complete high school face significant social, financial, and health challenges. Programs have been developed to address this need. One of those is the Accelerated Academic …

Youth-Adult Community Partnerships: Student Voice And Choice In Addressing Racism, Sarah Ranco

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Researchers have documented many benefits of youth engagement, however there is a need for more systematic research on participation in different contexts. This study has investigated how a youth-adult partnership addressed racism within a high school, as well as the experiences of participants during this process. This project was a case study of a school-based, youth-adult partnership consisting of eight (N = 8) participants. Five participants were students in Grades 11 and 12, two were school/school board staff, and one was the author; I directly participated in the partnership as a facilitator. Qualitative data were collected through field notes, interviews …

Building Young People’S Capacity For Critical And Transcendent Engagement: Examining The Institution, The Community, And The Individual As Protagonists Of A School Setting, Livia Dittmer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As a powerful socializing force in Western society, schools have significant influence on young people’s development into adulthood. As powerful agents of societal maintenance and change, adolescents have significant influence on communities and institutions such as schools. In this embedded case study, I use structuration theory, German Critical Psychology, and systems thinking to examine the dynamic relationship between institutional structures and student agency in a school setting. I specifically examine the influence of this relationship on young people’s capacity for critical and transcendent engagement, constructs described further in this work. In the setting of Nancy Campbell Academy (NCA), an international …

Money And The Downfall Of A Democracy Economic Crises And The Weimar Republic, Leshan Xiao

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay……………………………….2

II. Primary Documents and Headnotes……….32

III. Textbook Critique…………………………….45

IV. New Textbook Entry…………………………48

V. Bibliography…………………………………..54

Ho Chi Minh And The Vietnamese Struggle For Independence: A Historiographical And Instructional Capstone Project, Nicholas Johnson

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay…………………………....3

II. Bibliography………………………………..27

III. Primary Documents and Headnotes…...28

IV. Textbook Critique…………………………35

V. New Textbook Entry……………………….41

A First-Year Teacher’S Implementation Of Short-Cycle Formative Assessment Through The Use Of A Classroom Response System And Flexible Grouping, Adrienne Irving Dumas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As teachers we are tasked with ensuring that our students are equipped with the skills necessary to not only perform with proficiency on local state and national assessments but also to provide our students with opportunities to develop confidence and competence as learners of mathematics through meaningful challenging and worthwhile activities. As such many teachers have turned to technology and cooperative groups as staples in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to understand how one first-year teacher implemented what she was taught in her undergraduate coursework in teaching two specific units of instruction in two sections of high …

Realities Of The First-Year Of Teaching Research On The Inspiration Behind, Reality Of, And Effects Of A First-Year Teacher., Rebecca Peterson

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to identify the factors which lend to and negatively impact student success, taking a specific look at the Pomona area and tracking the experiences of one first-year teacher and three of their students throughout an entire academic year in the charter school setting. Beginning with research on the experiences and beliefs which motivated an individual teacher to join the field of education, it then assesses how the academic and cultural backgrounds of three different students lend to their overall identity and school success. The latter research identifies factors within the city itself which affect …

Safe At Home: My Journey From Student To Teacher, Elena Fregoso

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnography is to examine my journey through my first full year teaching. The main subjects of this work are myself, along with my 10^th grade World History students from Monte Vista High School. Through an examination of my personal history, as well as interviews with students and their parents, I have traced my effectiveness as a first-year teacher, through my ability to meet each student’s needs, as well as the development of relationships with each of my three focus students. Through personal anecdotes and the examination of assessment data, I have tracked my student’s progress …

An Ethnographic Study Examining The Effect Of Teachers' Socio-Political Bias On Latinx Students And School Culture, Jessica Mcmaster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academics such as Geneva Gay, Christine Sleeter, Samy Alim, and Django Paris have conducted research that illustrates the importance of educators being not only aware of the culture of their students but implementing curriculum that supports the diverse cultures of their students. A common finding among this research is that a culturally sustaining pedagogy is essential to the inclusion of all students in the classroom and the level of academic success they have in schools. This study aims to investigate the effect of teacher beliefs on the academic performance of Latinx students and on the culture and atmosphere of the …

Digital Education: The Impact Of Change, Acceleration, And Student Achievement Improvement, Sarah Walsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim is to understand if the implementation plan in place by the public school system is exceeding the expectations of the stakeholders or if it is falling below what is expected. This quantitative research examines the English Language Arts (ELA), Florida Standard Assessment (FSA) scores for the state of Florida with a closer inspection of Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) with relation to their digital implementation plan. With an increase in digital technology and amplified emphasis on technology-based learning, the objective of this research was to determine what impact students and schools are experiencing in regards to test scores …

A Grounded Theory Survey Study Of Teachers Perception Perpetuating The Deficit Narrative About Marginalized Students Of Color, Cavel Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The deficit narrative about marginalized students of color attributes their failure in school to some nature of innate cognitive deficiency, cultural, social, and familial dysfunctions among other schools of thoughts. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to provide a rich description about this phenomenon and to propose theoretical pedagogical adjustments in the classroom as it relates to educating students of color. The study applies Charmaz (2014) Constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to examine the following research questions: (RQ1) How do teachers' narratives about students of color depict their teaching experiences and (RQ2) How do teachers' narratives about …

High School Engineering Students’ Identities And Interest In Stem, Morgan Lane

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

With a national push toward improving STEM education, it is imperative for researchers to study what makes students want to pursue STEM education and STEM careers. To learn about this in the context of one high school’s engineering program, this study used student interviews to gain insight into how student identities influence their interest and experiences in STEM. Five components of student identities were revealed to be influential on a student’s interest in STEM: (1) an early interest/skill in STEM, (2) familial involvement in STEM, (3) self-motivation, (4) gender, and (5) socioeconomic status.Race/ethnicity, peer influence, and teacher influence did not …

Putting Educational Reform Into Practice: The Impact Of The No Child Left Behind Act On Students, Teachers, And Schools, Timothy Song

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis seeks to investigate the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on U.S. student achievement and teacher effectiveness. By combining the results from various data sources, I am able to indicate the levels of student preparedness, school spending, and specific classroom practices. After an analysis of my results, I suggest that NCLB has found moderate success in increasing the level of math preparedness for younger students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. On the other hand, the data also suggests that there have been no statistically significant gains in reading achievement after the implementation of NCLB. Additionally, spending …