Secondary Education Commons^™

Can Student-Built Gsas Provide Positive Development For Lgbt Youth In High Schools? A Review Of Literature, Beau Coggsdale

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Within school systems, there are sexual minority students that are not treated with the same amount of attention that the sexual majority gets. These minority students include individuals that identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, or questioning. These students would fall under the category of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, or pan/polysexual (LGBTQQIAP). Many LGBT students in high school report feelings of isolation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation (Hong, Espelage, and Kral 885- 886). Many of these students, especially in rural areas, require some form of support within the school system for healthy positive development. Gay Straight …

The New York City Doe/Cuny Library Collaborative: Bridging The Gap Between High School And College, Curtis L. Kendrick, Leanne Ellis, Lisa Castillo Richmond, Sharae D. Brown, Robert Farrell, Alison Lehner-Quam, Nathan Mickelson, Mehgann Walk

Library Scholarship

This white paper presents the progression and the processes of the New York Collaborative Curriculum Revision Project (CCRP), a collaborative of high school teachers, college faculty, and librarians, formed to build upon the new Common Core State Standards designed to help students develop and become more adept at reading critically, conducting rigorous research, and being better prepared for postsecondary success. This paper presents CCRP as a model to be replicated, modified and strengthened. The DOE/CUNY Library Collaborative is central to the development of the model and shares its successes and hard-learned lessons in its steps to recruit, engage, and facilitate …

The Health Sciences And Technology Academy (Hsta): A Case Study Of The Community Impact Of A 9th Through 12th Grade After School Pipeline Program, Catherine Morton-Mcswain

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This is a qualitative case study designed to examine the viewpoints community members have about the after-school Health Sciences Technology Academy (HSTA) pipeline program for students in grades nine through twelve. The program is designed to foster success and improve the college going rate of under-represented students or what one colleague described as "kids on the bubble." There is little existing literature that examines community impact from the outside or gives voice to community members.

Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA) has been in existence for 19 years in 26 of the 55 counties in West Virginia. It requires a …

Keeping Count Of All And Losing Count Of A Few: The Construction Of The High School Dropout Rate, Shana Elizabeth Henry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The quality of the construction of the high school dropout rate is the policy issue investigated in this dissertation. This qualitative dissertation explores the constructs necessary to create a high school dropout rate and seeks to unearth complexities in the construction of the high school dropout rate. Every single year, approximately 1.2 million students do not earn a high school diploma.

Dropout rates are one method of assessing the magnitude of the problem and helps to shed light on the health of the public school system. A number of researchers have questioned the accuracy of data reported by schools for …

Interactive Whiteboard Technology: Impacts On Teachers, Teaching, And Students, Taylor Edward Yost Pettis

Theses and Graduate Projects

To investigate interactive whiteboards and their impact on teachers, teaching, and students, a research review along with a qualitative case study on interactive whiteboards was performed. The purpose of this study is to learn more about the use of interactive whiteboards and specifically examine how one high school has implemented the technology. The research concludes that interactive whiteboards have had an overall positive impact on teachers, teaching, and students. Influences were noted in the areas of classroom practice, teacher collaboration, teacher preparation, and communication with students outside of the classroom. The examples listed in the case study are exclusive to …

A Handbook For Developing And Implementing A High School At-Risk Reading Program, Tamara A. Deford

All Graduate Projects

This project is intended to serve as a guide and resource for the development of a reading intervention program for at-risk secondary students. The project consisted of the following three foci: 1) an initial review of the literature in the areas of adolescent literacy, the Washington State Three-Tier Reading Model, the reading intervention program Literacy First, and school environmental and cultural traits that foster success among adolescent students-specifically struggling adolescent readers, 2) a discussion of Othello High School's process of the selection of a secondary reading intervention program, and 3) a resource handbook, which included methods and processes that supported …

Development Of An Art Curriculum That Best Prepares Students For Careers In The Visual Arts By Conducting Interviews With Professional Artists And Designers., David James Willits

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine ways to best prepare students in an art curriculum at a high school level who wish to go on to pursue a career as a professional artist or designer. In this study I have interviewed eleven professional artists and designers. I asked them a series of questions regarding the types of subjects that, based upon their experience, they would recommend be taught at that level. I have also asked them to identify those things that they feel teachers could do to encourage students to consider art or design as a career.

Participation In Extra-Curricular Activities By Suburban High School Students With Emotional Behavior Disorders, Karin Dye

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study analyzes the current status of the involvement of suburban high school students with Emotional/Behavior Disorders (EBD) and their participation in extra curricular activities. Individuals who participate in extra-curricular activities are positively associated with a reduction in delinquent behaviors and show an increase in both academic and social performance. Results of studies with high school students across the United States have demonstrated that those students who become heavily involved in extra curricular activities tend to be model students and seldom get involved in delinquency and crime (Cassel, 2000). Students who are diagnosed with EBD, however, are more likely than …

The Relationship Between Collective-Efficacy And Student Achievement In Vocational/Technical High Schools, Rosemary Tralli

Dissertations

Purpose

The impact of teachers’ efficacious beliefs on achievement in technical high schools required further investigation. This study examined the collective-efficacy beliefs of academic and trade departments in 17 Connecticut technical high schools and the relationship between those beliefs and student achievement.

Method

The collective-efficacy beliefs of 730 teachers were measured through use of the Collective Teacher-Efficacy Belief Scale. Perceptions of influence over instruction, discipline, and overall efficacy were obtained. A sample of 2,592 students was used to obtain achievement data in mathematics, science, reading, and writing on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine …

A Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Curriculum For Secondary Biology Teachers, Raquel Georgina Martinez

All Graduate Projects

Research was conducted in the following areas, which help support the need for a culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum for secondary biology teachers. The history of both bilingual education and science, the importance of bilingual education, a summarization of selected bilingual and ESL models, bilingual and science curriculum, supported bilingual research, standardized tests, science and ELL students, and in closing secondary bilingual research. Based on the conducted research, the curriculum was developed utilizing the late-exit bilingual model, preview/review, and the incorporation of the student's culture.

Using Pop Culture And Media Together With Effective Literacy Instruction: A Teacher's Tool Kit For Selah H.S. Read Write Class, Stephanie Marie Sevigny

All Graduate Projects

A toolkit has been created to assist secondary teachers in using popular culture and the media in conjunction with explicit comprehension strategy instruction in the classroom in an effort to improve struggling students' comprehension. The toolkit consists of an introduction, examples and suggestions for using popular culture and media in the classroom, examples and guidelines for strategic comprehension instruction. CutTent literature and research regarding the use of popular culture and media in the classroom and effective comprehension strategy instruction were reviewed.

Instructional Writing Strategies For The Secondary Teacher: A Handbook To Guide Content Area Teachers Implementing Writing Into Curriculum, Cathy S. Thompson

All Graduate Projects

Secondary teachers are concerned that their students are having difficulties learning and retaining difficult concepts present in secondary curricula. Additionally, students may not be learning the content at a deep enough knowledge level to pass stringent high-stakes standardized tests required for graduation in the state of Washington. For students to succeed in the competitive global economy they must become self-monitoring critical thinkers. Research supports the use of writing-to-learn and content area writing strategies to facilitate metacognition and boost student learning. This project reviews the research in writing and metacognition, synthesizes the findings, and applies the results in a series of …

Motivating The Reluctant 9th Grade Reader In The English Classroom: An Educator's Guide, Christine Murphy

All Graduate Projects

Reluctant readers need support from all levels of government as well as from the community, parents and educators. Motivating reluctant readers and changing their attitude toward reading in order for students to be successful requires educators to discover the interests, dreams, and goals, of their students. Educators must invest the time and energy needed to view students as whole individuals in order to understand their reading needs, and to utilize best practices in an effort to improve student reading ability. ll1

A Manual For The Small Schol Conversion Of Evergreen High School, Michael T. Sita Iii

Graduate Student Projects

The project examined key elements of success in large high school conversions to smaller learning community complexes. The review of current research found that the mere act of making schools smaller by size of staff and student population is not enough of a structural change to affect student learning and achievement. Six defining characteristics of a small school were identified as key elements to a learning community that can demonstrate success by significantly improved graduation rates, testing scores and college applications and acceptances. The manual describes a developed six step process which addresses all of the elements which lead to …

Service Learning Manual For Coupeville High School, Kenneth J. Stange

Graduate Student Projects

This project examined the need for increased service learning in schools as well as current practices being used by educators who employ service learning as a regular part of curriculum. The review of literature found that service learning, when conducted properly, has shown benefits to students, educators, and communities. In addition, there were five main components of an effective service learning program: preparation, action, reflection, presentation, and recognition. Included is a service learning manual, specifically designed for Coupeville High School, focused on the five pa1is of a service learning program. The overall purpose of the manual was to ensure that …

Second Language Acquisition Through Reading, Comprehensible Input, Limited Grammar, And Cultural Study: A Handbook For The Secondary Language Teacher, Judith A. Willis-Nicolai

All Graduate Projects

Second language practitioners share the goal that their students reach communicative competence in the target language. Recent research findings regarding learning, however, have spawned a debate that has driven teachers to rethink the efficacy of the traditional practice of direct instruction of language usage. The Standards for Foreign Language Learning, as well as research that examines second language acquisition, support content-based instructional strategies that employ sustained language use, cultural infusion, and contextual grammar instruction in a constructivist classroom. This project reviews that research, then synthesizes and applies the findings of the research through the development of units that implement strategies …

Curriculum Design To Teach High School Students: How To Pull Evidence From Text, Karen Marie Hughes Bray

All Graduate Projects

Inadequate pe1formance of Washington State's public school students on national exams motivated the state legislature to pass the Basic Education Act in 1993. Graduation requirements were changed and expectations increased to specific skill levels in reading, writing, and several other subjects. The problem is that48% of North Central High School IO'" graders have averaged below standard in reading and 56% have averaged below standard in writing for the last six years. The project is designed to increase reading and writing skills at the high school level in classes outside of the academic arena by direct instruction. Washington State's Commission on …

Preventing Plagiarism In The High School, Robin Brooke Rushing

All Graduate Projects

The project provides high school teachers with a handbook to aid their effort in teaching summarization skills and MLA citation format. Because research articles have become easier to obtain over the internet, plagiarism among high school students has evolved and become a problem in American high schools. This handbook is not only a resource for teachers to utilize in their lesson plans, but provides various opportunities for students to practice key writing and research documentation skills.

Creating A Small Learning Academy At My. Rainier High School, Gerald A. Turner

All Graduate Projects

This project examined the essential components of a small learning academy to be established at Mt. Rainier High School. The review of current research found that six components are necessary for a small learning academy to be successful when breaking down large comprehensive high schools into small learning communities. The components that are evaluated include personalization of education, creating studentcentered and authentic curriculum, adaptive teaching strategies, performance-based assessment with high expectations, teacher collaboration and professional development, and strong community connections. The overall purpose of the guide is to focus attention on the components that matter in the establishment of the …

"Through The Looking Glass:" Teaching Literary Theory In The High School English Classroom, Alethea Young

All Graduate Projects

The project examines the historical context of Contemporary Literary Theories: Deconstruction, Marxist Literary Theory, Althusser's Theory ofldeology, and Feminist Literary Theory, through a review ofliterature. The project culminates in a 4-6 week unit on teaching Feminist Literary Theory, Marxist Literary Theory, and Deconstruction in connection with a unit on Rudolfo Anaya's award-winning novel, Bless Me, Wtima. The unit is designed for 10th grade Honors Language Arts classes.

Project-Based High School Science Activities, Raymond Lynn Harris

All Graduate Projects

The development of project-based science activities and assessment rubrics are presented. A total of fifteen different science projects are presented for use in the high school science classroom. The activities are complete with lesson plans, design lessons, overviews of materials and follow up assessments. The activities are designed to combine essential academic learning requirements with real-world applications and can be applicable to a wide variety of concepts. The development of these activities is supported by the literature review as well as the use in the author's classroom.

A Model Marketing Education/Store Management Program For Klahowya Secondary School, Karin K. Johannessen

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a model Marketing Education/Store Management program for Klahowya Secondary School. The model program was designed for implementation with second year (grades 11-12) marketing education students at Klahowya Secondary School, Central Kitsap School District, Silverdale, Washington. To accomplish this purpose a review of literature was conducted. Additionally, related information and materials from selected sources were obtained and analyzed, including a survey that was sent to marketing education teachers in the State of Washington.

Supporting Reading Instruction Of High School Students With Learning Disabilities By Using Wynn Software, Linda Kilgore

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to create a student/teacher handbook, which contained information for the successful integration of the WYNN computer software into the general and special education classroom. Students with learning disabilities struggle with the general education curriculum and new technology provides an individualized approach to the accommodation of their needs. Research concerning learning disabilities and how the use of computers can support these students in the classroom was included.

Integration Of American History And American Literature, Diane Main

All Graduate Projects

The development of an integrated curriculum for American History and American Literature is presented. The purpose of this project is to integrate concepts from American History with the concepts typically taught in an American Literature course. This project is intended for use at the secondary level, specifically for use at Eisenhower High School, Yakima, Washington. Many feel that it is important for students to have the ability to transfer information from one area to another. It has also been deemed important that students are capable of critical thinking. The project that has been developed will help students do both.

An Interdisciplinary, Teaming Approach To History And English Instruction At The Secondary Level, Miles J. Caples

All Graduate Projects

The relationship of integrating history and English objectives to enhance student achievement was studied. A model curriculum has been developed to connect U.S. History and American Literature content. Research has been obtained that indicates improved student learning when subjects are integrated in a relevant fashion. Secondary schools using interdisciplinary curriculum are showing improved GPA's, attendance and standardized test scores. Secondary teachers must align their daily lesson plans and assessments with the state essential learning's in both the history and language arts area.

William Blake: An Integrated Teaching Approach, Shawn C. Gaspaire

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to explore the usefulness of providing integrated curricula in today's contemporary classroom. The literature review illustrates that integrated approaches to teaching improve classroom engagement rates, retention, and skill level across grade levels when compared to non-integrated environments. A tenweek model using William Blake as a catalyst is presented. The integrated approach using Blake incorporates history, English, the arts, vocational arts, communication, and the technologies. Implications of integrated curriculum and William Blake are discussed.

Direction Of The Production Fools By Neil Simon, Anna Jane Hudgens

Master of Theater Production Graduate Projects

This project entailed background research and documentation, casting, direction, and post-production assessment of Ellensburg High School's production of Fools. Included in this thesis documentation are three areas of research: preliminary information, pre-production analysis, and post production evaluation.

Integrating Mathematics, Technical Writing Skills And Authentic Assessment Into A Ninth And Tenth Grade Woodshop Curriculum, John Lawrence Mccarley

Graduate Student Projects

For this project an integrated woodshop curriculum containing elements of procedural writing and mathematics instruction was created. The curriculum design was based on the constructivist concept that students learn more efficiently when personal meaning is attached to the content presented. That concept was used to connect mathematics and writing to realistic applications in a woodshop setting. Support for integration of various content areas into a single curriculum is supported in the academic literature. Specific exercises to attain specific outcomes are discussed in the literature, and adaptations of those processes were incorporated in the project.

A Co-Curriculuar Theatre Arts Handbook: Tips And Techniques To Use When Directing A Production At The High School Level, Paul Vernon Wickline

All Graduate Projects

This project is a handbook of techniques and strategies for beginning directors of high school drama programs. Included in this handbook are sections on selecting the best productions for your actors, strategies for directing the young actor, helpful hints on how to build a successful extra-curricular drama program, and more. This project was based on a review ofliterature (including extant curriculum guides and articles and textbooks on directing and acting) and the author's fifteen years experience as an actor, director, and theatre arts educator.

A Model United States History Developmental Reading Skills Curriculum In Alignment With Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Mario R. Casello

All Graduate Projects

The purpose ofthis project was to develop a model, United States History developmental reading skills curriculum, for resource room students, at Governor John R. Rogers High School, Puyallup, Washington. The model curriculum was designed in alignment with the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALR'S). To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature was reviewed. Additionally, related information from selected sources was obtained and analyzed.