Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Principal And Teacher Beliefs About Leadership Implications For Student Performance, Jerri Cherita Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine whether the leadership style of principals affects teacher and student performance. The study includes an elementary, middle, and high school principal along with two teachers from each school who worked at schools that were in good standing from 2007-2011. Each school made adequate yearly progress (AYP) each year according to the No Child Left Behind Status History Report. This study examined one over arching research question: What do principals and teachers say about school and schooling? Data for this study was gathered through principal interviews, teacher interviews, and the results of an …

Alternative Education Completers: A Phenomenological Study, Becky Lynne Murray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Billy is a bright, wide-eyed, little boy with bounding enthusiasm and wonder as he enters the doors of school on his first day of kindergarten. When the school doors open in Billy's sixth grade year the wide eyes and bounding enthusiasm have diminished only to leave behind dread and dismay at the thought of confronting yet another abysmal nine months of failure. How can we, as educators, better serve the needs of at-risk students like Billy? Shouldn't we ask them? What elements of the alternative education experience were significant to successful completion of the alternative education program? The phenomenological paradigm …

The Perceived Influence Of Divergent Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Student Abilities On Students And The Establishment Of Effective Family-School Partnerships, Kara Ann Lasater

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge; of particular importance was the perceived influence of these divergent accounts on students and the establishment of effective family-school partnerships. This purpose was achieved through a qualitative investigation of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge. Analysis of data collected from 10 in-depth interviews with students, parents, and teachers revealed five themes and one subtheme related to discrepant parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities. These themes …

Reading And Religion: Reconciling Diverse Reading Patterns And The First Year Composition Classroom, Evelyn Baldwin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While tolerance is the supposed standard of the first-year composition classroom, the writing patterns and argumentation skills of self-identified Christian students often frustrate teachers and create classroom dissonance and interpersonal divergence. This work looks at what apologetic and devotional texts these students are reading before they enter the classroom and then analyzes these works to see how well their content aligns with Composition I reading and writing requirements. To do this, the study takes information from two very distinct groups: religious leaders of young adults and Composition I instructors. The study begins by surveying religious workers to identify the top …

Math, Science, And Social Studies Teachers' Attitudes Toward Diversity And Accommodation Of Diversity With Reference To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Seventh, Eighth, And Ninth Grade Students In A Mid-South State, Nadia Khrais

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was exploring seventh, eighth, and ninth grade teachers' attitudes and beliefs in response to classroom diversity and how that is reflected on their instruction, learning styles, communication patterns, instrumental materials, and assessment patterns in math, science, and Social studies subject areas. In this mixed-method research, the designed survey consisted of 59 questions based on Likert scale and obtained information of ten demographic factors. The survey was delivered in two formats (online link and hard copy) to the participating schools in three urban school districts in a Mid-South State. The survey data were analyzed by using …

Validating The Internal Structure Of The Performance Assessment Of California Teachers (Pact): A Multi-Dimensional Item Response Model Study, Brent Duckor, Katherine Castellano, Kip Tellez, Mark Wilson

Faculty Publications

Examining a large sample of teacher candidate responses (n=1711), we found a sufficient degree of internal structure validity evidence to support the intended, continued use of the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (2008) instrument to measure teacher candidates’ skills and proficiencies with professional standards in teaching (CCTC, 2012). Our examination of the Elementary Literacy Teaching Event found that the unidimensional IRT model fits the data very well and results in high reliability (.914), which is reassuring given the dependence on raters, the varied nature of the portfolio submissions and types of tasks, and the differences in California teacher preparation programs …

From High School To College: Teachers And Students Assess The Impact Of An Expository Reading And Writing Course On College Readiness, Jennifer Mccormick, Anne L. Hafner, Michelle Saint-Germain

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

The study aimed to examine teachers’ and students’ views on the impact of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC) on students’ college readiness and on teaching practices. Literature in the areas of college readiness, critiques of the English curriculum at the secondary level, and a review of research on the effects of ERWC are summarized. The mixed-methods study used a teacher survey, teacher interviews, and student focus groups. Findings showed that teachers reported making numerous changes and improvements in their teaching as a result of attending a professional development program and also reported making changes in other courses. Teachers …

2013, Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival

Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival

Brochure for the 2013 Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival

The Talented And Gifted (Tag) Latino Program: Providing Holistic Support To Boston Students In Grades 6-12 Through Programming Focused On The Development Of Academic Skills, Leadership Skills And Community Building, Ilyitch Nahiely Tábora, Institute For Learning & Teaching, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Talented And Gifted (TAG) Latino Program has served the academic, personal and social needs of Boston Public Schools middle and high schools Latino students and English Language Learners since 1985. TAG offers holistic, year-round support to approximately 600 students annually. Boston Public School (BPS) Latino students and English Language Learners (ELL) excel academically, socially and personally, so as to improve their ability to succeed in high school and at the postsecondary level.

Necc Early College Program: Third-Year Outcomes, Jack Leonard, Ellen Grondine

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Five-year longitudinal community-based program evaluation reports annually on outcomes for early college program between MA community college and 2 high schools (suburban; urban) for academically average students, grades 10-12. Mixed methodology uses surveys, interviews and quantitative student data to illuminate program design, measure student outcomes , investigate changes in teaching practice and examine effective leadership practices. Three-year results show impressive credit accumulation and improved college readiness skills in students. Strong support mechanisms promote student success. Program is now being replicated in other communities.

The Urban Scholars Program At University Of Massachusetts Boston, David Lemmel

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Urban Scholars provides talented and gifted students—especially those from low income and minority backgrounds—with the resources to develop the skills and self-motivation needed to enter and successfully complete postsecondary education. The program accommodates 120 students, 75 students at the high school level and 45 at the middle school level.

Upward Bound Math-Science At Umass Boston, Terri Slater

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) strives to increase the number of low-income and first-generation college bound students who enroll in and complete higher education programs, majoring in mathematics, the sciences, and computer science. UBMS aims to increase the number who pursues advanced study in these fields. UBMS serves students enrolled in the six academies that comprise the Lawrence High School Complex.

University Of Massachusetts Boston Upward Bound, Lizette Rivera

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Upward Bound is an intensive, year-round college-prep program. Our mission is to assist low-income and / or first-generation college bound high school students in the successful completion of secondary education. We strive to prepare our students academically and socially towards the enrollment and completion of higher education. Upward Bound offers services to students through an after-school program at UMass-Boston during the school year and a six-week summer residential academic program.

Transforming Equity-Oriented Leaders: Principal Residency Network Program Evaluation, Donna Braun, Felice D. Billups, Robert K. Gable

K-12 Education

After 12 years focused on developing school leaders who act as change agents for educational equity, the Principal Residency Network (PRN) partnered with Johnson and Wales University’s Center for Research and Evaluation to conduct a utilization-focused (Patton, 2002) program evaluation funded by a grant from the Rhode Island Foundation. The PRN is a principal preparation program of the non-profit organization, the Center for Leadership and Educational Equity. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study explored PRN graduates’ outcomes and perceptions of the program, with an overarching purpose of creating a coherent data collection and inquiry process to be used by program …

2013 Ijbe Front Matter, Tamra Connor

International Journal for Business Education

1. Editorial Board
2. President's Letter
3. SIEC-ISBE International

Landscapes To Learnscapes: Exploring Schoolyard-Based Education, Emily I. Palena, Caroline T. Spurgin

Pitzer Senior Theses

This thesis explores schoolyard-based education as a viable and necessary method for rectifying the shortcomings within the American public school system and the Nature-deficit Disorder epidemic. We argue that schoolyard-based education should be fully integrated into the school system, not in the sole form of popularized school gardens, but as a standard teaching method. We show this using extensive research and a case study of three elementary schools in Claremont, California.

Making Grades Matter: Connections Between Teacher Grading Practices And Attention To State Assessment, Gregory D. Warsen

Dissertations

Research suggests that traditional grading practices are fraught with subjective problems and that many factors go into grading that have little, if anything, to do with what a student knows or is able to do. More recent research, however, has made connections between teacher-assigned grades and subsequent performance on the American College Test using correlational studies. This study reinforces and extends that work by, first, testing the relationship between grade point averages (GPAs) and ACT scores for four graduating high school classes in two case study high schools. Then, this study qualitatively examines teacher thinking and decision making around planning …

Workplace-Based Practicum: Enabling Expansive Practices, Bruce A. Pridham, Craig Deed, Peter Cox

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Effective pre-service teacher education integrates theoretical and practical knowledge. One means of integration is practicum in a school workplace. In a time of variable approaches to, and models of, practicum, we outline an innovative model of school immersion as part of a teacher preparation program. We apply Fuller and Unwin’s (2004) expansive and restrictive conceptual framework of workplace learning to a case study of an immersive practicum experience to discuss themes of participation, personal development and institutional arrangements in relation to school-based practicum. Enablers and constraints are identified for our immersion model of workplace-based practicum. Based on the data analysis …

Playing Stakeholders: Experiencing Decision Making Procedures On National And Supranational Levels, Georg Tafner, Ph.D., Verena Liszt-Rohlf, Ph.D.

International Journal for Business Education

The European Union is a unique “postnational construction” (Habermas 1998) which is much more integrated than other international institutions. Nevertheless, it is not a country with some sort of nation-wide history or culture. In its core, it is a union of different member states serving as a platform for common decisions. Citizens of the EU are both citizens of the national state and of the European Union. Its uniqueness and complexity makes the EU to a didactic and pedagogical challenge (Tafner 2012): Firstly, introductory lessons usually present the topic EU from a legal perspective. But legal topics can be boring …

Session D-1: African Muslims And The Transatlantic Slave Trade, Steven Buenning

Professional Learning Day

African Muslims played central roles in the largest forced migration in human history; the transatlantic slave trade. This presentation employs primary sources from the online collection of the National Humanities Center and from the Transatlantic Slave Trade Database (Emory University). Participants will engage in close reading of two memoirs of Muslim slaves, as well as three newspaper articles written in 1828. In addition, participants will receive geography exercises. A Powerpoint and a full list of helpful resources are included.

Session C-4: Common Core Standards In The Ninth Grade History Curriculum: First Steps, Jessica Greenberg

Professional Learning Day

This session will focus on incorporating the Common Core standards into the ninth grade World History curriculum. Challenges surrounding this task will be addressed. These include: getting unmotivated students to engage with more text inside and outside of the classroom, addressing the Common Core reading standards without normed reading assessments to determine growth, and teaching the Common Core persuasive writing standards to students who are not ready to write five paragraph essays. Through a discussion of research-based strategies and actual examples of activities and assignments, this presentation describes first steps any teacher can take to begin the process of incorporating …

Quartz Hill High School Agricultural Education Program: A Guide To Restarting, Revising, And Rebuilding The Agricultural Education Program At Quartz Hill High School, Luke Gocke

Agricultural Education and Communication

At one point in time Quartz Hill High School had a successful Agricultural Education program. The program utilized the principle of Agricultural Education to develop each student to be a contributing member of society. The purpose of this project was to create a booklet on how to rebuild a high school agricultural education program. It was designed to help the author gain knowledge about agricultural education programs, to set a foundation for how one would rebuild a program, and to create new ideas on how to diversify a program of agricultural education. The booklet is designed to help the administration …

Call For Papers

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

No abstract provided.

Collaboration: Talk. Trust. Write., Mark Letcher, Kristen Turner, Meredith Donovan, Leah Zuidema, Jim Fredricksen, Cathy Fleischer, Nicole Sieben, Laraine Wallowitz, Sarah Andrew-Vaughn

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This essay describes the professional collaborative writing process and activities of several pairs of prominent authors in English education.

All Hands On Deck: Bringing Together High School Teachers And Adjunct Instructors For Professional Development In The Teaching Of Writing, Jennifer S. Cook, Becky L. Caouette

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

in June of 2012, two Writing Program Administrators (WPAs) at Rhode Island College collaborated on a one-day professional development opportunity for adjunct instructors of First Year Writing. One of the WPAs was Director of the Rhode Island Writing Project; the other was the Director of Writing. Each saw an opportunity to further the reach of their program and better the quality of instruction in the K-16 landscape of Rhode Island. And, each program was facing real challenges institutionally, politically, and financially. In this article, the two authors outline the exegesis that led to their collaboration and the outcome of that …

What Are Preservice Teachers Taught About The Teaching Of Writing?: A Survey Of Ohio’S Undergraduate Writing Methods Courses, Christine E. Tulley

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Undergraduate “writing methods” courses, or courses training secondary teachers how to teach writing, have increased 42% over the past decade within college English departments. Whether in response to increasing accreditation standards or a reaction against alarmist rhetoric about the poor training of today’s secondary English teachers, the writing methods course is often categorized as a potential antidote to a lack of writing teacher training.

Though much has been written on the its graduate counterpart, the composition practicum, no similar in-depth studies have been conducted exploring the content of the undergraduate writing methods course, the credentials of those teaching the course, …

Positioning Preservice Teachers As Writers And Researchers, Jason H. Wirtz

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This essay illustrates three theoretical concepts for the pre-service writing classroom learned from Wendy Bishop and Diane Holt-Reynolds: teachers of writing should be writers themselves; testimonials from writers should shape pre-service writing curricula; and content knowledge and the ability to teach content knowledge are discreet skill sets. Three practical assignments are presented to articulate these theoretical concepts in the pre-service writing classroom: Digital Poetry, Qualitative Interview Study, and Embedded Research.

Content-Area Teachers As Teachers Of Writing, Angela Kohnen

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Drawing on work with high school science teachers as part of an NSF-funded grant, this article presents lessons learned for effectively incorporating writing across the curriculum. With many states preparing to implement the Common Core State Standards, teachers in all subject areas will be asked to require more writing in their classes. This article argues that most of these teachers are ill-prepared to assign writing beyond the most formulaic and superficial, yet with professional development training (including training that requires teachers to write themselves) and support tools, teachers can begin effectively using discipline-specific writing to achieve discipline-specific goals.

Becoming Peer Tutors Of Writing: Identity Development As A Mode Of Preparation, Alison Bright

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Primary and secondary teachers of English are typically the subjects of research centered on writing teacher education. However, at the college level writing teacher education also includes individuals who instruct and support undergraduate writing instruction, and who do not always identify as writing teachers, such as graduate teaching assistants and peer writing tutors writing. Writing program administrators responsible for preparing TAs and tutors can benefit from the results of relevant research from the K-12 discourse community to improve their preparation programs. For example, research in primary and secondary teacher education programs indicates that when preparatory sessions highlight the concept of …

Gatekeepers And Guides: Preparing Future Writing Teachers To Negotiate Standard Language Ideology, Melinda J. Mcbee Orzulak

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This study of pre-service English teachers suggests benefits for exploring standard language ideology with new teachers of writing, such as increased awareness of the dilemmic positions occupied by teachers of writing and better understanding of the relationship between oral and written language. Implications include the need for writing teacher education to focus on the relationship between ideologies and enactment of specific methods, as pre-service teachers may face dilemmas related to beliefs about standard language and their positions as gatekeepers. Exploring additional subject positions for writing teachers, such as guide or language user, may help support stances that promote equitable writing …