Elementary Education and Teaching Commons^™

Teacher Qualifications And Middle School Student Achievement, Richard Buddin, Gema Zamarro

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This research examines whether teacher licensure test scores and other teacher qualifications affect middle school student achievement. The results are based on longitudinal student-level data from Los Angeles. The achievement analysis uses a value-added approach that adjusts for both student and teacher fixed effects. The results show little relationship between traditional measures of teacher quality (e.g., experience and education level) and student achievement in reading or math. Similarly, licensure test scores in general aptitude, subject-matter knowledge, and reading pedagogy had no significant effects on student achievement. Teachers with elementary school credentials had slightly better success in the classroom than did …

A Look At The Beginning: Strengths, Weaknesses, And The Support Structures For New Teachers From The Perspectives Of Elementary School Principals, Scott Merkel

Dissertations

This research examined the perceptions of elementary school principals regarding their beliefs of the strengths and weaknesses of new teachers. The overall research goal was to examine ways that principals evaluate new teachers, their beliefs of strengths and weaknesses related to effective instruction and the effectiveness of structures established to support new teachers. Participants for this study came from 12 different school districts, four from each of the defined and identified categories of rural, urban, and suburban districts. As a secondary focus, a comparison was examined between each of these categories.

A phenomenological approach was used to guide this qualitative …

Case Study: The Effect Of The Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities On Teacher Behaviors At Two Elementary Schools, Rachel N. Clarke

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the impact of the implementation of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) model on teacher behaviors in two elementary schools. The research questions underlying and providing a research framework for the study were as follows: How does establishing a PLC change teacher instructional behavior? How does the implementation of a PLC encourage teacher professional growth? How do grade level meetings affect the instructional behavior of classroom teachers?

Written documentation and perceptions of principals and teachers, solicited through interviews and focus groups, were used to provide data for the study, along with survey data and grade level meeting documentation. …

See Me, Hear Me, Coach Me, Marcia L. Rock, Madeleine Gregg, Pamela W. Howard, Donna M. Ploessl, Sharron Maughn, Robert A. Gable, Naomi P. Zigmond

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The writers describe the implementation of virtual coaching for teachers in Alabama and Pennsylvania. They describe use of bug-in-ear devices, revolutionized by Internet and mobile technology advances, to provide on-the-spot feedback as teachers deliver instruction. They outline lessons learned from virtual coaching initiatives and present research results showing the positive impact of this approach on both teachers and students. They also provide advice for those using this approach on making contact and providing feedback.

Teachers' Participation In Formal Induction Programs And Their Subsequent Level Of Professional Growth In Wisconsin Public Schools, Paul Edmund Blanford Sr.

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between teachers' participation in formal induction programs and their subsequent level of professional growth as measured by two variables (graduate level credits/graduate degrees attained) as reported by public school teachers in the State of Wisconsin. In addition, selected demographic variables (teachers' age; teachers grade level taught; teachers' school district size; training and support provided to teachers in their first years of teaching; participation by teachers in mentoring and induction programs; teachers' level of education) were examined for their predictive relationships with teacher induction and professional development.

This study was conducted during the spring of 2007. …

The Principal's Role In Affecting Student Reading Achievement, Kathleen J. Beecher

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Leadership-Influenced Practices That Impact Classroom Instruction Related To Writing: A Case Study Of A Successful Elementary School, Barb Johnson

Dissertations

This research studied the practices of educators at an ethnically diverse suburban elementary school which had demonstrated success in the area of student writing, even among at-risk students. The overall research goal was to examine to what extent and how leadership-related practices impacted classroom instruction in a manner that helped produce successful writing scores. A case study approach was used to explore four key leadership-related practices (supervision, curriculum, professional development, and knowledgeable leaders) and their impact on classroom literacy-based instructional strategies.

The study participants included two leaders and fourteen teachers from a single elementary school located in a metropolitan Michigan …

Michigan Elementary School Facility Quality And Its Impact On Student Achievement, Brett A. Geier

Dissertations

Studies on school facility quality and its impact on student achievement have been conducted throughout the nation with varying results. Some studies conclude a significant relationship exists between facility condition and student achievement, while others refute this potential phenomenon. Much of the research concludes that not enough analyses have been conducted to make appropriate generalizations. This research study focused on the condition ofelementary schools in Michigan and utilized the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (M.E.A.P.) examinations in reading and mathematics at the third, fourth and fifth grade levels as the dependent variable to assess the relationship between building condition and student …

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Status Of The Strategic Planning Process As Used By Public School Districts In Six Suburban New York City Counties, Bartholomew Linehan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Over the past two decades, strategic planning has emerged as a management tool to assist administrators in leading public school districts forward. If strategic planning is an important administrative tool in moving a school district toward its vision, how and in what form is it being utilized in suburban New York City school districts? The purpose of this study was to understand the utilization of strategic planning in suburban New York City school districts and to understand the constraints, training and technical needs regarding strategic planning. This study also discusses the relationship existing between strategic planning and the key district …

A Qualitative Study Of Instructional Teams In An Elementary School, Rebecca Courtney Lane

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Working in teams is common throughout all areas of American society and research by Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Ross, and Smith (1994), Bensimon and Neumann (1993), Buckley (2000), DiPardo (1999), Erb (1997), and others have described its use in business and secondary schools. Since the implementation of Public Law 221 in Indiana, general education teachers and special education teachers have been working together to better instruct students with Individual Education Plans (Gable & Manning, 1999; Gately & Gately, 2001). However, very little has been written on the elementary instructional team and the interaction of its teammates. Analyzing data collected during the …

Nsu Graduate Education Online Earn A Certificate In Charter Schools Administration 1999, Nova Southeastern University

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice College Archive

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Ronald Edmonds' Effective Schools Theory Applied To Various Grades In Two Demographically Different Oklahoma City Elementary Schools, Faluv Tunley

McCabe Thesis Collection

Effective schools research has been a key to the improvement of education for many urban school children, especially in large cities such as New York City and Chicago, Illinois. This research has revealed many different ideologies on helping a child learn, helping teachers teach, and giving administrators the tools to handle their schools more efficiently. Effective schools research also addresses parents and their involvement in the school system. One researcher who constantly pushed Effective Schools research is Dr. Ronald R. Edmonds. Edmonds, along with many other researchers helped to restructure the urban area schools in New York City and Michigan …

An Examination Of Factors Contributing To Exemplary Schools In An Urban Public School District In The Midwest, Gordon D. Griffin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were characteristics that identify exemplary elementary schools. Selection of schools was based on standardized scores, principal tenure, parental involvement, Directors of Elementary School’s opinion, and accreditation status.

The demographic information suggested that both groups of schools were similar in composition. Developing schools demonstrated a significantly greater population of students receiving free lunch and a greater population of minority students. Each school principal and staff received two survey instruments: the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 1992), and the School Assessment Survey (Wilson, 1985). The results were compared to determine which …

The Relationship Between Principals' Length Of Administrative Experience And Organizational Leadership Behavior In Elementary Schools In Saudi Arabia, Hamad Adbulaziz Alkherb

Dissertations

The study examined educational leadership behaviors among elementary school principals in Qasim region of Saudi Arabia. Seven independent variables using a survey questionnaire among a randomly selected sample from the identified population. Self-reporting elicited, first, critical background information and, second, data concerning 60 specific leadership behavior items important to work issues, critical areas of educational administration, professional relationship situations, and leadership problems ordinarily confronted. Items were grouped according to five categories of twelve items each.

Ninety-six principals or 80% of the survey sample of 120 responded. Focus of the study derived importantly from an extensive and complex review of literature …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And School Climate, Christine L. Jensen

Dissertations

The study investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and school climate in elementary schools in w est Michigan with enrollments of 200-800 students. Eighteen school districts with 294 participating teachers completed two questionnaires.

The independent variable of transformational leadership was investigated by using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to measure teachers' perceptions of leadership factors. The dependent variable of school climate was investigated by using the Organizational Climate Descriptor Questionnaire-Revised Elementary. The questionnaire was used to determine teachers' perceptions of principal openness, teacher openness, and overall school climate.

As a result of the data analysis, the investigation supported that there was …

Salute To Kitty Stone Scrapbook, Martha Stillwell

Alabama History & Culture

Kitty Stone, wife of JSU President Emeritus Ernest Stone, was a longtime educator who worked to improve standards in the Jacksonville School System and the State of Alabama. She began her career in Jacksonville in the 1940s as a first grade teacher at what was then known as Jacksonville Elementary Laboratory School, which was an extension of Jacksonville State Teachers College. Stone went on to serve as director of the laboratory school and JSTC's student teacher program, and later principal of the school until her retirement on 30 September 1971. The school was later named Kitty Stone Elementary School in …

A Comparison Of Male And Female Elementary School Principals' Perceived Instructional Leadership Behavior, Carol Lynn Babcock

Dissertations

This study investigated and compared the perceptions of male and female elementary school principal's instructional leadership behavior. Perceptions were solicited from elementary school principals who held membership in the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association. The objective of the study was to compare male and female elementary school principal's perceptions of their instructional leadership behavior. The dimensions of instructional leadership compared were: Defining the Mission, Managing the Instructional Program, and Promoting School Climate.

The Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (Hallinger & Murphy, 1985) sought perceptions on the major dimensions of instructional leadership behavior. The survey was mailed to the …

Staff Development And The Process Of Teacher Change: A Case Study, Christene Kay Jones

Dissertations and Theses

This case study documented a staff development program which was the major component of a public school/university partnership between Portland State University and the Lake Oswego School District, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. A select group of 34 Lake Oswego teachers and 4 administrators participated in the Joint Ventures in Instructional Leadership Program which included classes in learning and instructional theory, techniques of peer sharing, instructional strategies and models of teaching, and approaches to the teaching of higher order thinking skills. The program included 7 full days and 4 evenings of instructional training which occurred throughout the 1986-87 school year. …

Convocation Of Richmond School Teachers, Lewis F. Powell Jr.

Powell Speeches

No abstract provided.

An Experimental Study In Reporting Pupil Progress Through Parent-Teacher Conferences As A Supplement To Report Cards In The Wishram, Washington, Elementary School, Orville G. Ransford

All Master's Theses

It was the purpose of this study to determine if the values derived from parent-teacher conferences used as a supplement to report cards would be worth while in the Wishram, Washington, Elementary School.

An Investigation Of The Physical Education Specialist In The Elementary School, William G. Bentley

All Master's Theses

Acting on the premise that the physical education program is a vital part of the elementary school curriculum, every elementary school should provide qualified leadership, proper facilities, and activities suited to the growth and development of the participants.

Reorganization Of Spencer County, Kentucky School System, C. L. Francis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To study present school system of Spencer County and to devise a plan of reorganization of present system in order to provide a well rounded educational opportunity for the boys and girls of Spencer County, Kentucky. The consideration of this problem are:

1. Comparison of teacher qualifications in the types of schools.
2. Computation of enrollment, average daily attendance of the various types of schools.
3. Determination cost per pupil and total cost of operation of present school system and reorganized school system as salary of teacher, maintenance, transportation and needed buildings.
4. Provision for free transportation of all high school pupils.

The Reorganization Of Hopkins County Schools, John Adams

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Purpose of the study - Educators and lay citizens alike, in the main, want the schools to extend their services so as to meet all the educational needs of the youth. Surveys of the schools in the Hopkins County District in recent years have convincingly revealed that these services are not being rendered. At the suggestion of the Hopkins County School Superintendent H.W. Wilkey, and others this study is being made.

This is an intensive study of the schools of Hopkins County as they exist today, with suggestions for a plan of reorganization to bring them to the point of …

The Relationship Of Principal And Teacher. A Study Of Some Ways Of Improving Teachers In Service, Lillian Caryl Thies

Bachelors’ Theses

The title of this thesis is, ''The Relationship Between Principal and Teacher". Such a title may cover a great field, and instead of a single thesis, volumes might be written adequately to review it. I must therefore narrow the subject down, and after giving a general view of the position of the elementary school principal in the educational field and a sketch of his various powers and duties, I shall consider in more detail some ways in which he may help the elementary teacher to grow and to improve in service. There is gathering upon the subject, "The Principalship", a …