Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons^™

Retention Of Music Teachers Working With High Concentrations Of At-Risk Students In Metro Atlanta Schools: A Qualitative Case Study, Theron Roy Petway Iii

Dissertations

Hiring and retaining teachers in the field continues to be an educational dilemma as 50% of all teachers leave their positions in the first 5 years. The statistics are similar for those specifically in the field of music education. Although teachers at schools with high concentrations of at-risk students face more difficulties in the classroom and are at greater risk of leaving their positions, little research has been conducted in this area. The purpose of this study is to provide a base of data related to music teacher retention in schools with high concentrations of at-risk students through a case …

Program Evaluation Of Universal Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In Kentucky, Kelly S. Davis

Dissertations

The current study was undertaken to examine the impact of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) implementation on schools in Kentucky. Research questions evaluated (a) whether schools in Kentucky implemented PBIS with fidelity and (b) how PBIS implementation impacted student outcomes. Results of the study indicated that elementary, middle, and high schools implemented PBIS with fidelity. Associations were noted between PBIS implementation and decreases in office discipline referrals, out-of-school suspensions, dropout rate, and student retention rate. Results suggested that the PBIS model of training and technical assistance used in Kentucky demonstrates a reliable model for schools to follow to implement …

Professional Development Experiences Of Indiana K-12 Public School Teachers: Evidence From The Sass 2007-2008, Patrick David Weil

Dissertations

This investigation examines the professional development perceptions and experiences of public school teachers in the state of Indiana. This study is unique in two regards as it: (1) uses restricted data; and (2) exclusively studies the professional development experiences of public school teachers in the State of Indiana. By analyzing a national data set, the 2007--2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), this study provides a snapshot of the recent state of professional learning among public school teachers in the State of Indiana. Results of this study may track trends in professional development since the 2003--2004 SASS administration. Researchers can compare …

Highly Qualified Public School Teacher: Its Status, Distribution, Determinants, And Relationship With Job Commitment And Job Satisfaction, Samuel Striker

Dissertations

Highly qualified teacher (HQT) has been promoted as a policy instrument to improve our public education. In this study, I investigated the quality of public school teachers by examining the distribution pattern of highly qualified teachers across school level, urbanicity, minority student population, and core academic fields. I also investigated what teacher characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, total years of teaching, certification, bachelor's degree in mathematics and sciences vs. in other areas, teaching level) predict highly qualified teacher status after controlling for school characteristics (% of minority students, % of free and reduced-price lunch, school size, and school location). Finally, I …

The Impact Of School Culture, Teacher Job Satisfaction, And Student Attendance Rates On Academic Achievement Of Middle School Students, Diane Yvonne Hatchett

Dissertations

This quantitative study focused on 760 Kentucky middle school teachers in 28 school districts across the state of Kentucky. The Pearson r was used to determine the relationship among the following variables identified in the study: (a) school culture as measured by the School Culture Triage Survey combined scores, (b) job satisfaction of teachers as measured by the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) scores, (c) student achievement scores as measured by the Commonwealth Assessment Testing Score (CATS) accountability index for each school, and (d) student attendance rates. This study utilized correlation analysis to answer questions one through six and multiple …

High-Stakes Testing And Its Relationship To Stress Levels Of Secondary Teachers, Sonya Colman Christian

Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between high-stakes testing and the stress levels of secondary teachers in Jackson’s Jackson Public School District. The independent variables of age, gender, subject taught, teaching experience, degree and school level were used to determine the differences of the various groups. A survey was piloted and used to determine teachers’ levels of stress. There was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of teachers who teach subjects that are measured by high-stakes testing and those who do not. There also was not a statistically significant difference between the stress levels of veteran teachers and …

Middle School Teacher And Parent Perceptions Of Parental Involvement, Brandon Graham

Dissertations

The purpose of this case study research was to examine the perceptions of teachers and parents towards current parental involvement factors in a suburban junior high school located in the Midwest United States. Such perceptions were compiled by means of surveys based on Dr. Joyce Epstein's Framework of the Six Dimensions of Parental Involvement: (a) parenting, (b) communication, (c) volunteering, (d) learning at home, (e) decision-making, (f) and collaborating with the community (Epstein, 1995). The subjects were N=36 seventh and eighth grade teachers, and N=344 parents of students. The descriptive statistical analysis did show a difference between teachers and parents …

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. …

After Turning Points: Evidence Of The Adoption Of Middle School Reforms In The United States 1987-2000., Nancy Barnes Mansberger

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the adoption by U.S. middle schools of key practices recommended by the 1989 Turning Points report. Three questions were examined: (1) To what extent have the organizational practices identified by research to impact the development of "small learning communities" been adopted by U.S. middle schools? (2) To what extent do the instructional practices of U.S. middle school teachers reflect developmentally responsive or traditional/bureaucratic methods?, and (3) Do the instructional practices of U.S. middle school teachers differ between those who teach in schools with developmentally responsive organizational practices and those who teach in …

Teachers’ Use Of Instructional Alignment In Michigan Fifth Grade Classrooms And The Relationship Of Use To Student Meap Scores In Writing, John Rasmussen

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Michigan fifth grade teachers use components of instructional alignment in writing instruction, and then to compare the writing MEAP scores from a sample of fifth grade elementary buildings in Michigan to determine if there was a relationship between writing test scores and (a) teachers’ years of experience; (b) the degree to which fifth grade teachers use the Michigan Model Core Curriculum in writing, the Michigan Curriculum Framework, or local curriculum documents containing this curricula, to plan their lessons; (c) the degree to which teachers perceive they are implementing …

The Relationship Between Principals' Leadership Characteristics And Characteristics Of Public Middle Schools, Linda S. Schneider-Rediske

Dissertations

Principals’ perceptions of the relationship between middle school leadership characteristics and the relevance and use of middle school characteristics were examined in this study. A systematic random sampling procedure was used to select principals from public middle schools in the State of Michigan. A survey instrument was developed to measure the variables. These variables were determined based on a review of the literature. The reliability of the instrument was obtained using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Spearman rank-ordered correlations were used to determine the strength and direction of the relationships of each hypothesis.

The findings from this study suggest that there …

A Descriptive Case Study Of Teaching Teams At Lakeside Middle School, Dion Harrigan

Dissertations

Problem. Much of current educational reform calls for teacher collaboration and teaming. These practices, however, are lacking in most middle schools. How do teams develop? Is there a prescribed pattern they must follow? What contributes to team growth? What are teachers' experiences as they collaborate? The answers to these questions are needed to facilitate effective teaming in schools.

Purpose. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine and describe the experiences of five middle school teams. I focus on the perceptions of the teams in terms of their development and relations with each other. The study describes how teachers' …

The Status Of Middle Level Schools In Berrien County, Michigan Following Michigan Public Act 25, Judith A. Burns

Dissertations

Michigan Public Act 25 of 1990 mandated public school reform. One of 4 components of Public Act 25 is the development of a 3 to 5 year School Improvement Plan (SIP). The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine middle level school improvement in Berrien County, Michigan, for evidence that developmentally appropriate middle level education is promoted.

This 2-part investigation involved analyzing SIPs submitted for 1992-93 school year using a content analysis format and interviews with each building principal or designee. The content analysis format was developed by Sweeney and Cooper in 1992 to analyze SIPs of Wayne County, …

Teachers' Perception Of Instructional Leadership And Student Achievement, David Anspaugh

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to investigate the teachers' perceptions of the principal's leadership behaviors and how the achievement level of the students was affected. Three middle schools representing the Prairie View Public Schools were used in the study. These middle schools were Sparta Middle School, High Plain Middle School, and Middleville Middle School.

A staff survey was given to the 33 teachers in each of the buildings. The survey dealt with 18 leadership behaviors of the principal. The teachers were asked to rate the behaviors as to their importance to them and if the behaviors existed. The survey …

A Comparison Of Junior High Schools To Middle Schools With Respect To Achievement And Attendance, Darrell Clay

Dissertations

During the past 30 years, the middle school movement has been a comprehensive effort to restructure middle level education. Literally thousands of school districts have chosen to change from junior high schools to middle schools for a variety of reasons. Research to support this massive reorganization of American schools has not been evident. The early research did not provide consistent evidence of improvement for middle school students. Most of this early research was based solely on the grade configuration of the schools being compared rather than the conceptual framework of the school.

The purpose of this study was to compare …

Parent, Student, And Teacher Perceptions Of Discipline Problems In The Middle School, Marilyn J. Giannangeli

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of parents, students, and teachers relative to specific, documented behavioral problems which occur in the middle school environment. Of particular interest were the perceptions of the frequency with which these behaviors occurred, whether these perceptions correlated with the actual frequencies as documented by formal dismissal referrals, and the perceptions of appropriateness of referral to a school administrator of these behaviors.

The sample group consisted of 230 students, 25 teachers, and 230 parents from a selected middle school in Macomb County, located in southeastern Michigan. The instrument used for data collection …

Values And Leadership Characteristics Of Seventh-Day Adventist Academy Teachers In Michigan, David Siew-Fee Wong

Dissertations

Problem

Two important aspects in the life and work of teachers are their values and leadership styles. The values they hold affect the influence they exert and the knowledge they impart, and the leadership styles they practise determine in part their effectiveness in transmitting their knowledge and values to the students. Moreover, teachers' values are often considered to be closely related to their leadership styles. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationships between the values and leadership styles of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) academy teachers in Michigan. The study also aimed to provide a description of both …