Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Briefing, Fall-Winter 2011, Andrew Young School Of Policy Studies

The Briefing at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Voters In The 2000 Us Presidential Election, Gregory B. Lewis, Marc A. Rogers, Kenneth Sherrill

PMAP Publications

Lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) in the United States are strikingly more likely to vote for Democratic presidential candidates than are heterosexuals. LGBs are one of the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting blocs, despite the absence of one of the most important mechanisms for creating party identification: inter-generational transmission. We use the 2000 Presidential election to examine whether LGB voters overwhelmingly chose Al Gore because they viewed him as superior to George W. Bush on LGB-related policy issues or because of their greater overall liberalism and Democratic Party identification. We also examine the impact of socialization within the LGB …

The Persistence Of Policy: A Tropological Analysis Of Contemporary Education Policy Discourse In The United States, Frank A. Carusi Jr.

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Contemporary federal education policy discourse from A Nation at Risk to the Race to the Top program has promoted and extended neoliberal discourse from the national level to the level of the school and its personnel. This study highlights the persistence of neoliberal discourse within federal education policy and the consequences this persistence holds for critiques of current policies and practices. Analyzing reports published by the United States Department of Education and contemporary United States education policy starting from A Nation at Risk, moving through America 2000, Goals 2000, and No Child Left Behind, and ending …

Robustness Of Two Formulas To Correct Pearson Correlation For Restriction Of Range, Minh Tran

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ROBUSTNESS OF TWO FORMULAS
TO CORRECT PEARSON CORRELATION FOR
RESTRICTION OF RANGE

by

Dung Minh Tran

Many research studies involving Pearson correlations are conducted in settings where one of the two variables has a restricted range in the sample. For example, this situation occurs when tests are used for selecting candidates for employment or university admission. Often after selection, there is interest in correlating the selection variable, which has a restricted range, to a criterion variable. The focus of this research was to compare Alexander, Alliger, and Hanges’s (1984) formula to Thorndike’s (1947) formula and population values using Monte …

Response-To-Intervention: Understanding General Education Teacher Knowledge And Implementation, Elissa M. Benjamin

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

The new IDEIA (2004) mandates regarding the implementation of Response-to-Intervention (RtI) present challenges for general education teachers. The law dictates the implementation of Response-to-Intervention, which requires the application of a pyramid of interventions for students failing to make adequate yearly progress in response to general education programs. Response-to-Intervention regulations redefine general education teacher roles, increase responsibilities regarding instructional interventions for at-risk learners, and change the process used to determine qualification for specific learning disability (SLD).

A qualitative case study investigates how three general educators in a rural public elementary school understand and implement Response-to-Intervention policy. The study also examines teacher …

Soundings: Musical Aesthetics In Music Education Discourse From 1907 To 1958, Jeremy M. Kopkas

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

In this dissertation I examine the discourse of music educators as it relates to musical aesthetics in the United States from the creation of the Music Supervisors’ Conference in 1907 to the year of the publication of Basic Concepts of Music Education: The Fifty-Seventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part 1 in 1958. The purpose of this dissertation is to show that philosophical discussion, especially in relation to musical aesthetics, was much more comprehensive than previously acknowledged. The conventional view that the arguments supporting music education were primarily utilitarian is a limited interpretation of the …

A Study Of The Learning-Focused School Improvement Model And Its Effects On Third Grade Reading Scores In A Suburban, Metropolitan School System, Douglas A. Daugherty

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

A STUDY OF THE LEARNING-FOCUSED SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

MODEL AND ITS EFFECT ON THIRD GRADE READING

SCORES IN A SUBURBAN, METROPOLITAN

SCHOOL SYSTEM

by

Douglas A. Daugherty

In 2001, Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Education Act (NCLB). This act calls for a measurable annual increase in student achievement such that students reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging state academic assessments.

A historical review of political involvement with education will add to that statement one more objective of the bill: to render more U.S. students globally competitive. Federal funding to state education is tied to the achievement …

Title I Elementary School Principals' Perspectives On Teacher Preparedness: University-Based Alternative Teacher Preparation For Urban Schools, Pamela L. Gayles

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

TITLE I ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS’ PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHER PREPAREDNESS: UNIVERSITY-BASED ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION FOR URBAN SCHOOLS

by

Pamela L. Gayles

Colleges of education produce the majority of teacher educators in the United States. Additionally, over half of the alternative teacher preparation programs in the United States are administered by colleges of education. However, the literature reveals that few institutions concentrate on urban teacher preparation and that teacher-reform efforts have continuously insisted on high-quality teachers for high-need urban schools. This work addresses the existing gap in the extant research on urban schools by including the voices of school principals that …

Factors That Influence Cross-Validation Of Hierarchical Linear Models, Tracy Widman

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

While use of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to predict an outcome is reasonable and desirable, employing the model for prediction without first establishing the model’s predictive validity is ill-advised. Estimating the predictive validity of a regression model by cross-validation has been thoroughly researched, but there is a dearth of research investigating the cross-validation of hierarchical linear models. One of the major obstacles in cross-validating HLM is the lack of a measure of explained variance similar to the squared multiple correlation coefficient in regression analysis.

The purpose of this Monte Carlo simulation study is to explore the impact of sample size, …

Teacher's And Teacher Leaders' Perceptions Of The Formal Role Of Teacher Leadership, Jerry D. Kelley

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

TEACHERS’ AND TEACHER LEADERS’ PERCEPTIONS

OF THE FORMAL ROLE OF

TEACHER LEADERSHIP

by

Jerry Kelley

The accountability and responsibilities of schools have intensified greatly over the past two decades and school improvement has become a strong focus of many schools, thus requiring a greater understanding and use of formal teacher leadership if schools are to meet high standards. This research studied teachers’ and teacher leaders’ beliefs concerning the formal role of teacher leadership in three elementary schools. A qualitative study was conducted, utilizing surveys and interviews to collect data concerning teachers’ and teacher leaders’ perceptions of the formal role …

Sample Size In Ordinal Logistic Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Allison M. Timberlake

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Most quantitative research is conducted by randomly selecting members of a population on which to conduct a study. When statistics are run on a sample, and not the entire population of interest, they are subject to a certain amount of error. Many factors can impact the amount of error, or bias, in statistical estimates. One important factor is sample size; larger samples are more likely to minimize bias than smaller samples. Therefore, determining the necessary sample size to obtain accurate statistical estimates is a critical component of designing a quantitative study.

Much research has been conducted on the impact of …

Towards A Theory Of Clergy Executive Compensation, Nicholas L B Harvey

Public Management and Policy Dissertations

Previous research in organizational theory, labor market economics, and nonprofit studies are applied to churches and their clergy leadership in advancing a theory of clergy executive compensation. The data for this study come from the end of year reports from approximately 800 local churches of the North Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for the years 2007-2008 and a survey administered in order to glean the personal characteristics of the clergy. The investigation employs a clergy compensation framework and finds that clergy salaries are influenced in part by personal characteristics, human capital, organizational elements, labor market factors, and …

What Does It Take To Motivate Better Performance And Productivity In The Federal Workplace? Ask The Employees., Sue Ann Frank

Public Management and Policy Dissertations

The federal government is often criticized for performance that fails to meet the public's expectations. Its traditional pay system receives much of the blame for rewarding seniority instead of performance. While everyone agrees that performance matters, they don't always agree on the best way to improve it. My research investigates human resource management strategies designed to motivate better performance and productivity. Specifically, I examine the credibility and feasibility of implementing pay for performance throughout the federal government and identify ways that managers can promote greater productivity through human capital investment. I conduct an extensive review of work motivation theories and …

Re-Imagining Arts-Centered Inquiry As Pragmatic Instrumentalism, Leann F. Logsdon

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Arts education must continually provide justification for its inclusion in the K-12 curriculum. This dissertation utilizes philosophical and conceptual analysis to probe the tensions, ironies, and contradictions that permeate the arts education advocacy discourse. Using evidence from advocacy materials published online, scholarly critiques of themes in the advocacy discourse, and research reports describing school-based arts programs, I construct an argument that posits generative consequences for student learning when arts-centered inquiry is reimagined as pragmatic instrumentalism. Such a reimagining of arts-centered inquiry seeks to draw a distinction between utilitarian justifications for the arts and instrumental benefits the arts provide individual students …

Women's Empowerment In The Context Of Microfinance: A Photovoice Study, Camille Sutton-Brown

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

The assumptions underlying the relationships between microfinance and women’s empowerment are typically rooted in a financial paradigm, wherein the prevailing belief is that increases in economic resources necessarily lead to increases in women’s empowerment. This results in a conceptual erasure of the multi-dimensionality of empowerment and disregards the influences that microfinance has on women that extend beyond the economic sphere. This study explored how 6 women in Mali perceive and experience empowerment in relation to their participation in a microfinance program using photovoice. Photovoice is a qualitative methodology wherein participants document, reflect on, and represent their community and experiences using …

Student Perceptions Of Engagement In Schools: A Deweyan Analysis Of Authenticity In High School Classrooms, Gloria D. Richards Perry

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF ENGAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS:

A DEWEYAN ANALYSIS OF AUTHENTICITY

IN HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOMS

by

Gloria D. Richards Perry

This qualitative study of the nature of engagement in schools explored how students viewed the work assigned to them by their teachers. Using normative and theoretical frameworks, research was conducted to determine whether students found work to be authentic and engaging in the manner that Dewey proposes school work should be.

Phenomenological interviews were used with individual participants as well as in a focus group session. Interviews and further questioning probed for information in order to gain a greater …

Tipping Point: The Diversity Threshold For White Student (Dis) Engagement In Traditional Student Organizations, Dhanfu E. Elston

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

During a time when most institutions of higher education are in search of underrepresented student participation, Georgia State University (GSU), a majority White institution, has observed a lack of involvement of White students in co-curricular activities. The purpose of the research study was to critically examine White students’ (dis) engagement in traditional student organizations at this university that has a significant student of color population. I used case study methodology that allowed for a breadth of conceptual frameworks and research options. The methods of collecting data included interviews (formal, informal, and oral history) of current and former students, as well …

Life After Disability Diagnosis: The Impact Of Special Education Labeling In Higher Education, Nathan Joshua Camara

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

There has been an increasing number of students with learning disabilities attending colleges and universities over the past two decades. As a result of federal legislation, institutions of higher education are required through an office of student support services to provide accommodations and modifications for students with disabilities in order to receive federal monies. This semi-structured interview-based qualitative study seeks to understand how four higher education students with disabilities make the choice to “come out” as possessing a learning disability in order to seek academic assistance from the office of student support services. The foundation for this inquiry emerges out …

Improvements For Differential Functioning Of Items And Tests (Dfit): Investigating The Addition Of Reporting An Effect Size Measure And Power, Keith D. Wright

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Standardized testing has been part of the American educational system for decades. Controversy from the beginning has plagued standardized testing, is plaguing testing today, and will continue to be controversial. Given the current federal educational policies supporting increased standardized testing, psychometricians, educators and policy makers must seek ways to ensure that tests are not biased towards one group over another.

In measurement theory, if a test item behaves differently for two different groups of examinees, this test item is considered a differential functioning test item (DIF). Differential item functioning, often conceptualized in the context of item response theory (IRT) is …

The Friends And Family Plan: Contact With Gays And Support For Gay Rights, Gregory B. Lewis

PMAP Publications

According to both the contact hypothesis and gay rights advocates, coming out to straight friends and family members should increase acceptance of homosexuality and support for gay rights. If lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) come out primarily to people they expect to be accepting, however, the repeated finding that people who know LGBs are more likely to support gay rights could be overstating the impact of coming out. Using individual-level data from 27 national surveys, I find that similar variables predict both knowing LGBs and supporting gay rights, but in different ways. Even after controlling for those demographic, religious, …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Transformational Leadership, And Effectiveness In School Principals, Elizabeth B. Hebert

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

In the rapidly changing school environment effective principals are needed to make necessary changes while also developing a culture of shared responsibility and community (Hallinger & Heck, 1998; Leithwood & Jantzi, 1999). The correlation between transformational leadership and emotional intelligence was investigated in this quantitative study of school principals. Also included in the research was the investigation of the relationship between each construct and effectiveness as perceived by their teachers. The research sample was composed of 30 elementary, middle, and high school principals and five to seven teachers who worked with each principal from schools within the United States. An …

The Briefing, Research 2011, Andrew Young School Of Policy Studies

The Briefing at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Public Administration And Politics, A Cultural Clash: The Case Of Tenth And Monroe, Gerald M. Neumark

PMAP Publications

Questions have been raised concerning the role of politics in the development of the Atlanta BeltLine policies. From one point of view, the BeltLine policy development and implementation agency, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) seems to ignore many political considerations, particularly those emanating from the neighborhoods. From another point of view, ABI is doing exactly what it should be doing to successfully complete the project. Both points of view are mutually exclusive. This essay argues that these opposing conceptions come from a culture clash between two disciplines. One particular such disagreement, how to develop a piece of land at 10^{th …}

Professional Education For Emergency Managers, William Waugh, Abdul-Akeem Sadiq

PMAP Publications

The education of professional emergency managers has been the subject of workshops by the National Science Foundation and the National Academies. There is general agreement on the content of curricula, except for components related to Homeland Security. This article looks at the broad issue of professional education and the need to include information on Homeland Security.

Why Did Californians Pass Proposition 8? Stability And Change In Public Support For Same-Sex Marriage, Gregory B. Lewis

PMAP Publications

Despite numerous public opinion polls indicating that California voters would defeat Proposition 8, a proposed constitutional amendment to limit marriage to one man and one woman, Election Day 2008 brought an end to six months of marriage equality for same-sex couples. This paper explores four possible explanations for why Californians passed Proposition 8 despite the polls: (1) poll respondents did not respond honestly to pollsters; (2) some respondents who opposed same-sex marriage were initially reluctant to amend the constitution for this purpose; (3) the campaign over the amendment changed people’s opinions about same-sex marriage; and (4) poll respondents did not …

Regulatory Impact Analyses Of Environmental Justice Effects, Spencer Banzhaf

ECON Publications

Recently, the US EPA has pledged to incorporate environmental justice considerations "into the fabric" of its rulemaking procedures. But finding an appropriate way to incorporate environmental justice considerations into policy-making has been a procedural challenge since President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898 over 15 years ago. In particular, environmental justice concerns tend to be overshadowed by efficiency considerations as embodied in benefit-cost analysis. Yet at the same time, both Presidents Obama and Clinton have issued orders to incorporate distributional and equity considerations into benefit-cost analysis, as well as the standard efficiency considerations.

This article argues that the environmental justice and …