Education Policy Commons^™

Supportive Measures: A Grounded Theory Analysis Of The Needs And Aspirations Of First-Generation College Students Enrolled In The Federally-Funded Trio Student Support Services (Sss) Program At A Community College In Rural Kentucky, Michelle R. Carter

Online Theses and Dissertations

For more than forty-nine years (since 1968) the federally-funded TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) programs have served disadvantaged students across the United States of America by providing wrap-around services to further the progress of their enrollment in postsecondary educational opportunities. The SSS program aims to assist students with disabilities, and who identify as low-income and first-generation (LIFG) college students, towards the successful completion of certification in a technical program and an undergraduate level degree from either a two or four-year college or university.

This study evaluated the needs and aspirations of [ten] first-generation college students at the point-of-entry of enrollment …

Variations In State Higher Education Grant Programs: Potential Reforms From A Case Study, Rachael Johnson

Honors Program Theses

As higher education costs continue to rise across the nation, students are increasingly needing financial assistance. State grant aid programs play a vital role for millions of students across the nation when paying for their postsecondary education. This case study looks specifically at Iowa’s, Nebraska’s, and Wisconsin’s state funded grant aid models to understand how Iowa could restructure their current grant aid program to better serve both the students and taxpayers of the state. Specifically, for Iowa’s grant aid programs, four changes are recommended.

1. All higher education sectors should be eligible for the state’s primary grant aid program.
2. At minimum, …

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program: An Overview And Policy Proposal, Drew Douglas Hall

Honors Theses

Historically, Mississippi is one of the lowest performing states when it comes to kindergarten-twelfth grade education. Mississippi also consistently has one of the lowest amounts of money dedicated to kindergarten-twelfth grade education. It has been suggested that there is a correlation between these two facts, but over the past twenty years, nothing has changed in the way that Mississippi funds education. The current model is written in the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which allocates money to education based upon a per-year decision by the Mississippi Department of Education to take money from the general fund of the state's budget. This …

A Comparison Of Restorative Justice Ideology Between Administrators, Teachers, And Parents, Renée J. Alger

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers suggest that restorative justice processes in schools are a successful alternative to traditional punishments for school discipline, and are used for both reactive and proactive responses to behavior issues. However, the processes are not sustainable if the administration implementing restorative justice do not promote a restorative justice ideology (RJI), and if all systems that impact the student are not aligned. Therefore, study was conducted to compare the level of restorative justice ideology between groups of administrators, teachers, and parents with a validated restorative justice ideology survey instrument that includes cooperation, restoration, and healing, and an accumulative score for RJI …

Breaking Cycles Through Targeted Financial Literacy Education For Fifth- Through Eighth-Grade Students, Tonja Custis Brickhouse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial literacy education continues to be a deficiency in the U.S. education system because it is not included in most school curricula, and little is known about the efficacy of the school district programs that do include it. A former Federal Reserve Chairman identified the lack of financial literacy as a national problem, and the National Financial Educators Council described it as the #1 problem in the current generation. Using Berger and Luckmann's conceptualization of social construction as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to explore how access to financial literacy education is perceived by fifth- through …

Public Policies Involving Pregnant And Parenting Secondary Students From Perspectives Of Educators, Tomecole Hilliard-Carlton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite a significant drop in the number of pregnant adolescents and reforms to fight

gender discrimination under Title IX, teen pregnancy and risk factors including poverty,

stigma, and substance abuse, which may lead to different negative outcomes, such as

depression, social isolation, and lowered self-esteem remain a persistent problem in the

United States. Due to these factors, pregnant and parenting teens have been noted to drop

out of high school prematurely. Using incrementalism as a theoretical framework, the

purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore and describe Title IX

compliance and local policies and practices of educators …

Vocational Instructors Experience And Practice Teaching In The Hybrid Environment, Christine Cusano

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

At a technical post-secondary school in the Northeast United States, campus leaders lacked formative data of faculty skills and knowledge needed for instruction in a hybrid format involving both face-to-face instruction and on-line instruction. Therefore, the delivery of appropriate professional development (PD) programs for faculty whose duties include hybrid format instruction has not been provided. The purpose of this study was to identify the faculty experiences of teaching in a hybrid-learning environment, and their perceived PD needs to provide effective instruction in a hybrid-learning environment. This study explored vocational teachers' experiences and perceived PD needs related to teaching in a …

Perceptions Of New Teachers On The Professional And Instructional Support For New Teachers, Lola B. Sawyerr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The local problem addressed in the study was the lack of knowledge regarding the perceptions of new teachers as to whether the support they receive in the areas of curriculum, instruction, and other school-related duties was consistent and effective in helping them remain in classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of new teachers regarding the effectiveness of professional and instructional support they receive from the district. The study was framed by the social cognitive theory of Lent, Brown and Hackett, which emphasized the perception of job satisfaction as well as outcome expectations and personal goals. The …

Data-Driven Decision-Making In Urban Schools That Transitioned From Focus Or Priority To Good Standing, Danielle Ware

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the importance an urban school district places on data-driven decision-making (DDDM) to drive instruction, implementation continues to remain a challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate how support systems affected the implementation of DDDM to drive instructional practices in three urban schools that recently transitioned from priority or focus to good standing on the State Accountability Report. The study aligned with the organizational supports conceptual framework with an emphasis on data accessibility, collection methods, reliability and validity, the use of coaches and data teams, professional development, and data-driven leaders. Through the collection of qualitative data from one-on-one …

The Promotion Of Teacher Agency In New York State's Teacher Evaluation Policies : A Critical Discourse Analysis, Lawrence Tyler Waite

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This qualitative research study provides a critical analysis of New York State’s teacher evaluation policies to document and understand how teacher agency is promoted in these policies over time. Between 2009 and 2014, the United States Department of Education under its national Race to the Top education reform initiative incentivized significant changes to teacher evaluation policies and systems as a key strategy to enhance the quality of the teaching profession. During this same period, a growing body of research recognized teacher agency as an important capacity in improving student and teacher learning, suggesting that teachers achieve agency, both by their …

Access Or Exclusion? An Analysis Of State Reproductive Rights And Comprehensive Sex Education, Sam Gilbert

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 2009, Colorado successfully decreased their abortion rate among minors and at-risk teenagers through a privately-funded trial. This outcome was realized by offering affordable, accessible, and comprehensive reproductive healthcare options, specifically long-acting reversible contraception, to young women. Reproductive rights is an issue at the forefront of political discussion, often a determining factor for party identification. The controversy of reproductive rights--in particular, abortion--leads to a higher reliance on hear-say, instead of peer-reviewed literature, statistics, and legislation. In order to gain a well-balanced understanding of abortion politics, I compare three Midwestern states--Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota--to determine their respective policy successes and shortcomings. …

A Case Study Of Veteran And Civilian Student Academic Performance At The University Of Central Florida, Floyd C. Diehl Jr

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study seeks to provide a brief overview of academic standards and performance of veterans of the United States military and civilians who attend the University of Central Florida. Whether a student is a veteran or a civilian, he or she must learn how to adapt to the requirements of an academic community in order to be successful in that environment. It may be difficult for some. In able for society to discern the importance of the academic performance of both veterans and civilians alike, research is vital. There are various assumptions about veterans. For example, it can be assumed …

Law Enforcement Formal Academic Educational Hiring Requirements And Deputy Sheriff Disciplinary Issues, Chase Dennis Wetherington

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is a lack of research as to what impacts law enforcement disciplinary issues. This is important due to the recent emphasis of officer performance and accountability. In 2008, the Southeast Sheriff's Office (SSO) increased their formal academic educational hiring requirement from a high school diploma to 60 college credits. The impact of this increase has never been analyzed. The purpose of this study was to determine through the theoretical lens of Kohlberg's 6 stages of moral development if an increase in the formal academic educational requirement influenced the number of deputy sheriff disciplinary issues. A quantitative nonexperimental study was …

High School Teachers' Self-Reported Knowledge And Implementation Of Social And Emotional Learning Competencies, Stephanie Y. Clark Rhoe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public policymakers have failed to address public high school students' social and emotional learning (SEL). Recent public policies such as Common Core State Standards (CCSS) do not measure SEL outcomes as significant. Public education is government funded and therefore public policy driven. Research indicates SEL competencies have a positive influence on students' academic successes, classroom behaviors, and future career outcomes. The conceptual framework for this study was based on SEL components described by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and served as the lens though which the data were analyzed. Research questions for this phenomenological study explored …

Nsu Ed.D. In Human Services Administration 2018, Nova Southeastern University

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

No abstract provided.

Board Policy On Equity And Excellence, Adrienne Coleman, Traci Ellis

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Resources

The Academy recognizes and acknowledges the historical underrepresentation and marginalization of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse groups, both universally, and particularly, in STEM education and professions. These disparities also exist in the representation of the Academy’s workforce. We are committed to advancing equity in STEM education and representation and creating a diverse, inclusive community of global citizens who can realize their full potential, and execute our mission to advance the human condition, through a model of Equity and Excellence.

Voices From The Margins: Service Providers Perspectives On Empowering Refugee Women, Deidra Ann Coleman

Master's Theses

Refugee women face considerable challenges while fleeing their countries, and attempting to adjust to their new lives in their host country. As a result of being both a woman, and a member of a marginalized group, refugee women tend to suffer disproportionately during displacement and and resettlement (UNHCR, 2015). They are more likely to be discriminated due their gender and ethnicity, and to lack the necessary community supports and resources needed to overcome barriers they encounter. In response to the refugee crisis, service organizations have emphasized empowerment as a key way to improve the lives of refugee women. While there …

You Just Gotta Be Able To Pick Something Outta Nothing: Black Students' Sensemaking On Racism In High School, Wallace Grace

Master's Theses

No Abstract

Employee Financial Wellness Programs: Differences In Reach By Race And Ethnicity, Sophia R. Fox-Dichter, Mathieu R. Despard, Ellen Frank-Miller, Geraldine Germain

Social Policy Institute Research

Employee Financial Wellness Programs (EF-WPs) consist of a wide array of workplace-based services and benefits that aim to enhance em-ployees’ financial well-being, such as in-person financial coaching, online financial management tools, and payroll advances or short-term loans. EFWP provision varies across employers with few organizations offering the same set of services. The recently released Employee Financial Well-ness Programs Project: Comprehensive Report of Findings notes that EFWP utilization rates and employee self-reported benefits also vary widely. This report continues the examination of varia-tion in EFWP trends by breaking down measures of EFWP reach by employee race and ethnicity. We examine three …

Evaluating The Impact Of State Policies On Charter School Success, Leah Byers

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Since their inception in 1991, charter schools have become a widely-adopted school choice policy intended to increase educational outcomes through competition and innovation. The details of how states structure their charter school laws are diverse across states, which raises the question of whether certain law parameters are better than others at attracting and maintaining high-quality charter schools.

Charter schools are designed around the basis of market accountability; they must attract students in order to remain in operation. The threat of closure is an incentive built into the charter model that is intended to increase school performance. For this reason, I …

Higher Education In Tajikistan: Institutional Landscape And Key Policy Developments, Alan J. Deyoung, Zumrad Kataeva, Dilrabo Jonbekova

Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Faculty Publications

Higher education in Tajikistan has undergone substantial changes over the past 25 years as a result of both its internal crises and those social and economic transition challenges seen throughout the Newly Independent States (NIS). HEIs in the country have also shown eagerness to change and grow as they move toward world education space. In this chapter, we examine the evolution of the Tajik system of higher education from the Soviet time through independence (1991–2015) in terms of growth, emerging landscape and diversification, and key policy developments and issues. We analyze these changes in the context of relevant economic, social …

The Influence Of School Discipline Approaches On Suspension Rates, Donna Christy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A free and appropriate public education is promised to every child in the United States. However, zero tolerance school discipline policies have broken that promise, pushing students out of the classroom and into the school-to-prison pipeline. Despite the growing body of research demonstrating negative social and economic impacts of exclusionary discipline, public school administrators have been slow to adopt innovative policies that provide rehabilitative alternatives. The purpose of this study was to compare, using the consequences of innovations application of Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory, the impact of various school district approaches to school discipline on suspension rates while controlling …

Comparative Analysis Of The Usaf F-16 And Raaf F-18 Training Programs, James D. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As experienced fighter pilots leave the United States Air Force (USAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), there is a need to develop new competent pilots to meet national defense requirements. Fighter training programs are expensive for taxpayers, and the USAF and RAAF face significant resource problems developing and implementing these programs. Using policy feedback theory and punctuated equilibrium theory as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this comparative, multi-case study of current USAF F-16 and RAAF F-18 fighter pilot training policies was to inform training policy development and efficacy of future USAF and RAAF fighter pilot training programs. Data …

Engagement Factors Impacting First-Year Persistence Of Hispanic And Non-Hispanic Students In Idaho Community Colleges, Kimberly May Scheffer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although minority students are enrolling in community colleges at increasing rates, these students also leave at higher rates than their non-minority counterparts. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand the relationship between selected antecedents of educational engagement and student persistence and to examine how persistence varied for first-year Hispanic and non-Hispanic students in Idaho community colleges. Drawing from Kahu's holistic approach, which conceptualizes students' engagement as arising from an interrelationship between institutional and student characteristics, this study surveyed 132 first-semester Idaho community college students. A MANOVA was used to identify the relationship between variables representing aspects of student …

Opening The Gates To Ap Equity: A Case Study Of A Central Virginia High School’S Practices, Policies, And Characteristics Toward Proportional Black Student Representation In Advanced Placement Enrollment, Andrew R. Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced Placement (AP) courses engage high school students with college curriculum taught by trained high school teachers, with an opportunity for students to earn college credit by passing the end-of-course AP exam. AP has evolved into an indicator of school quality, instructional rigor, and a consideration in the college admissions process. AP enrollment and exam performance outcomes for White students disproportionately surpass those for Black students. This study attempts to inform practice, policy, and programming toward more equitable enrollment outcomes for Black students through a single case study. The selected case school was the only high school among 38 in …

Comparing Job Satisfaction Between Certified And Noncertified Substitute Teachers, Katie Schkolenko

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A rural, mid-sized district is experiencing great difficulty in the recruitment and retention of substitute teachers despite increased recruitment efforts. Such difficulty has resulted in numerous disruptions to the educational process. Despite their integral role in the educational process, research on substitute teachers remains absent from the literature. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the job satisfaction of substitute teachers with regard to differences between the two subgroups of certified and noncertified substitute teachers. This study was based on the two-factor theory. The research questions addressed the overall job satisfaction of substitute teachers, whether teacher job satisfaction …

Human Development And Subnationalism: A Disaggregated Analysis Of Indian States: Kerala And Uttar Pradesh, Manika Garg

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates achievements in human development outcomes on health, education, and poverty indicators across Indian states, in order to discern what factors might influence a state’s better orientation toward social policies. After conducting data analysis, the study explains differences in outcomes, as achieved by Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, by building an argument of subnational solidarity and its impact on determining the state’s policy agendas.

The Relevance Of Caste In Contemporary India: Reexamining The Affirmative Action Debate, Shambhavi Sahai, Shambhavi Sahai

CMC Senior Theses

With the changing significance of caste and caste identity, this thesis explores the role of affirmative action or "reservations" in Indian higher education. Specifically, it aims to reopen the debate on the dominance of a "creamy layer" among the OBCs in an increasingly nationalist India. Viewing caste through the lens of ethnic identity, this thesis draws comparisons between the identity of OBCs and Scheduled Castes and Tribes, OBCs of the "Hindi Belt" and OBCs of the South, followed by an analysis of the politicization of caste identity today. The thesis concludes with an evaluation of affirmative action today and possible …

Education As Democratic Persuasion: Addressing Systemic Inequalities In Brettschneider's Value Democracy, Kyla L. Eastling

CMC Senior Theses

In Corey Brettschneider’s book, Democratic Rights: The Substance of Self- Government, he builds the value theory of democracy wherein procedural and substantive rights are both grounded in the core values of democracy. In his second book, When the State Speaks, What Should It Say? How Democracies Can Protect Expression and Promote Equality, Brettschneider elaborates on his theory to provide an account of how a liberal democracy can address hateful and discriminatory views. In response to both theories, critics have charged that the ideal value democracy does not sufficiently account for systemic inequalities that women and black citizens face. In this …

Teacher Assessments Of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports, Gequana Thomas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Discipline is of increasing concern to school stakeholders in districts around the world. It is especially concerning in a district of a southern U.S. state, where a zero tolerance policy calls for the removal of disruptive students from the classroom. Students, teachers, administrators, and other district officials may benefit from effective implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a positive discipline program that includes educators using data for instructional and discipline decision making. In the local district, little is known about the teachers' opinions regarding the PBIS implementation. The purpose of this project study was to gain insight on …