Education Policy Commons^™

Teachers’ And Education Leaders’ Perspectives On Using Technology To Develop Vocabulary Among Kindergarten English Learners, Nelsy J. Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractResearch has shown that technology-mediated interventions in education can increase students’ understanding of academic vocabulary. However, it is not known how teachers provide opportunities for kindergarten English learners (ELs) to learn vocabulary using technology, and school leaders support teachers in this endeavor. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand teachers' and school leaders’ perspectives on opportunities for kindergarten ELs to use technology to develop vocabulary in an urban school in the southwest United States. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Cummins’s theory of basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency. Using purposeful …

An Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Engaged In Mentoring Programs For Novice Teachers, Donna M. Sowerby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Beginning special education teachers often leave the field within the first 3–5 years of employment. There is ample research available on mentoring programs for beginning teachers. However, limited research exists on mentoring programs for beginning special education teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences of novice special education teachers in urban schools to broaden the current understanding regarding their perceptions of mentoring. Self-determination theory was the conceptual framework for examining the mentoring relationships and the participants’ perceptions. Using a phenomenological approach, in-depth face-to-face interviews were used with a purposeful sample of 10 novice …

Understanding The Impact Of Illinois’ Evidence-Based Funding Law: An Examination Of Spending For The First Three Years, Christopher T. Johnson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation comprises an examination of how school districts have allocated the resources they received as a result of the Illinois Evidenced-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success law. The law was passed in 2017 with the rationale of providing additional resources to school districts based on evidenced-based approaches, with the vast majority of the funds to be allocated to districts in financial need. A brief history of school funding is extrapolated from the literature. An overview of the law and the resources that it brought to districts is then provided, followed by an analysis of how those resources were spent. …

"Not As Systematic As Maybe I'D Like It To Be": Special Education Administrators' Professional Development Planning For Teachers Of Students With Asd, Selena J. Layden, Heather Coleman, Annemarie L. Horn, Daria Lorio-Barsten, Laron A. Scott

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

• Federal mandates require special education teachers to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) to support student learning to the extent practical. There are 28 identified EBPs specifically designed for teaching students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

• Preparing special education teachers to implement EBPs with fidelity remains a challenge. Planning and executing professional development (PD) targeting EBPs is typically a role assumed by special education administrators.

• This qualitative phenomenological research study examines special education administrators' capacity to develop and implement effective PD around EBPs identified for students with ASD.

• Findings suggest special education administrators are committed to improving classroom-based …

"Think Of The Children!": Understanding Parental And Community Opposition To Critical Race Theory, Daniela S. Tierra

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools has become a controversial topic nationwide, leading to widespread and alarming bans on the teaching of CRT. CRT has been accused of shaming white children, creating racial division, and creating a “victim mentality” amongst people of color. The CRT utilized in critical legal studies, ethnic studies, and sociology looks drastically different from what opponents claimed. So, what exactly is CRT - more importantly, what do opponents of CRT believe it to be, and why are they opposed to it? This thesis builds on the sociological field of critical whiteness to examine the academic origin …

Three Essays On Rural Education: Descriptive Studies Focused On Federal Rural Definitions And Policy Changes, Kyung Ha Oh

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

Rural education issues in K-12 public schools are understudied despite a large rural student population in the U.S. This dissertation studies how different federal definitions of rural change how rural school districts and their diverse communities are portrayed, in comparison to their non-rural counterparts. This study also explores the recent federal rural policy changes on rural district revenue and student academic outcomes.

This dissertation consists of three descriptive essays. The first chapter shows how we choose to define ‘rural’ changes what differences are accentuated between rural and non-rural districts. Definitions of ‘rural’ is closely related to who gains access to …

An Inquiry Into Students’ Use Of Space And Time On Campus, Nahide Gelgec

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study has explored student’ use of space and time on campus at a public, urban research university in the northeast region of the United States. The study aimed to uncover how students spend time in classrooms and, separately, in public spaces (other than classrooms) on campus. The study complements prior work on the use of space in higher education in two ways. First, it extends what is known about how much time students spend (hours per week, times visited per week) in different kinds of campus space. Further, its focus on behavior – the decisions of students on where …

A Comparison Of Teacher Evaluation Systems In New York State And Finland - Are There Alternatives To Appr?, Lindsay Tresansky

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) system in New York State (NYS) has been called into question by educators since its adoption nearly 10 years ago, yet it remains the mandated evaluation system in NYS schools today. Much of the concern has been over changes such as assigning teachers final evaluation scores, as well as for the added emphasis of students’ state assessment results on teachers’ individual final evaluation scores. In fact, the US Secretary of Education continues to promote the importance of administering high-stakes standardized tests, in spite of educator feedback expressing concerns on the impacts of the COVID-19 …

Official Development Assistance (Oda) For Education In Middle East, North Africa (Mena) And South Asia (Sa) : Exploring Allocation Patterns Of Two Major Donor Agencies, The World Bank And United States Agency For International Development Between 1990 And 2015, Maria Ishaq Khan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation explores the allocation patterns of the official development assistance (ODA) by the World Bank (WB) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in eighteen developing countries of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South Asia (SA) for the time-period, 1990-2015. Differing perspectives have been offered by researchers on donor motivations for ODA allocation such as ethical drivers, influence of endogenous country characteristics (educational, socio-political factors of recipient nations) and exogenous considerations (interest of the donor agency) as well as the role of international commitments. This study uses exploratory data analysis (EDA) techniques to evaluate relevant …

A Case Study Of Cross-Sector Collaboration In Community Schools In Central Pennsylvania, Jesscia Knapp

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

As societal problems become increasingly complex, organizations are more frequently embracing collaborative problem-solving methods to address issues that a single organization could not successfully solve alone. One such wicked problem is the state of education in the United States, particularly in low-income communities and school districts. The community school model is a method of education reform that requires cross-sector partnerships in order to be successful. This study examined the factors that led to successful cross-sector partnerships between Communities in Schools of Pennsylvania (CISPA) and two partner school districts in the implementation of the community school model in Pennsylvania. The results …

A Mixed Methods Inquiry Into The Decision-Making Of California’S Principals During Local Control, Adrienne Ortega-Magallanes

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The 2013 implementation of the Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control Accountability Plan in California granted school districts the opportunity to create their own expense plans based on student needs, with the aim of returning decision-making to those closest to students. Within subsidiarity is the belief that those at the least centralized decision-making level should have the dignity and freedom to decisions that affect the problem at its source, in this case, how to improve student achievement. It is argued here that principals, who have a strong indirect link to student achievement, are the least centralized. To explore the …

Elementary Principals’ Perceptions Regarding Implementing A District-Mandated Educational Equity Policy, Glen Patrick Messier

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem in the current basic qualitative study was that elementary principals were challenged to implement a district-mandated educational equity policy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore elementary principals’ experiences implementing a district-mandated educational equity policy. The conceptual framework for this study was transformational leadership theory. This leadership theory was often used by leaders who focused on a collective purpose and held themselves accountable for initiating and sustaining positive social change. Three research questions addressed principals’ experiences and perceptions in their attempt to implement a district-mandated educational equity policy, as well as principals’ suggestions for continuous improvement …

Covid-19, Mental Health, Technology Use, And Job Satisfaction Among School Psychology Trainers, Joel O. Bocanegra, Jennifer Gallup, Minghui Hou, Aaron A. Gubi, Chung-Hau Fan, Nai-Jiin Yang, Celal Perihan

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to exacerbate the school psychology personnel crisis. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding how the pandemic has impacted school psychology trainers and course delivery. In this national study, 92 school psychology trainers completed an online questionnaire regarding technological instructional changes, job satisfaction, and their own mental health well-being during the pandemic. Findings suggest that during the portion of the pandemic assessed most trainers reported that they: (a) switched from in-person instruction to primarily online instruction, (b) were mostly satisfied with their jobs, and (c) generally experienced a positive sense of well-being. Furthermore, a sizable portion …

School Library Advocacy: Enhancing Opportunities For All Learners, Elizabeth A. Burns

STEMPS Faculty Publications

There is a lack of consistency in how school librarians understand and engage in advocacy for their programs and the profession (Burns, 2015; Lance & Kachel, 2018). It is important that school librarians demonstrate the positive impact they contribute to improving instruction for student learners and advancing access so that all learners have equal opportunities. The school library and school librarian should be available to each student (Kachel, 2021). The School Library Manifesto (2021) includes language to support a strong school library with a qualified school librarian. Advocacy goals can be highlighted throughout this critical set of school library guidelines. …

Secondary Teachers’ And Administrators’ Perceptions Of School Discipline Practices., Amity Camilla Pope

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers and administrators in an urban, suburban, and rural school district on the east coast of the United States faced challenges implementing effective discipline policy interventions to manage student misbehavior. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of educators about the challenges of implementing discipline policy interventions and the support needed to increase implementation effectiveness. Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) a three-tiered framework of data, systems, and practices to affect student outcomes was used to guide this study. The research questions were used to elicit educator’s perceptions of the challenges faced and supports needed when …

The Thin Line In The Bluegrass Schools: A Quantitative Study On How School Resource Officers Impact A School And District's Use Of Exclusionary Discipline In Kentucky, Mia Morales

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Legislatures across the country have been developing laws and policies to place police officers, also known as School Resource Officers (“SROs”), in schools. A recent piece of legislation in Kentucky, entitled the School Safety and Resiliency Act, requires all school campuses in Kentucky contain at least one SRO. Researchers have found relationships between the presence of SROs and the use of exclusionary discipline, and this research expands on that foundation by looking statewide at school- and district-level variables.

Using a multiple regression model, this research examined the presence of SROs in schools and the ratio of number of SROs to …

The Influence Of Associate Degree Attainment On Baccalaureate Degree Completion For Reverse Credit Transfer Students, Jonathan Taggart Reece

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nationally, reverse credit transfer is a practice of transfer credit. The reverse transfer program at the study site was implemented in 2013, but no information had been analyzed about the experiences of participating students. This study explored students’ experiences of the reverse transfer program at the study site. The theory of student persistence framed the study to understand students’ early departures from a two-year institution and persistence at a four-year institution. The research question was designed to capture students’ experiences with and perceptions of the reverse transfer program. In this basic qualitative study, 12 reverse transfer program participants were interviewed. …

Community Advocate Perspectives On Addressing Equity Gaps In Florida’S Gifted Programs, Ashley Phelps

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem for this study addressed the lack of community advocate perspectives related to efforts being made to improve bureaucratic representation for minority students who were underserved by gifted programs in Florida. The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of community advocates about efforts to improve bureaucratic representation for students underserved by gifted programs in Florida. The study was conceptually framed around Kingsley’s theory of representative bureaucracy. The research questions focused on community advocates’ perceptions related to diversity in Florida’s public school gifted programs and their current efforts to improve representation of minority students in gifted education …

The Influence Of Associate Degree Attainment On Baccalaureate Degree Completion For Reverse Credit Transfer Students, Jonathan Taggart Reece

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nationally, reverse credit transfer is a practice of transfer credit. The reverse transfer program at the study site was implemented in 2013, but no information had been analyzed about the experiences of participating students. This study explored students’ experiences of the reverse transfer program at the study site. The theory of student persistence framed the study to understand students’ early departures from a two-year institution and persistence at a four-year institution. The research question was designed to capture students’ experiences with and perceptions of the reverse transfer program. In this basic qualitative study, 12 reverse transfer program participants were interviewed. …

Critical Retention Issues Related To Social Skills In Ghanaian Universities, Samuel Essah-Hienwo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The specific problem addressed through this study is the need for more research examining the potential of poor social skills to influence low retention levels in Ghanaian universities. Reasons for low student retention in Ghanaian universities, including students with inadequate social skills to complete their degrees, were explored in this qualitative study. The first research question asked about the lived experiences of university students in Ghana as they relate to the extent of social development skills in higher education, and the second question asked about the lived experiences of university students in Ghana surrounding decisions to leave or stay in …