Education Policy Commons^™

Adjunct Faculty Employment And Student Success In Texas Institutions Of Higher Education, Robin L. Palmer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractJust over half of faculty members teaching in institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the United States work part time. Previous research on the relationship between part-time faculty employment and student success has produced conflicting findings and may have resulted in ineffective use of part-time faculty. The purpose of this retrospective, prediction study was to determine if the percent of part-time faculty, several institutional variables, and student demographics were significant predictors of retention and graduation rates at IHEs in Texas. Berger and Milem’s theory of organizational behavior and student outcomes grounded this study using secondary analysis of publicly available archival …

Instructors’ And Administrators’ Perspectives On Culturally Responsive Teaching In Rwandan Higher Education, Ephrard Rulinda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Rwanda, the number of culturally minority students in higher education institutions has been increasing in recent years, yet the role of instructors and school administrators in utilizing culturally responsive teaching (CRT) methods for those students remains unclear. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe instructors’ and school administrators’ views of their roles in utilizing CRT methods. The conceptual framework for this study included CRT best teaching practices and approaches; institutional, personal, and instructional dimensions of CRT; and components of the preparation for and practice of CRT. The study was conducted at a university with three campuses …

Multiracial Graduate Students' Perceptions Of Online Doctoral Programs, Misty Jean Bryant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe retention rates for multiracial students in higher education have been the focus of researchers, student affairs practitioners, and other key stakeholders for many years. Despite the increase of this population attending online doctoral programs, the retention rates continue to remain in question. The research problem for this study examined how online multiracial doctoral students perceive the effectiveness of their online university's student engagement and academic achievement as it pertains to student retention. The theoretical framework of the study was Tinto's theory of institutional departure, which addressed student challenges in establishing positive engagement practices in their online learning environments. Data …

Nonprofit Arts Programs As Professional Development Experiences In Rural West Virginia, Ariel Mcgill Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public educators in West Virginia are required to take 18-hours of professional development learning annually. The professional development opportunities offered are not varied, inclusive of all content areas, and have been found by the state’s Department of Education to lack in application and effectiveness. This study examined the benefits of living laboratory professional development experiences, utilizing Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, with educators that volunteer with fine arts community-based nonprofit organizations, as a possible alternative to the professional development policy requirements by the state. The study’s key research questions were about the recognition and enhancement of intrapersonal and interpersonal …

The Experience Of The Local Control Accountability Plan, Angela Carter Pascual

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In 2013 the California Legislation passed a new K-12 School accountability mandate.

The Local Control Accountability Plan was sought to increase the educational equity for targeted student groups in addition to allowing school districts to mine a diverse set of local school data to develop goals in the 8 priority areas that speak to the needs of their local students. A requirement of the LCAP was that school districts include a diverse set of stakeholders to work in a collaborative manner to develop, critique, and refine local goals. Stakeholder groups are required to consist of district-level administrators, teachers, staff, students, …

In Their Own Voices: The First-Year College Experiences Of Upward Bound Alumni At Four-Year Postsecondary Institutions, Norma Romero

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Upward Bound (UB) projects provide educational support services to high school students in order to address inequalities in college access for low-income (LI) and first-generation students (FGS). However, access alone does not eradicate systemic barriers to positive collegiate experiences and degree attainment. As a federally funded program, UB regularly collects mandated outcome data; however, little is known about the specific academic, social, and emotional supports these programs provide. Especially lacking are in-depth qualitative studies that follow students into college and focus on students’ own stories. To address this gap in research, this study used in-depth interviews to capture the stories …

Education Support For Foster Care Youth: The Impact Of Federal Spending On Employment Outcomes, Carlisle C. Bates

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which supportive services funded through the federal John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCP) are associated with academic success and employment in foster care youth. Studies suggest that this group experiences poorer employment outcomes (Gypen, Vanderfaeillie, De Maeyer, Belenger, & Van Holen, 2017; Okpych & Courtney, 2014) and earn less money annually (Gypen et al., 2017; Okpych & Courtney, 2014; Pecora, 2012). Despite a 29.4-billion-dollar annual budget for foster care services, individuals with a foster care history struggle after they transition out of care.

The CFCP is intended to help states improve education …

The Impact Of Registered Apprenticeships On The Middle-Skills Gap In Virginia, Yolanda Macklin Crewe

Theses and Dissertations

The skills gap debate has raged among scholars and policymakers for the last few decades. The key questions are whether the gap exists, the extent of the gap and how to minimize the gap. Of particular concern is a skills gap for middle-skills occupations. Since 2014, the federal government has invested over $500 million in registered apprenticeships as a strategy to address the skills gap. Likewise, Virginia has invested over $7.5 million and implemented policies such as VA Executive Order 49 (EO49), to expand registered apprenticeships as a workforce strategy to diminish the skills gap.

The goal of this research …

The Lived Experiences Of People With Disabilities And Their Families: Transitioning To Adulthood And The Role Of Independent Facilitation, Emily Christine Tang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Objective

Emerging adulthood can be a stressful life stage due to the many life choices available and is especially challenging for emerging adults with disabilities (EADs) who face additional barriers in accessing supports and information regarding adult opportunities. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of transitioning to adulthood, and the role of a person-directed facilitation service, for EADs and their families.

Methods

Fourteen participants were recruited through purposeful and convenience sampling. Data collection procedures consisted of background questionnaires and one-on-one semi-structured interviews which were then thematically analyzed. Field notes, member checks and triangulation were used throughout the analysis process …

A Project Evaluation Of The California Education Code's Aquatic Mandate And Related Safety Protocols In High School Aquatics Courses, Jesus Raygoza

Master's Projects

The California Education Code (CEC) requires high schools to provide swim lessons for their students. How can the CEC and California Health and Safety Code (HSC) be amended to ensure the safety of students in swim classes? What best practices should they follow?

Schooling And Civic Behavior: A Global Perspective, Ian Kingsbury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

National governments confront different challenges to the goal of creating model citizens, as well as different ambitions in the type of citizen that they wish to create. The United States government faces a tension in determining the role of education in shaping the social order. As a liberal democracy that extols the virtue of individual liberty, the United States should allow educational pluralism to flourish. Paradoxically, however, a nation of immigrants might require an education system that turns students into “proper Americans” who honor the precepts of liberty, equality, and self-government. I draw from domestic and international studies to inform …

The State Of State History: Teacher Perceptions Regarding The Place And Purpose Of State History In K–12 Social Studies, Shay Hopper

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Social studies, history, and state history courses, in general, have long been broadly considered the least significant of the four core content courses in K – 12 education. State history is required and/or taught inconsistently throughout the 50 states, and in some cases, not at all. Teacher preparation and on-going support to teach state history in K – 12 education are also inconsistent and often disregarded. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative survey and interview study was to investigate teacher perceptions regarding place and purpose of state history in K – 12 social studies, and to identify teacher dispositions toward …

Adult Educators At The Crossroads Of Language Learning And Workforce Development: A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Agency, Liz Ging

Graduate Masters Theses

Since the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) in 2014, there has been renewed questioning about the nature and purpose of adult education programs in the United States, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). The heavy workforce development orientation of the new law is a starker manifestation of trends focused on job training which have been sweeping through the field of adult education for the last few decades. In the midst of these shifts, little research has been done to investigate what the educators charged with meeting these policy goals think about these changes, the …

Black Family Engagement Through Communication Technology: A Phenomenological Study From The Perspective Of Urban Public High Schools Parents In The Greater Boston Area, Mariette Bien-Aime Ayala

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black family engagement is the key to improving the life outcomes of young Black students (Clark, 2015; Mestry & Grobler, 2007). Recently, as a response to a need for better family engagement in K-12 education, new technologies have emerged. As educators, it is important to study the effectiveness of these new communication technologies, as well as how Black families are experiencing opportunities for engagement through them. Guided by critical race theory and capital theory, I ask: How do Black families experience opportunities for engagement with their children’s high schools through the use of communication technologies? To find this answer, in …

National Assessment Of Educational Progress (Naep) Results: 2019, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Joshua Mcghee, Charlene A. Reid

Policy Briefs

The National Center for Education Statistics has released this year’s NAEP results which measure nationwide student performance in 4th and 8th grade Reading and Math. NAEP is administered nationally to a representative sample of students from all 50 states, so acts as a standard measure of student performance across states and time. This policy brief will examine Arkansas’ 2019 results and examine score gaps between student groups.

Psu Black Studies At Risk, Professor Says: Administration Called Out For Toxic Environment, Beverly Corbell, Ethan Johnson

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This school year is the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Black Studies Department at Portland State University, a momentous occasion for celebrating the formation of a degree curriculum devoted to the history, culture and politics of black people, but the African-American director of the department doesn’t feel much like celebrating.

Ethan Johnson, who has headed the department for the past 15 years, says the university is failing to support the black studies curriculum and even more is failing to listen to the concerns of minority students and faculty at the school, a result that is disastrous to their …

Beating The Odds: High-Growth Schools Based On The Act Aspire Examinations, Serving Low-Income Communities, Charlene A. Reid, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This edition of the OEP Awards highlights schools in Arkansas based on student growth on the ACT Aspire exams in Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). This is a departure from prior awards, which were based on student proficiency.

We choose to focus on student growth for these OEP awards because we think it is a better reflection than proficiency rates of how the school is impacting students. Growth is calculated at the student level, and essentially reflects how much a student improved his or her score from the prior year compared to what was predicted based on prior achievement …

Disciplinary D/Discourses: Navigating And Negotiating Disciplinary Paradigms, Michael R. P. Bailey

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the past twenty-five years, in the United States, zero-tolerance policies that were initially implemented to deter gun violence and drugs in schools have expanded to include a wide range of discretionary offenses such as disrespect and defiance. As a result, many students have been denied access to educational opportunities, been excluded from their peers, and had their lives irrevocably changed due to systemic sanctioning of exclusionary practices. Educators, who are caught between competing societal demands, job expectations, and ethical beliefs about their profession are tasked with balancing the instructional and interactional components of their work in an attempt to …

Educators' Perceptions Of Students' Academic And Social Growth In A Collegiate High School Program., John Matthew Legg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine educators’ perceptions of high school students’ academic and social growth in a collegiate college program. Collegiate high school programs afford opportunities to minorities and the economically disadvantaged, as well as first-generation college students (Aviles-Reyes, 2007). This research used a qualitative case study framework to collect information about educators’ perceptions of the academic and social integration of students in a collegiate college program. Data were collected in phases—educator focus group interviews and individual interviews—and subsequently coded and reviewed using thematic comparative analysis. The guiding question was as follows: What are educators’ perceptions of …

Reducing Underrepresentation: Promising Practices In Florida, Catherine A. Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined representation rates of gifted students from diverse backgrounds in Florida county school districts. Florida state legislation governing gifted student education allows for alternative identification methods to be used for students from underrepresented groups if plans for such identification are approved by the Florida Department of Education; however, this option, informally referred to as “Plan B” after subsection B of the legislation governing gifted services, is not a requirement that districts must follow. Consequently, there are large differences in the ways districts identify underrepresented students for gifted services. State legislation identifies underrepresented populations as students with …