<p> Nearly 25,000 graduating high school students across California have earned state recognition for achieving proficiency in multiple languages in 2014. This exploratory, mixed-methods study investigated the early implementation of the State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) in California. Sixty-two district personnel were surveyed, three SSB directors were interviewed, and a document review was conducted. Overall, the study revealed four themes that influence the implementation of the SSB at the district level: Intentional Creation of an Ecology of Biliteracy, Developing Notions for Biliteracy Scripts and Assessment, Privileging Sequential Biliteracy Development&mdash;Scarcity of Biliteracy Pathways, and Individual and Collective Agency for Biliteracy. Hornberger's (2003) continua of biliteracy was used as a theoretical framework to analyze this study's findings.</p>

<p> Research indicates that families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population in the country (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2011). The rise in the number of homeless families has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of homeless students (Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, 2013; Flannery, 2010). In recent years, the number of District of Columbia homeless families with children has significantly increased (The Homeless Children's Playtime Project [HCPP], 2012), and as of February 2013, more than 601 high school homeless students were enrolled in District of Columbia Public High Schools (DCAYA, 2013). Using mixed methods research, the study collected data from 95 homeless participants (16-21 years) to construct a demographic and educational profile of Black high school-aged homeless youth residing in District of Columbia homeless shelters. The study examined the factors that facilitate or impede the learning outcomes of these youth. The data analysis revealed that 31.66% of the respondents' struggle to find enough food to eat, 59.75% when faced with shelter shortages sleep in abandoned properties and city parks (34.45%), and (37.95%) sleep in city public streets (37.95%). In addition, 74.76% of the study sample "plans to keep going to school". Logistic Regression was performed and indicated that the variables (Multiethnic Identity, Ego Resiliency, and Life Orientation) are significant predictors of grade completion.</p>

<p> Higher education in the United States is facing increasing demands for accountability in response to dismal college completion rates. Seeking to increase educational effectiveness, many states reform higher education governance structures (Novak, 1996). Both states and higher education governing bodies have sought to increase college completion by improving community college to university transfers (Kisker, Wagoner &amp; Cohen, 2011). Transfer and articulation policies have been part of higher education for years, yet have rarely exceeded 33 percent (Townsend &amp; Wilson, 2002).</p><p> This study explored the cultural aspects of a new transfer policy from the perspectives of key stakeholders. It relied upon five precepts proposed by Tierney (2008) to determine the effectiveness of governance communication and decision-making. Handel's (2011) theory of a transfer affirming culture framed the findings as to the elements of transfer success at the community colleges and state university. Added to this theory was the work of Jain, Herrera, Bernal, and Solorzano (2011) which defines the requisite services for pre-transfer and post-transfer success of non-traditional students. This study was guided by the following research question: How do community college and state university faculty, administrators and staff perceive the transfer articulation policy in relation to their campus cultures?</p><p> A qualitative multi-site case study design was used to gather rich, descriptive, in-depth information (Stake, 1995). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with <i>N</i>=5, faculty and <i>N</i>=5, elite informants and <i>N</i>=1, staff. Three focus groups (<i>N</i>=3) were conducted with <i>N</i>=7 faculty, and <i>N</i>=7 staff. Data collection included <i>N</i>=7, observations of faculty meetings and analysis of documents that were pertinent to the study. The researcher analyzed transcripts, field notes and documents to corroborate major themes (Boyatzis, 1998).</p><p> Findings revealed that difficulties may exist between community college curricula and student transfer pathways as well as a cultural gap between community colleges and the state university. They also showed the politics surrounding higher education governance reform and a clash of political and academic cultures. This study may help policy makers promote state wide transfer and articulation initiatives and be instructive for faculty, administrators and staff as they create a transfer affirming culture on their campuses.</p>

<p> The public investment in GEAR UP, a federal program that seeks to promote college access and readiness among underserved youths, and limited research on program outcomes substantiated a need to evaluate GEAR UP's impact on youths attending a major urban community college. This study analyzed the archival dataset of Latino community college students (<i>N</i> = 91) to determine the impact of GEAR UP on college access and readiness. The treatment group (<i>N</i> = 47) consisted of a student cohort who attended a GEAR UP participating secondary schools from 2005 through 2011, and the non-treatment group (<i>N</i> = 44) of a similar student demographic cohort who attended the same secondary institutions but not GEAR UP.</p><p> The research variables included the English and math placement levels, financial aid application status, and cumulative grade point average of both cohorts. The result of a Pearson Chi Square test (<i>p</i> = .045 at 95% confidence level) demonstrated a statistically significant impact of GEAR UP on the financial aid application filing status among Latino youths but not the other variables. Personal interviews (<i>N</i> = 24) were conducted from the Treatment Group sample to determine the effectiveness of various interventions activities of GEAR UP. The textual coding analysis of the interview transcripts highlighted the presence of tutors and mentors, field trips, and financial aid workshops as effective interventions in promoting school belongingness and helping Latino youths to consider the benefits of higher education.</p><p> The research study conclusions yielded several recommendations to further enhance the quality of GEAR UP. First, policymakers should consider expanding the scope of GEAR UP from financial aid awareness into financial literacy. Second, GEAR UP school coordinators, teachers, and tutors and mentors should intensify a focus on college readiness, including the development of non-cognitive skills. Other notable recommendations to enhance GEAR UP would be to provide more funding for tutors and mentors, college field trips, and financial aid workshops, improve collaboration and communication between high school and college partners, and the creation of a national database system to track student and program outcomes.</p>

<p> In 2011, with ongoing concerns over state budget shortfalls and the increasing educational cost structure, California state legislators focused their attention on measures that could lead to access, added productivity, and value in order to sustain the current educational system. One ofthe recommendations provided by the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) was to eliminate state support for course repetition in activity classes. In 2012, the Board of Governors (BOG) adopted the changes to Title 5 ofthe California Code of Regulations to limit the apportionment a community college district could collect for student attendance in credit courses that are related in content. This limitation on apportionment was intended to specifically limit student enrollment in active participatory courses such as those in the visual and performing arts.</p><p> This qualitative interview study used the Discipline-Based Art Education framework to bring forth the experiences of 13 community college visual and performing arts (VAPA) instructors. The purpose of the study was to understand how VAPA instructors experienced the elimination of course repetition, how they reconciled the requirements of their discipline with the state educational policy, and how these changes influence the teaching and promotion of access to arts learning.</p>

<p> This qualitative grounded analysis involved exploring the knowledge and understanding school principals have on teacher evaluations and the connections to students&rsquo; scores on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). The problem was that Colorado does not have a comprehensive and consistent standards-based teacher evaluation system managed by highly trained administrative evaluators capable of providing evaluation marks representative of actual teacher performance and competency levels based on student achievement from CSAP results. The purpose of this qualitative grounded analysis was to create a theoretical model based on the exploration of the knowledge and understanding school principals have on teacher evaluations being connected to students&rsquo; Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) scores in order to effectively evaluate teacher performance in the classroom. The research questions examined and analyzed data from the perspective of school principals on teacher evaluation proficiency marks and student proficiency scores on the CSAP. Interview responses from 10 school principals were analyzed with the NVivo qualitative analysis software revealing emerging themes. Critical analysis of the themes produced courses of action and recommendations for school principals to improve the evaluation process of teachers as connected to student CSAP scores to improve classroom instruction. Key results indicated a need for school principals to consider the themes of classroom environment; funding, administrative support, and an over haul of teacher contracts that include compensation and advancement. </p>

<p> International assessments such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) have exhibited United States students specifically in the fourth and eighth grades, are not performing well when compared to their international peers. Educational stakeholders including parents, teachers, politicians, and the business community are putting more pressure on schools to improve their student&rsquo;s academic performance. The stakeholders want improved performance on not only American assessments but also on international tests. The purpose of the current qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of educators in the United States to investigate the possible use of alternative educational innovations as a means for bridging the achievement gap between learners. The qualitative research study involved investigating the perceptions of 52 educational professionals through an online web-based survey and analyzing the data using the three steps outlined by Merriam. Two themes emerged from the data and two subthemes were revealed. The themes were finances and training and professional development. The subthemes were funding allocation and teacher compensation.</p>

<p> Whether in slavery or in freedom, African Americans understood the important role education played in their quest towards citizenship. As enslaved people, they risked their lives to learn to read and write so they would be prepared when freedom came their way. As free people, they continued to strive for an education that would move them beyond their prescribed station in life. Throughout the history of African Americans, they actively pursued their educational aspirations instead of patiently waiting for them to be granted. </p><p> The research associated with educational agency before and after the Civil War provides some insight into the ways African Americans worked towards liberation. From paying for their own teachers to building their own schools, African Americans are primary players in the narrative of educational advancements in the South. These stories of agency are in direct contrast to the stories of Northern philanthropists being responsible for African American education in the Southern states. Many of these narratives of African American agency are relatively new to the field and don't take into account border states such as Missouri. </p><p> This dissertation looks at African American educational agency in St. Louis, Missouri, a city in a state that was North enough to be in the Union, but South enough to permit slavery. Because of this dichotomy of ideology, Missouri is usually left out of discussions on issues of race and education because it did not neatly fit into a geographical region. Instead of asking how and why Missouri fit into the national narrative of African American education, such questions were merely a footnote, if they were mentioned at all. </p><p> Instead of viewing the duality of Missouri's state identity as something to be ignored, this dissertation views it as a challenge to propel the story of African American educational agency in St. Louis to center stage. Starting with the creation of an African American school board in the 1860s through the construction of Vashon High School in 1927, the story of African American agency is told through the lens of the citizens' councils that were organized to advocate for educational advancement. The men who comprised the citizens' councils worked tirelessly to insure that the educational dreams of former enslaved people were realized generation after generation.</p>

Inclusive education occupies a central place in the education policies of South Africa (SA, 2001). This study explored whether the principles of inclusive education as set out in White Paper 6, are becoming a reality in primary school classrooms in South Africa. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and the policy initiatives and principles of inclusive education. The literature review provided the framework for designing the interview questions that were utilized to gauge the perceptions and experiences of teachers regarding the implementation of inclusive education by means of focus group interviews. By means of a qualitative, phenomenological study, the focus group interviews were conducted with a convenient and purposively selected sample of primary school teachers (n = 18) in the Johannesburg South District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The interview data revealed that teachers do have an understanding of the importance of inclusive education, and appear to be knowledgeable on what the inclusive education policy entails. Furthermore, the teachers attempt to provide differentiated teaching, learning and assessment to address the wide variety of learning barriers in their classrooms. However, comprehensive knowledge about the wide variety of strategies to accommodate all learning needs appears to be lacking. The teachers noted that their training, resources and facilities are not adequate for the effective implementation of the policy principles in South African classrooms. The findings revealed that although the inclusive education policy is positively accepted by the teachers, its implementation appears to be superficial due to the cited challenges faced by the participants. The study is concluded with recommendations on how to promote the implementation of the challenging inclusive education policy principles in order to minimize the gap between policy and implementation. / MEd, Learner Support, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

<p> The descriptive qualitative case study examined the resources nonpublic school staff members used to manage severe maladaptive behaviors and to facilitate the reintegration of students with severe maladaptive behaviors into public schools. The case study involved the participation of 17 nonpublic school staff members in semi-structured audio-recorded phone interviews. Case study participants shared personal thoughts and opinions about (a) best practices employed to manage severe maladaptive behaviors, (b) the operation of nonpublic schools, and (c) the factors that influenced reintegration into public school. Analysis of case study responses using NVivo 9.0 qualitative analysis software revealed five themes related to the research question: (a) maintaining safety, (b) resources and strategies, (c) opportunities for interaction in the community and with typical peers, (d) reintegration process, and (e) suggestions to public school staff. Data analysis also resulted in identification of 10 recommendations to educational leaders regarding strategies and resources for management of severe maladaptive behaviors as well as enhancing the reintegration process. Findings corroborated literature that indicated nonpublic staff members received specialized training and assistance from specialists to manage severe maladaptive behaviors respondents (Day &amp; Prunty, 2010). Findings also confirmed further research is necessary about the reintegration process and how to enhance communication between educational settings.</p>