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Educational attainment in the U.S. continues to be marred by racial and socioeconomic (SES) disparities. Despite decades of research on the predictors of attainment and the decreases in dropout rates, minority-race and low-income youth continue to dropout at higher rates than their White and wealthy peers. Therefore, the question remains, why do many students persist while some drop out? To better understand attainment, an analysis of a nationally representative sample within which attainment is evaluated as part of a process of grade advancement and the nuanced nature that the timing, frequency, and severity of previous life events have on a child’s educational path are addressed is needed. The study presented here is a first step to evaluate the effects of residential mobility and school exclusion history on the attainment of a cohort of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). First, patterns of school exclusion, residential mobility, and dropout over the study period were outlined. Next, the relationships between predictors of dropout and dropout examined. Finally, the effects of the frequency and timing of residential mobility, school exclusion, and other predictors on attainment were explored using discrete time survival analysis. Findings indicate the potential utility of these methods in future research to better understand the process of dropout so more informed interventions can be designed to serve students. / Urban Education

Education is widely regarded as the engine of personal development and is fundamental in shaping the social trajectory of the society. Conversations about the response of boys to education over recent decades have highlighted worrying concerns. Persistent low achievement of boys in school appears to be concurrent with negative social behaviors of under-educated young men in the society. It is recognized that improvement in boys’ development, performance and educational outcomes at the school level has the potential to contribute to healthy engagement by boys in their community and nation. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the experiences of school leaders in facilitating the education of boys and to analyze those experiences to address the problems of boys’ achievement. The study also sought to understand the dimension of leadership efficacy relative to the education of boys in Jamaica. The researcher examined the Attribution Theory to understand how beliefs about boys’ education and the efficacy of school leaders may affect the ways boys behave and become motivated to achieve. Although the Attribution Theory provides some guidelines about the causality of the degree of achievement among boys, this theoretical frame alone is insufficient in providing a full understanding of the range of experiences encountered by school leaders in facilitating boys’ education. Four fundamental question guided this study: (a) to what factors do school leaders attribute boys’ achievement? (b) How do school leaders respond to key artifacts attributable to the education of boys in secondary schools in Central Jamaica? (c) What do school leaders do in response to those factors believed to attribute to boys’ achievement? (d) How effective do school leaders think their responses are to factors attributable to boys’ achievement? Responses to these questions were provided by three categories of school leaders (Principal, Guidance Counsellor and the Head of Department for Languages) totaling twelve respondents across four schools, who responded to a structured one-on-one interview. The interviews were audio-taped, then transcribed and manually coded for thematic analysis and discussion. The findings of the study points to the importance of supportive environments to boys’ achievement. This includes providing home and school environments that are welcoming and supportive; display of understanding and appreciation by school leaders of sociological factors impacting boys; and the provision of mentorship and motivation by school leaders. With regard to key artifacts of boys’ education, school leaders have rated teaching plans highly, and also point to significant gaps relating to curriculum relevance for boys. Additionally, the findings illustrate that the factors school leaders consider as most impactful on boys’ education are the ones they have greatest control over (e.g., quality of teaching, curriculum structure and relevance). Finally, the findings also point to the notion that efficacy of school leaders in responding to factors attributable to boys’ achievement is heavily skewed in favor of curriculum and instruction, and professional development support given to teachers. Analysis of the findings reveals key implications for practice. First, there is the need to plan deliberately for boys: organize a dedicated resource pool; enhance practical programs and organize welfare and motivation support. Second, approaches to teaching must be explored, to include appropriate strategies for engaging boys; incorporate differentiated instruction and provide adequate co-curricular support that are attractive. Third, collaboration with other interest such as external stakeholders: Parent Teachers Association, Alumni and the corporate sector helps to build structures to enhance boys’ experiences at school. Fourth, giving attention to curriculum structure and relevance is regarded by school leaders as vital for the productive engagement of boys. Such attentiveness allows for improvement to curriculum implementation and monitoring; and improve quality of learning environment, aesthetically and psycho-socially. Additionally, implications for research includes: (a) the exploration of a variety of modalities to generate best practices for engaging boys; (b) the conduct of case studies to determine connections between school leadership and the levels of educational achievement. Key recommendations associated with the research questions include: having shared policy on the issue of boys’ education; conduct action research to determine best pedagogical practices; strengthen communication with parents and external stakeholders; and contextualize the curriculum to ensure relevance to boys. Achievement of these through deliberate actions, will augur well for boys’ educational development. / Educational Administration

This study examined organizational routines and teachers' experiences in two urban public elementary schools. The study advances the scholarship on teachers' work through a nuanced examination of instructional routines in order to illuminate teachers' experiences with accountability based-reforms. Using neoinstitutional theory, this study employed ethnographic methods to examine instructional routines in two schools of varying AYP-status: one high-performing school and one low-performing school. Observations and interviews were conducted with a total of 17 teachers over the course of two school years. Findings indicated that routines were a recoupling mechanism, used to more closely align teachers' tasks with the goals of accountability policy. The implementation and performance of routines was both similar and distinct between the two schools. There were distinct differences in the intensity and the pervasiveness of mandated instructional routines between schools. However, regardless of AYP-status, routines served to rationalize teachers' instructional tasks by reducing variation in the form and content of classroom instruction. Accordingly, the process of recoupling and the resulting rationalization of teachers' tasks resulted in teachers experiencing reduced professional discretion, depleted intrinsic rewards, and compromised relationships with students and with each other. Under these circumstances, accountability policy moved teaching away from professionalization and undermined efforts to sustain teachers over time. / Urban Education

"No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) has generated considerable attention within the education world. The purpose of this thesis is to question how local governments, i.e., local Boards of Education, have reacted to the current involvement and demands of the federal government. NCLB has only started to have an impact on local schools in the last few years as they have begun to fall into various categories of being "in need of improvement" based on failing to meet established goals. School boards are put in a position to rethink their programs and reevaluate their own efforts as they attempt to insure students are meeting the benchmarks established by the federal and state governments and that Highly Qualified Teachers are in every child's classroom. This thesis looks at the actions of six districts in southern New Jersey that are not meeting these mandates and the actions of the Boards of Education towards student achievement and hiring teachers. Demands and requirements of federal and state legislation and policies are narrowing the areas in which school boards can take action. Those actions that are being taken appear to be led by the district Superintendent. This lack of leadership by the elected officials may eventually lead to school boards that are more and more community advisory boards and less and less governing bodies. / Master of Arts

Although originally conceived as an educational intervention for at-risk students, modern career academies have expanded their scope to programs designed to promote critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills to be successful in an advanced career path. Through the integration of career and technical education courses and a rigorous, college preparatory academic curriculum, career academies serve as a key piece of a larger strategy for developing a well- prepared STEM workforce. This study focuses on the Virginia Governor's STEM Academies, a state-wide initiative containing programs designed to expand options for the general student population to acquire STEM literacy and other critical skills, knowledge and credentials that will prepare them for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers. Currently, 22 Academies exist serving students across 36 Virginia School Divisions. Using educational administrative data housed within the Virginia Longitudinal Data System, I examined the Virginia Governor's STEM Academies regarding characteristics of student participation and the relationship between Academy participation and high school and postsecondary outcomes. Using multi-level regression modeling, I found that male students, Asian and Hispanic students, and non-economically disadvantage students have a higher rate of Academy participation. After matching students with propensity score matching on demographic and early academic characteristics, I find that Academy participants are more likely to take Algebra II at an earlier grade, enroll in more Career and Technical Education and dual enrollment courses, and declare a STEM major after enrolling at a postsecondary institution. This research provides a valuable new contribution to the study of career academies after such educational programs have undergone a paradigm shift to preparing students for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers. By incorporating propensity score matching and multi-level regression model, I employ a statistically rigorous approach that can serve as important benchmarking of the enrollment and academic outcomes of the Virginia Governor's STEM Academies. / Doctor of Philosophy / Although originally conceived as an educational intervention for at-risk students, modern career academies have expanded their scope to programs designed to promote critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills to be successful in an advanced career path. Through the integration of career and technical education courses and a rigorous, college preparatory academic curriculum, career academies serve as a key piece of a larger strategy for developing a well- prepared STEM workforce. This study focuses on the Virginia Governor's STEM Academies, a state-wide initiative containing programs designed to expand options for the general student population to acquire STEM literacy and other critical skills, knowledge and credentials that will prepare them for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers. Currently, 22 Academies exist serving students across 36 Virginia School Divisions. Using educational administrative data housed within the Virginia Longitudinal Data System, I examined the Virginia Governor's STEM Academies regarding characteristics of student participation and the relationship between Academy participation and high school and postsecondary outcomes. Using multi-level regression modeling, I found that male students, Asian and Hispanic students, and non-economically disadvantage students have a higher rate of Academy participation. After matching students with propensity score matching on demographic and early academic characteristics, I find that Academy participants are more likely to take Algebra II at an earlier grade, enroll in more Career and Technical Education and dual enrollment courses, and declare a STEM major after enrolling at a postsecondary institution. This research provides a valuable new contribution to the study of career academies after such educational programs have undergone a paradigm shift to preparing students for high-demand, high-wage, and high-skill careers. By incorporating propensity score matching and multi-level regression model, I employ a statistically rigorous approach that can serve as important benchmarking of the enrollment and academic outcomes of the Virginia Governor's STEM Academies.

African Americans diagnosed with diabetes are less likely to self-manage diabetes-specific modifiable risk factors. As a result, utilization of healthcare services occurs at a greater rate than other racial groups, and thereby incurs higher than expected healthcare costs. This ethnographic study explored the elements of diabetes educational material African Americans in a large city in the southern part of the United States found most useful to facilitate self-management of their disease. Bandura's self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical framework. Research questions addressed the preferred educational content, layout of material, and methods for educational delivery and caregiver support. A purposive sample of 30 African Americans with diabetes who had engaged in diabetes education classes participated in this study. Data were collected through in-depth personal interviews, which were inductively coded and then categorized around emergent themes. A key finding of this study is that participants preferred group learning formats, but perceived educational material to be confusing and difficult to understand. They also expressed some preferences for the use of color, pictures, and presentation of graphical information that may provide the basis for a revision of educational materials. Interestingly, participants indicated a tendency to seek out church members rather than family for support. The positive social change implications of this study include recommendations to healthcare professionals to adopt educational curricula that reflect cultural nuances and needs of target populations in order to support better health outcomes for at-risk populations and cost efficiency improvements.

This study addressed the problem of poor attendance adversely affecting grades and learning. Current school policies do not address problematic attendance for all school-aged children, perpetuating trends of academic failure. The research objective was to determine if unexcused absences had a greater negative impact on a high-stakes test compared to excused absences and then develop a manual of best attendance policies to better serve all school-aged children. This study sampled 10,403 students in a southern United States county. Bivariate regression and ANOVA analyses examined the scores students earned on their first attempt at the Social Studies Georgia High School Graduation Test (SSGHSGT) in relation to these students' excused and unexcused absences for grades 9 through 11. Unexcused absences had a significantly greater impact than excused absences on SSGHSGT scores. Scores decreased an average of 1.33 points for every unexcused absence, whereas each excused absence resulted in a score reduction of only 0.47 points. Given the need demonstrated by these results, a manual of best practices was developed from initiatives that had been empirically proven successful in preventing absences. The initiatives, drawn from the theoretical foundation of family systems, employ schools, parents, neighborhoods, peers, government agencies, and teachers to cumulatively influence student decisions about attendance. By preventing students from developing problematic attendance, positively impacting student grades, raising graduation rates, and reducing delinquency-related crimes these improvements can create a positive social change for students, parents, and particularly school personnel who are held responsible for academic achievement.