Abstract This study investigated perceptions of school work culture of instructional staff members (administrators and faculty) in public charter and public non-charter elementary schools in a large urban metropolitan county of Central Florida by assessing differences in perceptions of administrators and faculty related to school work culture, perceptions between school administrators and faculty, and the interaction between type of school. The School Work Culture Profile (SWCP), a paper-and-pencil survey, was designed in 1988 by Snyder to obtain a measure of a school's work culture. The SWCP uses a Likert scale to assess the overall perception and four sub-domains of planning, development, program development, school assessment, and staff development. One hundred sixty-one teachers and administrators from public charter and public non-charter elementary schools participated. Results of ANOVA tests indicated differences by job category: administrators scored significantly higher than faculty on the overall perception and three sub-domains of school work culture: planning development, program development, and school assessment. There was no difference on the staff development sub-domain. Administrators and faculty members do perceive certain aspects of school work culture differently. Program Development, Planning Development, and School Assessment are administrative functions, whereas Staff Development may be perceived to be more of a personal function. There was no difference between perceptions of instructional staff by type of school (public charter and public non-charter). In addition, there was no interaction between job category and school type. The perceptions of administrators and faculty members of both types of schools do not appear to be dependent upon whether or not they work in charter or non-charter public schools. Public charter and public non-charter school instructional staff responded to SWCP sub-domains similarly; therefore, the type of school the respondents worked in, albeit public charter or public non-charter, did not impact their perceptions. Differences existed in perceptions between school administrators and faculty members, regardless of type of school, with the exception of the sub-domain of staff development. The mean perception for administrators in both types of schools was higher in the other three domains. No interaction occurred between type of school and type of job category for any sub-domain or the overall perception. The conclusions from this study included (a) schools are equal regardless of the type of school, (b) the culture of administrators and faculty members remains the same regardless of the type of school, (c) the perceptions of administrators and faculty members are not determined by the type of school in which they work--administrators and faculty members do perceive certain aspects of school work culture differently. Implications derived from the study include (a) efforts to mainstream and encourage cross-institutional (public charter schools and public non-charter schools) collaboration might be helpful to improve the educational conditions for all students, (b) efforts need to be focused on increasing the collaborative conversations and involvement that connect the individuals in a school setting as related to planning development, program development, school assessment, and the overall perception of school work culture as well as developing inclusionary practices that increase faculty members' input in meeting schools' stated goals, (c) placing emphasis on the charter school movement as an alternative for the innovative ideas needed to address the state of the national education system could be increased in colleges of education and educational leadership programs, and (d) program development, planning development, and school assessment are administrative functions, whereas staff development may be perceived to be more of a personal function.

In 2003, the Florida legislature appropriated funds to finance pilot programs (1012.231, Florida Statutes) to prepare for the 2004-2005 school year in which pay for performance initiatives were to be implemented in each district. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine and describe the planning, processes, and implications of a pilot career ladder program that was implemented into a large Florida school district in the spring of 2004. During data collection, the program was terminated therefore creating a second purpose that sought to describe residual implications of a program when it is discontinued. Data collected for this study were used to respond to six specific research questions. The first inquired about the planning process prior to implementation. Archival documents were used to determine whether research-based strategies were involved. The second through the fifth questions rely heavily on survey and structured interview data collected by the district and the primary researcher respectively and seek to determine critical perspectives from teachers and administrators regarding the career ladder including knowledge, fairness, and implications for school and district. The sixth question asks whether residual effects remain in place after an initiative has been terminated. Particularly, as a major finding, time for implementation was a theme throughout the study as most respondents were concerned about the short timeline this program had to develop fully. Stakeholder buy-in and understanding of program roles emerged from the data. However, the notion of a mentor that was given the time and resources was frequently mentioned as a benefit to new teachers and the school overall. Furthermore, respondents saw the potential long-term benefit of staff development that would allow highly trained master teachers to coach new and struggling teachers during the day in a clinical setting. There was evidence that this program did have an initial negative impact on the culture of the schools in the district. One unplanned aspect of this case study was the fact that the program was terminated at the state level. This had implications for all stakeholders and could be a strong factor in later implementations; therefore, this would require further study.

In recent years, increasing numbers of Indigenous communities in the United States have embraced charter schools as an alternative to traditional federal, district and parochial schools. Often this has been part of an effort begun to further such goals as language and cultural preservation, improved educational programs, and community control of schooling. This study presents, through a single qualitative, ethnographic case study, a detailed portrait of one urban, Indigenous-serving charter school with primary focus on graduates' educational experiences and an exploration of its meaning for them. A portrait of the school is presented, including: the school's history; its mission, goals, objectives; its organizational framework; its curriculum and instructional practices; and its structure and support services. Demographic information about the school's graduates is included. Next the alumni experience is explored in depth. Findings include alumni perceptions of their relationships with staff, alumni perceptions of the curriculum and instruction at the school, and alumni perceptions of school climate. Finally, the characteristics of the schooling occurring at the case site are described in light of the theoretical framework of the study which is based on Jim Cummins' (1989, 1992, 2000) theory concerning empowerment of minority students and the concept of subtractive and additive schooling as described by Angela Valenzuela (1999). Lessons from the case site are also considered more broadly in terms of the challenges and possibilities of Indigenous-serving charter schools in the current educational context.

This study sought to understand the lived experience of disengagement from formal schooling of five young Aboriginal women in a mid-Northern community. Using the qualitative methodology of narrative inquiry, and through a series of guided open-ended interviews, this research explored each participant’s experiences as a learner; informally and in school. Analysis of the personal histories of learning shared by the participants enabled the identification of attributes of best-remembered learning experiences and also elements that contributed to marginalization and dis-continuing of school. Key elements for each learner clustered around relationship and connectedness. Contexts of optimal learning as revealed in the narratives can be characterized as authentic, situated, experiential, guided, and often culturally-relevant. Marginalization and dis-continuing of school were related to: a sense of emotional insecurity in the school, the need for community and a sense of belonging, disrespectful treatment and relational bullying by teachers and/or peers, administrative policy related to placement and psycho-social needs, and restrictive curricular decisions. The participants’ desire to learn and continuing pursuit of learning goals, although out of school, is expressed in the title of this thesis by Participant A as she speaks for all in saying, “I’m still learning” (PA#1, p. 3). Recommendations for formal schooling are made based on the needs and preferences expressed by the participants and by the institutional circumstances revealed in the narratives that affected engagement and dis-engagement. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-09 15:48:56.987

During the 1990s, standards-based reform became the predominant education reform inthe country. However, neither federal legislation nor state standards-based reform programshave focused much on addressing the needs of special groups. While, the explicit goal ofstandards-based reform was to raise academic achievement of all students, the implicit goal wasto change beliefs about specific groups of students, particularly students who traditionally havebeen perceived as "disadvantaged." This dissertation examines the implementation of standards-based reform policies withpopulations of limited English proficient (LEP) high school students to determine the strength of the Kentucky's policies to include LEP students and the capacity for those policies to influenceeducator beliefs about the abilities of LEP students. The study includes an analysis ofKentucky's reform policies and a case study of one high school English as a Second Languageprogram seen as a leader in implementing standards-based reforms. The case study approachprovided an opportunity to learn about the issues associated with educating LEP high schoolstudents in the context of standards-based reform from the point of view of those who arecharged with implementing these policies. The findings from this study suggest that it is notsufficient to include LEP students in state assessment and accountability systems. In order foraccountability systems to ensure strong student performance, they must also address inequities instudents' opportunities to learn to high standards. The success of Kentucky's policies, as well asother standards-based policies, depends on their ability to drive changes in educator beliefs aboutstudents' capabilities and to drive the creation of local conditions supportive of practicesconsistent with achieving the goals of the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

ABSTRACT Curriculum integration has become an important theme in discussions on school reform during the past ten to fifteen years (Bullough, 1999; Erickson, 2001). Martin-Kniep, Feige and Soodak (1995) maintain that integration can help students to understand and appreciate the complexity of the world that they are living in. In addition, Hargreaves and Moore (2000) claim that curriculum integration can inspire students to discover relevance in their education. Therefore, curriculum integration is perceived by many educators as the key to helping students prepare for the great changes that the developed nations are experiencing at this time (Meier, 1996; Tchudi & Lafer, 1996). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of integrating a unit in Physics 11 with history of science, language arts and social studies on the academic achievement, attendance and attitudes of high school students. A second purpose was to assess whether it is feasible to provide curriculum integration without restructuring the current high school organization and offering in-depth professional development for teachers. A mixed methods research design was used to examine the effectiveness of this strategy by comparing a treatment group with a comparison group. Significant gains were realized in student attendance, unit and test marks. There was a clear impact on achievement and attitudes of students through integration. Analysis of individual student writings and projects not only demonstrated that integration had occurred, but also gave interesting insights into student learning and perceptions of science content, understanding and relevance. Interview data with participating teachers and reflections by the action teacher revealed numerous benefits of teachers working together on integrated curriculum. Moreover, these data made it clear that a simple model of integration was viable in the current school structure. This study demonstrated the benefits of using curriculum integration in order to help prepare students more thoroughly for further studies and work in the real world. It also presented a practical and realistic method of curriculum integration without requiring restructuring, funding and formal professional development.

Submitted by Liliane Ferreira (ljuvencia30@gmail.com) on 2018-08-30T10:27:29Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alana Gabriela Vieira Alvarenga da Costa - 2018.pdf: 2442754 bytes, checksum: 478092d15a9345d22decc2a448a25fb6 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2018-09-03T11:45:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alana Gabriela Vieira Alvarenga da Costa - 2018.pdf: 2442754 bytes, checksum: 478092d15a9345d22decc2a448a25fb6 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-03T11:45:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alana Gabriela Vieira Alvarenga da Costa - 2018.pdf: 2442754 bytes, checksum: 478092d15a9345d22decc2a448a25fb6 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present work is linked to the research line of Culture and Educational Processes of the Graduate Program in Education (FE / UFG) and analyzes the reform of secondary education by exploring, as the main subject, a flexibilization of the disciplines of human beings, more specifically, the philosophy. Outlining how this reform occurred and what is the purpose of such changes, highlighting the constant conflicts and reformulations around high school in Brazil. Besides, it presents the relationship between the aforementioned reform and the training of graduates, aiming to show that the presence of philosophical knowledge in this area is extremely important for the construction of critical and reflexive thinking, essential skills for teacher training and, in spite of this, subjugated. In the light of the concept of flexible learning that was engendered within the capitalist society that aims to acquire profit and which forms only for the productive world of work, the text discusses how the discipline of philosophy, in its various spheres, went through moments of absence and resistance in the Brazilian educational system. In this sense, based on bibliographic and documental research we verified that documents follow authoritarian trends of forming to reproduction and are far from an humanized formation of subjects. In order to subsidize the discussion and analysis proposed as the objective of this work, the theoretical basis for criticism was based on the following scholars: Carminati (2004), Cerletti (2009), Charle (1996), Coêlho (2006), Gallo (2001), Kohan (2002; 2009), among others. / Este trabalho se vincula à linha de pesquisa de Cultura e Processos Educacionais do Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação (PPGE) da Faculdade de Educação na Universidade Federal de Goiás (FE/UFG) e tem como objetivo analisar a reforma do ensino médio, explorando, como questão principal, a flexibilização das disciplinas de humanas nos currículos, mais especificamente, da filosofia. Pretende-se delinear como esta reforma se deu e a que servem tais mudanças, a fim de destacar os constantes conflitos e as reformulações em torno do ensino médio no Brasil. Além disso, pretende-se apresentar as relações entre a citada reforma e a formação dos licenciandos, com o intuito de evidenciar que a presença dos saberes filosóficos nesta etapa é de extrema importância para a construção do pensamento crítico e reflexivo, capacidades essenciais à formação docente e que, apesar disso, acabam sendo subjugadas. À luz do conceito de “aprendizagem flexível”, que foi engendrado no seio da sociedade capitalista – que tem como finalidade a aquisição de lucro e a formação dos indivíduos apenas para o mundo produtivo do trabalho –, o texto discute como a disciplina de filosofia, em seus vários âmbitos, passou por momentos de ausência e resistência no sistema educacional brasileiro. Nesse sentido, com base em pesquisas bibliográficas e documentais, verificamos que os documentos seguem as tendências autoritárias de educar para a reprodução e se distanciam, na prática, da busca por uma formação humanizada dos sujeitos. Para subsidiar a discussão e a análise proposta como objetivo deste trabalho, o referencial de embasamento teórico para a crítica se pautou nos trabalhos dos seguintes estudiosos: Carminati (2004), Cerletti (2009), Charle (1996), Coêlho (2006), Gallo (2001), Kohan (2002; 2009), dentre outros. Por fim, evidencia-se que o ensino médio que se vislumbra proporciona uma formação integrada, politécnica e que toma o trabalho com um princípio educativo.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate educator factors that have an impact on student achievement and overall school performance as indicated in the American College Test (ACT) scores from the district and the individual schools. Educators from a moderate-sized public school district participated in an anonymous online survey. According to the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) Report Card, the district ACT composite is a 20.1 (TDOE, 2018e). Two of the district’s schools’ results are higher than the district composite, while the other five are consistent with or below the district composite. Participants of this study shared their number of years of experience, amount of professional development, and education level obtained, as well as their perceptions of these factors. All data were collected through an online survey distributed to 9th-12th teachers by email from school principals. The analysis of data was based on the responses of 67 teachers from this school district. For this study, non-experimental quantitative research was used with a comparative and correlational design. As indicated in the findings of this study, teacher experience, teacher professional development hours, teacher education level, and teachers’ perceptions of these factors did not play a significant role on student performance on nationally standardized tests, specifically the ACT.

The 2007-2008 school year marked the first year Florida's Title I schools that did not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for five consecutive years entered into restructuring as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. My study examines the perceptions of teachers entering into their first year of school restructuring due to failure to achieve AYP. Four research questions guided my inquiry: What are the perceptions of teachers regarding their school's failure to make Adequate Yearly Progress? What are the understandings of teachers regarding the restructuring process? What are the perceptions of teachers regarding the restructuring process? In what ways have their perceptions of the restructuring process changed their reading instruction? The purpose of this study is to gain insight into teachers' perceptions of AYP and its restructuring consequences. I applied grounded theory, ethnography as a research tool, and critical discourse analysis as a research tool to this organizational case study. Twelve teachers from Star Elementary School, a rural Title I elementary school, served as participants. I collected data using field notes, semi-structured interviews, and surveys. I collected data for a total of 148.25 hours over a period of 31 days at Star Elementary School. My analysis of the data revealed while teachers placed blame on students, parents, and policy makers, they also looked inwardly to their own shortfalls and contributions to AYP failure. Teachers understood the specific consequences related to AYP failure and demonstrated an understanding of data analysis of their student state test scores. Teachers did not demonstrate an understanding that NCLB (2001) allows for teachers to be part of the decision-making process regarding curriculum and instruction at their school. Teachers also reported decreased authority and autonomy due to Star's failure to make AYP. My research supports the Restructuring Inverse Impact Theory: consequences of NCLB's (2001) reform mandates intended to enhance student achievement may negatively impact that achievement due to the undermining of teacher efficacy.

In the wake of reports of continued gaps between youth with and without disabilities in regard to graduation rates and postschool outcomes, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) began examining their process for monitoring state implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). OSEP’s revised accountability system, known as Results-Driven Accountability, better aligns accountability systems to support states in improving results for infants, toddlers, and youth with disabilities and their families. Currently required from states, is a comprehensive multiyear State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) focused on improving results for students with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to describe the phases of the SSIP and provide an example of how this new accountability system is working in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). As with all other states, territories, and freely associated states, RMI is required to develop and implement an SSIP.