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This study looked at what it is like for teachers and principals to participate in the teacher evaluation process. These teachers and principals, in four different school systems in Massachusetts and Connecticut, shared their perspectives through a series of in-depth interviews. Teachers believed that evaluations should provide feedback, offer positive reinforcement, and foster pedagogical growth. Teachers also expressed more confidence in the evaluation process when evaluated by principals they respect and by a process that is credible. Although the teachers generally felt positive about the teacher evaluation process, all experienced some negative situations that were the result of careless, weak, perfunctory, and manipulative evaluations. Principals expressed that the lack of time and adequate training hindered their ability to properly perform evaluations along with all the other required tasks. They also indicated they experienced a trend of evaluations evolving from checklists into other formats, and they voiced preferences for ideal evaluation formats which they would like to use. As a result, this study recommends at the district level that superintendents and school boards need to: (1) determine the level of priority of teacher evaluations, (2) provide the necessary time and training to accomplish evaluation tasks, (3) facilitate the evaluation evolution rather than impede its progress. At the building level, the study recommends that principals: (1) clearly communicate organizational details and contractual obligations associated with the teacher evaluation format, (2) offer additional services for upcoming observations or evaluations, (3) provide both compliments on good teaching and suggestions for improvement, (4) avoid manipulative situations in the teacher evaluation process. The study also suggests that future research explore the perspectives of both school boards and superintendents on the issues surrounding the teacher evaluation process.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of writing to a real audience for a real purpose on the writing skills and self esteem of seventh grade students. Inner city, culturally diverse seventh graders exchanged a series of letters with successful members of an urban community. The study investigated the effects of this exchange on the writing skills and self esteem of the students. The twenty five seventh graders in the study were matched randomly with the adults. They wrote at least four letters each, over a four month period, and received responses. They celebrated their connection by meeting at the middle school for a breakfast. The results of the study were documented by pre and post tests, opinion questionnaires from students, teachers and parents, overall grades and grades in English and reading, anecdotal observations, and an exit interview. The data supports the general hypothesis that when seventh grade students in an inner city, culturally diverse middle school write to a real audience for a real purpose, their writing skills improve and their self esteem is enhanced. After writing at least four letters to caring local adults, many students showed improved overall grades, and better English and reading grades. They used the appropriate friendly letter heading, longer sentences, varied end punctuation, and more interesting topic sentences. Their paragraphs indicated clear thought, and were better organized. Their stories during the exit interview proved to be overwhelmingly in favor of the writing exchange. Their parents and teachers felt the students showed improved self esteem, and a clearer connection to their community. Students indicated a greater comfort level with school, made friends with their Pals, got advice from them, and enjoyed their company. The study validated the idea that students become more conscious of thinking and learning when their tasks are real and that learning is best achieved in a social context.

The secondary site-based Career Resource Center has potential as a major vehicle of specialized communication/dissemination re: postsecondary career and college information. The present study was designed to examine the origin and implementation of Career Centers in order to develop an understanding of the factors to be considered in planning and organizing Career Centers in high schools. Investigation will focus not only on lay-out and design models, but also on "information" organization and dissemination. An historical overview of Career Resource Centers, focus on the theories of informational organization and delivery systems' approaches, and research on design models provided the theoretical basis for the study. Data for the study was collected from a questionnaire survey distributed to current Career Resource Center practitioners at secondary schools, from library research, from reports conducted for the school department, from the proceedings of meetings involving community and school officials, and from the personal knowledge and observations of the researcher from her many years of experience with Career Centers. The results indicate that the Career Centers show a reasonable amount of similarity in their organization and dissemination of information and basic lay out design. It was concluded that the different systems of organization, storage or dissemination of information used by the older centers are also used in similar proportions by the other centers, i.e., most show very little difference in approach. The major difference is in the amount of improvements noted by the older as compared to the younger centers. This is consonant with the age of the centers, the fact that they have had more time in which to change and also, in the vast time span, change would be required. The issue of change and the extent of change is open to interpretation. The question of "future plans" remains open for continued research and creative design.

Concerned educators have been implementing ninth-grade transition programs to help freshmen adjust to the demands in high school and to reduce ninth-grade failure rates. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the impact of a ninth-grade transition program. The research questions addressed impact on cumulative GPAs and credits, ninth-grade dropout rates, and student satisfaction with ninth grade as measured by a survey of 120 ninth-grade transition program participants and 102 nonparticipants. Theoretical foundations were provided by the construction of new knowledge based on different background knowledge, different social conditions, and different life experiences. Another theoretical foundation was social control theory predicting less student delinquency if students have strong bonds with society such as school, family, and peers. After using a posttest-only with nonequivalent control-group design and independent-measures t tests for all hypotheses, results showed that the transition program did not have any effect on dropout rates, student satisfaction, and cumulative credits earned. The program had a negative effect on GPAs, possibly because of an increased margin of error (low return rate of parental consent for participation) and a new math curriculum for the experimental group. Recommendations for future study include conducting a longitudinal study with more participants, adding qualitative aspects, and teaching the same curricula to all study participants. Findings are significant for positive social change because they challenge educators to reexamine transition procedures, implement improved strategies, and review their teaching methods to provide students with the skills required by employers for a successful workforce that will contribute to America's well being and strong economic status in the 21st century.

by Ng Kin On. / Thesis (M.A.Ed.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography : leaves 58-61.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-116).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 123-127).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.