The purpose of the present study is to investigate personality traits or trait clusters that will identify academic high and low achievers and differentiate the two.

This study is concerned with the determination of the relationship that exists between levels of emotional stability and academic accomplishment among students of Business Administration at North Texas State College. It is the hypothesis of this study that a positive relationship exists between levels of emotional stability and academic achievement among students of Business Administration at North Texas State College and that the degree of this relationship can be determined.

The thesis addresses the relationship of class size to student performance in a rural state. It presents findings from a longitudinal study of a cohort of students who were tested with state assessments at grade 4 in 2000, again at grade 8 in 2004 and, finally at grade 10 in 2006. Graduation rates for five large-class sized schools and five small-class sized school populations were established in 2008. All scores (n=1137) were matched across time enabling students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds from schools that were considered small (average class size, n=11) to schools that were large (average, n= 20). The paper’s focus is on the extent that students from schools that maintained large and small classes differed in selected opportunities to learn and educational outcomes. The approach to the study utilized both large scale state databases for student backgrounds and outcomes and interviews with school personnel in order to identify school policy and practices that might be linked to performance differences. The primary goal of this research study was to determine if small classes resulted in improved student achievement compared to those students in larger classes. Although Vermont does not have the large class sizes of the quasi-experimental studies and policy initiatives cited in the literature, it does have a wide range of average class sizes. The targeted high school math and English classes of this study ranged from an average of 11 students in the average small class to 20 in the average large class. If class size were a critical influence on students’ academic achievement, one would expect to see significant differences between students who were educated in classes nearly twice as large as other classes. This study concludes that there was no such difference. In terms of academic achievement, with the exception of 10th grade math scores, students in larger classes performed the same or better than students in smaller classes. Students in larger classes had slightly higher graduation rates, and a larger proportion planned to attend two or four year colleges.

In my clay, mixed media, and photographic work I present vignettes of my life and aspects of my heritage to the viewer. While working with clay, I create houses that personify different aspects of my personality, depending on what was happening in my life at the time. I also make pots that reflect elements of my environment. My mixed media and digital photography work is a more intimate look at my Middle Eastern heritage from belly dancing to snapshots of my family.

M.Ed. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.A. (Psychological Counselling) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis advisor: Diana Pullin / It is widely accepted that school leadership has both a direct and indirect impact on student achievement. Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) Unified Leadership Framework summarized a decade of work by numerous researchers identifying the five most effective leadership domains that influence student learning. Using that work as a conceptual framework, this qualitative case study analyzed one of the five interdependent leadership domains in an urban elementary school that succeeded in educating traditionally marginalized students and outperformed other schools with similar demographics in the district. This study focused on Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) leadership domain of connecting with external partners. Specifically, it examined whether leadership practices that supported family and community partnerships were present at the school. Family and community partnerships are important because they support two essential, yet frequently overlooked, contexts where student learning and development take place. In addition, this study examined whether school leadership practices promoted these partnerships in a culturally proficient manner. This analysis was informed by the culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) framework, which describes principal behaviors that promote cultural responsiveness in urban settings. Several leadership practices that supported the criteria established by Hitt and Tucker (2016) under the domain of connecting with external partners were evident at the school, including: building productive relationships with families and the community; engaging families in collaborative processes to strengthen student learning; and anchoring the school in the community. However, leadership practices promoting family and community partnerships did not fully support a finding of being a culturally proficient school culture. This finding was primarily based on a “one size fits all” approach to working with students and families, which has been described in the literature as “cultural blindness”. Recommendations to practitioners as a result of this study include expanding informal opportunities for parent input and engagement, conducting an equity audit, and pursuing cultural proficiency professional development. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Robert J. Starratt / This case study evaluated the significance of implementing an enrichment mathematics course during the summer to rising African American ninth graders entitled, "Geometry Honors Preview". In the past, 60 to 70 percent of African American students in this school district had withdrawn from Geometry Honors by the second academic quarter. This study seeks to understand the impact of pre-teaching core geometry concepts essential to success in Geometry Honors prior to the students' enrollment into the Geometry Honors course. This mixed methods case study involved the researcher as a participant observer. Qualitative data in the form of questionnaires administered to teacher assistants, students, and their parents comprised a significant part of the data collection. Additional qualitative data collection included field notes, teacher's comments from report cards, and informal interviews of the instructor of the Geometry Honors Preview course. Quantitative data gathered from the four quarterly report cards completed the data collection process. The study concluded that all of the students who enrolled in the Geometry Honors Preview course successfully completed Geometry Honors during the school year. Students felt more confident about enrolling into Geometry Honors after taking the preview course. Finally, African American students who enrolled in the Geometry Honors Preview course outperformed a group of African American students who enrolled into Geometry Honors, but did not attend the summer course. Using current research into the topic of closing the achievement gap, the study suggested that these findings would help improve the practice of teachers and implement policy that will provide all students with an equal opportunity to learn in an environment of high-stakes testing. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University