<p> There have been many recent changes in education focused on closing the achievement gap, yet minority students continue to fall behind. Latina/o students encounter systemic oppression in schools and society in the forms of academic tracking, classism, racism, and other biases (Bemak &amp; Chung, 2011; Dickson, Zamora, Gonzalez, Chun, &amp; Callaghan Leon, 2011; Hipolito-Delgado &amp; Lee, 2007; Holcomb-McCoy, 2007; Martinez, 2003; Ortiz &amp; Gonzales, 2000). At the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary levels, Latina/os attend schools whose educational conditions are some of the most inadequate in the United States (Oakes, 1984; Valencia, 1991). One of the most significant school reforms at the high school level is converting comprehensive high schools into small schools or small learning communities. This school structure could be beneficial in addressing some of the academic issues of minority students but also offer some cautions.</p><p> The problem under investigation in this study is the achievement gap of Latina/os students in gaining college access in comparison to their white peers (Education Trust, 2010). While small schools were created to close this achievement gap, there are still some concerns in regards to college access of these students. The purpose of this study was to explore Latina/os college students&rsquo; experiences from the same small high school on how the school helped or hindered their college access. It also explores how these students used their community cultural wealth factors in order to overcome challenges and be successful. Led by a narrative inquiry interview qualitative methodology, data was collected via 10 semi-structured interviews of college students who met the necessary criteria for this study.</p><p> Findings from this study suggested that the <i>family</i> feeling these students cited of being in the small school, was a factor that contributed to their academic success. The college awareness resources that were available to them with constant reminders from a college counselor also contributed to their success. Through a critical race theory lens, (Sol&oacute;rzano, 2001) this study also revealed institutional oppression occurred through the school&rsquo;s lack of quality Advanced Placement courses, lack of diversity, and insufficient funding for extra-curricular or school activities that hindered their acceptance to prestigious universities. Further, participants expressed that they overcame these challenges using Yosso&rsquo;s (2005) six community culture wealth factors.</p><p> Recommendations for this study include key curricular strategies to ensure students experiential knowledge is considered in creating the school&rsquo;s curriculum. Secondly, the importance of having a robust curriculum, and the role of creating funding to offer extra-curricular and school activities will make a huge impact on Latina/os&rsquo; college access.</p>

<p>This study examined how teachers perceive Free Primary Education had influenced access, retention and progression of marginalized students in primary schools in Kisii County, Kenya. A critical pedagogy framework was used to unpack and shed light on teacher and school practices that affected access to basic education of at risk students. Data was collected through 217 surveys given to teachers from 28 purposefully selected primary schools in Kisii County, 3 administrator interviews, and 4 focus group interviews comprised of a total of 30 classroom teachers from 14 schools in a sequential mixed methods design. Four research questions that guided this research were: a) How do teachers perceive Free Primary Education in Kenya has influenced access to primary education for marginalized students? b) What do teachers perceive to be at risk categories for marginalized students? c) How do teacher practices influence the retention of marginalized students in education in Kenya? Finally, d) to what extent do teacher beliefs influence their desire to differentiate instruction for marginalized students? Findings from this study indicated that Free Primary Education had led to increased access to basic education through reduction of fees paid by parents to schools, provision of instructional materials, open admission policy, and construction and/or renovation of existing educational facilities. The study also revealed roadblocks that hinder access to basic education for marginalized students such as extra fees levied by schools to parents, poverty, high teacher pupil ratio, lack of skills to equitably educate at risk students in classrooms, and poor health. The participants identified orphans, students with low incidence disabilities, children from extremely poor families, children from single parent households, children engaged in child labor, and children from negligent parents as categories of students who were at risk for marginalization. Moreover, the study revealed some of the teacher and schooling practices with regard to handing marginalized students which included teacher care, professional development, accommodations, remedial teaching, and guidance and counseling. There was a significant correlation between teacher philosophies and teacher willingness to differentiate instruction (<i>r_s</i>= 0.43, <i>p&lt;0.05</i>), and also a significant correlation between teachers&rsquo; philosophies and their willingness to give various accommodations to marginalized students in their classrooms (<i>r_s</i>=0.34, <i>p&lt;0.05</i>). Further analysis of data revealed that, a) access to basic education as a class issue, b) access to basic education as a gender issue, c) national tests and measurements as instruments for marginalization, and d) access to education as a teacher critical consciousness issue. </p>

<p> Schools continue to change in many ways. Technology, diversity, Response to Intervention (RtI), 21st Century Skills, and other initiatives warrant the need for continued professional development for all school staff. School psychologists play a key role in the school system and can bring significant contributions to the school team. School psychologists often have multiple schools to serve in rural and urban settings and, at times, have to serve schools in isolation away from other school psychologists. School psychologists need opportunities to engage in meaningful professional development and have the opportunity for collegiality and collaboration with other school psychologists. This study investigated the effectiveness of school psychology learning communities as a way to provide professional development, collegiality, and collaboration school psychologists need to contribute to the education environment. </p><p> A qualitative case study design was utilized in this study. Data sources from interviews, observations, and documents chronicled the perceived impact of utilizing professional learning communities for school psychologists as a method of professional development in a seven-district special education cooperative in the Midwest. </p><p> The findings of the study uncovered that the learning community produced an increase in knowledge and skills for school psychologists. It also provided a forum to study and find consistency in services school psychologists provide to schools. Data also showed that school psychologists felt that the goal setting process within the group served as a guide to identify continued professional develop needs. In addition, data revealed that school psychologists felt that collaboration within the learning community had an impact on student achievement and that the learning community increased job satisfaction of school psychologists. </p>

<p> In the wake of new teaching standards and evaluation systems introduced in the United States, teacher collaboration has emerged as a common theme. However, despite these recent changes, teaching is still largely a private act, in which teachers are often secluded from their colleagues. This study investigated the range and variation of the characteristics of teacher collaboration and their impact in a small, suburban school district in Westchester County, NY. These data were initially gathered through a survey and later through interviews and focus groups. The results were analyzed through a mixed methods lens, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. This study found that district teachers have some of the structural and many of the interpersonal characteristics favorable to collaboration, the impact of which has led to a strong sense of efficacy and some instructional change. In terms of teacher groups, there was a positive association between the structural and interpersonal characteristics of teacher collaboration and a positive correlation between teacher collaboration and its impact on sense of efficacy and instructional change. It was concluded that the District should enhance the structural characteristics favorable to teacher collaboration in order to impact further instructional change.</p>

<p> The purpose of this research was to examine the patterns and themes of litigation in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) disability discrimination cases charged under the theory of disparate impact. Specifically, this study used Computer Assisted Legal Research (CALR) to identify and review all U.S. Appellate Court ADA disparate impact cases as reported by Westlaw, a commercial electronic case law reporting system owned by Thomson Reuters. </p><p> This study used a two-step, mixed methods approach to analyze the data relevant to the research questions and sub-questions. First, the researcher employed content analysis (Hall &amp; Wright, 2008) to identify and characterize patterns and trends of litigation in all reported U.S. Appellate Court ADA cases charged under the theory of disparate impact from 1992 through 2012. Cases were analyzed chronologically, and variables included number of published and unpublished cases, distribution of jurisdiction, distribution of ADA titles, EEOC involvement, case fact patterns, and characteristics of charging and opposing parties. Frequency analyses were conducted on these data. Second, the researcher identified a subset of the ADA disparate impact cases analyzed in the first step: Title I, or employment discrimination cases. Qualitative analysis employing the constant comparative method (Strauss &amp; Corbin, 1990) was used to identify and characterize patterns and themes of the judicial opinions in the Title I disparate impact cases. The researcher developed a framework for analysis based on a review of the literature of the sociopolitical perspective of disability to guide the analysis of the judicial opinions in the subset of disparate impact cases. The results of the frequency analyses conducted on these data revealed four trends: (a) Precedent, (b) Circuit and Judge Effects, (c) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Successes, and (d) Sutton Case Effect. The results of the qualitative analysis of the text of the judicial opinions produced four themes and three relationships among the themes. The four themes were accommodation(s); workplace culture, norms, and policies; judicial process; and policy space. The three relationships were gap-filling, weighing and balancing, and maintaining status quo versus effecting social change. The themes and relationships are depicted in a concept map that visually displays the conceptual framework revealed in the study. </p><p> The findings in this study may inform disability and rehabilitation scholars about ADA disparate impact cases, a body of law about which little is known. The patterns and trends identified in ADA Title I disparate impact cases may provide information about the types of policies and practices that are most frequently litigated. Rehabilitation practitioners may be able to use the results of this research to develop education and outreach strategies for employers on best practices for hiring, accommodating, and promoting employees with disabilities. Because the workplace policies and procedures identified in the cases that comprise this study are neutral on their face rather than intentionally discriminatory, employers may benefit from information that assists them in evaluating their policies and procedures proactively, which may avoid costly and time-consuming litigation. Finally, workplace policies and procedures that fairly represent the essential functions of the job and are applied uniformly to workers with and without disabilities will contribute to a more diverse workforce.</p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative study was to discover the relationship between a parent's mindset, his/her student's mindset, and the student's level of anxiety as high school seniors during the college application process. 4 private, independent, college preparatory high schools throughout southern California were included in the study. The parent survey measured the parent's mindset through the Intelligence Domain of the Implicit Theories Questionnaire (ITQ) and measured the parent's emotional stability through the Ten Item Personality Survey (TIPI). The student survey measured the student's mindset through the Intelligence Domain of the ITQ, the student's level of anxiety through the State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA), and several items related to student demographics, such as: grade point average (GPA), highest American College Testing (ACT) and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score, number of colleges to which the student applied, student race and gender. 26 parent-student pairs participated representing 4 different schools. Findings in this study showed that subjects predominently held a growth mindset which promotes learning goals, allows for healthier responses to challenges and failures, and promotes resilience, effort, and hard work. Given the small sample size, there was insufficient evidence to support that either a parent's mindset or a student's mindset is a determinant of student anxiety during the college application process. However, a significant, moderate correlation (<i>r = .50, p &lt; .05</i>) was found between a parent's mindset and their student's mindset. There was also a significant, moderate correlation (<i>r = .50; p &lt; .05</i>) between the number of college applications a student completed and their levels of overall anxiety. It is recommended that schools provide opportunities for parents and guardians to be educated about growth mindset. Additionally, strategies and resources should be given to parents to help aid in developing a growth mindset among their children. It is also recommended that further research be conducted with a larger sample size to better assess whether there is a relationship between mindset and anxiety.</p>

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Melbourne, 1984. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-189).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 2789. Adviser: Terrence C. Mason. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 15, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-02, Section: A, page: 0499. Adviser: Daniel J. Walsh. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-177) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2007. / Adviser: Tina Q. Richardson.