Check, Connect, Expect (CCE) is a secondary tier behavioral intervention for at-risk students who require targeted behavioral support in addition to school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. A full-time coach in the CCE intervention provided behavioral supports including daily check-in and check-out procedures, as well as targeted social skills instruction. This study extended CCE to a self-contained elementary school for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Twenty-two students participated in the 17-week study that involved a four week baseline phase, followed by a 13-week intervention phase. The following research questions were addressed: (a) How did CCE affect student behavior?; (b) How did CCE affect student weekly academic engagement?; (c) How did CCE affect student weekly math calculation and oral reading fluency growth?; (d) How did severity of behavior predict student response to CCE?; (e) How did function maintaining the behavior predict student response to CCE?; (f) How did relationship strength with the coach predict student response to CCE?; and (g) How socially valid was CCE for teachers, paraprofessionals, and students? Two growth curve models were used to analyze the academic and behavioral data. Overall, students displayed significant behavioral growth during the intervention phase and positive growth in the areas of academic engagement and achievement. Severity of behavior, function, and relationship strength were not significant predictors of student response to the CCE intervention. Future directions, limitations, and implications for practice are discussed.

The thesis discusses the specifics of the management of alternative schools in Czech Republic. The aim is to compare selected type of alternative schools in the Czech Republic, focusing on management, analysis of differences in management from the management of public schools. The theoretical part deals with the definition and the development of alternative schools, the features and functions of alternative schools. The practical part analyzes the document and standardized interviews with selected schools. The result is a comparison of selected types of alternative schools in the Czech Republic, with focus on the management, and analysis of the differences from management of public schools. KEYWORDS Alternative education, alternative schools, the specifics of management, functions of alternative schools.

The north and north-western quadrants of Pretoria have been identified as requiring attention for rejuvenation. The framework looks at “connectivity through activity” and the site ties into the creative industries, heritage route and pedestrian walkway proposed for the area. It is realised that in this day and age the ideal is often impossible to achieve. Paradoxically too it is often in the more densely populated areas, where land values are highest that there is the greatest need for ample space for children, whose probable home is a cramped flat, with no garden in which to run about and play freely. With the proposal to increase housing in the framework for Pretoria's city and, in a bid to densify the urban centre, comes the added responsibility to accommodate the youngest generations of city dwellers. It is with this in mind that the design proposal looks at the creation of a pre-primary school and public playground connected to a pedestrianised inter-block walkway. A new revolutionary approach to educational buildings has to be investigated in terms of “learning through play” by “extending the field of play” and incorporating design techniques of both architecture and landscape architecture to create a holistic design precedent that will stimulate young minds. AFRIKAANS : Die Noorde en Noord-Westelike kwadrante van Pretoria word ge-identifiseer as wat aandag vir verjonging vereis. Die raamwerk kyk na "konnektiwiteit deur aktiwiteit" en die terreine bind die skeppende nywerhede, erfenis roete en voetganger paadjie [voorgestel vir die gebied] va. Daar word besef dat deesdae die ideale dikwels onmoontlik word om te bereik. Ook is dit dikwels in die meer digbevolkte gebiede, waar die grond waarde die hoogste is, dat daar 'n nodigheid vir genoeg ruimte vir kinders word. Hierdie kinders se waarskynlike huise is 'n beknopte woonstel met geen tuine om in rond te loop of te speel nie. Met die voorstelling om behuising in die raamwerk vir Pretoria se stad te vermeerder en om die stedelike sentrum digtheid te verhoog, kom ekstra verantwoordelikheid om die jongste generasies van die stede te akkommodeer. Met hierdie gedagte moet die ontwerp voorstelling na die skepping van 'n pre-primere skool kyk. Ook moet daar 'n openbare speelgrond gekoppel aan 'n voetgangers interblok loopvlak wees. 'n Nuwe revolusionêre benadering tot opvoedkundige geboue moet ondersoek word in terme van "leer deur te speel" deur "uitbreiding die veld van speel" en die integrasie van ontwerp tegnieke van beide argitektuur en landskap argitektuur om 'n holistiese ontwerp presedent te skep sodat die jong gees gestimuleer sal word. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

Homeschooling can provide the opportunity for an inspiring educational journey facilitated by a parent/educator. Stepping away from social norms, and fostering strong relationships, influences and supports the negotiation of this dual role in this alternative learning environment. The line between parent and educator is often blurred and challenging to tease apart as parent/educators strive to support the unique learning interests and goals of their students. In this thesis I consider the negotiation between these roles by examining the lived experience of homeschool parent/educators through the themes of relationships, normalization and ‘We are teachers’. British Columbia, Canada (BC) is the context and influences analysis, findings and recommendations. The new BC Ministry of Education’s curriculum's “transformational” focus is used to support the position taken in this thesis that parent/educators are teachers in their own right. The author’s unique experience as a homeschool parent/educator herself provides the opportunity for a greater understanding into this under researched pedagogy. / Graduate

Thesis advisor: Patrick Proctor / Youth of color are owed an “education debt” from this country, built on systems that sought to disenfranchise people of color, from colonialism and slavery to legacies of redlining and present-day criminalization practices (Ladson-Billings, 2006). Black, Indigenous and Latinx youth have consistently been pushed out of schools at higher rates than other groups (Morris, 2016). In recognizing this problem, this dissertation examined the ways that one alternative program in an urban-area in the Northeast sought to re-engage youth of color through emancipatory pedagogical models. All students, except for one, were youth of color with the majority of students being of Caribbean origin (i.e. Haitian, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Trinidadian, St. Lucian, Jamaican). In examining a need for emancipatory pedagogies, I conducted interviews with alumni and focus groups with current students to understand the multitude of reasons that students had been pushed out of traditional schools in their previous educational experiences. I then conducted interviews with past and present staff, as well as observations in the program, to understand the different pedagogies that were created that promoted decolonization and liberation in this particular alternative program. I then analyzed the short and long-term impacts of the program, primarily in understanding how the program shaped student identities. This study employed a qualitative approach, including a Youth Participatory Action Research component, to examine the factors listed above. MAXQDA was used to code transcripts of focus groups and interviews to determine themes in understanding the development and impact of emancipatory pedagogical models. Findings indicated the importance of creating a foundation for emancipatory pedagogies through staff spaces and conversations to understand implicit biases and teaching philosophies. This work should then be enhanced by building deep and supportive relationships with students and teaching in ways that uplift students’ cultures and promote critical consciousness. Key impacts of these pedagogies were found in racial identity, which was tied to gender identity and academic identity. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

This diploma thesis focuses on inclusive education at alternative elementary schools such as Montessori and Waldorf. Alternative education is experiencing great boom and the number of schools and pupils educated in non-traditional ways has risen. In 2016 has been also newly institutionalized policy about inclusive education that has the aim to include children with special educational needs into standard educational process. Aim of this thesis is to find out whether Montessori and Waldorf are more suitable for these children. This thesis also identifies relationships between alternative elementary schools and the public sector, or more precisely how are these relationships perceived by education policy makers. Lastly, this paper describes and explains relationships between parties playing important part in inclusive education and elementary schools. Methodology used in this thesis is qualitative research and research design is represented by single-case study. Used data are collected from three half- structured interviews with elementary school principals. Secondary data were obtained through various documents, cases and reports. analyzed using technique called thematic coding. Alternative (and above all Montessori) schools showed as very suitable for children with special educational needs. But...

Participatory methodologies offer an alternative approach to widespread conventional methods of education adopted in Thailand. With the latter failing to provide adequate educational outcomes according to international standards, alternative education could represent a valid response to this long-lasting national problem. Concurrently, the paper engages with Thai socio-cultural factors to advance solutions to students’ lack of motivation and interest in learning. Exploring the unique approach of Mosaic Learning Center, an international school in Thailand, this qualitative study offers first-hand insight into adopting participatory methodologies in the classroom. Analysing data collected through semi-structured interviews, the research aims to explore the effects of promoting student-centred, holistic, and self-directed learning, while framing participatory approaches in education within the interdisciplinary field of Communication for Development. Bridging pedagogical studies with the thematic of development and social change, the research addresses cultural questions of structural social injustice, emancipation, and children’s rights in Thailand, by advocating for liberating pedagogies based on inclusion and participation.

Student discipline and subsequent placements are a common problem in education. This qualitative phenomenological study addressed a gap in the literature by discovering the experiences of middle school teachers and administrators regarding student discipline, classroom removal, and assignment of students to alternative education. This research describes the development of an interview protocol based on critical incident theory and demonstrates its usage in drawing out thick, rich descriptions which help increase the trustworthiness of qualitative research. Initial interview data are presented to highlight the utilization of critical incident theory to elicit specific information about how participants experienced various critical interactions that influenced academic decisions about the student removal process, the kinds of situations and safety issues they encountered, and training they received for managing student removal. Data were collected using audio recorded and transcribed in-depth interviews using open ended questions with participants. Six teachers and 2 administrators from 3 middle schools in the southern U.S. responded to 15 questions in semistructured interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed. Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed an overarching theme of managing disruptive classroom behavior. Participants described classroom management difficulties, their methods of dealing with disruptive students, and their emotional reactions to disruptions. Some teachers shared that at times, they reconsidered their decision to teach due to classroom management problems, and some revealed that their classroom management training had been deficient. Recommendations include further research on the degree and kinds of stress resulting from teachers having to deal with student discipline problems. Implications for positive social change include motivating schools to evaluate their programs of continuing teacher education for dealing with classroom discipline and to provide opportunities for teachers to discuss, with their peers, their behavioral and emotional reactions to difficult student encounters, thereby contributing to teacher well-being and retention.

Abstract The dropout rates of African American and Hispanic students in the United States are significantly higher than that of White students. Failure to obtain a high school diploma has adverse economic and social implications for these students and for society. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between a credit recovery program with key demographic variables and high school GPA, which is a graduation antecedent, for students in an alternative school. Knowles' framework of adult learning theory was used to examine how participation in the credit recovery process in a system of predominantly African American-serving alternative schools predicted GPA while accounting for the influence of student demographic variables. The ex-post facto causal-comparative design involved the analysis of an archival random sample of 168 former students, 84 of whom had taken credit recovery courses and 84 of whom had not. A multiple linear regression model (R =0.257, F(4, 163) = 2.770, p = 0.029) indicated that only gender (β = 0.188, p = .02) significantly predicted the students' GPA, with female students outperforming males. A conclusion is that the implementation of credit recovery programs in U.S. schools does not have any impact on students' GPA. The results suggest weaknesses in program delivery and training and that the review and revision of professional development opportunities for teachers is merited. Drawing from the extant literature, a professional development recommendation was made to improve program effectiveness based on documented best practice examples. Implications for the promotion of positive social change include the evaluation of more robust credit recovery programs capable of improving the graduation rates of U.S. Hispanic and African American students.

A three week orientation program was compared with a control program at a California continuation high school. Method. Every three weeks during the first semester of the 1989-90 school year students new to the school were randomly assigned either to take a three week orientation class as part of their five period schedule (n = 88) or a minimal two-hour session only (n = 66). Dependent variables were in five areas: school attendance, student productivity, involvement in career related programs, student citizenship, and perceptions and knowledge related to school adjustment. These yielded 16 specific DV's. Findings. Of the five areas of predicted differences, the first three were not supported, the fourth seemed supported, and the fifth partially so. Five of 16 null hypotheses were rejected: controls had significantly (p $<$.05) more students referred to the principal for discipline and days suspended; and experimentals showed higher perceptions of knowledge of the school's system, tested familiarity with that system, and familiarity with staff names and roles. Conclusions. It appears that the three week orientation program had some positive effect on student citizenship, on perceived knowledge, on tested knowledge, and on familiarity with staff names and roles. Four variables dealt with citizenship: number of students referred for discipline was significant but total number of referrals was not, and total days of suspension was significant but number of students suspended was not. Interpretation. (a) multiple staff involvement in the orientation program affected tested knowledge of staff names and the discipline and suspension variables; (b) information taught about the school system affected tested and perceived knowledge about it; and (c) increased knowledge of the school's system did not appear to affect attendance, productivity, or career involvement.