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Graduating high school is a critical juncture for students to achieve. High School dropouts are more likely to have fewer job opportunities than high school graduates, increasing risk for poor health and incarceration. The target district used the academic learning class (ALC) as an intervention to support high school seniors classified as at risk due to failure on the High School Assessment Plan (HSAP). The purpose of this study was to determine the association between at-risk students who participated in the ALC and on-time graduation. Guided by action theory, an ex post facto design using secondary data, was employed to determine if there was an association between the variables of participation in the ALC intervention and graduation. The sample included a secondary data set of 174 records of high school students who met the criteria of failing one or both parts of the HSAP and who received the intervention of the ALC class. Data from a sample of 166 records were analyzed through SPSS. Results of the chi-square test did not indicate statistical significance, Ï?2(1, N = 166) = 1.27, p = 0.26, suggesting that there was not sufficient evidence to conclude existing of an association between participation in the ALC and graduation. Further research is recommended with more than 1 intervention to ascertain the association between specific high school interventions and graduation. Determining the association between an intervention and graduation will lead to social change as improving graduation rates helps bridge the economic gap between high school graduates and dropouts.

This thesis addresses these problems. (1) A clear understanding of the conceptual approach is prerequisite for teaching children to think creatively. (2) The conceptual approach has been misunderstood because educators have not distinguished clearly between the terms "creative" and "creatively." (3) The conceptual approach has been misapplied because educators have lost sight of the essence of the philosophies at the heart of the method. (4) The core of truth necessary for understanding teaching for concepts can be understood by tracing philosophical thought and application of the approach from the Renaissance to 20th Century America. (5) Inconsistencies in interpretations and applications of teaching for concepts have made it difficult for contemporary teachers to identify a single model to follow.

This case study intended to collect and analyze responses from stakeholders of the UCF Modeling and Simulation graduate program regarding the ways in which interdisciplinary (IDS) science PhD students could be prepared for diverse career paths. A mixed methodology study was executed and quantitative survey (N=96) and qualitative interview (N=10) data were collected to address three research questions. Overall, stakeholders for this case study were found to represent the three main career paths of academia, government, and industry. Survey data were utilized to gauge the level of importance that survey participants perceived for various survey scales and items. The scales that were rated with the highest means were Ethics, Teamwork, and Career Management (M=3.67, SD=.41) and Interdisciplinary Skills (M=3.67, SD=.36), while the lowest mean was reported for the Professional Science Skills scale (M=3.19, SD=.54). Interview data revealed limitations of the historically accepted apprenticeship model to include an emphasis on academia-only career preparation and a lack of standardization regarding highly individualized advisor-student relationships. And finally, survey and interview participants reported that alternative pedagogical methods to prepare IDS science PhD students for diverse career paths should include internships in each career sector, while also presenting the barriers to implementing internships regarding faculty commitments and time available to advise and help students procure such relationships. Study recommendations point to preparing IDS science PhD graduates for diverse career paths by emphasizing math, technical, communication, and interdisciplinary skills using experiential learning opportunities such as internships and an IDS project-based curriculum.

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This study explored the components of Maryland's newly-implemented teacher evaluation framework and compared state requirements with evaluations to three local school systems' evaluation procedures. The study sought to investigate the relationship between three evaluation protocols in comparison to the state requirements.;Three local school districts were selected based on their student population served and the availability of their evaluation documents. Howard County Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and Montgomery County Public Schools were selected. State evaluation documents were also included in the study, coming from the Maryland State Department of Education. Evaluation documents underwent a qualitative data analysis using computer coding software and were checked manually repeatedly.;It was hypothesized that the local school district evaluation documents would not be in compliance with the state's evaluation procedures. However, it was concluded that this was, in fact, not the case. The school districts used in the study each differed in their means of developing the professional practice of teachers, but remained true to the Danielson evaluation model that the state of Maryland utilized. Further study is needed to explore the initial implementation of these evaluation procedures.

Jade County Public Schools has provided school-based therapeutic day treatment in its public schools for more than 10 years. This program was adopted by the school system to provide an intervention in the school and classroom to address the challenging behaviors of students with emotional and behavioral disorders.;Currently, three human services agencies provide school-based therapeutic day treatment services to students in Jade County Public Schools with the goals of increasing academic achievement, increasing school attendance, reducing undesirable behaviors and increasing desirable behaviors. Until now, there has not been a formal evaluation of the program to determine if improvements were needed to meet the established goals to meet the challenges of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, as intended.;This formative program evaluation of Jade County Public Schools' School-Based Therapeutic Day Treatment program (DTX) was designed to provide school administrators, staff, parents, students and the agencies providing the school-based program with evidence-based information on the merit, worth, and value of the school-based mental health intervention and to identify areas of improvement needed to increase academic and behavioral outcomes for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) at Jade County Public Schools.;The methods utilized to conduct this evaluation sought to determine to what extent participation in the school-based day treatment program decreased behavior referrals, number of days of suspension, and number of suspensions and increased attendance and grade point averages for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Also, participants' perceptions and lived experiences pertaining to the benefits, challenges or concerns, and aspirations for the program if it were to operate at its highest potential were explored. The results from analyzing quantitative and qualitative data collected to answer the five questions are addressed in this program evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between organizational school climate and middle school student achievement on state assessments. The author also sought to determine the relative weight of each of the factors of school organizational climate (collegial leadership, teacher professionalism, academic press and community engagement) in relation to student achievement. Finally, this study examined the relative effects of organizational climate and the socio-economic status (SES) of participating schools on student achievement.;Suburban, rural and urban middle schools in Virginia participated in this study. The study explored middle school teachers' perceptions regarding organizational school climate in terms of collegial leadership, teacher professionalism, academic press, and community engagement. The School Climate Index (SCI) was used to survey 696 teachers' perceptions of these factors in 49 middle schools in Virginia. The eighth grade Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests in the areas of math and English were the measurement tools for student achievement in the study.;It was concluded that there was a significant relationship between organizational climate and student achievement for both English and math. When the sub-scales of school climate (collegial leadership, teacher professionalism, academic press and community engagement) were analyzed separately, multiple regression indicated that only community engagement had a significant independent effect on student achievement on the math SOL test. Both academic press and community engagement had independent effects on student achievement on the English SOL test. Further analysis indicated that SES had a significant independent effect on student achievement in English, while both school climate and SES had independent effects on student achievement on the math SOL test. School climate and SES explained much of the variance in student achievement.