Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1992. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2000. / Title from title page screen, viewed May 4, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Paul Baker (chair), Dianne Ashby, Linda Lyman, George Padavil, William Rau. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-121) and abstract. Also available in print.

As the connections between textbooks and schools, student self-esteem, and educational success are further articulated, and the ramifications of deficient textbook material are more clearly understood, textbooks become increasingly a source of concern and contention. The purpose of this study is to investigate the representation of African Americans in grade 8 American history textbooks approved by the California State Board of Education in 2005. This study develops a critical approach to identifying embedded power relationships in the text employing five evaluative criteria. These five criteria are ethnocentrism, over-simplification, voice, absence, and inclusiveness. The findings of this study are that, while particular sections of each textbook may be inclusive of African American perspectives and are satisfactory in their representation according to the criteria used in this study, the overarching narrative of American history remains ethnocentric. This study raises pressing concerns regarding the role of teachers and textbooks in delivering an equitable and inclusive curriculum. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

No description available.

The integration of Clinton High School, located in Clinton, Tennessee captivated the nation in the fall of 1956. This paper depicts the events that occurred during that period. Also included are the events that occurred prior to the desegregation of the high school, the understanding of which is necessary to fully appreciate the events that unfolded in Clinton.

Virginia's Pupil Placement Board was the most enduring vestige of the state's "massive resistance" movement in the 1950s. Following the example of other Southern states, the state's General Assembly passed the Pupil Placement Act in 1956 as part of a package of legislation designed to counteract the Supreme Court desegregation ruling. The Act, and the Pupil Placement Board that enforced it, lasted a decade, much longer than any of the other legislative initiatives born during that session, longer than the massive resistance movement itself.Whites, including many of Virginia's leaders, considered the Board to be ineffective at stemming the onslaught of integration, while African-Americans felt that the agency breeched their constitutional rights. From its inception to its dissolution in 1966, the Pupil Placement Board had to defend itself in a slew of desegregation cases all over Virginia, and the General Assembly changed the law several times to comply with court orders. Despite this adversity, the Board was consistently effective in stemming desegregation in Virginia throughout its tenure.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the mandatory in-service training in Tennessee for all local board of education members. The primary focus of this study was to determine if the board members' or superintendents' responses about the training agencies, content, or applicability of any Academy indicated any continuing (long-term) impact on the actions of board members when they returned to their local boards of education. The secondary concern of this study was to determine if the responses were significantly differentiated between the positions of board member and superintendent or among the demographic characteristics defined in the study. All 959 board of education members and 136 superintendents of schools were mailed a questionnaire to return anonymously to evaluate the legislatively mandated School Board Training Academies conducted over the past 4 years. Six research questions were answered and 23 null hypotheses were tested at the.05 level of significance. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov Two-Sample Test or the Chi-Square Comparison was used to analyze the comparison between board members' and superintendents' scores or among the demographic strata. All nine Academies were compared according to each of the nine demographic characteristics. The average demographic characteristics of Tennessee board members are very similar to the average demographic characteristics of board members in the nation as a whole. There are significant differences among board members' evaluation scores stratified by six of the demographic characteristics. There were only two demographic characteristics for which there were any significant rating differences among superintendents. The Academies were rated positively for their effectiveness and their continuance was recommended. Specific improvements, expansion, and enhancement of the process were suggested.

<p>There is a general conception among those who are involved in the school-sector that there is a relation between resources and results. Better qualified teachers, smaller classes and schools with more finacial funding are regarded as better learning and development conditions for pupils (Gustafsson 2008). In spite of these widespread understanding, educational and economic research studies at the beginning of the 20th century had reached the verdict that resources have no bearing on educational results (Gustafsson 2008). The Swedish board of education (Skolverket) have published several reports, studies and surveys regarding the relation between resources and student outcomes.</p><p>The purpose of this paper is to analyze the message of six publications from the Swedish board of education around the relationship between resources and student outcomes on the basis of the decentralization of the Swedish school in the 1990´s. The central question at issue is whether the Swedish board of education has been consistent in their message about the relationship between resources and results in the six publications between 1994-2009? I have also attempted to answer the resulting questions of my conclusion.</p><p>This study is based on a qualitative text analysis. This means that text, in this case the publications from the Swedish board of education, is the object of the analysis. The result of this study is that the Swedish board of education in the middle of the 1990´s conveyed the message that there is no relationship between resources and results, or in any case that their and a large number of other research studies indicate this. This message has since changed. In their publications from the 21st century they distinctly express that such an relation does exist. This study consequently demonstrates that the Swedish board of education has <em>not</em> carried a consistent message in their publications.</p><p>In the paper two possible explanations for the divided message from the Swedish board of education are presented. The first is that the Swedish board of education has been a victim of the methodological difficulties within the field of research. The second explanation is that the inconsistent message is a result of economic thinking from the Swedish board of education. The paper also goes on to discuss the Swedish board of educations use of human capital theory and the view on knowledge and learning.</p>

Constitutive rhetoric theory posits that community identity is rhetorically created. There are various approaches to constitutive rhetoric, though most rhetoricians have chosen to focus on the works of Maurice Charland and Michael McGee, whose approaches focus on audience so much that often the rhetor has no agency. This project blends their ideas with those of James Boyd White to create works of criticism that highlight an increased amount of agency for the rhetor. As examples, I have chosen four case studies from the year 1954: the Brown v. Board decision, the Army-McCarthy hearing (specifically McCarthy's heated exchange with Joe Welch), the addition of "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, and the first article in the first dated issue of Playboy. Each chapter is designed to provide an example of what a constitutive analysis in the style of White would look like. The project begins with a description of the theories and analyses, including constitutive rhetoric, postmodernism, and textual analysis. The Brown v. Board analysis begins with a brief history of the case, moves to a rhetorical analysis, and then connects the analysis to ideas of constitutive rhetoric. The McCarthy sections examines the "Have you no sense of decency?" exchange between Welch and McCarthy. It begins with a brief explanation of McCarthy's reputation, and then utilizes an understanding of conspiracy rhetoric in the rhetorical analysis in order to explain McCarthy's constitutive efforts. The Pledge of Allegiance analysis provides a brief a summary of the Congressional arguments made to add the words "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, then provides a textual analysis of the Pledge (with the addition), emphasizing the power of those words, especially given the epideictic nature of the Pledge. The Playboy research focuses on the first 1954 article, which directly addresses the question of American identity. The article is contextualized with Hugh Hefner's self-proclaimed Philosophy of Playboy. Finally, all of these case studies are tied together again with further explanations of constitutive rhetoric, showing that White's understanding of constitutive rhetoric can be used to bolster Charland and McGee's in order to give agency to the rhetor.

There is a general conception among those who are involved in the school-sector that there is a relation between resources and results. Better qualified teachers, smaller classes and schools with more finacial funding are regarded as better learning and development conditions for pupils (Gustafsson 2008). In spite of these widespread understanding, educational and economic research studies at the beginning of the 20th century had reached the verdict that resources have no bearing on educational results (Gustafsson 2008). The Swedish board of education (Skolverket) have published several reports, studies and surveys regarding the relation between resources and student outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the message of six publications from the Swedish board of education around the relationship between resources and student outcomes on the basis of the decentralization of the Swedish school in the 1990´s. The central question at issue is whether the Swedish board of education has been consistent in their message about the relationship between resources and results in the six publications between 1994-2009? I have also attempted to answer the resulting questions of my conclusion. This study is based on a qualitative text analysis. This means that text, in this case the publications from the Swedish board of education, is the object of the analysis. The result of this study is that the Swedish board of education in the middle of the 1990´s conveyed the message that there is no relationship between resources and results, or in any case that their and a large number of other research studies indicate this. This message has since changed. In their publications from the 21st century they distinctly express that such an relation does exist. This study consequently demonstrates that the Swedish board of education has not carried a consistent message in their publications. In the paper two possible explanations for the divided message from the Swedish board of education are presented. The first is that the Swedish board of education has been a victim of the methodological difficulties within the field of research. The second explanation is that the inconsistent message is a result of economic thinking from the Swedish board of education. The paper also goes on to discuss the Swedish board of educations use of human capital theory and the view on knowledge and learning.