<p> For decades, business leaders have openly inferred higher education fails to prepare graduates to perform job duties successfully. An unprepared workforce makes it difficult for businesses to compete and produce a profit. The discipline of marketing experiences the most rapid changes due to technology advances and marketplace needs. Marketers play a critical role in the financial success of a business. A descriptive, comparative study was used to determine the efficacy of college marketing program curriculum and tested the assertions from industry leaders concerned about skills gaps related to the field of marketing. Multiple university marketing programs throughout the Midwest United States were investigated to determine what the required courses included. Additional reports from LinkedIn job recruitment sites offered current marketing employment skill requirements and employer preferences. Survey recruitment encompassed a random sampling of academic business dean&rsquo;s, marketing instructors from two-year, and four-year universities across the Midwest United States. Business participants comprised of small to large Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, business alliances and chambers of commerce within the Midwest United States. Groups completed survey questions self-ranking marketing courses for job relevancy and rated communication attributes judged essential to succeed as a marketing practitioner. Participants agreed digital marketing and social media ranked as the most relevant courses to master for job success. There existed significant differences for the remaining ranked courses between educators and practitioners. Practitioners placed greater emphasis on analytical skill attainments such as accounting, micro, and macroeconomics over educators. Principles and practices of selling, public relations, and strategic marketing courses topped requirements marketers desired for proficient job performance. Academics ranked business ethics, international marketing, new product development, and supply chain logistics, as critical courses graduates should master. Groups revealed verbal and written communication were the top two communication attributes determined necessary to perform job duties effectively. Educators perceived attire illustrated a practical element towards job success whereby practitioners placed less emphasis on appearance. The findings of this study contribute tactical knowledge towards the discipline of marketing, for it promoted curriculum relevance within university programs designed to supply a pipeline of workforce talent. This investigation uncovered several established collaborations between academia and business as of 2017. The study recommends consistent, standardized industry and academic partnerships nationwide as accreditation criteria from the Higher Learning Commission, which may also serve as a supplemental foundation for workforce talent development.</p><p>

<p> Teachers today are spending more time with problem behaviors and less time with instruction. Problem behaviors can affect students&rsquo; learning as well as teachers&rsquo; instructional time. In contrast to traditional disciplinary practices, this study explored teachers&rsquo; perspectives from all three educational levels regarding the efficacy of positive behavior interventions and supports. Many programs and approaches are available to improve student behavior in schools. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is designed to help schools create and sustain effective behavioral supports for students. This study was focused on the perceptions of teachers after the implementation of a program of positive behavior support in districts within the state of Illinois. Forty-five school districts were randomly chosen from each region and educational level. The research that guided the study related to the perceptions of teachers on the efficacy of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports system. The research was inconclusive, as teachers reported that the behavior system was needed, but it did not change the behaviors of the students who displayed challenging behaviors. This study was significant as it added to the body of research of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.</p><p>

abstract: This mixed methods action research study explores the phenomenon of Navajo storytelling from the student perspective, exploring views of their experiences, and how those experiences and perceptions impact their learning. Navajo storytelling reflects the traditional teachings of the Dine, and serves as the foundation to character building promoting the concepts and processes of T’aa Sha Bik’ehgo Na’nitin (“sense of direction”). The design of the study supports the students’ achievement by utilizing a storytelling approach to teaching that organizes learning around the principles of critical thinking (nitshakees), planning (nahata), reasoning (iina), and creativity (sihasiin) found in the Dine educational philosophy model, Sa’ah Naaghai Bik’eh Hozhoon. Goals of this study focus on the subject of traditional storytelling, Navajo folktales, to determine how the teaching and learning influences the processes by which a student makes decisions. Through oral storytelling the teachings place priority on creating a nurturing, respectful, and culturally inclusive environment based on Diné knowledge and language. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2016

<p> The purpose of this mixed-methods research design was to determine which method was the more effective keyboarding instruction&mdash;traditional, teacher-driven instruction or software-based instruction&mdash;for third-grade general education students and students with an IEP. Also examined were the perceptions of classroom teachers as to how they used technology in their classrooms and if they felt the keyboarding coursework was beneficial to their students. Participants in this study consisted of 427 third-grade students from two elementary schools and 16 third-grade teachers from the same schools located within the St. Louis Metropolitan area of Southern Illinois. This study included a quantitative portion constructed of two-groups of third-grade students. These two groups were then additionally divided into two additional student groups&mdash;general education students and students with an IEP. Timed-writing typing tests were given as pre and posttests and measured speed and accuracy scores of the two methods of instruction. From observation of the means, initial results indicated an increase in speed and accuracy scores for both methods. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for each of the dependent variables to measure the statistical significance and address the research questions. Software-based instruction was recommended for both education groups. The qualitative portion included open-ended interviews with the classroom teachers. Overall, teachers were positive about technology implementation in their classroom, even though their comfort levels varied. However, teachers indicated that professional development was needed, and more access to technology for students was necessary. Teachers perceived that the keyboarding instruction did help on the online state assessment. Additional research is needed to examine the impact of keyboarding instruction and the effect it may have on computer-based standardized tests.</p><p>

<p> When one thinks of the fashion industry, one might think of famous designers and celebrity fashion shows. Today, fashion is a $1.2 trillion global industry, employing 1.9 million people in the United States, creating a positive impact on regional economies across the country (JEC, 2015; US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Presently, 90% of apparel design and production has gone overseas or elsewhere in the world (Robinson, 2013). Manufacturing today requires &ldquo;universal participation&rdquo; (Bill, 2011); meaning garments designed in one country, made in fabric from a second country, assembled in a third country, then shipped back to the country of the original design, to be sold at retail in a matter of weeks. </p><p> In the past, all one needed to know was some sewing skills, fabric knowledge and garment construction to begin a career in fashion. Today, a career in fashion requires a different set of skills, making fashion education more prevalent and crucial than ever before. The interest in a fashion career has grown over the last decades, requiring many schools once offering degrees in home economics to revisit their fashion courses, revamp their curriculum and rehire faculty with academic degrees, who are currently out in the fashion field. But do students know what actual skills are needed to transition from the classroom out into the field, or recognize good indicators of what a fashion program should offer? This study is designed to research, measure and analyze this phenomenon. </p><p> This study is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the topics of fashion education, the fashion industry, and specialized accreditation for fashion programs in the USA, including the research questions that form the foundation for this study. Chapter 2 researches the literature review of previous studies, NASAD, the only accreditation in the USA for all art anddesign programs and profiles of four colleges that offer fashion programs. Chapter 3 discusses methodology and the survey instrument used to collect data. Chapter 4 discusses the results of the survey and Chapter 5 presents conclusions and recommendations drawn from data findings.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relation between student engagement and reading attitude in an online high school learning environment using the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) and the Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Scale (Rhody). Subjects were administered the HSSSE and Rhody as a single survey electronically using Google Forms during the Fall 2016 semester. All subjects were enrolled in at least one online course at the time of the survey administration. A MANOVA was run to analyze the data for each research question and sub-question. Although this research found there to be no statistically significant correlation between student engagement and reading attitude in the online high school environment used for this study, the results provided a few strong trends: the relation between the number of online courses a student had previously taken and emotional student engagement and the relation between the number of online courses a student had previously taken and overall student engagement. This research found overall trends that contradict the results of research done in traditional high school learning environments, but support previous research done in online high school learning environments.</p><p> These substantial trends influence the development and implementation of policies and procedures of online high school learning environments in order to increase student engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive). Although this dissertation has distinguished these essential trends, future research must investigate student characteristics and environmental factors to identify elements that lead to increased student engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive).</p><p>

<p> This quantitative descriptive comparative study compared test scores from the Ohio Achievement Assessment of students who were taught reading in ability grouped classrooms with those who were taught in non-ability grouped classrooms. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive comparative study was to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between reading scores on the Ohio Achievement Assessments Test (OAA) of third grade students who are ability grouped and third grade students who are not ability grouped with regards to gender and ethnicity. The theories examined for this quantitative descriptive comparative study were the constructivist theory and the theory of multiple intelligences. The primary research question was whether or not there was a significant statistical difference in student test scores for the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) in reading in ability grouped and non-ability grouped classrooms, with regard to gender or ethnicity. This study was a quantitative descriptive comparative design using archived data from the Ohio Department of Education and a school district located in Ohio. The study consisted of 334 student test scores, ability grouped males, females, White, Hispanic, and Black students and then the same groups for non-ability grouped students with regard to their gender and ethnicity. Descriptive statistics (standard deviation and the mean) were used to analyze the variables that were under investigation and to answer the hypotheses. Data analysis was completed using independent samples t-test to determine statistical significant difference among ability or non-ability grouped students with regard to gender. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if a statistical significant difference existed between ability grouped and non-ability grouped students with regard to ethnicity, this resulted in a post-hoc test. It was determined that a statistical significant difference did not exist between males and females, regardless of their grouping status for reading on the Ohio Achievement Assessment. When grouping students by ability, there was a statistically significant difference in Hispanic students increase in achievement, when being compared to Black and White students. When non-ability grouped students were compared, there was not a statistically significant difference in OAA scores with regard to ethnicity. Further research is needed to provide holistic recommendations for grouping strategies across curriculum, types of schools, and age of students. </p><p>

<p> This study investigated participants&rsquo; openness to change when exposed to a teacher-led care-based innovative method of curriculum delivery, specifically the <i>Schoolhome</i> Instructional Design.</p><p> Answers were sought to four research questions. What are the teachers&rsquo; and administrators&rsquo; knowledge and understanding of the caring pedagogy of the <i>Schoolhome</i> with regard to theory and intent? How do teachers and administrators describe their reaction to the <i>Schoolhome </i> Instructional Design? What are the differences among teachers&rsquo; and administrators&rsquo; responses to the <i>Schoolhome</i> Instructional Design? To what extent would the teachers and administrators support an implementation of the <i>Schoolhome</i> Instructional Design?</p><p> Data from surveys and interviews were analyzed using a theoretical framework derived from Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s (1979) ecological theory of human development, Martin&rsquo;s (1995) caring educational philosophy, and Hawkin&rsquo;s (2002) <i> I, Thou, It</i> concept of the three-way relationship between teacher, student and subject matter.</p><p> Findings showed that the teachers and administrators responded positively to the <i>Schoolhome</i> and would support its implementation at least in part. Findings also revealed concerns about logistical issues. Several implications can be drawn from the study results. First, one caring-based model will not work for all educators, and second, practitioners will need to update their theoretical educational knowledge prior to any implementation. Third, an in-service program should occur so that any innovation may be knowledge-based and carefully designed. Fourth, teacher education programs should develop a course on teacher-research practice and procedure. Fifth, study results also reveal a need to re-conceptualize change and caring.</p><p>

<p> Secondary science teachers make many daily decisions in the enactment of curriculum. Although curriculum materials are widely available to address science content, practices, and skills, the consideration that goes into deciding how and whether to use such materials is complicated by teachers&rsquo; beliefs about science, their understandings of school-level accountability and testing measures, and their perspectives on the adolescent students they teach. This study addresses the need to understand how teachers consider multiple forces in their enactment of science curriculum.</p><p> The purpose of this study was to explore the ways that discourses around accountability, science, and science education emerge in the narratives around teachers' decision-making in secondary science classrooms. Using a case study approach, I worked at two school sites with two pairs of science teachers. We established criteria for critical incidents together, then teachers identified critical decision-making moments in their classrooms. We analyzed those incidents together using a consultancy protocol, allowing teachers to focus their thinking on reframing the incidents and imagining other possible outcomes.</p><p> Using post-structuralist rhizomatics, I assembled analyses of teachers&rsquo; discussions of the critical incidents in the form of dramatization&mdash;scenes and monologues. I then developed two major interpretive strands. First, I connected teachers&rsquo; sense of having &ldquo;no time&rdquo; to blocs of affect tied to larger discourses of national security, teacher accountability, and the joy of scientific discovery. Second, I demonstrated how teachers&rsquo; concern in following logical pathways and sequences in science relates to the imposition of accountability measures that echo the outcomes-driven logic of the learning sciences. Across both interpretations, I found accountability to be complex, multidirectional, and unpredictable in how it works on and through teachers as they make decisions.</p><p> Research in this area has important practical implications in the fields of professional development, curriculum development, and school change. As more states (including New York) adopt standards derived from the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the importance of privileging teachers&rsquo; investment and critical decision-making in the process of new curriculum development is vital. I suggest that tools like video-based coaching and consultancy protocol discussions support this kind of thoughtful curricular change.</p><p>

<p> Research indicates that teachers feel intimidated into fully implementing prescribed literacy curriculum at the expense of their own praxis which may indeed be effective in boosting student literacy achievement. This perceived intimidation may serve to compromise students&rsquo; literacy outcomes. The objective of the study was to recognize the different forms of resistance teachers demonstrate in order to take responsibility of their own pedagogical practices as it helps develop students&rsquo; literacy skills. This paper analyzes teachers&rsquo; praxis and use of integrated methods of prescribed literacy curriculum in relation to teacher resistance. It answers four key questions: 1) What forms of resistance to the prescribed literacy curriculum do teachers at this elementary school use? 2) Why do teachers use resistance? 3) What do teachers say are the implications of their resistance? 4) What are teachers&rsquo; pedagogical choices in relation to resistance? </p><p> The study gathered qualitative and qualitative data in order to detail the frequency with which teachers favor their praxis over prescribed literacy curriculum, and to address concepts such as culturally responsive teaching and social participation. The limitations inherent in the research are the lack of diversity among the 18 respondents interviewed (all of them white female teachers from a northeastern U.S. suburban school); and the possibility that respondents might be less than candid in their responses due to concerns about anonymity. </p><p> Most of the teachers reported that they felt teachers resist prescribed literacy curriculum by developing their own pedagogical practices within their classroom in order to feel responsible for developing students&rsquo; literacy skills. At the same time, participants reported that they tended to completely follow prescribed literacy curriculum consistent with their professional development training. Teachers have strategically adjusted controlled academic environments to serve students, which implies a strategy of politicizing education within their classrooms. The long standing educational systems which were believed to promote education for the sake of preparing students for service jobs and consumerism are adjustable in classrooms where teachers promote students&rsquo; social capital instead.</p><p>