No description available.

No description available.

Teacher emotional intelligence (EI) plays an important role in teachers’ professional lives. After surveying the topic and the gaps in the relevant literature, I conducted three studies to advance our current understanding of teachers’ EI. The first study involved a meta-analysis review that examined the relationship between K-12 teachers’ EI, self-efficacy, and burnout. It found that there is a significant positive relationship between K-12 teachers’ EI and teacher self-efficacy as well as a significant negative relationship between teachers’ EI and teacher burnout. The second study involved developing and testing the Teachers’ Emotional Intelligence Scale (TEIS), which measures teachers’ EI in their professional settings through self-perspectives. Among a sample of 328 K-12 in-service teachers, results showed that TEIS had a 4-factor model for teacher self-dimension and a 5-factor model for teacher-student interaction dimension. Both dimensions appear to exhibit reasonable levels of convergent and discriminant validity and Cronbach alpha estimates appear adequate for general research purposes. The third study, a mixed-methods study, aimed to examine teachers’ EI in a Chinese context and validate TEIS. The qualitative findings not only indicated the importance of teachers’ EI, but also supported the second study’s teachers’ EI conceptualization in China. For the quantitative study, data from factor analyses provided evidence for the 5-factor model and two dimensions solution. High internal consistency estimated as well as preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity of TEIS scores show its promise as a reliable and potentially valid measure for teachers’ EI. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of an after-school reading intervention program for reluctant readers. The program is part of a school district initiative to help young students establish positive, productive habits and dispositions toward reading. Program participants included teachers in the after-school program and parents of students who participated for two years. The evaluation questions were designed to assess the perceptions of those stakeholders on the benefit of the program for student participants. Both teachers and parents perceived that the program benefited students' receptive vocabularies. Teachers found that the program significantly improved students' ability to read independently for longer and longer periods of time. Likewise, parents noticed that their children were more willing to initiate reading at home, while many also found that their children would persist at independent reading because they were enjoying it more. The program was credited with improving elements of students' self-efficacy in reading, such as confidence, persistence, and positive emotional responses to challenging tasks. Goal-setting, as a subset of self-efficacy, was a less obvious outcome of the program. Small, relaxed and supportive after-school learning environments where students developed strong relationships with peers and their after-school teacher helped to make the program enjoyable for students and optimized outcomes. Recommendations for further study on the program outcomes at other schools and quantitative outcomes after more years of program implementation are included.

Through discussion with the membership, Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association identified an issue at gameday environments. The fans, especially parents, were causing fan issues at athletic events. This program evaluation focuses on Gameday the DIII Way training program. Gameday the DIII Way is a program where the NCAA and the Disney Institute partnered to create a training for the DIII membership that focuses on dealing with poor fan behavior. This program evaluation is grounded in a pragmatic paradigm. For this program evaluation, an online survey was sent to a sample population of the participants. The research focused on how administrators, administrators/coaches, coaches, and others in the athletic department perceive the quality of the training, whether participants learned skills to handle fan behavior issues, and explored whether the training encourages participants to help create a policy at their home institution. The results indicated that the quality of the training is good, some skills were learned and there are policies in place at institutions consequently. Recommendations include that the NCAA needs to do more in-depth research on the role of coaches and others at a gameday event and on how policies are working at institutions. Additionally, the training should better distinguish the roles of coaches and others during an issue with fans. Training needs to provide more information about conflict resolution and handling crowd behavior. Finally, the NCAA needs to change how they distribute the survey, to enhance the validity of research.

No description available.

No description available.

This study is a program evaluation of a small, rural school district’s special education program’s compliance with key processes, including the child study, eligibility, and individual education plan (IEP) processes. The goals of the evaluation were to identify potential weaknesses in the special education program implementation, and to provide suggestions for improvement. The program evaluation model used is the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model, which was developed by Daniel Stufflebeam. The research questions assessed the alignment of the school district’s special education handbook with federal and state guidelines for special education, as well as the implementation of the special education processes and procedures as intended, including the use of standards-based IEPs. Additionally, the evaluation focused on factors that either contributed to or inhibited the successful implementation of the special education program. The study used a mixed methods approach with three data sources, which included document analysis of student files, focus groups, and interviews with key staff members. Results indicated that the school district’s handbook was generally compliant with state and federal guidelines, and that the vast majority of students’ IEPs were standards-based. The district was less compliant with documenting research-based interventions during the child study process and with documenting eligibility decisions. The hiring of a compliance specialist was seen as a positive factor in successful program implementation, while high staff turnover appears to be a barrier.

Reading is at the heart of education and it is the basic skill upon which all others are built. Reading difficulties underlie much of the differences in academic achievement between students with specific learning disabilities in reading and non-disabled students; addressing these challenges when children are young is the key for long-term success (Borman, 2005; Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014; Juel, 1988; National Reading Panel, 2000; Torgesen et al., 2001). The purpose of this mixed methods program evaluation was to provide information to stakeholders about the implementation of the Wilson Reading System in the Mid Atlantic School Division (MASD). By examining the fidelity of implementation of the current program used in MASD’s eight of the nine elementary schools and the three middle schools, the evaluator sought to determine the fidelity of implementation as compared to the Wilson Reading System recommended implementation methods by collecting data using a teacher interview protocol and data document reviews. Data showed inconsistencies in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 implementations. Additionally, the evaluator examined assessment data to identify students that successfully completed the program according to WADE post-assessment scores and examined that student’s grade level VSOL reading score to determine if the student is able to master the grade level content after successfully exiting the program. Findings showed fidelity of implementation is vital to determine the impact linked to student outcomes in this study. Recommendations for future research and continuous program improvement included implementing fidelity checks using district personnel, implementing on-going training and a robust data collection system, and implementing reliability and validity measures of the WADE.

This program evaluation study focused on the outcomes of a Math program for elementary level students. This mixed-methods study explored the relationship between the implementation of the Investigations Math program and teachers' perceptions of its impacts. The program theory that guided this study stated that teachers who were provided time and resources to examine best practice Math curricula and instructional methods would: adopt and implement a holistic Math program that updated the curriculum; create positive changes in teacher content and pedagogical knowledge; meet the needs of all students, at all proficiency levels; result in a consistent scope and sequence; and lead to improved student achievement. The findings did not fully support the program theory but did inform the school of study of the positive outcomes that the adoption of the Investigations program enhanced teachers' perceptions of: alignment of the curriculum with Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice; their capabilities as leaders of the inquiry process within the classroom setting; facilitating a Math program with consistency in concepts, student experiences, and assessment; improved students' consistency of good thinking; and increased number sense, perseverance in solving problems, and use of appropriate tools to construct viable arguments. However, analysis of the ERB-CTP4 math achievement test scores revealed negligible changes in the overall mean student performance as a result of the implementation of the Investigations program. Weaknesses in the assessment materials of Investigations also required a supplemental curriculum to be adopted in parts.