Although a limited body of research has supported the positive impact of the Tools of the Mind curriculum on the development of self-regulation, research supporting a direct relationship between Tools and academic achievement is extremely limited. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Tools of the Mind curriculum implementation in improving math and reading scores in Kindergarten by comparing scores obtained before and after Tools. This study also seeks to investigate the effects of SES on student achievement. Finally, this study seeks to identify contributions and challenges perceived by teachers during implementation. Participants included 93 students in the before Tools condition and 97 students after Tools. Students who had Tools scored statistically significantly lower on reading scores than students who did not have Tools. While students also scored lower on math after Tools, this difference was not significant. Differences were found in student scores based on SES. Qualitative results are base interviews of six Kindergarten teachers, and revealed teachers' experiences with implementation. The findings of this study are intended to increase the understanding of the effectiveness of Tools and its implementation.

This life history research utilizes life story, a form of personal narrative, with a veteran teacher leader to understand what fosters and sustains teacher leaders. This research contributes to the literature by focusing on how the life story of one veteran educator, Dr. Nettie Webb, can inform possibilities rather than focusing on how personal narratives impede possibilities of change in the early years of teaching. I have selected Dr. Webb as an exemplar or instrumental case for her personal achievements as an African American woman located in the context of one Eastern United States community with cultural, institutional and historical commitments to valuing every citizen's contributions. The centrality of teaching across her career makes Dr. Webb uniquely positioned to inform the possibilities of teacher leadership in our current educational culture. Constructivist grounded theory strategies were used to analyze extensive in-depth conversational interviews, a subsequent dialogic interview on personal agency and a collection of career-spanning documents. Categories such as risk and feedback are explicated as implications for how we can foster and support the next generation of teacher leaders through the concept of personal agency. Praxis, the legacy of care and the culture of fear are discussed in the context of personal networks, professional learning communities and the historical norms of caution. Trustworthiness was established by multiple methods, including extensive member checking. The life story of an exemplary veteran teacher leader like Dr. Webb, a person committed to advocating for children in the context of the last five decades of social and educational reform, risks being lost. By capturing Dr. Nettie Webb's life work in print, it not only becomes an accessible memory of this woman and her work but a placeholder of possibility and a window to our educational and social history.

The focus of this descriptive study was to determine parental attitudes and perceptions which deter parents from voluntarily becoming involved in the activities of their child's inner city elementary school. The research instrument used to determine both individual and collective impacts upon the relationships between the Home and School connection was a questionnaire. This questionnaire was sent out to 140 parents of inner city elementary school students. The targeted population was composed of African Americans, Asians, White Americans, and Hispanics. The measurement tool was translated both in English and Spanish, so as to accommodate the language preferences of the school community. This questionnaire measured parent involvement variables such as parent communications with the school, parental awareness of school operations, parental participation in school activities, home-school work habits, and overall relationships with teachers. The information elicited analyzed comparisons among the various ethnic groups concerning their parental attitudes towards the openness of the school, the collaborative nature between Home and School, effectiveness of the school, and the general school climate. This study not only identified those elements which impede parental involvement but it also recognized positive and encouraging factors leading towards the formation of viable Home and School partnerships. Since parents are being given more choices in selecting schools for their children, educators must encourage and foster parents to become collaborators/partners in the education of their children. It is incumbent upon us as educators to investigate, identify, measure, and recognize these adverse factors and determine an appropriate course of action to reduce and eliminate this apathetic trend currently held by parents towards teachers and education in general.

STATEMENT OF THESIS: The purpose of this Thesis is to present a study of the organizations that have been developed in the denominations to meet th© needs for elementary religious education of the children of the churches. That they have not been adequate to meet these needs in a large measure has been brot to the attention of many of the leaders of church and nation. Some remedy must be found in the next few years to change, the program of the churches to teach the youth of the land religion. As a means to this end a questionaire was sent to the Boards of the denominations in order to learn the real strength and weakness of these organizations to deal with problem and thus to be able to build a new type that would be fitted to do the task efficiently. In our study we shall present the results as far as the data could be secured and discuss them.

This study of guidance in the school is presented in three parts. Part One deals with guidance as an important part of the school system and as a necessary factor in the early life of a child living in a democracy. Part Two is a consideration of the factors that are necessary in the development of a successful guidance program. Part Three presents phases of the guidance program used in the second grade class of Arlington Elementary School, Duval County, Florida. / Typescript. / "July, 1949." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-75).

In order that this major Protestant elementary educational system in Indiana may become better knovm and understood, the memory of' the early Lutheran educators may be preserved, the remnants of their noble achievements may be chronicled, and the records of' the early history of' education in Indiana may be supplemented and corrected, this study has been projected.

No description available.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often require additional support, compared to their neurotypical peers. Caregivers of individuals with ASD frequently report mental health impacts including high stress, as well as the need for familial support. While literature exists around grandparents raising children with ASD, the researcher was unable to identify studies regarding the complex care relationship between mothers and maternal grandmothers as co-caregivers for an elementary-aged child with ASD. Therefore, the researcher conducted a phenomenological study to contribute to the literature on the experiences of mothers and maternal grandmothers as co-caregivers for an elementary-aged child with ASD. The researcher recruited eight mother and maternal grandmother dyads (n=16) and conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with the participants. The first interview with the mother, the second interview with the maternal grandmother, and the final interview with the mother and maternal grandmother, together. The overall phenomenon of co-caregiving originated from themes from interviews with mothers, maternal grandmothers, dyads, and photo-elicitation methods. The overall phenomenon of the lived experiences of mothers and MGMs emerged as a dynamic yet supportive relationship of mutual respect in their roles as co-caregivers of an elementary-aged child with ASD. Implications for practice and recommendations are provided, based upon the research of these eight dyads, for consideration of further supports for other mothers and maternal grandmothers of children with ASD.

Because preservice teachers will be tasked with the responsibility of preparing their future students for effective communication and engagement in our global society, the experiences and practices related to digital writing that preservice teachers engage in before they begin their practice as full-time educators is critical to their professional development. This qualitative case study investigated two research questions, "How do teacher educators describe their technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge of digital writing?" and "How is teacher educators' knowledge of digital writing practices evident in their teaching?" This study took place at a large university in the Southeastern United States. Documents, interviews, and observational data were collected from two participants, Megan and Nancy. Both participants were educators in the elementary education preservice teacher programs at the university. The data from this study demonstrated that teacher educators had knowledge of digital writing tools, including how to integrate the use of digital writing tools into literacy instruction, help preservice teachers recognize the affordances and constraints of digital writing tools, and reflect on digital writing tools. The data sources also demonstrated common practices teacher educators integrated into preservice teacher instruction such as providing choice in the use of digital writing tools and modeling the use of digital writing tools for course assignments. The results of this study indicate the importance of integrating digital writing knowledge with practice in elementary preservice teacher programs. Additional implications for practice and suggestions for future research in digital writing is provided as a result of this study.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the implementation of Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) programs, in this case Spanish, through the regular-classroom-teacher model—an instructor who is not a foreign language specialist. The traditionally accepted model for teaching foreign language in elementary school is the use of a language specialist as the person in charge of the program in one or more schools. A look at the history of FLES in the United States reveals that one of the major challenges programs always face is the lack of FLES teachers. The viability of the FLES regular teacher model is assessed through studying the issue at all levels: from the schools and the administration to the teachers and learners. This dissertation examines the implementation of the classroom teacher model in four FLES programs. Each of the schools constitutes a single case-study, since each institution tailored the teaching model to its own needs and circumstances. Data was obtained from a variety of sources: A teacher and staff survey, a parent survey, children's questionnaires, class observations, teachers' journals reflecting on their FLES teaching experience, and interviews with the superintendent, the principals, and two selected teachers from each school. The rich description and analysis of the data illuminates the rationale for adopting a FLES program in each one of the schools, the circumstances under which the FLES model works effectively, and the specific details about teachers, parents and students. The analysis of data points out that the critical issue is not to ascertain which FLES teaching model yields better results, but to explore how a community approach to FLES may serve as a valid teaching model for FLES programs. The final analysis shows that a variety of conditions, as opposed to one single cause, are critical in the implementation of a FLES program, and that regardless of teaching model, the support of the community, especially the parents, the classroom teacher's involvement, and teachers' professional development all seem to be necessary components for the implementation of successful FL programs.