The purpose of this study was to determine the implementation status of Response to Intervention (RtI) in the elementary schools (N = 35) in one urban school district in Virginia. The relationship between the implementation of the academic components of RtI, collective efficacy, parents' trust in schools, the number of referrals for special education, and student achievement was also investigated. The factor analysis revealed that RtI for Academics included Universal Screening, Effective Instruction/Tiered Interventions, and Progress Monitoring. Family Involvement was determined to be a separate construct made up of two factors, Family Engagement and Physical Presence. The implementation status of this district indicated that the schools were between early and full implementation of RtI for Academics. RtI for Academics was found to be significantly correlated with teachers' perceptions of the impact of RtI on the reduction of the number of referrals for special education (r = .41, p < .05) when controlling for the socio-economic status of the students. The district mean score for Family Engagement indicated that parents are engaged in their children's education. Parents' responses regarding their Physical Presence in the schools ranged from neutral to agree. In this study, Family Engagement was found to be significantly correlated with Physical Presence, collective efficacy, and parents' trust in schools. Parents' Trust was found to be made up of four factors: (1) Trust in the Teacher, (2) Trust in Administration, (3) Trust in High Standards, and (4) Trust in School Safety. Finally, the Multiple Regression revealed that these variables when found collectively in schools explain 27% of the variance in student achievement.

The purpose of this correlational study was to quantify the degree to which teachers believe their school adheres to professional learning community (PLC) practices and determine to what extent PLC practices are related to student achievement. The study also attempted to determine to what extent PLCs were related to African American students' achievement and closing the achievement gap.;Schools were the unit of analysis and participants were elementary school teachers from 25 schools in a large diverse school district located in the mid-Atlantic region. They were administered Hord's School Professional Staff as Learning Community survey to compute their school's "PLCness" (e.g. the degree to which the school engages in PLC practices). Students' average scale scores from the 2008--2009 Virginia Standards of Learning examination for grades 3--5 in Math and Reading were the measure of student achievement. Other variables included in the models were socio-economic status (SES) and attendance.;In this study, PLC practices were moderately correlated with all students' Reading achievement on the Standards of Learning examination. Shared Vision/Decision Making was moderately correlated with all students' and African-American students' Math and Reading achievement on the Standards of Learning examination. PLC accounted for 21% of the variance in all students' Reading achievement. PLC, SES, and attendance accounted for 54% of all students' variance in Math achievement in 59% of the variance in Reading achievement. SES was the only variable that made an independent contribution to explaining variance.

This experimental study examined the effects of different methods of training and verbal cognitive ability on second-grader's acquisition of social problem-solving skills and teacher-rated behavioral adjustment. Subjects were assigned by classroom to either classroom training only, classroom training with parent training, classroom training without parent training (those parents who were offered training but did not participate) or control. The 25-lesson Rochester Social Problem-Solving curriculum was taught three times per week for nine weeks by classroom teachers and a four session parent training component was taught by mental health prevention staff members and this researcher. Consistent with previous research, classroom instruction in Social Problem-Solving produced significantly greater increases in problem-solving skills for subjects in the classroom training, classroom training/parent training and classroom/no parent training groups than for subjects in the control group. In addition, all treatment groups improved on both behavioral adjustment variables while the control group scores decreased. Significant pre to post results were also seen on the problem variable for subjects in the classroom and classroom/parent training groups while similar gains were seen on the competency variable for subjects in the classroom training group. No correlation was discovered between social problem-solving skills and verbal cognitive ability, however a significant correlation was evident between the problem-solving and behavioral adjustment variables.;The significant cognitive problem-solving skills/behavioral adjustment relationship was believed due to the use of experienced teachers, the use of dialoguing by teachers and the age of the students.;The lack of consistent improvement of subjects cognitive and behavioral skills as the result of different training methods is thought to be due to the shortness of parental training, the need for increased behavioral practice and the brief time between the completion of training and posttreatment assessment.;Suggestions for further research in social problem-solving include an examination of subjects sociodemographic characteristics and the set of cognitive problem-solving skills as they relate to students adjustment, the generalization of cognitive and behavioral skills beyond training, the development of alternative and more psychometrically sound instruments to measure this construct, and improved methods for parent training. Finally, implications for education and counseling are explored.

Elementary educators often lack the confidence and skill to teach visual arts to their students because they received very little, if any, formal training in what is a diverse and complex field of study. Teachers who lack confidence in a subject matter will potentially avoid teaching it. As a result, the early visual arts education of entire classrooms of elementary students can become neglected. Giving elementary educators the time to develop their own artistic process and acknowledging the value of educators' artistic voice can benefit teachers by building personal confidence, generating creative flow, providing knowledge about art, promoting a growth mindset, and boosting their enthusiasm for teaching art. It can also build connections to new and invigorating ideas for integrating art into lessons in their own classrooms. As such, it should create benefit for students. Using a combination of a/r/tography, narrative, and action research methodologies, this study researches the experiences of elementary teachers who choose to participate in artistic professional development opportunities provided by the visual art specialist on the faculty in order to see any perceived improvement in perception or confidence they may have in their own artistic abilities and how that has affected their approach to using visual art as a teaching method. Surveys and interviews document their past experiences with visual art, and their responses prior to and during the proposed courses. Follow up surveys, observations, and interviews document any perceived improvement in perception or confidence they may have in their own artistic abilities and how that has affected their approach to using visual arts as a teaching method in the classroom. This study endeavors to discover two things; 1) best practices in giving elementary educators professional development in visual arts content and methodologies to boost their confidence in their own artistic endeavors, and 2) how visual-art professional development workshops translate into visual-art instruction being integrated into the general classroom setting for elementary aged students.

The purpose of this study has been to determine the amount of utilization of puppetry including construction of the puppets and development and presentation of puppet programs and benefits derived from such programs in public elementary, junior high school, and middle school libraries, but excluding libraries which served schools with grades one through twelve, in First and Third Kentucky Educational Association School Districts. Data were collected through a questionnaire which was developed and mailed to 132 schools served by 107 librarians. Ninety-three of the librarians involved in the survey completed the questionnaire. It was found that only a little over one-third (39.8 percent) of the librarians were using puppetry as part of their story hour program. The majority of respondents who utilized puppetry in story hour programs were elementary school media librarians. Only two middle school librarians and one sixth grade center librarian were represented in this group. Of the librarians who utilized puppetry it was found that the greatest number of respondents used puppets obtained from a commercial source. The commercial source which was mentioned most frequently was the Society for Visual Education. A significant number used librarian and student produced puppets. The classroom teacher and parents were seldom involved in the production of puppets or as sources of assistance in student construction. The majority of respondents used hand puppets with fabric being the most frequently mentioned item utilized in puppetry construction. Paper sack puppets were used by a significant number of respondents. The greatest number of respondents used puppets to tell the story with a significant number using puppets to accompany the story, to introduce the story, and to produce puppet shows. The greatest number of respondents used table or desk top stages for their productions. Scripts taken from play books and extemporaneously produced during the performance were used by the greatest number of respondents with a significant number using scripts written by the students and the librarian. First, second and third grades were most frequently involved as observers of puppetry performances. As participants in puppetry construction and production, fourth, fifth, and third grades, in rank order, were most frequently involved, but closely followed by librarians who reported utilizing second, sixth and first grades. The majority of respondents reported that they utilized puppetry ten or fewer times during the school year, while librarians seldom reported using puppetry forty or more times during the school year. The greatest number of respondents reported that puppetry added variety to the story hour. A significant number of respondents listed the following benefits: helped to develop better listening skills, helped to develop creativity, stimulated reading, introduced book characters and advertised books, and encouraged group-relatedness and cooperation. In regard to puppetry workshop attendance, it was found that less than one-third of the respondents who utilized puppetry had attended some type of puppetry course or workshop.

The purpose of this study is to outline an adequate, correlated program of health, physical education and recreation for the students of the Todd County Consolidated School of Elkton, Kentucky. The necessity for providing better programs of health, physical education and recreation in our public schools has been demonstrated in the results of the Selective Service medical examination during World War II. All our educational agencies are stressing the need for a unified, integrated, and functioning program of this type. This study makes an attempt to develop such a program in this one particular school.

The purpose of this study is to make a comparison of the achievement in reading and arithmetic of seventh and eighth grade pupils in the one, two and three-room schools and in the consolidated schools of Warren County, Kentucky.

Because of the need for people to be scientifically literate in today's technological world, this researcher questioned whether the seventh grade students at the Sky Haven Elementary School, DeKalb County, Georgia, were learning basic science concepts in the most effective manner. The purpose of this study was to compare the lecture-demonstration-recitation method (experimental treatment) and the discovery method (control treatment) of teaching science in the seventh grade to determine which method of instruction would result in greater student achievement and improved attitude towards science. The sample consisted of 42 students of comparable ability (21 in each group) most of whom were black and/ or disadvantaged. The period of instruction was eighteen weeks during the 1976-77 school year. Two achievement tests (one standardized and one researcher-prepared and criterion-referenced) and one standardized attitudes survey were used. The t test was chosen to test the differences between the means of the two groups for three hypotheses and six sub-hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The findings indicated that the discovery method was significantly more effective in enhancing student achievement when measured by researcher-prepared criterion-referenced test. However, there were no statistically significant differences between student achievement and student attitudes toward science as measured by standardized instruments. Although teaching method makes little or no difference on student achievement or attitudes as measured by standardized instruments, both methods did result in higher achievement and attitude scores with the lecture-demonstration- recitation group showing more improvement. The most statistically significant finding was the sizable gains in achievement for both methods of instruction using the researcher-prepared criterion-referenced test. Both results were significant at greater than the .001 level. Because of these significant findings, the writer recommends that more study be done in the area of criterion-referenced testing especially with minority and/or disadvantaged children.

The chronological development of elementary school media centers in Kentucky was traced through an examination of: state constitutions, school laws, biennial reports of the superintendent of public instruction, Department of Education Bulletins, school board minutes, books on education and library periodicals. Kenwood Media Center, Jefferson County Public Schools, Louisville, Kentucky was chosen as the model example of a media center 1975. It was examined in the following areas: personnel, collection of materials and equipment, appropriations, services, organization of center and facilities.

This ethnography traces my journey teaching kindergarten in the Pico Union neighborhood in Los Angeles. Its purpose is to understand the macro and micro levels of the community to inform my teaching practices and support my students and families. On a micro-level, I conducted case studies on three specific students. Data analysis of in-home interviews, personal interactions, and assessments allowed me to create action plans to best support these students’ academic, social, and emotional needs. On a macro level, I studied my students’ environments: community, school, and classroom. Attending community events, learning about my school’s mission, and reflecting on my classroom culture and expectations, I internalized how students’ environments plays a role in their education. By analyzing whole class and individual student data and reflecting on my own development, I grew as a professional educator and became an effective and socially just teacher.