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Underrepresentation among those identified for gifted programs has been a concern in the field of gifted education for over a century, affecting students of color, students with disabilities, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students. Universal screening has emerged as a possible strategy to increase referrals of students from underrepresented populations and to produce gifted population demographics more reflective of total student enrollment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of universal screening measures on the diversity of students found eligible for gifted education services. The study examined the following research questions: 1. What is the relationship between a referral source and the gifted identification of elementary school students? 2. To what extent do universal screening measures influence the diversity of students eligible for gifted education services? This study used existing referral and eligibility data of elementary school students in a medium-sized school district who were administered a universal screening measure during the 2019-2020 school year. Pearson chi-square tests with Yates' continuity correction were used to determine the existence of possible associations between referral source and gifted identification status, and Cramér's V was used as a measure of effect size. Referral rates, accuracy, and effectiveness of referral sources were also computed. Across all demographic groups, universal screeners referred more students than any other referral source, and the highest number of students identified gifted after the full gifted evaluation came from universal screener referrals. Teacher referrals and universal screener referrals produced the most diverse identified gifted results after evaluation. Universal screeners displayed the highest referral rates and were the most accurate and effective referral source across all demographic groups. This study provides the field of gifted education further research on universal screening, and the findings of this study provide educational leaders data to inform practice. Implications for school and district leaders involve multiple stakeholders and address different areas to promote diversity among the gifted student population. The implications center on parent and community engagement, professional learning, best practices in gifted education, and evaluation of gifted identification processes. / Doctor of Education / Historically, students of color, students with disabilities, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students have been underrepresented in gifted programs. Universal screening has emerged as a potential practice to refer more students from underrepresented populations and consequentially identify a more diverse gifted population, but few studies exist to support adoption of the practice and to justify the financial expense and amount of instructional time devoted to administering the assessments. This study used existing data of elementary school students in a medium-sized school district who were administered a universal screening measure to investigate the influence of universal screening measures on the diversity of students found eligible for gifted education services. Possible associations between referral source and gifted status were determined, and referral rates, accuracy and identification rates, and effectiveness of various referral sources were calculated. Across demographic groups, universal screeners referred more students than any other referral source, and the highest number of students identified gifted after the full gifted evaluation resulted from these referrals. Teacher referrals and universal screener referrals were found to produce the most diverse identified gifted populations after evaluation; universal screeners displayed the highest referral rates and were the most accurate and effective referral source across all demographic groups. This study adds further research on universal screening to the field of gifted education, and the findings of this study provide educational leaders information regarding the effectiveness of universal screening to translate into institutional practice.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the instructional outcomes in the independent school districts and charter schools in relation to the expenditure of public funds for instruction and total operating expenditures from the general fund. The study considered Texas elementary charter schools and independent school districts, whose school populations were identified as having greater than or equal to 50% of economically disadvantaged students, according to the Texas Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). The study made use of multiple regression and was an ex post facto cross-sectional analysis utilizing production function theory. The study’s outcomes reported the difference in student achievement between elementary schools in independent public school districts and charter schools were small to negligible for math and reading achievement. The study also reported, there is no statistically significant difference in per pupil expenditure of public funds between elementary schools in independent public school districts and charter schools. Furthermore, there is no statistically significant relationship between student achievement and per pupil expenditure of public funds on elementary schools in independent public school districts and charter schools.

Barnfattigdomen är ett samhällsproblem som är högaktuellt i media och i samhällsdebatten. Syftet med studien var att få en ökad kunskap om de fattiga barnens situation i Sverige, detta för att kunna ta fram empowermentstrategier som skulle kunna underlätta för dem, utifrån ett socialpedagogiskt förhållningssätt. Uppsatsen är upplagd som en litteraturstudie och genom textanalys har vi sökt svar på frågorna: Vilken problematik möter de fattiga barnen i hemmet, i skolan och på fritiden? Hur hanterar barnen sin situation? Hur ser barnens behov ut? Kan vi underlätta för barnen och i så fall på vilket sätt? I vår resultatdel tittade vi på vilken problematik fattiga barn möter och hur de hanterar det.  Resultatet visar att de möter begränsningar och upplever känslor av skam, i jämförelse med andra barn. Skolan visade sig vara en central arena där problematiken var tydlig. Barnen bär mycket inom sig och har en ekonomisk medvetenhet. För att hantera problematiken använder de sig av olika strategier som att minska sina behov, dölja sin situation osv. I analysen lyfts barnens behov fram utifrån empowerment och tidigare forskning.  Det framkom att barnen behöver stärkas och få möjligheter till deltagande. Vi avslutar med en diskussion om hur vi kan underlätta för de fattiga barnen. De professionella, t.ex. inom skolan, behöver bli medvetna om strukturer som finns och som skapar ett utanförskap. / Child poverty is a social problem that is highly topical in the media and in public debate.The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the situation of the poor children in Sweden, this in order to develop empowerment strategies that could help them, from a social pedagogic approach. Our essay is written as a literature review and through text analysis we have sought answers to the questions: What problems do the children living in poverty face in their homes, at school and in their spare time? How do they handle their situation? What are the needs of these children? Can we make it easier for them and if so, in what way? In our result we looked at the problems poor children face and how they handle them. The result shows that they encounter limitations and experience feelings of shame, in comparison with other children. The school was found to be a central arena where the problems were obvious. Children bear much inwardly, and have an economic consciousness. To deal with problems they use different strategies to reduce their needs, to hide their situation and so on. In the analysis the children's needs, based on empowerment and previous research, are highlighted. It was found that the children need to be strengthened and given opportunities to participate. We conclude with a discussion on how we can facilitate for the children living in poverty. The professionals, for example at schools, need to be aware of structures that exist and which create a sense of exclusion.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of middle school students particularly focusing on the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students. Existing data show that there is an increasing cohort of school children experiencing poverty, either short or long term. For poor middle school students, the risk for school failure is amplified by the general risks associated with middle school transition and early adolescence development. The cumulative nature of these risks is often associated with undesirable school outcomes including grade retention, behavior problems, absenteeism, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, school dropout, fewer years of schooling, and lower academic achievement. However, there is evidence that some students succeed in spite of adversity, which is often attributed to protective factors present in the students’ own immediate environment – school, home, and community. This current study, therefore, examined the relationship between two potential protective factors–parent involvement and school belonging–and student achievement. Previous research has established that parent involvement and school belonging are both associated with positive school outcomes including academic motivation, self-efficacy, internal locus of control, pro-social and on-task behavior, school engagement, educational aspirations and expectations, and better academic achievement. Consequently, this study examined three main questions: (a) How is parental involvement associated with academic achievement for economically disadvantaged eighth grade students? (b) How school belonging associated with academic achievement for economically disadvantaged eighth grade students? (c) Do the relations between parent involvement, school belonging, and eighth grade achievement vary as a function of prior achievement and middle school? To answer these research questions, this study used the nationally representative longitudinal data from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten (ECLS-K) Class of 1998/99. The findings for this study showed that when parent involvement and school belonging were considered together, the association between parent involvement and student achievement diminished while school belonging consistently emerged as a significant predictor of achievement. However, while school belonging emerged as a significant predictor of achievement, this study established that students’ prior achievement was the single strong and significant factor explaining achievement for poor eighth grade students. / text

This research sought to discover whether minority and economically disadvantaged students are underrepresented in gifted and honors programs. Another goal was to ascertain attitudes of students and teachers currently participating in gifted and honors programs regarding: admission criteria; adequacy of teacher preparation to meet special needs of gifted and honors students; levels of needs satisfaction of gifted and honors students; perceptions of students and teachers about program modification.

This study analyzed test scores of economically disadvantaged students who attended two elementary schools implementing different types of Title I models from 1999-2001. Test scores from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9) were analyzed. One school implemented the targeted assistance model (less than 50% poverty), which focused resources on students were identified as failing or at risk of failing. The other a schoolwide model (95% poverty), which used resources to help all students in a school regardless of whether they ware failing, at risk of failing, or economically disadvantaged. The quantitative approach was used with a causal comparative design. A cohort of continuously enrolled students was identified for the TAAS (n=169 and 189) and the ITBS/SAT-9 (n=49 and 87). Descriptive statistics such as the frequency, mean, and standard deviation, were used to measure differences on the Texas Learning Index (TLI) for the TAAS, and Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) on the ITBS/SAT-9. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to partially adjust for preexisting differences among the groups and because randomization was not possible. The independent variable was type of Title I model, targeted assistance or schoolwide. The dependent variable was the achievement measure, and the covariate was the initial achievement scores in third grade (pretest). The ANCOVA reports and descriptive statistics showed that economically disadvantaged students performed better in reading and math on TAAS and ITBS/SAT-9 at the targeted assistance school in 1999 and 2001, with mixed results in 2000. The academic performance of economically disadvantaged students at the targeted model was consistent all three school years. They scored slightly lower than the non-economically disadvantaged students, but higher than their peers at the schoolwide model. The students' third grade pretest score was the most significant predictor of future performance.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / Entrepreneurship has been regarded as a solution to various developmental challenges such as unemployment, inequality, and poverty, which are inherent among the marginalised populations. However, the high rate of failure of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) remain an impediment to the use of entrepreneurship as a means to ameliorate the challenges. This is especially the case among young entrepreneurs. In addition, given the imperativeness of financial literacy in the success of SMEs, this study determines the influences of financial literacy on entrepreneurial success within the marginalised communities. It also explores and identifies the reasons why failure rates are high among young entrepreneurs in the economically disadvantaged community of Khayelitsha, Cape Town. This study employs a concurrent mixed methods design, making use of both quantitative and qualitative data. A survey is conducted in Khayelitsha using the snowballing sampling technique due to difficulty in accessing young entrepreneurs. The quantitative data from the survey provides demographic and socioeconomic information on young entrepreneurs. The survey is also used to determine the level of financial literacy and business success of these entrepreneurs. The qualitative in-depth interviews, on the other hand, provide insights into the motivations of the entrepreneurs, their experiences and the causes of business failure.

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The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference between the standardized reading and math test scores of 4th grade students in Title I schools and those in Non-Title I schools, following the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. This study focused on the following subcategories: male and female students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. The results of the study were discussed within the framework of Bandura's social learning theory, Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, and Vygotsky's zone of proximal development. This study utilized a retrospective comparative design to gather, analyze, and interpret existing school data on student assessments of reading and math scores of 4th grade students from 86 Title I and 87 Non-Title I elementary schools in 7 Southeastern Virginia school divisions. The data were collected from the 2014 Virginia Standards of Learning assessment test scores. An ANOVA indicated significant differences in standardized reading and math test scores between students in Title I and Non-Title I schools. Non-Title I schools performed higher than Title I schools in the content area of reading in all three subcategories. Non-Title I schools performed higher than Title I schools in the content area of math in all three subcategories. This study contributes to social change by providing a better understanding of the academic differences among students based on their school setting as a result of the implementation of NCLB. The results of this study could motivate school policy makers to reevaluate current educational practices and funding allocations to improve student achievement in Title I schools.