<p> <b>Purpose.</b> Following recent federal legislation and related policy changes, co-teaching evolved rapidly as a strategy to provide students with disabilities access to the same curriculum as students without disabilities while receiving instruction in the least restrictive environment. It is unclear if co-teaching is an effective instructional strategy for educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in students with disabilities&rsquo; academic performance in co-taught versus traditional classrooms.</p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> This causal-comparative study examined the effects of co-teaching on California students with disabilities&rsquo; performance on the Smarter Balanced assessments. Data were collected from 3 school districts representing 10 comprehensive high schools; 641 test results from the spring 2016 Smarter Balanced assessments of 11th-grade students with disabilities from co-taught and traditional classrooms in English and mathematics were compared using an independent samples <i>t</i> test.</p><p> <b>Findings.</b> Analysis of the 641 Smarter Balanced test results produced the following findings: (a) students with disabilities primarily receive instruction in the traditional classroom; (b) in co-taught classrooms, students&rsquo; primary disability was typically a specific learning disability; (c) <i>t</i>-test results indicated a significant difference in English test scores for students receiving English instruction in co-taught versus traditional classrooms; (d) <i>t</i>-test results indicated no significant difference in mathematics scores for students receiving mathematics instruction in co-taught versus traditional classrooms. </p><p> <b>Conclusions.</b> There is a statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of students in English. While performing lower than students with disabilities in traditional classrooms, students with disabilities in co-taught classrooms received access to the grade-level curriculum in the least restrictive environment. No statistically significant difference in the academic achievement of students in mathematics was noted, suggesting students with disabilities are performing similarly in mathematics regardless of instructional setting. </p><p> <b>Recommendations.</b> It is recommended additional research focuses on the academic achievement of students with disabilities in multiple settings, traditional, co-taught, and special education classrooms, to identify potential variations in achievement related to instructional setting. Additional research may determine the instructional setting&rsquo;s impact on students&rsquo; attitude toward learning, relationships with teachers, or other social-emotional factors.</p><p>

<p> Historically, after-school extracurricular programs can be linked to success in student achievement as well as increased school attendance and giving students &ldquo;safe after-school environments&rdquo; (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). This causal comparative study investigated student achievement as measured by students&rsquo; grade point average, the number of extracurricular activities the student is involved in, the income status of the student, attendance, as well as gender and grit that the student possesses. The sample included 110 high school seniors, 47% males and 53% females, from the graduating class of 2017 from four rural communities in the Midwest. Participants completed the Grit Scale by Duckworth et al. (2007), which measures an individual&rsquo;s perseverance and passion to continue on to complete one&rsquo;s goals. Analysis of the data centered on the significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, income, attendance, and perception of grit. The researcher also ran an analysis to see if there was a correlation between grade point average and grit. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by income. Results also uncovered a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by attendance. Results also showed a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by perception of grit. Although there was no significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, the researcher wanted to validate the research due to the fact this study was happening in a rural community with fewer students involved. There also was a positive correlation when examining grade point average and the score of grit. Future researchers should focus on whether or not the student feels supported. Another focus would be to investigate if students work during the school year and the number of hours that they work during the school week. Co-curricular versus extracurricular activities also need to be explored further within the context of whether they make a difference in a student&rsquo;s grade point average.</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 dissertation explores how pre-service teachers conceptualize the relationship between justice and practice, and then navigate the tensions of their student teaching context to enact their beliefs in their teaching practice. Starting from the assumption that all teachers must understand how their practice challenges rather than reproduces inequities, this proposal&rsquo;s theoretical framework explicates four elements of a social justice educator: an orientation towards justice, a critical frame for understanding the relationship between macro-level structures and micro-level interactions, and conceptual and practical tools to live this in one&rsquo;s practice/praxis. A literature review of Social Justice Teacher Education (SJTE) and Practice-based Teacher Education (PBTE) along these four dimensions suggests complementary possibilities for facilitating the preparation of social justice educators. The qualitative study, leveraging practitioner research methodologies, how pre-service teachers developed the conceptual and practical tools of social justice educators. Findings pre-service teachers suggest that pre-service teachers varied in their conceptualizations of how teachers acted towards more just outcomes, and in their relation of their teaching aims to the real world. Additionally, pre-service teachers responded to tensions they countered in their particular school context by planning and enacting units of instruction that fulfilled their teaching aims, responded to the contextualized tensions, reflected their conceptualizations of justice, and met their students&rsquo; needs.</p><p>

<p> This study aimed to understand how 35 focal students in a No Excuses high school, a charter school model designed to promote social mobility, made decisions about if and where to go to college. This study draws on college choice, cultural capital, and performance management literature to understand how the high school context at the focal school influenced students' college choice processes. Drawing on data from interviews, observations, and documents, this exploratory study found that Performance High provided extensive college resources and support to its students, which was consistent with how researchers conceptualize a "college-going culture" in high schools. Further, the high school used a performance management approach, in which administrators held teachers and students accountable for meeting particular college related metrics, such as the number and types of applications students were required to submit. The study found that focal students submitted applications and enrolled in college at high rates. Thirty-four of the 35 focal students planned to attend college the following fall. However, rather than exhibit the sense of entitlement and expectation that research describes for students who benefit from dominant forms of cultural capital, most of the focal students' college choice processes were characterized by hesitation, ambivalence, and doubt. Further, the findings suggest the performance management approach assimilated students to one model of college choice that did not easily accommodate students' preferences. These findings highlight the difficulties for schools in providing cultural capital for students independent of their families, and suggests the need to reconceptualize "college-going cultures" to not only consider the college outcomes and the density of resources in the high school context, but how well students absorb cultural capital, which may be important for social mobility. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibrato and pitch-varied vocal models on acoustic measures of high school and undergraduate singers&rsquo; vocal performance. Participants&rsquo; perception of vocal models was also examined to explore a possible relationship between perception and production. The following primary questions guided this research: 1) Is singers&rsquo; intonation affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 2) Is singers&rsquo; vibrato rate affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 3) Is singers&rsquo; vibrato extent affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 4) Is singers&rsquo; intensity affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? Secondary questions under investigation were: 1) Do singers respond differently to vocal models of pitch patterns versus song phrases? 2) Does age and experience influence singers&rsquo; response? 3) Do singers perceive the differences in vocal models? </p><p> Participants (<i>N</i> = 76) were male (<i>n</i> = 38) and female (<i>n</i> = 38) singers who were undergraduates (<i>n</i> = 40) currently participating in a choral ensemble at the Florida State University or high school students (n = 36) currently enrolled in the choral program at a nearby high school. Participants responded to twelve vocal models of the same gender that were varied in melody, vibrato, and intonation conditions. Vocal models consisted of either a short pitch pattern (<i> sol-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do</i>) or familiar song excerpt (Are You Sleeping?), both performed on the neutral syllable <i>&ldquo;tah.&rdquo;</i> Model melodies were sung in vibrato and minimal vibrato conditions, with each model having a specific 3rd and 5th scale degree that was presented in tune, sharp, or flat (mistuned pitches &plusmn; 25 cents relative to equal temperament). After responding to vocal models, participants were asked via written questionnaire if they perceived differences in vocal models and, if so, to describe them. </p><p> Audio recordings of participants&rsquo; responses were analyzed acoustically, with the specific 3rd and 5th scale degrees in each model analyzed for the dependent measures of intonation, vibrato rate, vibrato extent and intensity. Repeated measures analyses were conducted on the acoustic measures. An alpha level of .01 was used in all statistical tests. Written responses on the questionnaire were analyzed for keywords reflecting vocal technique or musical elements. Keywords were then identified and coded for frequency of response. </p><p> Significant differences in intonation were found, with responses to minimal vibrato models performed more flat than responses to vibrato models. Main effects were also found for gender, with male participants showing overall more flatness than females. Responses to pitch-varied models tended towards flat intonation, with flat models producing the greatest deviation particularly with male participants. Two interactions, both involving melody condition of models, also produced differences in intonation. </p><p> Significant differences in measures of vibrato rate and extent were also observed. Vibrato rates were faster and vibrato extents were wider in response to vibrato models. High school participants responded with similar vibrato rate and extent to both vibrato model conditions, whereas undergraduates responded with significantly faster vibrato rate and wider extent to vibrato models. Undergraduate vibrato rates were similar between genders, however high school males were significantly slower in vibrato rate than high school females. </p><p> Intensity results for both high school and undergraduate participants showed significantly higher intensity levels for 5th scale degrees than 3rds. High school males performed both scale degrees at similar intensity levels, while high school females sang 5ths with higher intensity. Significant differences in intensity were also found with undergraduates, with responses to vibrato models yielding higher intensity. Male undergraduates were found to sing with higher intensity in response to vibrato models, whereas females sang with similar intensity between vibrato-varied conditions. Interactions involving scale degree or melody condition of models also produced significant differences in intensity. </p><p> Analysis of written questionnaires showed that 71 (93%) participants perceived differences in models. The most frequently used keyword(s) was <i> vibrato/straight tone,</i> with 36 participants (51%) noting this as a perceived difference between models. <i>Timbre/tone quality</i> was the next most used word(s) by 13 participants (17%), followed by <i> intonation/pitch</i> used by 12 participants (15%). More males noticed changes in tone quality, intonation, and vowels than females, whereas the latter recognized vibrato changes more than males. Undergraduates perceived vibrato changes and intonation differences more than high school participants. </p><p> Many complex factors were thought to contribute to results of this study, including perception, experience, vocal development, and vocal production. While some findings support prior research, other results raise questions that warrant additional investigation. Implications and ideas for future inquiry are discussed.</p>

<p> Although many teachers use concurrent instructional strategies, little is known about how or when they function in rehearsal, or how frequently they are employed. The purpose of the present study was to examine pitched and unpitched concurrent instructional behaviors as they occurred naturally in secondary choral rehearsals over time. Three master teachers (two male, one female) with at least 10, 20, and 30 years of teaching experience, respectively, recorded their rehearsals over the course of approximately six weeks, from the introduction of a new piece of literature, through the point in time when it is deemed &ldquo;performance-ready&rdquo; by the director. Data were recorded, on average, twice per week, in the form 15&ndash;20 minutes of audio footage, and sent to the researcher for analysis. Results indicate that mean concurrent instruction was present for 25.88% of a given rehearsal. The most frequently used pitched behavior was singing and the most frequently used unpitched behavior was the academic hustle. Potential implications for music education practitioners and directions for future research are discussed. </p><p>

<p> Teenage pregnancy greatly influences the probability of high school graduation for girls (Ng &amp; Kay, 2012; Solomon-Fears, 2015). Only 51% of women who give birth as teenagers earn a high school diploma by the time they are 22 years old, as compared to 89% of their non-teen-pregnant contemporaries (Ng &amp; Kay, 2012). The United States Department of Education reports that the median income of a person from 18 to 67 years of age in 2012 without a high school degree was about $25,000, as compared to $46,000 with a high school degree (Stark &amp; Noel, 2015). In a lifetime, that amounts to a personal loss of $670,000 because of the lack of a high school diploma and reflects a $250,000 loss to the national economy in reduced tax contributions, higher rates of illegal activity, and higher costs in welfare dependence (Stark &amp; Noel, 2015). The final goal of this study was to create a flow chart to provide suggested support for pregnant and parenting teenagers in South Louisiana high schools to ensure graduation. To accomplish this goal, this qualitative phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of women in South Louisiana who experienced a teenage pregnancy while in high school and went on to earn a high school degree, in relation to: (1) experiences in high school, (2) the effects of their individual attributes on high school experiences, (3) school-provided supports they found to be beneficial, and (4) what they believed to be their greatest support leading to graduation. Nine participants were interviewed, and the findings revealed that women who experienced a teenage pregnancy in South Louisiana and went on to earn a high school degree (1) felt some sense of shame or embarrassment during the pregnancy, (2) experienced a lack of understanding or compassion by school personnel and their peers, (3) if African American, were generally more resilient, (4) had educational aspirations and academic success prior to pregnancy, (5) may have opted to attend an alternative school rather than stay at their base school, and (6) valued connecting with others with similar experiences.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to identify best practices perceived and used by principals in low-SES high schools to achieve high annual attendance rates. </p><p> The study was an applied qualitative design, which used interviews for data collection and an emergent approach to data analysis. It involved a combination of criterion and extreme sampling to identify and interview eight principals from low-SES high schools (grades 9&ndash;12) in West Virginia with an annual attendance rate over 90%. Coding and data analysis processes involved in vitro and structural protocols. </p><p> The following best practices emerged from the research in order of most to least used: offering incentives and student recognition; establishing a positive school culture with high expectations for students to come to school; holding meetings with parents, students and an administrator; having personalized communication between students and an adult within the school; telephoning families of absent students; consistently following established district and state policies for attendance; and picking up absent students at their homes. </p><p> All the approaches revealed could be characterized as aspects of one overall best practice: developing a positive culture within the school. The ensuing specific best practices were actions and policies consistently applied and enforced. </p><p> Improved attendance results in improved performance and college- and career-readiness. Approaches similar to those revealed in this study of high-attendance, low-SES West Virginia high schools may help to improve attendance and achievement in other high schools, not just in West Virginia, but throughout the United States. </p><p>

<p> With the ever-changing requirements of a secondary level of education and the application of standardized testing criteria to determine proficiency in mastery of the subject matter, the attempt to create a standard and acceptable curriculum for all school sites has left the control of the schools. Now classrooms are scrambling for focus, guidance and support with curriculum development and implementation. Over the last three decades, there have been numerous research studies that have examined the place of the classroom teacher in the process of creating curriculum for their classroom with mixed results. The efforts to reform secondary education, from the federal level to the local level, have shut out the local input from teachers and professionals in their particular fields as to what the curriculum in the classroom should be and left that decision to people outside the classroom environment.</p><p> This research study was conducted to derive a theory developed on the empirical basis of teacher input through the lens of the methodology of grounded theory. Its goal was to identify the underlying issues and problems associated with classroom teachers; input into local curriculum as well as the barriers to changing the prevailing thought of classroom teachers on curriculum. Classroom teachers from two separate academic subject matters that are currently being taught at the middle school level were interviewed and their responses were coded using the classical grounded theory methodology and processes.</p><p> The resulting research shows that the involvement of classroom teachers is considered a benefit to the local curriculum development, regardless of experience in the classroom or length of service as a teacher. While most teachers feel that their input is paramount to learning in their particular classroom, teachers admit that they lack the skills to effectively create curriculum for implementation. It is in this manner that teachers strive to do what is best for their students; however, in some cases they lack the support and direction from the district, state or federal level. Knowing the issue as it appears to the classroom teacher, the creation, implementation and execution of locally created curriculum would be and is met with great resistance due to the adherence to the prevailing thoughts on curriculum development at the state of federal level and the need to comply with and execute the curriculum within the existing frameworks.</p><p> Further studies in looking at the existence of and use of locally teacher created and implemented curriculum, in different state or regional areas, would contribute to a better and clearer understanding of the particular issues that surround and deal with teacher involvement in the classroom curriculum decision making process. It is believed that the use of the grounded theory model as a methodological research tool provides a pathway for all interested parties to be open and candid about the issue and provide a better introspective look at the issues at hand.</p><p>