A playground slide is a very specific thing. Its form enables a particular set of actions---climbing, sliding, falling---without dictating how these activities are to be carried out. It is left to the child to imagine uses for the thing, to invent the rules for the games that go with the device. These qualities of formal specificity and functional ambiguity serve as the point of departure for my design of a public elementary school in Houston. Given an unusual variety of spaces and features which suggest different ways of sitting, ascending and descending, hiding, paying attention or not---the people who use this place will be inspired to invent their own activities. Definite but enigmatic elements are employed to trigger associations, to encourage exploration, experimentation and the use of one's imagination; not only by children, but by the teachers, administrators and parents who also use the site.

<p> Classroom disruptions present an obstacle to raising student achievement for teachers and school administrators. This study was designed to investigate potential relationships between weather, specifically barometric pressure, or the lunar cycle, and whether either had a direct correlation with student discipline referrals. The intent was to discover trends concerning barometric pressure or lunar phases and their predictability on the number of discipline referrals. Data were collected on three years of elementary student discipline referrals and compared to barometric pressure readings and lunar phases over the same period. The study also surveyed elementary principals on current measures school districts are utilizing to combat potential obstacles to student achievement. A Pearson correlation coefficient was computed on the dependent variable, student disciplinary referrals, and the independent variables, barometric pressure and lunar phases. After analyzing student discipline data, historical barometric pressure readings, and lunar phases, results determined neither barometric pressure or a full or new moon were accepted as significant predictors of student discipline. Survey results, however, indicated a belief that weather has a strong effect on student behavior.</p>

<p>This is a quantitative research project utilizing secondary data. Reading Recovery and Leveled Literacy Intervention are two early literacy interventions based on a whole language and phonetic approach to reading instruction. For the purposes of this study, the end-of-first-grade benchmark is a Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) 18 and the end-of-second-grade benchmark is a DRA 30. This study utilizes descriptive analyses, ANOVA, and ANCOVA analyses of variance, and regression analyses to determine which programs bring tier 3, non-special education readers to grade level status at the conclusion of first grade. Reading Recovery successfully brings first-grade students to grade level status (p = .002), and 47.1% of students who participated in this intervention met the end-of-first-grade benchmark. Overall, their mean end-of-kindergarten DRA score was a text level 3, and their mean end-of-first-grade DRA score was a text level 16. For students who participated in Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), 35.3% met the end-of-first-grade benchmark. Overall, their mean end-of-kindergarten DRA score was a text level 3, and their mean end-of-first-grade DRA score was a text level 14. LLI was not found to be statistically significant (p = .607). For students who participated in both Reading Recovery and Leveled Literacy Intervention, 30.1% met the end-of-first-grade benchmark. Overall, their mean end-of-kindergarten DRA score was a text level 3, and their mean end-of-first-grade DRA score was a text level 14. The combination RR and LLI group was not found to be statistically significant (p = .877). </p><p> According to this study, for students who participate in either Reading Recovery or Leveled Literacy Intervention, a child&rsquo;s gender (ANOVA p = .000, ANCOVA p = .000), and ethnicity (ANOVA Black p = .214, Other p = .067; ANCOVA Black p = .765, Other p = .556) is not a significant predictor of their end-of-first-grade DRA level. Depending upon the analysis conducted, a child&rsquo;s free or reduced lunch rate (ANOVA p = .005, ANCOVA p = .283) is a significant predictor of their end-of-first grade DRA level <i>F</i>(2,1) = 5.416, p = .005 with an R² value of .033 and an error of 612. As anticipated, a child&rsquo;s initial kindergarten DRA level remains the most significant predictor of their end-of-first-grade DRA level (ANOVA p = .000, ANCOVA p = .000). The lowest scoring students in kindergarten tend to also be the lower scoring students at the end of first and second grades. The second greatest predictor for children who do not participate in Reading Recovery or Leveled Literacy Intervention is the child&rsquo;s free or reduced lunch rate (p = .005). However, when an ANCOVA analysis of variance analyzed only students with a complete data set, kindergarten through second grade, a child&rsquo;s lunch rate (p = .283) was shown not to be a significant predictor of end-of-first-grade DRA reading level. Additionally, a child&rsquo;s lunch rate is not shown to be a significant predictor of a child&rsquo;s text growth gain. </p><p> The study follows students who met the end-of-first-grade DRA 18 benchmark into second grade to ascertain if the students are able to maintain their grade level status. For students who participated in Reading Recovery and met the end-of-first-grade benchmark, 58.7% also met the end-of-second-grade benchmark. Their mean end-of-second-grade DRA score was a text level 30. For students who participated in Leveled Literacy Intervention and met the end-of-first-grade benchmark, 62.8% also met the end-of-second-grade benchmark. Their mean end-of-second-grade DRA score was a text level 30. For students who participated in both Reading Recovery and Leveled Literacy Intervention and met the end-of-first-grade benchmark, 53.8% also met the end-of-second-grade benchmark. Their mean end-of-second-grade DRA score was a text level 28. </p><p> Finally, the study utilized a regression analysis to determine if there is a difference in reading achievement growth based upon a student&rsquo;s participation in Reading Recovery or Leveled Literacy Intervention. All analyses were controlled for initial DRA level, gender, ethnicity, and free or reduced lunch rate. The results found that while both programs appear to be moving students towards grade level status, Reading Recovery&rsquo;s results are significant (p = .002), LLI&rsquo;s results are not significant (p = .607), and the combination group of both RR and LLI are not significant (p = .877). According to this one year study, for students who participated in Reading Recovery or Leveled Literacy Intervention as first graders, once a child learns how to read, the variables&mdash;initial DRA level, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic status&mdash;do not affect a child&rsquo;s continued reading achievement. </p>

<p> To address the daunting challenges we face as a global community, we need people who can see the world beyond an "either-or" dualistic perspective. This dissertation presumes such a dualistic perspective has been especially damaging to the twice-exceptional (2e) or gifted and learning disabled (Gifted and LD or GLD) children of the world, children who are growing up like I did, gifted and learning disabled. These children have so much potential to see the world as connected and to teach us to honor diversity and complementarity. Yet the Western educational paradigm typically thinks of these children as broken and in need of fixing. Twice-exceptional children often find themselves separated, provided remedial programs, medicated, and made to feel broken or just ignored as they can appear average. If 2e children are noticed at all, educators usually focus on 2e children's disabilities rather than on their gifts. If the pattern of medication and behavioral modification intervention causes these children to underperform or drop out of the educational system altogether, we have lost valuable members of society who can help us solve complex challenges. </p><p> I propose adding an Indigenous framework to the multi-tiered classroom to help move toward a more holistic approach for developing 2e children and honoring their gifts, regardless of the gifts the children bring to the classroom. With the introduction of traditional Indigenous approaches to education, mindsets can evolve allowing for a rethinking of educational structures. This borderland experience takes place at the intersection of Indigenous and Western worldviews. Just as cultures collide at their borders, so do worldviews. New un-envisioned cultures and possibilities emerge at these borderlands. By Indigenizing schools, classrooms, and curriculum, we can educate children with a more dialogic, holistic, culturally and historically sensitive, and connected approach to learning. Creating such an Indigenous context for schools can prevent the lifelong damage, which often comes from a mechanistic approach to education for 2e and learning disabled (LD) children. This autoethnography "imagines" how my own life's journey might have been different had the Indigenous perspectives been operational in the educational system within which I grew up.</p>

<p> Garden-based environmental education addresses ecological literacy in the context of schoolyard gardens. This study seeks to elucidate the topics and factors that influence student engagement while learning in these schoolyard spaces, through a mixed-methods case study at a San Francisco public elementary school. Data were collected from student work, student interviews, teacher interviews, and educator observations of the garden-based environmental education class. From the data, many themes were identified such as describing student engagement, topics that were particularly engaging, and engaged and disengaged behaviors. Student work and educator observations supported that lessons with a focus on food or animals were particularly engaging for students. The hands-on components of lessons, alignment with state standards, and the schoolyard garden space itself were also found to support student engagement in this study. Though previous research does not address engaging topics in garden-based environmental education, some studies support the engaging nature of hands-on activities, specifically in science contexts. It is my hope that this research informs garden-based environmental education practices, and continues to add to the number of studies regarding it.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between participation of low achieving math students in a before-school computer math lab and how their participation affected the fourth grade California Standardized Test (CST) math scale scores at San Joaquin Elementary School. Students participated in the lab based their below proficient performance on multiplication facts tests. The lab was available from January through April in both 2010 and 2011. Students used interactive computer software called IXL. The focus in the lab was for students to master their multiplication tables (0 through 12). To evaluate if there was a statistically significant change in the CST scores because of the treatment, an Abbreviate Interrupted Time Series analysis was applied. The two years before the lab was implemented, the two years with the lab in place and the year after the lab was discontinued were compared. A t-test evaluation of the mean scores in a year-by-year comparison was run. The Levene Test using Homogeneity of Variances test was run which showed similar variances. For this reason, the ANOVA was then used along with the Tukey HSD post-hoc test to identify which groups showed a significant difference from each other. There was a significant improvement in the CST mean scores for fourth grade at San Joaquin Elementary School during the years the treatment was in place. By extending the school day and using interactive computer software together they showed a positive impact on student's CST scores.</p>

<p> Teacher turnover is a perennial problem in K-12 education, and is particularly salient for urban schools. An estimated 45% of teachers leave the teaching profession during their first five years of teaching. This quantitative study set out to examine the role of the school principal in buffering teacher turnover intentions directly and indirectly through the teachers' perception of influence and challenging student behavior. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the direct and indirect effects of elementary school principals' supportive leadership on urban, elementary school beginning teachers' intent to leave.</p><p> A conceptual model was developed utilizing aspects of two main theories: the theory of planned behavior and the 2-factor theory of motivation. Ajzen's theory of planned behavior describes the processes that influence intent and Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman's 2-factor theory of motivation describes intrinsic and extrinsic factors that contribute to satisfaction or to dissatisfaction, respectively. These theories informed the placement of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which influence the outcome variable of beginning teacher intent to leave. Supportive leadership is grounded in Kouzes and Posner's transformational leadership dimension of encouraging the heart.</p><p> Restricted-use data were obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The sample of interest in this study consists of 430 teachers in urban elementary schools across the United States, including 80 males and 350 females with up to 5 years of teaching experience. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on selected 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey items and the results indicated they reflected valid and reliable latent factors. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect effects among the latent factors, and the results revealed that supportive leadership had a negative and strong direct effect on urban elementary school beginning teachers' intent to leave. The results also revealed that perception of influence and challenging student behavior did not mediate the effects of supportive leadership on teachers' intent to leave.</p><p> The findings underscore the significance of school principals' supportive leadership for beginning teachers in urban elementary schools. Based on the results of this study, recommendations were made for school principal practices, development of separate leadership standards that focus attention on the support of beginning teachers, and future research.</p>

<p> Bridging the achievement gap for elementary students living in poverty can be accomplished by creating relationships with community partnerships. It is also reasonable to believe that the role of the elementary principal has the potential for building capacity with community partners, while also improving student achievement for young readers through advocating these partnerships. For the purpose of this case study, mixed-methods afforded an in-depth investigation of this role. The theoretical framework of community partnership expert, Joyce Epstein, was woven into this study to explore the three research questions guiding this study. A focus group meeting with ten community partners and parents highlighted the importance of the principal having compassion and a non-judgemental, welcoming demeanor, especially when families and partners visit the school. The information gleaned from the focus group can be used for schools desiring to start, or improve upon community partnership activities. The online, Likert scale survey distributed statewide to 169 rural elementary principals leading in high poverty populations, revealed four, primary themes of importance to the role of the principal: 1) one who advocates partnerships, 2) one who offers volunteer opportunities in the school, 3) one who effectively communicates, and 4) one who takes time to meet with partners. Analysis of reading test scores provided evidence of a strong correlation relationship between reading proficiency and rural students who are identified as economically disadvantaged (.663). A welcomed discovery in the findings revealed that the state reading literacy proficiency scores for the third graders at the target school (91%) were actually higher than the state reading proficiency for all third graders by two percentage points. This study fills the gap that exists in literature concerning the role of the rural, elementary principal and the impact this role has on community partnerships in high poverty, rural schools. Implications for educational policy can be made as a result of this study, but only if policymakers are willing to endorse school and community partnerships as a proven strategy to improve educational outcomes for students living in high poverty.</p>

<p> The multiage classroom design that has its origin in the rural, single-age classroom that blanketed the United States in the 1800s is returning as a viable alternative to the single-age classroom. The author looked at the perceptions of the parents and teachers that were impacted during two rural elementary schools' transition away from the single-age classroom to a multiage classroom design. The study specifically looked at the school-wide transition to the multiage design in grades kindergarten through fifth grade by examining the overall effect the multiage design had on these two groups, the value of the components of the multiage that were thought to be appealing by the administration, and the impact the change had on student academic achievement. Overall, there was positive support of the transition to the multiage design by parents in all of the areas studied, but the teachers, even though they demonstrated support, were significantly less supportive than the parents in a few of the areas examined. It was also found that this study supported earlier research stating the academic impact of the multiage design was not significantly different either positively or negatively. This author provided information that will allow future districts to better identify what will gain the support of the parents and teachers when transitioning to the multiage classroom design. </p>

<p> Students' performance on standardized tests continues to dominate the discourse in the educational arena as it reflects student growth and teacher performance. The low performance index scores of 5^th grade students at 2 elementary charter schools in urban southwestern Ohio has been a major concern of the school district. Guided by social constructivism, the purpose of this research study was to identify curricular practices that influence student academic achievement. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 4 reading teachers and 2 administrators; curriculum maps, tests scores, and lesson plan documents were also reviewed. Interview, test score, and lesson plan documents were analyzed through an open-coding process and constant comparison of data to ensure trustworthiness. The findings revealed that 5^th grade reading teachers and principals used teacher-centered instructional practices that did not connect with students' backgrounds. Based on the findings, a capstone project was developed that provided a content-specific professional development training for reading teachers that would expose them to student-centered instructional practices related to students' backgrounds. The implications for positive social change include engaged classrooms with student-centered instructional practices that could increase student achievement in urban schools. </p>