The purpose of this study was to investigate whether principals as instructional leaders can influence the teachers' performance in the classroom by conducting inservice for the teachers. The four hypotheses and three research questions which directed the investigation into the problem of the principal's influence on the teachers' performance in the classroom were: There will be no statistically significant difference between the amount of teacher- pupil interactions in the classrooms of teachers who received inservice from the principal and those who received inservice from the district office resource person. There will be no statistically significant difference between the amount of teacher-pupil interaction in the classrooms of teachers who receive inservice from the principals and those who receive no inservice. There will be no statistically significant difference between the amount of teacher-pupil interaction in the classrooms of teachers who receive inservice from the district office resource person and those who receive no inservice. There will be no statistically significant difference in the engaged rate of time-on-task of students in the classrooms of teachers receiving inservice and in the classrooms of teachers receiving no inservice. Will the teachers receiving inservice from their principal have a better attitude toward the inservice than the teachers who receive inservice from the resource teacher? What are the attitudes of teachers receiving inservice on the importance of teacher-pupil interaction and student achievement? Will the students in the principal's inservice experimental classes have a higher rate of time-on-task than the district office person's inservice? The subjects of the study were three groups of teachers; one group inserviced by principals, one group inserviced by a resource person, and one controlled group. During the classroom observations both the teacher and students were rated. The Teacher Performance Assessment Instrument was used to rate the teacher and the Engagement Rate Form, the students. The teachers gave their opinion of the inservices on the Inservice Evaluation Opinion Survey. The main findings were as follows: The four null hypotheses were accepted. 2. The principals' group received the higher percentage of positive responses from the teachers about their attitude toward the principal and district office person conducting inservice. 3. The principals' group received the higher percentage of positive responses from the teachers about their attitude toward the importance of teacher-pupil interaction in the classroom.

No description available.

In choosing to look at the impact of white racially homogeneous work environments, if any, in relation to Black women higher education administrators, this research was grounded in Patricia Hill Collins Black Feminist Thought. Utilizing Black Feminist Thought, rooted in intersectionality, provided a sturdy foundation for one interested in conducting research specific to Black women, whether the discourse is race, gender, and/or any other intersecting identities. Black Feminist Thought conveys the message that Black women have similar yet different experiences from White women and similar yet different experiences from Black men, while simultaneously having shared yet different experiences than other Black women in all aspects of life, racially, sexually, gender-wise, socially and politically. Through eight (8) semi-structured interviews, a demographic survey, self-selected organizational and departmental perception, the researcher aimed to capture the essence of what it like to work in higher education administration at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) as a Black woman, as a double minority, with limited or no daily interaction with other Black women, Black men, or Black students. Through the course of interviews and subsequent data analysis, four themes emerged: (1) Increased desire to connect with other Black women, (2) Recognized pervasiveness of intersectional discrimination, (3) Racially-influenced decision-making, and (4) Adherence to a spiritual belief. Additionally, the researcher has compiled recommendations for hiring, supporting and retaining Black women administrators at PWIs, specifically those in non-ethnic or culturally-centered areas.

Employing an archival research approach, this study explores the formation of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. As one of the few institutions to open its doors with a specific mission to promote greater international understanding, this study explores diasporic migration and community formation in efforts to challenge the U.S. federally designated phrase of Hispanic-serving Institutions (HSIs) and acknowledge those HSIs who have historically served Latino and Caribbean populations. The author defined FIU as a Historically Latino/Caribbean-serving institution based on the transnational Latino and Caribbean cultural community formation in southeast Florida between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s. Specifically, this dissertation illustrated evidence in the FIU university archives pertaining to the influence of a Latino and Caribbean demographic increase during the1960s-1970s on the southeast region of Florida, Hispanic student headcount, and the founding of an international institution with geographic proximity to the Caribbean. This dissertation also expressed the importance of conducting historical research in higher education including archival research in efforts to provide a more holistic narrative regarding American higher education. Framing migration as an essential process to the economic and social development of a region (Castles, 2002), the intent was to understand how transnational Latino and Caribbean cultural community formation in southeast Florida shaped and influenced the initial years of the institution.

<p> In 2012, Hispanic students dropped out of high school at a national rate of 13%, surpassing African Americans and Whites (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2012). Without a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate, Hispanic students who dropout will most likely experience less opportunity for improving their quality of life. The purpose of this quantitative study was to gain insight into psychological factors that may influence and predict academic expectations of high school Hispanic students. The theoretical framework that provided the lens for this study was a sense of belonging based on Maslow&rsquo;s (1954) hierarchy of needs.</p><p> The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) provided the secondary data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). Through the statistical method of multiple regression analysis the secondary data assisted in the following hypotheses: a) sense of belonging is a predictor of high school student academic expectations; b) school engagement is a predictor of high school student academic expectations; c) socio-economic status is a predictor of high school student academic expectations; d) females and males have different academic expectations; and e) parent expectation is a predictor of high school student academic expectations.</p><p> Results from the multiple regression significantly predicts academic expectations of Hispanic high school students. These findings can potentially assist the field of education in providing data that will help solve issues of students of color and begin to close the achievement gap. Furthermore, this research study will provide the K-12 educational community knowledge and a deeper understanding of the relationship between a sense of belonging and Hispanic students completing high school. This study will add to the existing data on the validity of the importance a sense of belonging has on students&rsquo; academic outcome.</p>

No description available.

This study emerged from the information/data gathered from an exploration of video-taping to improve teacher instructional strategies and also to improve discipline. Employed as a Curriculum Specialist, the writer proposed to improve teacher instructional strategies believing that such a study would result in a contribution toward more effective teaching, better student-teacher relationships and improved classroom behavior. Video-taping to improve teacher instructional strategies has been researched by some educators. They have found it to be a great supervisory tool in the evaluation and refining process. Teachers are able to view their strengths and weaknesses and build on both. As noted by Good in his study, there is a direct correlation between various teacher instructional strategies, students’ time on task and the behavior they exhibit in the classroom setting. It is evident that teachers who create an environment where students are afforded the opportunity to utilize diverse learning, and the teacher uses positive reinforcers tend to be a place where teachers teach and students learn free of disruptive behaviors. The targeted population consisted of five teachers who used video-taping as a means of improving their teaching techniques and for overall improvement in a classroom situation. The results of this study revealed that the disruptive behaviors cited prior to video-taping decreased remarkably after improving teacher strategies and utilizing more positive reinforcers. The remaining three weeks showed a definite decline in the number of referrals made to detention and the number of disruptive behaviors cited in the classes.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.