Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-86). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1965. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4100. Adviser: Violet Harris. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 331-350) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> The need for strong school principals is great as more and more U.S. schools struggle to meet the requirements of federal regulations and as districts search for school leaders who can effect systemic and sustainable organizational change. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012) predicts that the U.S. will need an additional 10%, or 23,100 more principals between 2010 and 2020 at a time when the number of available principals is shrinking. In addition to needing more principals, U.S. schools also need more principals who are highly effective. Unfortunately, the turnover rate for principals is drastically high, close to 50% (ERS, 1998) in all schools, and higher still in high-poverty schools (Branch, Hanushek, &amp; Rivkin, 2008; Gates, Ringel, Santibanez, Guarino, Ghosh-Dastidar, &amp; Brown, 2006). High turnover rates, coupled with a diminishing pool of principals, an increasing need for more principals, and the now popular trend of using temporary or turnaround principals, illustrate the school leadership crisis that is enveloping our educational system (Norton, 2002). An open question in the field is how and whether effective school leaders can be purposefully cultivated. Drawing on literatures in the fields of efficacy and school leadership, school leadership development, and optimism, this constructivist study applied qualitative research methods to explore how one novice school leader in an urban PK-5 elementary school learned to lead over an extended period of time, one-and-a-half years. The study investigated the contextual and mediating variables that influenced this novice principal&rsquo;s choice-making in a watched school in need of improvement. Data collection consisted of regular interviews and observations. By capturing the voice and experience of one principal, this study contributes to the fields of efficacy in school leadership, optimism, and school leadership development a rich example of a principal learning to lead in practice (Darling-Hammond et al., 2007). The study also contributes a new construct, an initial articulation of &ldquo;assumed possibility&rdquo; as a theoretical stance. School leader&rsquo;s enactment and execution of vision are still burgeoning fields of study and this study offers a glimpse into one leader&rsquo;s attempt to transform his school.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative exploratory single case study was to explore how parents and teachers perceive the influence of socioeconomic status on parental involvement in suburban southern Georgia elementary schools. Two research questions were posed to fulfill the purpose of this study: How do parents perceive the influence of socioeconomic status on parental involvement in suburban southern Georgia elementary schools? and How do teachers perceive the influence of socioeconomic status on parental involvement in suburban southern Georgia elementary schools? Epstein&rsquo;s Framework for Parent Involvement and Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler&rsquo;s Model of Parent Involvement served as the theoretical foundations. Purposive sampling was used to select 22 parent and 59 teacher participants. Data collection comprised of semi-structured interviews of parents and teachers, questionnaires, and archival review of school documents to triangulate the data. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Thematic analysis identified five themes: Defining Parent Involvement, Perception of Socioeconomic Status, Communication Methods, Perception of Involvement, and School Environment. Findings of this study revealed that elementary parents and teachers in South Georgia have differing perceptions of the influence of socioeconomic status on parent involvement. Overall, data revealed that while parent and teacher perceptions varied, they indicated that communication and the school environment were the most pertinent factors to their involvement. The implications for this study implicate that sharing the results of this study with both parents and teachers could possibly clarify expectations of each group and open a dialogue. </p><p>

<p> The influence of sign language comprehension on reading has been well-documented in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary-aged deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HOH) children and adults. There is limited research into the predictive nature of sign language comprehension on literacy outcomes in D/HOH children in preschool and early elementary school, however. This research addressed this gap by investigating group differences between D/HOH children who primarily communicated through sign language alone and D/HOH children who primarily communicated through sign supported spoken language on measures of American Sign Language (ASL) comprehension, sign supported English (SSE) comprehension, letter/word recognition, and reading comprehension. The relationship between ASL comprehension and SSE comprehension on word identification and reading comprehension was also examined. A longitudinal design was utilized and data analyzed with linear mixed models. Participants were D/HOH children 4-6-years-old at the beginning of the study and followed for two years. </p><p> Children who communicated primarily through sign language alone had significantly higher comprehension of ASL than children who communicated primarily through sign supported spoken language. There were no significant group differences in growth of ASL comprehension, however. There were no significant group differences in comprehension of SSE, letter/word recognition, passage comprehension or growth pattern in these skills. Both ASL comprehension and SSE comprehension predicted letter/word identification and passage comprehension final status whereas only SSE comprehension predicted growth pattern. When word identification was examined in addition to the language predictors, the random effects of the model could not be estimated so statistical inferences for the predictive utility of ASL comprehension on reading comprehension above SSE comprehension and word identification could not be drawn. </p><p> Implications for service delivery in early intervention, progress monitoring of language skills, instruction, and personnel preparation are discussed. Because of the significant variation in language development initial status, further research is recommended into sources of individual variation in language outcomes. Future longitudinal research is needed to examine the age range from early childhood through elementary school, include multiple measures of linguistic competence, and identify the influence of new hearing technology and language experience. Furthermore, intervention studies aimed at improving language development are warranted given its relationship with literacy.</p><p>

<p> Since 9/11, the repercussions of religious intolerance have reached center stage, highlighted by religious hate crime statistics, governmental policies, and documented cases of increased anxiety. Religious illiteracy is also highlighted as a phenomenon across the American landscape. Conceptual arguments hold that knowledge of other religions can promote religious tolerance through intercultural discourse and understanding, elements of a proper civic education. Beyond a practical gap between religious intolerance in the United States and the educational measures taken to resolve the issue, little empirical evidence exists concerning teaching about religion in public education. </p><p> These gaps elicited the main research question of this study: What are the implications of teaching about religion to sixth grade students at a public charter school who learn about religion through the <i>Core Knowledge Sequence</i>? Two subquestions subsequently arose during data collection: (a) What practices and strategies are utilized by teachers and administrators to prepare for and implement a unit on religion? (b) What perceptions do students, teachers, and administrators have on the interplay between teaching about religion and character education? </p><p> I conducted a single, descriptive case study of a sixth grade class engaged in a history unit on Judaism and Christianity at a school that utilized the <i> Core Knowledge Sequence</i> to answer these questions. Daily character education lessons were also integral to the school curriculum and were included in the case. Through a combination of observations during both instructional and noninstructional periods, interviews with students, teachers, and administrators, and collection of pertinent documents related to the unit and school environment, I illustrated the case with rich, thick description. Data analysis began concurrently with data collection through open coding, with patterns identified. Further open and axial coding collapsed patterns into categories before three themes emerged that informed the presentation of the data findings and interpretations of the study: promoting understanding, maintaining respect, and preparing for the future. Potential recommendations based on findings were reflected in a theoretical model for a school and included increasing and tailoring professional development, implementing inquiry-based learning (IBL) strategies with the C3 framework, and fostering a respectful school and classroom environment through character education. As a primarily exploratory study, these findings served to augment the empirical literature on religion and public education for further research.</p><p>

<p> For nearly four decades, research has documented positive correlations between metacognitive abilities and student growth. Teachers who wish to cultivate metacognitive thinking should encourage their students to plan, investigate, and expand on the concepts they learn in class (Fisher, Frey, &amp; Hattie, 2016; Flavell, 1979). This mixed-methods study sought to investigate the effects of the Drive My Brain Model ([DMB], Gomez, 2016) on English language learners&rsquo; (ELLs) metacognition. The sample for the quantitative portion of this study was comprised of 54 fifth-grade ELLs from a public elementary school located in Orange County, California. The qualitative sample consisted of 12 students that represented a proportional sample of the students at the school, and two teachers. A quasi-experimental design was used for this study. The treatment group received roughly 30 minutes of Drive My Brain (DMB) Model activities each day over eight weeks, receiving a total of 1,155 minutes of intervention. Two pre-developed, validated surveys were used as pre-test/post-test for both groups. Survey scores for both groups were compared using a Chi-square test. Results indicated that statistically significant growth was achieved by the treatment group. Additional quantitative measures included an observation checklist, student task rubrics, and a student Likert survey questionnaire. Results indicated that students, who felt the DMB Model was easy to use, performed better on content tasks. Qualitative analysis supported quantitative findings. Student task artifacts revealed that students in the treatment group used more metacognitive and cognitive strategies. Additionally, student and teacher interviews found the DMB Model to be easy to use. </p><p>

<p> In an ever-changing labyrinth of standards, accountability, and standardized testing, educators seek ways to improve instruction. Teachers need learning experiences that help them navigate an environment in which a growing list of student performance standards and standardized tests determine their success in teacher evaluations (Crawford, 2015; Terehoff, 2002). In this same pursuit, many administrators are challenged in their efforts to provide meaningful professional development to support teachers (Terehoff, 2002). The goal of this study is to gain insight into which TPD delivery types and which levels of student presence create the most meaningful and applicable learning for educators and to provide insight and guidance to administrators and TPD planners who are seeking ways to provide quality TPD. </p><p> The study data was gathered through qualitative methods, including participant observation, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The data was exlored through the SPLT model. The major findings of the study suggest that higher model levels&mdash;which included student physical presence&mdash;led to an increased application of teacher-learning in the classroom and an increased confidence in attempting to apply newly learned techniques and tools. Teachers also suggested that these in-classroom session were more valuable when a pre- or post-discussion accompanied the session. The results demonstrated that learning at all model levels had value for different intended learning purposes. They also suggested that the TPD learning could be more effective when lower model level sessions are followed up with higher-level SPLT model sessions that occur in the classroom during instructional time with students physically present.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the selection and use of picture books about issues of race by an early elementary school teacher, and to critically examine the content of selected picture books about race. The research questions were: How does a self-identifying anti-racist transitional kindergarten teacher in a public elementary school select and utilize children&rsquo;s picture books to address issues of race with their students? What are the underlying messages about race in the books? The case study utilized Seidman&rsquo;s (2013) three-interview series and critical content analysis was used to analyze ten selected picture books. The case study findings revealed that the personal identity and experiences of the participant and her relationship with her students and their families shape her professional race-related goals. Further findings demonstrated that the participant uses picture books to teach about race for a variety of reasons, including that they make race, an abstract concept, concrete for her students. The critical content analysis revealed that the race and experiences of the author or illustrator informed the content and underlying messages in the books. The results of this study add new dimensions to the field&rsquo;s understanding of what factors inform a teacher&rsquo;s selection and use of picture books about race, and what themes are common in children&rsquo;s picture books that address the topic of race. Additionally, this study demonstrates the need for books written and illustrated by people of color in order to provide young children with more authentic representations of the lives and experiences of racially and culturally diverse people. </p><p>