<p> The implementation of the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts and Mathematics into the kindergarten through 12^th grade curriculum in the United States presents a unique opportunity for teacher preparation programs to realign their curriculum with the curriculum of the primary and secondary schools. However, it is unknown how teacher preparation programs are approaching this possible change. This qualitative descriptive case study examined the organizational change process that was employed by one teacher preparation program to incorporate the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) into their curriculum. The change was examined through the organizational development lenses of Kotter and Rogers. Interviews and a focus group with key stakeholders in the change process (<i> N</i> = 13) along with analysis of documents such as syllabi, research plans, and curriculum provided data to answer the research question. Data were initially coded into 5 main organizational categories, establishing, defining, implementing, refining, and finalizing, then further coded based on emergent themes. The last 2 categories, refining and finalization, were not clearly evident in the data, and therefore it was more difficult to use a priori coding. The data revealed that the leaders of the organizational change developed and delivered professional development activities to train faculty and aligned syllabi of general education and teacher education classes with the CCSSM. The results of this study can be used to help other teacher preparation programs plan organizational change and provide motivation for programs that have yet to address the CCSSM.</p>

<p> This case study produced evidence regarding the relationship between parents&rsquo; and educators&rsquo; partnership in the creation and implementation of a child&rsquo;s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and regular elementary educators&rsquo; perceptions of the mainstreaming process. The quantitative research portion included the collection of Likert scale surveys (<i> N</i> = 62) from kindergarten through fifth grade regular elementary teachers and parents of students mainstreamed into the regular education classroom. The qualitative portion of the research involved interviews (<i>n</i> = 6) with kindergarten through fifth grade educators teaching in a regular education classroom. Data from the quantitative data were analyzed prior to the qualitative data, but the data were analyzed to monitor for ways data were related after separate analysis was completed. The results indicated that the opinions of parents and educators did not differ significantly when asked about the IEP process. Participants in the qualitative portion of the research supported what was found in the literature review. Teachers have had both positive and negative experiences with mainstreaming. Negative experiences generally related to having little or no training related to handling students with special needs outlined in an IEP, misbehaviors interfering with the classroom environment, unclear expectations of student accommodations and paraprofessionals (paras), and unsuccessful attempts at mainstreaming due to lack of support or communication with stakeholders. Positive experiences reported during interviews included some paras working well inside the classroom, success with support received from administration, and students with IEPs working alongside their grade level peers.</p>

<p> With the start of every school year, new teachers enter classrooms across our country filled with excitement surrounding the impact they hope to have on students. Some teachers discover that teaching at the elementary level can often times involve more than teaching and loving children. The expectations, demands, and time constraints put on new teachers can become overwhelming and even lead some to leave the field of education early on in their career. </p><p> In regards to the teacher attrition rate, this study identified reasons why so many aspiring and newly employed elementary teachers leave their chosen profession so early in the game. The research also identified factors that encourage new teachers to remain in the classroom. </p><p> This active research focused on students enrolled at or recently graduated from the Lindenwood University Education Program in St. Charles, Missouri. The researcher studied soon to be and newly hired teachers in order to identify connections or disconnects between the perceptions of becoming a teacher as compared to the reality of the actual job. The qualitative study, over a span of three years, analyzed the results of both surveys and interviews that were developed by the researcher. Findings focused on teacher frustration and satisfaction in respect to both university preparation and school/district support. </p><p> The key areas that called for attention by beginning teachers included: 1) the need for more time to plan, communicate, handle additional responsibilities, and learn curriculum and resources, 2) the need for support including a mentor and grade level team to collaborate with along with a principal to connect with, 3) more training on how to teach and support special needs students and implement accommodations, 4) encouragement to overcome a dissolving sense of self-fulfillment, and 5) the need for strategies to efficiently handle responsibilities beyond teaching curriculum that take time from teaching such as supervision, meetings, parent communications, and more. Recommendations call for, first and foremost, ways to provide more time for dedicated new teachers to do the job well.</p>

<p> In this era of educational accountability, educators, parents, and patrons are interested in finding the most efficient and effective route toward increasing student achievement. Research has shown a highly effective teacher in the classroom as the central component on this path to improved student learning. As school districts restructure their hiring practices to ask teachers to join the principal in selecting the best teacher candidate to hire, new questions arise as to their role on the hiring team. This qualitative research study used an online survey to gather 146 elementary teachers&rsquo; perspectives from both a large and small school district in the Pacific Northwest. The study also included four consecutive focus groups, one group consisting of three elementary teachers from the small school district and three groups consisting of a total of 10 elementary teachers from the larger school district, to dig deeper into the practice of distributed leadership as it pertains to the hiring process. This study is based on the theoretical framework of distributed leadership and an extensive study of distributed leadership as a practice of educational reform. It contributes to literature regarding teachers&rsquo; perspectives pertaining to their experience and role in the hiring process using a distributed leadership practice in selection of a high quality teacher. The results of this study extend previous findings regarding the degree in which teachers and administrators are involved in the hiring process, and the findings of former studies indicating the relationship between school-based hiring and an effective teacher selection. The outcomes of this study explore teachers&rsquo; views as to their role on a hiring team. Additionally, findings offer principals and district hiring personnel insight into elementary teachers&rsquo; experiences as a part of the hiring team and explore teachers&rsquo; perceptions regarding the practice of distributed leadership in hiring a quality teacher. </p>

<p> The focus of this mixed methods study was to examine the possible differences between students who participated in the Missouri Preschool Program (MPP) and peers who did not attend the program. Areas examined through quantitative data in the study included academic achievement in communication arts in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. The qualitative piece of the study included examination of areas such as social development, emotional development, and school readiness. Quantitative data were collected from one school district in rural southwest Missouri. These data came from Aimsweb assessments conducted at the district for the kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade levels from 2009-2010 to 2015-2016. Students were grouped into cohorts (by school year), which were divided into two groups, students who participated in the MPP and students who did not participate in the MPP. An independent samples t-test was applied to examine the difference in the means of the scores between the two groups of students. There was not a statistical difference between the Aimsweb communication arts scores of students who participated in the MPP and scores of peers who did not participate in the MPP. This statement was true at all three grade levels examined. Kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade teachers from the district were interviewed as part of the study. The educators who participated perceived benefits of attending a preschool program to include the following: readiness to enter school, advanced social development compared to peers who remained at home prior to school entry, fine motor development, and increased parental involvement.</p>

<p> The education of English Learners in the United States is an urgent matter that merits the attention and, more importantly, action from the educational and academic communities. A long history of oppression of non-English speaking peoples echoes in the consistently low academic achievement results of students identified as English Learners and economically disadvantaged. The benefits of dual immersion programs in closing the achievement gap and producing students with proficiency in English have been documented and supported through years of research and analyses. However, neither political leaders nor the research community have focused sufficient attention on Spanish language outcomes, in regard to language development and academic achievement. In a political context where new federal policy, Every Student Succeeds Act of 2016 (ESSA), and the California educational policy known as the LEARN initiative (Lara, 2016), allow for more local control of funds and programs for underserved student subgroups, including English Learners, it is more important than ever to explore and critically analyze programs that have the potential to meet these students&rsquo; academic and cultural needs. </p><p> The intent of this mixed-methods case study was to examine the Spanish language achievement, classroom use, and language attitudes of 4th and 5th grade students and their teachers in a dual immersion setting in a large urban school district in Southern California. Through classroom observations and participant interviews, qualitative data was analyzed to explore the implementation of dual immersion at three elementary school sites. Quantitative analysis of Spanish language assessment results in reading and mathematics from four dual immersion elementary sites allowed for the exploration and description of students&rsquo; Spanish language achievement within the district.</p><p> The findings from this case study included lower Spanish achievement outcomes for Spanish-speaking English Learners and economically disadvantaged students in comparison to English proficient and economically advantaged classmates. Classroom observations during Spanish instruction and participant interviews revealed significant differences in program implementation and support at each school site. Alarming achievement outcomes combined with qualitative findings highlight the need for more research on dual immersion programs that focus on Spanish language development and qualitative data collection and analysis. Study findings and recommendations highlight the need for specialized training for district and school leadership as well as school-wide faculty and staff where dual immersion programs are implemented.</p>

<p>This study examined the effects of brain breaks on students' concentration and higher order thinking skills (N=23) in a 7th grade Language Arts classroom during 50-minute periods. The study spanned four weeks during which the teacher-researcher alternated days with and without brain breaks in order to compare the results. The study was implemented during NJASK testing to monitor students' concentration during long stretches of test taking. Data collection methods consisted of questionnaires, teacher-researcher observations, and two higher order thinking tasks with rubrics. The results of this study mainly supported the overall hypotheses that brain breaks support to students' concentration as well as their cognitive abilities.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xii, 224 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 169-176).

<p> The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Hispanic mothers of primary grade students with regard to the home and school relationship. The Hispanic population accounted for over half of the growth of the total U.S. population between 2000 and 2010 (Ennis, Rios-Vargas, &amp; Albert, 2011), and Hispanic enrollment in schools increased from 15% to 20% of total enrollment in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2013). With an increasing number of Hispanic students in U.S. public schools, it is important to understand how mothers of Hispanic students view education, schools, and teachers. </p><p> This study included three focus groups and seven in-depth individual interviews. Participants described their individual experiences with and perceptions of their interactions with school administrators, staff, and teachers; their relationships with their child's school, staff, and teachers; and how they work with and help their child with school related issues. Three primary themes emerged: (a) Affective Responses, (b) Relationships, and (c) Mothers' Engagement and Advocacy with the Teaching and Learning Process. Each mother's story gave a voice to the disconnect felt between their Hispanic homes and the American school. The mothers shared feelings of trust, fear, communication gaps, confusion, and frustration as they described their lived experiences. </p><p> The overall aim of this study was to contribute to the field of education by providing useful suggestions to enhance the home and school relationship. Some of the suggestions included: holding a monthly or bi-monthly forum for mothers to voice concerns, coordinating Hispanic bilingual mothers to serve as volunteers for the school year, providing homework examples and instructions in Spanish, and offering tutoring classes to specifically teach Hispanic mothers how to help their children with school at home. Literature supports a dissonance between the dominant school culture and the Hispanic home culture with neither side understanding the values and norms of the other (Wortham, Murillo, &amp; Hamann, 2002). This research may be used to provide strategies for schools to communicate effectively with Hispanic mothers and increase their engagement in both the school and their child's education.</p>

<p> There is deep concern the United States is not preparing enough students, teachers, and professional mathematicians and scientists to sustain the economic and scientific development that has made this country great. The problem is that elementary teachers are typically poorly prepared in mathematics, which is ultimately placing students at a disadvantage as they advance through the higher grades and college without a strong mathematics foundation. Educational studies have pointed to the importance of providing elementary teachers with on-going improvement of pedagogical practice in mathematics, but elementary teachers remain underprepared to teach it. The purpose of this mixed-methods research is to study the effectiveness of Lesson Study as a means of professional development for elementary teachers&rsquo; implementation of the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices (CCSS).</p><p> The study focuses on teachers&rsquo; perceptions of Lesson Study and their ability to develop lessons incorporating the CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practices and their ability to engage students in developing mathematical thinking. Literature pertaining to Lesson Study reveals the importance of sustained professional development for teachers. In collaboration with the SSD Superintendent and the School Board of SSD, all seven of the district&rsquo;s elementary schools participated in the study focusing on elementary school teachers in grades 2-5 (<i>n</i>=64). Researchers from the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago randomly assigned these teachers into equal groups of either the treatment group (<i>n</i>=32) or the control group (<i>n</i>=32). The elementary teachers who participated in this study were part of the Lesson Study professional development treatment group (<i>n</i>=32) in grades 2-5. The findings suggest Lesson Study can be an effective means of professional development for implementing the Common Core State Standards and the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices. Through Lesson Study teachers can begin to move away from a teacher-centered classroom to one that focuses on a student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Educational policymakers will learn from this study how teachers can benefit from Lesson Study as a type of professional development and how it can support teachers as they integrate new ideas into classroom practice. </p>