<p> This study investigated secondary mathematics pre-service teachers&rsquo; (PSTs) knowledge of resources in terms of digital technologies, and explored the processes of both selection and integration of technology into their lesson plans. This study employed a case study design. Participants were six secondary mathematics PSTs who enrolled in a methods course. Data sources included technology portfolios submitted as a requirement in the methods course and semi-structured interviews. The types of digital technologies were classified either conveyance technologies which are used to convey information or cognitive technologies which enable users to perform mathematical actions and receive immediate feedback (Dick &amp; Hollebrand, 2011). Each task in these lesson plans was evaluated by using the Task Analysis Guide (Stein, Smith, Henningsen, &amp; Silver, 2009). Finally, the intended way of technology use was identified whether as amplifier which enables students to accomplish a task more efficiently and accurately or as recognizer which transforms students&rsquo; actions and enables them to reorganize their thinking (Pea, 1985). </p><p> The findings indicated that the PSTs&rsquo; technology knowledge was limited in terms of the content. It was clear that these PSTs&rsquo; technology knowledge, the capability of technology, ease of use, availability of technology in the context, students&rsquo; familiarity with technology, and appropriateness of technology to meet the learning objectives were the most important factors influencing their technology selection and integration. Furthermore, the findings exhibited that the PSTs preferred to build their lesson around with a high cognitive level tasks which were either doing mathematics or procedures with connections and their intended way of technology use in these tasks was identified as either an amplifier or a reorganizer. In general, the findings also revealed that when the level of cognitive demand of the selected task was doing mathematics, the intended way of the technology use in these tasks were as reorganizer. </p><p>

<p> School leaders and principals have an obligation to use every tool at their disposal to maximize student achievement. All students deserve the best use of data to inform the decision-making of those entrusted to deliver the finest education available to them. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of principals in Los Angeles Archdiocesan high schools about the use of assessment data in their schools by finding how they were using assessment data to inform curricular and pedagogical decisions, and then determining what factors affect the use of assessment data to inform their curricular decision-making. </p><p> This study was a mixed-method investigation using a quantitative survey to find processes in Archdiocesan high schools that capture and utilize assessment data to inform decision-making, as well as to determine the principals&rsquo; perceptions of the benefits and challenges related to assessment data usage. The qualitative aspect of this study consisted of interviews of Archdiocesan high school principals meant to expand upon the findings of the survey. The findings of the study, viewed through the lens of a conceptual framework, suggest a breakdown in the use of data from the very beginning of the process. Standardized assessment data are the information used to drive curricular decisions while data from formative assessments and curriculum maps, are utilized less frequently. The study also found that, while principals feel that their teachers valued the use of data, there was room for growth in the protocols enlisted to analyze assessment data, and in the cultivation of a culture of collaboration and learning.</p><p>

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of the critical reflective dialogue of a collaborative team composed of a cooperating teacher, a native language informant, and a researcher. The goal of this task-based team was to develop and implement a culture-based thematic unit on Puerto Rico for a second year Spanish class in an American public high school. The process of group deliberation is described as an interactional experience that involves tension as a normative behavior (McCutcheon 1995, Zacarian, 1996). This study examined the claim that groups comprised of members from diverse cultures and differing professional knowledge systems are more likely to experience tension (Deketelaere & Kelchtermans, 1996; McCutcheon, 1994; Zacarian, 1996). However, when members are willing to critically and collaboratively examine their tension, it can have positive effects on their communicative process, curricular task, and professional development by allowing members to benefit from the 'complementary competence' of the different collaborating professionals (Deketelaere & Kelchtermans, 1996; McCutcheon 1995, Zacarian, 1996). This study also examined the claim that the language used by speakers in groups reflects their ideologies, social relations, and identities that are continually co-constructed during their interactions (Schiffrin, 1994, p. 106). This study researched these claims by analyzing the critical reflective dialogue that emerged within the planning and implementation phases of a collaborative curriculum development team. The results of this research reveal that the critical reflective dialogue of the collaborative team members influenced a shift in their initial ideologies. The results also reveal that accompanying this shift in ideologies was a realignment of the social relations and identities of the group members. It was found that the NLI contributed to the collaborative curriculum process in significant ways and at multiple levels. Further, the findings suggest that including the NLI in the implementation phase provided communicative opportunities for all parties to engage in a critical reflective dialogue that moved beyond mere technical and practical curricular concerns. In this study it provided collaborative members with increased opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the complex issues of stereotypes from multiple perspectives. Most significantly, it was seen that engagement in a critical reflective dialogue provided the CT with the opportunity to examine her own assumptions on her own innocence with regard to stereotypes about the culture and people of Puerto Rico.

This study explores theoretical and pedagogical implications of space, language, and power in renegotiating identity for immigrant English Language Learners (ELLs) in secondary schools in the United States. The primary research question explored in the study is: How does spoken and written language and discourse shape the production of third spaces for renegotiating immigrant student identity in the ELL writing classroom? I adopt an epistemological lens of space from a postmodern geographic perspective that contends that space is socially produced and is co-constituted by material, abstract and lived spaces. The theoretical framework draws on constructs of social space, space-time, and the chronotope propose reconsideration of third spaces for immigrant ELLs. The context of the study is an intermediate ELL writing classroom designed around immigrant students developing academic and critical literacy grounded in their lived spaces of immigration. The methodology employed combines ethnography of the classroom space with critical discourse analysis of critical spatial events that are analyzed as moments of spatial production. Ethnographic narrative of the classroom space, governed by guiding concepts of critical literacy and shared behavioral norms, centers on the focal immigration unit in which student immigration narratives provide overarching chronotopes of immigrant student identities. Analysis of classroom spatial production highlights tensions in social space that are mediated by language, discourse and communication surrounding immigrant identities. Transcript analysis of critical spatial events traces intersecting space-times at global, local and micro-local scales of classroom discourse. Findings from ethnographic case study of one immigrant Latino male, who aspires to become a hip hop DJ, illustrate how hip hop discourses frame the chronotope of immigration and represent a shared third space between the teacher and focal student. This study contributes new ideas in theory and research methods by operationalizing third spaces for immigrant ELL student. Implications also follow for curriculum and instruction rooted in lived spaces of experience and for critical reflective practice for educators.

Secondary physics education in the United States has been shown to be sub-standard, and not even offered in many high schools. National assessment results have suggested that changes in secondary physics education are greatly needed and are slow in coming. One attempt to enhance physics instruction is the UPDATE program. UPDATE is a physics teacher enhancement program offered by the University of Massachusetts. The program is primarily designed to enhance physics teacher knowledge in topical and important areas of contemporary physics that are not always well represented in secondary classrooms. This study assesses the impact of participation in the UPDATE program on the high school physics instruction of the 1995-96 program participants. Focus group interviews, individual interviews, and a questionnaire are methods used to collect data. This document includes transcriptions from both focus group and individual interviews, as well as quantitative results from a questionnaire. Commonalities are drawn from the three sources of data to illustrate the impact of the UPDATE program on participants' high school physics instruction. Aspects of the program which have contributed to enhancement of instruction are also identified and recommendations are made for subsequent teacher enhancement programs. The findings generally indicate that participants became more confident, enthusiastic, gained more physics knowledge, and changed their teaching practices to include more UPDATE related topics. In addition, laboratory experiences as well as laboratory equipment offered to participants during the program contributed significantly to their perceived instructional enhancement.

Student academic growth is one of the most heated issues surfacing in the frequent debates revolving around school reforms, particularly since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind mandate. Often missing in such debates is a clear articulation of what available resources students have drawn on to grow academically. Informed by socio-cultural theoretical and systemic functional linguistic frameworks and drawing on data collected in a three-year ethnographic case study, this study explores what contributed to the academic growth of Pablo, a middle school English language learner, who was institutionally recognized as an "achiever." Specifically, this study examines in what ways and to what extent school resources, such as teaching practices, enabled Pablo to grow academically. This study also explores how and to what degree outside resources, such as parental involvement and support from the community, led to his growth. In addition, this study examines to what degree Pablo's level of motivation contributed to his growth in academic writing. To determine whether or not Pablo's writing changed over time and whether Pablo made progress with his academic writing, I performed a textual analysis of a selective set of essays Pablo wrote over the course of one academic year. Findings suggest that Pablo's institutional status as an achiever stems from his ability to find ways to produce essays that were institutionally valued, recognized, and defined as "good essays." Findings also suggest that while such a status helped Pablo maintain his institutional identity as a "good student," it may at the same time have slowed down his learning process, prevented the school personnel from exploiting his full potential as a student and, worse yet, led to the over-generalization of student achievement.

It seems a paradox that the United States, a country with a highly diverse population and a long history of immigration, has one of the poorest records of sustained public foreign language programs when compared to similar post industrial countries. In an educational system such as the one in United States that is not centralized, foreign language instruction appears not to be a real, tangible necessity. In this situation are engulfed many school districts that are left with state and/or national guidelines and an ever-changing budget, to decide who should learn what languages, if any. By framing and understanding the foreign language education in this context, this ethnographic study examines through a post-structuralist perspective, a current program in the United States and looks specifically at how issues of motivation and power get constructed by students in the foreign language classroom of an urban middle school setting. This study also examines how language policies enacted through class instruction impact student endorsement of foreign language education during the formative years in U.S. public schools that may influence learning, and may generate resistance, or lack of motivation to learn a foreign language. Critical discourse analysis is employed in this study as a tool to: (1) review and analyze specific recent legislation that is interpreted and enacted in the foreign language program of a local school system, (2) examine data collected through interviews with students and administrators, and (3) understand classroom interactions within the local political context of a school system. In examining the social, textual and discursive levels of these policies, it is possible to challenge how traditional education defines the roles of teachers and students and to envision new relations of power that could condition the existence of new learners' identities and new possibilities for teachers. This study will contribute towards the understanding of classroom practices in foreign language programs as they influence and are influenced by language planning and policy decisions, and so point to areas where change can be made. In terms of stating the practical implications for the foreign language field, the concept of student endorsement, as it is employed in this study, is examined for its potential as a viable replacement for the traditional notion of student motivation. Understanding endorsement issues in relation to the current language policies on learning situates learning not as an individual psychological factor but rather as a socially shaped response that can be changed. Furthermore, teachers' and administrators' understanding of endorsement could challenge current policies and practices that contribute to the devaluing and reduction of benefits of foreign language instruction.

The purpose of this study was to conduct field research to analyze actual outcomes for students with moderate to severe disabilities educated in regular educational settings. This study sought to determine if students with moderate to severe disabilities were successful after implementation of an inclusive model. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied in this study. A modified case study design was used including interviews, observations, questionnaires, record analyses, and surveys. The results indicated that the four cases represent an overall successful program model with individual variations. Students achieved the highest rate of success as measured by the Individualized Education Program (IEP) progress, grades, and parent satisfaction. All four cases demonstrate the need for more peer friendships that carry over into after-school life. Definitions of student success varied across the groups surveyed. Over 75% of teachers surveyed felt that students in this study could be successfully integrated; yet only 45% actually felt successful. The most important three conditions teachers needed for teachers to feel successful were extra time for consultation, curriculum adaptation, and individualizing instruction. Teachers rated staff expertise, administrative commitment, and flexibility of professionals as most supportive of successful integration. Teachers felt that paid summer time and release time were least supportive of integration efforts. In spite of the positive findings, 53% of these teachers preferred a pull-out model of instruction. Parents were split more evenly between pull-out and inclusive models. Three of the four case study students and all of the peers interviewed chose an inclusive educational setting. Results of this study suggest that the school day needs to be reorganized to allow teachers more time to collaborate and plan. The role of individual aides for students with moderate to severe disabilities should be carefully reviewed and defined. Definitions of student's success should be clearly established. Special education documents such as the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and progress report need stable formats in order to perform longitudinal studies of student's success.

<p> The problem that undergirds this study is the communication and understanding gap that exists between parents of Long Term English Language Learners (LTELL) and educational institutions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover what Latino parents of LTELLs understood about their children&rsquo;s language development as well as their academic standing. Using focus groups and interviews, the study examined how five parents of LTELL students communicated with their children&rsquo;s schools and what understanding they held about the educational programs and policies in the district. The study included gathering parents&rsquo; ideas for how to improve the current system of communication between parents of LTELLs and the schools. </p><p> By exploring parents perceptions, through counter-story telling, of what was communicated to them about their children&rsquo;s linguistic progress and academic placement, they made sense of current practices and determined future expectations between them and the school. Additionally, the study helped parents understand the academic trajectory and linguistic development of their children and the impact they can create by having their voices heard. </p><p> The analysis revealed four overarching themes. First, parents moved to the U.S. because they <i>desired for a better future</i> for their children. Second, the notion of <i>education versus la educaci&oacute;n </i> was explored, where parents expressed cultural and linguistic teaching expectations at home and at school. Third was the theme of <i>self-blame, </i> where parents tended to blame themselves, rather than the system, for their children&rsquo;s lack of language proficiency. Finally, parents highlighted <i>communication,</i> which they described as the core cultural and linguistic barrier at home and school. </p><p> Although the parents of LTELLs may unintentionally experience being uniformed and overlooked, they are highly concerned about their children&rsquo;s English language proficiency and academic placement. Their collective voices expressed the hope for a good education leading to a successful future.</p>

<p> Over the last decade, many Christian high schools in the United States have been adapting to an exponential increase of Chinese international students. Chinese families have shown increased interest and ability to send their teenage students to American high schools. Public high schools can only host an international student for a year, but private high schools can enroll the students multiple years. There have been few educational research studies for private high schools to refer to if they wanted to read research that would directly aid them in creating supports for their increasing amount of Chinese international students. This study&rsquo;s purpose was to explore what school supports Chinese international secondary students attending Christian high schools in the United States perceived to be effective. Three Christian high schools in California participated, with a total of 23 Chinese international students completing a questionnaire in which they rated existing schools supports and answered open-ended questions. The students showed overall satisfaction with existing schools supports, while also having many ideas for improvement. The students rated the following supports most highly: opportunities to be in service projects, the performing arts, the opportunity to learn about the Bible in club meetings and camps, teachers providing help for international students, and connection with international student alumni. Students voiced that they strongly desired help building stronger connections with local students, more academic support, and more culturally appropriate food.</p><p>