The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate, in 10th grade students, cognitive and affective differences which might be attributable to either middle or junior high school experiences. The research questions were designed to find differences in self-esteem, grade point averages, in participation in clubs, teams, and student government, and in attendance and discipline between two groups of respondents--graduates from two middle schools and graduates from a junior high school. The research design included the 10th grade population of a single high school whose feeder schools included two middle schools and a junior high school. Respondents from outside the feeder pattern were excluded from the study. The study used eight dependent variables, including GPAs, attendance, discipline referrals, participation on clubs, teams, and student government, and two measures of self-esteem. Independent variables were types of feeder school environment, middle or junior high, from which the respondents had graduated. An analysis of variance was conducted to test relationships between feeder school type and each dependent variable. The findings of this study indicate that there are slight and statistically nonsignificant differences between respondents from the two environments. Junior high school respondents achieved slightly higher mean GPAs, had fewer absences, participated marginally more in clubs and teams, and scored slightly higher on one measure of self-esteem. Middle school students participated more in student government, had only .2% fewer discipline referrals, and scored slightly higher in the second measure of self-esteem. The lack of a statistically significant difference for any of the variables could be the result of several factors. These factors include the extent of real difference between the junior high and middle schools, the newness of the middle schools and the degree of implementation of middle school programs, and the different ethnic composition of the middle schools as opposed to that of the junior high school.

This study was primarily concerned with the experience and university preparation that middle level principals brought to their role as leaders of a school for early adolescents and with the types of state administrative certification and/or endorsements, particularly middle level administrative certification. A total of 77 middle, junior high, and intermediate school principals were sent the Middle Level Principal Survey to assess the nature of their school, their personal and professional background, their preparation to become an administrator, and the types of state certification they and their teachers held. The principals selected were building administrators of outstanding middle, junior high, and intermediate schools identified in the 1987-88 Elementary and 1988-89 Secondary School Recognition Programs. The 40 principals who responded to the survey were representative of 22 different states. The principals ranked the psychology of the early adolescent and middle level teaching methods as the top university administrative courses needed as preparation for a middle level principal. Adolescent psychology/development and middle school curriculum/methods were the two middle level university courses most frequently completed by the responding principals. Six principals surveyed had completed their doctoral studies; the remaining principals held a Master's or Educational Specialist degree. Over half of these principals majored in educational administration; one indicated a major in middle level education. Most undergraduate majors were in some specialized area of secondary education. Two principals reported an undergraduate major in middle level education. A majority of the principals had between 10 and 14 years of teaching experience. All but a few of the principals had prior administrative experience, a majority as an assistant principal. While most states had either middle level teacher certification or endorsement, they did not have middle level administrative certification or endorsement. Middle level education is often associated with either elementary or secondary education. This study found middle level education primarily associated with secondary education. The implications of the data collected through the survey indicated a need for those responsible for the education of early adolescents to receive specialized preparation in middle level education. However, the need for an expanded administrative certification division to include middle level principals was in question.

This study was designed to address the core characteristic of middle school education, that of interdisciplinary team organization. During the 1991-92 school year the seventh grade class in an American middle school in Europe was divided into two organizational structures. Half of the students were assigned to the interdisciplinary team organizational structure which became the experimental group. The other half were assigned to the traditional departmentalized organizational structure, which became the comparison group. Three research questions were asked in an attempt to measure student outcomes from exposure to the different organizational structures. Those questions were: (1) Will the academic achievement of students in the interdisciplinary team organization differ from students in the traditional departmentalized organization? (2) Will the behavior of middle school students in an interdisciplinary team organization differ from that of middle school students in a traditional departmentalized organization? (3) Will the attendance of middle school students in an interdisciplinary team organization differ from that of middle school students in a traditional departmentalized organization? Data was collected on five different measures to compare these three student outcomes of academic achievement, behavior and attendance. For the first question of academic achievement, test scores from the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills and students' semester Grade Point Averages were used to compare the differences between the students in the experimental and comparison groups. For the second question of behavior, quarterly administrative discipline referrals and students' conduct grades were used to compare the differences. For the third question of attendance, quarterly attendance figures were used to compare the differences. By using multiple regression analysis, two of the five measures of student outcomes were found to be statistically significant, one in favor of the interdisciplinary team organization and one in favor of the traditional departmentalized organization. The measure of academic achievement using the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills was found significantly in favor of the experimental group and the attendance data was found significantly in favor of the comparison group. For the three other measures, there were no significant differences found between the students exposed to the interdisciplinary team organization and those exposed to the traditional departmentalized organization.

Statistical Process Control is a method of assessing system processes that is typically used in the business sector. Profound knowledge is an integrated theory of understanding people, variation, systems and knowledge. It forms the foundation for Statistical Process Control. W. Edwards Deming was a management theorist who proposed that Statistical Process Control, based upon profound knowledge, could be used by businesses to improve productivity. This study analyzed the use of Statistical Process Control, based upon W. Edwards Deming's (1986) theory of profound knowledge, by the principal in a high school. It modified Deming's Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle and used a Systems Application Model to study and improve school processes. The elements of the Systems Application Model are the input, the technology, the output, and the continuous improvement loop. The input is the raw material (the data)--that which must be changed. The technology is the process used to convert the raw material (the data) into new knowledge. The technology, based upon profound knowledge, is Statistical Process Control. Statistical Process Control converts the data into new knowledge, which leads to improved processes. The output is the improved process. This new output loops back into the system, collecting new raw data, to be further improved over time. The Systems Application Model was used in this study to assess and improve an attendance problem in a small high school by using the elements of profound knowledge to apply statistical process control to the problem. The results of the study demonstrated that Statistical Process Control, guided by profound knowledge, could be used in a school setting to solve school problems, improve the way in which school problems are assessed and lead to continuous improvement of a school's systems. In addition, an understanding of profound knowledge can lead to a paradigm shift in the way principals view the system in which they work.

<p> Literacy is a national concern in the United States. Many students are graduating from high school across the U.S. lacking the skills needed to be a proficient reader. The lack of college readiness skills in reading causes these students to be placed in remedial classes on the collegiate level. School systems that recognize the high percentage of students entering high school who cannot read at their grade level can implement early interventions and provide professional development opportunities for teachers in order to increase reading achievement. Due to the culture created at the secondary level that held teachers responsible for teaching content, covering the mandated curriculum, and making adequate yearly progress, instructing students while utilizing best practices in reading instruction often was not a practical consideration. The traditional approach to literacy is not enough. It is time for teachers to acknowledge that literacy in middle and high school must be taught across all contents to lay the groundwork for literacy skills that students need to thrive in college. This study explored the effect of implementing Literature Circles in a secondary Communication Arts classroom on reading comprehension. While extensive research on Literature Circles exists, most of it focuses on their use at the elementary and middle school levels, with few studies investigating their implementation at the secondary level. However, the research establishes Literature Circles as a proven practice to assist students in making gains in reading skills. The sample population consisted of five 10th grade classes participating in Literature Circles and one 10th grade class as a control group. By implementing Literature Circles at the secondary level, the results of the data did not support the hypothesis that secondary students reading comprehension increased through participation in Literature Circles. While this study did not prove statistically any significant gains from participation in Literature Circles, observable gains occurred through the higher level of student questioning and students responding with evidence cited from the text. By implementing a classroom infrastructure that supported Literature Circles, students collaborated effectively about a text and used textual support to justify their responses to questions and to derive meaning from the text. The research from this study will add to the current body of knowledge regarding the use of Literature Circles at the secondary level.</p>

<p> The purpose of this case study, was to conduct research that provided an in-depth understanding of the 1-1 implementation of iPads into the senior class of two four-year charter high schools in Southern California. The problem addressed was the following: to date, there has been little definitive research to examine what works and what did not seem to work in the implementation of iPads into high school classrooms. This study describes the experiences and reflections of the participants during their first year of implementing the iPads. The participants included: administrators, staff and faculty at both schools who were interviewed, and students over the age of 18 during the last weeks of their senior year who completed an online electronic survey. All of these participants had experience with the iPad in a 1-1 setting for the 2012&ndash;2013 school year. </p><p> This study found that the culture of the school created a rich learning environment, due to the trust between participants formed from their communities of practice, which allowed for resilience in the participants while they experimented with the iPad implementation. There were more meaningful interactions between students and faculty, and the participants did not desire, or require, formal professional development. There were potential &ldquo;green&rdquo; benefits from working digitally and a &ldquo;cool&rdquo; factor that helped to engage participants. In conclusion, the culture of the school as pioneers and the shared vision of the participants, along with the nature of their training, were the factors that contributed to the success of this iPad implementation. </p>

<p> Transition is a process that occurs throughout life. The focus of this basic qualitative study was on the services and programs provided to individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. This study included the exploration of participants&rsquo; experiences in the classroom and community. There was limited research on current pioneers in the area of transition services for individuals with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 22 who returned to the public school system for a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The literature review in this study included extensive research regarding the value of and many practical suggestions for designing quality transition programming to prepare each student with skills and competencies necessary for successful post-school outcomes. This study included interviews with transition coordinators, special education directors, special education teachers, and paraprofessionals. The research findings include observations of transition programs within the classroom and community setting, a review of Transition Individualized Education plans. The results from this study identified the services and programs that have led to successful post-secondary options for students with disabilities and revealed the following findings, community independence, soft and hard skills, utilization of visuals to design the curriculum, real-world activities, and age-appropriate experiences. The findings of this qualitative study suggested several implications for transition services and programs for students between the ages of 18 and 22 with autism and intellectual disabilities. School districts should offer community-based programs for students with disabilities starting at the age of 14, which would be in middle school. Despite the data collected during this study, services and programs for students with intellectual disabilities and autism continue to need fine-tuning.</p>

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of modeling by the teacher of proper oral reading and tutorial behaviors, repetitive oral reading on storybooks appropriate to second grade students, and the participation in a cross-age reading tutorial program on the reading fluency and comprehension of low ability high school students. Though not the primary focus of the study, self concept and attitude toward reading were investigated as well. / The subjects were randomly selected high school students at one local high school who were between the ages of 14 and 18, who had been retained at least once, and were reading below the ninth grade level. / The treatment in this study consisted of: (1) modeling by the teacher in proper reading aloud and tutoring behaviors; (2) repetitive oral reading of storybooks appropriate to second grade students; and (3) reading storybooks to second grade students. / Pretest and posttest data consisted of scaled scores on the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, Blue Level, Forms G and H, in addition to a reading attitude survey and self concept survey designed by the researcher. / The research was experimental in nature with a pretest-posttest control group design utilized. Data analysis was interpreted using independent and paired sample t-tests comparing pre and post scores for each student and gain scores for the two groups. / The findings indicated that the students who participated in the experimental group scored significantly higher in reading fluency and evidenced a more positive self-concept than those of the control group. There were no significant differences between the two groups on the comprehension and attitude toward reading measurements. / There were five possible explanations offered for the findings on comprehension and four offered for the findings on attitude toward reading. Seven recommendations for practice and eight recommendations for further study were also offered. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2786. / Major Professor: John S. Simmons. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not high school students who had access to an expanded periodical collection in their school media center and who were instructed in utilizing periodicals for research would incorporate more of such literature into their bibliographies than would students who had no expanded access and no instruction. A quasi-experimental methodology, utilizing preestablished classes matched through test scores, was employed. The subjects were juniors in college preparatory English and Social Studies classes in two urban high schools, one of which provided an expanded periodical collection. The experimental classes were taught a unit on periodical usage by the researcher. / The hypotheses stated that students who were provided access to an expanded collection and instruction in periodical usage would cite more periodicals in research paper bibliographies than would students with: access but no instruction, instruction but no access, and no instruction and no access; and that student use of non-school libraries was related to having access and to being instructed. The t-test for differences in the means of independent observations was used to compare the percentage of periodical citations among groups; the chi square test of the significance in the difference between proportions was used to test the difference in use of non-school libraries between groups. The hypotheses were tested at the.10 level of significance. / The findings indicated that providing students with access to an expanded collection would increase their use of periodicals. The findings with regard to instruction were mixed: when both experimental and control classes were taught by the same teacher, instruction was significant; when classes were taught by different teachers, instruction was not significant. Instructed students did not use non-school libraries significantly more than did non-instructed students. Students with access did not use home or public libraries significantly more than did students without access; they did, however, use college libraries significantly more. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: A, page: 3939. / Major Professor: Ronald Blazek. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.