<p>Since the early 1980s Holocaust education and genocide studies programs at the primary, secondary and post-secondary educational levels have become commonplace and an accepted element of public school curriculum. As these programs and their curricula gained acceptance within public education, efforts to increase awareness of genocidal events outside and beyond the European Holocaust as well as increased attention paid to ethnic studies programs have also gained traction in public schooling. These efforts manifested themselves in the mid to late 1990s to include the Great Irish Famine (1845&ndash;1852) as a sub-study of greater Holocaust/genocide studies in both the states of New Jersey and New York. More than ten years after the formal adoption of the official state-sponsored Great Irish Famine curricula, their impact, influence and utilization remain unclear. This paper examines the history behind the creation of both New Jersey and New York Famine Curricula, compares and contrasts the two documents, examines their use in both states&rsquo; public schools, and suggests potential revisions to each Famine curriculum. </p>

<p> Mindfulness practices, used to focus and sustain attention, have been shown to promote school readiness, and to positively impact students' academic success. Yet, incorporating these practices into the normal school day has been difficult due to the curriculum changes and teacher training necessary for implementation and sustainable operation. This study utilized a quasi-randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, to measure the effects of a mindfulness program on student grades, on teaching operations, and on teacher mindfulness and stress. The program consisted of 90 audio-guided tracks, each 10 minutes in length. The automated delivery system, via an MP3 player and docking station, offered both students and teachers the opportunity to consistently participate in mindfulness practices each school day without impacting teaching operations. A total of 337 students in 2 schools participated in this study. There was a significant mindfulness intervention effect on students' grade point average (GPA) changes in School A (<i>N</i> = 131), between the treatment (<i>n</i> = 64, <i>M</i> = 2.7995, <i>SD</i> = 3.13), and control (<i>n</i> = 67, <i>M</i> = .0448, <i> SD</i> = 2.61) groups; <i>t</i>(129) = 5.48, <i>p</i> &lt; .001 (2-tailed), 99% <i>CI</i> [1.76, 3.75], <i>d</i> = .96. In school B, (<i>N</i> = 206), there was a near significant mindfulness intervention effect on GPA changes between the treatment (<i> n</i> = 103, <i>M</i> = .0357, <i>SD</i> = .065) and control (<i>n</i> = 103, <i>M</i> = .0091, <span style="text-decoration:overline"> SD</span> = .126) group; <i>t</i>(204) = 1.91, <i>p</i> = .058 (2-tailed), 95% <i>CI</i> [-.001, .054], <i> d</i> = .27. These results suggest that a daily audio-guided mindfulness practice can positively impact student grades across all subjects with less than 1 hour of teacher training and with no changes to the existing curriculum. </p>

<p> The purpose of the study was to determine the impact that community-based group mentoring had on improving academic efficacy and personal efficacy of 31 African American male participants. The study measured the influence of the group-mentoring program, which was arranged around an attribution-retraining curriculum. Participants attended a summer academy where they were exposed to a series of attribution retraining seminars allowing them to engage in activities making connections to attribution retraining concepts. The study aimed to determine if the participant's perceptions about their intelligence would be positively influenced by the attribution-retraining curriculum administered over a course of the 2-week summer academy. Survey responses from a pretest and posttest as related to motivational dimensions of attribution were analyzed. The quantitative results revealed a marginally significant change noted by <i>t</i>(29) = 1.82, <i>p</i> = 0.080, (.05 = statistically significant) for the two-tailed t-test reflecting that the participants' perceptions changed slightly regarding their ability to grow their intelligence. A correlational exploration was also conducted, which revealed that the group mentoring seminars influenced the participants' motivation to make better choices and to feel better about their ability to control their academic and personal destiny. Implications of the study include establishing attribution-retraining curriculum as part of group mentoring models in nonprofit organizations. Also, using attribution-retraining curricula with African American males as a motivational concept for academic and personal success was determined a worthwhile endeavor to mitigate the challenges African American male adolescents face including broken family structure, poverty, poor academic performance, high dropout rates, and behavioral challenges. </p>

<p> The focus of this study was to examine the characteristics of alternative programs in the state of Missouri and to determine whether a statistical difference in the persistence to graduation rate existed between the two variations of programs. When identifying the characteristics, several commonalities emerged. These commonalities could be the focus of future studies to determine a list of best-practices among alternative programs. When focusing on the statistical element of this study, the two programs in question were revolving door and one-way programs. For the purpose of this study, a revolving door style program was defined as one that assesses and addresses student needs within an alternative setting. Once they record significant progress, these students return to the regular classroom setting. A one-way program style assigns students to an educational setting once they prove that the regular classroom setting is not an appropriate situation. The at-risk students in this program will either graduate from the alternative school or choose not to complete high school. According to the findings of this study, there was no statistically significant difference between and among the persistence to graduation rate midst the revolving door and one-way styles of alternative programs.</p>

<p> Writing is a well-established content area in the elementary grade levels and computer programming is currently being introduced to the elementary grade levels. Both subject areas utilize similar organizational skills and teaching strategies. However, the students who are motivated to program may not represent the students who are motivated to write. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in the dimensions of motivation, which are: challenge, choice, enjoyment, and interest of fifth-grade students to engage in an expository writing activity after being taught to develop computer programs with the same teaching strategies used in the writing activity. </p><p> A quasi-experimental control-group design was conducted, with the use of the <i>My Class Activities Instrument,</i> to investigate the change in the dimensions of motivation. Control, treatment groups, and gender were investigated by comparing pretest and iv posttest data. The data were analyzed using a multivariate general linear model (MGLM) for treatment/control groups and gender. </p><p> The results of the MGLM showed no statistical significance for difference in the control, treatment groups, and gender; more analysis was conducted on individual students. Students were categorized into three levels (low, middle, and high) on motivation by the results of their pretest scores. Students were tracked based on who showed a motivational change from the pretest on both the science activity and the posttest. The individual students in the treatment and control groups were then compared by percentage of individual movement. The results of the analysis showed that the low treatment group, on all four dimensions of motivation, moved more positively than the control group that scored in the low group on the pretest. </p><p> The results of this study suggest that the teaching of computer programming was not effective with the intention of motivating the masses of fifth-grade students to write. However, there appears to be supporting evidence that teaching computer programming to fifth-grade students may help some individual students who are not initially motivated to write.</p>

<p> <b>Context</b>: Entry-level athletic trainers enter the workforce with the skills taught to them by athletic training programs (ATPs) using the Competencies developed by our accrediting body. </p><p> <b>Objective</b>: These competencies are developed using data collected from athletic trainers in the field with no input from the consumers of athletic training services. </p><p> <b>Design</b>: This study used a 3-round Delphi questionnaire. </p><p> <b>Setting</b>: Secondary schools located South Louisiana. </p><p> <b>Participants</b>: Six experts in the field of athletic training. </p><p> <b>Data Collection and Analysis</b>: In round 1, participants were first asked to identify individual skills within predetermined skill categories created from the Competencies and existing research. In rounds 2 and 3, participants ranked and rated their responses from round 1. Using Delphi methodology with qualitative and quantitative analysis, a Duty-Task List (DTL) was created from the data, which identified the essential skills for entry-level athletic trainers. </p><p> <b>Results</b>: Ranking of the skill categories produced four tiers, the top tier consisting of skill categories developed from the Competencies. The bottom tier consisted of two items, both from the Competencies: use of evidence-based medicine in practice and therapeutic interventions. Data further revealed communication, its many different forms, was the most important individual skill for entry-level athletic trainers. </p><p> <b>Conclusions</b>: The Delphi methodology used in this study was once again shown to be as effective as DACUM in producing an industry-supported DTL. In doing so, the participants gave a clear conceptualization of the essential skills needed as an entry-level athletic trainer, while also identifying some skills missing from the Competencies. Consideration should be given to the consumers of athletic training services when the next version of the Competencies is created. The athletic trainers on the panel consistently ranked higher skill categories from the Competencies, while the administrators on the panel ranked the non-competency skill categories higher. Additionally, there is still some resistance to increased use evidence in practice, which may be further proof of the chasm between what is considered desirable by clinical setting athletic trainers and academic setting athletic trainers.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that predict success in AP Calculus. The factors investigated include student study habits, such as time spent doing homework, working with a study group or tutor, phoning a friend for help, or using the Internet for help. The study also examined the classroom environment and structure and the affect of teacher knowledge and attitude on predicting success. Additionally, teacher teaching styles and teacher designed lessons that predicted success in AP Calculus were investigated. Seventy-three (<i>N</i>=73) former students in the course participated in the study. An online survey was conducted to collect data for the study. The study used multiple regressions to analyze the student data. The results showed that, when taken together, student study habits and teacher teaching styles were two factors that were statistically significant predictors of success in AP Calculus. The study found that the Internet was a factor that predicted success of AP Calculus which was important as students become more and more wired into cell phones, tablets, and other media devices.</p><p> Conversely, the results also showed that the classroom environment and structure, teacher knowledge and attitude, and the teacher designed lessons were not statistically significant in predicting success in AP Calculus. However, even though these were not significant statistically, the students expressed that they were very important contributors to their success. Recommendations include the application of specific study habits, teaching styles, and increase use of the Internet resources to students in school, including increased access to their various handheld devices such as cell phones and tablets.</p><p> Additionally it is recommended to continue the examination success factors in higher level math courses such as AP Calculus.</p>

<p>Researchers have developed strategies used in nursing programs to promote cultural awareness (Hunter &amp; Krantz, 2010). Minimal research has focused on the graduating associate degree-nursing students to determine if a relationship existed between the use of an integrated cultural curriculum and the nursing student&rsquo;s level of cultural awareness (Kardong-Edgren &amp; Campinha-Bacote, 2008, Sealey, Burnett, &amp; Johnson, 2006). The associate degree-nursing program accreditation, statistical, and benchmark reports mandated the integration of diversity content, local, national, and worldwide perspectives in the curricula (NLN, 2008). Additionally societal and cultural patterns must be integrated across the entire nursing school curricula (Board of Registered Nursing, 2012, section 1426-e7). A correlational approach was implemented to determine if relationships existed between the integrated cultural curriculum and level of cultural awareness in graduating associate degree nursing students in a large metropolitan area, such as in Los Angeles (Sealey et al., 2006). The Cultural Awareness Scale (CAS) was used to survey the participants. Based on the findings of the 51 participants surveyed in this study, the cultural awareness level may be attributed to several factors, including the integrated cultural curricula. The nursing student&rsquo;s learning style, perception of faculty, personal experiences, and cultural encounters may also contribute to the cultural awareness level. Analysis of variance results revealed no statistically significant difference on the CAS total or subscale scores based on gender, age, and ethnicity. The outcome of this study may encourage academic affairs leaders to emphasize cultural awareness as a significant student-learning outcome for nursing educational programs. </p>

<p> Public Montessori schools have grown in number significantly in the United States. This case study chronicles the journey of teachers as they navigate the tension of balancing the Montessori approach with an accountability Standards model. Although Montessori may be in demand among parents in the nation, exhibited by the increase in public Montessori schools, this approach remains in the niche, or boutique, versus the big box of standards education. In this case study, teachers from a large standards-based school in transition to becoming a public Montessori school answered self-reflective survey questions and were observed in their classrooms to verify their responses. Using this approach, the teachers' practice and reflections were compared and contrasted against the teachers' proclaimed continuum for balancing the dual curriculums of Montessori and Standards-based instruction. Twelve teachers were then interviewed and observed to examine their ability to change. The descriptive feedback from these teachers gave insight into the challenges and successes of implementing complex instructional change. Among significant findings was that some teachers in a short time were able to successfully balance the two curriculum mandates. This study's results revealed that given a complex criteria of support, motivated and experienced teachers could implement this change. This study opens the possibility that under certain circumstances, Montessori boutique education could be replicated in a public Big Box way.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-02, Section: A, page: 0536. Adviser: Daniel J. Walsh. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-143) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.