<p> The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of principal and school characteristics on principal mean ratings of teachers using the North Carolina teacher evaluation instrument. A review of recent literature identified principal, teacher, evaluation process, and school characteristics possibly influencing principal ratings of teachers, but the studies found explicitly addressing these relationships focused specifically on the relationship between principal ratings and teacher effectiveness as measured by value-added data. A series of simple and multiple regression tests were used in this study to examine the influence of principal characteristics and school characteristics on the distribution of principal ratings for Standards 1 through 5 of the North Carolina evaluation instrument. The predictor variables were principal years' experience as a principal, principal implicit person theory, principal number of dominant leadership orientation frames, school grade span, and school growth status. Principal years' experience as an administrator and teacher were also collected. Exploratory variables included were school Title I status, teacher turnover rate, and the percent of teachers with less than three years' experience. </p><p> To evaluate the influence of principal and school characteristics, a stratified, proportional sample of 399 principals were invited to participate in an online survey. Only 73 principals responded with only 68 of the responses meeting the criteria of completion to be used in the study. Principal years' experience as an administrator, school teacher turnover rate, and school percent of teachers with less than three years' experience significantly influenced principal mean ratings of teachers. The more years' experience as an administrator, the higher the principal mean rating assigned. The higher teacher turnover rate and percent beginning teachers, the lower principal mean rating assigned. This was an exploratory study revealing further opportunities for study on the influence of factors other than teacher effectiveness influencing principal ratings.</p>

<p> The current obesity rates of our nation's youth continue to escalate at an alarming rate due to inactivity, poor nutrition, and lifestyle changes. The purpose of this research study was conducted to determine the effects of Missouri Senate Bill 291 on Missouri physical fitness scores as assessed by the <i>Missouri Physical Fitness Assessment.</i> </p><p> The state of Missouri adopted new physical activity requirements starting in the 2010-2011 school year. This study evaluated the impact of Missouri Senate Bill 291 on fifth and ninth grade physical fitness assessments. Eleven years of statewide data, were examined to determine the impact of the physical activity mandate. Quantitative data analysis revealed a significant improvement for all four fitness assessments for grades 5 and 9 since the passage of Missouri Senate Bill 291. Grade 9 indicated a statistical significant change in the flexibility assessment. Results suggested that Missouri Senate Bill 291 has had a positive impact on statewide physical fitness assessments. Despite this positive improvement, overall fitness of Missouri fifth and ninth graders is still a major concern due to approximately three out of ten students failing the <i>Missouri Physical Fitness Assessment.</i> </p><p> This study provided for the value of fitness data collection moving forward with improving youth health and wellness. Further research and recommendations are advised in order to study trends related to youth physical fitness. In conclusion, state education departments and school districts should consider the value of collecting and examining fitness scores to develop curriculum that promotes healthy lifestyles which can improve academic success.</p>

<p> Student retention poses a major challenge to higher education in America. Research has demonstrated colleges that foster student engagement have higher retention rates than colleges that fail to do so. Writing centers are student services that improve student engagement and retention. This study focused upon the Fall 2013 cohort of developmental composition students in one Missouri community college, to determine if students' use of the writing center made a positive difference upon student engagement or successful completion of their course. The study was designed with a two-pronged approach to answer four questions. The first question was posed to determine a statistical difference existed between the retention rates of developmental composition students who visited the writing center and students who did not. A Chi-square Goodness of Fit statistical analysis determined with 95% accuracy that a difference did exist. The remaining questions were posed to obtain student perceptions regarding prospects for persisting in school, level of engagement with the college, and effects the writing center made upon engagement and persistence. These questions were answered with an online survey employing 19 Likert-scale statements to which the student could express level of agreement; responses were subjected to descriptive analysis. Student respondents expressed nearly 100% belief they would persist in school; expressed a high degree of engagement while claiming they were not engaged with the college; and expressed over 75% belief that the writing center had improved their engagement and persistence in school. These findings suggest writing centers do offer a valuable tool for improving student engagement and persistence. Future studies should be designed to provide a more global assessment of what writing centers do and how they might improve their services.</p>

<p> The enrollment of students with invisible disabilities has continued to increase unabated in postsecondary environments. As a result of the applicable laws governing the provision of accommodations and/or modifications in higher education, the impetus and responsibility to succeed rests almost entirely with the individual student. Research showed for many students with invisible disabilities, the transition from a more passive role in the acquisition of education at the primary and secondary levels to a more active role in the acquisition of higher education at the post-secondary level was difficult, as evidenced by a large percentage of such students failing to complete their degrees (Barber, 2012, Hadley, 2006; 2011, Skinner, 2004). Nonetheless, some of the same research indicated some students with invisible disabilities succeeded and completed their degrees (Barber, 2012, Skinner, 2004). The literature suggested that certain characteristics, particularly self-determination, were at least in part responsible for the success of these students. </p><p> The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the level of self-determination in successful students with invisible disabilities who participated in higher education. Data were collected through the administration of an online, anonymous, and untimed survey that ocnsisted of Wehmeyer and Kelchner's (1995) Arc Self-Determination Scale, as modified by Jameson (2007), as well as supplemental questions both adapted from Stage and Milne (1996) and created by the investigator. Levels of self-determination between successful students with invisible disabilities and their otherwise non-disabled peers were measured and analyzed for significant differences in means. The quantitative data revealed no significant difference in means on any domain score, including the Self-Determination Total score between groups, as measured by the modified Arc. Subsequent content analyses of supplemental questions revealed identical emerging themes in both participant groups, which aligned with Wehmeyer's essential characteristics of self-determination. </p>

<p> The problem addressed through this program evaluation was that no formal study had been conducted regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the BlueTeam Program (BTP) within the law enforcement agency (LEA) serving as the study site. The BTP is a program that utilizes a computer application to track officer behaviors and alert administrators to potential trends in officer misconduct and complaints against officers. The program evaluation was guided by the process and product segments of Stufflebeam's (2003) content, input, process, and product model. </p><p> To conduct the evaluation, the researcher used a mixed methods approach for analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data. The perceptions of LEA stakeholders regarding the BTP, such as the sufficiency of staffing, budget, training, and ongoing support for effective implementation, were first collected. Quantitative data, consisting of archived, deidentified indicators of officer misconduct and complaints against officers acquired through the BTP, were then analyzed. </p><p> Findings of the study were that the BTP was effective in reducing incidents of officer misconduct and complaints against officers and for use in identifying which alerts were valid indicators of misconduct and complaints against officers. The one concern of stakeholders involving the BTP was limited nighttime vision; the recommendation for program improvement is that this shortcoming be addressed to determine possible solutions. Recommendations for future research involve the need for initial determinations, as well as formative evaluations, pertaining to the following three areas: (a) ascertaining the way in which the early intervention system will be used, (b) identifying the indicators of misconduct that will be tracked, and (c) determining the threshold at which the system will issue an alert.</p>

<p>The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the educator&rsquo;s perception of the optimal professional development experience. Research studies have concluded that the biggest indicator to predict student achievement is teacher effectiveness (Aaronson, Barrow, &amp; Sander, 2007; Marzano, 2003; Sanders &amp; Horn, 1998; Wong 2001). Guskey (2000) stated, &ldquo;Never before in the history of education has greater importance been attached to the professional development of educators&rdquo; (p. 3). School districts continue to face reduced budgets and continue to expend resources on professional development. In addition, states such as Indiana have recently changed their evaluation system to encourage more professional development at the school and district level. A survey was created to analyze educator perceptions of professional development in five Midwest states: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. The survey collected basic teacher demographic data: gender (male/female), licensure (elementary K&ndash;5, secondary 6&ndash;12), years of experience (0&ndash;5, 6&ndash;10, 11&ndash;15, 16&ndash;20, and 20 or more), and position type (teacher/principal). The survey consisted of 35 questions that focused on educator perceptions of professional development. In all, 396 educators from 18 school districts across five Midwest states responded to the survey instrument. A statistical analysis of the responses provided composite mean scores and standard deviations. A factorial ANOVA was used to test the first hypothesis. An independent samples t-test was used to test the second, fourth, and fifth hypotheses. A one-way ANOVA was used to test the third hypothesis. There was a significant difference between position type (teacher/principal) and licensure (elementary K&ndash;5, secondary 6&ndash;12) on their perceptions of professional development. Principals responded with a higher perception of professional development than teachers. Elementary licensure, K&ndash;5th grade teachers, also responded with a higher perception of professional development. There was no significant difference between gender (male/female) and years of experience (0&ndash;5, 6&ndash;10, 11&ndash;15, 16&ndash;20, and 20 or more). Educators responded that their perception of the most effective forms of professional development were having more time to work with colleagues (86.6%), using a professional learning community model (85.7%), and attending conferences and workshops (84.9%). In addition, educators had a higher perception of the effectiveness of professional development at the school level versus the district level. </p>

<p> This study was focused on the identification of selected risk factors seemingly present among African American male adolescents 13 to 18 years old who were participants in special education programs at their schools. Many of these male adolescents were also found to participate in the juvenile justice system under what was characterized as disproportionate placement. Through the perusal of several sources, including but not limited to parents, educators, law enforcement personnel, principals, counselors, and experienced teachers involved with special education students, it was realized these regular special students were experiencing disproportionate placement. The purpose of this study was to compare perspectives of parents and selected law enforcement personnel regarding risk factors that may contribute to their placement in special education and the U.S. Department of Justice. The research design was descriptive and established association between/among the variables under study. The data were collected, coded, and analyzed using the SPSS software package. The data revealed that parents and selected law enforcement personnel strongly agreed with 9 of the 21 descriptive statements, disagreed with 1 of the statements, and were undecided regarding 1 of the statements. This research provides educators, parents, administrators, juvenile justice officials, and superintendents involved in making decisions related to placement and instruction with specific information to aid them in making appropriate decisions. </p>

Thesis (M.Ed.(Educational Psychology)) -- University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-77)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-10-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:01:50Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 estevam_hm_dr_arafcl.pdf: 701005 bytes, checksum: 21aa57a17630b4f172d414797505aa44 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este estudo teve por objetivo verificar a trajetória acadêmica dos egressos do curso de Pós- Graduação em Educação Escolar da Faculdade de Ciências e Letras de Araraquara, suas expectativas e perspectivas. Foram incluídos para a amostra, trinta e seis sujeitos, destes, vinte e um (58%) são mestres e quinze (42%) são doutores, trinta e um (86%) do gênero feminino e apenas cinco (14%) do gênero masculino. A maioria deles freqüentou escolas públicas e 33% receberam bolsas de incentivos no Mestrado e 53,33% no Doutorado. As principais razões que levaram os sujeitos a ingressarem no Mestrado e no Doutorado foram a busca da carreira docente e o anseio de realizar pesquisa. Tanto o curso como o corpo docente foram considerados muito bons. A maioria deles não se dedicou integralmente ao curso, apenas 28% publicaram suas Dissertações e/ou Teses e cerca de 40% atuam como orientadores de trabalhos e cinqüenta e dois é o número de orientandos atualmente e de cerca de duzentos e setenta o de já orientados. Observou-se que a maioria dos sujeitos atua em Instituições públicas em nível da educação básica, tendo uma renda média que varia entre seis e dez salários mínimos. A maioria escolheria a mesma profissão, cursaria tanto o Mestrado quanto o Doutorado, optaria pela mesma área na Graduação e escolheriam o mesmo orientador. O estudo aponta que o medo da exclusão e da marginalização obriga seu aperfeiçoamento acadêmico, onde a educação está caracterizada como algo a ser consumido e que a escola valoriza o saber onde o atributo é socialmente definido como o valor da educação. / This study aimed to verify the trajectory of the egresses in the Master s degree course at Faculdade de Ciências e Letras de Araraquara, their expectations and perspectives. The sample included for to the sample thirty six subjects, twenty-one of them (58%), are masters, fifteen (42%), are doctors, thirty-one (86%) of the female gender and just five (14%) of the male gender. The majority of them frequented public schools and 33% had received scholarship from incentives in Master degree and 53.33% in the Doctorate. The main reasons to enter the Master degree and the Doctorate had been the search of the teaching career and the yearning to carry through research. The course and its teachers had been considered very good. The majority of them was not dedicated integrally to the course, only 28% had published their Dissertation and/or Thesis and about 40% acts 52 are being oriented are about two hundred and have already bee published. It can be also observed that many of the egresses are dealing with some of orientation. It was observed that the majority of the egresses works in public Institutions in level of the basic education, having an average income that varies between six to ten minimum wages. The majority would choose the same profession, would attend a both the Master degree and Doctorate, would opt to the same area in the Graduation and would choose the same orienting. The study points that the fear of the exclusion and the marginaliging compels its academic perfectioning, where the education is characterized as something to be consumed and that the school values know where the attribute is socially defined as the value of the education.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-04-19Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:13:13Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 munhoz_dp_me_bauru.pdf: 428400 bytes, checksum: f1a2117630a2a7c31223d1b2af30f525 (MD5) / A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar os erros e acertos dos alunos nos itens referentes aos conteúdos de Grandezas e Medidas que foram testados na aplicação piloto da Provinha Brasil de Matemática. Participaram da amostra alunos do 1º e 2º ano do Ensino Fundamental matriculados nas escolas selecionadas pelo INEP para a aplicação piloto, sendo o objeto da pesquisa, a própria avaliação. Na primeira etapa da análise, foram utilizados os resultados da análise estatística e da revisão pedagógica desses itens, bem como o relatório do acompanhamento dessa aplicação. Na segunda etapa, foram analisados 27 itens relacionados ao bloco de conteúdo de Grandezas e Medidas, em que foi verificada a adequação desses itens em função dos descritores, sua pertinência para a alfabetização matemática e o desempenho dos alunos. Constatou-se que, apesar dos conteúdos desse bloco estarem intensamente vinculados ao cotidiano do aluno, o ensino deses conteúdos pode estar priorizando determinadas abordagens e não permeando todo o bloco. De modo geral, os alunos apresentaram dificuldade em realizar trocas monetárias e não estão familiarizados com medidas de tempo. Os dados da Provinha Brasil de Matemática podem orientar o trabalho docente a fim de superar a dificuldades constatadas e a Matriz de Referência dessa avaliação pode propor maior equidade na qualidade do ensino no país, norteando o ensino no país, norteando o ensino da Matemática nas séries iniciais / This research aimed to analyze the successes and failures of students on items relating to the contents of Quantities and Measures that have been tested in pilot application of Provinha Brasil of Matematics. The sample was formed with students from the 1st and 2nd year of elementary school enrolled in schools selected by INEP for the pilot application. The object of the research was the own assessment. In the first stage of analysis, we used the results of statistical analysis and revision of items and the report of accompanying this application. In the second step, we analyzed 27 items related to the content block of Quantities and Measures. It was verified the adequacy of these items in terms of descriptors, their relevance for Mathematical Literacy and performance of students. It was found that, despite the contents of this block are strongly linked to student's daily life, the teaching on this topic can be prioritizing certain approaches rather than permeating the entire block. In general, students had difficulty in making monetary exchanges and are not familiar with time measurements. Data from Provinha Brasil of Mathematics can guide teacher' work in order to overcome the difficulties encountered and Reference Array of this assessment may propose more equitable quality education in the country, guiding the teaching of mathematics in the first years