The purpose of this study was to explore the current practices used by secondary educators (special education teachers and guidance counselors) and stand alone career and technical education (CTE) center teachers when working with students with disabilities from home high schools participating in secondary CTE programming. In addition, this study looked at the perceptions that each educational system (high school and secondary CTE) had in regards to need and responsibility when working with these shared students. Participants for this study included CTE teachers and administrators from stand alone CTE centers in the state of Indiana and secondary special education teachers and guidance counselors from high schools feeding into those centers. Study participants were provided a paper/pencil survey and asked to respond to survey questions using both Likert-type scale and forced choice questions. Demographic data were gathered that included gender, age, position, years in position, years in education, and current classroom/service delivery setting. Participants were asked to rate statements regarding the level and types of communication and collaboration that were taking place between CTE teachers and their respective high schools (special education teachers and guidance counselors). The study found that there was inconsistency in the methods that were used to share information about students with disabilities and who was responsible for providing that information. A relatively high percentage of respondents did not have any knowledge about how information was shared. The study also found that many respondents (CTE and secondary educators) did not feel regular communication took place between the two systems in regards to students with disabilities. Overall, this study found that the responses provided by CTE and secondary education (special education teachers and guidance counselors) were varied based upon respondents personal involvement or responsibility. Recommendations are made for both local and state follow-up to investigate how CTE and special education are communicating and collaborating on behalf of students with disabilities. Further research is needed in order to establish and implement more consistent practice and process related to communication and collaboration between CTE and high school personnel (special education). This study was exploratory, designed with a targeted sample (n = 131) that provides important results and useful insight that can be instructive for further conversation and research. / Department of Special Education

This study addressed superintendents' value perceptions of nineteen component parts of P.L. 94-142, The Education For All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. In addition, the study sought to determine whether relationships existed between superintendents' value perceptions of P.L. 94-142 and (1) school district size and (2) total years experience as a superintendent. As a result of this research, twenty-one conclusions were drawn, consisting of Texas superintendents' perceptions of several aspects of P.L. 94-142 such as: its effectiveness, appropriateness, process hearing costs, funding, time/cost efficiency, feasibility, and ultimate goal. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between the total number years served as a superintendent, or the size of school districts served, and the superintendents' value perceptions concerning P.L. 94-142. In summary, twenty-one conclusions were reached regarding superintendents' value perceptions of P.L. 94-142. A total of seven implications were drawn from the conclusions. Finally, seven recommendations for future study were made.

This work was undertaken with a view to developing a textbook for United States secondary schools on the subject of death and dying through a religious lens. The purpose of this work is to provide high school teens with the means of coping with loss and a foundation for crafting their own meaning of life and death. Taking a close look at death attitudes among young people in the United States, as well as high school faculty and staff for the purpose of determining whether or not death education can be provided for public high school students, the work starts from the premise that said death education, using a religious model, should be provided for teenagers because the religious model provides the necessary elements of idea, ritual, and community, so necessary for building a world-view. Research was conducted in the form of survey and historical review to determine the efficacy of the proposed course of study. Upon analysis of the available information on death education history and course offering, as well as analysis of the survey results, the conclusion was reached that the provision of death education in the nation‟s public high schools would go a long way to reducing death anxiety amongst United States teenagers, and also give the adolescents a model for creating their own sense of meaning for all of life that includes death. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Rapid industrialization, breakthroughs in science and technological development have ushered in an era regarded as a technocratic age. The advent of a technocratic age has necessitated the acquisition of technologically appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes, and consequently it has become necessary to establish education systems that fulfil the demands set by technocratic age principles. Present-day education is typified by technocratic age imperatives which include meritocracy, specialization, vocationalism, professionalism and scientism. Technocratic age education is further characterized by mass education, free and compulsory education and greater bureaucratic control of education. In technocratic age education systems, entrance examinations are used to select learners for advanced education and training. It would appear that this takes place with little regard for the learner's personal worth or meeting the learner's distinctive needs. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (History of Education)

In this thesis, I address the dichotomy between liberal arts education and terminal vocational training in the American community college. The need is for reform in the community college in relation to philosophical instruction in order to empower citizens, support justice and create more sustainable communities. My call for reform involves a multicultural integration of philosophy into terminal/vocational programs as well as evolving the traditional liberal arts course to exist in a multicultural setting. Special attention is focused on liberating the oppressed, social and economic justice and philosophy of education.

The intent of this study was to establish and validate criteria for use to assess the quality of a library and information sciences (LIS) Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. student-centric topology for quality Ph.D. programs was developed from a 2001 position statement by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) regarding the quality indicators in research-focused doctoral programs in nursing. Topology components were tested using a survey instrument to establish their importance to the community of practice and their potential use to assess a Ph.D. program. Survey participants were asked to rank terms or concepts in a balanced incomplete block (BIB) design then rate, on a Likert-type scale, statements about the applicability of these terms or concepts to assessing a quality LIS Ph.D. program. Survey participants were from the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Open Lib/Info Sci Education Forum jESSE Listserv. Of 225 survey participants affiliated with universities or schools from North America who submitted usable surveys, slightly less than two-thirds (64.4 %) were female while 35.5 % were male. Ninety-eight participants (43.6 %) were faculty, 114 (50.7 %) were Ph.D. students or candidates, and 13 (5.8 %) were in other roles. Statistical analysis of survey responses showed consistent results between the different demographic groups. The topology was validated by the results of the statistical analysis of the research data. Every component of the topology was acknowledged as very important to assess the quality of a LIS Ph.D. program. Faculty was the highest ranked item in the BIB analysis with a statistically significant difference (p < .0001) in the mean rank order from the next highest ranked item, Ph.D. students. The rank order from the BIB analysis was as follows: faculty, Ph.D. students, programs (courses) of study, teaching, learning environment, resources, and evaluation. Faculty was also the highest rated item in the Likert-type statement analysis.

This research study analyzed the results of the Jesuit Universities Consortium in comparison with the results of the Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges Consortia as measured by the 2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in order to determine and identify any statistically significant differences between the consortia. One-way ANOVA analyses and Tukey HSD post hoc comparisons were conducted on the data from freshmen/first year students and seniors/fourth year students on each of the five clusters of the NSSE to determine any statistically significant difference and, subsequently, the effect size of any found differences. The study found that there were statistically significant differences on the following: 1) freshmen/first year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the freshmen/first year students in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Academic Challenge, 2) freshmen/first year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the freshmen/first year students in the Catholic Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Enriching Educational Experiences, 3) freshmen/first year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the freshmen/first year students in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Supportive Campus Environment, 4) seniors/fourth year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the seniors/fourth year students in the Catholic Colleges and Universities Consortium on the NSSE cluster of Active and Collaborative Learning, and 5) seniors/fourth year students in the Jesuit Universities Consortium and the seniors/fourth year students in both of the Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Consortia on the NSSE cluster of Supportive Campus Environment. While statistically significant differences were found in the aforementioned analyses, effect sizes were small for all. Future research studies, including longitudinal studies, are needed to fully investigate levels of student engagement within the three consortia.

This study examined the effects of Head Start participation on the cognitive and social functioning of children 6 to 14 years of age in the United States.

Rapid growth in the use of technology and the need for education reform resulted in the need for educators to integrate technology and standards-based instruction into their daily lessons. The growing number of students whose first language is not English requires a diverse set of teaching strategies and assessments to provide these students with optimal opportunities for achieving high standards.

The purpose of this study was to present and analyze the political implications and the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act and its effects on English language learners.