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Indigenization of human resources and mental emancipation were among the priorities, explicit and implicit, of the African political and intellectual elites striving for meaningful independence. Education, namely training and research that was Afro-centric, was perceived as a means--if not sometimes as an end in itself--to achieve these priorities. Concurrently, in order to facilitate national self-assertion, African leaders advocated a context supporting non-alignment abroad and struggling against neo-colonialism at home. Limited resources in Africa made it necessary to utilize foreign training facilities in order to attain a reasonably rapid indigenization (Africanization) of human resources. Among those countries intervening with offers of education aid was the USSR, with a variety of formal and nonformal training programs. Innovation was shown both in its curricular and in its admissions procedures. In relationship to African priorities, Lumumba Friendship University and other Soviet training programs--formal and nonformal--may be characterized as participating in the processes of African indigenization, democratization, and conscientization, of which the latter was not welcomed by all African governments in power. Soviet research on Africa, with the support of Soviet political leadership at the highest level, was on record as having a willingness to place its resources at the disposal of the Third World decolonization movements. A significant increase in the quantity and quality of Soviet research on Africa occurred. A reorganization of African studies created a specialized institute on Africa. Soviet researchers were able to go beyond the secondary sources to which they had been previously restricted by colonial isolation to carry out policy-oriented research aimed, at least partly, at aiding the African decolonization efforts, including studies on the political role of the peasantry, resistance to colonialism, and the unity of African languages.

Master of Arts (MA)

<p> This qualitative study explored how the teacher&rsquo;s knowledge of African American English (AAE) influenced the interactions and perceptions teachers had about AAE speaking students. African American English is a rule based language system spoken by over 80 percent of African Americans (Charity Hudley &amp; Mallison, 2011; Smitherman, 1977). Despite this statistic AAE is not classified as a second language and is generally not recognized in most U.S. Schools. Programs such as the Academic English Mastery Program (AEMP) classify those speakers of AAE and other languages that are generally referred to as English Only (EO) as Standard English Learner (SEL). This study looked at knowledge of AAE, perceptions demonstrated through interactions with students and strategies teachers used while working with primarily African American middle school students. The researcher observed classrooms, attempted to analyze lesson plans, and conducted teacher interviews. Findings showed that teachers may have known about AAE but most did not explore learning about the language or strategies to work with AAE speaking students despite having classes that were attended by mostly AAE- speaking students. This research also showed that even when teachers felt competent in using AEMP strategies lack of respect for students and understanding of African American culture stifled the teacher&rsquo;s effectiveness.</p>

<p> First-generation, low-income, and disabled college students are an increasing population (Tinto, 2012). TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) is an academic support program funded by the U.S. Department of Education that seeks to support this demographic to overcome challenges and thrive while in college (Coffman, 2011). Utilizing a mixed methods approach, the goal of this study was to examine the student success outcomes of retention and grade point average of TRIO SSS students compared to students who are similarly qualified but not being served by TRIO SSS at a Midwestern, large, public, four-year institution. In addition, TRIO SSS seniors were interviewed during focus groups. During focus groups, students reflected on their overall programmatic experiences in TRIO. A total of 1,913 students were involved in the quantitative analysis, and 16 TRIO seniors participated in the focus groups. Data analysis resulted in the emergence of four major themes: (a) relationships, (b) loyalty, (c) trust, and (d) transformation. These findings were consistent with other studies conducted within the scope of Tinto&rsquo;s (2012) theory of student retention. All of the interview participants identified a profound and personal emotional connection to their time in TRIO SSS. This study was significant due to the lack of previous research that couples the experiences of students with quantitative data. Implications for practice included, but were not limited to, stronger support for first-generation students through a range of campus partnerships and initiatives. Recommendations for future research included expanding this study by examining TRIO programs at other institutions and gathering perceptions of first-generation students through multiple focus groups.</p>

<p> This qualitative exploration in the form of multiple case studies interviewed a group of seven social workers from the St. Louis Metropolitan area to gain their perception as school social workers concerning their roles in public schools. The literature on school social workers indicated that school social workers brought unique knowledge and skills to the school system and the student services team. School social workers were instrumental in furthering the vision of the schools to help provide an improved setting and environment for teaching and learning. </p><p> This study conducted case studies of the social worker in the professional environment to document the types of activities conducted in the workplace and perceptions of the social workers regarding their place in the school setting. </p><p> To gather the qualitative data necessary to answer the research questions, participants provided responses to a survey, kept a log of activities, and participated in interviews. Qualitative data was coded for indicators of the role of social workers and their best strategies, on the job. Five major themes emerged from the study. The first of these was Monitoring Attendance and Tardy Issues. This role took much of the time during the day for social workers regardless of setting. </p><p> Home Visits to Assess Family Needs was the second most common job duty of the participants. Connecting Families to Resources did not take as much time, however was regarded by the social workers as the most important. Individual and Group Counseling was a common tool for trying to improve student behavior or coping skills. This was not a frequently used as the social workers desired. Crisis Intervention occurred on an as needed basis and required the use of the skills learned in their college training. The other major conclusion was in the difference between the single site and travelling school social workers. All of the travelling social workers thought they would be more effective if they were in only one school full time. Overall, the participants reported that they loved their job in spite of the challenges they faced.</p>

<p> This study measured the impact of targeted reading interventions on improving reading fluency for second-grade students as indicated by their performance on a statewide standardized assessment of reading fluency proficiency. Reading fluency scores for students who received intervention in second grade were measured again in their third-grade year to see if the intervention had a lasting impact on their overall reading fluency ability. Statistical analysis using a paired samples t-test revealed that reading fluency ability increases with the use of targeted intervention among second-grade students. A statistically significant relationship was discovered through the use of a paired samples t-test for students who receive targeted intervention in second grade and their third-grade IRI scores. This verifies that targeted reading fluency interventions are successful among students from high-poverty backgrounds. Individual and focus-group interviews were completed with teachers, para-professionals, and instructional coaches who provided reading fluency interventions to students. Themes emerged indicating a need for targeted intervention, meaningful practice, and instructional strategies in order for students to become fluent readers. Further analysis determined that schools that utilize classroom teachers rather than para-professionals to provide reading fluency intervention to struggling, high-poverty students achieved the most overall growth on the IRI. Another contributing factor to overall growth on the IRI was the amount of time students received intervention. Students that received at least forty-five minutes a day of additional intervention exhibited higher levels of growth. Lastly, several different reading curricula were used in the present study, revealing that instructional strategies and targeted intervention leads to greater acquisition of reading fluency skills regardless of the prescribed curriculum.</p>

Teachers typically underutilize the home knowledge and sociocultural strengths students bring to school with them. Ethnographic home visits provide a mechanism by which teachers can learn to mediate between students' spontaneous home knowledge and formal school concepts. This is a teacher-researcher study in which I assumed both roles. I discuss transformation of the teaching and learning context resulting from ethnographic home visits conducted by me in the homes of five U.S. Mexican¹ students. Methods of investigation included ethnographic interviews and participant observation. Data sources were field notes, student journal entries, anecdotal data, video tape recordings, and a research journal. Chapter six presents mediation theory as it relates to classroom instruction. Teachers mediate between actual zones of development (AZD) and the proximal zones of development (PZD) in the zone of proximal development (ZPD) through use of tools including concrete objects, pictures, written and oral language, and other human beings. The principal finding in this work is that ethnographic research conducted by teachers has a transformative effect on teachers and students while informing pedagogy. ¹Although the subjects in this study were born in Mexico, the term U.S. Mexican is used to distinguish Mexicans residing in the U.S. from Mexicans residing in Mexico. This designation is consistent with other literature referring to persons currently residing in the U.S. who are either native born in Mexico or of Mexican parentage born in the U.S., regardless of generation.

Educational policy and practice in this country and around the world sees those in formal positions of leadership as central figures in the reform of schooling. Given the central role that these persons play in that reform, and given the nature of the challenges that they face, educational leaders will need to develop new and innovative theoretical perspectives for viewing and understanding organizations. At this time, however, most theories of organization and leadership are limited due to their emphasis on the perspectives of white males. This study attempts to gain a theoretical picture of organizational leadership from the perspective of persons of color. Eight minority students from graduate programs in educational administration in the Tucson, Arizona, and Tacoma, Washington areas were interviewed with the purpose of capturing a sense of organizational theory from the perspectives of educational leaders of color. Drawing on the organizational frame research of Bolman and Deal (1984, 1991a, 1992a), the dispositions of leaders of color toward four traditional organizational theories were examined. Then, examination into their views of organization was extended to gain an idea of some of the issues that comprise the specific realities of organization for educational leaders of color. The findings from this study suggest that educational leaders of color have both a unique and powerful perspective to offer scholars and practitioners interested in a greater understanding of organization and leadership. The findings may also have implications for the research into organization theory, as well as for the design and direction of university educational administration programs.