This thesis sought to lay the foundation for an application for tracking K-12 teacher activities. Its primary contribution is a descriptive model of K-12 activities. The work's starting point, the Faculty Activities System project, is an ETSU initiative that seeks to produce a tool for university-level academic accountabilities management. It was possible to adapt the FAS project's data model for K-12 activities. The resulting model was validated by experts in the field of education and teachers and administrators across Tennessee. A second strategy for model validation, using national and state legislation and expert recommendations, determined that the model did well at capturing teachers' professional growth and contributions to the school and community, but fell short at capturing student improvement, the learning environment, teaching strategies, portfolios, and self-assessment. The data model was realized as a multi-file XML schema, which was tested for well-formedness and validity using a sample data document.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between the academic achievement as measured by ACT English, math, and composite scores of students who took 6 or more credits of weightlifting, 6 or more credits of performing arts, or no elective focus in an East Tennessee high school serving grades 9-12 from the graduating classes of 2010 through 2014. The independent variables were the elective focus groups students took during high school and race and ethnicity. The dependent variables were ACT English, math, and composite scores. A series of one-way analyses of variances (ANOVAs) were performed to examine the differences in the mean ACT scores for the students taking 6 or more credits of weightlifting, 6 or more credits of performing arts, or no elective focus. Significant differences were found between the ACT English, math, and composite scores for students taking 6 or more credits of performing arts and no elective focus and students taking 6 or more credits or weightlifting and no elective focus. There was not a significant difference between the students taking 6 or more credits of weightlifting and 6 or more credits of performing arts. Based upon the findings of the study students taking 6 or more credits of performing arts had significantly higher ACT English, math, and composite scores than students with a weightlifting focus or no elective focus. Two-way analyses of variance were also performed to study the relationships between the academic performance as measured by ACT English, math, and composite scores of White and non-White students. White students performed significantly higher than non-White students on ACT English, math, and composite scores. There was no significant interaction between race and ethnicity and elective focus groups; however, there were significant main effects in race and ethnicity and elective focus groups. There were significant differences in the ACT math and composite scores between the weightlifting and performing arts groups as well as performing arts and no elective focus area. There was not a significant difference between the weightlifting and no elective focus. There were significant differences between all pairs of groups for ACT English. The performing arts focus group scored significantly higher than the other groups on all 3 ACT subtests.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to give an in-depth description of the perceptions of students educated exclusively in rural, unit schools in East Tennessee. Specific areas addressed in the study included: (a) students’ perceptions and descriptions of their perspective schools; (b) feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the schooling experience; (c) relationships formed with students and adults; and (d) feelings of belonging or ownership; (e) students’ perceptions about the quality of education they have received; and (f) students’ comparisons of their school to other secondary schools. The data were gathered through the process of the long interview with open-ended questions with eighteen juniors who had been educated in rural, unit schools in East Tennessee for the entirety of their educational experiences. The intent of the analysis was to utilize the direct quotes of the students whenever possible to present a clear representation of the students’ individual perceptions or “life-world.” The findings of the study indicated some overall commonalities, specifically in students’ satisfaction with their schooling experiences, the strong relationships developed among the unit school family, a sense of belonging at the schools, and feelings of ownership. The students generally perceived that they had received a high quality education, but had recommendations for improvement. The students also perceived their schools as unique, in terms of the closeness, smallness, pride in their schools, the personal environment of the schools, and a family-like nature. The results of this study should prove pertinent in the field of education and particularly to individuals involved in small school research and unit schooling.

The topic of ability level grouping of students for instructional purposes is one of the most studied areas of research in educational literature. However, because of the inconclusive findings in the literature, no clear answer to the question of whether homogeneous or heterogeneous grouping is in the best educational interest of students has been established. Middle level administrators play a particularly important role in the debate concerning the use of ability grouping in individual schools because the pattern for future educational tracks of students is established at the middle level. An exploration of the factors that affect the decision making processes of middle school principals concerning whether to implement homogeneous versus heterogeneous grouping was deemed to be important in lending understanding to practitioners in the field faced with the responsibility of implementation of middle school programming. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the factors that influence middle level principals in the east Tennessee region when deciding to implement homogeneous or heterogeneous grouping of students in their schools. Data were collected through a series of audio taped interviews and transcribed for inductive analysis. Themes that emerged from the data analysis of the open-ended interviews were deducted into findings presented within the context of reviewed literature. The impact of student achievement, standardized test accountability, social factors that affect students, the perceptions of teachers and parents, programming for special education and gifted students, the impact of educational research, and the personal philosophies of the research participants concerning homogeneous versus heterogeneous instruction emerged as influential themes that affected principals' decisions to implement ability level grouping. Specific recommendations for educational practice included the implementation of ability grouping at the middle level exclusively in the areas of mathematics, language, and reading, flexible scheduling that allows for movement of students between groups, and changing the yearly assignment of teachers to a specific ability group for instruction. The need for additional quantitative and qualitative research was also suggested.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between home environment and school readiness of children entering kindergarten in a rural East Tennessee county. Family and home environment variables included family income, family structure, parents' education, participation in literacy activities, availability of home learning tools, and amount of children's television viewing. A self-reported parent survey was used to gather information about the family environment; the Brigance K Screen was used to determine entering kindergartner's readiness for school. Three hundred and thirty eight children and parents participated. An initial analysis of data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables. To examine the relationships between the dependent variable (Brigance scores) and independent variables (family characteristics/environment), Kendall's tau-b and Cramer's V were used. Independent sample t-tests and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) analyzed differences in Brigance scores between groups. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression analysis determined if kindergarten readiness could be predicted by specific variables: socioeconomic status, literary resources, and literacy activities. The analysis of relationships in this study indicated that family income was more closely related to success on the Brigance K Screen than any other variable; next in importance were the levels of fathers' education and mothers' education. Significant positive correlations also indicated the value of parents reading to their children, educational outings, availability of educational tools--specifically, a home computer, family structure, mealtime conversation, and the number of children's books in the home. A significant negative correlation was found between the duration of television viewing and Brigance scores; increased television viewing time was significantly related to lower test scores. ANOVAs and t-tests indicated significant differences in total Brigance scores of prekindergarten students from different socioeconomic status groups based on family structure, family income, and parents' education levels. Children from two-parent homes scored significantly higher than those from other family situations as did children from higher income homes. In addition, parents' education level was reflected in the Brigance scores; more educated parents had children who scored higher than children with less educated parents. The multiple regression analysis reinforced the statistical significance and magnitude of the relationship between socioeconomic factors and school readiness, but literacy resources and literacy activities also accounted for variance in the scores.

The purpose of this study was to determine if an association existed between student achievement scores and classroom practices used among third-grade teachers in Upper East Tennessee. The variables included classroom environment, instructional context, and social context, employing developmentally appropriate practices (DAP). Teacher characteristics, including type of degree, highest degree, years of experience, level of DAP knowledge, and degree granting institution, were analyzed for characteristics influencing developmentally appropriate practices. The instrument, Assessment of Practices in Early Elementary Classrooms (APEEC), was used to gather information; the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP/CRT) Reading/Language and Mathematics scores were used to determine student' achievement level. A demographic survey was used to collect teacher characteristic information. An initial analysis of data incorporated simple descriptive statistics in the form of frequency tables. Independent samples t tests, analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and Pearson Product moment correlation coefficients were used to determine if there were associations in DAP levels among teacher characteristics. Finally, one-way-analysis of variance assessed the associations between the dependent variables (TCAP/CRT scores) and independent variables (environment, instruction, and social context). The analysis of the data indicated that the majority of the third-grade teachers were certified in elementary education. Over half of the sample had master's degrees or above. Six had not taught any grades except third. The third-grade teachers had less experience in teaching kindergarten and more experience in first and second grades. An independent-samples t test indicated no significant differences in APEEC scores between teachers with early childhood degrees and teachers with other degrees; no significant differences in APEEC scores between teachers with a bachelor's degree and teachers with a master's or higher degree; and no significant differences between degree granting institutions. Correlation coefficients indicated APEEC scores were not significantly affected by teachers' years of experience. ANOVAs indicated significant differences in APEEC physical environment and social environment scores among teachers having a great deal of DAP knowledge but not in classroom instruction. ANOVAs indicated significant differences in classroom instruction and student achievement scores in Reading/Language, but not in Math. No significant differences were found in APEEC social and physical context scores.

In the era of accountability in our nation‘s public schools, high-stakes standardized testing is the primary methodology for determining academic achievement; results from end-of-grade standardized testing are published annually in state and national report cards that are used as an instrument for determining school and teacher quality. What standardized tests do not take into consideration, however, are external environmental factors that have an impact on academic achievement; this research project focuses upon the effects of socioeconomic status on academic achievement on the middle grade student in North Carolina in 2012 and 2013. These years were chosen to comparatively analyze student achievement during the transition from the North Carolina Standard Course of Study to the Common Core curriculum. Only public schools configured in grades 6-8 that operate on a traditional school calendar were considered for this study. One way analyses of variance and paired samples t tests were performed to determine whether significant differences exist between student achievement in each grade level, academic year, and tested subject area (mathematics and reading) based on various levels of socioeconomic status levels within the school. Socioeconomic status levels were determined by the percentage of student population within the middle school that received free or reduced cost lunch during that school year. Significant differences existed between every socioeconomic level, subject area, and grade level, and significant differences also existed between each academic year as well as the number of economically disadvantaged students passing both the reading and mathematics assessments in each academic year. Schools with higher poverty levels scored significantly lower on both subject areas in both academic years than their wealthier counterparts. Test scores were also significantly lower in 2013 than in 2012, and fewer economically disadvantaged students passed both reading and mathematics in 2013 than in 2012. Further research is suggested to determine whether the trend of higher poverty schools performing significantly lower on standardized assessments than wealthier schools will continue with the ongoing implementation of the Common Core curriculum.

Generally in today’s classrooms educators have the responsibility to develop teaching practices that are best suited for a particular group of learners. Since the early days of 1-room schools, various teaching styles have been developed to accommodate a changing world. As the curriculum has broadened through the years, individual student needs have remained the focus as teachers have become more and more accountable for student learning. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate or identify how successful teachers manage their classrooms. It defines key student behavior issues that most teachers experience daily. The study further investigates the hypothesis that lesson planning and productive teaching with overall good student behavior is not a product of good luck or chance; it results from efforts made by caring teachers who aid learning for their student. I attempt to determine what the typical teacher does in efforts to reach the goal of effectively educating students and managing various issues that arise within the classroom setting simultaneously. The study was conducted in a rural community within middle school grade levels. All teachers were interviewed and asked open-ended questions during the 2013-14 school year. Also, the teachers were observed in their actual classrooms. I examined the practices that enable them to teach. The teacher responses offered valuable information about perceptions pertaining to excellent teaching, classroom management, and the relevance of teaching factors that enhance student learning. Exerting extra effort toward minimizing classroom disruptions, while consistently providing a learning environment, requires an assertive approach in planning before the students enter the classroom. This research can provide all educators insight to such of an educational environment that has proven to be productive in today’s complex world. These teaching attributes would better assure students upon their arrival to the classroom each day, a routinely excited, enthused, and caring educator.

Dental hygiene students may struggle in dental hygiene curriculum in regards to hand function. Currently, this is not an aspect dental hygiene programs screen for or have protocol in place to help students. The research in the study examined if hand function could improve with hand function exercises and if exercises improved instrumentation scores. During a 6-week pilot study, an occupational therapist tested the hand function of a cohort of dental hygiene students. The results were recorded and the students began a 6-week hand function exercise regimen. After 6 weeks the same evaluations were preformed and the pre- and posttest data were compared. Statistical tests showed a significant improvement in hand function. After the hand function testing was complete, the scores of the cohort on the periodontal probe and 11/12 explorer were compared to students in the previous 5 cohorts. No significant improvement was made on the instrumentation scores.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of acceptable use of social media among teachers, students, and parents. In doing so the researcher touched on generational factors, communication, instructional practice with social networking and the perceptions of what was acceptable among these 3 groups within a middle school setting. This qualitative study examined how students, parents, and teachers perceived the use of social networking. 30 subjects were randomly chosen and interviewed: 10 students, 10 parents and 10 teachers. There were 4 emerging themes: (a) types of social networking preferred and the reason, (b) relationships and acceptable usage, (c) uncertainty of safety of social networking, and (d) the positives in being able to communicate. Research suggests that the generations that were interviewed lean toward different types of communication. The Baby Boomers prefer to communicate via email, telephones, and face-to-face. Generation Xers use email but also include Instant Messaging and mobile phones. Generation Y prefers to text prefers to text or use cell phones as does Generation Z which has yet to be identified and uses these forms as well as all forms of social networking (Entrepreneur Magazine, 2009) Through interviewing and coding the researcher found that each subgroup identified that communication was essential to survival. What differed was the type of communication and the safety involved in that type. It was also found that the research on this subject is limited but is growing with advances. The research has changed to include more positives on this subject. With this, the implication for further study in this area is definite. Recommendations for further study include but are not limited to: looking at a study like this in a larger area, opening the subject group to different demographics, looking into how this will affect school systems in the future.