The major reason for this survey was to secure definite facts and opinions from superintendents, principals and teachers in elementary and secondary schools on the subject of handwriting. The information gathered gives conclusive evidence that these groups recognize the need for more and better training in this fundamental subject. The aim of the writer was to determine: The extent to which outlined courses of study in handwriting are followed. The number of special instructors in handwriting, whether part- or full-time and other subjects they teach. Whether handwriting is taught incidentally with other subjects with no formal lessons, or as a separate subject with specific training in handwriting. The number of teachers with special training in handwriting. The number of teachers qualified by teacher’s handwriting certificates. The certification of handwriting teachers from Western Kentucky State Teachers College. The number of teachers holding student certificates in handwriting. The methods of handwriting taught in both the elementary and secondary grades. The number of handwriting supervisors, whether part- or full-time, and other subjects handled. The time devoted to handwriting in years, weeks, days per week, and the length of class period in both elementary and secondary levels. The number of units given for handwriting in high school toward graduation. The requirement for handwriting in high schools. Handwriting facilities – Manuals, scales, charts, alphabetic wall strips, and blackboard instruction. General information – The number of years that handwriting has been established in Kentucky schools; if handwriting will be taught during the year 1936-1937; and if school officials think handwriting should have a definite place in the curriculum as a fundamental subject.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of self-instruction on achievement in elementary school music at the fourth grade level. In order to study this effect, the investigator will seek answers to the following questions: Which methods of self-instruction are most applicable to children at the fourth grade level? What concepts are basic to the understanding of music? What studies have been concluded to define the range of conceptual developments among fourth graders? What materials and activities are most effective in achieving the desired results based on the above considerations? Is I.Q. a significant factor in musical achievement in this particular investigation? Can musical achievement be directly affected by the addition of self-instruction?

This study examined the perceptions of elementary school principals in Tennessee regarding the desirability and feasibility of adapting regular elementary classrooms and programs for the inclusion of children with moderate and severe disabilities. The purpose of the study was to add an administrative dimension to current research on inclusive educational programming for children typically educated in special (CDC) class settings. Data collection for the descriptive design of the study was accomplished by use of a 40 item survey instrument with a 7-point Likert-type scale for each construct (i.e., desirability and feasibility). Four ten item subscales addressed the areas of Staff Organization, Curriculum, Materials, and Instructional Methodology and the demographic factors of gender, age, teaching and administrative experience, training, and system size were examined for effect. Responding elementary principals in this study identified 95% of the presented adaptations as significantly more desirable than feasible with demographic factors having little or no effect. Moderate to high scores on the feasibility scale, however, indicated that principals do not view implementation of the adaptations as impractical. Conclusions of the study emphasize that the differing views of desirability and feasibility may be attributed to either a perceived lack of available resources or administrative autonomy or both, that adaptations may become less desirable and feasible as the time required for implementation increases, that adaptations of the curriculum were viewed as less desirable than other types of adaptations, and that the active participation of parents in curriculum design was viewed among the least desirable and feasible of all adaptations.

This study examined the perceptions of elementary school principals in Tennessee regarding the desirability and feasibility of adapting regular elementary classrooms and programs for the inclusion of children with moderate and severe disabilities. The purpose of the study was to add an administrative dimension to current research on inclusive educational programming for children typically educated in special (CDC) class settings. Data collection for the descriptive design of the study was accomplished by use of a 40 item survey instrument with a 7-point Likert-type scale for each construct (i.e., desirability and feasibility). Four ten item subscales addressed the areas of Staff Organization, Curriculum, Materials, and Instructional Methodology and the demographic factors of gender, age, teaching and administrative experience, training, and system size were examined for effect. Responding elementary principals in this study identified 95% of the presented adaptations as significantly more desirable than feasible with demographic factors having little or no effect. Moderate to high scores on the feasibility scale, however, indicated that principals do not view implementation of the adaptations as impractical. Conclusions of the study emphasize that the differing views of desirability and feasibility may be attributed to either a perceived lack of available resources or administrative autonomy or both, that adaptations may become less desirable and feasible as the time required for implementation increases, that adaptations of the curriculum were viewed as less desirable than other types of adaptations, and that the active participation of parents in curriculum design was viewed among the least desirable and feasible of all adaptations.

The purpose of this study was to perform a qualitative analysis of an elementary school-based health clinic (SBHC). This situational analysis was performed to further understand the impact of accessible primary health care on an elementary school population. Data were collected through 30 participant interviews of parents, educators and medical personnel. Additional data were collected through the clinic files, and a t-test was used to compare the attendance and achievement data of clinic consumers for the clinic year against records from the previous year. The researcher presented information on the steps of SBHC development to include community campaign procedures. The investigation was performed to not only understand the procedural steps of clinic development, but also to document any issues which surfaced in the process. Some of the major recommendations as a result of this investigation were: (1) The health needs of community children must be viewed as a community concern and not one exclusively owned by the school. (2) The community as a whole, must come together in the form of an advisory board holding a broad representation of the community. (3) School communities should assess their school public to understand the level of need for instituting a SBHC. (4) A community needs assessment should be performed to understand the medical services currently available to children. (5) SBHC files and operations must meet the standards and norms of the profession.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of retention on the academic performance of students retained in the third and fifth grade during the 1985-86 school year. A follow up study was used to analyze changes in academic test results. Another purpose was to interview teachers who had retained students and teachers who had taught the children the next school year to determine what changes occurred in instructional practices. Forty retained students of Northeast Tennessee were matched according to sex and similar scaled scores on the Stanford Achievement Test. Scores were compared by grade and by year from 1986 through 1989. An interview guide was used to collect responses from teachers. Answers were categorized according to physical, social, academic, behavioral, emotional, programmatic and, instructional factors that were common to retained students. Findings indicated there were no statistically significant differences in test scores for students who had been retained, verses students who had been promoted two years after the retention occurred. Findings also indicated minimal programmatic interventions were conducted for students during the second year in the same grade. The primary factors teachers listed for causing students to be retained were lack of academic performance in the regular classroom and lack of listening and attention skills. Most teachers relied upon physical, social, and behavioral maturity to aid students in their academic success, rather than different instructional interventions.

A descriptive study was conducted to identify authentic professional development needs of elementary teachers preparing, implementing, and maintaining inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education classrooms in Northeast Tennessee. The purpose of this study was to contribute information of identified professional development needs of elementary teachers to current research on responsible inclusive education. Data were collected from 325 elementary teachers randomly assigned to the sample using a 65-item survey designed for this study. Three subsections of the survey, Assessing Professional Development Needs of Teachers Implementing Inclusion in Grades PreK-8, assessed the perceived needs of conditions, areas, and foundations of effective professional development by determining the discrepancies between observed and desired scales. Demographic factors included years of teaching experience, level of education, level of experience working with students with disabilities, current stage of involvement with an inclusive programs, and amount of formal or college course work in special education. The data were analyzed with an analysis of variance to determine significance between and within groups and a post hoc test determined specific significant groups. The factors that determined the most significance were level of experience working with students with disabilities and current stage of involvement with an inclusive program. Conclusions of the study reveal the need for professional development based on professional growth stages and relevant to present working conditions and events.

Excerpt: In 2010, the state of Tennessee embraced the call to overhaul teacher education and required programs to adopt a residency model within K‐12 schools.

In this study the writer is trying to show that by organizing the entire year's work before the school term begins, and adding to it throughout the year, skills, understandings and appreciations may be achieved much more thoroughly and effectively. To build a course of study in social studies for the first grade. To suggest an evaluation of the entire course of study.

A question nearly as old as the intelligence test itself led the author to make the investigation upon which this thesis is based. For years people in education and related fields have speculated as to whether the most intelligent children were the most stable emotionally or whether these brighter children tended more readily than the dull or average child to exhibit undesirable personality variations. Practically everyone has, at some time in his life, used one or two isolated circumstances to prove the point that the more intelligent children were emotionally unstable or that the duller children were more unstable , than the brighter children. Each person, of course, In an argument of this nature always has at least one case to back up his belief. In keeping with modern educational practices of objective measurement rather than subjective opinion, the author has made an effort to died additional light upon this controversy by giving a series of objective examinations of intelligence and personality the students cf the seventh and eighth grades of the Warren County Schools.