The purpose of this study was to discover and interpret reasons Florida parents enrolled their children in Islamic schools. A selection of 30 parents from 3 different schools in Florida were interviewed by the researcher using a semistructured interview guide which used both oral and written responses. The sample was matched according to the gender of parents interviewed - 15 mothers and 15 fathers were interviewed. the sample was matched according to the gender of the referent child. Out of 30 referent children, 15 were female and 15 were male. The researcher included children of all grade levels. Fifteen were from primary grades (1-5) and 15 were from secondary grades (6-12). The researcher served as the primary instrument for data collection. Data were summarized and reported in a descriptive format addressing each research question. Results indicated that the first reason for choosing Islamic schools was religious; the second reason was sociocultural and the last reason was academic. Many parents who enrolled their children in Islamic schools strongly envisioned the need to create schools where children could pursue the Islamic knowledge, preserve Islamic identity and develop the Islamic personality. Parents wanted the guard and shield their progeny from the negative influence (violence, drugs, promiscuity, prejudice, etc.) of the public schools. The academic concern was not a major reason for the majority of responding parents. A significant finding affirmed that Islamic education does not separate between religious and social factors. Findings indicated that parents were more attracted to Islamic schools than dissatisfied with public schools. Muslim parents were concerned with retaining their children's identity and religious commitment. At the same time, they wanted them to learn in a safe environment which galvanized them against negative effects of the dominant culture, and be able to survive the tide of assimilation, secular pressure and moral deterioration.

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This project explains one person developing an instrument that was stripped from a young age, yet voyaged a pathway of determination to become a teacher of many things. Only nine years ago I went through something no female should ever endure in a lifetime, in a time of darkness, trying to find something to live for something was presented to me out of love, knowing it would be a challenge to achieve, there was a sense of understanding and hope of clarity. This opportunity to create and deliver an understanding for students, staff, faculty, and community members of all ages, a supportive reaction and a positive interpretation, that this can really work out in various favors throughout life. Even if there is much doubt. A chance to develop a sense of effective thinking patterns and be able to examine life as a whole, to pursue those underdeveloped questions about an academic's career to only conclude for one's self.

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The purpose of this study was to determine some of the bases of character education in United States public schools from 1607 to 1983. Research was conducted concerning persons, organizations, and movements to determine bases for character education. Teaching materials representing a variety of philosophies were also studied. The various bases of character education were grouped under four categories--religious, societal, specific traits, and individually determined. The history of each area was traced in a separate chapter. An attempt was made to include educators and materials representing various philosophies. The summary included some of the trends related to each base, major proponents, and materials. It was concluded that society-based character education has been the most prominent, even among educators who claim to have other bases for their character education. Bible-based character education has also been prevalent, but less so in recent years. Independent thinking as a base for character education has increased in popularity in recent years but is often, in reality, based on society. The trait approach is an approach used mainly in relation to other bases. It was also determined that character education in the United States has changed from mainly a biblical emphasis to more diversified bases. As society has become more pluralistic, a greater diversity of bases has become more acceptable. In addition, few educators adhere strictly to a single base. Most seem to combine bases in varying degrees to arrive at some sort of personalized base for their own philosophy of moral education. Some recommendations for further research and study were given.

In a large, urban district in western Tennessee, African American students perform considerably lower in math, science, and reading than other districts. Several teachers in western Tennessee are using single-gender instruction as a practice, but little is known about its effectiveness in addressing the needs of African American students. Currently, there is a gap in scholarly and practical understanding of the effects of single-gender classrooms on the academic success of African American students in western Tennessee. This exploratory qualitative case study examined the experiences shared by teachers who use single-gender learning to educate African American students in secondary schools in western Tennessee. The social cognitive theory and brain-based learning were used as frameworks in examining the perceived effectiveness of single-gender classrooms, and the guiding research questions were designed to focus on teachers' experiences with single-gender classroom instruction for African American students. Ten teachers using single-gender classrooms to educate African American high school students in the subjects of English, math, or science were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the matrix approach, which led to the identification of 3 themes: learning styles, classroom management, and instructional strategies used in single-gender classrooms. These themes were identified as factors indicating benefits and pedagogical practices participants perceived as effective when used to educate African American students in single-gender classrooms. Insight from this study will enhance educators' ability to reach a population of underserved students, thus affecting social change by reducing racial education disparities among African American students.

No description available.

The primary purpose of this study was to explore how selected elementary school principals described and defined their world in terms of leadership and management. There were three sub-areas of investigation under this primary purpose: (a) exploring the principals' conceptions about the constructs of leadership and management, (b) exploring the principals' beliefs about the role of their personal philosophies, goals, or values in relation to their practice, and (c) using content analysis to explore the language that principals use to describe themselves, their work and their schools. The theoretical perspective adopted for this study was that organizations are constructed human social entities. The focus of this study was to describe the role of the elementary school principal from the perspective and voice of the participants. The data collection was accomplished using semi-structured interviews of eight selected elementary school principals. Results were presented as narrative description, the principals' stories (hermeneutic representation) and analysis (dialectic) where the transcriptions of the interviews were content analyzed for common themes or patterns. Similarities and differences were explored and conceptions and themes generated from this analysis were compared with the existing literature on leadership, management and the elementary school principalship. The descriptions and analysis provided by this study could be used to inform practice, especially for those involved with the training and education of administrators.

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of teachers in rural locales towards giftedness and gifted education. Gagné and Nadeau’s (1991) Opinions About the Gifted and Their Education was used as the survey instrument. A total of 78 teachers from four public school districts in Kentucky classified as rural participated in the study. The respondents indicated slightly positive attitudes toward the need for specialized instruction for gifted students and the social value of giftedness but slightly negative mindsets towards acceleration. These results as a whole mirrored the findings of several previous studies utilizing the same survey instrument. However, individual teacher’s attitudes varied widely, with some very negative responses and some more positive, rendering the results determined using averaged scores from the full sample a somewhat inaccurate indicator of broad-scope, overall teacher mindset towards gifted education. When comparing the attitudes towards acceleration of teachers who had graduated from the district in which they teach to those who graduated from a district outside of where they teach, a significantly more negative attitude was indicated in teachers who remained within their home districts. Further study is recommended to determine if this could be an influence of more traditional and anti-intellectual mindsets often found in rural communities and if it has any effect on the quality of services and programming opportunities available to gifted students in rural locales.

Researchers have shown that movement increases brain function, improves mental health, supports cognitive development for students, and reduces sedentary time, all which can influence overall health. Research concerning learning with intentional movement is limited. In the United States, Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are being mandated, and teachers are challenged to teach the standards creatively and to maximize time used for instruction. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experiences and perceptions of elementary general education (GE) teachers who taught CCSS using a kinesthetic learning plan (KLP). Bandura's self-reinforcement and social learning theories provided the conceptual framework; the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis were used to structure the study. Research questions were framed to understand how the teachers experienced teaching the KLP and their perceptions related to how students learned the CCSS. Data were elicited through individual interviews with 11 GE teachers from primarily rural areas in the western part United States. In vivo coding and iterative analyses revealed themes and findings. Themes included teacher understanding (confidence and comfort), implementing resources (creativity and resourcefulness), teacher feelings (pressure and success), making the mind-body connection, and teacher beliefs and perceptions about their practices. Teachers perceived KLPs as useful in teaching the CCSS and experienced support for expanding their teaching practices. Positive social change implications include helping teachers maximize instructional time and helping students achieve standards and address health needs.