<p> Though many American educators embrace technology in classrooms, administrators can create policies that inhibit technology such as mobile phone use in classrooms or on district property. These policies range from restrictive with no mobile phone use permitted, to liberal in which unrestricted use of mobile phones is allowed. The purpose of this case study was to explore the divergent and convergent perceptions of mobile phone use and mobile phone policy across multiple groups of stakeholders in one northeastern Pennsylvania public high school. Focus groups of administrators, teachers, students, and parents were formed and group interviews were conducted to understand the perceptions of current mobile phone use, perceptions of the current mobile phone policy, and how the perceptions compare across stakeholder groups. The findings of this study uncovered three main themes: conflicting interpretations of the policy's purpose, inconsistent enforcement of the policy, and support for a more effective policy by bringing your own device to school. Stakeholders had a range of interpretations regarding Mountain Peak High School's mobile phone policy, which could be categorized into two main typologies: restrictive or liberal. The data from this study also showed that due to the range of policy interpretations, staff members at Mountain Peak High School were not enforcing the mobile phone policy consistently. During data collection, it was discovered that a pilot group of Mountain Peak teachers were allowed to have their students bring their own device to school. The findings of this study may help educational leaders evaluate and construct a more appropriate mobile phone policy for their respective school district.</p>

<p> The intent of this qualitative research study was to investigate the experiences of eighth-grade readers as they read nonfiction text on an iPad for academic purposes. Analysis of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) calls for close reading requiring readers to interact with the text to create meaning (Fisher, n.d.). With this in mind, the researcher investigated reading strategies students used to support their reading as well as what role the iPad features played in the reading process. Several theoretical perspectives informed the framework for this study: (a) New Literacies theory, (b) transactional theory, (c) constructivist theory, and (d) metacognition theory. These perspectives focused on the reading comprehension strategies students used to facilitate reading comprehension while reading nonfiction text on an e-reader, specifically on an iPad. Data sources for this study included the following: (a) retrospective think alouds; (b) student questionnaire about iPad knowledge and experiences; (c) pre-study student interview; (d) post-study student interview; (e) Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI); (f) student observations; and (g) teacher interview. Preselection data for the collective case study participants were used to identify proficient readers who displayed confidence, competency, and control over text. The criteria used for participant selection included (a) reading skills using Lexile Levels, (b) MARSI survey, and (c) iPad use survey to determine prior knowledge of iPad. Three themes emerged in the collective case study that were directly related to the analysis. Students used a combination of (a) reading comprehension strategies, (b) nonfiction features, and (c) iPad features to support their reading of nonfiction on the iPad. Analysis of the data revealed three distinct groups for which recommendations were made: (a) classroom teachers, (b) publishers, and (c) researchers.</p>

<p> The No Child Left Behind Act requires all students be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014, and students in subgroups to make Adequate Yearly Progress. One of these groups is students with disabilities, who continue to score well below their general education peers. This quantitative study identified scoring differences between disability groups on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) over a 6-year period. The percentages of students who scored at the proficient level in reading, mathematics, and writing in the fourth grade, and reading, mathematics, and science in the fifth grade were used to identify differences in 12 disability groups. All students with disabilities are combined into one category for reporting purposes and assigning school grades. Disaggregation of the special education categories revealed scoring differences between groups in all subjects and both grades. Students with speech impairments had the highest number of students scoring at the proficient level in all subjects, while students with intellectual disabilities had the fewest. The categorical rank order was identical for reading in both grades and similar in the other subjects. Students with specific learning disabilities, who constitute approximately 50% of all students with disabilities in these grades, were in the lowest five categories for both grades in reading and in fourth grade mathematics, and in the lower 50% in fifth grade mathematics and science. Recommendations included the need for alternate measures of student achievement; specifically, modified assessments, in addition to teacher evaluations and the impact on the Florida Flexibility Waiver's achievement goals.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine how collaborative artmaking activates and supports the development of interpersonal skills in young children. By means of a qualitative case study, this study explored how collaborative art projects engage children in using problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation skills. Data were collected through observation of small groups of preschool children as they participated in collaborative art projects. Field notes, videotaping, small group interviews, and conversations with colleagues were the primary methods for data collection. The data were analyzed using the literature from the Reggio Emilia philosophy and research on collaborative artmaking and interpersonal skills development. Thematic groupings from both deductive and inductive coding techniques were used to analyze the data and draw inferences about the findings. Results show that children co-construct knowledge through the visual language of art during collaborative artmaking. Over time, this construction supports children in their interpersonal skill development. The art medium used in the projects and the role of teacher were examined, revealing how the children were supported in developing problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation skills. This study makes an important contribution to the literature because it draws connections between collaborative artmaking and interpersonal skill development.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how inclusive classroom supports in one particular public elementary school extend to recess. As a future classroom teacher, my goal is to strengthen my understanding of children with social disabilities and the supports I can provide to those students, as well as their peer group, for positive social interaction inside and outside of the classroom. I collected data through two semi-structured qualitative interviews with a fourth grade teacher of an inclusive school. Informal interviews were also conducted with the classroom's teacher's aide for the children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, I conducted participant observations both in the classroom and during recess with comprehensive field notes. My findings for the teacher's role were consistent with the literature in the ways that the classroom teacher built community and created inclusion. I found that it is particularly helpful not only to have a single classroom focus on social skills but the larger school community to focus on them as well. The children with ASD were able to utilize strategies taught at their inclusive school to both initiate and respond to social engagement. However, my observations showed that these strategies did not empower the children with ASD to seek a teacher's help in a time of need. This study contributes to the literature because there is a lack of knowledge examining how inclusive classroom supports extend to recess in elementary school settings. </p>

<p> This study examines differing perspectives on kindergarten readiness as defined by preschool and kindergarten teachers. Data were collected through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews of two preschool and two kindergarten teachers and analyzed using perspectives from the maturational theory, the accountability movement, and the ecological perspective. The literature indicates that there is no single concrete understanding developed by preschool or kindergarten teachers surrounding kindergarten readiness. Results of this limited study indicate that both preschool and kindergarten teachers value social and emotional development, focusing on group and individual understanding, as opposed to a focus on academic development per se.</p>

<p> The purpose of this case study was to research the use of technology in a fourth grade elementary school classroom, to understand educational methods that promote the cultivation of 'new literacy' and the effective knowledge and use of Interactive White Boards. Data were collected through in-classroom participant observation and field notes in addition to a semi-structured qualitative interview with the classroom teacher. The research results align with the current literature on the use of Interactive White Boards and 'new literacy' highlighting practices promoting or altering classroom interactions and barriers that must be overcome to educate students effectively in a digital age. This study contributes to current literature regarding 'new literacy' in modern classrooms and how to integrate these practices. Research in this field benefits teachers and students affected by ever-advancing technology and the social dynamics in a classroom that may be altered by new and future tools.</p>

<p> This case study examines the effect of a yearlong place-based educational project on a single class of middle school students aged 11-14 at a public charter school in Santa Rosa, California. Of particular interest in this case study was the development of the concepts of belonging and place through the perceptual lens of the middle school student and through the vehicle of place-based education. This study utilizes qualitative methods including participant observation, interviews and pre and post surveys. The findings of this study suggest that the outdoor environment was very engaging for learning. Students reported that the development of a sense of place spurred from repeated visits to the nature preserve over long periods of time. These students indicated that a sense of belonging emerged to the preserve because of the stewardship aspect of the place-based educational project. Students felt a sense of stewardship toward the land after the project, and that sense of stewardship characterized a feeling of belonging. Cosmology was also a factor in understanding how these young adults came to define what it means to feel a sense of belonging to their local natural place.</p><p> Keywords: <i>place-based education, sense of belonging, sense of place, stewardship, cosmology or new cosmology, community action, alienation or isolation, ecopsychology, biophilia hypothesis, placelessness, and constructivist curriculum-culture model.</i></p>

<p> American expatriate Sylvia Beach (1887-1962) is mostly recognized for her contribution to Modernist literature by publishing James Joyce's <i> Ulysses</i> and <i>avant-garde</i> magazines. However, the objective of this study is to resurrect Beach's legacy as a leader by discovering how Beach, through opening Shakespeare and Company, an English-language bookshop in Paris, led the literary community who expatriated to Paris in the early twentieth century. Beach's journey into leadership began when she bravely opened her bookshop in a foreign country in 1919, at the closing of World War I, during a time when few women owned their own businesses. By creating a place, a home away from home, for the disillusioned and disenfranchised expatriates writers, Beach created a safe environment for the expatriates&mdash;a place to find their identity. By befriending them, earning their trust, and gaining their help in the <i>Ulysses</i> publishing venture, Beach created an environment of collaboration among the writers, many of whom remained lifelong friends. Beach's business model was unprecedented, and with vision and boldness, at Shakespeare and Company, Beach exemplified leadership by continually helping others, and thus transformed Shakespeare and Company into one of the most recognized bookstores of the time.</p>

<p>This study focuses on the relationship between students' social backgrounds and their occupational aspirations (in terms of becoming an authority, financial success and recognition in the workplace). By applying the status attainment theory and segmented assimilation theory, this study examines the significance of parental socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and social capital in predicting college freshmen's occupational aspirations using multivariate analysis. Interaction effects between the main predictors as well as control variables such as immigrant status, gender, school performance, motivations and skills are tested in the analysis. Results suggest that socioeconomic status is not statistical significance in predicting individuals' occupational aspirations in all models. African Americans and Asians have the highest level of occupational aspirations, while Native Americans have the lowest level of occupational aspirations without introducing interactions into the model. All three social capital variables are positively related to students' occupational aspirations, especially the effects for mentors/role models. Strong interaction effects between parental socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity variables have been found in the study as well. Results of interaction effects indicate that although Native Americans have the lowest levels of occupational aspirations at lower levels of parental SES, their levels of occupational aspiration increase radically with the increase of their parental SES levels. However, groups such as African Americans and Asians experience a decrease in their occupational aspirations with an increase of parental SES. The interactions between parental SES and social capital variables are weak. The interaction effects between race/ethnicity and social capital variables suggest that Asian students' occupational aspirations are benefited from their parents' expectations, while other races and other Latino students' occupational aspirations are promoted by studying with peers. </p>