<p> In this multiple case study design, high-performing Chinese language immersion students were investigated to better understand their profiles. This study focused on their attitudes, motivations, support systems, strategies for learning, and their social environment and how it related to them. I investigated three cases of high-performing Chinese language immersion students in a suburban school district in the Midwestern United States participating in a one-way Chinese (Mandarin) language immersion program. I utilized document analysis, solicited diaries, semi-structured participant interviews, parent interviews, Chinese immersion teacher pre-interview questionnaires, and Chinese immersion teacher interviews as data collection instruments. After analyzing the data, I wrote a case report for each of these cases and completed a cross-case synthesis to identify what was universal, variant, and divergent amongst the profiles of these high-performing individuals.</p>

<p> The teacher-student relationship is a vital component to the social, emotional, and academic growth of students. Nationwide the one constant in teachers&rsquo; classrooms are the observations by administrators. Administrators play a supporting role for students and teachers in our modern educational system. </p><p> The present case study examined four middle schools in a school district in Southern California. Four principals, four assistant principals, six teachers, and one superintendent of human resources were interviewed. Classroom observations with administrators were also conducted. Previous terms used to describe negative teacher affect have been teacher bullying, student maltreatment, and student victimization. Teacher affect was chosen to delineate the behaviors rather than the intentionality. </p><p> The findings suggest administrators look to the students and their interaction with the teacher to help recognize positive or negative affect. Although no formal training takes place, much informal collaboration among administrators happens behind the scenes to decide on how best to support a teacher demonstrating negative affect. All participants agreed the best way for administration to encourage positive affect was by modeling it themselves with staff and students. Creating a positive school environment for staff and students was important and most participants noted the belief of positivity coming from the top, at a district level, and flowing down into the classrooms. The suggestions for the educational community are concepts that can be implemented simply and economically to support a positive learning environment.</p>

<p>Education today needs to be different than the education that has been prevalent in U.S. public schools for generations of students, in part because of the rapid rise of technology in recent years. Students need to be able to employ 21st century skills in today&rsquo;s workforce. The current study&rsquo;s purpose was to measure the educational impact of Project Based Learning (PBL) in eighth grade social studies on students&rsquo; academic achievement, attendance, and discipline in a north Texas School district. The researcher analyzed historical State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) data, attendance data, and discipline data housed in the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). Achievement results were measured using scale scores from the STAAR eighth grade social studies, reading, and mathematics tests. The groups (PBL and nonPBL) were then compared using independent sample t-tests and a series of MANOVA tests to compare the specific objectives within the subject tests. The results of the study indicated that PBL students performed better on the STAAR social studies test and all four of the social studies objectives tested by STAAR than nonPBL students. Attendance and discipline rates were then compared using independent sample t-tests. </p><p> The results showed that PBL students do not have higher attendance rates and lower discipline rates than students in nonPBL settings. Recommendations made by the researcher related to further expansion of PBL within social studies and science classrooms in the District as well as additional research opportunities. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: project based learning, accountability, student engagement, student attendance, student discipline, student achievement, 21st century skills </p>

This report describes the plans for, implementation of, and results of a reading club program conducted at a middle school. This program was a modification of an unsuccessful one that was criticized by the staff and students for lack of structure and meaning. The literature supported the need for students taking time out of the school day for pleasure reading. Krashen (1993), Atwell (1998), and Irvin (1998) all have recommended that students should be permitted to read appropriate reading materials of their choice and that they should be provided with a wide range of materials from which to choose. Therefore, a revised club program, the Take Time To Read Club, designed to offer an alternative to pullout clubs, was agreed upon by a club revision committee. Three objectives were established. The 1st objective was to increase the amount of time students spent reading for pleasure. The 2nd objective was to improve the perception of the reading club program as measured by an 80% positive response rate to a faculty survey. The 3rd objective was to increase reading achievement levels by at least 5% as measured by Metropolitan Achievement Test and Grade 8 Early Warning Test (New Jersey State Department of Education, 1997) scores. None of the 3 objectives was completely realized as the result of this practicum. However, increases did occur in pleasure-reading times in instances when motivational factors were present. Also, teachers' positive perceptions did increase by 22% to 57%. There were slight increases in test scores in the 6th and 7th grades.

<p> Accountability measures, by way of standardized curriculum and assessments, have played a large part in the attempt to ensure that students from all backgrounds receive equal access to quality education. However, the inherent disadvantage of a standardized system is the implied assumption that all students come in with the same knowledge, learn at the same pace, and learn the same way. In the wake of an increasingly diverse K-12 population, educational researchers, learning theorists, and practitioners agree that the concept of the average student is, in fact, a myth. Students come to school with different needs, norms, interests, cultural behavior, knowledge, motivations, and skill sets. In order for education to properly address the issue of equity, the issue of learner variance must first be attended to. </p><p> In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education released its educational plan encouraging teachers to address student variance through more inclusive learning environments. The report highlighted Blended Learning (BL) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as promising practices in enabling, motivating, and inspiring all students to achieve regardless of background, language, or disability. Research suggests that the combination of these two approaches could lead to transformative teaching practices that dramatically impact student learning. However, the efficacy of such a model has yet to be tested. </p><p> This study tested the efficacy of a Blended Universal Design for Learning (BUDL) model in improving student outcomes. An experimental design was used to explore the impact of a two-week BUDL intervention in an accelerated 7^th grade math class. The effect on student achievement, engagement, and perception was measured. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Though results from the study were statistically insignificant, possible positive associations between a BUDL intervention and student achievement, engagement, and perception emerged. Considerations for clinical significance, suggestions for improvement on the BUDL model, and implications for future research are discussed.</p>

<p> The largest refugee group entering the United States in recent years is from Burma. Refugee students face a daunting set of challenges, from language and cultural differences to living in poverty, in becoming successful in their new homes. To be successful in schools and gain cultural and social capital, refugee students must learn and internalize the specific norms of their classrooms. In middle school, students are particularly reliant upon their peers for support, making peer interactions especially important. In multicultural settings, students have ample opportunities for intercultural interactions, which can help refugee students navigate their new settings and become more successful. Unfortunately, there has been little research on the experiences of Burmese refugee students in classrooms in the United States. </p><p> I used a qualitative, transcendental phenomenological approach to study how three female Burmese refugee students experienced multicultural middle school classrooms in the United States, especially their intercultural interactions, through interviews, observations, and stimulated recall. </p><p> The participants reported wanting to understand what they were learning, stay on task, and be kind to other students. Those traits developed from their experiences in their countries of origin and combined to create a picture of what a good student should be. In observations, students acted out their ideas of what it meant to be a good student. Their intercultural interactions in class reaffirmed their identities as good students. </p><p> Implications based on the findings include setting up intentional intercultural interactions with a diverse group of students in classrooms with multicultural approaches and that researchers examine the experiences of various groups of marginalized students while accounting for the context in which they learn and acknowledging a multifaceted view of adolescent identity development. </p>

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Researchers differ in their views of the structure of traditional middle and high schools in public education on student performance. They question the effectiveness of school and age level configuration, and its comparability with the age-appropriate cognitive, social and emotional development needs of students. Some believe that eliminating the traditional break between elementary and middle schools would enhance students' overall learning opportunities, particularly for ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students and reduce the current disparity in student performance between traditional middle schools and K-8 academies. This research is founded on a study of (a) curricular and co-curricular richness of the core program; and (b) the organizational elements of the elementary and intermediate school configurations. This mixed-methods investigation utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods to develop the data. The quantitative method incorporated a comparison of six schools that were once either K-5 elementary schools or 6-8 traditional middle schools but were later reconfigured to encompass all grade levels making them K-8 Academies. The quantitative method was used to evaluate the quality of (a) student performance in mathematics and language arts as determined by state assessments (b) the school climate as perceived by the teachers, parents and community members. Creswell (2005) noted that the combination of quantitative and qualitative data gathering, analysis, and interviews strengthens the understanding of the problem and related research findings. Many school districts with 6-8 traditional middle schools have experienced students not making adequate progress and are considering changing their grade structure to K-8. DeJong and Craig (2002) list the reasons for this conversion to cause fewer transitions for students, to keep students in neighborhood schools, to reduce transportation costs, to improve safety, and to accommodate declining enrollment. The researcher hopes that, along with other current research, this study may serve to compel more school districts to consider adopting alternative grade configurations when students are not making adequate progress in the traditional 6-8 grade configuration. / text

The present study was an investigation of the effects of a CBA model on mathematical achievement of middle school students. Nine subjects in the seventh and eighth grades were selected to participate in the study. A multiple baseline single subject design was used. Results indicated that a CBA model designed in the form of a pullout program can be very effective in identifying and remediating problems in mathematics for middle school students who are at-risk for failing mathematics. Implications of the current findings for the use of a CBA model were discussed. The use of a CBA model for students identified as at-risk for failing mathematics in middle school was supported.

Research on principals' perceptions and responses to school bullying is scarce. This study investigated the perceptions of seven middle school principals and their responses to six hypothetical vignettes depicting incidents of physical, verbal, or relational bullying. During interviews, respondents were asked to rate the seriousness of each incident and describe how they would respond. Respondents rated all the incidents, regardless of the form of bullying, as moderately serious, serious, or very serious. When asked to describe how they would respond to incidents, all responded they would take action (e.g., consequences for the instigator, interventions to change the behavior of the instigator, support for the target). State statute on bullying, school anti-bullying policies, past experience with bullying, and a belief that students deserve to feel safe were key to guiding their responses. The principals recognized that bullying occurred on their campuses but indicated that incidents were minimized as a result of their strong school anti-bullying polices and a belief that no form of bullying was to be tolerated on their campuses.