Whilst the chivalric aspect of public schools has received some academic attention, most notably from Mark Girouard in The Return to Camelot (1981) where he explored Clifton College, few authors have examined provincial public school architecture using an approach that goes beyond mere description. Girouard's work was the departure for my own thesis. There has been no adequate or full study of the influence of chivalry, its history and myths, on the architecture of public schools and the effect that the resulting Gothic ambience had on students. Previous studies concentrated exclusively on boys' schools; my thesis is the first study to contrast the effect of the chivalric myths between Cheltenham College (1841) and Cheltenham Ladies' College (1854), undeniably crucial exemplars of Victorian public schools. These schools were established in a formative period for modern Britain, a period of urbanism, educational revolution and religious revival - all of which have left an imprint on their architecture. The close physical proximity and foundation dates of the schools, their shared governors, architects and patrons, make them an appropriate, rewarding and self-contained case study. The provincial location of these schools has allowed their architecture to be overshadowed by their more illustrious cousins. I contend that both schools inhabit buildings of outstanding architectural importance deserving of attention.

The purpose in writing this thesis is to describe program material for a musical performance to be presented by the public school music classes of the Stephenville Public Schools, Grades IV to VIII, and the means taken to further musical growth on the part of several hundred children through participation in this program. Most musical plays provide for only a small number of main characters and only one chorus. To fit the need of classes in this particular school, a large cast is necessary, and also a play in which several different groups or choruses may participate. To illustrate this need for program material in the public school music classes, this musical playlet, "A May Comedy", was written, and the details of its presentation given.

The purpose of this study was to present an historical analysis of the function of the Literary Fund of Virginia as it pertained to public school funding. The major questions central to this study were: (a) How has the Literary Fund addressed the funding needs of the Virginia public schools? (b) What significant changes have occurred in the apportionment of Literary Fund revenue? and (c) What are the future trends of the Literary Fund? The political and social circumstances that prevailed in Virginia, prior to this funding initiative, were examined to determine what effects they had on its development. Primary documents also were examined to ascertain pertinent information for completion of this study. These included: House and Senate Journals; The Acts of the General Assembly; Virginia School Reports; Virginia Second Auditor Reports of the Literary Fund; Annual Reports of the Superintendent of Public Instruction; and the Code of Virginia. Secondary sources were used to provide background information about the historical events that helped shape the development and perpetuation of the Literary Fund. Various government officials and a former Superintendent of Public Instruction were interviewed through use of a protocol. The purpose of these interviews was to gain insight on the likely future of the Literary Fund. Their answers to questions were analyzed to determine if consistent themes could be identified. These interviews, along with historical data collected, were examined in order to provide recommendations for future consideration by the Commonwealth of Virginia relative to the use of Literary Fund revenue. / Ed. D.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The development of public education in the United States is largely dependent upon the attitudes of the public and its desire to provide revenue for the improvement and maintenance of the schools. Since the citizens of a community are both the owners and the consumers of public education, they are fully responsible for keeping their local school system moving forward with the times. Providing revenue from tax levies and other sources for the schools is a key factor in citizen support of public education. Through legislation and bond issues, the public is able to fulfill its responsibility of financing local educational institutions. The bond issue is the most common means of raising revenue for publie school expenditure. However, the percentage of public school bond proposals that have been recently defeated at the polls has been alarmingly high, more than JO percent in 1963. Many educational observers believe that certain conditions and elements are present repeatedly in school bond campaigns that fail, but they disagree on how some of those factors actually affect the outcome of the election. There are contradictions and inconsistencies concerning the use of pupils and teachers in the campaign, the size of the voter turnout, lay citizen leadership, treatment of the opposition, and other areas. This lack of agreement among educational authorities is very evident in the educational literature and is not of substantial assistance in the planning of a strong school bond campaign. A school official or interested citizen who is attempting to develop a campaign program would soon be mystified when faced with the contradictions and inconsistencies that appear in the educational publications. In an effort to clarify the direction in which these significant factors do operate, a research project elicited responses concerning those factors from 188 public school superintendents who had participated in a public school bond campaign in 1963. Based on the results of the research survey and additional supplemental research, 14 common guidelines were established for use by school officials and interested lay citizenso By following these guidelines, they can adapt to a single campaign the techniques and information that have been successfully used by others on a large scale. The guidelines include conducting pre-campaign research, timing the campaign for an October election climax, obtaining unanimous endorsement from the local Board of Education, soliciting lay citizen participation and leadership, welcoming faculty support, discouraging pupil activity, attempting to win over or neutralize potential opposition prior to the campaign, treating the remaining opposition fairly, concentrating campaign toward potential "yes" voters, stressing the benefits not the cost of the bond without using threats, engaging in campaign activities involving maximum personal contact, sending speakers to civic organizations, and maintaining a continuous year-around public relations program. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Includes tables. Sponsor: Norton L. Beach. Dissertation Committee: Gordon N. Mackenzie. Includes bibliographical references.

Public school districts nationwide are subject to increased performance expectations as financial resources have decreased and school budgets are stretched to their limits. Less financial support from the state government means that localities must fill the gaps in their respective budgets to avoid reductions in or elimination of public school programs, services, and personnel. Insufficient funding for public education concerns many stakeholders. Virginia is one of many states in which localities have established public school foundations as a means to obtain private funds to support a variety of purposes in their public school divisions. Research was conducted ten years ago regarding the characteristics of education foundations supporting Virginia's public school divisions. The purposes of this study were to determine whether or not there was an increase in the number of public school foundations in Virginia during the past decade and to identify the foundations' longevity, purposes, governance, staffing, finances, revenue sources, and fund utilization of public school foundations that support of local school divisions. The study used a descriptive mixed-methodology design in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. The mixed methods study gathered data sequentially in two phases. The first phase identified the existing public school foundations in Virginia, and the second phase collected state, local, district, and foundation data to describe the growth, purposes, governance, staffing, finances, revenue sources, and fund utilization of the public school foundations supporting K-12 public school divisions in Virginia. More than two-thirds of Virginia's public school divisions were found to be supported by public school foundations, which is a 42% increase from the findings of a similar study conducted one decade ago. Not surprisingly, the common purpose of these public school foundations are to partner with the community to support students through additional financial and social resources that support, enrich, or enhance their educational opportunities. The results of this research provide public school districts, foundations, and other interested parties with information on the operations of Virginia's public school foundations, which may aid in the establishment of new foundations or provide data and insights to improve or alter current foundation activities. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this research is to examine how Virginia public school superintendents spend their time. The primary goal of this study is to determine the differences in how superintendents allocate their time in regards to their involvement with specific tasks. This descriptive study is designed to determine the level of involvement of superintendents throughout the state of Virginia in the areas of fiscal management, facility management, personnel, student personnel and special services, support services, instruction and curriculum, and community relations. This study investigates how much time is spent by superintendents in specific performance areas as defined by the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Superintendents. It also examines differences in superintendents’ time and task apportionment related to differences in superintendent experiences, as defined by gender, years in current position, size of school division, and student achievement of the school division. Furthermore, it investigates to what extent the experiences of superintendents as defined by gender, years in current position, size of school division, and student achievement of the school division explain a need for professional development in each of the criteria of the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Superintendents?

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study aimed to explore the nature and consequences of an existing mentoring programme aimed at assisting beginner teachers make the transition from university graduates to school practitioners. It addressed the broader problem of teacher retention, working from the premise that beginner teachers leave the teaching profession within the first five years of formal teaching. The main research question the thesis addressed is: What is the nature and consequences of an existing mentoring programme aimed at assisting beginner teachers make the transition from university graduates to school practitioners? The theory used to frame this study both theoretically and methodologically is Vygotsky’s constructs of the Zone of Proximal Development, his notions of mediation and scaffolding, and Lave and Wenger’s notion of communities of practice and their notion of legitimate peripheral participation. Noting that the conceptual tools of Lave and Wenger, are grounded in a broader theoretical framework, of Bandura’s concept of “situated learning”, which shares historical links with Vygotsky’s socio-cultural views of how people learn. Methodologically, this qualitative interpretive single case study made use of semi-structured individual interviews, focus group interviews and document sources to explore this fairly under-researched area. The unit of analysis is a mentoring programme at a secondary school in the Western Cape, which comprised of three embedded cases, namely, the school principal, two mentors and two mentees. The main findings suggest that a disjuncture exists between initial teacher education and the real school context, creating a need for a formalised mentoring programme. It also outlines the multiple Communities of Practice’s (CoPs) in action within a mentoring programme revealing ways in which communities and boundaries could impact learning within a mentoring programme. Furthermore, the findings show the conversational dimensions of mentoring interactions; how talk and learning brings about a shift in the dyadic relationship between a mentor (old-timer/ the knowledgeable other) and beginner teacher (mentee/newcomer). In addition, this study illuminates the importance of mentor-mentee pairing in terms of willingness to participate and compatibility between the mentor and beginner teacher. The thesis therefore contributes towards a growing body of knowledge on beginner teachers by focusing on how a formal mentoring programme can facilitate the smooth transitioning of beginner teachers into the teaching profession thus addressing the global problem of teacher retention.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2000. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-140). Also available on the Internet.