The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if the knowledge of literacy development and reading instruction practices an elementary school principal possesses impacts the level of reading achievement of his/her students. Principals' scores on an assessment of knowledge of literacy development and instruction were compared to students' levels of reading achievement found on the California Standards Test. High poverty/low performing schools were compared to high poverty/high performing schools to determine if the students' performance varied based on the administrator's knowledge. Leadership characteristics from directive to non-directive were examined to see if there was a difference in students' literacy achievement based on leadership styles. Finally levels of principals' knowledge and leadership were compared to determine if a correlation existed. Schools determined to be high poverty/high performing and schools determined to be high poverty/low performing were identified. School site administrators from the selected schools were asked to provide an assessment of their knowledge of literacy development and instruction and to identify their primary style of leadership. The research found that there were no significant differences in student reading achievement based on principals' knowledge of literacy development and instruction or based on leadership styles. The research also found to no significant correlation between leadership styles and student achievement in reading. The research found no significant differences in principal knowledge at high performing schools versus low performing schools. Finally, the research found no significant correlation between an elementary principal's leadership style and knowledge of literacy development and literacy instruction. The research did suggest a possible correlation between the length of time an administrator served at a school site and student achievement in reading.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This project study addressed the problem of 3rd grade English language learners (ELLs) not passing the state mandated reading test at the same rate as other students between 2009 and 2013 in Georgia. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an elementary school's afterschool program (ASP) on ELLs' reading achievements and to investigate 3rd grade afterschool teachers' perceptions of the reading curriculum using a mixed methods explanatory sequential design. Schema theory, the framework used to guide this study, indicated prior knowledge and experiences are necessary to comprehend new ideas or concepts. Prior knowledge and experiences can be gained from the instruction provided during ASPs. During the quantitative phase, a paired-samples t test was conducted using archived data from 2014 on 43 ELLs. The result was a significant increase in reading from pre- to posttest. In the qualitative phase, two 3rd grade ASP teachers were interviewed about their perceptions of the reading curriculum and those interviews were then analyzed using In Vivo coding and 2 cycle analysis. Themes revealed were professional development (PD), curriculum presentation, instructional strategies, and ASP modifications. A 4-day PD was designed for teachers providing plans to teach ELLs academic content and literacy. PD would provide teachers with reading instructional strategies to teach ELLs, which may increase their achievement on state tests to decrease the ELL reading achievement gap. Implications for positive social change include using an ASP and PD to increase ELLs' reading achievements and to increase success on state mandated tests.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

In light of increasing mandates to incorporate close reading of primary source historical documents at the elementary level, this study explored the reading difficulty level of the US Constitution with preservice elementary teachers using a traditional cloze assessment procedure. While best practice pedagogy of social studies has long included thoughtful reading of primary sources, new language arts guidelines situate the analysis of primary documents within formulaic quantifiable frameworks, often problematic to the pre-service teacher. With implications for reading and social studies, this paper explores several relevant issues to both pre-service teachers and the elementary classrooms they will teach in.