Equitable schooling requires that all students are able to participate, including those who are involved in the justice system. However, schools for youth who are in custody or in treatment are presented with challenges that may inhibit offering their student body science courses. This exclusion is a result of safety restrictions that coincide with what General Strain Theory (Agnew, 2006) refers to as having a strained population. Strained individuals experience significant life stressors that pressure them to anomie. Given the prevalent absence of strained individuals from science courses, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that the Healing Outdoor Program and Education (HOPE)–a remote treatment centre in a western province in Canada–had offered a for-credit high school science program during its operation from 2005 to 2020 that was a popular pick amongst students. In order to examine the science education experiences of youth who are involved in the justice system, this case study explores the types of strains that HOPE’s students faced, how those strains affected their learning, and how the pedagogical strategies mitigated/exacerbated strains. Document analysis, interviews with teachers and staff, and a field observation revealed that a pedagogy built on relationship, place-based science education, and personalized education were integral to academic success. However, underpinning educational achievement was a distinctive holistic approach to students’ wellness that addressed their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social needs, through the use of Indigenous inspired practices, other forms of therapy, and the remote wilderness location. Furthermore, this case exemplified that it is not only feasible to offer science courses to strained individuals, but also possible to use science as a catalyst to reengage strained youth with schooling when teachers have the right conditions and supports. Therefore, this study presents pedagogical approaches that were successfully used with a marginalized group and provides recommendations for HOPE as they seek out funding partners to reinstate operations, so that they can continue providing youth with hope for a better future.

Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om vårdnadshavares erfarenheter av inskolning i den svenska förskolan. Mer specifikt undersöks vad vårdnadshavare skattar positivt respektive negativt vid inskolning, samt vilka förslag på förbättringar som vårdnadshavare ger i relation till inskolning i den svenska förskolan. I studien används en kvantitativ metod i form av en survey, digital enkätundersökning, besvarad av 102 vårdnadshavare som skolat in sitt barn under året 2021. Studiens resultat har analyserats med utgångspunkt i det holistiska perspektivet. Tidigare forskning visar att vårdnadshavare betonar vikten av att skapa och stärka relationen mellan hem och förskola. Forskningen visar även att uppmuntran, tid och kontinuitet ses som centrala delar för att bygga, säkra och bibehålla genuina relationer samt att relationen mellan vårdnadshavare och pedagoger påverkas av båda parter. Studiens resultat uppmärksammar att det är av betydelse för vårdnadshavare att utbyta information och återkoppling, samt att de ges tid för att skapa relationer med sitt barns pedagoger vid inskolningen. Resultatet visar att det finns ett svagt samband mellan vårdnadshavares deltagande i ett introduktionssamtal innan inskolningen och deras skattade trygghet. Studien finner även att de vårdnadshavare vars trygghet är skattad lägst, har gemensamma förbättringsåtgärder i egenskap av önskan om mer kommunikation och ett större visat intresse av pedagogerna inför barnet. / KeywordsFeeling of safety, holistic perspective, introduction meeting, schooling

As a committed social justice educator, I share in this dissertation a theoretically informed instructional autoethnography of my time teaching and researching as a Language Arts and Speech teacher across two different public high schools and two different school years. My story of learning to embody the values and practices of progressive teaching arises from the central research questions: "How can I, a self-identified progressive Language Arts educator committed to social justice, learn to implement critical, democratic, responsive, and holistic pedagogy as a public high school teacher in this particular region at this time in U.S. public education? And, within these particular schooling cultures, what aspects of these schooling environments support or inhibit my ability to perform as a progressive educator?" Responding to critiques of public schooling policy and practices, my work is grounded in theoretical commitments of progressive education articulated by the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire and those North American educators who have brought his libratory praxis forward into what I call connected, social justice pedagogy.

Year-Round Schooling (YRS), a calendar or scheduling concept, has become quite common in this country over the past thirty years. Generally schools have adopted YRS scheduling in an effort to: (1) increase efficiency in the operation of the schools and (2) enhance student development and learning. The University School at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), a public K-12 school located on the ETSU campus, implemented a YRS calendar in the Summer of 1996. Over a period of six years data were collected to assess the effectiveness of YRS at University School. Study participants (students, parents and teachers) were surveyed initially in the early spring (Phase 1) and early summer (Phase 2) of 1996 (prior to implementation of YRS) to establish a baseline for data collection. Identical Phase 1 and 2 surveys were conducted in 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2001. A final Phase 3 survey consisted of a series of interviews conducted at the end of the 2000-2001 school year. During the spring a series of standardized surveys developed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) were used to assess the school climate and stakeholder satisfaction. The summer survey, locally developed by the College of Education (COE), focused on the reactions to YRS. The final survey consisted of structured interviews with the stakeholder groups. During each year of the study, over 92% of the students, 80% of the teachers, and 39% of the parents responded. A select group of teachers, parents and students participated in the final interviews. The data analysis conducted for Phases 1 and 2 consisted of a comparison of each pair of yearly results, 96, 97, 99, 2000 and 2001 using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Phase 1 comparisons indicated that satisfaction levels increased after the implementation of YRS and school climate improved. Phase 2 surveys indicated stakeholders were more positive in their beliefs about teaching and learning and opinions of YRS after implementation. The results of the personal interviews reinforced the beliefs and opinions reported in Phases 1 and 2. Additional comparisons of students by grade levels and cohorts indicate a positive acceptance of YRS.

Excerpt: Are home and private schools a “cost” to traditional public schools? This argument has often been used by local school districts, and others, to push for legislation that would restrict the establishment of these alternative schools.

Using mixed methods, this study examined the nature of teacher-student interaction in an asynchronous, statewide, self-paced virtual high school. Eight teachers were interviewed to understand their perceptions on the nature of interactions and their role as a virtual school teacher. Interactions were primarily instructional in nature, taking the form of feedback on student assignments. There were few procedural and social interactions. In general, teachers felt disconnected from their students due to the large class sizes and limited interactions. They also felt disconnected from their peers and the role of a teacher as they traditionally defined it. To understand the relationship between perceived interaction and academic performance, 46,089 students were surveyed using an 18-item instrument designed to assess the types and frequency of interaction. Hierarchical linear modeling and hierarchical logistic regression on the 2,269 responses indicated significant differences between completers' and non-completers' perceptions of teacher-student interaction. However, there were minimal differences between students based on grade awarded and teacher-student interaction. The results of this study were discussed as well as implications for practitioners and researchers. The full text of this dissertation may be downloaded for free from http://etd.byu.edu/

In this study, 94 colleges and universities in Florida were surveyed to determine what their admission policies were for home school applicants. Forty-six colleges responded to the survey. The results of the survey were analyzed to determine if there was a pattern of acceptance based on institution type--public, private, or proprietary. Further, the admission policies were analyzed to determine the extent to which they complied with the National Center for Home Education's (NCHE) recommend college admission policies for home school applicants. The researcher found that public colleges were more likely to accept home school students than were private colleges. Also, public colleges had less stringent admission requirements for home school students than did private colleges. Further, home school admission policies in place in Florida's public colleges were more likely to comply with the NCHE's recommended admission policies for home school applicants. In addition to reviewing college admission policies for home school students, the standardized test scores and grade point averages of home school and public school students enrolled in a Florida, public community college were compared. The standardized test scores compared were the College Placement Test (CPT) and the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT). The researcher found no difference in the mean grade point averages of home school and public school students enrolled in a Florida, public community college. Also, the researcher found no difference in the mean CPT algebra, CPT reading, or SAT mathematics scores of home school and public school students. There was, however, a significant difference in the CPT writing and SAT verbal scores for these two groups of students. Home school students scored significantly higher than public school students on the CPT writing and the SAT verbal tests.

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of educators with respect to student experiences between March 2020 and February 2021 related to academics, social-emotional health, and safety and security. Data collection strategies included one-on-one interviews with 12 educators in one East Tennessee school district. To qualify for the study, participants had to have taught during COVID-19 schooling disruptions and have taught either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade in the 2022-23 school year. Data analysis was based on Systems Theory (Laszlo & Krippner, 1998) and Change Theory (Fullan, 2020). The results revealed 5 key themes that were consistent among educators participating in the interviews and their perceptions of student experiences: (a) technology, (b) uncertainty, (c) engagement, (d) isolation, and (e) gratitude.

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