<p> Historically, after-school extracurricular programs can be linked to success in student achievement as well as increased school attendance and giving students &ldquo;safe after-school environments&rdquo; (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). This causal comparative study investigated student achievement as measured by students&rsquo; grade point average, the number of extracurricular activities the student is involved in, the income status of the student, attendance, as well as gender and grit that the student possesses. The sample included 110 high school seniors, 47% males and 53% females, from the graduating class of 2017 from four rural communities in the Midwest. Participants completed the Grit Scale by Duckworth et al. (2007), which measures an individual&rsquo;s perseverance and passion to continue on to complete one&rsquo;s goals. Analysis of the data centered on the significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, income, attendance, and perception of grit. The researcher also ran an analysis to see if there was a correlation between grade point average and grit. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by income. Results also uncovered a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by attendance. Results also showed a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by perception of grit. Although there was no significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, the researcher wanted to validate the research due to the fact this study was happening in a rural community with fewer students involved. There also was a positive correlation when examining grade point average and the score of grit. Future researchers should focus on whether or not the student feels supported. Another focus would be to investigate if students work during the school year and the number of hours that they work during the school week. Co-curricular versus extracurricular activities also need to be explored further within the context of whether they make a difference in a student&rsquo;s grade point average.</p><p>

<p> Public reaction after violent incidents in schools have led policymakers and school officials to institute security measures including zero tolerance policies and police officers. Researchers reported an increase in student arrest rates and exclusionary discipline rates for minor offenses after implementing these initiatives.</p><p> This study focused on student arrest rates and exclusionary discipline measures in two high schools among School Resource Officers (SRO)/School Based Police Officers (SBPO) and secondary administrators over two school years. Furthermore, the study examined the factors influencing arrest decisions of the School Resource Officers/School Based Police Officers involved. The data collected answered these questions: 1. What factors contribute to the School Resource Officers'/School Based Police Officers' decisions of whether to arrest students in the school setting? 2. How do zero tolerance approaches influence student arrest rates and student exclusionary discipline rates in schools that utilize School Resource Officers/School Based Police Officers? 3. What role do the School Resource Officers/School Based Police Officers have in the school environment?</p><p> A descriptive research method, utilizing interviews, surveys and student arrest and discipline information, was used to answer these questions. The participants in this study were selected using purposive sampling based on their assignment in a secondary school.</p><p> This study reported that there were similarities among the police officers regarding the factors affecting the arrest decisions. This was reasonably consistent with the research. Most students in the study were arrested at both site locations for minor misconduct in 2014-15 but major offenses in 2015-16. The exclusionary discipline rates were dependent on site location. This appeared to be an indication that it had little to do with the SROs/SBPOs assigned to the schools and much more to do with the administrative leadership within the respective schools.</p><p> The findings indicate a need for ongoing collaboration and communication between the supervisors of the schools and law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, the implementation of a positive approach to student behavior rather than a punitive approach may assist in reducing the amount of exclusionary outcomes. Lastly, training for the police officers related to interactions with misbehaving students may assist in changing their arrest decisions.</p><p>

<p> One in every four students in the United States is Latin@, yet approximately half of Latin@ students fail to complete a high school diploma within four years. By 2020, Latin@s will comprise approximately 50% of the population of the United States, which will lead to the &ldquo;Latinization&rdquo; of K-12 schools. Despite being such a large part of the U.S. population, only 13% of Latin@s graduate college (Irizarry &amp; Donaldson, 2012). </p><p> In Oregon, the graduation rate for the 2015-2016 four-year cohort was 73.8%; for Latin@s, the graduation rate was 67.4% (Oregon Department of Education, 2017). In 2015-2016, the River County School District had a graduation rate of 70.8% for the overall four-year cohort, but only 59.4% of the Latin@ students within that four-year cohort. Oregon mirrors the United States in that Latin@s continue to make up a growing percentage of the overall population in Oregon. Every day that Oregon public schools struggle to provide a high school education with high expectations for Latin@ students is another day of jeopardizing the future of Oregon. </p><p> This qualitative action research aimed to explore the development of critical consciousness in Latin@ ninth grade students at a comprehensive high school through a CRT and LatCrit lens. This study intended to change ninth grade, first-generation, U.S. born high school students&rsquo; position in their own education process, to empower students to consider their own educational point of view, to analyze their own and their peers&rsquo; points of view, and to organize opportunities to share their point of view with teachers and school district leaders in order to advocate for their educational needs and rights and to liberate themselves from marginalizing experiences in high school. The intention of this critical action research is to empower students to identify and advocate for their own academic success.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relation between student engagement and reading attitude in an online high school learning environment using the High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) and the Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Scale (Rhody). Subjects were administered the HSSSE and Rhody as a single survey electronically using Google Forms during the Fall 2016 semester. All subjects were enrolled in at least one online course at the time of the survey administration. A MANOVA was run to analyze the data for each research question and sub-question. Although this research found there to be no statistically significant correlation between student engagement and reading attitude in the online high school environment used for this study, the results provided a few strong trends: the relation between the number of online courses a student had previously taken and emotional student engagement and the relation between the number of online courses a student had previously taken and overall student engagement. This research found overall trends that contradict the results of research done in traditional high school learning environments, but support previous research done in online high school learning environments.</p><p> These substantial trends influence the development and implementation of policies and procedures of online high school learning environments in order to increase student engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive). Although this dissertation has distinguished these essential trends, future research must investigate student characteristics and environmental factors to identify elements that lead to increased student engagement (behavioral, emotional, and cognitive).</p><p>

<p> This dissertation explores how pre-service teachers conceptualize the relationship between justice and practice, and then navigate the tensions of their student teaching context to enact their beliefs in their teaching practice. Starting from the assumption that all teachers must understand how their practice challenges rather than reproduces inequities, this proposal&rsquo;s theoretical framework explicates four elements of a social justice educator: an orientation towards justice, a critical frame for understanding the relationship between macro-level structures and micro-level interactions, and conceptual and practical tools to live this in one&rsquo;s practice/praxis. A literature review of Social Justice Teacher Education (SJTE) and Practice-based Teacher Education (PBTE) along these four dimensions suggests complementary possibilities for facilitating the preparation of social justice educators. The qualitative study, leveraging practitioner research methodologies, how pre-service teachers developed the conceptual and practical tools of social justice educators. Findings pre-service teachers suggest that pre-service teachers varied in their conceptualizations of how teachers acted towards more just outcomes, and in their relation of their teaching aims to the real world. Additionally, pre-service teachers responded to tensions they countered in their particular school context by planning and enacting units of instruction that fulfilled their teaching aims, responded to the contextualized tensions, reflected their conceptualizations of justice, and met their students&rsquo; needs.</p><p>

<p> This study aimed to understand how 35 focal students in a No Excuses high school, a charter school model designed to promote social mobility, made decisions about if and where to go to college. This study draws on college choice, cultural capital, and performance management literature to understand how the high school context at the focal school influenced students' college choice processes. Drawing on data from interviews, observations, and documents, this exploratory study found that Performance High provided extensive college resources and support to its students, which was consistent with how researchers conceptualize a "college-going culture" in high schools. Further, the high school used a performance management approach, in which administrators held teachers and students accountable for meeting particular college related metrics, such as the number and types of applications students were required to submit. The study found that focal students submitted applications and enrolled in college at high rates. Thirty-four of the 35 focal students planned to attend college the following fall. However, rather than exhibit the sense of entitlement and expectation that research describes for students who benefit from dominant forms of cultural capital, most of the focal students' college choice processes were characterized by hesitation, ambivalence, and doubt. Further, the findings suggest the performance management approach assimilated students to one model of college choice that did not easily accommodate students' preferences. These findings highlight the difficulties for schools in providing cultural capital for students independent of their families, and suggests the need to reconceptualize "college-going cultures" to not only consider the college outcomes and the density of resources in the high school context, but how well students absorb cultural capital, which may be important for social mobility. </p>

<p> The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States, is home to approximately 3.4 million U.S. citizens. The literature on Puerto Rican national identity (PRNI) describes how and why it has been debated on the island for more than five hundred years throughout the colonial trajectory, once under Spain and now as a commonwealth of the United States. </p><p> The education system in Puerto Rico, and particularly the social studies curriculum, has been used to promote particular ideologies regarding national identity. This study identifies what middle school teachers teach about PRNI and how seventh grade students identify themselves in terms of national identity. The investigation of curriculum delivery examines the elements that foster the Puerto Rican national character. Social studies educators who neglect the multiplicity of Puerto Rican identities fail to acknowledge that educational practices should be inclusive of the diverse understandings of PRNI. Such an acknowledgment needs to be incorporated to social studies classes where teachers discuss Puerto Rico&rsquo;s relationship with the United States. Examining social studies classes in Puerto Rico becomes the ideal context to develop conjectures about PRNI that include a transnational identity beyond the nation-state paradigms.</p><p> Using a mixed method approach with a concurrent embedded strategy, I identified student perceptions about PRNI, which differ from those of educators. Teachers&rsquo; perceptions, citizenship, ethnic identity, and political ideology become intertwined with the delivery of social studies classes. Nevertheless, students develop their own perceptions of PRNI with only minor reference to the social studies class.</p><p> Students express dissatisfaction with their social studies classes. They also assign a high level of importance to PRNI, express a strong feeling of belonging to the Puerto Rican nation, and describe markers of national identity. The previous categories become pivotal considerations for the assessment of content-rich social studies lessons.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibrato and pitch-varied vocal models on acoustic measures of high school and undergraduate singers&rsquo; vocal performance. Participants&rsquo; perception of vocal models was also examined to explore a possible relationship between perception and production. The following primary questions guided this research: 1) Is singers&rsquo; intonation affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 2) Is singers&rsquo; vibrato rate affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 3) Is singers&rsquo; vibrato extent affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? 4) Is singers&rsquo; intensity affected by vibrato or pitch-varied vocal models? Secondary questions under investigation were: 1) Do singers respond differently to vocal models of pitch patterns versus song phrases? 2) Does age and experience influence singers&rsquo; response? 3) Do singers perceive the differences in vocal models? </p><p> Participants (<i>N</i> = 76) were male (<i>n</i> = 38) and female (<i>n</i> = 38) singers who were undergraduates (<i>n</i> = 40) currently participating in a choral ensemble at the Florida State University or high school students (n = 36) currently enrolled in the choral program at a nearby high school. Participants responded to twelve vocal models of the same gender that were varied in melody, vibrato, and intonation conditions. Vocal models consisted of either a short pitch pattern (<i> sol-la-sol-fa-mi-re-do</i>) or familiar song excerpt (Are You Sleeping?), both performed on the neutral syllable <i>&ldquo;tah.&rdquo;</i> Model melodies were sung in vibrato and minimal vibrato conditions, with each model having a specific 3rd and 5th scale degree that was presented in tune, sharp, or flat (mistuned pitches &plusmn; 25 cents relative to equal temperament). After responding to vocal models, participants were asked via written questionnaire if they perceived differences in vocal models and, if so, to describe them. </p><p> Audio recordings of participants&rsquo; responses were analyzed acoustically, with the specific 3rd and 5th scale degrees in each model analyzed for the dependent measures of intonation, vibrato rate, vibrato extent and intensity. Repeated measures analyses were conducted on the acoustic measures. An alpha level of .01 was used in all statistical tests. Written responses on the questionnaire were analyzed for keywords reflecting vocal technique or musical elements. Keywords were then identified and coded for frequency of response. </p><p> Significant differences in intonation were found, with responses to minimal vibrato models performed more flat than responses to vibrato models. Main effects were also found for gender, with male participants showing overall more flatness than females. Responses to pitch-varied models tended towards flat intonation, with flat models producing the greatest deviation particularly with male participants. Two interactions, both involving melody condition of models, also produced differences in intonation. </p><p> Significant differences in measures of vibrato rate and extent were also observed. Vibrato rates were faster and vibrato extents were wider in response to vibrato models. High school participants responded with similar vibrato rate and extent to both vibrato model conditions, whereas undergraduates responded with significantly faster vibrato rate and wider extent to vibrato models. Undergraduate vibrato rates were similar between genders, however high school males were significantly slower in vibrato rate than high school females. </p><p> Intensity results for both high school and undergraduate participants showed significantly higher intensity levels for 5th scale degrees than 3rds. High school males performed both scale degrees at similar intensity levels, while high school females sang 5ths with higher intensity. Significant differences in intensity were also found with undergraduates, with responses to vibrato models yielding higher intensity. Male undergraduates were found to sing with higher intensity in response to vibrato models, whereas females sang with similar intensity between vibrato-varied conditions. Interactions involving scale degree or melody condition of models also produced significant differences in intensity. </p><p> Analysis of written questionnaires showed that 71 (93%) participants perceived differences in models. The most frequently used keyword(s) was <i> vibrato/straight tone,</i> with 36 participants (51%) noting this as a perceived difference between models. <i>Timbre/tone quality</i> was the next most used word(s) by 13 participants (17%), followed by <i> intonation/pitch</i> used by 12 participants (15%). More males noticed changes in tone quality, intonation, and vowels than females, whereas the latter recognized vibrato changes more than males. Undergraduates perceived vibrato changes and intonation differences more than high school participants. </p><p> Many complex factors were thought to contribute to results of this study, including perception, experience, vocal development, and vocal production. While some findings support prior research, other results raise questions that warrant additional investigation. Implications and ideas for future inquiry are discussed.</p>

<p> Although many teachers use concurrent instructional strategies, little is known about how or when they function in rehearsal, or how frequently they are employed. The purpose of the present study was to examine pitched and unpitched concurrent instructional behaviors as they occurred naturally in secondary choral rehearsals over time. Three master teachers (two male, one female) with at least 10, 20, and 30 years of teaching experience, respectively, recorded their rehearsals over the course of approximately six weeks, from the introduction of a new piece of literature, through the point in time when it is deemed &ldquo;performance-ready&rdquo; by the director. Data were recorded, on average, twice per week, in the form 15&ndash;20 minutes of audio footage, and sent to the researcher for analysis. Results indicate that mean concurrent instruction was present for 25.88% of a given rehearsal. The most frequently used pitched behavior was singing and the most frequently used unpitched behavior was the academic hustle. Potential implications for music education practitioners and directions for future research are discussed. </p><p>

<p> Teenage pregnancy greatly influences the probability of high school graduation for girls (Ng &amp; Kay, 2012; Solomon-Fears, 2015). Only 51% of women who give birth as teenagers earn a high school diploma by the time they are 22 years old, as compared to 89% of their non-teen-pregnant contemporaries (Ng &amp; Kay, 2012). The United States Department of Education reports that the median income of a person from 18 to 67 years of age in 2012 without a high school degree was about $25,000, as compared to $46,000 with a high school degree (Stark &amp; Noel, 2015). In a lifetime, that amounts to a personal loss of $670,000 because of the lack of a high school diploma and reflects a $250,000 loss to the national economy in reduced tax contributions, higher rates of illegal activity, and higher costs in welfare dependence (Stark &amp; Noel, 2015). The final goal of this study was to create a flow chart to provide suggested support for pregnant and parenting teenagers in South Louisiana high schools to ensure graduation. To accomplish this goal, this qualitative phenomenological study investigated the perceptions of women in South Louisiana who experienced a teenage pregnancy while in high school and went on to earn a high school degree, in relation to: (1) experiences in high school, (2) the effects of their individual attributes on high school experiences, (3) school-provided supports they found to be beneficial, and (4) what they believed to be their greatest support leading to graduation. Nine participants were interviewed, and the findings revealed that women who experienced a teenage pregnancy in South Louisiana and went on to earn a high school degree (1) felt some sense of shame or embarrassment during the pregnancy, (2) experienced a lack of understanding or compassion by school personnel and their peers, (3) if African American, were generally more resilient, (4) had educational aspirations and academic success prior to pregnancy, (5) may have opted to attend an alternative school rather than stay at their base school, and (6) valued connecting with others with similar experiences.</p><p>