The implementation of scientific inquiry in the high school classroom has proven to be not only relevant and exploratory, but challenging and engaging as well. This style of curriculum design has been recognized as a primary means of achieving the goals and objectives set by the National Resource Council (NRC, 1996). While much research has shown that science inquiry helps students to gain understanding of content knowledge, little research has been conducted to assess gains in higher order thinking skills, specifically those related to data analysis (Anderson, 2002; Germann and Aram, 1996; Hofstein, Navon, Kipnis, and Mamlok-Naaman, 2005; Miner, Levy, and Century, 2009; Windschitl, Thompson, and Braaten, 2008; Zohar and Dori, 2003). Through a better understanding of the scientific inquiry process as well as insights into students' struggles with data analysis, we can better understand how to effectively implement strategies in the classroom that encourage the higher order thinking skill of data analysis. This mixed methods, multiple-case study investigated teacher practice in eight high school science inquiry units in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area and the data analyses that students produced in their accompanying work samples. The results of this study indicate that students struggle to produce proficient analysis and interpretations of data. The areas of student struggle were in the areas that required higher order thinking: analyzing results, drawing conclusions, and communicating results. Furthermore, this research discusses areas of data analysis instruction that may benefit from professional development opportunities.

The purposes of this study are three-fold: 1. To organize and summarize the data concerning library services for the libraries filling out these criteria; (2.) To find the strengths and weaknesses of these libraries; (3.) To point up areas in which improvement needs to be made.

Despite many theories on student success as well as many resources to help students make the transition from high school to college, many students do not persist in or graduate from college. The purpose of this dissertation is to provide insight into what takes place when students leave P-12 institutions and enter institutions of higher education by using focused narrative inquiry. This study took place at a large research university in the south. The study included 4 participants at various parts of their transition journey. Participants in the study responded to written prompts. Follow up interviews were conducted, and a narrative of each participant’s transition story was constructed. A plot analysis on each participant’s story suggests that students in transition are not only transitioning from P-12 institutions but also between resources intended to aid students in their transition. When employing resources intended to aid students in their transition to college, foregrounding the cultural transition elements should be considered.

Traditional teacher-centered methods of lectures and PowerPoint presentations are commonly used when teaching secondary social studies, yet these methods continually prove to be boring for most high school students and neglect to teach critical thinking skills. Student-centered methods are different than teacher-centered methods because these methods incorporate several learning styles, cooperative activities, and even technology in order to engage the student and promote critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is important for students to master because it gives them the skills to move past the obvious and make individual connections with the text. The intent of this thesis was to explore the effectiveness of integrating student-centered methods in high school social studies classrooms as a means of promoting critical thinking skills. All students were given the same pretest and posttests. Students were divided into three groups: one was taught using student-centered methods, one was taught using teacher-centered methods, and one was the control group and was not directly taught by anyone. Based on analyzing students' posttest scores compared to their pre-test scores, student-centered teaching produced a higher average score increase, though all methods had students who scored higher, and students whose scores remained constant. Evidence and student feedback showed that continued future research should be conducted to see if student-centered methods should be used throughout all secondary social studies classrooms to promote critical thinking.

General education content teachers in an urban middle school are responsible for the academic performance of Latino English language learners (ELLs) but lack specialized training in language acquisition. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate content teachers' use of the lesson study collaborative model in teaching Latino ELLs. The theoretical framework of cooperative learning and the lesson study planning model guided this study. The research questions addressed the specific English as a second language (ESL) conversations and planning that occurred in interdisciplinary team meetings and lesson study implementation in teaching practice and student performance. Typological analysis of multiple observations and written participant reflections were used to generate patterns for predetermined and inductive typologies. The findings indicated that interdisciplinary teaming did not include collaboration or planning for differentiated instruction prior to implementation of classroom lessons. The findings indicated features of lesson study that facilitated professional growth through learning from the instructional practices of peers, new understandings of lesson planning and design, and the feasibility and necessity of ELL differentiation in content area instruction. Lesson study provided teams the structure and focus to prepare specific learning outcomes for Latino ELLs. It is recommended that educational policymakers explore the lesson study model as a requirement for all content teachers instructing ELLs. The implications for positive social change include (a) improved teaching and learning conditions of Latino ELLs and (b) the national issue of Latino dropout could be addressed from an instructional perspective.

The local school district in the current study was struggling to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) targets in reading because secondary students were scoring below the basic level in reading and their content area teachers had little or no training in reading deficiencies. What had been speculated, yet never tested, was the utility of teacher training in research-based reading programs and interventions on increasing reading achievement scores. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine issues hampering RTI implementation. This case study focused on analyzing the perceptions of secondary RTI teachers within an urban school district in Texas. The theoretical framework was based on cognitive and social constructivist theory. The research question investigated the best approach to improve teachers' knowledge and implementation of the RTI framework to increase students' reading achievement. Interview data were collected from 3 RTI teachers who had more than 3 years of teaching experience. Data were analyzed through lean coding by using provisional codes to reduce codes to 3 major themes. Reports from the 3 teachers suggested that they all encountered many challenges in implementing RTI; additionally they all conveyed that they needed more support from administrators, access to prescribed resources, and consistent guidelines in program implementation. A white paper was developed to inform the local district on RTI implementation challenges and provide recommendations for improvement. This study impacts social change by providing administrators and educators with information that could improve implementation practices and result in better understanding of RTI.

Early childhood education teachers have been challenged with the demands for accountability in literacy and English language development, as well as kindergarten readiness skills of preschool children. Researchers have studied professional learning communities (PLCs) as a framework for professional development and student achievement. However, few have studied the effects of PLCs in preschool. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how PLCs support preschool teachers in Head Start and other preschool programs. The research questions involved understanding teaching and learning opportunities for early childhood education (ECE) that can produce positive child outcomes. Using social constructivist assumptions, data collection began with interviews of the leadership team that oversees the ECE services within a suburban Southern California school district. Additional data was gathered from archival records, field observations, and interviews of 20 teachers clustered into 4 PLC groups. Observational data were coded from video recordings via checklists derived from the review of the literature. Interview data were coded for a priori themes based on the literature, were continually reviewed for additional emergent themes, and discordant data separated for later consideration. Coded data were analyzed thorough the sequential method outlined by Janesick, yielding 7 factors related to increasing teacher learning and 4 related to increasing student learning. These results were employed to create a district-wide PLC professional development plan for ECE teachers. The study has implications for social change by supporting collaborative cultures of teacher leadership that continually improve ECE instruction and student learning.

Research on the Learning College indicates that everyone in the college must support learning. There have not been previous studies that centered on whether or not support staff, a major constituency group in community colleges, participates in supporting learning. This adapted phenomenological study examined staff in a Learning College to determine their understanding and application of the Learning College concept. Three research questions addressed how these employees understand the concept, perceive their roles, and apply Learning College principles. The study was conducted in a theoretical framework combining Learning College, change, and organizational culture theories. Data were collected from a purposive sample of full time employees classified by the human resources department as support staff using pre-screening questionnaires and in-depth interviews that were then coded and analyzed using a typological methodology. Themes identified emphasized learning, the availability of lifelong learning, and the importance of every employee. Support staff actions reflected some principles of Learning College theory, and though respondents understood their role in student success, they did not see this role as supporting learning. The study showed that staff do not fully understand the Learning College concept and believe that staff development would be useful in helping them support learning. With professional development, staff may gain greater understanding about supporting learning. The findings have the potential for impacting social change by: (a) helping support staff feel more valued, and, therefore, likely to perform more effectively; and (b) increasing staff understanding of student learning may give greater meaning to their work. Recommendations encourage college leaders to tap into the support staff as a resource.

Repeated poor performance by students with special needs on the Indiana Statewide Test of Educational Progress (ISTEP) in an Indiana middle school supported the need for instructional changes. Following the implementation of a full inclusion program, a problem arose in that the program had not been evaluated and effectiveness was in question. This study, grounded in the constructivist and social reproduction theoretical frameworks, is important in explaining the effectiveness of a fully inclusive school. Whether placing middle school aged children with special needs in inclusive classrooms in the middle school setting is an effective practice is the research question guiding this work. A program evaluation was used to determine effectiveness by examining same student test score data in math and English from 2005 through 2007. The 2007 test scores reflected the first scores following a full year of inclusion. The test score data were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA to study overall performance from year to year. The findings of the project show that inclusion had a significant positive effect on ISTEP scores and is an effective method of instructing children with special needs in the least restrictive environment. The information gained from this work could be used to provide improved learning opportunities for middle school students with special needs in their current setting as well as influence their future learning opportunities through high school and beyond resulting in positive social change. Students with special needs may realize higher graduation rates and academic success while this work could be used to guide the implementation of an inclusion program by examining the methods explained in this paper.

Research indicates school culture impacts student achievement. At Teach Them All Middle School (TTA), an achievement gap exists between African American and White students. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of African American students concerning the school culture at TTA. The research questions explored the perceptions of these students regarding the role of school leaders in shaping a school culture that is academically supportive, as well as their perceptions of the actual academic support, academic rigor, and encouragement they received from administrators and faculty. A sequential exploratory mixed methods strategy was used to quantify and describe the perceptions of 8th-grade African American students at TTA. Participants (36 students) completed a school culture survey and individual in-depth interviews. Descriptive statistical analysis of survey results revealed students have an overall positive perception of the school culture at TTA. Triangulation of results showed a strong view by students of the school administrators' influence in establishing the school culture present at TTA. Constant comparison analysis of coded interview data revealed two themes: (a) the willingness and availability of teachers to help students even after school, and (b) the students' belief that problems can be brought to the attention of administrators and/or teachers for resolution. The study's key recommendation is for TTA to ensure its school culture exhibits high academic expectations for every student, especially African American males. The study contributes to positive social change by giving voice to a stakeholder group, African American students, who research shows have had a limited one in school improvement efforts. The study also guides schools in utilizing insight from these stakeholders to establish school cultures with high quality teaching and learning.