The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers in the high schools of Northeast Tennessee regarding their schools’ academics, climate, culture, parent engagement, and their English Language Learners’ school experiences. The researcher sought to ascertain if significant differences exist between the perceptions of different groups of educational professionals in the school, with those groups to include school administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers. Data were analyzed from 50 survey questions with 42 of those questions measured on a 5-point Likert scale, 5 questions as multiple choice, and 3 questions as open-ended. Data were collected through an online survey program, Survey Monkey. The survey was distributed to 12 school districts consisting of 39 high schools. There was a 23% response rate among administrators, a 29% response rate among counselors, and a nearly 10% response rate among teachers. There were no significant variations of the participants’ perceptions of their schools’ conduciveness to ELLs’ success with regard to classroom practice, student resilience, school climate, school culture, and the strength of home and school partnership.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the nature, scope, and consequences of drug and alcohol use by students enrolled at three southern Appalachian community colleges: Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) in Virginia, Northeast State Technical Community College (NSTCC) in Tennessee, and Southwestern Community College (SCC) in North Carolina. An additional purpose was to use this information to formulate recommendations for new and improved preventive substance-abuse programs. The design for this study was descriptive research. The Core Alcohol and Drug Survey (CORE) was selected as the appropriate instrument for use in this study. The 23-item questionnaire was designed specifically to investigate the nature, scope, and consequences of alcohol and drug use of students who attend the three southern Appalachian community colleges. A proportional stratified sampling procedure was utilized to select clusters (classes) at each community college. A total of 1,101 surveys was collected. Four research questions and 22 hypotheses were addressed. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Somers' D. The researcher, using the.05 level of significance, rejected nine null hypotheses and failed to reject 13 null hypotheses. Forty-eight percent of the students used alcohol in the past 30 days. Forty-six percent of underage (younger than 21) students drank (indicated alcohol use at least once in previous 30 days). Twenty-six percent of students had "binged" in the previous two weeks. The data in this research showed the following: (1) no relationship existed between the use of alcohol and the age groups, (2) a difference existed between the age groups in their use of marijuana, amphetamines, and sedatives, and (3) a difference existed between the use of alcohol, and marijuana, and grade-point averages. Twenty-five percent of the students have used marijuana (at least once in the past year). The most frequently reported illegal drugs used in the past 30 days were: 17% marijuana, 7% amphetamines and 7% sedatives. Key findings on the consequences of alcohol and drug use are as follows: 38% reported some form of public misconduct and 18% reported experiencing some kind of personal injury at least once during the past year as a result of drinking or drug use. Findings of the study showed that no difference existed between mates' and females' perception of the alcohol and drug policies, regulations and prevention programs on campus. The study also revealed no difference existed among the age groups' perception of the alcohol and drug policies, regulations, and prevention programs.

The Maryville City School system has implemented the first year of the iReach blended learning model for which all students in the school district have access to either a laptop or an iPad to support their learning every day. The availability of research on the impact of iReach is limited because the blended learning instructional model is relatively new and has not yet been subjected to numerous research studies. The purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental quantitative study was to compare student reading Lexile growth data collected through the use of the Reading Comprehension Assessment before and after iReach implementation to determine if there was a correlation between the implementation of iReach and reading Lexile growth of students in Maryville City Schools. Paired-samples t test results based on data collected from the 2015-2016 freshman cohort as well as subgroups (males, females, economically disadvantaged, and noneconomically disadvantaged) depict significantly more reading Lexile score growth during the eighth grade year before the school system implemented the iReach blended learning initiative than during the ninth grade, the first full year of iReach implementation. Paired-samples t test results based on data collected from the 2015-2016 sophomore cohort to use for comparison to the freshman cohort demonstrated the same significant pattern of growth. These findings suggest that the implementation of iReach is not a sole factor affecting the reading Lexile growth of students. Results from a 2-way contingency table analysis reflect that the freshmen cohort had significantly more students than expected who increased their reading Lexile scores from eighth grade pretest to ninth grade posttest than the expected frequency of students in the sophomore cohort who increased their scores. These significant findings indicate that either the implementation of iReach, another variable, or a combination of variables worked better for the freshman cohort and attributed to the higher than expected frequency of students whose scores increased.

This thesis seeks to investigate the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on U.S. student achievement and teacher effectiveness. By combining the results from various data sources, I am able to indicate the levels of student preparedness, school spending, and specific classroom practices. After an analysis of my results, I suggest that NCLB has found moderate success in increasing the level of math preparedness for younger students from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. On the other hand, the data also suggests that there have been no statistically significant gains in reading achievement after the implementation of NCLB. Additionally, spending by school districts increased a significant amount and NCLB raised teacher pay and the number of teachers entering the profession with graduate degrees. Within schools, NCLB appears to have directed instruction towards math and reading and away from other subjects as teachers strove to achieve proficiency on the new accountability measures implemented by NCLB.

Many researchers have attempted to identify best practices, habits, and conditions of English Language Learners (ELs, ELLs) pertaining to school success. It is clear EL students pose unique and significant challenges, yet unclear what strategies and program models educators can implement to motivate learning, improve educational experiences, and appropriately acknowledge and reward these learners’ accomplishments. Few studies have attempted to determine the difficulties and challenges associated with academic success and probability of graduation for Late-entry English Learners (LEELs), defined as those entering the school system as eighth-through-twelfth grade students. Their test scores weigh heavily on high-stakes standardized testing accountability measures. Late-entry ELs are often shortchanged when it comes to resources and teachers. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing reports nearly 7500 teachers currently teaching EL students without proper authorization as there simply are not enough teachers to meet the need. This study will give LEELs a voice to describe their educational experiences and perceptions of pertinent hurdles. They will share recommendations of best practices for Late-entry ELs and for the administrators and educators who serve them. The study draws attention to LEEL experiences, honoring them, while informing educational leaders regarding practices that may alleviate educational obstacles. Additionally, the study seeks to ascertain the best way to foster academic success for LEELs. This research is valuable as EL populations continue to grow in California and across the nation.

This study explored pre-existing quantitative data for 55 students when they were in the seventh grade who eventually attended a continuation high school years later. There were 101 students at a particular continuation high school, and this research explored pre-existing data looking solely at the students who were in the same district while they were in seventh grade. Attendance and grades from the pre-existing data in the district’s software system were analyzed using a descriptive methodology followed by a cluster analysis through SPSS. Attendance findings for the 55 students revealed that nine students (16%) were absent with a frequency of 10 or more days in each semester. Reasons given for some absences were bereavement for four students (7%) and suspensions for 10 students (18%). Eight out of these 10 students (80%) declined in their grades from the first semester to the second semester. Overall, 33 students (60%) declined in their grades from the first semester to the second semester regardless. Findings related to grades looked at the number of Fs over the two semesters of the seventh-grade school year and at the number of Fs earned in each course. Forty-four students (80%) earned at least one F either semester. Language Arts was the highest failed academic class second semester, with 32 out of 55 students (58%), and Computer Applications was the highest failed elective class for 5 out of 9 students (56%) who took this class second semester. Other findings related to grades were that 0 students (0%) failed only the elective, and only 2 students (4%) failed Physical Education. Additional findings through cluster analysis revealed a connection between failing an elective in combination with failing Language Arts: 81.8% first semester (9 out of 11 students) and 83.3% second semester (5 out of 6 students). Using a cross-tabulation, the highest pattern between the two semesters was for 10 students of the overall 55 (18%) with no Fs both semesters, and the second-highest pattern was for 6 students (11%) with no Fs first semester and 1 F second semester.

Years of high stakes testing and managerial directives to improve student test scores created a trend of teachers’ declining sense of efficacy and agency. Researchers have yet to examine the perceptions of teachers following requirements to improve student engagement and school climate in an effort to improve academic performance following the authorization of local and national educational accountability reforms. The purpose of this study is to examine how teachers perceive their efficacy and agency in response to the addition of nonacademic measures and the requirement of documented input from teachers and other stakeholders into educational policy planning procedures. Veteran K-12 teachers’ responses to survey and interview questions were coded, analyzed, and organized into themes to generate an educational theory. Grounded Theory Methodologies (GTM), Culturally Responsive Methodologies (CRM) and Critical Pedagogy (CP) informed data collection methods and theoretical foundations for this study. The creation of a safe dialogical space between the practitioner researcher and participants developed a relationship for both to engage as co-researchers. Teachers discovered renewed senses of efficacy and agency while acknowledging their leadership potential in schools and the community. This study and further practitioner research with teachers in schools will inform pre-service education training programs and confirm teachers’ role as critical intellectuals in American society.

This thesis explores schoolyard-based education as a viable and necessary method for rectifying the shortcomings within the American public school system and the Nature-deficit Disorder epidemic. We argue that schoolyard-based education should be fully integrated into the school system, not in the sole form of popularized school gardens, but as a standard teaching method. We show this using extensive research and a case study of three elementary schools in Claremont, California.

This thesis explored the integration of automated essay scoring (AES) software into the writing curriculum for high level ESOL students (levels 3, 4, and 5 on a 1-5 scale) at a high school in Miami, Fl. Issues for Haitian Creole speaking students were also explored. The Spanish and Haitian Creole speaking students were given the option to write notes, outlines, and planning sheets in their L1. After using AES in the middle of the writing process as a revision assistant tool, 24 students responded to a Likert Scale questionnaire. The students responded positively to the AES based on the results of the Likert scale questionnaire: 71% responded “agree” and “strongly agree” to the question “Other students would benefit from using writing software before handing in a final draft.” Also, the majority reported that they valued teacher feedback. None of the students chose to use their L1 to write notes/outlines.

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are educated in general education classrooms. As a result, these students are faced with more challenging instructional curricula. Although some students with SLD perform as well in mathematics as students without disabilities, most perform below state standards despite being provided instructional and testing accommodations. Policy makers have envisioned the implementation of instructional accommodations as a primary means of ensuring an appropriate education (Mcleskey, Hoppey, Williamson & Rentz, 2004; Scalon & Baker, 2012) for students with disabilities in general education classrooms (Mc Guire, Scott, & Shaw, 2006). The researcher implemented a non-experimental ex post facto research design to investigate the research hypothesis to determine the relationship between the five most frequently used accommodations by general education teachers who teach students with SLD and student achievement in Algebra 1. At the beginning of the 2016 – 2017 school year, the collection of data began by emailing the Qualtrics Survey Software (V.23) to 185 general education mathematics teachers in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Four main instructional accommodation constructs were assessed using a 15-item questionnaire. From the responses to the survey, the five of the most frequently used accommodations were determined. Nine general education Algebra 1 teachers from six high schools across the county who reported using similar accommodations and taught three or more students with SLD in mathematics participated in the study. The researcher and two peer researchers conducted in-class observations on the participants’ fidelity of implementation of accommodations (FOI) using a checklist during the period in which they taught students with SLD. An Algebra I test was used for pre- and post-testing to determine student mathematics achievement. The results of the survey indicated that teachers most frequently provided: (a) sample problems of varying levels, (b) guides or prompts or personal (teacher/peer) assistance, (c) extended access to instructional resources and equipment, (d) provided preferential seating and (e) additional time to complete assignment or class projects. Linear regression analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between teacher FOI of accommodations and student achievement (p < .05).