The thesis addresses the relationship of class size to student performance in a rural state. It presents findings from a longitudinal study of a cohort of students who were tested with state assessments at grade 4 in 2000, again at grade 8 in 2004 and, finally at grade 10 in 2006. Graduation rates for five large-class sized schools and five small-class sized school populations were established in 2008. All scores (n=1137) were matched across time enabling students from similar socioeconomic backgrounds from schools that were considered small (average class size, n=11) to schools that were large (average, n= 20). The paper’s focus is on the extent that students from schools that maintained large and small classes differed in selected opportunities to learn and educational outcomes. The approach to the study utilized both large scale state databases for student backgrounds and outcomes and interviews with school personnel in order to identify school policy and practices that might be linked to performance differences. The primary goal of this research study was to determine if small classes resulted in improved student achievement compared to those students in larger classes. Although Vermont does not have the large class sizes of the quasi-experimental studies and policy initiatives cited in the literature, it does have a wide range of average class sizes. The targeted high school math and English classes of this study ranged from an average of 11 students in the average small class to 20 in the average large class. If class size were a critical influence on students’ academic achievement, one would expect to see significant differences between students who were educated in classes nearly twice as large as other classes. This study concludes that there was no such difference. In terms of academic achievement, with the exception of 10th grade math scores, students in larger classes performed the same or better than students in smaller classes. Students in larger classes had slightly higher graduation rates, and a larger proportion planned to attend two or four year colleges.

Thesis advisor: Diana Pullin / It is widely accepted that school leadership has both a direct and indirect impact on student achievement. Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) Unified Leadership Framework summarized a decade of work by numerous researchers identifying the five most effective leadership domains that influence student learning. Using that work as a conceptual framework, this qualitative case study analyzed one of the five interdependent leadership domains in an urban elementary school that succeeded in educating traditionally marginalized students and outperformed other schools with similar demographics in the district. This study focused on Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) leadership domain of connecting with external partners. Specifically, it examined whether leadership practices that supported family and community partnerships were present at the school. Family and community partnerships are important because they support two essential, yet frequently overlooked, contexts where student learning and development take place. In addition, this study examined whether school leadership practices promoted these partnerships in a culturally proficient manner. This analysis was informed by the culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) framework, which describes principal behaviors that promote cultural responsiveness in urban settings. Several leadership practices that supported the criteria established by Hitt and Tucker (2016) under the domain of connecting with external partners were evident at the school, including: building productive relationships with families and the community; engaging families in collaborative processes to strengthen student learning; and anchoring the school in the community. However, leadership practices promoting family and community partnerships did not fully support a finding of being a culturally proficient school culture. This finding was primarily based on a “one size fits all” approach to working with students and families, which has been described in the literature as “cultural blindness”. Recommendations to practitioners as a result of this study include expanding informal opportunities for parent input and engagement, conducting an equity audit, and pursuing cultural proficiency professional development. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

This study determined the impact of downsizing on student achievement as reported in the AEIS database for the 10 downsized elementary schools in North East Independent School District (NEISD). Ten existing elementary schools lost students and teachers to four new schools that opened in 2005. Conclusions have been made regarding the impact of downsizing at these ten existing feeder schools on student achievement. The population of this study were students enrolled in third, fourth, and fifth grades at the ten downsized elementary campuses. Research questions were analyzed using an Independent Sample t test and the Pearson Product Moment Correlations to examine whether there was a significant difference between the variables and student achievement and correlations between student achievement and changes in teacher demographics. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are provided: 1. Total tested student population and White subpopulation TAKS scores returned statistically significant improvement at the ten elementary campuses in the area of reading “met standards” after downsizing. 2. The Hispanic subpopulation returned statistically significant improvement in the area of reading “commended performance” after downsizing. 3. The overall tested student population and the Hispanic subpopulation returned statistically significant in the area of mathematics “met standards” after downsizing. 4. The overall tested student population and the Hispanic and White subpopulations returned statistically significant improvement in the area of mathematics “commended performance” after downsizing. 5. The African American subpopulation was the only population in this study whose student achievement mean declined from 2005 to 2006 in the areas of reading “met standards” and mathematics “commended performance.” 6. The African American subpopulation was the only population in this study to show a significant negative correlation between teacher years of experience and student achievement in “commended performance” for reading and mathematics prior to downsizing.

Educators are frequently faced with the challenges of politics, hostility, selfishness, and violence; it is unwise to think that the principal is the only one providing leadership for school improvement. Thus a distributed perspective of leadership urges us to take leadership practice as the focus of interest and address both teachers and administrators as leaders. The purpose of this descriptive statistical study was to explore principals’ leadership practices as perceived by teacher leaders and its possible affect to student achievement. Data were collected by using the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) (self and observer) instrument (Kouzes & Posner, 2003) from all willing teacher leaders to determine the leadership practices of the principals in Region VI, Texas. Also, statewide assessment data available from three school years (2004-2006) were obtained from the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS) report. In order to answer research questions one to four, descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were calculated for the LPI results. The distributed framework offers considerable influence for studying leadership as a schoolwide rather than individual practice. Based on the literature, six conclusions were drawn and recommendations were made regarding practice, future study and policy. First, the findings indicated that principals’ collaborative working style with teacher leaders seems to have positive impact on student achievement. Second, failing to enlist teacher leaders in a common vision might have a negative affect on student academic performance. Third, the perceptions of teacher leaders in School 7, School 5 and School 16 reflected a need for the principal to take challenges and seek challenging opportunities to change and grow. Fourth, recognizing teacher leaders’ contributions and celebrating team accomplishments is likely to have a positive and indirect impact on school academic performance. Fifth, schools that had higher principal self and observer LPI scores tended to have better TAKS scores. Last, the findings from the study complement studies of the effects of site-based management teams. The positive impact of “Enabling Others to Act” and “Inspiring a Shared Vision” on student achievement implies that distributed leadership is most likely to contribute to school improvement and to build school capacity for improvement.

This study determined the impact of downsizing on student achievement as reported in the AEIS database for the 10 downsized elementary schools in North East Independent School District (NEISD). Ten existing elementary schools lost students and teachers to four new schools that opened in 2005. Conclusions have been made regarding the impact of downsizing at these ten existing feeder schools on student achievement. The population of this study were students enrolled in third, fourth, and fifth grades at the ten downsized elementary campuses. Research questions were analyzed using an Independent Sample t test and the Pearson Product Moment Correlations to examine whether there was a significant difference between the variables and student achievement and correlations between student achievement and changes in teacher demographics. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are provided: 1. Total tested student population and White subpopulation TAKS scores returned statistically significant improvement at the ten elementary campuses in the area of reading "met standards" after downsizing. 2. The Hispanic subpopulation returned statistically significant improvement in the area of reading "commended performance" after downsizing. 3. The overall tested student population and the Hispanic subpopulation returned statistically significant in the area of mathematics "met standards" after downsizing. 4. The overall tested student population and the Hispanic and White subpopulations returned statistically significant improvement in the area of mathematics "commended performance" after downsizing. 5. The African American subpopulation was the only population in this study whose student achievement mean declined from 2005 to 2006 in the areas of reading "met standards" and mathematics "commended performance." 6. The African American subpopulation was the only population in this study to show a significant negative correlation between teacher years of experience and student achievement in "commended performance" for reading and mathematics prior to downsizing.

This study examines Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) teacher selfratings and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores. The LoTi instrument is explained comprehensively in the study. Using a series of survey questions about classroom instruction and technology use, the instrument measures a teacher's level of technology implementation in terms of that teacher's perception of classroom practices. The study assesses the relationship between LoTi ratings and TAKS scores of 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students as reported in student records at Alamo Heights Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas. The study determined the degree to which teacher LoTi ratings were a predictor of success on TAKS exam scores as reported in student records at Alamo Heights Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas. In addition, the study ascertained the existence of differences among the variable of student economic status. For the purposes of this study, school and student performance analysis included only Alamo Heights High School in the Alamo Heights Independent School District (AHISD). The student data in the study came from approximately 359 9th graders, 372 10th graders, and 309 11th graders (1040 total students). A total of 11 English teachers, 14 math teachers, 9 science teachers, and 10 social studies teachers (44 total teachers) from this campus made up the population under study. The research findings of this study included: 1. A positive relationship exists between the level of technology implementation in the classroom and student performance on the TAKS test in math, English Language Arts/Reading, science, and social studies. 2. Further, the findings showed that this relationship impacts economically disadvantaged students the most in English Language Arts/Reading and math.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vertical teaming in science and student achievement. This study compared student achievement of campuses implementing vertical teaming with schools that do not practice vertical teaming. In addition, this study explored the relationship between selected demographic variables and vertical teaming using Grade 5 Science TAKS results in the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). Campus demographic variables such as economically disadvantaged, minority students, English language learners, student mobility, and experienced teachers were researched. A call-out yielded 168 responses. With the exclusion of the 12 campuses, a total of 156 participating campuses from 18 traditional school districts remained. Campuses employing vertical teaming were self-identified on the basis of having implemented the process for two or more years. The gain in percent mastered for Science TAKS scores from 2004 to 2007 was used as the Science TAKS score variable. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in student achievement in science for campuses practicing vertical teaming and campuses that did not. The twoway ANOVA was used to measure the relationship between the independent variables (vertical teaming and campus demographic variables) on the dependent variable (student achievement on Science TAKS). The results suggested that campuses having low percentages of economically disadvantaged students statistically gained more on the Science TAKS than campuses that have high percentages of economically disadvantaged students irrespective of vertical teaming practices. In addition, campuses that have low percentages of minority students statistically gained more on the Science TAKS than campuses that have high percentages of minority students despite vertical teaming participation. Recommendations include districts, state, and federal agencies providing campuses with a high percent of economically disadvantaged students with more resources and more flexibility in using those resources. Recommendations for further study included a replication of the study that takes into account the degree of implementation of vertical teaming.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the MOVE IT Math Reform model has had an impact on student achievement and teacher instruction in the area of mathematics. The data for this study were collected in an elementary school in a large metropolitan public school in Georgia, were the majority of the students receive free or reduced meals. Questionnaires were given to students and their teachers in grades first through fifth. To evaluate instruction in the classroom the Observation Based Instructional Assessment (OBIA) tool was used to assess the independent and dependent variables as well as the social interactions. The objectives in the OBIA are rated as lower order thinking skills, higher order thinking skills and dispositions. The dependent variable is the teacher and student outcomes. These are measured in terms of lower and higher level thinking skills and dispositions. The first part of the study was an ex post facto design to collect data on the variables in order to determine the ones that have the most impact on student achievement. From this analysis, a treatment was developed on the impacting variables which were implemented in the 2007-08 school year? The second part of the study was a quasi-experiment design. Teachers were trained in a staff development program on the treatment in the first weeks of the Fall semester. They implemented the treatment during the remainder of the school year. Data for the investigation were collected via teacher and student questionnaires and the OBTA. The data analyses were accomplished using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) package. Twenty teachers in grades 1 to 5 were selected for this study. The results showed that there was a statistical relationship between student self efficacy in math and student achievement. Therefore, there is a relationship between student self-efficacy in math and student achievement in math. The conclusion drawn from the findings suggest that student self-efficacy impacts student achievement in math. Educators at all levels need to be informed of the impact self-efficacy has on improving student achievement in mathematics and the MOVE IT Math reform model.

The teacher trust in clients construct embodies the collective level of teacher trust in students and parents. While teacher trust in clients has been recognized as a positive predictor of student achievement controlling for student demographics, previous studies have not tested the effect of teacher trust on student achievement in suburban elementary schools with large and diverse student populations. This study examined the relationship between teacher trust in clients and student achievement. It also examined collective teacher trust in relation to school demographics. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher trust in students and parents in relationship to student achievement in reading and mathematics. The secondary purpose of the study was designed to determine if demographic variables had an impact on teacher trust and student achievement. The conceptual framework of trust was based on relationships within and between social groups. Using a sample of 10,464 students nested within 97 participating elementary schools with a large and diverse student populations located in suburban public school districts in South Texas, the researcher determined the level of teachers’ trust in students and parents. Analysis indicated that teacher trust in students and parents reported higher levels of achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills controlling for student ethnicity, economic disadvantaged status, prior achievement, and school size. The within school variance in mathematics achievement explained by the multilevel model was 46%, whereas the within school variance in reading achievement explained by the multilevel model was 24%. The results of the multilevel analysis revealed that between school variance in mathematics achievement explained by the multilevel model was 81%, while the between school variance in reading achievement explained by the multilevel model was 90%. Additionally, the multiple regression analysis indicated that only 72% of the variance in teacher trust was explained by student demographics. Thus, student achievement might be improved through systematic efforts to develop teacher trust in clients. The results of this study suggest improving relationships between teachers, students, and parents can have a positive impact on student performance in reading and mathematics achievement.

This study looked at the relationship between teacher turnover and student achievement, in addition to the relationship between specific student demographic characteristics and teacher turnover. Within this study, student demographic, staff demographic, and student achievement data from several middle schools within the studied district, as well as data from each of the school's comparison groups, as designated by the Texas Education Agency, was analyzed. The data used was from the 2018-2019, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 school years. First, this study looked at specific student demographic characteristics and their relationship with teacher turnover, including race, mobility, and socioeconomic status. This analysis determined if there were specific variables that impacted the rate of turnover. Results determined that the most consistent relationship revealed in the data involves the total number of students on a campus. As the number of students increased, the turnover rate decreased. Additionally, there was a slight negative correlation between the number of African American students and rates of teacher turnover for two of the three years studied. The second part of the study determined if the campus turnover rate had any relationship with the student achievement scores. The student achievement data that was used was the overall campus math score at the approaches level on the Mathematics State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR). The results of the analysis revealed that there was a relationship between teacher turnover and student achievement, although it was a very weak relationship for each of the 3 years studied. Additionally, the analysis determined that campuses with teachers who have more years' experience had higher overall campus math scores after the COVID-19 pandemic.