Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Not available / text

The purpose of this study was to determine if the intervention of attending public school pre-kindergarten reflected an impact on student achievement as measured by third grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) considering gender, English language learner status, socio-economic status, and the language of the test. To determine this impact, the performance of third grade students who attended prekindergarten in 10 selected elementary schools in San Antonio was compared to students in these same schools who did not attend pre-kindergarten. Quantitative techniques and analyses were used to illustrate data collected from the research sample. A t-test for independent means was used for Research Questions #1 and #2. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) procedure was also used to analyze the data as a function of gender, English language learner status, socio-economic status, and the language of the test in Research Question #3. Findings in the study included the following: 1. There was statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS reading scores among the students who attended pre-kindergarten. 2. There was statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS math scores among the students who attended pre-kindergarten. 3. There was no statistical significant difference on third grade TAKS reading or math among the students who attended or did not attend pre-kindergarten based on gender, socio-economic, English language learner status, and the language of the test.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, August, 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The goal of current education reform is to increase student achievement (Odden & Clune, 1995). Discrepancies, however, continue to exist in the achievement between the White majority and the minorities of color, including Hispanics as seen in the results of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). Although 198 Texas elementary schools received an exemplary rating in 2005 for their TAKS performance, only a handful of those schools with a high percentage of Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and Limited English Proficient (LEP) student enrollment achieved this coveted academic rating (TEA, 2005). This study attempts to answer the research questions: 1) Which, if any, instructional practices are present in the exemplary-rated campuses with high numbers of Hispanic LEP students compared to acceptable-rated campuses with the same type of student populations? and 2) Are educators aware of and modifying their instructional practices to be more aligned with proven research-based practices? The Best Practice and Benchmark Concept provides the framework for the study. The design includes the use of a survey, interviews, an observation checklist, and an analysis of documents to compare the practices of two exemplary-rated campuses and two acceptable-rated campuses, all spanning grades PreK-5th grade, enrolling at least 500 students, and serving high percentages of Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and LEP students. Findings revealed differences in the consistent use of best practices, in the methods of instruction (structured and directive versus constructivist), in the positive attitude and commitment of teachers, in the type of research-based programs, and in the instructional settings of the bilingual/ESL students. The finding of mixing structured, directive instruction to promote student success before moving to a more constructivist method of teaching is a practice rarely encountered in literature. All other practices observed have been documented in literature. In addition, educators were indeed found to be modifying their practices to align with those proven in research. Other factors besides best practices which influence student achievement surfaced, indicating the difference in performance between the exemplary and the acceptable campuses could not be attributed solely to the use of best practices. / text

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2007. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical reference (p. 134-141).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.