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Equal access in education has proven to be less than sufficient regarding academic success for all students (Atchison et al., 2017; Glynn and Wassell, 2018). Previous research indicates that despite efforts to impart significant reforms in public education within the United States, few gains have been made regarding equity among students (Glynn and Wassell, 2018). Some researchers have recommended that school divisions provide equal access to education pathways as a step in the right direction for educators, administrators, and school divisions; as employing equity in education provides all students with the resources needed to experience academic success (Atchison et al., 2017). This is because equity impacts educational opportunities as it entails the experiences of individuals and social identifiers (Atchison et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to identify variables that contribute to the minority student enrollment gap in advanced, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) English and Math courses at the high school level. The researcher used a multiple regression analysis to assess if significant gaps of enrollment in advanced, AP, and IB English and Math courses exist between minority and non-minority students in Virginia public high schools from 2015-2020. The possible impacts of attendance and economic status on minority student enrollment in advanced, AP, and IB English and Math courses were also examined. The results of the study yielded significant enrollment gaps between minority and non-minority students in advanced, AP, and IB English and Math courses in Virginia public high schools. / Doctor of Education / Equal access in education has proven to be less than sufficient regarding academic success for all students (Atchison et al., 2017; Glynn and Wassell, 2018). Previous research indicates that despite efforts to impart significant reforms in public education within the United States, few gains have been made regarding equity among students (Glynn and Wassell, 2018). Some researchers have recommended that school divisions provide equal access to education pathways as a step in the right direction for educators, administrators, and school divisions; as employing equity in education provides all students with the resources needed to experience academic success (Atchison et al., 2017). This is because equity impacts educational opportunities as it entails the experiences of individuals and social identifiers (Atchison et al., 2017). The purpose of this study was to identify variables that contribute to the minority student enrollment gap in advanced, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) English and Math courses at the high school level. The researcher used a multiple regression analysis to assess if significant gaps of enrollment in advanced, AP, and IB English and Math courses exist between minority and non-minority students in Virginia public high schools from 2015-2020. The researcher also simultaneously examined the possible impacts of attendance and economic status on minority student enrollment in advanced, AP, and IB English and Math courses. The researcher found that significant gaps exist between minority and non-minority students in advanced, AP, and IB English and Math courses in Virginia public high schools.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between building conditions and student achievement of students identified in the subgroups of poverty and minority in high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The targeted population was identified by using the study conducted by Crook (2006) which included information obtained from seventy-two high schools across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Building conditions used in the study were based upon the responses received from principals on the Commonwealth Assessment of Physical Environment (CAPE) form. The scaled scores of economically disadvantaged students and minority students on the Standards of Learning tests administered in grades nine through eleven during the 2004-2005 school year were used to measure student achievement. The status of economically disadvantaged students was controlled by the classification of a student receiving free and reduced-priced lunch during the 2004-2005 school year. The status of minority students was controlled by ethnicity as reported by the individual schools to the Virginia Department of Education for the 2004-2005 school year. Two basic research questions guided this study and the researcher used t-tests to compare dependent variable means across independent variables. The research questions include: Is there a significant difference between the scores of economically disadvantaged students housed in building conditions rated substandard and those housed in buildings rated standard in the high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia? Is there a significant difference between the scores of minority students housed in buildings rated substandard and those housed in buildings rated standard in the high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia? This study found an inconsistent relationship between building conditions and the achievement of economically disadvantaged students. Therefore, the conclusion is that the condition of the school building does not apparently influence the achievement of economically disadvantaged students when they are housed in inferior buildings. In addition, this study found a positive relationship between building conditions and the achievement of minority students in the majority of the achievement measures. Therefore, the conclusion is that the condition of the school building does in fact influence the achievement of minority students when the building is in poor condition. / Ed. D.

This study tests the effectiveness of a program designed to use extrinsic incentives in improving the motivation of disadvantaged students to achieve academic success. This study seeks to determine whether the specific extrinsic rewards provided in the program actually improve the success of students on classroom tests. A secondary purpose of the study is to assess the extent to which that success, if achieved, becomes itself a reinforcement sufficient to maintain continued success in the classroom. Ignoring age and grade, students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades were grouped by their skill level in mathematics and assigned to an individual teacher. The study was conducted during four consecutive two-week periods. Base-line data were obtained during the first two-week period of both experimental and control students under regular classroom conditions. Extrinsic incentives were applied to the experimental group during each of the following two-week periods and identical measures were taken during the same period of both the experimental and control groups. The analysis-of-covariance statistical treatment was used to compare changes on test success. The .05 level of confidence was held as the standard for statistical significance. Two extrinsic incentives, a free movie and a monetary reward, were employed to bring about improved performance on mathematical tests. Separate and combined effects of the incentives were examined for the total group and for subgroups based on sex, ethnicity, and initial mathematics ability.

This PhD research explored how neoliberal governmentality influenced the UK charity SportHelp and its youth sport programmes. Despite charities being significant providers of non-formal education for young people in the UK, there has been limited work exploring how the neoliberal landscape shapes these organisations and their programmes in practice. Therefore, this thesis addresses this gap in knowledge by a) furthering the limited literature on charities and their operation, b) providing an empirical illustration of how neoliberal governmentality functions, and c) contributing to the ongoing debate about the purpose of non-formal education in the neoliberal marketplace. This case study research focused on a single charity – SportHelp – whose remit is to improve socio-economically disadvantaged young people’s lives through the provision of sport. Over a 9-month period, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a selection of SportHelp’s managers, coaches, and young people. Furthermore, participant observations of three coaching sessions (featuring previously interviewed coaches and young people) were undertaken to complement the interviews. The data were subsequently analysed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest the neoliberal landscape shaped SportHelp and its youth sport programmes profoundly. To maximise its chances of economic survival, SportHelp re-configured itself into a ‘quasi-market’. In doing so, it adopted a deficit-reduction approach towards improving young people’s lives: the charity assumed socio-economically disadvantaged young people were inherently ‘deficient’ (because of their lower socio-economic status) and required ‘fixing’. Using sport, SportHelp coaches ‘fixed’ young people’s personhood by instilling the neoliberal values of individual responsibility, discipline, and life skills. These values were readily internalised by young people because SportHelp operates in the realm of non-formal education; a space where coaches could foster passion, relationships, and a sense of belonging.

This thesis focuses on two research questions: 1. What is the impact of Barnardos� Tutoring Program on the students involved? 2. How has the program influenced the parents, teachers and tutors? In examining the literature I have identified a complex set of dynamics that affects students� school performance. The themes of relevance to this study are: the concept of disadvantage and poverty; the role of literacy and numeracy in educational attainment; the importance of social acceptance for student well-being; aspects of mentoring and tutoring, and issues related to homework. In this study I examine the degree to which a tutor�s involvement improves students� homework performance, literacy and numeracy, social skills and engagement with school. I also examine how the tutoring program enhances parents� involvement with their children�s education. And I assess the tutors� contribution, the influence of the program on the teachers, and the implications for the program. My methods involved sending questionnaires out to 44 teachers, 41 students, 40 parents and 44 tutors. I also interviewed seven students under 10 years old. In addition to the questionnaires, I interviewed a core group of parents, students, teachers and tutors who had been involved with the program since 1999 (six tutors, five students, five parents and four teachers). My findings indicate that homework places considerable strain on students who do not have adequate resources or support available to them, in their homes, to undertake their homework tasks. Tutoring programs which take place outside of the school environment and which are based on the one-to-one principle of mentoring programs offer considerable benefits to students and their families. The study indicates that the tutoring program has brought about significant changes to the homes and the lives of the students. These changes include a greater engagement with learning and an increased interest in school. The students also have better relationships with their peers and feel that they are valued members of their class. The parents believe that they have the support that they need and as a result there is less tension in the home with regard to homework. The study also suggests that although the main role of the tutors is to help at-risk students with their homework and schoolwork, their role is much more diverse.

<p>The impact of sport participation among youth is a widely discussed phenomenon. Researchers argue that sport participation can contribute to both positive and negative impact. The aim of this study is to find out how youth in a disadvantaged community in South Africa experience the social impact of sport. The data were collected through four group interviews with 24 youth (aged 16-20) who participated in three different teams; soccer, basketball and mountainbike. The result indicates that the respondents experienced an overall positive social impact from their sport participation. Six categories were identified as prominent in the result; <em>acquire life skills, building friendship, emotional development, the importance of positive leadership, avoiding drugs</em> <em>and crime</em> and <em>support from the community. </em></p><p><em> </em></p>

The impact of sport participation among youth is a widely discussed phenomenon. Researchers argue that sport participation can contribute to both positive and negative impact. The aim of this study is to find out how youth in a disadvantaged community in South Africa experience the social impact of sport. The data were collected through four group interviews with 24 youth (aged 16-20) who participated in three different teams; soccer, basketball and mountainbike. The result indicates that the respondents experienced an overall positive social impact from their sport participation. Six categories were identified as prominent in the result; acquire life skills, building friendship, emotional development, the importance of positive leadership, avoiding drugs and crime and support from the community.

Migrant children are considered one of the most at-risk populations in the United States. They confront multiple obstacles of poverty, poor health, mobility, and limited English proficiency (LEP). These factors contribute to the difficulties that migrant children may encounter in the educational system. Once a migrant student is identified as having a disability, he/she faces problems not only because of his/her migratory lifestyle but also because of his/her disability. Little research has been conducted regarding migrant students with disabilities. Many questions remain unanswered. Some of the literature alludes to an underrepresentation of migrant students in special education, but no empirical research exists. The purpose of the study is two-fold. The first is to examine the extent of the migrant student population that is currently identified as having disabilities in the school districts across the state of Texas. The second purpose of the study is to examine the common characteristics of school districts that have a disproportionate representation of migrant students served by special education. Data for the 2000-2001 school year was obtained from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from their Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) and the Program Analysis System (PAS). There were 223 districts included in the sample. There were 71,656 migrant students in the sample with 9,078 migrant students receiving special education services. Migrant students across the state of Texas were primarily Hispanic and economically disadvantaged. Forty five percent of all migrants were also LEP. Although 12% of the migrant population across the state received special education services during the 2000-2001 school year, further analysis demonstrated that there was a higher percentage of migrant students that received services under the Learning Disability category when compared to all students, excluding migrants. There were also a number of districts that had an overrepresentation of migrant students that received special education services, while others had an underrepresentation of migrant LEP students that received special education services. Overall, this study indicates that there is a disproportionate representation of migrant students that received special education services across the school districts of Texas.

The intention with this research was to investigate the challenges facing School Governing Bodies (SGBs) in historically disadvantaged schools with regard to their roles and responsibilities. The investigation departed from the premise of prescriptions of the South African Schools Act and other relevant legislation. From the literature review, it became clear that school governance would not be an easy task for schools, based on the precedence set by the apartheid school governance system. Indeed, it was found that SGBs in previously disadvantaged schools experienced numerous challenges. Decentralisation, stakeholder participation in school governance, SGB membership, determination of school policies requiring specialised knowledge and expertise, and policy-making and implementation were found to encapsulate most of the challenges facing SGBs in their roles and responsibilities. This research, being qualitative and phenomenological, used interviews to focus on some definitive school governance roles and responsibilities. Findings largely confirmed earlier research findings and included challenges such as a poor understanding of the school governance role of promoting the best interests of the school by school governors, the execution of roles and responsibilities being inhibited by poor training and poor capacity building, parent governors lacking knowledge and school governance skills, school governance functions requiring specialised knowledge and skills, a lack of trust, and the influence of suspicion and poor teamwork among school governors. The main recommendation relates to the review of the Schools Act in terms of specialised functions and who should perform them, and increasing the terms of office of school governors to derive maximum benefit from continuity before new members are elected and another cycle of capacity-building is needed. It is further recommended that the roles and responsibilities of school governors be well explained to stakeholders, even before nominations and elections are conducted, so that potential governors know exactly what is expected, and that continuous capacity-building becomes a regular feature at school level, including a school cluster-based programme addressing local school governance challenges. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.