<p> In the 1960s and 1970s, there was an important issue in education that dealt with student privacy. Student education records were not accessible to parents, and important decisions were being made for the students without input from the parents. Based on this abuse, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was signed into law. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine if site administrators and teachers from educational institutions understand how to enforce FERPA. This study assessed the site administrators&rsquo; understanding of FERPA via a survey with questions on the knowledge of FERPA, student data, and student/parent rights. The study also assessed the impact of providing FERPA training to site administrators with a pre- and post-test. Interviews were conducted with the teachers to gain an understanding of their knowledge of FERPA with questions on student confidentiality and student data. The methodology for this study was a mixed-methods approach that used a one-group pretest-posttest design for the quantitative research and was supplemented by the qualitative data. </p><p> The results presented in this study contribute to the research literature on the importance of being trained in FERPA to enforce compliance and protect student confidentiality and privacy. Although there was a small sample size, there were slight increases from the pre-test to the post-test, which reinforces the importance of being trained on FERPA.</p><p>

Multiracial children constitute one of the fastest growing racial groups in the United States. However, biracial children, in particular Black-White biracial children, often are not recognized in the educational system. For instance, the current classification of Black-White biracial students in the state and federal educational systems is not disaggregated and does not allow for analyses of educational outcomes for this population. Not only is this population invisible in state education data, the demographic data at the school level often fail to represent this population. Not acknowledging multiple heritages dismisses the identity and experiences of students who are multiracial and thus symbolically negates a part of who they are. Additionally, multiracial students may be classified in a single category by administrators for the purposes of schools and funding. This study offers the perspective of administrators and current state and federal policies on this issue as applied to Black-White self-identified children and describes the complexities and relevance of addressing multiracial policies in educational systems. An ecological theoretical framework is used to explore four research questions in this area. Data were collected from seven school district administrators across Oregon through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Relationships in the data between responses and procedures from the seven sampled school districts are examined. Results suggest that across the seven school districts in this study, implementation of the policies and procedures of racial and ethnic categorization varied substantially. Furthermore, even though this revised race and ethnicity reporting policy was in part created to more accurately represent the multiracial population, it may actually be obscuring the multiple identities of these students. Detailed policy implications are discussed in further details in the Conclusions chapter.

<p> This quantitative, quasi-experimental, <i>ex post facto</i> analysis examined the relationship between the English proficiency level (ELP) attained by English Learners in the state of Georgia in 2016 and 2017 and their performance on standardized core content assessments administered entirely in English. From the theoretical perspective of validity theory, the researcher investigated the alternative hypothesis that the results of standardized content assessments administered in English to English Learner students yield little meaningful data that can be interpreted and used with validity in and of themselves. To investigate this interpretation, the researcher analyzed 176,941 individual 2016 and 2017 Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) assessment records (N = 102,312 for 2016; 74,649 for 2017) matched to the corresponding ACCESS for ELLs scores (N = 34,420 for 2016; 35,805 for 2017), employing linear regression to quantify the degree to which ELP influenced English Learner students&rsquo; performance on standardized assessments in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies and to define the threshold proficiency level at which the preponderance of English Learners were able to score at the Developing and Proficient levels on the content assessments. </p><p>

abstract: ABSTRACT This study examines the language and literacy experiences of Kurdish minority children during their first year of mainstream schooling in a southeastern village in Turkey. I employed ethnographic research methods (participant observation, multi-modal data collection, interviewing, and focus groups) to investigate the language practices of the children in relation to language ideologies circulating in the wider context. I focused on the perspectives and practices of one 1st grade classroom (14 students) but also talked with seven parents, three teachers, and two administrators. A careful analysis of the data collected shows that there is a hierarchy among languages used in the community—Turkish, English, and Kurdish. The children, their parents, and their teachers all valued Turkish and English more than Kurdish. While explaining some of their reasons for this view, they discussed the status and functions of each language in society with an emphasis on their functions. My analysis also shows that, although participants devalue the Kurdish language, they still value Kurdish as a tie to their ethnic roots. Another key finding of this study is that policies that appear in teachers’ practices and the school environment seemed to be robust mediators of the language beliefs and practices of the Kurds who participated in my study. School is believed to provide opportunities for learning languages in ways that facilitate greater participation in society and increased access to prestigious jobs for Kurdish children who do not want to live in the village long-term. Related to that, one finding demonstrates that current circumstances make language choice like a life choice for Kurdish children. While Kurds who choose Turkish are often successful in school (and therefore have access to better jobs), the ones who maintain their Kurdish usually have only animal breeding or farming as employment options. I also found that although the Kurdish children that I observed subscribed to ideologies that valued Turkish and English over their native language, they did not entirely abandon their Kurdish language. Instead, they were involved in Turkish- Kurdish bilingual practices such as language broking, language sharing, and language crossing. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Curriculum and Instruction 2015

abstract: The quality and quantity of talented members of the US STEM workforce has been a subject of great interest to policy and decision makers for the past 40 years. Recent research indicates that while there exist specific shortages in specific disciplines and areas of expertise in the private sector and the federal government, there is no noticeable shortage in any STEM academic discipline, but rather a surplus of PhDs vying for increasingly scarce tenure track positions. Despite the seeming availability of industry and private sector jobs, recent PhDs still struggle to find employment in those areas. I argue that the decades old narrative suggesting a shortage of STEM PhDs in the US poses a threat to the value of the natural science PhD, and that this narrative contributes significantly to why so many PhDs struggle to find career employment in their fields. This study aims to address the following question: what is the value of a STEM PhD outside academia? I begin with a critical review of existing literature, and then analyze programmatic documents for STEM PhD programs at ASU, interviews with industry employers, and an examination the public face of value for these degrees. I then uncover the nature of the value alignment, value disconnect, and value erosion in the ecosystem which produces and then employs STEM PhDs, concluding with specific areas which merit special consideration in an effort to increase the value of these degrees for all stakeholders involved. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Science and Technology Policy 2018

<p> Research reveals that for American secondary teachers, mere participation, or the desire to participate, in professional development is not a matter of concern, as many in the educational community have assumed. Yet, there is a void in the literature regarding American, lower secondary educators of literacy and their overall perceptions of professional learning. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the perceptions of lower secondary English language arts (ELA)/literacy teachers, specifically in regard to what motivates these educators to participate in professional development, what they value in professional learning opportunities, the challenges that keep them from participating, and their overall professional development needs. </p><p> This qualitative study draws on two theoretical frameworks, constructivism and adult learning theory, as there are varied philosophies that contribute to the understanding of a teacher&rsquo;s perception of professional learning. A non-experimental, phenomenological methodology was chosen, aiming to better understand participant&rsquo;s individual experiences through their comprehensive, self-reported descriptions. The population of this study consisted of experienced, lower secondary ELA/literacy teachers employed in southern California public schools. Purposive, criterion sampling was used for this research, collecting data from a total of 13 semi-structured interviews of participants from two school districts. </p><p> The findings from this study resulted in five thematic categories that present the essential drivers and impediments to the participants&rsquo; involvement in professional learning opportunities: (a) teachers desire to improve their professional practice, (b) professional learning should be immediately applicable to professional practice, (c) teachers prefer to learn from other experienced teachers, (d) the culture of the school district and or site influences teacher learning, and (e) a teacher&rsquo;s learning is influenced by their perception of themselves and previous experiences. Six conclusions were drawn from the thematic findings of this study. They rely upon the literature and findings to argue how teachers&rsquo; motivation, personal values, and aspirations for participation in professional learning opportunities is centered on personal and organizational factors along with the historical and current culture of American K-12 public schools.</p><p>

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an alignment exists between the mission of Puente de Hozho Magnet School and the visualization of how current Navajo students view their education at the school. Qualitative research was used as an opportunity to explore the significance and to gain an in-depth understanding of how Navajo students view their education in the context of their personal experiences. The population consisted of six Navajo fifth grade students who lived outside the boundaries of their Indian reservation and attended school at Puente de Hozho Magnet School. The six student participants were asked to respond to the question, "What does your education look like at Puente de Hozho Magnet School?" through the pictures they took with a camera in and around the school. After the pictures were developed, students were individually interviewed by utilizing selected pictures to prompt their memory in eliciting descriptions and meanings of the images they captured. The students' responses generated a data set for coding and analysis, from which a wealth of data yielded prominent themes as to their education at Puente de Hozho Magnet School. Analysis of this research concluded that the students' visualization of their education at Puente de Hozho is aligned with the original mission and vision of the school. The student voices represent a relationship of natural connections to their cultural heritage as experienced in their school by disregarding stereotypes and rising above the expected. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 2012

<p> The issue of guns and gun control is very complex especially since the passage of Campus Carry Law in the state of Texas. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how decision-making administrators at four nonresidential community colleges in South Texas implemented Campus Carry Law. This study further seeks to examine how 10 decision making college administrators at four nonresidential community colleges in South Texas found a balance between following the state law, respecting individual rights, and at the same time maintaining a safe and secure campus community. Using qualitative research methods, the collections of data was conducted through an in-depth, unstructured interview. Analysis of the data presented three super ordinate themes supported by eight subthemes. </p><p> The study, ultimately, concluded that participants found balance and made meaning of the law by being self-aware of the influential and conflicting inner perspectives. The study also found that one&rsquo;s positionality can bias one&rsquo;s epistemology and to remain neutral one must remain open minded. The study also found that participant&rsquo;s rationale to remain neutral helped make sense of the implications of the law and not have their personal feelings influence their decisions. Lastly, the study found that participant&rsquo;s knowledge, experiences, beliefs, and values as professionals constructed meaning to the challenges faced by the ambiguity of the law. While the findings of the study added to the literature on Campus Carry, Sensemaking, and Framing further qualitative studies are warranted. To gain an insight into the multifaceted perspectives of Campus Carry, sensemaking, and framing theory, the following recommendations for future studies include qualitative methods to inquire and uncover the perspectives of students, faculty, and staff regarding campus carry law; qualitative methods to inquire how institutional leaders make sense of reform demands and adapt them to their institutional environments, and qualitative research which will look at the mobilization of people into action through frame analysis.</p><p>

<p> Research consistently indicates that less affluent students across the country are often deprived of the necessary academic preparation and college guidance needed to successfully select, attend, and graduate from a postsecondary institution (Louie, 2017). Independent schools across America have historically served affluent, White students; however, many independent schools now strive to attract more diverse student populations. One such subgroup in independent school&rsquo;s communities are students of color. Students of color who enter a traditionally White independent school often find unexpected struggles while acclimating to the independent school environment (Ohikuare, 2013) including developing social capital (Putnam, 2017) and establishing meaningful relationships with students and staff members at these schools. Weiss (2014) refers to these students as being as &ldquo;doubly disadvantaged&rdquo;; students of color fortunate to gain acceptance to elite private schools who can still find themselves at the bottom of the opportunity structure without the proper support and guidance. This qualitative study will explore the experiences and perceptions of students who are involved with the A Better Chance (ABC) Program during their college preparation process at a select independent boarding and day schools in the Mid-Atlantic region. Methods of data collection included detailed interviews with sixteen students across fourteen schools from the Mid-Atlantic region currently involved with the A Better Chance program. The study will also compare and contrast the information regarding participant's high school-to-college (HStoC) guidance process versus the high school to college guidance provided by A Better Chance.</p><p>

No description available.