<p> Ample data exists indicating that immigrant-origin students are underperforming in education at all levels. In particular, immigrant-origin students are disproportionally the least prepared for higher education. As a result, a majority of these students begin their academic careers at community colleges where they enroll in remedial courses at rates far higher than those for other student populations. Such is the common pathway for immigrant-origin students entering an Urban Public University system (UPU). Research tells us that students who enter college academically underprepared and who struggle in introductory courses are more likely to drop out or withdraw, thus lowering their chances of earning a degree. This dissertation examines the intermediate variables associated with retention and academic achievement during a critical juncture in the college experience: remedial English.</p><p> This case study will focus on the institutional context in which the student experience takes place juxtaposed with the student perspective of remedial English. Thus, the overarching research question is: How do English remediation policies and practices (with regard to admissions, placement, testing and remediation classroom experiences) at a large public institution shape the student experience and how does the experience contribute to academic achievement?</p><p> In hopes of capturing a comprehensive understanding of the intermediate factor of remedial English, I designed my research with the entirety of the UPU system in mind. To gain the greatest insights into how enrollment in remedial English can influence the academic achievement of immigrant students at UPU, I asked the following research questions: Q1. What are the perceptions of faculty and administrators about remedial English policies and practices and their role in structuring the experiences, opportunities and impediments for immigrant-origin students in community college? Q2. What are students' perceptions of remedial English policies and practices and their role in structuring experiences, opportunities and impediments in community college? Q3. How do faculty, administrators, and students perspectives converge and diverge regarding the experiences, opportunities and impediments for immigrant-origin students in remedial English? By increasing our focus on immigrant-origin students in developmental writing courses, we may contribute positively to student retention and academic achievement overall. Additionally, this study may serve a national purpose by providing critical insights to advance the "completion agenda" endorsed by the federal government as well as numerous private foundations and advocacy groups that share the goal of drastically improving college graduation rates particularly in community colleges by 2020.</p>

<p> African Americans diagnosed with diabetes are less likely to self-manage diabetes-specific modifiable risk factors. As a result, utilization of healthcare services occurs at a greater rate than other racial groups, and thereby incurs higher than expected healthcare costs. This ethnographic study explored the elements of diabetes educational material African Americans in a large city in the southern part of the United States found most useful to facilitate self-management of their disease. Bandura's self-efficacy theory provided the theoretical framework. Research questions addressed the preferred educational content, layout of material, and methods for educational delivery and caregiver support. A purposive sample of 30 African Americans with diabetes who had engaged in diabetes education classes participated in this study. Data were collected through in-depth personal interviews, which were inductively coded and then categorized around emergent themes. A key finding of this study is that participants preferred group learning formats, but perceived educational material to be confusing and difficult to understand. They also expressed some preferences for the use of color, pictures, and presentation of graphical information that may provide the basis for a revision of educational materials. Interestingly, participants indicated a tendency to seek out church members rather than family for support. The positive social change implications of this study include recommendations to healthcare professionals to adopt educational curricula that reflect cultural nuances and needs of target populations in order to support better health outcomes for at-risk populations and cost efficiency improvements.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative exploratory research study was to examine the perceptions of K-12 educational leaders who have experience related to Response to Intervention (RtI) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This study was guided by the following three research questions: 1. What do K-12 educational leaders who have systems knowledge and experience, related to Response to Intervention and CCSS, perceive as the potential modifications needed to align the assessment components (universal screening and progress monitoring) of Response to Intervention with the CCSS for Language Arts? 2. What do K-12 educational leaders who have systems knowledge and experience, related to RtI and the CCSS, perceive as challenges that may result from any modifications to the assessment components needed to aligning the assessment components of RtI with the CCSS for Language Arts at? 3. What strategies do K-12 educational leaders who have systems knowledge and experience, related to RtI and CCSS, perceive might be utilized to address any challenges regarding aligning the assessment components (universal screening and progress monitoring) of RtI with the CCSS for Language Arts? </p><p> This research study utilized a qualitative exploratory design and involved eight educational leaders from Southern California. The findings from this study supported five practice recommendations. The first recommendation was for LEAs to develop a shared vision in regards to the role of RtI in supporting the CCSS for ELA. The second recommendation was for LEAs to develop teams of stakeholders to participate in the development of a comprehensive plan, throughout all phases of implementation, to align their RtI assessment tools to the CCSS for ELA. The third recommendation was for LEAs to develop RtI assessment tools that aligned to the CCSS for ELA. The fourth recommendation was for LEAs to select a College and Career Readiness (CCR) or 21st century framework, in order to help teachers to support the CCR skills embedded in the CCSS. The fifth recommendation was for LEAs to create strategic professional development plans to ensure that teachers receive adequate training to teach the College and Career Readiness skills embedded in the CCSS for ELA.</p>

<p> Postconflict governments and counterparts have collaborated to provide skills training to communities as a critical postconflict development strategy. In these undertakings, the role of community members remains largely undefined. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to understand the perceptions held by rural community members regarding the role they played in influencing government's policy priority for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a local human development strategy in postconflict Liberia. The conceptual framework was based on human capital theory and concepts of motivation and achievement. Fourteen participants were purposefully selected for the study. Data were collected from interviews, focus group discussion, and documents and analyzed using constant comparison. Results indicated that increasing human capital, restoring self-esteem, encouraging civic participation, and building peace were among the community members' motivations for establishing a skills training institution. Leadership, advocacy, and ownership were major roles community stakeholders played in establishing their local skill training institution; voluntarism and collaboration were found to be strategies for support to the local TVET initiatives. Findings have positive social change implications for facilitating community-initiated TVET programs for youth employment as well as informing TVET policies in countries transitioning from conflict to development.</p>

<p> The current qualitative study focuses on how teachers perceive the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework for English learners, specifically assessments and the instructional decision-making process. RtI serves as a framework to help &ldquo;close the gap&rdquo; and create a more equitable environment for struggling English learners (Florida Department of Education, 2008). The current study explored elementary school general education teachers&rsquo; perceptions and understanding of the RtI process for English learners. Eight elementary general education teachers participated in two interview sessions each to address what general education teachers know about the RtI process for English learners, how teachers report their interpretation of policies and procedures with respect to instruction and assessment of English learners, how teachers feel about their understanding of RtI, and how teachers feel about their understanding of instruction and assessment for English learners.</p><p> Teacher participants shared their knowledge of the importance of progress monitoring and data collection during the RtI process. Participants reported that progress monitoring and data collection were used to inform instructional decisions for English learners. Participants also provided insight into a shift in teacher accountability related to data collection and progress monitoring. </p><p> Teacher participants addressed elements of the RtI process: three tiers of RtI, evidence-based interventions, data and data collection, and progress monitoring. Based on teacher responses, teachers monitor student progress, but find some elements of progress monitoring unclear. Participants expressed concern about measuring student progress and the means used to demonstrate growth and to compare struggling students to the performance of peers in the same grade level.</p><p> The RtI framework includes targeted interventions for struggling students, and participants perceive that RtI helps to identify students with disabilities earlier. Participants reported benefits and drawbacks related to RtI. The participants specifically focused on the collaborative problem solving team as a beneficial support system for teachers navigating the RtI process.</p><p> Teachers reported perceptions on language acquisition and learning disabilities, adjustment time for English learners, assessments for English learners, parental involvement and experiences, instruction for English learners, and professional development and support for the instruction of English learners.</p>

How do politician talk about the role of school in society, in an era of changing demands and challenges represented by the knowledge society and globalization? The material underlying the study consists of protocols from the Swedish parliament during a decade characterized by many reforms and with both a conservative government and a social democratic. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the contemporary debate on school policy in the Swedish Parliament between 1991 and 2002.  My research questions are: Which are the dominating narratives about schooling that emerge in the debate? What are the influences from contemporary policies and from educational research? What kind of rhetorical resources underpin the arguments in the plenary debate and are there any shifts, inconsistencies and contradictions that can be heard in the debates?  Inspired by Margaret Somers four dimensions of narratives: ontological narrative, public narrative, metanarrative and conceptual narrative and I am using them to interpret different aspects of school as a political narrative. Methodologically, I worked initially with a content analysis gradually moving to narrative analysis. The educational debates held during the three terms in office are characterised by different political initiatives and different kind of issues. I construct a number of dominating narratives with different plots, problems, solutions and promises of a better future for both the school and the nation. Key concepts seems to “float” depending on who uses them and in what context they are used. Important parts in the narratives are the rhetorical resources that politicians are using to get legitimacy and credibility. Perceptions of schools presented in the debate, may be seen as stories about what is desirable and possible, but also what is unwanted, threatening the progress of school and society. I have highlighted four public narratives in these debates and they are: A School for All, School on the Market, School in the Knowledge Society and A School in Crisis.

This thesis documents the attempts by one Australian State government to manage assumed social and economic risks associated with its transition into a globalised economy and society. The specific research focus is on the policy strategy Queensland State Education–2010 (QSE-2010) developed by the Queensland State government and released in 2000. The thesis adopts a governmentality perspective to develop a policy case study focusing on the formulation of QSE-2010 through to its implementation as set out in the Queensland Government’s 2002 White Paper, Education and Training Reforms for the Future. The research demonstrates how one State education system in Australia was transformed as a result of the spread of global risk rationalities originating in comparative studies conducted by the OECD. The study begins by examining how QSE-2010 was discursively positioned within a policy environment characterised by the transformation of social and economic relations into deterritorialised flows and globally connected networks of the global knowledge economy. Queensland’s future prosperity in this emerging context was articulated as unpredictable and uncertain. The policy discourse of QSE-2010 thus presented the global as a novel problem space requiring intervention by responsible government. This analysis identifies the key policy role of knowledge producing practices such as statistical studies, international comparisons and performance benchmarking in transforming global uncertainty into a form that was conducive to governmental programming in education. In the case of education in Queensland, this involved mobilising specific calculative technologies to transform global economic uncertainty into knowable and calculable educational risk. This was expressed in QSE-2010s principal performance target that required 88 percent of students to complete Year 12 by 2010. This study further traces how Education Queensland’s aspirations to manage globalisation risks were translated into practical programs of social and educational governance. It proposes that the concept of social capital was critical for providing a means of attributing economic value to certain patterns of social interaction within families and between families and communities. Once authorities were able to link particular patterns of sociability to increased levels of educational attainment, it became possible to problematise the social capital of some families as a potential source of risk for educational disengagement of students. Here, the social capital believed to characterise the professional, globally networked middle class family emerged as a model for education authorities in Queensland for re-configuring the social capital of disadvantaged families. Social capital thus became instrumental in Education Queensland’s strategy to govern the relationships between schools and their communities, especially relationships between the home and school. Understanding of the problem of educational disengagement afforded by social capital led to attempts to impose particular forms of social capital on Queensland families. This was achieved by mandating the involvement of parents and students in the process of Senior Education and Training Plans. These plans were formally negotiated education and training pathways that students would follow for the completion of the senior phase of learning and the award of the Queensland Certificate of Education. The study argues that governmental technologies such as social capital are critical determinants of the limits and possibilities for social justice outcomes in education policy because they function to constitute both the problems of government and the scope of legitimate policy intervention. It further argues that these technologies have been instrumental in sustaining neoliberal policy solutions in Queensland education because they render invisible socio-economic explanations for educational disadvantage and structured inequalities in education. The study concludes by exploring alternative policy configurations that are made intelligible by alternative ways of representing the social and economic context of schooling.

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This thesis documents the attempts by one Australian State government to manage assumed social and economic risks associated with its transition into a globalised economy and society. The specific research focus is on the policy strategy Queensland State Education–2010 (QSE-2010) developed by the Queensland State government and released in 2000. The thesis adopts a governmentality perspective to develop a policy case study focusing on the formulation of QSE-2010 through to its implementation as set out in the Queensland Government’s 2002 White Paper, Education and Training Reforms for the Future. The research demonstrates how one State education system in Australia was transformed as a result of the spread of global risk rationalities originating in comparative studies conducted by the OECD. The study begins by examining how QSE-2010 was discursively positioned within a policy environment characterised by the transformation of social and economic relations into deterritorialised flows and globally connected networks of the global knowledge economy. Queensland’s future prosperity in this emerging context was articulated as unpredictable and uncertain. The policy discourse of QSE-2010 thus presented the global as a novel problem space requiring intervention by responsible government. This analysis identifies the key policy role of knowledge producing practices such as statistical studies, international comparisons and performance benchmarking in transforming global uncertainty into a form that was conducive to governmental programming in education. In the case of education in Queensland, this involved mobilising specific calculative technologies to transform global economic uncertainty into knowable and calculable educational risk. This was expressed in QSE-2010s principal performance target that required 88 percent of students to complete Year 12 by 2010. This study further traces how Education Queensland’s aspirations to manage globalisation risks were translated into practical programs of social and educational governance. It proposes that the concept of social capital was critical for providing a means of attributing economic value to certain patterns of social interaction within families and between families and communities. Once authorities were able to link particular patterns of sociability to increased levels of educational attainment, it became possible to problematise the social capital of some families as a potential source of risk for educational disengagement of students. Here, the social capital believed to characterise the professional, globally networked middle class family emerged as a model for education authorities in Queensland for re-configuring the social capital of disadvantaged families. Social capital thus became instrumental in Education Queensland’s strategy to govern the relationships between schools and their communities, especially relationships between the home and school. Understanding of the problem of educational disengagement afforded by social capital led to attempts to impose particular forms of social capital on Queensland families. This was achieved by mandating the involvement of parents and students in the process of Senior Education and Training Plans. These plans were formally negotiated education and training pathways that students would follow for the completion of the senior phase of learning and the award of the Queensland Certificate of Education. The study argues that governmental technologies such as social capital are critical determinants of the limits and possibilities for social justice outcomes in education policy because they function to constitute both the problems of government and the scope of legitimate policy intervention. It further argues that these technologies have been instrumental in sustaining neoliberal policy solutions in Queensland education because they render invisible socio-economic explanations for educational disadvantage and structured inequalities in education. The study concludes by exploring alternative policy configurations that are made intelligible by alternative ways of representing the social and economic context of schooling.