As school buildings continue to age, school stakeholders are increasingly concerned about the influence school facilities have on the academic achievement of students, especially in urban low income school districts. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine school building conditions through the perceptions of 12 stakeholders including teachers, facility managers, administrators, and school board members in 3 school districts. The research question involved understanding how local school stakeholders perceived or acknowledged the relevance and relationship of school building conditions to student learning, social constructivism and aspects of organizational theory severed as the conceptual frameworks for this study. A recursive coding method and a comparative content analysis of semistructured interviews was completed. Themes that emerged included thermal comfort, technology, and symbolism. Analysis of interview responses revealed stakeholders perceived that thermal comfort and the presence of stationary technology within classrooms are of primary importance to student learning. Also, the analysis highlighted a common perception supporting the premise that the condition of school facilities represents a symbolic measure of the importance placed on student achievement by the school community. Implications for positive social change include a data-driven dialogue involving policies and practices that support providing optimum school buildings and facilities to support low-income and minority student achievement.

<p> Abstract not available.</p>

<p> This embedded case study, using contemporary policy implementation research as my conceptual framework to examine the interpretation and implementation of the Migrant Education Policy across four distinct policy levels, three of which are located in Missouri. The findings of this study demonstrate that policy implementers sometimes lack the will and/or the capacity to effectively implement the Migrant Education Policy in Missouri. Differing perspectives on identifying migrant students and using the MAP to determine student achievement are two areas of concern for the policy implementers. All participants suggested that migrants&rsquo; social and health needs are as important as their academic needs. While engaging migrant parents is a struggle for most districts, a single district was able to involve their migrant parents more than the other districts. The findings of this study highlight gaps and discrepancies in the way the Migrant Education Policy is adapted and implemented at different policy levels, suggesting a communication breakdown or miscommunication somewhere in the implementation process. These findings also confirm the need for additional training for the different policy implementers. The information obtained could be used to improve the implementation process, thereby, improving the state, the regions, and the districts&rsquo; abilities to provided equitable access to educational opportunities to migrant students in Missouri. </p>

<p> Throughout his presidential campaign, President Donald Trump took a combative and hardline approach toward undocumented immigrants and immigration. His campaign was a platform that promoted homogeneity and exposed the racist and xenophobic ideologies pervasive in American society. On college campuses undocumented students are confronted by the same intolerance imbedded in the national discourse. This study examined how anti-immigrant discourses influenced the experiences of ten undocumented Latina and Latino college students at public universities in the state of California. The findings were organized along four themes: exclusion and belonging, effects of anti-immigrant discourses, the impact of the 2016 presidential election, and challenging anti-immigrant discourses. The findings underscore the challenges that participants encountered as they navigated anti-immigrant sentiments in the contemporary moment. Participants shared how rejection along the dimensions of language, immigration status, and phenotype impacted their educational trajectories. Recommendations for practice, policy, and future research are provided.</p>

<p> This study identifies and compares competing policy stories of key actors involved in the Ecuadorian education reform under President Rafael Correa from 2007-2015. By revealing these competing policy stories the study generates insights into the political and technical aspects of education reform in a context where state capacity has been eroded by decades of neoliberal policies. </p><p> Since the elections in 2007, President Correa has focused much of his political effort and capital on reconstituting the state&rsquo;s authority and capacity to not only formulate but also implement public policies. The concentration of power combined with a capacity building agenda allowed the Correa government to advance an ambitious comprehensive education reform with substantive results in equity and quality. At the same time the concentration of power has undermined a more inclusive and participatory approach which are essential for deepening and sustaining the reform.</p><p> This study underscores both the limits and importance of state control over education; the inevitable conflicts and complexities associated with education reforms that focus on quality; and the limits and importance of participation in reform. Finally, it examines the analytical benefits of understanding governance, participation and quality as socially constructed concepts that are tied to normative and ideological interests.</p>

No description available.

No description available.

<p> The use of corporal punishment as a form of student discipline has long been a controversial form of student discipline used in schools throughout the world. Research gathered showed that the use of corporal punishment has supporters and opponents. The supporters usually reference the Bible or corporal punishment as a traditional form of punishment. Opponents fear that physical punishment is a thing of the past and a form of physical abuse. Qualitative data were gathered from 12 superintendents in Missouri, one communications director from a Missouri professional teacher organization, and two attorneys who specialize in school law and policy to gain their perceptions of corporal punishment. The perceptions of superintendents regarding corporal punishment ranged from strongly disagreeing with the use to strongly believing it is an effective form of discipline. A few superintendents were hesitant to explain its practical use. The comments from the attorneys who were interviewed centered on legal and policy issues, while the communications director from the teacher organization expressed support of the teacher based on the school district's policy of allowing or not allowing corporal punishment. Results and conclusions from this study may assist local school boards in deciding if corporal punishment should be used within their school districts.</p>

<p>ABSTRACT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PER PUPIL EXPENDITURE IN MARICOPA COUNTY K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND STUDENT UNDER PREPAREDNESS AT THE POST SECONDARY LEVEL Edmond Allen Lamperez, Jr. Student under preparedness is one of the major challenges facing community colleges in the United States. When students are not prepared for college level course work, it decreases their chances of successfully meeting their goals, whether that is an associate?s degree, a certificate, or transfer to a university. When students do not meet their academic goals in college, then they are unable to reach their full potential. A contributing factor of student under preparedness at the postsecondary level is an inequitable and inadequate distribution of resources at the K-12 level. Schools and school districts are funded, in large part, with local property tax levies, which results in large disparities in per pupil funding. Students residing in socio-economically disadvantaged school districts that often expend less money per pupil are disproportionally under prepared for college-level course work. This study examined the relationship between per pupil expenditure in Maricopa County K-12 public school districts and student under preparedness at the post-secondary level; specifically the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD). Subsequently, this study advocates policy transformations aimed at equalizing opportunity for Maricopa County students to make education an avenue for social mobility. The population of this study consists of Maricopa County Community College District students who attended a Maricopa County public K-12 school district, and who took placement testing at MCCCD for course placement during the fall 2013 semester. Purposive sampling was used to identify students who currently attend MCCCD and took placement tests to enter MCCCD during fall 2013. In order to assess the relationship between per pupil expenditure at the secondary level and student preparedness at the post-secondary level two logistic regression models were utilized. The first model uses per pupil expenditure quartiles as the independent variable and student preparedness as the dependent variable. The second model uses an interaction between Arizona Department of Education high school grade and per pupil expenditure (per pupil quartiles) as the independent variable and student preparedness as the dependent variable. The difference between the two models is stark?Model 1 (only per pupil quartiles) shows that the students in quartile four, where the most money is being spent, are the least likely to be prepared?that appears to be because the students in quartile four are largely made up of students that are socio-economically disadvantaged. The results of Model 2 are consistent with the notion that increased per pupil expenditure and more effective schools will result in a higher proportion of college ready students. The implications of the findings of this study are twofold. First, the issue of ?ecological equity? must be addressed in Maricopa County. Second, the issue of equity and adequacy in per pupil expenditure must be addressed in Maricopa County (and perhaps the State of Arizona). Policy transformations are needed in these two areas of educational public policy. The issues of ?ecological equity? and adequacy and equity in education funding must be addressed concurrently. Specific policies recommended include quality preschool education, extending school hours, providing health and social services in schools, and expending more money per pupil in school districts with concentrated poverty.

<p> The <i>Every Student Succeeds Act</i> of 2015 authorizes a pilot program that allows up to seven states to develop innovative assessment and accountability systems. Prior to the official pilot program launch, the U.S. Department of Education approved one pilot program&mdash;New Hampshire&rsquo;s Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE). To implement the PACE pilot, the New Hampshire Department of Education received a 2-year waiver (2014-2016) from federal statutory requirements related to state annual achievement testing and was granted additional waivers for the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 school years. The purpose of this study is to investigate the average effect of the PACE pilot on 8th grade student achievement outcomes in mathematics and English language arts during the first two years of implementation. This study also examines the extent to which those average treatment effects vary according to student characteristics and among PACE schools. PACE students are compared to non-PACE students with similar probabilities of being selected into treatment using propensity score methods. Multi-level modeling is then used to estimate the average treatment effect for students receiving either one or two years of treatment. Findings from this study provide preliminary evidence that the PACE pilot is having a positive effect on 8^th grade student achievement outcomes in mathematics for some students starting in the second year of implementation and no effect in English language arts. Findings also suggest that students with disabilities that attend PACE schools tend to exhibit positive differential effects in comparison to students with disabilities in the non-PACE comparison group in both subject areas, although these findings should be considered exploratory due to the small number of PACE IEP students in the sample. Findings also suggest that male students that attend PACE schools tend to exhibit negative differential effects in comparison to female students in the non-PACE comparison group in both subject areas. Results are descriptive not causal, however, findings could be used to provide assurance to key stakeholders that PACE students are provided an equitable opportunity to learn the content standards. Also, because the focus of PACE pilot is on performance assessments used throughout the year, this study provides initial evidence that the learning gains on performance assessments may carry over to the more traditional state standardized tests. Implications for research, policy, and practice are also discussed.</p><p>