Hip-Hop educational research is critical to understanding the plight of black boys in public schools throughout the United States. This qualitative inquiry fills a void in the research literature that often fails to include the emic perspectives of the participants involved. To confront the challenges black male youth face in school studies that capture their salient voices about lived-experiences are crucial. Nonetheless, this critical ethnography provides a praxis for educational practitioners to use to gain valuable insight into the minds of school age black males. This study contributes to the canon of educational research by situating hip-hop culture and its various elements as independent variables that have a direct impact on black male youth and their attitude in school. This study is also different in that it adds three additional components to hip-hop culture that include fashion/style, language, and behavior. Historically, these three elements are discussed as a part of the four cornerstones: DJing, Rapping/emceeing, Breakdancing, and Graffiti Art. However, this investigation isolates these three as separate elements that should be included in discussions about hip-hop educational research due to their profound influence on the current generation of black male youth in public schools throughout the United States.

The purpose of this study is to examine dialectal diversity and to determine if there is a significant relationship between teachers' emphasis on standard English and their teaching styles and their perceptions about their teachers. This investigation involves a correlation study of the aforementioned independent and dependent variables in Cobb County Public School District in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The independent and dependent variables were moderated in terms of ethnicity and gender. The findings of the study were that students perceived that their teachers' emphasis on standard English was significantly related to their teaching style and their expectations of students. Students perceived their teachers as having higher expectations for students that spoke standard English. In addition, students believed that their perceptions of teachers' emphasis on standard English resulted in teachers engaging them more with group work and classroom discussions. Further, a major finding in this study found that students concluded that they perceived teachers' emphasis on standard English was significantly related to their linguistic self-esteem. However, students held tightly to their dialects in spite of their perceptions. Thus, "dialect persistence" challenges traditional views about dialectal diversity and teachers' perceived impact on students' use of standard English. Thus, the findings of this study suggested that dialectal diversity among students critically effects their learning potential and potential for success within the educational environment.

In this study, the researcher explored the juncture between the community development and educational reform movements in distressed urban communities and investigated why institutions, such as school systems, are critical to the success of the community development movement. The study utilized a multimethod approach employing three qualitative data sources—interviews, observations, and document review—to access the implementation of comprehensive reform in urban renewal communities and to determine if the presence of reform strengthens the value of teamwork, collaboration, and communication. A major emphasis of this ethnography was the introduction of the Urban Change through Community Engagement Theoretical Framework that identifies the close relationships among three mediations of experience, which are exemplified as (a) critical connections to collaborate, coordinate, and communicate; (b) the exchange of ideas, which reflects attempts at understanding relations through decisions, judgments, perceptions, and responses; and (c) commitments, which make it possible to consider the resources of tradition and culture that ultimately leads to collaborative building, a collective agenda, equity, and excellence. The hermeneutic model of interpretation continually puts forth relevant questions to challenge older beliefs and reaches beyond issues, policies, and structures to establish a focused analysis. The researcher found that there are barriers that must be removed, which will aid policymakers, practitioners, and community activists in their work to close critical gaps that relate to race, class, and culture, consequently ensuring the success of the new model. Perhaps more importantly, the reason that the community development and school reform movements have not produced realistic models for educating students of color and radically reconstructing urban communities is because the movement does not effectively challenge structural forces that continually reproduce nihilistic conditions. Without attacking the structural barriers, the community development and school reform movements fail to challenge the causes of distress and underdevelopment in urban communities.

Over the past 20 years, numerous reform efforts have been made to improve the quality of teacher education programs at higher education institutions throughout the nation. Currently, limited research has been conducted to assess the factors that contribute to the PRAXIS I pass rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of specific academic and personality factors on the PRAXIS I pass rates at three HBCUs in the state of Georgia. Specifically, this study was conducted to address the student performance on PRAXIS I, to identify the perceptions of students who have taken PRAXIS I, and to determine possible strategies for improving PRAXIS I preparation programs at HBCUs. A 47—item survey instrument was administered to teacher education majors (N=121) who were classified as either sophomore, junior, or senior to identify their perceptions of selected academic and personality factors that might impact their performance on PRAXIS I. Using a Pearson correlation analysis to measure the significance between the dependent and independent variables of the study, the findings revealed that there were no significant relationships between the dependent variable, PRAXIS I pass rates, and the independent variables academic program quality, teacher education faculty quality, locus of control, student assistance and support, and academic support preparation programs. Significant, but weak relationships were found between PRAXIS I pass rates and the independent variables cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) and perceived self-efficacy. There was, however, a significant relationship between PRAXIS I pass rates and SAT score (r = .656 at the .000 level). A Step-wise multiple regression analysis indicated that SAT score, with a beta coefficient of .618and a t-value of 6.027, was a strong contributor to pass rates on PRAXIS I. The findings did indicate that scores on PRAXIS I increase significantly when students participate in PRAXIS Ipreparation activities prior to taking the exam. The findings of the study revealed that an increasing number of non-traditional students are pursing bachelor’s degrees in teacher education. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that HBCUs develop a teacher education institute that caters to the needs of all teacher education students from the pre-freshman to the post-baccalaureate levels. It is also recommended that policymakers increase the participation of HBCU faculty in the development of teacher certification and licensure exams. Finally, it is recommended that further research be done to examine additional personality factors that my contribute PRAXIS I pass rates as well as expand the study to HBCUs in other states.

This study examined parents' and teachers' perceptions of the relationship between teacher-parent interactions and teacher behavior in elementary schools in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The study was based on the premise that interactions between teachers and parents are related to teacher behavior in the classroom. Teacher-parent conferencing, teacherstudent interactions, and teacher expectation of students were identified as indicators of teacher behavior. Moderator variables included ethnicity, gender, and grade level. A survey was developed to gather data for this research investigation and the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The researcher found that parents and teachers at the elementary school level reported a statistically significant relationship between teacher-parent interactions and the way teachers behave toward parents and students. The study also found some differences in perceptions between parents and teachers in certain areas. The conclusions derived from the findings of this study suggest that frequent and positive communications between teachers and parents are vital factors in students' well being. The results of this investigation clearly identifies the need for parents and teachers to stay in contact and positively so, with one another. Also, the study found that teachers tend to stay away from children whose parents are perceived to be negative and hard to deal with. Children stand to gain academically and socially if parents and teachers are complimentary of one another.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which student discipline referrals were related to teachers' perceptions of discipline procedures in addition to other variables such as student grade level, administrative teacher rating, teacher sex, teacher experience, and ITBS scores. The study was conducted through the use of a validated 28 item questionnaire designed and field tested through several Performance Assessment Laboratories. Fifty-seven (57) teachers assigned to Bear Creek Middle School for the 1990-91 school year were selected to participate in the study. The 50 students who participated had been referred for discipline violations. They were matched with the referring teacher to compare perceptions and practices. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed student ITBS scores as the only variable that had a significant relationship to student discipline referrals.

The purpose of this research was to study the equity values of principals and teachers and to determine if there existed a relationship between values reported by teachers and principals and behaviors demonstrated by teachers in the classroom. Further, the study investigated the relationship between teacher perception of principal equity and teacher equity performance in the classroom. Additionally, the study investigated whether teacher classroom equity behaviors were different for African American, white, female, and male students. The sample for the study consisted of 18 junior high and secondary English and mathematics teachers, 12 principals matched with the 18 teachers, and 360 students selected from a summer school program located in a large metropolitan school system. Principals and teachers completed a questionnaire assessing their equity values. Trained observers assessed teacher equity behaviors of response opportunities, praise, and proximity in the classroom. Correlational statistical analyses of the data were conducted to determine relationships between perceptions and values. ANOVA statistical analyses of the data were conducted to determine teacher equity behaviors toward students of different races and gender. Findings indicated that teachers and principals in the study reported similar high equity values; however, when teachers were matched with their own principals, there were few significant relationships among teacher- and principal-reported values and teacher-observed behavior. Teacher interactions with students revealed inequities in treatment of male, female, African American, and white students; white male students received more positive interactions and African American females received fewer total interactions. Rating themselves on the questionnaire, teachers reported high student expectations; however, the classroom observation data, a much stronger indicator of teaching behavior, did not substantiate teacher-reported equity values. The results of this study suggest a need for equity training for principals and teachers as well as for investigation of teacher interaction with female and African American students.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the preference of conflict management styles, demographics, and selected characteristics of Vice Presidents of Technical Institutes in the State of Georgia using a correlational research design. Statistical analysis based on the responses from eighty-seven (87) Vice Presidents, found no significant relationship between the preference of conflict management styles, demographics, and selected variables. However, a significant relationship was found between leadership style and conflict management styles at the .01 level. A significant relationship was found with leadership style and age at the .05 level. These findings have significant implications for further situational leadership development for these leaders.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the principal's leadership style and parental involvement on s tuden t achievement, as measured by the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills reading scores of fifth graders. In order to complete the investigation, the components of leader behaviors - consideration and initiating structure - and the components of parenta l involvement - PTA index and volunteer indexwere studied extensively. The population was made up of 58 elementary school teachers and 432 fifth graders found in six randomly selected elementary schools. Information was gathered through the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire and from records on Parent Teacher Association membership and on volunteerism that are kept on file in the central office. These data were converted to forms that could be subjected to statistical analysis. The study sought answers to four questions: (1) Is there a relationship between the principal's leadership style and student achievement? (2) Is there a relationship between parental involvement and student achievement? (3) Is there a relationship between the principal's leadership style and parental involvement? (4) Which of the two factors, principal's leadership style or parental involvement, impacts student achievement greater? The findings revealed that neither the principal's leadership style nor parental involvement were significantly related to student achievement, Those findings contradict much of the current literature on the topics. In addition, it was found that the principal's leadership style does not significantly impact parental involvement. Finally, parental involvement is a better predictor of ITBS reading scores than the principal's leadership style, though neither predicts significantly.

Application of the school psychologist's skills in schools and other work-related issues led to an investigation of relationships among Morale (M) of school psychologists, perceptions of Administrators' Leadership Style (ALS), Role Expectations for school psychologists (RE) and Self-Role Perceptions (S-RP). Twenty-one school psychologists in three equal groups responded to a 48-item original "School Psychology Survey." Strong positive relationships (Pearson r = .78, .77 & .69) between Morale and Administrators' Leadership Style existed for Groups II, III and the Total Group. For Group I, an average (.40) relationship was found. Correlations were critical at p School psychologists attributed the narrow tester or psychometrician role perception to administrators' expectations for them to give priority to individual stUdent assessments. According to the 1987-1988 annual reports of school psychology services in Georgia and in the targeted school district, stUdent assessment activities consumed upwards of 65% and 75% respectively of the schon I psychologist's time (Appendix C). From these data, it would appear that teachers and other school based personnel rarely got a chance to see school psychologists pp.rform in roles other than test related roles--conducting evaluations, reporting, and consulting. Therefore, the researcher posits that the number of school based persons with first hand knowledge of the extent nf the school pSYCl10logist's expertise is small. Psychologists generally agree that testing begets testing and that other approaches are more preventive (Zins, 19B1; Gutkin, 1980; Ritter, 1978; and Jason & Ferone, 1978). However, judging from the annual data, almost all stUdents referred are still tested. Best practices (Gerken, 1985) indicate that the routineness of individual testing alone is not in the hest interest of stUdents. Testing alone aSSIJmes except Group I (r = .11); no M/S-RP relationships were critical. Morale of school"psychologists could be predicted from Administrators' Leadreship Style and Role Expectations 47% to 49% of the time at p 1. It is recommended that the dynamics surrounding the variables investigated in this study (i.e., role expectations, self-role perceptions, leadership style. and morale) be scrutinized for their effect, if any, on the performance of school psychologists. 2. It is recommended that school psychologists make school administrators more aware of what constitutes best-practices in the field of School Psychology. 3. It is recommended that school psychologists and school administrators institute an ecological approach to the evaluation of School Psychology Programs. Conditions with potential to retard services to students should be identified, understood, and manipulated to the benefit of students where possible.