Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Com a presente tese, buscou-se investigar as desigualdades educacionais que permeiam o ensino médio, principal gargalo do sistema educacional brasileiro. Inicialmente, questionou-se o papel central da educação como legitimadora das desigualdades sociais nas sociedades democráticas. Apresentaram-se os estudos pioneiros da Sociologia da Educação que procuraram explicar as desigualdades educacionais para, então, abordar as hipóteses teóricas elaboradas sobre as tendências da desigualdade de oportunidades educacionais (DOE) ao longo do tempo. Em seguida, testaram-se empiricamente essas hipóteses a partir de modelos de regressão logística sequenciais que permitiram estimar a evolução do efeito das características da família de origem nas chances condicionais de entrada e conclusão do ensino médio durante um período de mais de vinte anos. Observou-se de forma inédita, de 1986 a 2009, que a DOE relativa ao ingresso e à conclusão desse nível de ensino se manteve significativa e relativamente constante, mesmo no período mais recente no qual as taxas de transição no ensino médio vivenciaram seu maior crescimento. Esses resultados corroboram aqueles previstos pela hipótese da Desigualdade Maximamente Mantida (MMI) e aqueles encontrados por estudos anteriores. Incluiu-se também uma análise das mudanças qualitativas da DOE, evidenciando-se um significativo crescimento, entre o ano de 1982 e a década de 2000, no impacto das variáveis que medem o capital cultural e econômico dos estudantes nas chances destes frequentarem a rede de ensino médio particular. Logo, a estratificação entre a rede pública e particular no ensino médio está cada vez mais marcada pela desigualdade na seleção dos seus respectivos alunos, reforçando a dualidade de desempenho que caracteriza essas duas redes de ensino, conforme previsto pela hipótese da Desigualdade Efetivamente Mantida (EMI). Além dessas análises da evolução quantitativa e qualitativa da DOE no ensino médio, investigou-se o quadro geral de desigualdades que incidem sobre o ensino médio técnico à luz das experiências internacionais, tendo em vista que essa é uma modalidade ainda incipiente no Brasil, mas cuja rede está em rápida expansão. Diferentemente do que ocorre na maioria dos países, os jovens de origem menos privilegiada não são os maiores beneficiários dessa modalidade. Apesar de a mesma ser propagada como principal solução para a falta de qualificação juvenil, a ampliação desse tipo de ensino deve ser avaliada com cautela, tendo em vista o público que está sendo efetivamente atingido e o potencial impacto negativo em termos de estratificação educacional observado nos países que seguiram esse caminho. / With this thesis, we sought to investigate the educational inequalities in the upper secondary education, the main bottleneck of the Brazilian educational system. Initially, the central role of education as a way of legitimating social inequalities in democratic societies was discussed. Classic studies of Sociology of Education that tried to explain those educational inequalities were presented, and the theoretical assumptions about trends in inequality of educational opportunities (IEO) over time were addressed. Subsequently, those hypotheses were empirically tested using sequential logit regression models, which allowed the estimation of the evolution of the social background effects on educational transition related to high school during a period of more than twenty years. It was observed, in an unprecedented way, from 1986 thru 2009, that the IEO related to entrance and completion of this educational level remained significant and relatively constant, even in the most recent period, when the transition rates to high school experienced its greatest growth. Those results corroborate the ones predicted by the hypothesis of Maximally Maintained Inequality (MMI) and those found by previous studies. An analysis of the qualitative changes of the IEO was also included, demonstrating significant increase, between 1982 and the 2000s, of the effect of variables that measure the economic and cultural capital of high school students on their chances of enrollment in private high schools (vs. public ones). Hence, the stratification between the public and private high schools is increasingly marked by the inequality in the selection of their respective students, reinforcing the performance duality that characterizes those two school systems, as predicted by the hypothesis of Effectively Maintained Inequality (EMI). In addition to those quantitative and qualitative IEO analyses, the general framework of inequalities concerning the vocational high school was investigated in light of international experiences, taking into account that such type of education is still incipient in Brazil, but expanding rapidly. Unlike what happens in most countries, young people from less privileged background are not the greatest beneficiaries of that educational scheme. Despite being propagated as the main solution to the lack of youth qualification, the expansion of that sort of education should be evaluated with caution, considering the public effectively reached and the potential negative impact in terms of educational stratification observed in countries that followed that path.

The following study surveyed 111 community college students to identify patterns in study habits and use of services to examine whether differences exist between ethnic backgrounds or grade point averages, in the utilization of skills or services.

Thesis advisor: Rebekah L. Coley / Inequitable distribution of school funds may underlie persistent achievement disparities across class and race in the U.S. Significant reforms in school finance have closed funding disparities between school districts, but inequitable practices within districts, in which funds fail to reach the students in greatest need, may be undermining progress. Unavailability of school-level funding data previously limited assessments of intra-district allocations of funding.The primary aim of this study was to assess intra-district finance equity–exploring funding distribution patterns across multiple dimensions of student need and race–using recently released national school-level expenditures data. Multilevel analyses decomposed variation in total per pupil expenditures within and between districts while adjusting for state differences, and jointly assessed intra- and inter-district finance equity by exploring how school shares of students across poverty status, limited English proficiency, special education identification, and race were associated with per pupil expenditures. Analyses also investigated whether intra-district distribution patterns varied across district-level economic and racial strata. Results revealed significant variation in per pupil expenditures across schools within districts, and found that on average, intra-district funding distributions were progressive toward higher poverty schools as well as schools with more special education students, but not toward schools with more English language learners. School proportions of underrepresented minority students were not associated with differences in per pupil expenditures. Intra-district funding distribution patterns both reflected and counteracted inter-district patterns, depending on the dimension of student need. Exploring variations in intra-district patterns across district characteristics, analyses found that higher district poverty and economic segregation were associated with lower levels of progressivity in intra-district distributions, though not along all dimensions of need. Higher concentrations of underrepresented minority students and racial segregation in districts were not associated with intra-district distribution patterns for race, but were associated with intra-district progressivity across other dimensions of need. Study findings call for a comprehensive approach to assessing and advancing school finance equity, in order to ensure equal opportunity for all students. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

The ubiquitous nature of digital and social media has had a tremendous impact on higher education. In essence, these new pedagogical media has required faculty members to learn new methodologies to deliver their course content—often through distance education approaches. Transactional Distance Theory, designed by distance research scholar Michael Moore, is the preferred framework for instructional design for distance education. Even though there are examples of student affairs educators teaching students online, there are limited references to distance learning theory as a foundation for the work they are doing. This study was designed to explore the ways in which two online orientation co-curricular educational opportunities (CCeOs) created for student affairs departments adhere to the tenets of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory. In addition, a secondary purpose was to identify tangible examples that could inform an operationalize definition of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory for application in student affairs online CCeO development and, ultimately, enhance learning efficacy for these online educational programs, which is the purpose of an instructional design theory. The theoretical framework for this study was Moore's Transactional Distance theory. Document analysis was used to assess and interpret materials from two online orientation programs. The findings of this investigation reveal the existence of two online CCeOs created by, or for, student affairs educators that adhere in significant, although limited, ways to a pedagogical theory traditionally used in online course design. / Ph. D. / Distance education is a growing field. Those responsible for the development of academic courses have sought out theories to guide their practice. Transactional Distance Theory, designed by distance research scholar Michael Moore, is the preferred framework for instructional design for distance education. There are also examples of student affairs professionals teaching students online. However, there are limited references to distance learning theory as a foundation for the work they are doing. This study was designed to explore the ways in which two online orientation programs created for student affairs departments adhere to the tenets of Moore’s Transactional Distance Theory. In addition, a secondary purpose was to identify tangible examples that could inform an operationalize definition of Moore’s Transactional Distance Theory for application in student affairs and, ultimately, enhance learning efficacy for these online educational programs, which is the purpose of an instructional design theory. The theoretical framework for this study was Moore’s Transactional Distance theory. Document analysis was used to assess and interpret materials from two online orientation programs. The findings of this investigation reveal the existence of two orientation programs created by, or for, student affairs educators that adhere in significant, although limited, ways to a pedagogical theory traditionally used in online course design.

abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine compulsory schooling in the United States and its potential to provide an inconsistent avenue to employment for students from neighborhoods of differing socioeconomic status. Specifically, this study asked why do students from privileged neighborhoods typically end up in positions of ownership and management while those from impoverished urban or rural neighborhoods end up in working-class positions or involved in cycles of incarceration and poverty? This research involved the use of qualitative methods, including participant observation and interview, as well as photography, to take a look at a reputable private day school in the southwest. Data was collected over the span of eight weeks and was then analyzed and compared with preexisting data on the schooling experience of students from impoverished urban and rural neighborhoods, particularly data focused on juvenile detention centers. Results showed that compulsory schooling differs in ways that contribute to the preexisting hierarchical class structure. The research suggests that schooling can be detrimental to the future quality of life for students in impoverished neighborhoods, which questions a compulsory school system that exists within the current hierarchical class system. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education 2011

No description available.

The purpose of this dissertation was to provide a functional definition of adequacy synthesized from the application of efficiency (E), equality/equity/dignity (EED), and excellence/quality (EQ) value clusters found in various state litigations pertaining to the financial systems used to distribute educational opportunity. Questions researched in this study were (a) In what manner might the tension of the paradoxical demands of community responsibility and individual rights housed within the principle of liberty be used creatively in the development of public policy? (b) How do the value clusters inherent in democracy allow for balance and affect the provision of adequate educational opportunity? (c) Using value critical analysis, how does funding litigation clarify the search for the meaning of adequate educational opportunity? (d) What themes appear throughout these cases that may be used to build consensus for the development of policy frameworks and the evaluation of present funding systems designed to provide adequate educational opportunity in a particular time and place? As an examination of policy, legal research was used to analyze litigation in cases in which the provision of educational opportunity was challenged based on the terms of art under girding standards established for the delivery of public education. This study was implemented in five stages: 1. Values clusters to be examined were selected through the review of the history of educational opportunity in this nation and current literature addressing public values and education policy. 2. Through the examination of the paradox within the principle of liberty that guarantees individual rights and requires community responsibility, consideration was given to the creative tension, both principled and structural, that laid the foundation for and continues to drive the democratic process. 3. The role that policy development plays in establishing balance was outlined, noting the argumentation process used to transform knowledge through values, to create the framework necessary to take consistent action. 4. Value critical analysis examined the definition given to values clusters of efficiency (E), equality/equity/dignity (EED), and excellence/quality (EQ) as found in court cases adjudicated in the last fifty years affecting the provision of educational opportunities. Litigation was analyzed, considering the standards established for the delivery of public education in state constitutions, the value given to the terms of art underpinning those standards, and the definitions for those terms as established by the courts. 5. Using the information gleaned, a policy framework was developed to structure adequate educational opportunity for all children. / Ph. D.

Educational systems are complex adaptive systems (CAS). The macroeffects of an educational policy emerge from and depend on individual students' reactions to the policy. However, educational policymakers traditionally rely on equation-based models, which are deficient in reflecting the work of microbehaviors. Using inappropriate tools to make policies may be a reason why there were many unintended educational consequences in history. A proper methodology to design and analyze policies for complex educational systems is agent-based modeling (ABM). Grounded in the theories of CAS and computational irreducibility, ABM is capable of connecting microbehaviors with macropatterns. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the application of ABM in educational policy analysis by constructing an agent-based overlapping generations model with hypothesized inputs to qualitatively represent the environment of the Taipei School District. Four research questions explored the effects of Taipei's 2016 student-assignment mechanism and its free tuition policy on educational opportunity and school quality under different assumptions of students' school-choice strategies. The simulated outputs were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired samples t tests. The findings, which could hardly be revealed by traditional models, showed that the effects were complex and depended on students' strategies along with the number of choices students were allowed to make; the assignment outcomes for elite students were robust to the mechanism, and the free tuition policy worsened school quality. Although exploratory, these findings can serve as hypotheses and a guide for Taipei's policymakers to collect empirical data in evaluating their 2016 mechanism and tuition policy.

No description available.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Thomas Vontz / Offering a high-quality education to English language learners (ELLs) is a challenge in schools across the United States. Yet, few studies have been conducted to investigate high school English as a second language (ESL) programs. This study provides insights into how a Kansas urban high school ESL program promotes access to the curriculum for ELLs by providing for their social, affective, linguistic, and academic needs. The purpose of this dissertation is to use the premise of educational equity and Catherine Walsh’s (1991) educational needs for ELL school success to explore how structural components of the ESL program in this study promote the access of ELLs to the curriculum. This study offers (1) insights into how urban school districts with high ELL populations might address the issue of access to the curriculum, (2) insights into various perceptions of participant groups—administrators, teachers, and students, and (3) insights into how ESL program components address the educational needs for ELLs to gain access to the curriculum. More specifically, this study emphasizes the following four structural components of the ESL program: (1) student placement, (2) sheltered content courses, (3) teaming, and (4) Spanish for native speakers courses. These structural components are used as a lens to view how social, affective, linguistic, and academic needs of ELLs are addressed. Although the results of this study cannot be generalized to other schools or districts, this study may help other districts, schools, and individual teachers make informed decisions. By demonstrating how four structural ESL program components meet the needs of ELLs in a high school setting, other educators might replicate components on their journey for educational equity within their own venues.