As our population grows, so does the noise pollution in our society. The problem with noise pollution is generally bigger in cities with higher populations. This can have negative effects on our health. One of our more sensitive environments when noise is involved can we find in our schools. The purpose of the study was to investigate if there was a difference in noisepollution between schoolyards in bigger and smaller municipalities and to investigate the educators' experience of noise pollution in schoolyards. In this study, noise pollution onschoolyards was investigated through a survey study that was sent out to educators in random municipalities in Sweden. The result in the study showed that there is a moderate problemwith noise levels at schools, however, these noises are not related to the schoolyard. The result also showed that there were no significant differences in experience of noise pollution on schoolyards or noise related health problems for educators working in small and large municipalities.

Bevarad gammal skog är viktig för att öka biodiversitet, begränsa klimatpåverkan, minska stressoch öka människors välbefinnande. Forskning visar att gamla svenska skogar kan försvinnainom 50 år om den nuvarande avverkningstakten fortsätter. Alltfler barn vistas idag alltmerinomhus och saknar möjlighet till vistelse och kunskap om naturen. Därför är det viktigt att ihögre grad än idag bevara och anpassa ny bebyggelse till skog och andra naturmiljöer.Syftet med detta examensarbete är att utforma en kreativ skogsintegrerad förskolebyggnad i endel av Trollesundsskogen. Skolfastigheter i Stockholm AB, SISAB har förslagit att bygga enförskola i området för 10 avdelningar. Förslaget har en rektangulär byggnad i 3 våningar och taren del av marken i anspråk med högst naturvärde. Därför har målet varit att föreslå ett alternativtförslag för förskolan som ger mindre påverkan på skogsmiljön, ökar barnens kunskap omnaturen och med en mer lekfull kreativ form.I samband med litteraturstudier om inomhus- och utomhusmiljöer har det gjorts olikawebbsökningar och en intervju. Med hjälp av studierna gjordes ett lokalprogram och ettsambandsschema för förskolan, för att sedan påbörja gestaltningsprocessen.Under arbetets gång har frågor om materialval, planering av förskolegård och antaletavdelningar som får plats i förskolan utretts. Förskolan har utformats som en bikakeform.Trämaterial dominerar i stomme, interiört och exteriört. Förskolegården har utformats med trezoner (en trygg zon, en aktiv zon och en vild zon). Det har antagits att förskoletomten kan rymma6 avdelningar, dvs ca 108 barn. Resultat i form av situationsplaner, planlösningar, sektioner,fasader och renderingar har redovisats. Resultaten har diskuterats med slutsatser och förslag förfördjupning i projektet.

I dagens samhälle utgör förskolor en viktig hörnsten i den samhällsstruktur som har byggts upp. Majoriteten av landets ett till femåringar deltar idag i förskolan och på många förskolor blir barngrupperna större än vad som rekommenderas av Skolverket. Det finns tydliga rekommendationer och riktlinjer gällande barns vistelseyta på förskolor från Skolverket och miljöförvaltningen. Även rekommendationer gällande storleken på barngrupperna är tydliga men trots det följs inte dessa på många förskolor av ekonomiska skäl. I samband med litteraturstudier har det gjorts studiebesök på fyra befintliga förskolor där olika pedagoger har intervjuats. Detta har gett mer kunskap om styrkorna respektive bristerna i förskolorna. Tillsammans med lagkrav, riktlinjer och pedagogernas erfarenheter har typförskolan Tårtan gestaltats, en förskola byggd ur barnens perspektiv. Typförskolan är flexibel med en planlösning utformad för att passa barngrupper allt från 17–24 barn. Storleken på barngrupperna ska avgöras utifrån förskolans ekonomiska förutsättningar men trots större barngrupper ska det inte vara en riskfaktor för verksamheten då tack vare den genomtänkta planlösningen. / In today's society, preschools constitute an important cornerstone of the social structure that has been built up. The majority of the country's one to five-year-olds participate today in preschools and in many preschools, the children's groups become larger than what is recommended by the Swedish National Agency for Education. There are clear recommendations and guidelines regarding children's accommodation at preschools from the National Agency for Education and Environmental Management. Even recommendations regarding the size of the children's groups are clear, but in spite of this, they are not observed at many preschools for economic reasons. In connection with literature studies, study visits have been made to four existing preschools where different educators have been interviewed. This has given more knowledge about the strengths and shortcomings of preschools. Together with legal requirements, guidelines and educators' experiences, the pre-school Tårtan has been formed, a preschool built from the children's perspective. The preschool is flexible with a floor plan designed to fit children's groups ranging from 17-24 children. The size of the children's groups should be determined on the basis of the pre-school's financial conditions, but despite the larger children's groups it should not be a risk factor for the business due to the planned planning.

A study was conducted to see if the level of use, expertise, and problem solving abilities using information technology among Mississippi State University Extension agents was positively correlated with the performance quality of the agent as measured in the Mississippi State University Extension Service agent evaluation system. A second purpose was to examine how well agents self-assess their technology skills. Lastly, the study attempted to determine if there was a set of factors (including information technology skills) that explained a substantial portion of the variation in performance evaluation scores. The results showed that the Mississippi State University Extension agent evaluation system does not consider information technology skills and usage of agents. It was also found that agents are fairly adept at self-assessment of their technology skills. Lastly, no set of factors were found that would substantially explain performance evaluation ratings.

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The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore educator understanding of concepts in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), utilizing qualitative research methods to comprehensively examine educators’ understanding of IDEA using the six facets of understanding in the Understanding by Design framework. Educators must adhere to laws governing educating students with disabilities; therefore, it is essential to capture educators’ level of understanding related to IDEA. The twelve participants interviewed were educators currently licensed and qualified in Tennessee to serve in the roles of: special education supervisor, principal, general education teacher or special education teacher. Data collection strategies included individual interviews via phone. Responses were first organized by research questions and corresponding responses. Responses were then examined for key words and phrases that aligned with the six principles of IDEA. Then, emergent themes were identified and analyzed within the six facets of understanding framework. The credibility of the analysis was protected by use of the constant-comparative method, as well as coding and member checking. Analysis of the data revealed that participants understood the spirit of IDEA, but the level of understanding necessary to be able to apply IDEA concepts was dependent on participants’ specific job responsibilities. Furthermore, research indicated that educators’ personal college preparation experience failed to consistently provide an adequate foundation related to defining and applying IDEA concepts in learning environments for students with disabilities. Participants who possessed the most comprehensive understanding of IDEA were those who had familial ties to students with disabilities. Educators’ understanding of the proper application of IDEA came from on-the-job experiences, which would help to explain why understanding of IDEA was largely dependent upon educators’ specific job functions.

This diploma thesis is based on the analysis of primary and secondary sources, including authentic memories of living witnesses. It focuses on important personalities of the musical life in the border region around the former Sudetenland, specifically on the life and work of selected composers, musicologists, teachers, choir masters , conductors, and active musicians working in the region below the Jestřebí Mountains - the area between Náchod and Trutnov, that is Červený Kostelec, Rtyně v Podkrkonoší, Malé Svatoňovice, Úpice, and Trutnov. These are personalities who contributed not only to the development of regional music, but also to the education of new talents, between the years of 1940 and 1980 of the 20th century (however, the work with its biographical character presents some overlaps to other eras, such as the pre-war era, the times of war, or the post-revolutionary era). In the presented text, individual biographies of selected musically-active individuals are reconstructed, during whose often difficult lives significant historical events (including social repressions) took place. There was often mutual cooperation between the personalities discussed in this work, and they often influenced each other. The profiles of the personalities are arranged alphabetically. KEYWORDS Educator,...

Florida's United States History End-of-Course (EOC) Assessment performance outcomes are scheduled to impact student course grades, educator evaluation scores, and school grades. A professional learning plan to improve teaching and learning in support of student achievement on the Assessment does not exist. Neither Florida Statute nor the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) facilitate or fund professional learning in support of these influences. This dissertation in practice proposes the use of the U.S. History EOC Assessment Professional Learning Series to build educator capacity in support of student achievement on the Assessment. Implementation of professional learning could address the disparity between the legislated Assessment and its potential impacts. Tyler's (1949) curriculum development rationale and Shulman's (1986) notion of pedagogical content knowledge provided a conceptual framework for the proposed professional learning. Professional learning experiences were designed to include (1) an assessment simulation, (2) a correlation of simulated assessment items to item specifications, (3) a test item writing practicum, and (4) model lessons. The series was designed to support pedagogical content knowledge growth in planning, teaching, and assessing United States History; and improve instructional and professional efficacy. The ultimate purpose of the series is to improve teaching and learning to support student achievement on U.S. History EOC Assessment.

The overall purpose of this study was to investigate counselor educators' attitudes towards evidence-based practices (EBPs) and perceived barriers to the inclusion of EBPs in counselor education curricula. Additionally, this study aimed to assess whether counselor educators' level of agreement towards the presence of motivational interviewing (MI) principles in the counseling relationship impacted attitudes towards EBPs. As such, this researcher analyzed four research questions using two instruments and a demographic questionnaire. Two hundred sixty nine counselor educators (39.8% response rate) from the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision responded to an electronic survey, which consisted of the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS; Aarons, 2004), the BARRIERS Scale (Funk, Champagne, Wiese, & Tornquist, 1991), and a demographic questionnaire. Specifically, this study investigated four research questions to determine: (a) the difference in attitude towards adopting EBPs among counselor educators with respect to specific individual factors (i.e. specialized training in evidence-based practices, years of professoriate experience, and primary counselor education focus); (b) the difference in perceived barriers towards adopting EBPs into counselor education curricula among counselor educators with respect to organizational factors (i.e. type of program, status of CACREP accreditation, and faculty position); (c) the influence of EBP attitude on perceived barriers to the inclusion of EBPs in counselor education curricula; and (d) the correlation between counselor educators reported level of agreement towards MI principles' presence in the counseling relationship and their attitude towards EBPs. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were computed to analyze the data for the first two research questions, while linear regressions were utilized to compute the data for the last two research questions. In terms of individual factors, study results indicated that neither specialized training in EBPs nor years of professoriate experience resulted in significant differences with regards to attitudes towards EBPs. However, data analysis did reveal a significant difference between counselor educators with a clinical focus and counselor educators with a vocational focus. With regards to organizational factors influence on perceived barriers to the inclusion of EBPs in counselor education curricula, analyses revealed that neither CACREP accreditation nor faculty position resulted in any significant differences. Although, analysis did reveal that counselor educators in masters only programs perceived significantly less barriers to the inclusion of EBPs than did counselor educators in doctorate granting programs. Furthermore, results suggested a negative correlation between attitude towards EBPs and barriers towards the inclusion of EBPs in counselor education curricula, and a positive correlation between counselor educators' agreement towards the inclusion of MI principles in the counseling relationship and their attitudes towards EBPs. Limitations of the study, implications for this study, and recommendations for future research as it relates to EBPs in counselor education and the counseling profession are addressed.

Educators and school staff often overlook students with intellectual disabilities and students who are LGBTQ+ within public schools. They recognize even less students who identify in both these areas. The purpose of this study is to add to a small pool of research about how to best support students with intellectual disabilities who are gender nonconforming. A review of literature found a gap in understanding the experiences of students with intellectual disabilities who are gender nonconforming. This study uses a qualitative research design and intersectionality as a theoretical framework. The researcher completed interview with four special education staff using open-ended questions to learn how they have observed ways schools have supported students with intellectual disabilities who are gender nonconforming. The researcher categorized responses into the following themes: gender expression, relationships, acceptance and representation, resources for students, training for educators, and policy. The researcher found through the experience, knowledge, and perspectives of these four special education staff that students can freely express their gender identity in school and have mostly positive relationships with their peers and school staff. Special education and school staff generally accept students with these dual identifiers in schools, but rarely represent them in curriculum. Schools support students through wellness centers and positive language. Educators are in need of training on existing policy and procedure and ways to better include and represent students with intellectual disabilities who are gender nonconforming in their classrooms.