Submitted in fulfilment or partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Philosophy of Education at the University of Zululand, 1987. / One of the great issues of the present time in the Republic of South Africa is the problem of all members of the school-going population securing equal educational opportunities. All pupils basically have the freedom to learn. However, pupils cannot reach their full development when denied equal educational opportunities. Educationt positively acknowledges both the communal factors and the diversity of religious and cultural life-styles and languages of the inhabitants. These diversities in the different cultural groups in South Africa are presently receiving structural prominence. The problem, however, justly raised is whether sufficient prominence is being given to commonalities. Very little binding exists between f the heterogenous cultural groups in the R.S.A. Serious polarisation exists and this is apparent in many fields including education. In education in particular this alienation, distrust and anomalous behaviour is examplified by disruption of school programmes in many ways. The question of how education may fulfil a more constructive binding function in such a heterogenous divided society was therefore a problem necessitating problem solving research. The aim of the study was therefore to discover educationally acceptable values of promoting undestanding for, and empathy towards one another among R.S.A. cultural groups. To seek communal factors in the establishment of identity and individual cultural identity and, finally, to seek the achievement and maintainance of common high standards of educational provision in respect of schools, and other educational institutions, and support services. / Sperry; the Ernst and Ethel Eriksen Trust; and the University of Zululand.

No description available.

I have enjoyed this year, writing pieces that are special to me because they relate to experiences during 2008. I've written for orchestra, choir and an ensemble of xylophones and saxophone. Each piece has extended my skills and creativity in different ways from previous compositions. Prelude to the Unspoken This work is for symphony orchestra. Last year, it was rehearsed and recorded by the NZSO as part of the NZSO/Todd Young Composers Awards 2008. The pieces were recorded in the Michael Fowler Centre and conducted by Hamish McKeich. It was exciting to hear the piece come alive and watch the orchestra rehearse. Now I have heard the recording in a calmer state and know what it actually sounds like, I have been able to evaluate some decisions and whether or not they worked. As long as I have played instruments, I have played in orchestras. I can draw on these experiences when composing because as a clarinettist, you sit in the middle of the orchestra, and can hear the different sections playing and how their parts/notes relate to the rest of the orchestra. As a percussionist, hearing the orchestra from the back (when counting rests!) also reveals a different point of view. This year I chose to compose a slower, more contemplative piece. Last year, my compositions were dense and busy, so writing this piece required me to use space and texture in new ways. The title Prelude to the Unspoken alludes to something being stated but stopping before anything is revealed. A Schulwerk Orffering I was inspired to compose for the forces used in this piece because of an Orff- Schulwerk teacher training course I attended in 2008. As part of the Masters of Music degree, I completed a Level 1 workshop and on-line component - Orff Music Education-Theory and Practice 1, and more recently, completed the Level 2 workshop. Orff-Schulwerk education is a holistic, hands-on approach that explores music physically and through different instruments such as body percussion and approachable instruments (for children) such as recorders, mallet instruments and small percussion. One activity during the course was playing a tune from the Orff-Schulwerk volumes, where everyone was playing a mallet instrument - xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, from soprano to bass, while the teacher improvised a tune on the recorder, over the top of this moving carpet of sound we were making with our ostinatos and drones. This was just like being in the middle of the orchestra. While playing my ostinato, I was in the centre of all of this sound, hearing how each simple ostinato made an interesting accompaniment. I was also influenced by Philip GIass' Fascades, where the cross rhythms of the accompaniment create a carpet of sound, while the simple saxophone melody floats over top. I wanted to create something similar with tenor saxophone and the educational xylophones. I chose to write for two alto and two bass xylophones (small, educational instruments with no chromatic notes). These instruments were available at the course and I was able to have these with me while I composed. Because I do not usually play a mallet instrument, I composed ostinatos that I was able to play. All the techniques are those explored in Orff-Schulwerk - ostinato, drone, sound carpet, imitation. The saxophone sits quite high in the first movement, holding long notes, while in the second movement, the saxophone is active with a wide range of notes. I recently had an item about this piece in the Orff New Zealand Aotearoa newsletter 'Sounding Orff'. I hope to get a recording/performance of this piece from a response to the newsletter. Missa Brevis I sing in the Hamilton Civic Choir and have sung many Masses so was interested in writing a Missa Brevis. The movements Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei are for SATB with some movements scored for divisi voices. The style of this piece is approachable for many choirs because of traditional harmonic and musical organisation, while including modern arrangements of the text and approach to the music. Some choir members queried the fact that sometimes their part does not say a whole word, for example, just singing 'Dom', not 'Domine'. The words were deliberately set like this because when using block writing, as opposed to polyphony, I felt the extra syllables would change the desired musical and rhythmic texture. I wrote this piece with the Hamilton Civic Choir in mind because I know their capabilities. For example, I know the second basses can reach a low D. For the very low notes, I've added an octave option for the first basses or all basses if another choir cannot reach them. This recording by members of the choir was not up to the choir's usual standard because of time restrictions. The piano is used in my recording but is for rehearsal use only. The Gloria will be performed in the Choir's first 2009 concert in March.

The R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications of the Dallas County Community College District is a leading producer of telecourses for credit at the college level. In addition, the center is becoming involved with other kinds of electronic communication for educational purposes, including the Community College Satellite Network (CCSN), the State of Texas Academic Resources Link (STARLINK), and Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS). This study chronicles the DCCCD's progress in electronic distance learning from the time of its first telecourse in 1972 to the present time. This study also describes the center's purposes, the reasons for its growth, the problems that have been encountered, the people who provided its leadership, and the telecourses that have been offered and produced by the DCCCD.

Are new school administrators prepared for the surprises, obstacles, and opportunities they are likely to encounter during the first-year in their new role? Sadly enough, too many new leaders do not feel prepared to meet the challenges of their new role as an administrator. In 2006, the National Center for Education Statistics (2006) reported that there were 95,726 administrators in the U. S. Within this pool of administrators, approximately 127 were new hires in the state of Louisiana (LDE, 2006). In an effort to find ways to support, guide, and retain new principals, the Louisiana Educational Leaders Network, under the direction of the Louisiana Department of Education, developed the Louisiana Educational Leaders Induction (LELI) program in 1994. The LELI Program was designed to build administrative, instructional, and professional knowledge and skills of first-year principals and assistant principals with the assistance of a team mentor. Perspectives from elementary and secondary principals regarding their mentoring experiences within the LELI Program during their first year as principals were investigated. Two research participants from each of the eight Louisiana educational regions were selected through stratified random sampling techniques and interviewed. The research question guiding the one-to-one interviews was, ―What are the perspectives of first-year principals regarding their experiences with mentors and the mentoring process within the LELI Program?‖Data from the interviews provided insight about the mentoring elements most crucial to the preparation, support, and leadership of first-year principals. This research study substantiated the belief that mentors and the mentoring experiences of new principals are vital to their survival during their first year. The need exists for continued research that examines the relationship between the mentor and the mentee in creating and sustaining successful schools. Overall, the qualitative results of this exploratory study promoted understanding of the importance of mentors and the mentoring experiences within the LELI Program for first-year principals. Mentoring is a vital component for preparing, supporting, and building leadership in first-year principals, and this study yielded findings organized around eight themes that focus on necessary elements within the mentoring component of the LELI Program.

This study examines the 21 competency domains of the National Policy Board of Educational Administration (NPBEA) and their importance in a collaborative effort like Cities in Schools (CIS). The purpose of the study was to identify the knowledge and skills which school principals need to facilitate an integrated service model. Data were compiled from a survey mailed to 195 CIS principals in the southeastern region of the United States. The 21 domains were rated and indicators in each of the domains were selected as essential to a CIS program. Conclusions of the study emphasize the importance of the 21 NPBEA domains when working with an interagency model. Factors such as, the length of time a principal had worked with CIS, the number of agencies involved, the percentage of children receiving free and reduced lunches and the gender of the responding principal were significant in determining the domains that principals selected as important. The domains found most significant were: motivating others, interpersonal sensitivity, leadership, delegation, staff development, judgment, problem analysis, student guidance, and written expression.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiẗat Heidelberg, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-225).

The nature of the decision-making processes and the resulting changes made in school programs and curricula in Indiana elementary schools was the focus of this research. The changes were required of these schools by the State of Indiana through the Performance-Based Accreditation division of the Indiana Department of Education. These schools were expected to make changes because they had performed below standard on the math portion of ISTEP+, the State standardized assessment test, during the 1997-98 school year. The objective of the study was to examine the perceptions of the participants as to the influence that mediating factors had on their schools' decision-making processes.The survey population consisted of principals and teachers from 18 Indiana elementary schools from accreditation group IV. In the 18 schools surveyed, 14 principals (78%) and 182 teachers (50%) responded. The participants were grouped as principals and teachers, and were organized for data analysis by location of their respective schools. Two of the schools were urban, seven suburban and nine were rural. The purpose of the study was to explore the decision-making processes used at these elementary schools. Little is known about these decision-making processes in schools that are faced with the requirement to make changes as the result of low test scores. Data gathered in the study included the types of changes and the factors influencing the change-related decisions. Through analysis of the data, the researcher attempted to gain insights that could be used to assist educators in future efforts relating to change and decision-making.Findings of the study indicated that schools primarily used new textbooks to address new approaches to the math curriculum and remediation programs or test skills programs to focus more specifically on improving test scores. The principals and teachers generally felt the decision-making processes in their schools were very collaborative; however, while teachers perceived those processes to be collaborative, their perception reflected a lesser degree of collaboration than the principals. Concern on the part of the teachers and principals for student learning and the school systems' accountability to the Preformance-Based Accreditation program were perceived as the factors having the greatest influence on the decisions to improve math performance. Clearly, these professionals felt the need to change; however, findings indicated that these changes were motivated in part by professionalism and, in part, by the pressures of accountability to the State.Recommendations for further study were included. / Department of Educational Leadership

The focus of this study was to assess the ability to predict performance on the Indiana Statewide Test for Educational Progress (ISTEP) from oral reading fluency scores on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Oral Reading Fluency Test (ORF). The scores of both assessments from 306 Indiana students from four different elementary schools were examined. Results of these students’ end of year (EOY) ORF scores were compared to their ISTEP scores in third grade in 2008-2009. During that school year ISTEP was administered twice, once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Results from both tests were analyzed using linear, multiple, and logistic regression models. The results showed r values between the ORF scores and the English/Language Arts portion of ISTEP to be .76 (Fall) and .72 (Spring). The correlations between ORF and ISTEP Math were .54 (Fall) and .61 (Spring). Regression coefficients ranged from 1.30 – 1.13 indicating a positive linear relationship between the results of the two assessments. The scores from demographic subgroups were also examined and some differences in the strength of the relationships were found among the groups. The oral reading fluency test was a better predictor for students generally considered at-risk (non-white, disabled, and non-English speaking). Logistic regression results showed a moderate to strong ability to predict whether or not students would pass ISTEP based on DIBELS scores. After using Beta values to calculate probabilities, it was found a DIBELS ORF score of 100 would provide a strong probability a student would pass ISTEP, both in English/Language Arts and Math. The results imply the need to monitor students’ oral reading and provide timely interventions when they struggle, and to focus more on helping children learn to read and less on preparing for ISTEP. / Department of Educational Leadership

Department of Educational Leadership