Thesis (Ed.D.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-209)

The purpose of this study was to investigate East Tennessee State University alumni's perceptions of the effectiveness of internship experiences as students learned the PSEL and TILS standards and the role of mentor support as they prepared for principalship. The participants obtained their administrative license and worked currently with an administrative license that is current in the state they reside. This research focused on the perception of the PESL and TILS standards, the effectiveness of the 540-hour internship experience, and the value of the site based and university mentor as the participants completed their activities in multiple settings. Findings supported that 16 out of the 17 ideas investigated had a strong positive significance, indicating they were highly supported by the data. These findings highlight the effectiveness of various aspects within aspiring principal preparation programs. Particularly noteworthy is the significance of internship experiences, which are guided by mentors from both the educational institution and the site of practice. This underscores the pivotal role these mentorship arrangements play in shaping future educational leaders. Findings revealed that participants in the program facilitated the practical application of the PESL and TILS Standards in preparation for assuming the role of a principal. Findings also supported the positive experience when participating in the 540 hours of internship hours required by the program.

In order is meet the requiremcnts for technically sound assessment instruments as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), this study investigates the construct validity of Indiana's alternate assessment, the Indiana Standards Tool for Alternate Reporting (ISTAR), a teacher rating assessment as compared to Indiana's general educational assessment, the Indiana Statewide Test of Educational Progress - Plus (ISTEP+), a criterion referenced assessment. Study participants consisted of 284 students from grades 3, 6, and 8. Students were from general and special education. All students in the study were considered not to have significant cognitive disabilities that would have exempted them from ISTEP+ participation. Therefore, all students in the study were required to participate in the fall 2003 ISTEP+ testing session. Students with disabilities in the study were identified as having one of four mild disabilities as defined by the Indiana Professional Standards Board (Mild Mental Disabilities, Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities, or Other Health Impairment. Teachers rated students using the ISTAR assessment during a fall testing window from August 1, through October 31, 2003. The Pearson correlation coefficient used to determine the relationship between ISTEP+ scores and ISTAR teacher ratings. Results of the Pearson correlation coefficient indicated a linear relationship between scores on the two assessment instruments for students in grades 3, 6, and 8 with mild disabilities and without disabilities who participated in both assessments (r = .46 to r = .71). An analysis of variance was used to determine if the ISTAR instrument could, when appropriately completed, differentiate between groups of students who would be expected to perform less well or better than other groups of students. Results from the ANOVA, Levene and Welch procedures as well as the Tamhane post hoc statistic indicated that ISTAR is capable of differentiating between different achievement level groups for the constructs of English/language arts and mathematics. While the study results indicate a sufficient positive relationship, it should be considered to be a baseline study. Additional years of data are needed before valid inferences can be made for the ISTAR assessment tool. / Department of Special Education

Relatively recent federal education initiatives, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB; 2001), have focused on school accountability for student achievement including achievement of traditionally at-risk populations, such as students in special education, students from low-income or high poverty areas, and students who speak English as a new second language. Additionally, these federal initiatives also mandate that all students take the same test measuring grade level standards despite research that has demonstrated that students from at-risk populations are sometimes at a disadvantage on high-stakes tests. Furthermore, initiatives such as NCLB are often at odds with other education initiatives such as IDEA, which states that students in special education should be tested at their respective level. Therefore, the current study proposed to examine the relationship between Cattell-Horn-Carroll cognitive abilities and performance on a state-wide high-stakes achievement test. There currently are no studies examining such a relationship. This study used Multivariate Regression Analysis, in order to investigate the relationship between CHC cognitive and achievement abilities and performance on a state-wide high-stakes achievement test, namely the ISTEP+, with 45 children who had been referred for a psychoeducational evaluation to determine special education eligibility and who had also taken the ISTEP+. No statistically significant result was found between the WJ-III-COG broad CHC abilities and performance on the English/Language Arts and Math performance of the ISTEP+. Furthermore, no statistically significant result was found between the WJ-III-ACH and Math performance on the ISTEP+. However, a statistically significant result was found between the WJ-III-ACH Passage Comprehension subtest and the English/Language Arts portion of the ISTEP+. The results indicated that students who had higher scores on the Passage Comprehension subtest also had higher scores on the English/Language Arts portion of the ISTEP+. The current study took a step forward in the area of the relationship between CHC and academic achievement, particularly state-mandated high-stakes testing given the dearth of research in this area. Given the data from the current study indicating a statistically significant relationship between Passage Comprehension and English/Language Arts from the ISTEP+, the current study has practical implications for school psychologists, especially when school psychologists are being asked to make predictions regarding a student’s academic achievement. Results of the current study might help elucidate reading problems and recommended interventions for those reading problems. / Department of Educational Psychology

Univ., Diss.--Heidelberg, 2004.

The purpose of my research is to diagnose the organizational culture of the National Institute for Educational Development [NIED] , in particular to determine whether it is conducive to innovation, as was envisaged at the time of its inception. The diagnosis of NIED's organizational culture was done by using a hybrid qualitative and quantitative case study. A questionnaire, the Cameron and Quinn's Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument [OCAI], was given to all professional members at NIED, while six members of the NIED organization were interviewed. It emerged from the data, first, that the characteristics of the dominant NIED culture, using Cameron and Quinn's six dimensions of culture that produced an "overall culture profile" of NIED, are not likely to enhance innovativeness. Nevertheless, there is a strong preference towards a culture type favourable to innovation. Second, there are cultural factors antithetical to an innovative organizational culture. These include poor information flow and a lack of communication, negligible crossfunction interaction and freedom, and constraining hierarchical and bureaucratic structures. Third, NIED has, in the form of a "green paper," a set of critical norms, values and assumptions that characterize the culture of innovative organizations. Finally, there is evidence of the presence of cultural characteristics conducive to an innovative organizational culture. These include: learning how to learn; being pro-active in initiating change and innovativeness; and sustaining momentum, consistency and perseverance. The discrepancy between the existing organizational culture and the preferred organizational culture revealed by the overall cultural profile can be explained by the fact that the norms, values and assumptions that characterize the culture of innovative organizations and the cultural characteristics conducive to an innovative organizational culture are not fully infused into the whole organization. There is a tension between NIED's bureaucratic nature and its innovative mission. Organizational culture change, where NIED's structures and processes are aligned with its espoused vision and mission, is needed in order for it to be better placed to achieve its original pioneering mandate.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:32:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Samir Ahmad dos Santos Mustapha.pdf: 1255724 bytes, checksum: c786f5532181d1d3c92e9c9dca8e4d4d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The research analyzed aspects of performance and experience gained by intellectuals and technicians who worked at the Centro Regional de Pesquisas Educacionais de São Paulo (Regional Centre for Educational Research of São Paulo) during the administration of Fernando de Azevedo (1956-1961). The fixed staff involved in pedagogical nucleus departments of Divisão de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais (DEPE): Division of Educational Studies and Research and the sociological group of Divisão de Estudos e Pesquisas Sociais (DEPS): the Division of Social Studies and Research were objects of analysis. It was intended to understand the relationships and theoretical, cultural and political inherent to the intellectual dynamic of the persons inserted in these departments. The research intends to characterize the trajectory of individuals in CRPE-SP, their previous training and performance spaces. It was also aimed to characterize how was their insertion into the institution and external relations in the academic social environments of Universidade de São Paulo. In order to develop the analysis, the research s methodological procedures were mapping and examining the documentary sources archived on Centro de Memoria da Educação da Universidade de São Paulo (Education Remebrance Center of Universidade de São Paulo) and some journals that circulated in the period: A Revista Pesquisa e Planejamento (Research and Planning Magazine), Revista Educação e Ciências Sociais (Education and Social Sciences Magazine) and Revista Brasileira de Estudos Pedagógicos (Brazilian Magazine of Pedagogical Studies) that reported the scientific production developed by the persons involved in the project as well as personal documents, interviews and memories, trying to rebuild the performance of these characters trying to understand the relationships developed by them / A pesquisa analisou aspectos da atuação e experiência adquirida pelos quadros intelectuais e técnicos que atuaram no Centro Regional de Pesquisas Educacionais de São Paulo durante a gestão de Fernando de Azevedo (1956-1961). Foram objetos de análise o pessoal fixo envolvido nos departamentos do núcleo pedagógico da Divisão de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais (DEPE) e o grupo sociológico da Divisão de Estudos e Pesquisas Sociais (DEPS). Pretendeu-se compreender as relações e diferenças teóricas, culturais e políticas inerentes à dinâmica intelectual dos sujeitos inseridos nesses departamentos. Na pesquisa procura-se caracterizar a trajetória desses sujeitos no CRPE-SP, os precedentes de formação e os espaços de atuação constituídos. Busca-se ainda caracterizar como se deu a inserção dos mesmos na instituição e as relações externas nos ambientes sociais acadêmicos da Universidade de São Paulo. Para desenvolver a análise esta pesquisa tem como procedimentos metodológicos o mapeamento e o exame de fontes documentais arquivadas no Centro de Memória da Educação da Universidade de São Paulo, e de alguns periódicos que circularam no período: a Revista Pesquisa e Planejamento, Revista Educação e Ciências Sociais e Revista Brasileira de Estudos Pedagógicos que divulgaram a produção científica desenvolvida pelos sujeitos inseridos no projeto, além de documentos pessoais, entrevistas e memórias, procurando a reconstrução da atuação destes personagens buscando compreender as relações criadas por esses sujeitos

This thesis explored standardized assessment practices and analyzed accommodations commonly provided to address the unique needs of students with a sensory impairment. Current assessment practices in Indiana result in well below average scores on the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress - Plus (ISTEP+) and the Graduation Qualifying Examination (GQE) for students who have a sensory impairment. Using a mixed-method of qualitative and quantitative processes, the researcher postulated that if assessment processes were equitable for this population of students, their scores should approximate the normal distribution seen in the overall state totals for the total school population; albeit with a slightly lower trajectory. Reasoning being that the overall population of students with a sensory impairment spans from students with high ability to students with multiple disabilities. Through a literature review and meta-analysis on the topic of assessment, surveys and discussions with varied local experts, and interviews with state and national experts in the sensory areas represented, this study sought to establish a framework for accommodating this population of students on standardized assessments. Using descriptive analysis procedures, the various data sets brought forth 25 qualities or practices that the diverse experts agreed should be in place when assessing this population of students. The data reflected a high level of consensus among parents, teachers, state, and national experts regardless of region of state represented. The data also reflected consensus across sensory subgroups (blind, deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing/cochlear implant, and low vision). The research concluded with a modified confirmatory factor analysis of the 25 qualities with the state-dictated permissible accommodations published in the test guidance manual. This analysis revealed less than half of the perceived best practices were in place for the current state-mandated assessment system. Suggestions for improving accommodation options on future assessment procedures and the prospective for further research were offered. / Department of Special Education

No description available.

Esta dissertação analisa o processo de construção da gestão democrática da educação na Rede Municipal de Ensino de Getúlio Vargas-RS de 1993 a 2011, seus avanços, seus limites e suas contradições, na relação com o papel do Estado. Através de análises documentais, entrevistas e observação participante, neste estudo de caso observa-se a existência por mais de 18 anos de uma trajetória de construção da gestão democrática que se opõe a modelos importados ou feitos em gabinetes, principalmente de modelos gerencialistas. Estão entre os principais instrumentos de materialização da democratização da educação os projetos político-pedagógicos, a formação continuada, o plano de carreira do magistério, o Plano Municipal de Educação, eleições diretas das equipes diretivas das escolas e a constituição de conselhos escolares. Prevaleceu a participação direta em boa parte do processo em construção, principalmente entre o segmento de professores; em contrapartida, tardou a constituição e a efetivação dos conselhos escolares e houve pouca participação dos segmentos escolares na gestão das unidades. A adesão ao Plano de Desenvolvimento da Educação/Plano de Metas/Plano de Ações Articuladas não representou interferência no processo de gestão democrática, mas foi complementar, buscando atender às maiores deficiências diagnosticadas, ocorrendo uma aproximação do governo federal junto ao município, contribuindo para o fortalecimento da gestão democrática. / This dissertation analyzes the process of making the democratic management of education in municipal schools of Getúlio Vargas-RS from 1993 to 2011, its advances, limits and contradictions in relation to the role of the State. Through documental reviews, interviews and participant observation, in this case study it is shown the existence for over 18 years of a trajectory of making the democratic management that opposes models imported or made in offices, mainly managerial models. Among the main instruments of materialization of the democratic education are the political-pedagogical projects, the continued education, the career plan of teaching, the Municipal Education Plan, direct elections for school‟s management team and the establishment of school councils. The direct participation prevailed in much of the construction process, especially among the segment of teachers; in contrast, the constitution and the execution of school councils was delayed and there was little involvement of student segments in the management of units. Joining the Plan for Educational Development/Target Plan/Joint Action Plan did not represent interference in the process of democratic management, but was complementary to answer the greatest deficiencies diagnosed, occurring to the strengthening of democratic management.