Using a quasi-experimental design, the author examined the effects of the Professional Development School Partnerships Deliver Success educational model on student academic achievement in science and mathematics in 12 high-needs, urban elementary, middle, and high schools in the southeastern United States. Student achievement was measured for first to eighth grade students by the State Criterion-Referenced Competency Test and for 11th-grade students by the State High School Graduation Test. 6 ANOVAs were used to compare baseline and year 1 performance data. Student ethnicity was used to disaggregate the data to investigate the extent, if any, to which achievement gaps narrowed. For the different ethnic groups, the small changes in proportion passing across the first year of implementation were not correlated with mean scale score changes as measured by Hedges’s g effect sizes. This result has national implications for the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 policy in terms of reporting results. Three of the 6 ANOVAs showed significant change in achievement means for the PDS schools when using PDS school data only. However, when data from both PDS and matched comparison schools were analyzed, the overall results indicated no statistically significant gains in mathematics and science means for the professional development schools in relation to the comparison schools for the first year of professional development school implementation.

This qualitative study used a narrative inquiry approach to conduct in-depth interviews of eight distributed learning educators who designed and offered online English courses in British Columbia during the 2011/12 school year. There were three research questions: (1) How do teachers describe their professional experiences of teaching in a full time online environment? (2) What are the enablers and inhibitors for online teacher development? (3) Do teachers feel their teaching practice has changed over their career as online educators? Findings were examined through the lens of Korthagen’s (2004) Onion Model. Six themes that comprised this model, provided a framework for data analysis and insight into the process by which teachers made sense of their lived experience. The findings revealed that online educators valued their online experience because it removed the constraints of a regular classroom. They expressed frustration with some aspects of the current model of online education in BC because it prevented them from engaging in synchronous, highly connective learning projects with their students. Recognition of the fact that online educators work in a different milieu with a different set of environmental pressures is necessary to ensure the success of distributed learning in BC.

Although digital equity is a recognized challenge in our K-12 school system, there is little research in using a holistic framework to investigate pre-conditions necessary for K-12 students to participate in digital learning and online processes. A conceptual framework of students' digital opportunity (SDO) is developed to represent the essential components of digital connectivity. The four key components are broadband internet availability, broadband usage, digital device ownership, and speed quality. A composite measure of SDO was created to quantitatively represent and measure the differences across 3,138 counties in the United States. Furthermore, spatial autocorrelation was applied to evaluate if the distribution of the SDO score is associated with geographical characteristics at the county level. The result showed the presence of significant county-level clusters with concentrations of high or low SDO scores. While the spatial analysis provided evidence of where the gaps in digital opportunities are located, there are underlying factors at the micro level that would need further investigation. This study suggests a collective approach between private and public entities to address the K-12 digital equity issue. The necessary conditions presented in the SDO model must be addressed first in order to bring change to K-12 students and schools in terms of obtaining high quality and reliable broadband internet and digital devices for learning with technology. Two research outputs are available from this research to allow others to further evaluate digital equity among K-12 schools and students.

Illinois statewide infrastructure mapping provides basis for economic development of the state. As a part of infrastructure mapping, this study is focused on mapping healthcare and education services for Illinois. Over 4337 k-12 schools and 1331 hospitals and long term cares were used in analyzing healthcare and education services. Education service was measured as ratio of population to teacher and healthcare service as the ratio of population to bed. Both of these services were mapped using three mapping techniques including Choropleth mapping, Thiessen polygon, and Kernel Density Estimation. The mapping was also conducted at three scales including county, census tract, and ZIP code area. The obtained maps were compared by visual interpretation and statistical correlation analysis. Moreover, spatial pattern analysis of maps was conducted using global and local Moran's I, high/low clustering, and hotspot analysis methods. In addition, multivariate mapping was carried out to demonstrate the spatial distributions of multiple variables and their relationships. The results showed that both Choropleth mapping and Thiessen polygon methods resulted in the service levels that were homogeneous throughout the polygons and abruptly changed at the boundaries hence which ignored the cross boundary flow of people for healthcare and education services. In addition they do not reflect the distance decay of services. Kernel Density mapping quantified the continuous and variable healthcare and educational services and has the potential to provide more accurate estimates of healthcare and educational services. Moreover, the county scale maps are more reliable than the census tract and ZIP code area maps. In addition, multivariate map obtained by legend design that combined the values of multiple variables well demonstrated the spatial distributions of healthcare and education services along with per capita income and relationships between them. Overall, Morgan, Wayne, Mason, and Ford counties had higher services for both education and healthcare whereas Champaign, Johnson, and Perry had lower service levels of healthcare and education. Generally, cities and the areas close to cities have better healthcare and educational service than other areas because of higher per capita income. In addition to numbers of hospitals and schools, the healthcare and education service levels were also affected by populations and per capita income. Additionally, other factors may also have influence on the service levels but were not taken into account in this study because of limited time and data.

abstract: Within the past 10 years, there has been an increased interest in providing teachers with mindfulness training. This is due largely in part to the amount of stress that K-12 teachers report as a result of the profession and the research proposing that practicing mindfulness helps one cope with stress and offers the potential to promote one's well-being. This qualitative study explores the intersection of mindfulness and K-12 teaching. Four K-12 teachers who self-identified as mindfulness practitioners were interviewed, and their lived experiences as mindfulness practitioners and teachers are explored throughout this study. Through in-depth, phenomenologically-based interviews, the participants' life histories in relation to becoming mindfulness practitioners and teachers are uncovered, as well as their experiences as mindfulness practitioners in the classroom, and their reflections upon what is means to be a mindfulness practitioner and a teacher. For the participants in this study, they believed their mindfulness practices helped them cope with the demands of teaching. The participants also viewed mindfulness practices as a pedagogical tool for promoting their students' social and emotional well-being. As one of the first studies to explore teachers who have personal mindfulness practices and how those practices transfer or do not transfer into their professional experiences, it adds teachers' voices to the mindfulness in education phenomena. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Curriculum and Instruction 2015

abstract: Energy performance and efficiency plays of major role in the operations of K-12 schools, as it is a significant expense and a source of budgetary pressure upon schools. Energy performance is tied to the physical infrastructure of schools, as well as the operational and behavioral patterns they accommodate. Little documentation exists within the existing literature on the measured post-occupancy performance of schools once they have begun measuring and tracking their energy performance. Further, little is known about the patterns of change over time in regard to energy performance and whether there is differentiation in these patterns between school districts. This paper examines the annual Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 28 different K-12 schools within the Phoenix Metropolitan Region of Arizona over the span of five years and presents an analysis of changes in energy performance resulting from the measurement of energy use in K-12 schools. This paper also analyzes the patterns of change in energy use over time and provides a comparison of these patterns by school district. An analysis of the energy performance data for the selected schools revealed a significant positive impact on the ability for schools to improve their energy performance through ongoing performance measurement. However, while schools tend to be able to make energy improvements through the implementation of energy measurement and performance tracking, deviation may exist in their ability to maintain ongoing energy performance over time. The results suggest that implementation of ongoing measurement is likely to produce positive impacts on the energy performance of schools, however further research is recommended to enhance and refine these results. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction 2015

Este doutorado investigou as contribuições dos jogos digitais no desenvolvimento de conhecimentos matemáticos previstos nas competências curriculares em uma escola estadual de tempo integral, situada em Cotia - São Paulo. As análises realizadas foram fundamentadas a partir das categorias estudadas pelo psicólogo e educador Reuven Feuerstein quanto às mudanças na estrutura cognitiva (EAM) de alunos do Ensino Fundamental II. Esta investigação foi desenvolvida com 60 alunos e três professoras de Matemática em Oficinas Curriculares denominadas Experiências Matemáticas. Em sua trajetória metodológica contou com a participação da equipe gestora, professores de Matemática, alunos do Ensino Fundamental II e Grupo Alpha de Pesquisa - FEUSP durante dois anos. A investigação, de natureza qualitativa, caracterizou-se como pesquisa-ação e contou com a imersão total do pesquisador no campo amostral. Foram adotados técnicas e procedimento de pesquisa triangulados como a observação participante, entrevistas semiestruturadas, entrevistas informais, grupos focais, gravação de áudio e vídeos, fotos, diários de campo, atividades com os jogos digitais, um ambiente virtual (Moodle) e a combinação de duas redes sociais, FaceBook e WhatsApp. Os resultados apontaram que: i) o contexto escolar representa espaço privilegiado de sistematização e compreensão do complexo registro notacional da Matemática com a mediação dos jogos digitais; ii) o ensino da Matemática por meio de jogos digitais conferem sentido e significado às aprendizagens dos alunos; iii) os jogos digitais conferem ao desenvolvimento de competências e habilidades cognitivas com flexibilidade, autonomia, transcendência e construção de significados que são alguns critérios de mediação apontados por Feuerstein; iv) os jogos digitais favorecem a compreensão de conteúdos matemáticos de forma colaborativa e lúdica; v) os professores de Matemática necessitam de formação permanente que possa ampliar as transformações pedagógicas inovadoras de novos modos de aprender e de ensinar; vi) as abordagens pedagógicas podem se beneficiar de perspectivas contemporâneas como mobile-learning, Flipped-classroom e Bring Your Own Device como formas de reduzir os desafios e dificuldades das escolas públicas (políticas educacionais, infraestrutura, formação docente). / This thesis investigated the contributions of digital games in the development of mathematical knowledge foreseen in curricular competencies in a full-time state school located in Cotia - São Paulo. The analysis was based on the categories studied by the psychologist and educator Reuven Feuerstein regarding the Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) of K-12 school. This research was developed with 60 students and three teachers of Mathematics in Curricular Workshops denominated Mathematical Experiences. The methodological approach has included with the participation of the management team, teachers of Mathematics, K-12 and Alpha Research Group of FE-USP for two years. The research approach was qualitative using action research in which the researcher was totally immersed in the field. Procedures and techniques were adopted in order to ensure triangulation with the observation of participants, semi-structured interviews, formal interviews, focus groups, recording of audio and video, photos, field diaries, digital games activities, a virtual learning environment (Moodle) and the combination of two social networks: FaceBook and WhatsApp. The results indicated that: i) the school context represented a privileged space for systematization and comprehension of the complex Notational register of Mathematics with the mediation of digital games; ii) teaching of mathematics through digital games resulting in a meaningful learning process to students; iii) Digital games enabled the development of cognitive skills and abilities with flexibility, autonomy, transcendence, and meaning, which are some mediation criteria pointed out by Feuerstein; iv) digital games facilitated the understanding of mathematical content in a collaborative and playful way; v) Teachers needed ongoing training that can enhance the innovative pedagogical transformations of new ways of learning and teaching; vi) Teaching approaches can benefit from contemporary perspectives such as mobile-learning, Flipped-classroom and Bring Your Own Device, the ways of reducing the challenges and difficulties of public schools(educational policies, infrastructure, and teacher training).

The teacher professional development component of the will, skill, tool model of technology integration was tested for predictive validity in the cross-cultural context of data from Texas, USA, and data from Mexico City, Mexico. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, path analysis, and multiple regression analysis, were statistical procedures employed. The analyses yielded positive results for the model's validity and reliability. The resulting model was found to be a reliable tool to evaluate technology integration among elementary and middle school teachers in Texas and in Mexico City. For the purposes of this study, the teacher professional development component of the will, skill, tool model of technology integration is referred to as the will, skill, tool model of technology integration (WiSTTI). This was one of the seven alternative models tested for goodness of fit across a total of 7 data samples. The structural equation modeling approach proved to be a good technique to find the best fit model in a cross-cultural environment. Latent variables and a set of parameters to judge the validity and reliability of each model were set for testing and retesting in an iterative process. Eventually a "new" modified version of the WiSSTI model was found to fit the data for all samples studied from both countries. From a theoretical perspective, the variation of the WiSTTI model found to be the best fit to the data indicates that increased teacher willingness to integrate technology brings about increased skill, and increased skill leads to more advanced technology integration, if access to technology is available for instruction. Results derived from the model with respect to the evaluation of technology integration for teachers from Texas and Mexico City suggest a differential effect by country, with the Texas teachers (representing USA) currently more advanced in technology integration than their colleagues from Mexico. No large effect was found for educational level, with elementary school teachers and middle school teachers at approximately equivalent levels of technology integration in both countries.

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