<p> The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study was to determine if mandatory Advanced Placement courses improve reading comprehension scores for students; especially Hispanic students. Not only is a minority student achievement gap prevalent in American education, but also a minority opportunity gap is present for students in Advanced Placement courses. The literature review detailed educational reform in the United States to include the rise and expansion of the Advanced Placement Program via the College Board. The benefits and drawbacks of Advanced Placement were emphasized as well as obstacles minority students face in participating in advanced courses. The results from the archival student reading achievement on the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program between sophomore students in two rural, Colorado high schools exposed two certainties; the achievement gap remains and mandatory Advanced Placement participation does not positively affect reading achievement. In the 2013 and 2014 school years, uncommon p-values were identified rejecting the null hypothesis. The ANOVA test for interaction produced a p-value of .438 pointing to an uncommon result, and the t-test produced p-values of 1.00 and .996 which are higher than the alpha of .05, and thus the null was rejected. There is no significant effect between Advanced Placement participation and increased reading achievement scores. Furthermore, this study confirmed the school that did not mandate Advanced Placement courses outperformed the mandatory Advanced Placement school on the state reading examination. More research on this topic is necessary. Longitudinal studies of these student populations may determine if the results may be generalized to larger populations. Among the most significant findings from this study are the importance of teacher preparation and leadership in identifying, recruiting, and enrolling minority students in to Advanced Placement and honors programs with greater consistency. </p>

<p> This study investigated the following overarching questions: Why do some Americans support religious expression and prayer in public schools while others oppose it? What accounts for the variation in support for school prayer? Previous research on this question indicated that support for religious expression and prayer in public schools varies by geographical regions in the United States, whereas Americans in some regions are more likely to support religious expression and prayer in public schools than those living in other regions. In an effort to explain this regional variation, Feig (1990) developed a model that suggested this regional variation is due to four major factors: demography, political orientation, moral values, and religiousness. Were it not for these factors, he claimed, there would be no regional variation for religious expression and prayer in public schools. Hence, regional variation is due mainly to these four factors. </p><p> Viewed as an exploration of Feig&rsquo;s (1990) model, this study shows that the correlation between region and attitude on religious expression and prayer in public schools is partially due to the factors in Feig&rsquo;s (1990) model. It provided evidentiary support by measuring the strength and direction of the relationship between the four factors and support for religious expression and prayer in public school. It also attempted to ascertain how much variation in support for religious expression and prayer in public schools is accounted for by the factor combination.</p>

<p> The specific problem was that 32.7 percent of graduates from a large Texas high school did not receive sufficient non-curricular support and failed to be ready for college (Moore et al., 2010; Texas Education Agency, 2012c). The purpose of this exploratory single case study was to examine teachers&rsquo; perceptions of non-curricular aspects influencing college readiness for first generation college-bound students at a large Texas high school, and to explore how teachers might help increase college readiness and overcome the barriers towards college readiness. The central research question was: How do teachers in a Texas high school perceive the non-curricular aspects influencing college readiness? The participants were 14 teachers with five to thirty-five years of experience. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews and NVivo 11 was used for data analysis. The major themes were (a) the lack of support and encouragement from parents, (b) parents&rsquo; lack of education, (c) sibling&rsquo;s and relative&rsquo;s lack of education, (d) parents&rsquo; poor financial status and (e) students&rsquo; English language problems. Educational leaders should understand that the cost of a lack of college readiness would not only affect students and parents, but also impact American society and taxpayers. Creating programs and interventions that would minimize or eliminate the non-academic obstacles to college readiness is an essential task that must be undertaken. Leaders might consider the creation of these programs and interventions as a priority. Future research was recommended. </p>

<p> Teacher burnout is not a new problem; however, with increasing frequency, teacher burnout leads to teacher attrition. Teacher burnout is a problem that affects school districts nationwide because of the financial and academic toll it has on education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teacher burnout, its perceived causes, and its effects in an urban high school in the northeastern United States. The conceptual framework was based on Vygotsky&rsquo;s social development theory. The research questions focused on factors that contribute to teacher burnout and teachers' perceptions of the ways in which their burnout affected instruction as well as their interactions with parents, colleagues, and administrators. The data collection method was based on in-depth interviews with 5 high school teachers who experienced burnout. The interview data were analyzed and color-coded to identify recurring themes and patterns. An individual narrative was developed for each of the 5 teachers followed by a cross-case analysis of the data. Major findings suggest that teacher burnout may result from several factors such as educational mandates, classroom discipline issues; it affects classroom instruction and impacts interaction with all educational stakeholders. The study's implications for positive social change are rooted in identifying and eliminating the factors that contribute to teacher burnout in order to retain highly qualified and motivated teachers who will provide students with consistent, high-quality, equal educational opportunities that help them reach their full academic potential. </p>

Utilization-focused evaluation of a STEM enrichment program

A Study of Primary Teachers Participating in Professional Learning Communities with a Focus on Brain Compatible Classrooms

<p> Principals have tremendous influence on the schools they lead (Bamburg &amp; Andrews, 1990; Marzano et al., 2005). Certain leadership behaviors impact school level factors (Cotton, 2003; Hallinger &amp; Heck, 2010; Leithwood, Begley, &amp; Cousins, 1990; Marzano et al., 2005; Orr, 2003). To affect high levels of student achievement, school principals must be responsible for uniting diverse groups under shared purposes with purposeful emphasis on others rather than on self (Cotton, 2003; Hallinger &amp; Heck, 2010; Leithwood, Begley, &amp; Cousins, 1990; Marzano et al., 2005; Orr, 2003). Effective programs in educational leadership preparation include cohort-modeled groupings, among other features (Davis et al., 2005). Because cohorts are a feature of effective programs, yet few aspiring school leaders are prepared through cohort-based programs (Browne-Ferrigno &amp; Muth, 2009), a concern regarding a problem of practice is raised. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to explore how aspirant school leaders experience the acquisition of leadership practices within their educational leadership preparation program and to contribute to the empirical understanding of how to best prepare school leaders for successful practice. This study was designed to examine: How do school leaders make meaning of their experience in a principal preparation program? In what ways do their experiences support the development of communitarian leadership? </p><p> The sample included nineteen school leaders who were alumni of a university-based educational leadership preparation program. Participants were interviewed using a basic interview protocol that followed the semi-structured approach for interview technique outlined by Moustakas (1994). The data analysis was carried out in the stepwise manner, using Atlas.ti 7.0 to code and group significant statements from the interview texts and using a basic memoing process to address any concerns of subjectivity. </p><p> Leaders who experienced preparation activities, including activities that gave them practice leading diverse individuals to shared outcomes articulated how preparation influenced the development of communitarian leadership skill, including relationship-building, communication, and values-identification. Communitarian leadership, which includes leadership actions linked to improved school-level outcomes (Marzano et al., 2005), may have utility as a framework for developing aspiring principals through formal preparation programs.</p>

The purposes of this study were to determine the effectiveness of a computer-assisted lab environment in a course on leadership and to determine if undergraduate students believed that leadership concepts could be successfully taught in an asynchronous environment. The same research methodology and survey instruments were employed across a five year time difference from 1999 to 2004 to additionally measure temporal differences in students' perspectives. Students' attitudes toward computer-based leadership education were measured by a leadership perception index, a technology perception index, a class-inclusion acceptance index, and a discussion technology acceptance index administered through a post-activity survey that measured responses in both a quantitative and qualitative format. Students participated in a leadership lab activity in one of three treatments: 1) no computer-facilitated interaction and traditional classroom interaction, 2) completely asynchronous, computer-facilitated interaction, or 3) hybrid interaction consisting of half computer-facilitated, and half-traditional classroom interaction. A post-activity survey was used to collect data about the students' perceptions of their experiences. Post-activity survey quantitative scores from 1999 and 2004 indicated that a majority of students accepted learning about leadership through asynchronous technological means. Somewhat contradictorily, students in 2004 indicated a much greater qualitative skepticism to technology use than their 1999 counterparts, who much more favored inclusion of technology. Students who were not exposed to any technological experience in this activity quantitatively answered that the interpolation of technology into leadership education would not be successful in 1999, but changed that opinion to be favorable in 2004. Quantitatively, the hybrid group felt the use of technology was the most acceptable of the three treatment groups, with the asynchronous group also finding favor to a lesser extent. Students in 2004 used computing resources more frequently from off-campus than in 1999, when the majority of students used computers to access the assignment on-campus. Students who completed parts of the assignment asynchronously did so most often between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. No statistically significant quantitative differences were found in the temporally displaced data, other than students in the control group of 2004 were much more receptive to technology use to facilitate leadership education.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-102).

<p> The purpose of this study is to explore the educational perceptions of Mexican parents living in the United States and how their experiences gestate Mexican student concepts of education. Additionally, the study explores the high drop-out rate among Mexican students enrolled in U.S. public education, the consequences the drop-out rate has on U.S. society, and the history and culture of Mexico that formed the environment in which Mexican parents lived their experiences. The study was administered using a qualitative, empirical, phenomenological methodology using in-depth interviews. The study sample consisted of six native Mexican parents with students enrolled in an urban school district in Utah. Data was collected using an interpreter, originally from Mexico, literate in English and Spanish. The in-depth interviews were recorded and translated, then transcribed using Dragon voice recognition software. The qualitative data was then analyzed for this study.</p><p> Two major themes were identified in the study. The leading theme ascertained within the data indicated gender roles of <i>machismo</i> and <i> marianismo</i>, as influenced by cultural proclivity, dominate family life, which is the basis of Mexican existence. The second dominant theme showed a narrow worldview inculcated by a group- or family-oriented life world experience. Recommendations to address the identified themes in the study are provided. </p>