The purpose of this research study was to examine underlying issues related to poor performance by Haitian students in Boston Public Schools on standardized testing mandated under the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Performance on these tests determines students’ eligibility to graduate high school and receive their diploma. A descriptive ethnographic approach was used in the study, focusing on students in one high school in the Greater Boston area. This approach is considered appropriate for qualitative research in the context of “cross-cultural comparison,” and it was useful in this case because of the depth of investigation and analysis it allows, especially when studying the culture of a particular ethnic group. In this study, it helped to reveal the attitudes of Haitian youth toward high-stakes testing in the United States. The study was designed to explore Haitian students’ attitudes toward the MCAS testing process and its potential effects on their future academic and career success. In order to investigate and analyze these perspectives, a sample group of 13 students was interviewed over a period of 10 weeks. All of the students were Haitian, and many of them had only been in the US for approximately one year. Most of the students were in the 10th grade, which is the scholastic level at which all students are required to take the MCAS tests under Massachusetts law. Based on the oral interviews collected, it was clear that the majority of the students in the study group believed they had difficulty passing the MCAS tests due to their limited English proficiency and their lack of cultural understanding in the new environment. They clearly expressed their fears that the testing process would negatively affect their academic standing in school, and indeed their career prospects in the long term. Key findings from the study suggest that Haitian youth studying in the US are motivated to realize their academic potential, but that factors such as limited English proficiency, lack of literacy and numeracy in their native language, and cultural discontinuity may prevent them from passing mandated standardized tests and achieving their academic goals.

This dissertation critically analyzes Jamaica’s educational policy responses to the alleged needs and promises of the current globalization era. The research focuses on policies being developed and implemented in the areas of educational governance, management, and financing. I argue that the emerging policy approaches, though intended to achieve liberatory goals, are generally having the unintended consequence of perpetuating disempowerment of low income Jamaicans. I use qualitative content analysis of policy documents as the primary analytic method. I employ postcolonial theory to historicize and contextualize Jamaica’s turbulent educational policy experience. I also draw on Foucauldian discourse theory in order to frame policy as discourse, which I define as an institutionalized way of thinking that governs and is reflected in both state policy rhetoric and practice. Here, I explicitly identify Jamaica’s emergent policy discourses as decentralized governance and education as investment and explore the internationalized norms and national economic constraints within which they develop. I analyze the ways in which neoliberal ideology partly drives these discourses and note their inconsistencies with much of the post-war/post-independence social welfare approaches that Jamaica used to address social asymmetries of colonialism. The contradictions are brought out by examining the changing relationship between the citizen and the state that the new policy approaches engender. In this regard, I interrogate the institutionalized practices and the newly proposed roles of educational stakeholders—the nation-state, the citizens, and institution—that the emerging discourses prescribe. The results show that the discourse of decentralized governance primarily fractures accountability, and education as investment increasingly predicates educational opportunity on capacity to pay. However, the intensity of these effects varies based on educational level, becoming more pronounced at the later stages. Key words: Jamaica, educational policy, policy discourse, post-colonialism, educational governance, educational management, educational financing, developing country.

<p> This qualitative case study explored how the classroom management practices of sampled teachers in a private school in central Oregon influenced classroom disruptions. Through the study, the researcher was able to provide insight on the differences in specific classroom management processes between teachers who had a high number of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) classroom discipline referrals versus those who had a low number. The phenomenon studied was how the classroom management practices and culture that the teachers developed in their classroom influenced the effectiveness of management of their students. Triangulation of data involved using teacher interviews, classroom observations, and classroom artifacts. Four research questions framed this study. Two models providing the theoretical foundation included Sugai and Horner positive behavioral support (PBS) and Edgar Schein&rsquo;s model of culture. Two of the themes emerged as significant in advancing knowledge of teachers&rsquo; classroom management. First, in the area of teachers&rsquo; perception of classroom management, the teachers with high level of classroom referrals and those with low level of classroom referrals perceived that they had effective classroom management practices. Second, teachers with a low number of referrals appeared to take a more holistic approach to classroom management, while teachers with a high number of referrals used a more traditional approach to classroom management. Additional qualitative and quantitative research should further explore the effectiveness of a holistic classroom management model versus a more traditional classroom management model.</p>

<p> Over the past two decades public schools have faced an unrelenting demand for reform. In response to this call for change, researchers have identified two strategies that hold great promise &ndash; organizational mindfulness and teacher collaboration. Despite the volume of work that has focused on these areas, little has been done to investigate their overlap. This study discusses development of the Teacher Instructional Practice and Sentiments (TIPS), an 18-item survey to measure teacher practices and beliefs that reflect mindful collaboration for improving instruction. Teacher responses to the TIPS were gathered and analyzed from a representative statewide sample of elementary school teachers in Washington State. Findings examined survey items which were aligned to the five cognitive processes of HRO theory: preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise. An exploratory factor analysis was complete using Principal Components Analysis with varimax rotation which revealed three factors underlying mindfulness in schools. The first factor, Mindful Focus on Students, includes items such as understanding a student&rsquo;s home situation, as well as making accommodations for struggling learners. The second factor, Mindful Focus on Relationships, deals with interactions between teachers, students, parents, and the community. Finally, Mindful Focus on Instruction includes &ldquo;checks for understanding&rdquo; and brainstorming with colleagues on strategies to get students to standard. As an alternative to forcing the current labels of HRO theory on education, consideration should be given to application of these school-specific categories. They simplify the process of evaluating mindfulness in schools, and simplify the variables requiring investigation. Use of the TIPS survey to understand the extent to which mindfulness and teacher collaboration are evident in schools is recommended.</p>

<p> Urban public education is currently being remade to reflect corporate values and management structures. Charter CMO&rsquo;s particularly are constructed by policy as the most viable solution for &ldquo;turning around failing schools.&rdquo; To date, there are few, if any, insider accounts from charter management-operated (CMO) schools in the research literature. This project brings critical practitioner inquiry into this under-explored space in order to better understand the ways teachers and staff within one specific CMO-operated charter elementary school resist the dehumanizing forces of whiteness and deficit notions of teaching, learning, students, as well as the communities in which they serve. Using critical organizational theory and collaborative inquiry, as well as a narrative inquiry methodology, this project looks at the experiences of teachers and staff members as they enacted the &ldquo;no excuses&rdquo; philosophy over the course of one school year. First, the no excuses philosophy and management practices of College Prep Elementary School (CPES) will be explored. This includes narratives from staff members as they interpret their experiences being trained in the no excuses philosophy and how their views changed throughout the year. Then, the emotional reactions of the teachers and staff members will be more thoroughly analyzed as important intersections of identity and politics. Next, I explore stories of institutional microaggression and deficit shared by Staff of Color to gain a better understanding of the ways whiteness exists in schools. Finally, the inquiry group theorizes culturally competent school leadership, arriving at three main themes all resonating with the ethic of care: care for students, care for families and community, and care for teachers. In the final chapter, implications for policy and practice are shared, as well as the limitations of this study.</p>

<p> The United States is losing millions of students from its educational systems each year, leading researchers to exclaim that reducing the dropout rate is the top priority for educators throughout the country. As educators wrestle with the charge to educate and prepare every child to be successful in a global society, they seek answers about those students who are faced with serious adverse conditions leaving them statistically at risk of failure. While the national statistics for high school dropouts are high and deserve much concern, there are many students who are conquering the challenges that have caused many to drop out, and instead, are succeeding in their educational endeavors. The intent of this study is to share with professionals in the educational community effective strategies that will foster resiliency, grit, and growth mindsets in at-risk students. This study uses research and real life experiences of at-risk students succeeding in school to provide effective strategies for fostering resilience with students in danger of failing school. </p><p> This mixed-methods study identified effective strategies and programs that fostered resiliency in at-risk students who were academically successful in high school. The qualitative and quantitative data indicated that schools can become havens for implementing strategies and programs that will support at-risk students to overcome the adverse conditions that they experience. The study identified protective factors that are both external and internal to the individual at-risk student, and when fostered, lead to academic success. The four major themes that emerged as critical to the development of resilience, grit, and growth mindsets in at-risk students are involvement, high expectations, positive reinforcement, and fortitude. When these critical components are effectively nurtured, at-risk students have shown to overcome the challenges they face, and attain academic achievement.</p>

<p> This hermeneutic phenomenological study sought to investigate the nature of graduate experience of Kenyan international students in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. International students seek high education in the United States for various reasons including; access to quality education, research infrastructure, employment, prestige, and exposure. A review of literature showed that Kenyan students while appreciative of the opportunity to study in the US face challenges not limited to; cultural conflicts, discrimination, emotional stress, and financial difficulties. A purposeful sample was employed to collected data from 21 participants using interviews and focus groups. </p><p> From the data analysis five themes emerged, namely; (a) Positive educational experience reinforced by enabling environment, (b) Graduate experience enhanced by favorable opportunities, (c) Hardships and struggles impede graduate experience, (d) Strong social relationships foster academic performance, and (e) Nurturing resiliency and discipline for educational success. The findings suggested that despite the many challenges, availability of strong supportive relationships and abundance of university resources significantly influence the transformative graduate experience for Kenyan students in the United States. Moreover, the findings raised awareness and demonstrated the need for stakeholders such as: educators, faculty members, counselors, recruiters, and university administrators to address the unique needs of Kenyan students, and other subgroups of international students, in the U.S. higher education system.</p>

<p> This study examined leaders&rsquo; roles in fostering collective genius innovation within one private elementary school, including managing the paradoxes of innovation. Based on content analysis of eleven participants, this study found that teamwork, clear student learning outcomes emphasizing individualized learning, design thinking, and a growth mindset, all impacted willingness to innovate. To develop conditions for collective genius, leaders again focus on teamwork as well as being relational. In terms of their management of the six innovative paradoxes, the school leaders tend to balance their affirmation of the individual and the group, support staff and parents, focus on experimentation and learning, improvisation, patience, and bottom-up initiatives. </p>

<p> Despite the expressed need for bicultural teachers, research on teacher attrition has demonstrated that a growing number of bicultural educators are leaving the classroom. Bicultural male teachers, in particular, experience high rates of teacher attrition. Schools, unfortunately, are contexts in which Latino male teachers are constantly experiencing dilemmas related specifically to both their gendered and racialized positionality as males of color.</p><p> Grounded in Antonia Darder&rsquo;s critical bicultural framework, this autoethnographic study explored the complex factors that drive Latino male teachers out of the classroom, through an in-depth and grounded examination of a Latino male teacher who left the classroom. The study contributes to the conversation on bicultural teacher attrition, gendered relations, and their relationship to both teacher preparation and the education of bicultural students.</p><p> Furthermore, the study explored how racism, sexism, classism, trauma, and heteronormativity mitigate the experiences of Latino male teachers, and how these manifest themselves through the hidden curriculum, asymmetrical relations of power, gendered essentialism, policing of behavior, the culture of silence, conditions of isolation, and disabling cultural response patterns. The implications of such factors in the life of one Latino male teacher are carefully analyzed and discussed, in an effort to consider their significance in rethinking teacher preparation programs, with respect to the needs of Latino males. Moreover, the study offers an engagement with critical autoethnography as a significant tool of reflection in the educational process and emancipatory process of bicultural teachers.</p>

<p> Collectivism and individualism are widely recognized as the most important aspects of culture and communication impacting the highly human relational fields of psychology, social work, and education. In the field of education, collectivism is attracting recognition as a determinate consideration impacting educational outcomes, classroom management, and the purpose of teaching and learning, particularly relevant in light of increasing economic inequity, institutional racism, and the decline of social cohesion. Collectivism affirms interdependence, other-interestedness, mutuality, equity, and care for holism and sustainability, which includes ecological sustainability and embraces communitarian values (Hofstede, 1980; Triandis, 1989; Lodge, 2009; Greenfield, 1994; Trumbull, Rothstein-fisch, &amp; Greenfield, 2000). </p><p> The purpose of this study was to contribute to the development and promulgation of pedagogy promoting collectivist worldview. It examines the impact of Democracy Education pedagogy, a self-transformation through a social participation approach to teaching and learning developed by Roy Wilson, at the Institute for Community Leadership (ICL). Education aims at strengthening democracy as a means for rectification of disparities in academic achievement and meaningful civic/social engagement, evidenced by prevalent race and class divides in the U.S. educational system. The research draws on 16 years of programming provided by the ICL, in 62 predominately low-income, racially diverse, urban, rural, and tribal school districts of Washington, Oregon, California, and Florida. Former student and teacher participant survey data were collected and analyzed for transformative and emancipatory relevance. A mixed method, quantitative and qualitative research approach provided a complementary, iterative-analytic assessment, optimizing elaboration, illustration, and clarification. A survey measuring collectivism and individualism (Singelis, Triandis, Bhawuk, &amp; Gelfand, 1995) was included in the student survey. </p><p> The research findings support the hypothesis that collectivist worldview can be taught and learned. Evidence of increased collectivism was found in correlation to increased length of time student participants were in the Democracy Education program. Above-average collectivist scores were registered by 86.4% of the student respondents. This indicated a high associational value favoring teachability and learnability of collectivism. The study illuminates conduct, character, and consciousness affiliated with collectivist worldview and documents the impact of their acquisition. Analysis of impact was organized around four themes: significance for the individual learner; educational method and practice; educational philosophy and worldview, and the relationship between collectivism and individualism. Collectivism is weighed as an essential consideration for the sustainability and advancement of democracy.</p>