abstract: ABSTRACT The purpose of this descriptive study was to gain an understanding of the confidence level held by third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers as to their preparedness for teaching the cognitive demands of the Common Core State Standards (Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards) to all students, in particular Hispanic students living in poverty, who occupy close to a third of all classroom seats in Arizona. The achievement gap between Hispanic students living in poverty and non-Hispanic students of non-poverty status is one of the largest achievement gaps in Arizona, which has existed with minimal change for more than 12 years. By gaining an understanding of the teachers' confidence in teaching critical thinking skills, further support and professional development is suggested to link a teacher's knowledge to instructional practice that in turn increases the academic achievement of Arizona's poor Hispanic students. The process of gaining this understanding was by using a multi-dimensional survey with 500 third through fifth grade teachers in two uniquely different, but representative, Arizona school districts. Approximately one-third of those teachers responded to the multi-dimensional survey about teaching the critical thinking (CT) skills of Arizona's College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts. The survey asked teachers to rate their levels of preparedness for teaching CT to several types of students, to choose a CT definition, describe the relationship of CT and reading, explain how they teach CT to students who are reading below grade level, express the support they need to teach CT to those students, and rate the effectiveness of several CT classroom vignettes for different types of students. Although the questions involved several types of students, the primary focus was on exploring the teachers' position with teaching CT to Low SES Hispanic students. A disconnect was revealed between the teachers' perception that they had the ability and knowledge necessary to teach critical thinking skills and their ability to identify ineffective critical thinking instructional practices. This disconnect may be interfering with the link between the professional development teachers are currently receiving to implement Common Core State Standards and teachers actively engaging in learning what is needed to effectively teach critical thinking skills to their students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2014

In a Northern California elementary school, school personnel were concerned that the math proficiency levels were low for 2011-2014 for low-Social Economic Status, SES, students and math teachers were not using the math professional development strategies provided nor consistently implementing the new math curriculum adopted by the district to support Common Core, CC, state standards. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore teacher perceptions regarding the math instruction related to students' performance. Vygotsky's social development theory served as the conceptual framework for this study. The study included interview data from 10 elementary teachers purposefully selected from Grades 2 through 5 who were known to meet the selection criteria of being a math teacher with 2 or more years of experience working with low SES students. Data from interviews, and archival documents were analyzed using inductive analyses and were analytically coded. The results of the analysis showed that the teachers wanted quality professional development that would prepare them to effectively teach math to struggling low-SES students. The identified themes were strategies teachers used to support low-SES students, instructional resources, effectiveness of professional development, and additional factors affecting low-SES students. Thus, the resulting project, Guiding Struggling Math Students Toward Success PD, provides math strategies for working with low-SES students and implementing the new math curriculum. This endeavor may contribute to positive social change by reforming PD opportunities to support teachers' practice and use of modifications during math instruction, ultimately increasing student performance in the elementary campus.

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This study is an exploration of the possibility of pedagogical partnership between low socioeconomic public high school principals and their classroom teachers for the purpose of advancing critical thinking skills and critical consciousness development in their students. This study will explore the viability of these partnerships through the perspectives of associate superintendents, principals, and teachers. The exploration will seek to determine the participants’ willingness to partner pedagogically, their readiness to advance critical thinking and critical consciousness development in their students, and their perception of district and state policies that might help or stand in the way of such development. / text

Physical activity (PA) is beneficial to people of all ages and ethnicities. Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of multiple chronic diseases, improve mood and sleep and allows your body to function better overall (CDC, 2018). However, populations that are more vulnerable to adverse health risks may benefit more than others from regular physical activity. This study was designed to identify the motivating factors for physical activity in a sample of older, African-American women of lower socioeconomic status (SES). This particular subgroup was chosen because of their increased risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease due to unhealthy lifestyle factors, specifically low levels of PA. (CDC, 2017). A secondary aim of this study was to determine the essential components necessary to create a successful PA program within this population. By determining the feasibility and acceptability of a PA program to target this specific population, further PA programs can be designed to promote adoption and sustainability of PA in this high-risk population. This study consisted of 8 African-American women of lower SES at an average age of 65 and average BMI of 32 kg/m^2 . The participants volunteered to participate in an 8-week exercise program for this study. The exercise class lasted 45 minutes and consisted of light aerobics, weight training, and mobility/flexibility exercises. After the 8 weeks, the participants were given questionnaires, surveys and participated in a focus group to collect data about their experiences. The Hebni staff and exercise instructors observed that there was 100% attendance and compliance throughout the 8 weeks. They also noted that the participants had positive attitudes and stayed actively engaged throughout the classes. After reviewing the data, it was noted that the necessary components to a successful exercise program for this population was a sense of community, cultural considerations, a community and familiar setting, and a reliable and open-minded instructor. The data showed that 100% of the participants continued participating in PA outside of the program and felt less stressed after exercising. This study is unique and important in that it looks at physical activity and its motivating factors in this population versus the ample research that focuses on why this population is sedentary but offers no solution to the problem.

Title Î? schools are supported to improve student reading achievement and to bridge the achievement gap between low-income students and other students. The researched-based practices of professional learning communities, coteaching classrooms, and the RtI 3-tiered model were added to a Title Î? school to improve students' reading achievement; however, the effects of these research-based practices on students' reading achievement were unclear. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study was to examine the impact of these research-based practices on reading scores of students. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT 2.0) reading achievement scores were compared between students (n = 98) in a Title Î? school receiving researched-based practices for 3 consecutive years against Title Î? students (n = 127) not receiving researched-based practices for 3 consecutive years. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences and Webb's depth of knowledge formed the theoretical framework of the study. The independent variable was the type of reading instructional practices. The dependent variables were the FCAT 2.0 reading scores of Title Î? 5th, 4th, and 3rd grade students. The covariates were the FCAT 2.0 scores or the Florida Assessment for Instruction in Reading test scores taken at the end of previous year for each grade level. Analysis of covariance indicated that students receiving the enhanced instructional practices had significantly higher reading scores than did the comparison group following the intervention. The implications for positive social change include providing data to the study school administration that support the use of these researched-based practices in Title Î? schools to improve students' reading achievement and close the reading achievement gap.

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of middle school students particularly focusing on the academic achievement of economically disadvantaged students. Existing data show that there is an increasing cohort of school children experiencing poverty, either short or long term. For poor middle school students, the risk for school failure is amplified by the general risks associated with middle school transition and early adolescence development. The cumulative nature of these risks is often associated with undesirable school outcomes including grade retention, behavior problems, absenteeism, delinquency, teenage pregnancy, school dropout, fewer years of schooling, and lower academic achievement. However, there is evidence that some students succeed in spite of adversity, which is often attributed to protective factors present in the students’ own immediate environment – school, home, and community. This current study, therefore, examined the relationship between two potential protective factors–parent involvement and school belonging–and student achievement. Previous research has established that parent involvement and school belonging are both associated with positive school outcomes including academic motivation, self-efficacy, internal locus of control, pro-social and on-task behavior, school engagement, educational aspirations and expectations, and better academic achievement. Consequently, this study examined three main questions: (a) How is parental involvement associated with academic achievement for economically disadvantaged eighth grade students? (b) How school belonging associated with academic achievement for economically disadvantaged eighth grade students? (c) Do the relations between parent involvement, school belonging, and eighth grade achievement vary as a function of prior achievement and middle school? To answer these research questions, this study used the nationally representative longitudinal data from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten (ECLS-K) Class of 1998/99. The findings for this study showed that when parent involvement and school belonging were considered together, the association between parent involvement and student achievement diminished while school belonging consistently emerged as a significant predictor of achievement. However, while school belonging emerged as a significant predictor of achievement, this study established that students’ prior achievement was the single strong and significant factor explaining achievement for poor eighth grade students. / text

The finality of this work was to solve the question about the relationship between knowledge of basic concepts such as: space, time quantity and number, and school performance. The sample was conformed by 30 low school first grade students aged 6 years belonging to low SES. The Boehm Test of Basic Concepts and a Pedagogical Test were administred to asses performance in language and mathematics. Significant correlation was founded between the study variables being higher the relation about concepts and language than concepts and mathematics. / La finalidad de este trabajo fue resolver la interrogante acerca de la relación entre el conocimiento de conceptos básicos de espacio, tiempo, cantidad y número, y el rendimiento escolar, a partir de un diseño de tipo correlacional. Para ello se tomó una muestra compuesta por treinta niñas de seis años de edad que cursaban el primer grado de primaria, pertenecientes a la clase socioeconómica baja. Como instrumentos se utilizaron el Test Boehm de Conceptos Básicos y una Prueba de Pedagógica que evaluaría el desempeño tanto en lenguaje como en matemáticas. Los resultados mostraron una correlación significativa entre las variables del estudio siendo mayor, la correlación entre conceptos y lenguaje, que entre conceptos y matemáticas.

This study focuses on srraregies used by mothers of middle and low SES ro cope with the present socioeconomic crisis. Using a brief quesrionnaire and rhe F-Copes Scale, 20 morhers from each socioeconomic leve! were interviewed. Resulrs showed rhar borh gro\lpS were affected economically and rook measures ro reduce rheir expenses in basic needs such as food, clorhing and recreation. Morhers coming from rhe middle SES used estategies ro reestructure che situation and make ir more bearable, while mothers from low SES were more passive and relied on rheir extended families. No differences were found in rheir search for spiritual and social support. / Con el fin de explorar las estrategias utilizadas por madres de CSE media y baja para afrontar la crisis económica actual se entrevistaron a 20 madres de cada estrato económico y se les administraron trespequeñas encuestas y la Escala F-Copes "Escala de Evaluación Personal del Funcionamiento Familiar en Situaciones de Crisis". Los resultados evidenciaron que ambos grupos económicos se vieron seriamente afectados económicamente debiendo reducir sus gastos en actividades virales tales como alimentación, vestuario y recreación. Las madres de CSE media recurrieron más a una estrategia de reestructuración del problema para hacerlo más manejable y las madres de CSE baja a la movilización familiar para obtener ayuda y a la evaluación pasiva. No difieren ambos grupos en la búsqueda de apoyo espiritual y social.

The purpose of the study was to examine the differences in academic growth rates as demonstrated on the TAKS test among students based on those who received free lunches, those who received reduced-price lunches, and those not economically disadvantaged. Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for reading and mathematics scale scores were obtained from five Texas public school districts for students who were in 3rd grade in 2003, 4th grade in 2004, 5th grade in 2005, and 6th grade in 2006. The sample included almost 10,000 students. The data were analyzed using SPSS and HLM. SPSS was used to identify descriptive statistics. Due to the nested nature of the data, HLM was used to compare data on three levels- the test level, student level, and district level. Not economically disadvantaged students scored the highest on both TAKS reading and mathematics exams with a mean scale score of 2357 and 2316 respectively in 2003. Compared to the not economically disadvantaged students, students receiving reduce-priced lunches scored approximately 100 points lower, and lowest were the students receiving free lunches, scoring another 50 points below students receiving reduced-price lunches. The results revealed that while gaps in achievement exist between SES levels, little difference exists in the growth rates of the SES subgroups. The results of this study support the need for continued effort to decrease the gap between students who are not economically disadvantaged and those receiving free or reduced-price meals.