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The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of importance of each of the curriculum competencies in the National Standards for Business Education (NBEA, 1995) for the successful performance of beginning secondary business teachers in Virginia as perceived by experienced and inexperienced business teachers. The standards consist of 102 competencies in the 11 subject areas of business education. The questionnaire used in the research study was an original survey instrument developed by the researcher after a review of the literature did not reveal an instrument that could be used with the NBEA document. The survey instrument was mailed to a sample of public high school business teachers in Virginia who were systematically selected from an available population. Results from the demographic question on the survey resulted in the identification of 161 experienced business teachers and 18 inexperienced business teachers. Means, standard deviations, and t-tests were used to describe the data. The competencies were rated with a five-point Likert scale. All competencies were rated as having either essential importance, above average importance, or average importance. Of the 102 competencies, experienced business teachers identified 11 as having essential importance, 86 as having more than average importance, and 5 as having average importance. Inexperienced business teachers rated 11 competencies as having essential importance, 87 as having more than average importance, and 4 as having average importance. When comparing the experienced and the inexperienced teachers' lists of rated competencies, 9 competencies rated as essential importance were the same for both groups, and 3 competencies rated as average were the same for both groups. When comparing the overall content areas, no significant differences existed between the perceptions of the experienced business teachers and the inexperienced business teachers. / Ph. D.

This case study explored early childhood practitioners' response to government mandates for increased professionalism in Trinidad and Tobago; the impact of mandates on their personal and professional lives; and their conceptions of professionalism. The study addressed government concerns about lack of professionalism in Early Childhood Care and Education; informed policymakers of the myriad challenges therein; and included practitioners' voices in international discourse on professionalism. Change theory, systems thinking, and voice elicitation formed the conceptual framework for understanding changes needed to increase professionalism in the sector. The meaning of professionalism as defined in mandates; difference between practitioners and officials' definitions of professionalism; practitioners' view on the impacts of mandates; and how those impacts should be addressed were explained. Data were collected in interviews, focus groups, activity plans and journals from 12 practitioners; and from the national standards, curriculum guide, and schools' code of conduct. Discourse and content analysis were employed to identify patterns and themes in the data. Key findings were that mandates had more negative than positive impacts; children were under served; teachers frustrated and confused by impractical demands; and some administrators lacked content knowledge and leadership skills. Government officials, practitioners, and stakeholders need to dialogue to resolve problems illuminated by this study. Revision of legislative documents, fiscal adjustments for Trinidad and Tobago, continuous professional development, ongoing research, and national sensitization of practitioners' role will yield a better understanding of early childhood care and education, the catalyst for nationwide social change.

No description available.

This educational study on building art education relationships between art educators and local community art agencies was conducted in early February of 2009. Data was collected by means of an art teacher survey, mailed to the homes of metro Atlanta art educators and by conducting face-to-face interviews with professionals working in the education departments of high profile metro Atlanta art agencies. The data analysis provides insight into the goals of local K-12 art educators, and they are compared to the goals of community art agencies. The findings of this study reveal that art teachers and art agencies share many common goals and face similar challenges. And together, through networking and close communication, they may better serve the needs of students K-12 as they become lifetime participants and supports of the visual arts.

In 1988 Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (IP1) was published. Ten years later an updated version, Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (IP2) was released. The purpose of this study was to determine if school library media specialists' perceptions had changed since 1996 and if respondents' familiarity with IP2 was a factor in the development of those perceptions. Further, 37 items that were clustered based on the three primary threads of collaboration, leadership and technology developed in IP2 were used to assess changes in perceptions. An electronic survey was developed and disseminated to the population of school library media specialists in Florida. A total of 454 completed surveys were received; representing a 17% return rate. The results of the current survey were then compared to a 1996 job task analysis study. Analysis of the results showed that 60% of the respondents had never attended an in-service on IP2. Statistically significant changes in perceptions about the importance of those 37 job tasks resurveyed were also identified. Changes were identified in 10 of the 14 collaboration items, 12 of the 13 leadership items and 9 of the 10 technology items. Changes in perception were also found for tasks that the respondents considered not a part of job. For the 37 job tasks, there were 11 statistically significant positive changes and two statistically significant negative changes. The environmental variable that correlated with the largest number of the 37 job tasks related to the principal making encouraging comments to classroom teachers about using the resources of the school library media center in the planning of their curriculum units. This variable correlated significantly with 24 of the 37 job tasks. The study revealed a need for additional research in the leadership roles and traits of the school library media specialist. Further, additional research related to the effect of administrative support could inform the profession in its efforts to solidify the school library media program as an integral part of the instructional program.

This educational study on building art education relationships between art educators and local community art agencies was conducted in early February of 2009. Data was collected by means of an art teacher survey, mailed to the homes of metro Atlanta art educators and by conducting face-to-face interviews with professionals working in the education departments of high profile metro Atlanta art agencies. The data analysis provides insight into the goals of local K-12 art educators, and they are compared to the goals of community art agencies. The findings of this study reveal that art teachers and art agencies share many common goals and face similar challenges. And together, through networking and close communication, they may better serve the needs of students K-12 as they become lifetime participants and supports of the visual arts.

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Music / unrestricted

Although school counselors strive to address the needs of all students, children with learning disabilities are often overlooked (Bergin & Bergin, 2005; Dahir, 2004). Under federal requirements, all federally funded schools are required to provide services to students with disabilities. Further, the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) model for school counseling programs stipulates that school counselors should ensure appropriate services are provided to all students (Milsom, 2002). Research has been completed regarding teachers' attitudes toward complying with the federal mandates (Bateman & Bateman, 2002; Rea & Davis-Dorsey, 2004). There is, however, considerably less information regarding school counselors' roles, and only minimal information on their attitudes and background experience regarding learning disabilities (Frye, 2005; Greene & Valesky, 1998; Milsom, 2002). School counselors from ASCA's southern region were asked to respond to the Attitudes Toward Learning Disabilities Instrument online survey. The findings of this study demonstrated that although school counselors overwhelmingly support ASCA's guidelines, few have the full credentials outlined by the ASCA model. A majority of the counselors in this study had little or no educational training and reported feeling unprepared to address educationally-based tasks such as developing classroom accommodations, or acting as a consultant to the school staff on learning disability issues. In contrast, one third of the participants in this study were certified teachers who reported feeling prepared and confident about all areas of academic and disability services. These results support the conclusions of previous research which indicated that counselor preparation and years of experience were found to be related to more positive attitudes toward inclusion (Greene & Valesky, 1998; Greer & Greer, 1995; Milsom, 2002; Milsom & Akos, 2003) Availability Unrestricted: Release the

The study provides a brief overview of the most important legal instruments in the international, regional and national framework on the development and promotion of children’s rights. Basically, it examines the continuous and pervasive violation of children’s rights despite the progressive instruments that have been adopted to ensure the proper and effective realization of these rights. It focuses on three different countries in Africa: South Africa, Ethiopia and Nigeria because of the value-laden nature of the progressive laws adopted by these countries in the protection of children’s rights. Specific roles and actions taken by international, regional and national monitoring bodies are highlighted to indicate their effectiveness in promoting and fulfilling rights for children. Country reports on the situation of children are examined in the context of realization of salient rights for children amidst the different judicial, political and socio-cultural settings. Emerging judgments and judicial developments that have limited and advanced the realization of rights for children in the specific country context were explored. Conclusions and recommendations are made. / Public, Constitutional, & International Law / LLM