"Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Occupational Therapy Department College of Allied Health and Nursing Nova Southeastern University December 2004."

While many school districts in the state of Florida have achieved unitary status and are no longer under court jurisdiction, evidence that school districts continue to practice discipline policies that result in the disproportionate suspension of Black students can be found. Despite decades of desegregation, Black students continue to experience the devastating consequences of suspension and expulsion from school. The overrepresentation of Black students in the administration of school discipline is a serious concern for school districts. This study investigated if the attainment of unitary status resulted in equity in school discipline for Black students. Additionally, the study investigated the overrepresentation of Black students in the administration of school discipline as measured by out-of-school suspensions in the secondary schools of the 67 Florida public school districts in 2005-2006. The study compared the representation of Hispanic and Multiracial students to Black students in the administration of school discipline. The study also examined the effects of grade level (6, 7, 8, and 9) on Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial students in the administration of school discipline. Analysis of the data derived from the Florida Department of Education database for school year 2005-2006 led to the following findings: (1) there was overrepresentation of Black students in secondary schools in the state of Florida and that 42 school districts were not in compliance with unitary status guidelines; (2) Black students were overrepresented in school discipline when compared to Hispanic and Multiracial students; (3) the effect of grade (6, 7, 8, and 9) was not significant in the representation of Black students in school discipline; (4) 18 Florida public school districts have attained unitary status, 16 public school districts remained under court jurisdiction, and 33 public school districts were never subject to desegregation litigation; and, (5) Black students were overrepresented in the administration of school discipline in school districts that have attained unitary status.

Thesis ( M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / This study was undertaken with the purpose of investigating the involvement of educators in community development in the lnsikazi Circuit. In terms of research design, the study used a case study, namely the lnsikazi community. In-depth interviews were carried out with participants. Focus group discussions were also used to weigh the different standpoints of stakeholders and establish areas of agreement and disagreement. In line with the dictates of qualitative research, data analysis was done using the constant comparative method. Each interview was transcribed, labelled and appropriately coded using emerging themes. The researcher found that educators should act as promoters of community education by inviting the community to school meetings and sensitizing them about the need for their children's' education. However educators do not get the opportunity to do so since the majority of parents do not honor such meetings. Some of the key findings include: • Educators were seen as sources of information for the community by bringing awareness to the community but their busy schedules usually mitigate against their playing this role. • Educators should be community mobilizers but they are not effective in this role as they are usually out of touch with community needs. • Educators should play the role of as organizers and coordinators of the different stakeholders, but the majority of them indicated that they were not interested in community work as it is demanding. Some of the reasons that hampered effective educator participation in community development include a lack of time, unresponsive parents/community and lack of monetary incentives. It is therefore recommended that to overcome all these problems there needs to be regular interaction between the community and the educators. During such interactions, issues pertaining to community development and how community development should benefit both the community and the educators should be highlighted. It is the researcher's hope that through such interactions, it will be possible to build genuine partnerships between the community, educators and other stakeholders.

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This paper critically evaluates school discipline reform policy and implementation by California in the Oakland Unified School District after the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights investigation. It demonstrates that policy implementation at the school level is equally as important as policy building and reform at the state-and district level. The Oakland Unified School district was subject to many reforms at the district level through change in state-wide legislation, and school board reform after the investigation concluded with several recommendations for the district. This provides a unique opportunity to study policy implementation at the school-level to understand how school environment and discretion may affect reform implementation. As research surrounding the effects of punitive school discipline continue to support alternative discipline practices, many states and school-districts have begun to implement its own reform. However, school discretion on how these policies are implemented call for researchers to focus on the school-level of policy implementation. This thesis is motivated to create an understanding in how policy implementation at the state and district level will differ across schools in the same district, focusing on school environment can influence implementation. / Master of Arts / This paper evaluates policy implementation in a California School District as a school-level. In 2012, the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights conducted an investigation in California's Oakland Unified School District on reports of the district subjugating students of minority status to harsher punitive punishment than those of their white peers. The Office for Civil Rights found evidence to support this claim and suggested many disciplines policy and practices reform to the district, which the district began to implement throughout its schools. This paper focuses on reviewing state-wide and district-wide discipline reform by comparing two high schools who experienced a difference in suspensions after reform was implemented. I offer insight into policy implementation by focusing on school environment through mission and vision statements. I perform my analysis through a comparative case study analysis of the two schools as well as content analysis of the state policy and district level policies and practices discussing school discipline. This paper emphasizes that school policy reform at the state and district level is important, however; policy implementation at the school-level ultimately creates change and is affected by school environment.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education for youth can lead to the development of skills to design technologies, innovate tools, optimize work processes, and solve problems to improve society. The public high schools in Senegal are reported to have a low enrollment of students in STEM-related subjects. Youth are taught to memorize theories, with limited opportunities for hands-on STEM activities. However, there are other opportunities for Senegalese youth to engage in STEM education outside the formal school system. This research used case studies to explore the experiences of Senegalese youth learners and educators engaged in hands-on STEM education within non-formal learning settings in Dakar, Senegal. The first case involved six youth and six educators from wood carpentry and metal joinery apprenticeships. The second case involved seven youth and five educators from Go4STEAM, an all-girls out-of-school STEM program. The Ecological Systems Theory was used as a theoretical framework to situate the youth and educators in their learning context and consider ways in which their self and environment influences their STEM learning and teaching experience. An asset-based analytical approach was used in both cases to identify and describe positive influences and educational practices related to learning STEM. Results of the study indicated that educators in the apprenticeship setting display elements of cultural-based education as they not only teach the youth learners engineering through guided instructions, but also help raise them into adulthood. The youth learners in this setting have dropped out of school, thus recommendations for this learning setting include leveraging apps, mobile training, and competitions to promote engineering education as well as ensuring a strong foundation in reading, writing, and math. The Go4STEAM learning setting was found to offer activities that were interesting and responsive for their youth learners, and their learning environment emphasized peer collaboration. Recommendations for this learning setting include encouraging youth to take leadership of their learning whilst positioning the educators as co-learners, and offering the youth opportunities to engage in STEM with various partners and settings around the community. By recognizing and valuing the strengths of non-formal learning settings, this study identifies opportunities to strengthen the Senegalese STEM Learning Ecosystem. The additional support can lead to opportunities for Senegalese youth to become innovators and problem solvers that use their skills for educational and career advancement, upward economic mobility, and improved community development. / Doctor of Philosophy / STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education can be beneficial for the youth because it gives them useful skills for their jobs and their community. There are many factors that influence how youth learn STEM, and youth are able to learn in school and out of school. In Senegal, there are a low number of students enrolled in STEM-related subjects in high school, and the schools do not offer hands-on STEM activities. This research uses case studies to investigate STEM education for youth in non-formal, out-of-school settings, in Dakar, Senegal. Six youth and six educators from the wood carpentry and metal joinery apprenticeships, and seven youth and five educators from the Go4STEAM all-girls program, participated in this study. For each case, the Ecological Systems Theory was used to help consider the various influences that may directly or indirectly impact the youth's STEM education. An asset-based approach was used to identify positive influences and educational practices from the two cases. The study determined that the educators in apprenticeships use cultural norms and values to teach the youth learners engineering and raise them to become adults. The learners do not go to school so they can potentially benefit from apps, mobile training, and competitions that facilitate learning engineering, and the basics of reading, writing and math. At Go4STEM, the study determined that the learning environment was fun for the youth and encourages teamwork. The learners at Go4STEAM may benefit from deciding what STEM topics they want explore and the educators support as co-learners. Also, the educators can help facilitate STEM activities that engage community resources. This study identifies the strengths of non-formal, out-of-school-learning, and identifies opportunities to improve the Senegalese STEM Learning Ecosystem. With the additional support, Senegalese youth can become innovators and problem solvers that use their skills to benefit themselves, their families, and their communities.

The Diploma Thesis deals with the matters of children's musicality and the main factors influencing it. The thesis includes a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part focuses on the musicality issue and its structure, as well as on the factors that participate in this matter. Special attention is put to the out-of-school influences on the development of musicality. There is an outline of the influence of a family and its members, characteristics of a contemporary family and a present-day lifestyle. The thesis also deals with a social group influence and the impact of mass media, such as television, computers and the Internet. One of the subchapters is dedicated to the out-of-school artistic interests of children; another one deals with how music around us can act in a form of commercials, or in a store, for example. The practical part of this thesis is formed through a research oriented to the out-of-school influences mentioned above. This research was held at Libčická Primary School, Prague. The research included a questionnaire; the next step was a musical ability test, which later served to the elaboration of case studies of selected children. Comparing the results of the questionnaire with the individual children performances in the musicality test, the thesis highlights the...

Second language acquisition is a field that has fascinated linguists for numerous years and is a topic that is very much connected to how English teachers in Sweden try to teach the English language to the students in their classrooms. In 2009 Sundqvist examined what possible effects extramural English could have on learners' oral proficiency and their vocabulary. In her study she found out that extramural English “is an independent variable and a possible path to progress in English” (Sundqvist, 2009, p. i).  In 2014, three Swedish secondary- and upper secondary school teachers started a project for the Erasmus+. These three teachers tried to create better teaching conditions and to come up with new methods for teaching English. During their investigation they noticed that students who had only been in Sweden for four years or less, seemed to get less exposed to English in their spare time than native Swedish students, which created a disadvantage for them. Since the time when these two studies were carried out, the number of immigrants has increased drastically, which creates the need for further investigation within this area of second language acquisition. In this study, I therefore investigate how much and in what way students come in contact with the English language outside of school. I also examine if there are any differences between native Swedish students versus non-native Swedish students and if so, how this might affect the students and their grades in English. The study was conducted through the use of questionnaires and through observations of different teaching situations, including the participating teachers' methods and the participating students' reactions. The results show that there are differences between native- and non-native students when it comes to extramural English activities. The results also show that these differences seem to affect the students' grades in English, in favour of the native Swedish students. The native students tend to spend more time on extramural English activities, especially in connection to the Internet and computer games, than the non-native students. These results indicate that something needs to be done in order to compensate for the non-native students' disadvantage.