The problem of this study was to determine whether the advance organizer would affect students' perception of instructor communication competence. The study also sought to determine any effect the organizer would have on student achievement.

This research presents the results of general linear modeling (GLM) of 131 school divisions in Virginia. The purpose of this research is to answer the question: What is the relationship between teacher salaries and student achievement as measured by Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)? Utilizing an equity theory and distributive justice perspective, data related to achievement in English and mathematics by high school students, as measured by the requirements of AYP, were culled from the Virginia Department of Education for every school division in Virginia in the subjects of reading, writing, algebra I, geometry, and algebra II. These data represent the dependent variables and are analyzed with teacher salary and principal salary data, which represent the independent variables. Intervening variables identified in the education, public policy and economic literature are also included in the modeling. An analysis of nine general linear models produced evidence that the relationship between teacher salaries and student achievement, as measured by AYP, is relatively weak. Though the results do not support a wide range of policy recommendations, one recommendation is for school divisions in the northern region of the state to consider a readjustment of their pay scales in order for teacher salaries in those Northern Virginia school divisions to be more competitive with other school divisions in the state when adjusted for cost-of-living.

This study aims at answering questions pertaining to the performance of bilingual Arab-American students on solving word problems written in their home and school languages: (1) Does the language in which a word problem is stated have an effect on the performance of the bilingual Arab-American students?; (2) Do Arab-American students with higher levels of Arabic proficiency perform better in either or both versions of the word problems?; and (3) What are some common differences and similarities in the problem solving processes of Arab-American students as they solve problems in English or Arabic? The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze these questions. A total of 173 students from a full-time Islamic school participated in this study: 56 students in fifth grade, 56 students in sixth grade, and 61 students in seventh grade. All students were asked to solve two sets of ten word problems each. The students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Results showed that Arab-American students performed significantly better in the English version of the word problems. Arab-American students with higher levels of Arabic proficiency performed better in the Arabic version of the word problems. Students' standardized scores on mathematics problem solving was a significant factor in explaining variances in student performance on both language versions of both sets of word problems. While students' standardized scores on reading comprehension was a significant factor in predicting the students' performance on the English version of the word problems, students' final average in the Arabic subject was a significant factor in predicting students' performance on the Arabic version of the word problems. Differences and similarities emerged in the problem solving processes of Arab-American students solving the word problems in either English or Arabic. Some students found statements involving double comparisons, problems with hidden information, and problems that required multi-step solutions or thinking backwards to be problematic in both language versions of the problems. Difficult vocabulary was especially problematic for students when solving the Arabic version of the word problems.

Abstract This was a modified integrated mixed methods study of teachers’ perceptions of factors that influence transfer of research-based teaching strategies into classroom practice. Participants were made up of 66 respondents to a researcher made survey, “Survey of Teacher Attitudes toward Change and Classroom Implementation of Research–Based Strategies”. Respondents were divided into two groups based on participation in Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Programs (LaSIP): LaSIP, N= 39 and Non-LaSIP, N= 27. Answers to five research questions were based on analysis of quantitative data from a survey, recorded on a five-point Likert scale and qualitative data from analyses of transcripts of three personal interviews, two focus group discussions and five short-answer questions on the survey. SPSS software version 9 and Atlas.ti version 7 were used in quantitative and qualitative analyses, respectively. Concurrent quantitative and qualitative strands of data were integrated throughout the study. Findings from quantitative data included the following: (1) Teacher perceptions of features of the LaSIP were predictive of reported frequency of use of research-based teaching strategies (RBTS); (2) Reported frequency of use of RBTS was not significantly different in LaSIP versus non-LaSIP teachers, except in reported use of alternative assessments. (3) Both LaSIP and non-LaSIP teachers indicated that implementation of RBTS increased student achievement (4) LaSIP teachers identified factors such as opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, time to acquire content knowledge, practice with material and supplies as features of the LaSIP that influenced implementation of RBTS. (5) Perceived barriers to implementation of RBTS included lack of equipment and lack of teacher input into planning of professional development. and modeling of RBTS as factors that positively influence classroom implementation. Analyses of qualitative data supported many of the findings due to quantitative analyses. Additionally, qualitative data provided more in-depth information concerning teacher perceptions of barriers to implementation such as lack of teacher input into planning and implementation of professional development, and lack of time for in-depth learning during professional development activities. Key Words: Teacher Professional Development, Research-based Teaching Strategies, Classroom Implementation, Science Pedagogy, Mixed Methods, Student Achievement

Thesis advisor: David Scanlon / There is limited research on the relationship between socially just teaching practices and student achievement. While successful teaching is often defined through test scores, good teaching encompasses the moral elements of teaching (Fenstermacher & Richardson, 2005). This study, building on the work of Mitescu, Cochran-Smith, Pedulla, Cannady, and Jong (2011), is a secondary analysis examining the relationship between socially just teaching practices and student achievement. A subsample of 4th and 5th grade English/language arts (ELA) teachers (n=107) and students (n=2587) was taken from the Measures of Effective Teaching Longitudinal Database (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 2013). Classroom videos were coded using the Teaching for Social Justice Observation Scale (TSJOS) of the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol-Plus (RTOP+) (Mitescu et al.) to measure socially just teaching practices. Unadjusted linear regression analyses indicated a positive significant correlation between teachers’ mean TSJOS score and the class averages on standardized state ELA exams and the class average on an assessment of higher-order thinking skills. This relationship was also found when the same analysis was conducted on 4th grade classrooms as well as 5th grade classrooms. A hierarchical multiple linear regression found a positive significant relationship between TSJOS scores and student achievement after accounting for location, teacher, and student predictor variables. The relationship between socially just teaching practices and student achievement for subgroups of students is discussed. The study analyzed the significance and magnitude of the relationship between socially just teaching practices after two widely used classroom observation protocols, the Framework for Teaching (FfT) and the Protocol for Language Arts Observation Scale (PLATO), were entered into the model. Teacher mean TSJOS scores were found to explain a significant and unique proportion of the variation in state assessment scores after accounting for average FfT ELA observation scores and teacher average PLATO observation scores, separately. This study adds to the literature on the connection between socially just teaching practices and student achievement, in that it provides compelling evidence that socially just teaching practices are not only related to the good, or moral, side of teaching, but also have a positive and significant relationship with increased student achievement for all students. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

O Brasil é um dos países mais violentos do mundo, e essa realidade se reflete no ambiente escolar. O problema da violência na escola induz nos agentes de educação comportamentos que se contrapõem às metas de melhoria da qualidade do ensino. Por isso, a violência na escola é um dos candidatos a determinante da baixa qualidade educacional encontrada no Brasil. Este trabalho investiga se existe relação entre violência na escola e proficiência dos alunos no Brasil nos anos de 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 e 2013. Os resultados das regressões lineares e das regressões quantílicas incondicionais indicam que a ocorrência de um tipo de evento violento adicional está associada a uma redução na proficiência. Eles indicam também que há heterogeneidade na resposta dos alunos à violência na escola: a violência na escola parece afetar mais os alunos da quarta série, os alunos que se encontram na mediana da distribuição das notas e os alunos com melhor condição socioeconômica. Além disso, a violência na escola parece afetar mais a proficiência em Matemática em comparação com a proficiência em Língua Portuguesa, e a violência contra o professor tem efeitos tão ou mais deletérios que a violência entre os alunos. / Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world, and this reality is part of the school environment. The problem of school violence hinders any possible progress in improving the quality of education. Indeed, school violence is a key element in explaining the low educational quality in Brazil. This research investigates the relationship between school violence and student achievement in Brazil in the years of 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013. The results of linear regressions and unconditional quantile regressions analysis show that an occurrence of an additional kind of violent event is associated with a reduction on student achievement. They also show that there is a high degree of heterogeneity in student responses to school violence: the school violence seems to affect more 4th graders, the students that are in the median of the distribution of the grades and the students with the best socioeconomic conditions. Moreover, school violence seems to affect more grades in Math than Portuguese, and the violence against teachers has effects as or more deleterious than the violence between students.

The purpose of this study was to examine specific parenting practices in four East Tennessee counties to determine their relationships, if any, to student achievement among various demographic groups. The investigation included status variables, such as parents' educational level, annual income level, and family structure. Students' Normal Curve Equivalent scores on the Terra Nova Standardized Test were used to measure student achievement. The Epstein (1987) typologies were used to classify parent involvement modalities. The analysis consisted of four research questions and were tested at the .05 level of significance. Pearson's product-moment, Spearman's rho, and Kendall's Tau B correlation coefficients were used to analyze the degree of relationship between Epstein's six typologies and student achievement. A t-test was used to describe the relationship between student achievement and the number of parents in the home. One-way Analyses of Variance were used to describe the relationships between student achievement and parents' educational and income levels. Kruskal Wallis tests were used to analyze differences in parental involvement by the number of parents in the home, parental income, and education levels. A Hierarchical Regression Analysis was also used to determine the extent to which parents' income, educational levels, and family structure assist in predicting student achievement. The sample consisted of 413 students in grade 4 in four counties in East Tennessee. Two schools were selected from each county as a representative sample of the population. The results of this study indicate significant relationships between student achievement and the parental involvement typologies of volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with the community. The relationships between student achievement and parental involvement in conjunction with parents' educational and income levels were also significant. Both parental involvement typologies and family demographics emphasize goals which are achieved most effectively when families and schools work together.

An increasing number of parents are opting-out their children from high-stakes. Accountability systems in education have used students' test scores to measure student learning, teacher effectiveness, and school district performance. Students who are opted-out of high-stakes tests are not being evaluated by the state tests, making their level of achievement or proficiency unknown by the state government. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the various reasons, factors, experiences, and personal events that led parents to opt-out their children from at least one 3rd through 8th grade high-stakes test. Data were collected using a researcher-designed semi-structured interview protocol developed using ecological approaches to systems theories and critical pedagogy theories. The study was set in New York and 10 participants were interviewed, all from different rural or small suburban school districts throughout the state. Five themes and 12 subthemes emerged from first and second cycle coding. Key findings indicated that parents decided to opt-out their children from high-stakes tests because they felt high-stakes were inappropriate and unfair. Further, parents were dissatisfied with current high-stakes testing practices. Previous 3rd through 8th grade testing procedures that allowed teachers to make and grade the state tests were seen as acceptable. Parents indicated no issue with testing. However, from a social change perspective they felt the current system of high stakes testing was used improperly to rate students, teachers, programs, and school districts, and that testing should be used to drive instruction and help struggling students. This study is beneficial for school personnel and policy makers because it provides different ways to assess student achievement.

Poor achievement on standardized math tests negatively impacts high school graduation rates. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate if math instruction in business classes could improve student achievement in math. As supported by constructivist theory, the students in this study were encouraged to use prior knowledge and experiences to make new connections between math concepts and business applications. The key research question examined if there was a significant increase in the standardized mathematics test scores of students enrolled in business classes with extended mathematics instruction compared to the standardized test scores of students not enrolled in business classes with extended mathematics instruction. The 2-sample t-test was used to compare the scores of 42 students in the treatment group to the scores of 47 students in the control group. Based on the findings, there was not a significant difference in the scores of the treatment and control groups. Recommendations for future research included redesigning the treatment to involve additional areas of mathematics instruction as well as extending the number of weeks for the treatment. This study may effect social change by informing teachers and administrators at the local site of the need to examine the effects of incorporating math into other content areas and recommending continued research in this area. The additional exposure, practice, and learning opportunities in math may help high school students achieve in mathematics and ultimately improve graduation rates.

Closing the achievement gap is a key concern for educational leaders. Research has indicated that principals’ actions directly and indirectly influence student learning. The purpose of this case study was to explore cultural leadership in an urban Mississippi high school from an African American’s racialized perspective. The cultural competency/proficiency theory provided the conceptual framework for this study. Successful leadership practices of this African American principal were examined through the principal and through the perceptions of teachers and the assistant administrator. A researcher-developed questionnaire was content validated and given to a purposeful sample of 17 individuals: the principal, assistant principal, and the 15 full time teachers at the study site. Nine individuals––the school’s principal, assistant principal, and 7 teachers––returned the questionnaire. Using Stake’s framework for data analysis, data were organized, coded, and categorized to develop themes regarding the principal’s cultural leadership practices. Results showed that the principal used 6 practices to help a diverse student body succeed: double-dosing of subject-area test courses, pull-out tutorials, after-school tutorials, differentiated instruction, scaffolded learning, and coteaching. Based on the study findings, a professional development program was created to provide cultural leadership training for all district leaders. The findings can positively affect social change by improving principals’ cultural awareness and equipping educators with proven practices to meet the needs of a diverse student body, thus increasing students’ opportunities for academic success.