Search Results

open access

Academic excellence and instructional expenditures in Texas.

Description: Public school per pupil costs and demands for better performance have increased over the past several decades. While the overall per pupil expenditures have increased, the percent of the educational dollar directed toward instructional activities has remained at approximately 60%. A grass-roots movement known as the "65% Solution" caught national attention by claiming that schools are not efficiently allocating resources into areas that have the greatest link to student achievement, such as i… more
Date: August 2006
Creator: Helvey, Jearl Kenton
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Analysis of Advisory Committee Activities in a Successful Public School Bond Election

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived effectiveness of specific advisory committee activities during a school bond proposal and election process. The study began with an extensive review of the literature on the use of advisory committee activities in school districts for the purpose of promoting a school bond issue. This revealed that school officials maintaining a low profile, the presence of a diverse community task force, focusing on YES voters, involving the committee in… more
Date: August 2004
Creator: Waters, Philo W.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Analysis of Qualified Immunity for Texas Public School Professional Employees as Interpreted by the Texas Courts

Description: This dissertation analyzed Texas appellate court decisions relating to whether educators' actions were incident to or within the scope of duties and involved the exercise of judgment or discretion in cases involving defamation, motor vehicle exceptions, and excessive force in discipline exceptions. The questions addressed were: (1) How have the Texas appellate courts interpreted Texas Education Code Section 22.051 in litigation against teachers and school administrators for defamation? (2) Ho… more
Date: May 2009
Creator: Carman, John Nathaniel
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Analysis of Special Education Compliance and Special Education Funding in Four Texas Open-Enrollment Charter Schools.

Description: The purpose of this study was to conduct an in-depth examination of special education services in open-enrollment charter schools in north Texas and to examine relationships between special education compliance and funding. Six questions guided the research: How have the charter schools designed special education services, and do these services meet individual needs of students with disabilities? Have federal education and disability laws affected charter schools' admissions, operations, or stu… more
Date: December 2003
Creator: Rudebusch, Judith
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Analysis of the Benefits of the Student Success Initiative in the 3rd and 5th Grades in a District in Texas.

Description: The state of Texas passed the Student Success Initiative (SSI) in 1999 which requires all 3rd graders to pass the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test to be promoted to the 4th grade, and for 5th graders to pass the reading and math portions of the TAKS test to be promoted to the 6th grade. Beginning in spring 2008, 8th graders will also need to pass the reading and math portions of the TAKS test to be promoted to the 9th grade. The purpose of this study w… more
Date: May 2007
Creator: Neblett, Pamela S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Analysis of the Effect of Distance Learning on Student Self-Efficacy of Junior High School Spanish Students.

Description: Prior to the development of interactive television, schools that were either geographically isolated or financially restricted were often unable to provide courses that may have been essential for students. Interactive television has helped such school districts provide appropriate courses for their students. Because student self-efficacy is a significant indicator of student success, the relationship between distance learning and students' self-efficacy requires research. The problem of the st… more
Date: August 2004
Creator: Vroonland, David W.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Analysis of the Emotional Intelligence and Personality of Principals Leading Professional Learning Communities

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between a principal's emotional intelligence and personality and his or her ability to implement and develop professional learning communities within the school. The Professional Learning Community Assessment (PLCA) was administered to principals and teachers in 13 schools in Texas ranging from elementary to high school. Based on the strength of the PLCA scores, two elementary schools were selected to participate in case study resear… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Jackson, Christopher
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Analysis of the Perception of the Degree of Compliance of Selected Texas Public High Schools with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972

Description: In recent years, few laws have had greater impact on public education than Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. As a result of this legislation, participation levels of female athletes have risen dramatically. Conducted in the Texas Education Agency's Region XI, this study sought to ascertain the perceptions of high school principals, the lead coaches of male athletes, and the lead coaches of female athletes with regard to their schools' compliance with the components of Title IX. T… more
Date: December 2005
Creator: Hollingsworth, Jerry Don
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Career Paths to the Texas Public School Superintendency

Description: This study focused on the identification of career paths that led to the Texas public school superintendency, including an examination of career path differences associated with gender, ethnicity, and district type, and on the identification of the career path positions superintendents perceived as being the most beneficial in preparing them for the superintendency. Additionally, the study examined place-bound versus career-bound superintendents. The most common career path to the Texas publi… more
Date: December 2005
Creator: Farmer, Tod Allen
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Case Study of Parental Behaviors in an English Language Learner Community Technology Literacy Lab Setting and the Extension of the Behaviors in the Home

Description: The purpose of the study was to describe a family literacy program attempting to teach adult English language learners (ELL) the knowledge and skills that would allow them to support their children's learning at home. The methodology employed was a multi-case study. Fourteen adult participants were interviewed to gather information regarding the factors that influenced the adult participant's ability to support their child's learning prior to participation in the family literacy program. The st… more
Date: August 2003
Creator: Preston, Jenny L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Character Education Programs and Student Suspension Rates from School: Do Character Education Programs Decrease Student Suspensions from Regular Instructional Public Elementary Schools in Texas?

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine if character education programs impact the suspension rates of students from regular instructional public elementary schools in Texas. The data was also examined to determine if the number of years since a school's implementation of a character education program has an impact on the effectiveness of the programs as measured by the suspension rates of students from school. Finally, the study sought to determine if the socio-economic status of the scho… more
Date: May 2005
Creator: Grinage, Adam L.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Three Different GED Preparation Programs

Description: The purpose of this study was to identify effective instructional programs for GED tests preparation for students in a large suburban school district. Three different nonrandom, unequal naturally occurring instructional groups at three different locations were examined. One group participated in a traditional instruction program, a second group in a test/retest program, and a third group in a computer-assisted program. The demographics of the district population, the GED population, and the ind… more
Date: May 2001
Creator: Gardner, Marlene K.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Comparison of Academic Achievement of Economically Disadvantaged Elementary Students Served in Title I Part A Programs: Targeted Assistance Versus Schoolwide Models

Description: This study analyzed test scores of economically disadvantaged students who attended two elementary schools implementing different types of Title I models from 1999-2001. Test scores from the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) and the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT-9) were analyzed. One school implemented the targeted assistance model (less than 50% poverty), which focused resources on students were identified as failing or at risk of failing. The… more
Date: May 2005
Creator: Hinojosa, Marco A.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Computer-Assisted Instruction in Literacy Skills for Kindergarten Students and Perceptions of Administrators and Teachers.

Description: The perceptions of administrators and teachers of a computer-assisted instructional program in literacy skills were collected by a survey. The survey participants were kindergarten teachers and administrators from four elementary schools in the same, fast-growing, suburban school district in Texas. Literacy assessments were given to all kindergarten students in the district in the fall, winter, and spring of the 2005-2006 school year. This study included a quasi-experimental research design to … more
Date: May 2007
Creator: Larson, Susan Hatlestad
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Computer Skills And Usage Of Students In Grades 10-12 Who Are Legally Blind: A Descriptive Analysis

Description: This research project was a descriptive analysis of the computer usage and skills of academic students in grades 10-12 who are legally blind and attending public school in the Region 10 Education Service Center service area of Texas. In addition, this study provided a process that other regions in the state or educational agencies may duplicate to document the computer skills and usage of students with visual impairments in their area. Twenty-seven students who are legally blind were surveyed b… more
Date: August 2003
Creator: Gray, Kitra Hill
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Correlates of Texas Standard AP Charter Campuses and How They Compare with Standard AP Traditional Public Campuses

Description: The research sought to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of Texas standard AP open-enrollment charter school campuses and to discover independent variables that may be utilized to predict effective charter school campuses. The literature review was designed to enhance the current understanding of charter schools and therefore facilitate a more effective evaluation of them. A basic knowledge and understanding of the origins, characteristics and purposes of charters allow for a more objectiv… more
Date: August 2009
Creator: Gomez, Jason Diego
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Descriptive Review and Analysis of the Creation and Development of an Advisory Program in an Inner-City Middle School

Description: This study described and analyzed the development and implementation of an advisory program at one urban middle school. Development of the advisory program began during the 1997-98 school year. The implementation of the program was examined during the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 school years. This school site was chosen because of the in-depth research and planning of the program beyond the typical amount performed by many schools, and the wide-scale staff participation utilized in the program's deve… more
Date: May 2001
Creator: Hunter, Matthew P.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Early Literacy: An Examination of the Principal Behaviors That Impact Reading Achievement

Description: Literacy is fundamental to formal education, learning, and training for future career related skills. It provides not only the means of acquisition of information and skills during schooling, but it is a vital predictor of a person's general level of education in school as well as successful completion of schooling. Literacy skills serve as the major foundational skill for all school-based learning and without it, chances for academic and occupational success are limited. Despite the efforts of… more
Date: December 2003
Creator: Baker, Brenda
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effect of a Telementoring Program on Beginning Teacher Self-efficacy.

Description: This study examined whether the telementoring program had a positive impact on beginning teacher self-efficacy. Telementoring is an adaptation of mentoring, using telecommunications technology as the means to establish and maintain mentoring relationships between the participants. The program was intended to create an atmosphere of community; to provide expert training in the profession; to retain good teachers; and to offer support for the new teacher in times of self-doubt. A quasi-experiment… more
Date: August 2007
Creator: Muehlberger, Linda S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effect of Texas Charter High Schools on Diploma Graduation and General Educational Development (Ged) Attainment

Description: This dissertation is a study of the effect of Texas's charter high schools on diploma graduation and General Educational Development (GED) attainment. Utilizing data from the Texas Schools Project at the University of Texas at Dallas, the study follows a cohort of Texas students enrolled as 10th graders in the fall of 1999 and tracks their graduation outcomes through the summer of 2002 when they were expected to have completed high school. The analysis uses case study research and probit regres… more
Date: August 2005
Creator: Maloney, Catherine
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effectiveness of Business Leadership Practices among Principals on Student Achievement on Public School Campuses in Texas

Description: The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine if business leadership practices by Texas public school principals have an impact on principals' campus student achievement in mathematics and reading, as measured by TAKS scores. The survey instrument was the Leadership Assessment Instrument (LAI), developed by Warren Bennis in 1989. The survey instrument was electronically distributed to a sample of 300 public school principals in Texas. Of the 300, 140 principals completed and returned t… more
Date: December 2009
Creator: Cooper, Kary M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Academic Interventions on the Development of Reading Academic Competence in Fourth Grade Students.

Description: This dissertation examined the effects of academic interventions on the development of reading academic competence in fourth grade students who performed at or below grade level as determined by TAKS reading scale scores. Fifty students in fifth grade were chosen to participate in the study from five elementary schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District in Fort Worth, Texas. Only 46 students completed the study. The study was conducted with a control (n = 23) and treatment group (n =… more
Date: August 2008
Creator: Hernandez-Gutierrez, Josie
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Pre-Kindergarten on Spanish-Speaking Bilingual Students Taking the Third Grade TAKS Reading Test

Description: The purpose of this dissertation is to provide research and data examining the impact of pre-kindergarten on Spanish-speaking ESL students on the third grade TAKS Reading test scores. The two questions that guided this study are: (1) As measured by the third grade TAKS reading test, what is the relationship between those limited english proficient (LEP) Spanish-speaking children who attended a pre-kindergarten program and those who did not attend a pre-kindergarten program? and (2) As measured … more
Date: December 2008
Creator: Ringhauser, John T.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Professional Learning Communities on Student Achievement

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: Kindergarten Class of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) report, identify questions and statements that correlate to the dimensions of professional learning communities (PLCs), and determine the effect PLCs have on student achievement based on the ECLS-K data. In addition, the rationale for doing this research was to measure growth in student achievement over time. A multilevel growth model was used for this research. Uni… more
Date: August 2009
Creator: Burdett, John M.
Partner: UNT Libraries
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