Search Results

open access

Culturally Relevant Recruitment and Hiring in an Urban District

Description: This qualitative case study examined the recruitment and hiring practices of an urban district. Participants in this study included five district-level, human resource staff members and six campus principals. Data collected and analyzed including audio recordings of semi-structured interviews of each participant and documents at the district and campus levels used during the recruitment and hiring processes. The findings suggested that there is evidence of the district's use of the fit theory a… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Winn, Takesha LaShun
open access

Educator Perceptions of Forces Influencing Implementation of a Statewide Writing Portfolio Assessment

Description: Leaders of the 84th Texas Legislature drafted and ratified HB 1164 (2015), prompting the Texas Education Agency to pilot a portfolio assessment option for assessing student writing growth and proficiency. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions, characterize the experiences, and identify the forces that influenced initial implementation of the statewide writing pilot. Through interviews with district leaders and the collection of open-ended questionnaires from participating e… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Morgan, Christi A.
open access

The Effect of Professional Learning Communities on Perceived Teacher Self-Efficacy

Description: This qualitative case study examined the effect of PLCs on teacher self-efficacy, and whether the type of PLC structure on each campus affected efficacy. The overarching research question that guided the study was, to what extent does perceived teacher self-efficacy change as a result of the practice of PLCs? Participants were selected using purposive and convenience sampling. Ten teachers and two principals on two different campuses participated in teacher focus groups and one-on-one princi… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Prince, Coryn Elizabeth
open access

The Effects of Family Cultural Capital on Reading Motivation and Reading Behavior in Elementary School Students with New Immigrant Background: A Structural Equation Model

Description: This study was designed to investigate the impact of family cultural capital on reading motivation and reading behavior among new immigrant children and non-immigrant children. This research used Chang and Wang's family cultural capital, reading motivation, and reading behavior questionnaire to conduct the survey. The target population of this study was students enrolled in fifth grade and sixth grade in elementary school in the fall of 2017 in Tainan, Taiwan. The sample include 414 students fr… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Tseng, Hui Te Li
open access

The Effects of the $0.50-Debt Test on Fast Growth Texas School Districts: A Case Study of Three Districts

Description: A three-district case study was conducted to determine the effects of the 50-cent debt test on fast-growth Texas school districts. The 50-cent debt test for Texas schools came into existence as part of Senate Bill 351 in 1991. Prior to the passing of Senate Bill 351, districts in Texas were limited to issuing 10% of their assessed valuation. Of the 75 school districts that currently meet the criteria to be considered a fast-growth district, 15 of the districts had an Interest and Sinking tax… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: O'Neal, Thomas Edward
open access

Empowering U.S. Marshallese Students to Engagement and Active Participation in Learning

Description: The U.S. Marshallese population is one of the fastest growing Pacific Islander populations in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify how U.S. Marshallese students could be empowered and engaged in their learning through clearly identified indicators that educators could apply within their classrooms and schools. The indicators have been established on a historical, cultural, and linked perceptions of student learning as identified by U.S. Marshallese students and teachers.… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Robinson, Sam J
open access

The Identification and Participation of Latino Students in Advanced Mathematics Courses

Description: Using a phenomenological approach, this qualitative study examined the perspectives of Latino parents and their involvement in the decision of their child to enroll in an advanced mathematics course in sixth grade. Since enrollment in Algebra I in high school is said to be a strong predictor of college attainment and with the growing number of Latino students across the nation, this study has the potential to help district and campus leaders establish whole-school systems for communicating wit… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Blanchard, Myrna Elizabeth
open access

The Impact of Teacher Professional Development on Student Achievement at a North Texas High School as Measured by End-of-Course Assessments in Algebra I and English Language Arts

Description: The purpose of this study determined if a significant relationship existed between the amount of professional development that teachers participated in and the impact on the classroom instruction that followed. The goal was to study the effect that this had on student achievement in the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) for English 1 and Algebra 1 for students at a large north Texas high school. Testing years for the study included the school years 2013-14, 2014-15, and … more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Younkman, Freddy W
open access

Influences on Latino Males' Enrollment in Four-Year Colleges

Description: The purpose of this study was to explore characteristics that influence Latino male students' enrollment in four-year colleges. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach and acquired information specifically pertaining to the high school Latino male population. Participants for the study included Latino male high school students in Grades 9-12, parents of Latino male high school students in Grades 9-12, and counselors of high school students in Grades 9-12. The study was conducted across … more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Jones, Victor Jerrell
open access

A Legal Analysis of Litigation against Louisiana Educators and School Districts, Before and After the Louisiana Governmental Claims Act

Description: This dissertation analyzed court decisions in injuries on school grounds cases under the Louisiana Governmental Claims Act. The question addressed was: How have the Louisiana courts interpreted the Louisiana Governmental Claims Act in litigation against Louisiana school districts and their employees? The intent of this study was to show how Louisiana's legal system has evolved, and how that evolution affected tort cases involving school boards and school board employees. Doctrinal legal researc… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Price, Charie Wesley
open access

Professional Learning Communities and School Improvement: Implications for District Leadership

Description: The purpose of this research was to understand the role of district leadership better in the implementation and development of professional learning communities. This investigation was a mixed-methods analysis of the perceptions of a school district's support in the implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) at the school level. Additionally, in this study, I examined how the PLC framework supports systemic school improvement, using Hord's definition of the five dimensions of … more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Flowers, Kelly N.
open access

The Relationship among Select School Variables and 8th Grade African American Male Academic Achievement

Description: This study was designed to investigate the correlational relationship between four school elements listed on the Texas Academic Progress Report (TAPR) and the academic achievement of 8th grade African American male students. Data for this study was provided from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Office for Public Information Requests. The study included four independent variables: percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, average years of teachers' experience, attendance rate and av… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Bowser, Jimmy Lee, Jr.
open access

Response to Intervention (RTI) and Promising Practices: What Works at the Secondary Level

Description: The primary focus of RtI has been at the elementary school level. However, over the past few years there has been a shift, and RtI has been expanding to secondary schools. Through this expansion, it is unclear if RtI has been effectively implemented at the secondary level. The ultimate goal for any school implementing change is institutionalization or sustainability. Therefore, this qualitative case study examined the institutionalization or sustainability of RtI systems in one high school. … more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Little, Regena Ann
open access

State Created Danger and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Texas Schools: A Legal Examination

Description: The recent breakthroughs in the research of brain trauma as it relates to athletics has revealed never before seen damage linked with football participation. Known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), it is caused by activities inherent to the sport of football. School sponsored football has been granted immunity through case law and legislation in Texas. Recent research however indicates a different type of injury than those that school districts have been protected of liability from.… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Switzer, Aaron Gray
open access

Student and Counselor Perceptions of a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program's Effectiveness

Description: Research reveals that disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs) are growing at an alarming rate. What are schools doing to ensure success for those students who are placed in a DAEP? In this descriptive qualitative research study, I examined how DAEPs can operate at a more effective level in order to provide a restorative environment, resulting in a decreased recidivism rate for troubled youth. In order to achieve this overall objective, the following research questions framed this… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Dunworth, Rodney Dean
open access

Students' Perceptions on the Impact of Teacher Expectation Bias on Classroom College Readiness Opportunities

Description: As increasing emphasis is being placed on student college and career readiness, instructional approaches seek to develop content and skill proficiency. I gathered student perspectives on teacher expectations and instructional opportunities in core content classes in order to determine if expectation bias influences college readiness preparation in the classroom. Student academic self-concept and college readiness were examined alongside beliefs about teacher expectations and instructional opp… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Wellman, Kristen Suzanne
open access

Teaching Outside the Box: Student and Teacher Perceptions of Flexible Learning Environments Outside the 21st Century Classroom

Description: The purpose of this study was to ascertain student and teacher perceptions of the environment in which student learning takes place and their perceptions of how it has helped them in the cognitive and social domains. Data collected were through student and teacher perception surveys, student and teacher perception questionnaires, classroom observations, student focus group discussions, and teacher interviews. Themes that emerged from the data sources were student interactions, students' autonom… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Allison, Chelsea B.
open access

The Use of an Online Readiness Assessment to Determine Necessary Skills, Aptitude, and Propensities for Successful Completion in a Secondary Online Credit Course

Description: A gap exists in education research in the area of online readiness for secondary courses. In the current study, I examined the use of an online readiness assessment to inform students and educators of the necessary skills, aptitudes, and propensities needed for secondary course completion. In this research study, the perceptions of 17 secondary students in a North Texas public school were examined. Using a three-phase design, qualitative demographic surveys, focus groups, and open-ended end-of-… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Vineyard, Tracy Elizabeth
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