The purpose of this study was to describe a Title I inclusion program in a north Texas middle school, to evaluate the degree of its success as a high achieving program, and to analyze how closely it met the requirements of the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994. Data were collected from the learning facilitators and teachers at the middle school with the permission of the school district. This study began with extensive research on the nature of adolescents and the beliefs and characteristics of high achieving middle schools. It addressed the steps which were recommended in the literature to improve middle schools and benefit students that are at-risk of failing to master the curriculum at their grade level. The researcher concluded by reporting effective strategies being used in middle school at-risk programs. These are strategies noted by experts as successful in identified programs. The population for this study was seventh and eighth grade Title I students who attended middle school during the 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1994-1995 and 1995-1996 school years. The data collected by the researcher are presented in two parts: the description of the Title I inclusion program; and the results of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills tests in reading and math, the Shaw-Hiehle Math Tests, and the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests. Findings from this study suggest that the program met the requirements of a Title I program established by the federal government. The test scores for the middle school improved during the three years of the program. The Title I inclusion program met the requirements of the Improving America's Schools Act. Finally, the Title I students were successful working in classrooms with other students on challenging curriculum which met the State's content and performance standards. These findings have implications for other middle schools who are developing Title I …
An examination of the characteristics of Texas middle schools has been conducted with the objective of developing a planning tool for middle staffs. This success is measured by the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS), whose rating scale has three components: campus scores on the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TAAS), campus attendance percentages, and campus dropout rates. TAAS scores and attendance rates have been the focus of this study. Two years of data were examined separately for research question. Principal component analysis reduced the number of indicators in both years' data to 20 factors/ Each of these factors received a designated based on the characteristics that the component indicators had in common. A multiple regression analysis was performed on these factors to determine the influence each had on the campus TAAS scores and attendance. The unpredictability of human subjects requires an additional step in this study to achieve valid conclusions. A comparison of the two years' results is made to discover attendance, gifted and talented programs, and teacher gender were the strongest overall positive influences on student achievement. Campus demographics, retention, and ESL/bilingual programs have the strongest association with low student achievement.
The purpose of this study was to provide descriptive information about values education programs in Texas elementary schools for policy makers, curriculum directors, and educators. Insight into this contemporary issue is augmented by exploring (a) commercially or locally developed values programs that are in place in schools, (b) the relationship between student and school district demographics and values education programs, (c) the role that different interest groups have in the introduction of values education programs, and (d) the extent to which values education programs are accepted by different groups.
The impact of change facilitator styles (CFS) on elementary teachers' stages of concerns (SoC) about adopting outcome-based education (OBE) in their schools was studied. The group studied was 266 teachers from the Texas Network for Outcome-Based Education. Principal styles are based on the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM. Styles were determined by the Change Facilitator Style Questionnaire, and teachers' concerns profiles were measured by the Stages of Concern Questionnaire. ANOVA and t tests were conducted to assess the effects of CFS at each of the seven stages of concern. ANOVA assessed teachers' educational level, experience with teaching and OBE, principal gender and type of community related to SoC. Chi-square addressed the relationship among the demographic variables and CFS. With schools as the unit of analysis, significant differences at stages 0,1,2 were found. When teachers were the unit of analysis, significant differences were found at stages 0,1,2, and 3. Concerns of teachers with Initiator style principals were significantly lower at these stages. All teachers demonstrated concerns typical of nonusers, indicating resistance to OBE. Concerns were significantly lower for teachers with master's degree than for bachelor's at stages 0 to 3. Teachers with the least experience with OBE had significantly higher concerns. Chi-square compared change facilitator styles with the demographic variables. The only significant results were more males at the management style than expected. These findings support the CBAMtheory that the initiator style is more effective at impacting SoC and improving success in adopting an innovation. Teacher demographic variables do not affect SoC or CFS. The study indicates problems implementing OBE but suggests effective leadership could impact teachers' concerns.
An activity for principal improvement that has not received much attention is the structured management effectiveness profile. The concept is to provide the principal and a group of teachers at that campus with an opportunity for assessment of the principal's management and leadership skills. A comparison between the two provides the principal with information on their perceived management strengths and weaknesses. One such profile, available through the American Association of School Administrators is the Educational Administrator Effectiveness Profile (EAEP). The EAEP was originally given to 66 principals in Tarrant County, Texas. This study reports the results of reassessment of 40 of those principals after a five year period.
This study was conducted to examine the problem of attrition from a public middle school foreign language enrichment program by students who were admitted on the basis of superior grades, test scores, and recommendations from their teachers, counselors, and parents. The study took place in inner-city San Antonio and involves Latino sixth and seventh graders from mostly low-income families. Literature pertaining to school choice options, education of Latino students, and student attrition was reviewed. Research questions pertained to the differences in characteristics of students staying in the program and leaving it and in the reasons students gave for their decisions to stay or leave. In addition, the efficacy of an existing student attrition model, modified for this study, was tested for organizing data. Data sources included surveys of students and teachers, interviews with administrators and counselors, and school records. Logit regression analysis revealed two factors linked to student persistence in the program to be significant to the .01 level: student involvement in the initial decision to apply to the program, and the presence of a student's best friend at the school the student attended. A third variable approached significance (at the . 10 level): the student's score on the math subtest of a criterion-referenced test given statewide. Recommendations to the district program administrators include incorporating the math subtest score on the statewide instrument into the screening process and providing more and better information to parents and students who are eligible and wish to apply for acceptance into the program.
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