Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Educational evaluation'

This qualitative case study analyzed a teacher development and evaluation program implemented in an independent school district in Southeast Minnesota. Teacher effectiveness is a complex construct, which makes teacher evaluation challenging. Three stakeholder group’s perspectives were analyzed in this multiyear qualitative case study. Through interviews, teachers and administrative team members’ perspectives were gathered in the 2011-2012 academic school year and the implementation team members’ perspectives were gathered five years later in the 2016-2017 academic school year. The qualitative data was analyzed to answer the research sub-questions: (a) how and to what extent did the 2011-2012 implementation of the district’s Teacher Professional Growth Protocol build a foundation to meet the 2014-2015 Minnesota Statute requirements on teacher evaluation?, (b) how and to what extent did the district’s Teacher Professional Growth Protocol engage teachers in reflective practice focused on growth?, and (c) how and to what extent did the district’s Teacher Professional Growth Protocol build a foundation for continuous improvement? Triangulated data indicated commonalities as well as discrepancies in perspectives resulting in two lessons learned: (1) research and practice align; bridging the two is a concern; and (2) continued and expanded application of implementation science is needed for system effectiveness. There is a discrepancy bridging research and practice, which this study demonstrates. The findings indicate a strong need to reallocate time to meet the needs of a public school district to develop its teachers and to grow their effectiveness.

Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of successful alternative schooling. Moreover valid program evaluation methods to identify successful alternative school practices are hit and miss. As a result, public policy and systems of accountability have either disregarded information relating to alternative high schools or unjustifiably included them in comparisons with traditional high schools.

This dissertation studied the issue of how best to evaluate alternative high schools and what tools support leaders in planning a thorough and accurate program evaluation. The Alternative High School Program Evaluation Toolkit was developed to support school leaders and evaluation teams made up of internal and external stakeholders as they facilitate the program evaluation process. The features of the Toolkit address the need for alternative school evaluation to be practical, useful, fair and accurate. The Evaluation Toolkit includes training materials, protocols, an evaluation planning worksheet and an evaluation planning matrix that supports the team in conducting the evaluation.

The research represented in this dissertation is theoretically and practically grounded in Bridges and Hallinger's (1995) Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Borg and Gall's (1989) Research and Development (R&D) Cycle. The product of the R&D Cycle was the Alternative High School Program Evaluation Toolkit and a process for use by evaluation teams assigned the task of planning and carrying out program evaluations.

The time between the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and its replacement, the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, marked a period of unprecedented policy-driven education reform. Unfortunately, the major objectives of the policy were not achieved, and the very problems it sought to fix still exist. One reason for this was an overreliance on testing and test scores as a lever for change. This study’s purpose was to explore the ways in which an educational leader could bring the tools of the practitioner-scholar to bear on public policy problems worth solving. This research question was addressed through three distinct, but interconnected, articles that utilized different methodologies. The first demonstrated the application of the tools of public policy analysis to bilingual education policy at the federal, state, and local levels. The second critiqued New York State’s student growth model used in the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) using quantitative methods. The third analyzed the broader APPR policy and sought to address its many shortcomings by proposing a new, viable policy alternative for consideration by policymakers. The major implications of this study include a strong caution against the use of standardized tests of student achievement to measure progress toward policy goals, a demonstration of the importance of identifying and applying criteria to assess public education policies, and a recognition of educational leaders as important actors in the policy making process.

School officials in a large district adopted a research-based teacher evaluation system, the Framework for Teaching (FFT). Despite a 4-year phase-in of the FFT, teachers’ evaluation ratings increased while student achievement results decreased. This disparity impacted the school district’s growth targets as set by the State Department of Education. If target growths are unmet, school administrators must relinquish school operations to the state. A bounded, qualitative case study was designed to explore administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of the FFT and its influence on school administrators’ assessment of teachers’ instructional practices. Social constructivist and andragogy theories formed the study’s conceptual framework. A purposeful sample of 6 K-12 district administrators, who reviewed teacher performance, and 12 K-12 district teachers, who were evaluated using the FFT, volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed using open and axial coding. Key results included concerns with lack of time for conferences during the evaluation process, administrators’ skills to provide quality feedback to teachers, and their lack of content knowledge to improve teaching and learning in specific content areas. It was recommended that teachers receive evidence- based, constructive, and individualized feedback from the school administrator. Based on the findings, the Feedback Institute was developed to engage school administrators in professional development to learn how to provide substantive feedback using protocols and structures to support teacher growth and to use content specialists to address gaps in administrators’ content knowledge. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change by restructuring the teacher evaluation process to improve instructional practice, and, thus, enhance school improvement and student learning.

This qualitative case study explored how the classroom management practices of sampled teachers in a private school in central Oregon influenced classroom disruptions. Through the study, the researcher was able to provide insight on the differences in specific classroom management processes between teachers who had a high number of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) classroom discipline referrals versus those who had a low number. The phenomenon studied was how the classroom management practices and culture that the teachers developed in their classroom influenced the effectiveness of management of their students. Triangulation of data involved using teacher interviews, classroom observations, and classroom artifacts. Four research questions framed this study. Two models providing the theoretical foundation included Sugai and Horner positive behavioral support (PBS) and Edgar Schein’s model of culture. Two of the themes emerged as significant in advancing knowledge of teachers’ classroom management. First, in the area of teachers’ perception of classroom management, the teachers with high level of classroom referrals and those with low level of classroom referrals perceived that they had effective classroom management practices. Second, teachers with a low number of referrals appeared to take a more holistic approach to classroom management, while teachers with a high number of referrals used a more traditional approach to classroom management. Additional qualitative and quantitative research should further explore the effectiveness of a holistic classroom management model versus a more traditional classroom management model.

Over the past two decades public schools have faced an unrelenting demand for reform. In response to this call for change, researchers have identified two strategies that hold great promise – organizational mindfulness and teacher collaboration. Despite the volume of work that has focused on these areas, little has been done to investigate their overlap. This study discusses development of the Teacher Instructional Practice and Sentiments (TIPS), an 18-item survey to measure teacher practices and beliefs that reflect mindful collaboration for improving instruction. Teacher responses to the TIPS were gathered and analyzed from a representative statewide sample of elementary school teachers in Washington State. Findings examined survey items which were aligned to the five cognitive processes of HRO theory: preoccupation with failure, reluctance to simplify, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise. An exploratory factor analysis was complete using Principal Components Analysis with varimax rotation which revealed three factors underlying mindfulness in schools. The first factor, Mindful Focus on Students, includes items such as understanding a student’s home situation, as well as making accommodations for struggling learners. The second factor, Mindful Focus on Relationships, deals with interactions between teachers, students, parents, and the community. Finally, Mindful Focus on Instruction includes “checks for understanding” and brainstorming with colleagues on strategies to get students to standard. As an alternative to forcing the current labels of HRO theory on education, consideration should be given to application of these school-specific categories. They simplify the process of evaluating mindfulness in schools, and simplify the variables requiring investigation. Use of the TIPS survey to understand the extent to which mindfulness and teacher collaboration are evident in schools is recommended.

This thesis examines the relationship between self-efficacy, parental self-efficacy, and valence toward school. Given the link between student’s higher achievement and parental involvement, a desire for deeper understanding of how to engage parents in their children’s learning was the driving force behind this study. Research was conducted to seek understanding of a potential relationship between parents’ school valence and how social constructionist theory may play a role in their self-efficacy. Further inquiry focused on how parents’ self-efficacy in learning may have an impact on engagement with their children’s learning. Follow-up questioning probed at what support parents want in order to feel more successful when engaging with their children in learning. This descriptive research is a mixed methods approach, utilizing survey and personal interview data to come to some conclusions on the interplay of these factors. Ultimately it is determined that more research is necessary to come to more concrete conclusions, though an underlying connection between self-efficacy and parental self-efficacy is made. It is recommended that further research be conducted on a larger scale. This research would investigate if there is a significant correlation between parents who had involved parents when they were in school and parents who are involved with their own children’s education.

Problem. The demands of the principalship have become overwhelming for school principals and have contributed to job dissatisfaction. The expectations and pressure for schools to demonstrate positive learning outcomes require principals to be highly skilled and motivated. Since principal performance is directly affected by their job satisfaction, district offices would benefit from understanding how district directors’ leadership practices influence the job satisfaction of principals and which supports are the most impactful.

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how district directors’ leadership behaviors, as aligned to Kouzes and Posner’s (2012) 5 practices of exemplary leadership, influence principals’ job satisfaction from the perspective of principals from small to midsized San Diego County school districts in kindergarten through 8th-grade Southern California schools.

Methodology. This qualitative single case study focused on a semistructured interview and a public district document review to explore from the principal’s perspective district office directors’ leadership behaviors and practices that influence principal job satisfaction and identify impactful supports.

Findings. The analysis of the findings resulted in 6 themes and 14 subthemes that described, from principals’ perspectives, leadership behaviors and practices of district office directors that align with Kouzes and Posner’s 5 practices of exemplary and what support provided positively influenced principal job satisfaction.

Conclusions. When district office directors lead in a manner that is responsive, supportive, and encouraging, it fosters positive relationships and higher levels of job satisfaction among site principals. By improving working conditions of site principals, district leaders are minimizing principal turnover and increasing principals’ effectiveness.

Recommendations. District directors should be available and responsive to principal needs engaging in collaboration and problem solving. They should create an environment that allows for frequent communication and input, and provide personalized coaching for principals on topics of their choice. Districts should create systems that formalize these supports.

This integrative research review aims to examine the application of Kolb’s theory of experiential learning through the use of simulations within virtual learning environments. It will first cover the framework of experiential learning as stated by Kolb, a learning theory that is finding new life within the context of simulations, role-playing games (RPGs), massive multiplayer role playing games (MMORPGs) and virtual environments. This analysis was conducted by making use of combined research strategies that focused specifically on both qualitative and quantitative reviews that utilized Kolb’s experiential theory of learning (ELT) within the context of the application of computer based simulations in virtual environments used to facilitate learning. The review was guided by three principle questions: From the year 2000 to 2016, which research studies that examine the use of simulations to facilitate learning, use experiential learning theory as its foundational theoretical approach? Of the works that were selected, which studies were computer based simulations in virtual environments and demonstrated firm connections between Kolb’s ELT and the results of the study? And lastly, within the final group of studies identified what patterns emerge through the application of Kolb’s ELT within the context of computer based simulations in virtual environments?

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify and describe the attributes of public charter schools considered important for the selection of a charter school as perceived by the parents of charter school students. A second purpose of this study was to identify the sources parents used to inform their decision to enroll their child in a charter school.

Methodology. This qualitative study was accomplished by interviewing parents of public charter school students in three districts within San Bernardino County. The interview consisted of nine open-ended questions and each interview was recorded to ensure accuracy of the responses. The results of the interview were analyzed and organized into a narrative form. The population for the study included parents of public charter school students.

Findings. The participants noted smaller class sizes, higher educational quality, and a more nurturing environment as the main reasons for selecting a public charter school. Their answers also indicated the variety of programs available to them at charter schools influenced their decision to enroll their children. Participants noted talking with friends and family as a major source of gathering information about schools. Using some form of the internet was also instrumental for parents when obtaining information about a given school.

Conclusions. The results of this study supported the conclusion that parent perceptions of schools and the education they offer may be more influential than the school’s performance on state assessments. Results indicated many other factors influenced a parent’s selection of a school. A positive environment, which cultivated learning, and a variety of educational opportunities were crucial attributes for many parents.

Recommendations. The researcher recommended the study be replicated in a different region of California to see if the results remain the same. Additionally, a study should be conducted to see how many and why parents removed their children from public charter schools and returned them to traditional public schools.

The Montessori method is a comprehensive, child-centered, developmentalist philosophy of education developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in Rome, Italy, in the early 1900s. The Montessori method differs from traditional approaches to education, and has had limited exposure in the U.S. until the last 20 years. Despite this growth, little research data exists on the effectiveness of the method or of parent understanding the method. This research project attempted to determine parent understanding of the Montessori method of education at three Montessori schools in Massachusetts that educate children from toddlers to grade 8.

The objective of the research was to design, implement, and analyze a survey that measured parent understanding of the Montessori principles and classroom practices. The survey was developed using the Montessori principles as the foundation. The goal was to determine both the extent of parent understanding of the Montessori principles and parent perception of how these principles are carried out in the Montessori classroom.

Parents and guardians were asked a total of 10 questions, 7 of which were five-point Likert scales. The quantitative questions specifically addressed the six Montessori principles and were designed to test parents’ overall understanding of each principle. Responses ranged from a principle being not at all important to very important. The qualitative portion of the survey instrument utilized three open-ended, self-completed questions designed to reveal a range of parent perceptions about Montessori education and classroom practices.

The surveys revealed that parent values and thinking do line up with some aspects of the Montessori method and philosophy. The surveys also revealed that parents seem to value classroom practices contrary to the founding principles. What parents value and what parents think about regarding concepts such as goal setting, achievement, competition with peers, and teachers preparing and presenting lessons is in direct contrast with some of the Montessori founding principles and intentions.

If Montessori schools wish to remain viable, they will need to reconcile the Montessori principles with conflicting parent values and, further, determine how to better align their principles with parent views and desires for their children.

School districts composed of a large number of high-poverty students are generally not found to be high-achieving (Chenoweth & Theokas, 2013). In Missouri, districts are assessed in accordance with the fifth edition of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) which results in an Annual Performance Report (APR) score (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [MODESE], 2014d). School administrators of districts having two consecutive years of APR scores over 95% while having a student population composed of a large number of students receiving free or reduced price meals were recruited for a qualitative study. Interview questions were developed based on the Rosenholtz (1985) paper about effective, high-poverty, inner-city schools. The questions were designed to extract information about the ways in which building leaders decrease teacher isolation, maintain a skilled teaching staff, set and monitor goals, remove non-instructional tasks for teachers, and maintain a collaborative school culture. Upon analyzing interview data, seven common themes emerged: collaboration, relationships, consistency and stability, high expectations, clarifying tasks or objectives, using and analyzing data, and community support. Over 60% of Missouri schools report a 50% or higher free and reduced price meal rate among students (MODESE, 2014j), which leads to additional challenges for educators (Balfanz, 2011; Hagelskamp & DiStasi, 2012; Jensen, 2013). Besides adding to current data about high-achieving, high-poverty districts, this study provides evidence specific to Missouri educators that can be used to inform future practices.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the academic achievement in reading among students enrolled in single-gender and coeducational classes, as well as the impact of teachers’ perceptions on the outcome of academic achievement. The study used a mixed-method approach to address this purpose. This study reported quantitative findings from reading scores on the Acuity test for 396 students in grades two through eight, from four elementary and two middle schools within an urban district in Missouri. Acuity scores were examined in several ways: comparison of the means for coeducational and single-gendered classrooms by grade and gender, as well as Chi-Square test of significance and the analysis of variance. The findings of the study varied by grade level for single-gender and coeducation classrooms, but overall there was no significant difference. Using the qualitative method, this study reported findings from 36 teachers that were in six different groups. The researcher divided the teacher participants into six sample groups. Each group consisted of six subjects. Two groups taught single-gendered classes of the same sex. Another two groups taught single-gendered classes of the opposite sex as the instructor, and the last two groups taught coeducational classes. The results of the teacher perceptions indicated that a single-gendered classroom did not necessary alter student behavior. If student behavior was not altered, there was no expectation of positive change in student achievement. The overall findings of this study concluded that there was no significant difference in student achievement between single-gendered and coeducational classrooms in an urban setting. From this study, the researcher recommended that school leaders should cautiously embrace single-gendered classrooms, due to the notion that they do not necessarily fulfill the claims that supports previously made.

This program evaluation seeks to determine whether a new expulsion program established in a suburban school district in the Mountain West region of the United States was successful in its goals of reengaging expelled students and preparing them for a successful transition back to a traditional school. This new program was designed as a foil to computer based programs of previous years and adopted a social-emotional focus to increase student resiliency. Quantitative student data, as well as qualitative data from student focus groups was analyzed to gauge program effectiveness. Findings indicate that students earned significantly more credits and had significantly fewer absences than students from the previous year’s program. Focus groups suggested that a warm, welcoming environment staffed by caring, supportive adults was critical to increasing student engagement. Additionally, direct instruction and practice of social-emotional and resiliency skills contributed to a sense of preparedness to return to a traditional school environment.

There is limited literature regarding how higher education leaders influence and shape curriculum do for graduate students. The question is how the curriculum is influenced by higher education leaders. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to discover how those in leadership positions in higher education influence and shape curriculum for business school graduate students. Examining the influence higher education leaders have on curriculum design will provide information to universities to evaluate their current processes and may help universities continue to improve program quality. An exploratory qualitative descriptive approach was taken for this study. Qualitative data was collected via eight interviews with those involved in curriculum design. Specifically, participants for this study were those in leadership positions (administrators, deans, associate deans, and senior faculty) in the masters of business administration (MBA) program at a selected university in the Northeast region of the United States. The data from the interview transcripts were analyzed to discover how those in leadership positions in higher education influence and shape curriculum for business school graduate students. The four major themes identified in this study were flexibility, streamlining, continuous improvement, and innovation. The study revealed that factors such as flexibility, communication (internal and external), adaptability, and technology all contribute to robustness of the graduate business curriculum and are a reflection of how those in leadership positions influence the curriculum. The findings from the study revealed similar views regarding participants’ experiences about their role in influencing and shaping the curriculum, challenges faced, and common experiences among several participants. The study revealed that the participants reported positive feedback on their level of participation with the curriculum design process. The practical implications that may result from the proposed research may explain the current leadership structures, both formal and informal, within department of business. Results of the study may also have the potential to inform the development of future curriculum design efforts to enable current and future department faculty and chairs to influence curriculum design as effectively as possible.

With only four years of mandated state-standards in adult basic education (ABE), very little is known about the influence of state-standards implementation on the unique learning needs of its adult students. Two decades of research on standards-based education in the U.S. K12 system has yielded widely debated results regarding the impact of state-standards on student achievement. Against this backdrop, state-standards implementation within the distinct context of Minnesota ABE was examined in this study, specifically the perceived influence of standards implementation on teacher practices and student engagement in cognitive rigor, as well as the teacher, site, and student characteristics reported to have either supported or challenged implementation. The basic qualitative design was utilized to collect and interpret the perceptions and experiences of its sample of 12 Minnesota ABE teachers from distinct instructional contexts with 12 or more hours of standards implementation training. Data triangulation was utilized for data collection, including an interview and two member checks. The inductive analysis procedure in concert with the constant comparative method was used to analyze the interviews and develop themes and deeper connections based on the theory of complex adaptive systems. The results of the study showed that, overall, participants reported modest changes in their teaching practices that they perceived to have increased their students’ engagement in cognitive rigor. Participants also reported modest changes in student demonstration of learning that indicated increased cognitive rigor. Findings indicated a minimal contrast to the inconclusive nature of the K12 research base in establishing a link between standards implementation and increased student achievement. Furthermore, the findings showed that state leaders should continue to offer robust training and support teacher collaboration.

Low-income, first-generation, urban students are typically underprepared academically for college-level course work and lack knowledge, which most non-first-generation students possess (Ward, Siegel, & Davenport, 2012). Success in higher education depends on students effectively navigating and transitioning into an institution (Pike & Kuh, 2005). Community-based nonprofit organizations support first-generation, low-income, urban students as they navigate through the provision of college access/readiness programs (Smith, Benitez, Carter, & Melnick, 2012). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of one community-based college access program on the persistence, retention, and matriculation of its participants. Quantitative data included retention rates and grade point averages of 39 students who participated in the program and 82 similarly qualified non-participants. The retention rate for students participating in the program was 95% and the GPA was 2.88, as compared to a 79% retention rate and a GPA of 2.40 for similarly qualified students. The difference in both retention rates and GPA was statistically significant. For the qualitative portion of the study, focus groups were conducted to understand perceptions of 15 participants who were first-generation, low-income, urban students. Their responses were viewed through the lens of Schlossberg's (1989) theory of marginality and mattering. In addition, staff members who have worked longitudinally with students were interviewed. Three themes emerged: relationships, intentional experiences, and self-advocacy. Based on the findings from this study, college access programs should design their curriculum and experiences around the relationship between students and staff members.

This qualitative research study is a phenomenological exploration of teachers' understanding of and perceptions about the teacher evaluation process in North Carolina and the use of the North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES). Twenty-three teachers with varying years of experience and from six schools of varying demographics were interviewed about their knowledge and perceptions of each evaluation standard and were asked to provide examples of how they have used feedback from the evaluation process to inform their professional practices. Overall, participants had a limited understanding of the standards-based portion of the NCEES and of the value-added data component of the NCEES. Teachers received limited feedback from the evaluation process and were generally unable to provide examples of how they have been able to use feedback from the evaluation process to inform their professional practices. Teachers provided insight about the strengths and weaknesses of the NCEES and suggestions for improvement in the evaluation process and in the NCEES. As a result of the findings, implications for future teacher evaluation in North Carolina are discussed.

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between six factors of student satisfaction and intent to continue with online education in a sample of older adult learners. Participants were chosen using a stratified random sampling of students enrolled at Mercer University and South University online programs to ensure a proportional mix of qualifying learners. The randomly selected qualifying online students received an email inviting them to participate in the study. An online survey adapted from the technology acceptance model (TAM), the Student e-learning Satisfaction Instrument (SESI), along with demographic questions were used to gather the data. The data were analyzed using logistic regression. This study involved the investigation of the relationships between the perceived satisfaction of older adults with online technologies in an educational setting, as measured by the SESI instrument with the criterion variable of intent to continue online learning. Overall, mean scores for the six predictor variables were somewhat stable across the variables, ranging from the lowest for Personalization (M=3.65, SD=0.61) to the highest for Learner Interface (M=3.81, SD=0.77). Results of binomial logistic regression analysis indicated that the variable of e-learning satisfaction is a statistically significant predictor of the odds that older adult learners intend to continue online learning (β=1.205, p=0.006). None of the perceived satisfaction scores averaged below 3, indicating that a majority of the participants affirmed that they were satisfied with technology. The practical recommendations suggest that to ensure the success of older adult learners in the online environment, learners must be able to adopt new techniques for effective teaching and learning in an online environment. The online teaching instructor should also design the programs based on the needs of the leaners. Future research recommendations include a qualitative analysis of the research problem could produce results that substantiate the findings of the current study.