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1
Mead, Carlton R. 1963. "Encouraging school leadership in elementary schools." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/8293.
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xi, 112 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number.The purpose of this study was to conduct, as a participant observer and district-level regional administrator, three exploratory mini-case studies of elementary schools in the same district attempting to meet the same district improvement goal, imbedded in individual School Improvement Plans (SIP) during the same period of time in the school year. In order to document how each leadership team identifies strategies to meet the goal, how strategies are implemented, how each leadership team interacts with me as their district administrator, and how performance toward meeting the goal is perceived by key actors in the school this research was conducted as an action-research case study. The inter-relationships between school goals and school leadership team behaviors in a large suburban school district and the influence of these teams on the practices of the individuals on each of the three different school teams were the primary focus of this study. This study took place beginning in December 2007 and culminating in March 2008. The researcher kept a field journal of team meetings and staff development activities at each site. Interviews were conducted with principals, teachers, and parents at each site to gain multiple perspectives of school improvement and leadership. Findings of this case study may reveal a close connection between the practices of the regional administrator and school leadership teams and the outcome of school improvement initiatives. Recommendations are made for changes in practice and for future research studies.
Adviser: Diane M. Dunlap
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Mead, Carlton R. "Encouraging school leadership in elementary schools /." Connect to title online (Scholars' Bank) Connect to title online (ProQuest), 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/8293.
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Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008.Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-112). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.
3
Cartmel, Jennifer Leigh. "Outside school hours care and schools." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2007. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/1/Jennifer_Cartmel_Thesis.pdf.
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Outside school hours programs provide recreation, play and leisure-based programs for children aged 5 to 12 years in before- and after-school settings, and in the vacation periods. Over the past ten years, the number of programs has grown rapidly due to women’s increasing participation in the workforce. At the same time, critical changes for the operation and administration of Queensland outside school hours care services were occurring following the introduction of mandatory standards and quality assurance. This study is a critical ethnography investigating the circumstances for two Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services located on school sites at this time of change. The services were responding to the introduced legislative and accreditation requirements, the burgeoning numbers of students in the programs, and the requirements by parents for care for their school-aged child. The findings of this study show the complexity of the dualities of purpose and the operational administration of OSHC services, an area that has been little identified and discussed to date. This study illuminated not only aspects of OSHC services, it provided an opportunity for the co-ordinators of the two OSHC services to reflect on the operational structures.
As the majority of OSHC services in Queensland (and other Australian states) are located in school sites, a closer examination of the relationship between OSHC and schools provided insights into some issues concerning the sector. Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action was used to investigate the state of affairs and analyse the consensual and coercion meaning-making that occurred in the interactions between the stakeholders, specifically between the OSHC coordinators and school principals. Critical ethnographic research techniques, including participant observations and semi-structured interviews, were used to investigate what appears below the surface of social existence in the OSHC settings.
On the surface, the interactions between the coordinators and principals appeared congenial. However, the study found that the vulnerability of the OSHC services for alienation and marginalisation was linked to the lack of legitimacy and reduced sense of social membership endowed by the ambience of the school setting in which the services were located. The study found that the distorted communicative action that took place within the OSHC settings exhibited the pathologies of alienation, withdrawal of legitimation and lack of collective identity. Examining the relationships of the key stakeholders within the outside school hours care services offers conceptual understandings of existing institutional relationships and practices, This critical ethnography pinpoints sources of power and unease contributing to the concerns for the outside school hours sector and recommends ways to develop these programs.
4
Cartmel, Jennifer Leigh. "Outside school hours care and schools." Queensland University of Technology, 2007. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/17810/.
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Outside school hours programs provide recreation, play and leisure-based programs for children aged 5 to 12 years in before- and after-school settings, and in the vacation periods. Over the past ten years, the number of programs has grown rapidly due to women’s increasing participation in the workforce. At the same time, critical changes for the operation and administration of Queensland outside school hours care services were occurring following the introduction of mandatory standards and quality assurance. This study is a critical ethnography investigating the circumstances for two Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services located on school sites at this time of change. The services were responding to the introduced legislative and accreditation requirements, the burgeoning numbers of students in the programs, and the requirements by parents for care for their school-aged child. The findings of this study show the complexity of the dualities of purpose and the operational administration of OSHC services, an area that has been little identified and discussed to date. This study illuminated not only aspects of OSHC services, it provided an opportunity for the co-ordinators of the two OSHC services to reflect on the operational structures.
As the majority of OSHC services in Queensland (and other Australian states) are located in school sites, a closer examination of the relationship between OSHC and schools provided insights into some issues concerning the sector. Habermas’ Theory of Communicative Action was used to investigate the state of affairs and analyse the consensual and coercion meaning-making that occurred in the interactions between the stakeholders, specifically between the OSHC coordinators and school principals. Critical ethnographic research techniques, including participant observations and semi-structured interviews, were used to investigate what appears below the surface of social existence in the OSHC settings.
On the surface, the interactions between the coordinators and principals appeared congenial. However, the study found that the vulnerability of the OSHC services for alienation and marginalisation was linked to the lack of legitimacy and reduced sense of social membership endowed by the ambience of the school setting in which the services were located. The study found that the distorted communicative action that took place within the OSHC settings exhibited the pathologies of alienation, withdrawal of legitimation and lack of collective identity. Examining the relationships of the key stakeholders within the outside school hours care services offers conceptual understandings of existing institutional relationships and practices, This critical ethnography pinpoints sources of power and unease contributing to the concerns for the outside school hours sector and recommends ways to develop these programs.
5
Keller, Karlyn. "Efficacy in Texas Charter Schools Compared to Traditional Public Schools." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2015. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc804856/.
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The need to spur innovation and improve student performance initiated the formation of, under different legislative acts, charter schools that include variations of traditional public schools. With the enthusiasm and level of investment going into the formation of charter schools, it is necessary to explore whether these schools have achieved their objectives. This study explored whether Texas open enrollment charter schools perform bettered compared to Texas public schools. The study applied a causal comparative quantitative research design. School data on graduation and dropout rates, college preparation, attendance rates, and overall performance were analyzed quantitatively. Student achievement data available for statistical analysis includes student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) state assessment from 2007 to 2011. Data analysis for race, special programs, at risk, economically disadvantaged, and limited English proficiency was incorporated. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance techniques were included in the data analysis. The analysis extended to post hoc tests to determine variables that caused variation. The study found Texas open-enrollment charter schools had more African American students but fewer Whites compared to public schools. Students in public schools performed better than those in charter schools, and Whites yielded the best performance. Charter schools had high dropout rates, low attendance, and low graduation rates, while public schools had low dropout rates, high attendance, and high graduation rates. Finally, public schools had more students ready for college than charter schools.
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Gibson, Greg. "School Resource Allocation in Texas Public Schools: Study of High-Poverty, High Performing Schools and High-Poverty, Low Performing Schools." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2009. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9927/.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between resource allocation practices in specific categorical functions and student performance in reading and math. This study utilized quantitative research methods to study the effects of spending and performance over four years of analysis. Quantitative data was acquired utilizing information from the Texas Education Agency. The data was collected from 81 campuses and represented over 1,500 students. The study's outcomes reported that little or no correlation could be found between inputs (dollars spent in three categories) and outputs (student results in reading and math). However, subgroup analysis revealed that students from non- low socioeconomic (SES) households started out higher than their low SES counterparts, and low SES students performed worse over time in both reading and math. Math results decreased more dramatically than reading indicating a need for school-level training in data analysis to ensure that limited dollars are spent appropriately. The study recommends that principals and school administrators be especially knowledgeable in critical data analysis skills. The study further recommends that state policy-makers invest more heavily in early math instruction. In addition, the current study found that student achievement, in low-SES students, especially in mathematics is very alarming. Low SES students are starting out behind the non low-SES counterparts and perform progressively worse over time. State policy makers must address these concerns.
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Gibson, Greg Camp William E. "School resource allocation in Texas public schools study of high-poverty, high performing schools and high-poverty, low performing schools /." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2009. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-9927.
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Duszka, Christopher Damian. "School Climate in the School Choice Era: A Comparative Analysis of District-Run Public Schools and Charter Schools." FIU Digital Commons, 2018. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3922.
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Comparative analyses of district-run public schools and charter schools are limited to performance outcomes. There is a dearth of research on how the school-types vary on factors consequential to performance such as school climate. Public-private distinctions, such as in organizational autonomy, value orientations, funding structures, and management practices, could result in school climate dissimilarities between district-run public schools and charter schools.
The aim of this dissertation is to assess the influence organizational factors have on school climate and determine if school-type affects school climate. Student and staff school climate survey data from the Miami-Dade school district were utilized for this dissertation. Structural equation modeling was employed to test theoretical models of students’ and staffs’ perceptions of school climate using data from 2001-2002 through 2015-2016 academic years. Within-between effects panel regression was utilized to test the effect of school-type on school climate constructs over time using data from 2005-2006 through 2015-2016 academic years.
The structural equation results demonstrate that milieu, ecology, culture, and organizational structure influence students’ and staffs’ perceptions of their schools’ climates. Ecology has the strongest association with students’ perceptions of school climate. Job satisfaction, a part of milieu and culture, has the strongest association with staffs’ perceptions of school climate. The results indicate that the theoretical models of school climate employed by this study are sound.
The within-between effects panel regression results demonstrate that characteristics inherent to school-type have a plausible influence on students’ perceptions of school climate, but not for staff. Charter school students rated their school climates more favorably than traditional public schools, but when other factors are controlled, traditional public schools and magnet schools had more favorable ratings. Public-sector values, collective bargaining, and school district oversight may be beneficial to schools’ climates.
This dissertation underscores the impact management and funding structures have on school climate. The author recommends that the school climate concept and evaluations of schools’ organizational practices be incorporated into school improvement policies. The milieu, culture, ecology, and organizational structures of schools should be reviewed when assessing school quality.
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Byars, Kimberly. "After-school programs in Illinois elementary schools /." Available to subscribers only, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1362531151&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientId=1509&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2007."Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-71). Also available online.
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Agado, Gloria Ale. "Staff development in effective border schools /." Digital version accessible at:, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/utexas/main.
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Walton, Roy Hugh. "Physical Designs for Safe schools." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/40397.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate and report the perceptions of principals of high schools built prior to 1999 and high school principals of high schools built in the past five years as well as the perceptions of architects who build and design schools on the physical design elements that support a safe school environment. Qualitative methods of survey research were utilized to collect, analyze and interpret the data regarding the perceptions of principals and architects on the design elements that influence safety in select old and new high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Data collection consisted of recorded and transcribed interviews from a select group of questions tailored for each group of participants. The data were analyzed and emergent themes were generated from the results of the transcribed interviews.
The analyzed data found consistency in all three groups in their response to the interview questions. Common themes from all three groups focused on wide open spaces that increase visibility and hallways wide enough to support the smooth flow of students. All three groups mentioned controlling access to the building by the use of security vestibules and the use of cameras to record and provide surveillance as design elements that support a safe school environment. The location of the school office was cited by all three groups as paramount to school safety. The ability of staff to see who enters the school building and the ability to funnel visitors to the main office and not allow access to other parts of the school building was cited as crucial to a safe environment. All three groups spoke of doors and windows and the ability to secure the large number of doors as problematic.
This study also determined the need for doctoral and principal preparation programs to include specific coursework or training that involves principals in the design phase of constructing schools. Principals need to be involved in the planning and design process to insure new and renovated school buildings have the needed safety features they believe will help them in their work of educating students and providing for the safety of faculty and students. The principal should know and understand the workings of a school building and how a school organization operates. The result of such training would allow the principal to anticipate the effectiveness and consequences of certain designs in regards to the movement of students, program demands and requirements.Ed. D.
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Cottello, Jacqueline M. "Bullying in the schools." Online version, 2008. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2008/2008cottelloj.pdf.
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Erickson, Brittany. "Democratic School Design: Reimagining School Turnaround in Denver Public Schools." Thesis, Harvard University, 2016. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:27013332.
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After a decade of focused attention and millions of dollars, school turnaround remains one of the education sector's most pressing challenges. Research shows that tackling it requires the implementation of tried and true levers—high-quality instruction, effective school leadership, and family engagement—at the highest possible levels, and that it requires a sophisticated interrogation of broader structural challenges such as segregation, poverty, and racism. This capstone explores a novel approach to school turnaround in Denver Public Schools (DPS), the Year Zero Redesign cohort. This approach strives to equip principals with the mindsets, skills, and autonomy to build partnerships with families, redesign their schools, and effectively lead dramatic change efforts. Through this inquiry, I explore the unique role of principals in system-level transformation; the way trust affects schools and communities; and the quest to redesign schools in alignment with the needs and preferences of students and families. I also examine how DPS, a large and ambitious school district, might learn to support this work in a rapidly evolving policy environment. I argue that taking time for intentional school design and leadership development—not instructional leadership development alone, but community and creative leadership development as well—holds great potential for more consistent results in school turnaround and school redesign. I also suggest that this and other creative approaches to turnaround will become possible only when system-level incentives and accountability measures allow for it. This capstone offers lessons for DPS as it seeks to create an ecosystem of excellent and diverse school models, and for practitioners and policymakers across the sector seeking to realize transformative change through community mobilization and school design.
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Castelli, Michael J. "Studies on church schools, faith schools, religious education and dialogue." Thesis, University of Roehampton, 2016. https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/studies-on-church-schools-faith-schools-religious-education-and-dialogue(9a468b4f-399e-43b0-87d1-1e773f67ed73).html.
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Seeli, F. D., and A. M. Rambuda. "MANAGING INEFFECTIVE SECONDARY SCHOOLS AT LEJWELEPUTSWA DISTRICT IN THE FREE STATE PROVINCE." Interim : Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol 13, Issue 1: Central University of Technology Free State Bloemfontein, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/283.
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Published ArticleThis study reports the findings of the masters studies on management styles that are adopted in effective secondary schools and examined how the effect of participative management styles could positively change the status of ineffective secondary schools. Two hundred educators and five school principals were sampled for the study. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data for the study. The respondents argued that their school principals adopted democratic, transformational, situational, and behavioural styles of management. They further believed that the adoption of participative management styles would positively change the status of ineffective secondary schools. They argued that by adopting democratic, transformational, situational and behavioural styles of management will encourage educators to: i) develop effective teaching and learning in their classrooms as they will be highly motivated; ii) adopt participative teaching methods that encourage learners to take part in classroom activities with confidence; and, iii) adopt team teaching which contributes to better performance in the classroom.
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Meyer, Alan Gert. "School violence in secondary schools : guidelines for the establishment of health promoting schools / Alan Gert Meyer." Thesis, North-West University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/479.
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Ten years after the introduction of the new democratic political dispensation in
1994, violence in schools are as rife as before. There has been no significant
decrease in school violence during this period. Violence has only increased and
become part of people's everyday lives. School violence remains a serious
problem for both learners and educators. Various factors contribute to school
violence and it has become necessary to determine to what extent school
violence influences the learners of South Africa.
Education is available for everyone to utilize. For learners to achieve optimally,
safe environments need to be created. In order to eradicate the problem of
school violence, it is important to know what the concept school violence entails,
which factors contribute to school violence and to what extent school violence
has influenced the schools up to date. It is also important to keep track of
international trends which promote health in schools globally.
Health is undoubtedly linked to educational achievement. The World Health
Organization has initiated a project to promote health and healthy lifestyles
universally. To counteract the persisting violence in schools, the possibility of
creating health promoting schools in South Africa deserves attention.
In order to unravel the phenomenon of violence in schools, a qualitative method
of research was used, with data being collected by means of focus-group
interviews, through intentional sampling. The transcriptions were subjected to
descriptive analysis. The findings of the research are presented with an overview
of school violence in the West Rand region. Factors contributing to school
violence in this region have been identified as: drug and alcohol abuse,
gangsterism, gambling, intolerance and the influence of educators. Physical and
Psychological violence are the two main categories of violence identified in this
region with various sub-categories which include fighting, harassment, sexual
abuse, intimidation and victimization which enhance the violence and violent
behaviour in this region.
A nation's wealth lies within the youth of a country. They assure the future and
our children are the most important natural resources we possess, therefore we
need to respond to the challenges -violent behaviour and crime in our schools.Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.
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Jefferson, Steve P. "Charter schools : a descriptive study of empowerment within the operation of charter schools /." La Verne, Calif. : University of La Verne, 2003. http://0-wwwlib.umi.com.garfield.ulv.edu/dissertations/fullcit/3100051.
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Mizel, Omar. "School based management in Bedouin schools in Israel." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30902.
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School-Based Management (SBM) schools enjoy flexibility in resource utilisation and their success largely depends on their context's directives and characteristics. In 1995, Israel's Education Ministry transferred nine Jewish schools to SBM. Three years later, the ministry instructed the five Bedouin schools in Rahat to become SBM. The Bedouins are the first Israeli minority to adopt SBM in their schools. This research study will describe, study and assess the extent of SBM's implementation in the five Rahat schools, discussing the unique context, which studies on this subject have so far excluded. The context is unique because it is complex: the political relationship between majority (Jews) and minority (Arabs), the confrontation between a traditional, conservative society (Bedouin) and a modern, continually changing one (Israeli), and the Arab school system's total separation from the Jewish one. The study's target population consisted of the five coeducational primary schools' 179 teachers and five principals. Two approaches were used to analyse the findings: positivist-quantitative and phenomenological-qualitative, and two different tools to assess SBM in the five schools. The first tool, a questionnaire, was sent to the teachers and principals, who graded the answers 1 to 5, while the second was a semi-structured interview with the five principals and with randomly selected 20 teachers (four from each school). The results of SBM's pilot application in Israel's Bedouin community were opposite to what the Ministry of Education anticipated. The main factors that prevented the five schools from implementing SBM and increased centralisation included extensive intervention in school affairs by the Education Ministry and the local tribe, especially its leader (Sheikh), and Bedouin society's conservatism. Instead of implementing SBM, Bedouin schools should improve teacher training, upgrade the physical infrastructure, neutralise tribal influence, and use innovative teaching methods.
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Harris, F. B. "The School Board Day Industrial Schools : 1876 - 1903." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.378344.
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Gibbs, David J. "School counseling practices in alternative schools of Pennsylvania." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 2007. http://www.tren.com/search.cfm?p074-0090.
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Davis, Felicia. "School-based Health Centers in High Poverty Schools." Scholar Commons, 2018. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7493.
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This capstone project was part of a team project completed by two school principals in Hillsborough County, Florida. The project began because of our passion for meeting the needs of our students in urban high poverty schools being supported by varying district turnaround initiatives. We looked at our district’s previous and current attempts to increase student success in high poverty schools. We questioned the ways in which supports and resources were provided, and we explored ways through which success in high poverty schools might be increased by redefining the supports and resources provided. Our appreciative exploration of the topic was guided by the question, what successful examples of services and supports have contributed to an increase in success for students in high poverty schools? Considering that the majority of SBHCs exist in schools with high poverty rates, I was interested in what services were provided and how accessible they were. I looked for literature using the following keywords: wrap around services, school based health centers, health and student achievement. School-Based Health Centers improve access to healthcare, which can help to identify and
address health risk behaviors and contribute to more stable attendance at school. More instructional seat time can contribute to improved academic outcomes. The preventative role played by SBHCs can reduce barriers to learning, such as treating undiagnosed mental and physical illnesses. School-Based Health Centers provide wraparound services so that issues impacting
students such as obesity or asthma can be addressed on a school’s campus where key mental health, medical and school professionals can collaborate to meet the needs of students.
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Din, Ramida M. "The emigration to international schools." Thesis, Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2002. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25752492.
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Melton, David Glenn. "A History of Manassas Park City Schools." Diss., Virginia Tech, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/26230.
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The purpose of this study was to document the history of the development of the Manassas Park City School system. This study utilized historical research methods to preserve information that would otherwise be lost.
This was a study of local school history. It looked at how and why the school division began and how it has changed over time. It provides an understanding of how the school division evolved into its present state. This study examined the political, social and economic history of Manassas Park City Schools and the forces which influenced and shaped the school division. The study concentrated on political leaders, the residents who lived and worked in the city, and the financial difficulties experienced by the school division.
This study relied on historical research methods to document the history of the school division. Data for the study came from both primary and secondary source materials. Sources included letters, notebooks, memoranda, official papers and documents, reports, official minutes, newspaper articles, letters to the editor and editorials, and pamphlets. A major source for the study was interviews of the key individuals who had first hand information worth preserving.Ed. D.
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Delp, Cynthia Dawn. "Mount Rogers Combined School: The Experiences and Perspectives of Students and Staff When a Community School Closed." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/73217.
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The purpose of the study was to document and examine the experiences and perspectives of students and staff who were affected by the closure of Mount Rogers Combined School in 2010. Mount Rogers Combined School was established in Grayson County, Virginia, by the concerted efforts of volunteers and community members who valued education and considered schooling a top priority for the area. The original four-room school was built of rocks and housed grades 1 through 11, taught by four teachers, one of whom also served as the principal (Grayson County School Board [GCSB], 1993). In 1990, it was the smallest school in the Commonwealth of Virginia (United States Department of Agriculture, 1990).
A review of early education in Virginia and early education in Grayson County is documented to place the study in historical context. A brief history of Grayson County is also included in this paper. The qualitative case study documents the experiences and perspectives of the students and staff who went through the school's closure. Both primary and secondary sources were used to complete the study including interviews of students and staff who worked at or attended the school, reviews of official records and documents found in archives, examination of personal manuscripts, inspection of artifacts, and study of general histories.
School divisions close and consolidate schools to improve instructional programs for students, offset student enrollment declines, provide adequate facilities for learning, and for economic savings. Communication, developing relationships, transportation, extracurricular activities and course offerings are variables that should be considered when planning a school closure. While transportation and changes in relationships are particular challenges, the overall benefits for former staff members include better access to more resources and professional development opportunities. Former students tend to adapt better than staff members when schools close due to more course offerings and access to a broader range of extracurricular activities. The findings are aligned with the literature that was reviewed for the study.Ed. D.
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White, Mathew A. "An Australian co-educational boarding school as a crucible for life : a humanistic sociological study of students' attitudes from their own memoirs /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/37957.
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The aims of this study were to define an Australian boarding school, provide a summary of international and Australian boarding school literature, and complete a small-scale qualitative investigation of students' views in a co-educational boarding school. At first glance, it appeared that contemporary Australian boarding schools were a reproduction of the influential public boys' schools of Great Britain. Although there have been a number of histories of Australian independent schools, the boarding element has often been portrayed as Dickensian and remains an overlooked area of educational research. In particular, the literature available about Australian residential schooling over the past 20 years has been limited to a handful of significant studies by Cree and Trimingham Jack. In this study 45 Australian and overseas students were asked to write memoirs of 4-5,000 words about their boarding experience emphasising their thoughts, feelings and aspirations. The limitation was that all respondents were full-time boarders for at least one year when the questionnaire-survey was completed. The memoir-based humanistic approach of the Polish- American sociologist Florian Znaniecki, as developed for the analysis of personal and group social systems in the culturally diverse context of Australia by J. J. Smolicz, was employed to interpret the memoir data. The memoir method has been well documented in Australia, as a means of collecting and analysing concrete and cultural facts, mainly in relation to the study of minority ethnic groups and their cultural actions. The humanistic approach emphasized that the researcher must accept cultural phenomena from the viewpoint of its participants and not from that of an outside observer. In the present study, this approach permitted the researcher to understand the experiences and attitudes of individual students towards an Australian co-educational boarding education through their own eyes. The memoirs analysed were generated from 26 concrete questions, which revealed place-of-birth, ethnic identity, and languages spoken at home. This provided the researcher with verifiable information about the everyday lives of the respondents. The second half of the memoirs required response to 23 questions - these yielded cultural data. These questions required students to reflect on their situation, attitudes and experiences of boarding as a system of education. This information could only have been provided by the participants themselves and gave the researcher direct access to the memoir writers' individual and group consciousness. The study discovered that a number of the students were in the process of re-evaluating and re-interpreting the advantages and disadvantages of boarding school as a social system transmitted to them by parents, friends, family, and teachers. The respondent's personal statements revealed that the relationships among students and among students and staff in the boarding House tended to be primary in nature, in that they were personal, informal, and involved the entire human personality. From these data, it appeared that the success of a boarding school was determined by the personal atmosphere, support, and comfort of the boarding House. Consideration of the empirical data found that 43 of the 45 respondents' memoirs believed that their overall experiences at the research boarding school were positive. Negative observations stressed the pressures of homesickness, tedium of school life and a lack of freedom thereby supporting Goffman's view of a "total institution". The majority of students' memoirs were ambivalent towards religion at the research school. Nevertheless, 11 stressed its significant implication in their day-to-day lives. The memoirs suggested that an education at the research boarding school was a crucible that forged students through a variety of experiences, positive and negative, individual and collective, for life. Overall, the memoirs support the observation that boarding school acts as a social system for the acceptance of new cultural values, such as the cultural diversity respondents' experienced in their lives at boarding school. The study revealed an attitudinal shift in the group that welcomed the cultural pluralism of the school and recognised the cultural monism of the home. These memoirs revealed that boarding school was a significant factor in fostering independence and embracing cultural diversity as experienced in the crucible of the boarding school. These findings challenged the popular maxim that an Australian residential education was an anachronistic, inflexible, colonial-British model and suggested that it has the potential to act as a system of education that prepares its students for the challenges of life.Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Education, 2004.
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Dietrich, Lars. "Bullying in Schools| How School and Student Characteristics Predict Bullying Behaviors Among Boys in American Secondary Schools." Thesis, Brandeis Univ., The Heller School for Social Policy and Mgmt, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10010595.
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This dissertation argues that bullying is a fundamental response to bullies’ feelings of insecurity. Past research has found factors associated with bullying to include socioeconomic status and propensities towards violent behavior. Contextual factors posited here that produce the feelings of insecurity, which lead to bullying, include peer group dynamics, school climates, and teaching.
In relationship to peer groups, the theoretical framework of this dissertation draws primarily from the theories of Robert E. Crosnoe and Dorte M. Sondergaard. The assumption is that students are socially embedded in peer groups in which they struggle for social status (Crosnoe 2011) and in many cases experience the threat of social marginalization (Sondergaard 2012). Sondergaard, in particular, theorizes that the more insecure students feel about their social status in peer groups, the more likely they are to resort to bullying behavior.
All multivariate analyses in this dissertation are limited to white, black, and Latino boys. The resulting sample comprises N=6,491 student observations nested within 153 schools. The nested sampling structure requires multi-level modeling (MLM) for the calculation of unbiased estimates.
I find that individual-level student background characteristics are stronger predictors of bully identification than the school context, as measured by student body composition and teaching style factors. In addition, social status insecurity is a mediating factor for many of the student- and school-level predictors of bullying.
The dissertation distinguishes four types of schools, each of which is above or below average on two major dimensions. The first dimension is academic support (i.e., how caring and responsive teachers are), while the other is academic press (i.e., how strict and demanding they are).
I find that black male students are more likely to self-identify as bullies in schools that are below average on both academic support and academic press, compared to those that are above average on both. The pattern for Latino boys is different. For them, self-reported bullying is higher when the school rates high on academic support, but low on academic press.
I find no statistically significant role for teaching styles in predicting the amount of bully identification among white males.
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Kim, Patricia Costa. "Making music their own : school music, community, and standards of excellence in Seattle, 1960-75 /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/11294.
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LeVee, Janet Whiting. "The wasting of dangerous minds : kids, schools, violence, and the community /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/6441.
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Lowry, Daniel G. "Decentralized decision-making in Missouri public schools /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 1996. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9720556.
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Chen, Hing Corina. "The perceptions of the principal and teachers on school effectiveness : a case study in a subsidized secondary school /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 1999. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B42574900.
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Law, Kwai-sun Jeffrey. "School community in new town housing estate : integrating the public school into the community /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 2000. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B25948970.
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Anderson, Gail. "A Comparison of Eighth Grade Math, Reading and Behavior Outcomes in Grade K-8 Schools Versus Grade 6-8 Middle Schools." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/19209.
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The purpose of this study was to examine differences between school configuration and students' academic and behavioral outcomes. The participants were eighth grade students in K-8 schools who were matched with eighth grade students in 6-8 middle schools on factors including percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch, percentage of students receiving services for special education and English language learners, average years of teacher experience, and percentage of boys and girls in each school. Eighth grade student's standardized math and reading achievement data were collected at the school level for a 3-year period. Additionally, school-level data on suspensions and expulsions over the same 3-year period were also collected. The data were analyzed using arc-sine transformation, means, standard deviation, and a repeated-measure analysis of variance. No statistical interactions were observed between time and school type for any of the research questions. However, main effects favoring K-8 schools were found for (a) Math Test, (b) Reading Test, (c) In-school Suspensions, (d) Out-of-school Suspensions, and (e) Expulsions. These findings are interpreted with a lens towards assisting school districts as to which school configuration they should consider as it relates to the district's values and long-range goals.10000-01-01
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Gribble, Susan J. "Kimberley schools: a search for success." Thesis, Curtin University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1194.
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The purpose of this study was to identify the ways government schools in the Kimberley Education District of Western Australia attempted to engender success for their students. Schools in these communities are considered to be in poverty, they are largely populated by indigenous Australians, and situated in geographically isolated locations. It was important to establish the levels of student academic achievement and identify best school and classroom practices that centred on developing students' progress and achievement at school. The study was guided by the general research question: What are the effective ways school communities in the Kimberley work to improve student outcomes? Generating descriptions of best practices that make a geographical isolated school successful for students marginalised in the schooling process, and upon what criteria the success should be measured, were central to this research endeavour. It was critical to distinguish those dimensions of schooling in isolated areas that were malleable in improving the life chances of students. The study relied on an interpretive research methodology using both qualitative data and quantitative approaches to data collection, such as inquiry through conversations, informal and structured interviews, participant and non-participant observations, and the examination of material such as documents and students' work samples, complemented by a confirmatory survey and case studies. Participants in the study included school administration teams, teachers, students and their parents. The study was iterative and followed three distinct phases of development. In the first phase a general picture was gained about the ways in which schools in the Kimberley worked by observing four schools.The second phase involved developing and administering a study-specific questionnaire to personnel in 14 different schools in the District. This part of the study sought to confirm the interpretive aspects of phase one. In the third phase of the study, a more detailed picture of schools was drawn through a case study approach in five selected schools. Of particular importance in the case study schools was the tracking of a purposive sample of 150 students to assess their reading and writing (including spelling) progress. The results of the student assessments were analysed in terms of the progress students made and interpreted according to the amount of time students attended school. Making judgments about the success of Kimberley schools was an evaluation process in terms of how students performed. The students' performance was linked to the best practices in schools and classrooms that best supported students' learning to ascertain areas where schools could improve their operations. The study has identified challenges associated with school-home relationships, the ways schools and classrooms operate, the ways school plan and implement curriculum, how teachers develop their pedagogies, and the ways students are assessed. In response to teachers who do not fully understand these challenges, many Aboriginal children will choose to continue avoiding school or actively resist engaging in the learning process.Importantly, at the school level it was found that teachers were best supported in their work when school leaders worked to make everyone's day-to-day classroom work easier, engendered a congenial workplace environment which alleviated some of the personal stresses teachers experienced, ensured school plans went into operation in all classrooms across the school, and created a close link between the school, parents, and the community. At the classroom level in the Kimberley context, calm, stable, and orderly classroom environments are essential to establish. Consistent pedagogy is required across all classrooms within a school but a variety of activities within classrooms is important to accommodate Aboriginal styles of learning. Monitoring the continuity in students' progress as they moved from one year level to the next is imperative. The study showed that there are ways that schools can work for the betterment of students' progress at school but these ways are not universally adopted or implemented. Teachers in the Kimberley schools can learn to understand how to create a good school, how schools can be described as effective and improving, and how they can be termed schools that meet equality and quality ideals. The recommendations made from the study are intended to enable administration teams, teachers, and policy decision makers to make more informed decisions about schooling for geographically isolated students in government schools in the Kimberley region.
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Goodvin, Sharon Bever Gibson Ian. "School leaders' readiness for systemic change in Kansas schools." Diss., Access through your commercial service, 2005. http://il.proquest.com/products_umi/dissertations/.
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Pointing, Randall John. "Implementation of school councils in Queensland state primary schools." University of Southern Queensland, Faculty of Education, 2005. http://eprints.usq.edu.au/archive/00001487/.
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In Queensland, all state schools have the opportunity to decide the model of school-based management they would like to adopt for their school communities. For schools wishing to pursue the greatest level of school-based management, School Councils are mandatory. Because School Councils will play an important role as schools become increasingly involved in school-based management, the operations of newly formed Councils were the basis of this research. The main purpose of the study is to determine, through both literature and research, what makes an effective School Council. Although Education Queensland has identified roles and functions, as well as the rationale behind School Councils, clear guidelines to assist Councils with their implementation and to gauge the effectiveness of Councils do not exist. Because School Councils have only been implemented in Queensland for a very short period of time, there has been very little research undertaken on their operations. There are three main stages to this research. First, an extensive literature review explored the theoretical, research and policy developments in relation to school-based management and School Councils. Second, a pilot study was undertaken of an existing School Council that had been in operation for just twelve months. The final and most significant stage of the research involved multi-site case study of three newly formed School Councils, the research being conducted over a twelve-month period to obtain a longitudinal picture of their operations. Two general theoretical frameworks, based on the concepts of change theory and leadership theory, guided the research. Data from the study were analysed within these frameworks and within six focus areas that were identified from the literature and pilot study. These focus areas formed the basis for the development of criteria for the implementation of an effective School Council that were investigated in the three case studies. The focus areas were: 1. promoting the profile of the School Council within the school community; 2. developing well defined roles, responsibilities and functions of the School Council; 3. developing roles and relationships of School Council members; 4. promoting accountability, monitoring and reporting responsibilities; 5. providing training and professional development for all School Council members; and 6. improving the functioning and operations of the School Council. The research was conducted within the qualitative tradition. Specifically, the method adopted was multi-site case study. Data-collection techniques involved questionnaires, interviews with School Council members, observations of Council meetings and an analysis of Council documentation. The findings from the study outlined a number of theoretical understandings and suggested criteria to assist schools in developing a more effective Council, including examples of strategies to support their effective implementation. It is envisaged that the theoretical understandings, the suggested criteria and specific examples will be of benefit to other schools where School Councils are being formed by providing them with a structure that will assist in the beginning stages of the Council's operation.
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Holmes, Michael Todd. "Creating a Positive School Culture in Newly Opened Schools." NCSU, 2009. http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/theses/available/etd-05122009-150844/.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the most effective practices by school administrators when creating school culture in newly opened schools. Using semi-structured interviews, four principals who opened a new school were interviewed individually and in a focus group. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Two themes emerged from the data. First, principals at new schools should spend a significant amount of time ensuring quality staff members are hired. Additionally, once hired, principals are responsible for providing appropriate professional development activities to better prepare staff members to meet the challenges of opening a new school. Second, principals must find a balance between their role as principal of the school and their personal and family lives. This balance takes three forms: 1) Shared Responsibility, 2) Manager vs. Instructional Leader, and 3) Personal and Family Responsibilities. Limitations to the study included generalization to other studies, personal biases and objectivity on the part of the researcher, small sample size and lack of a high school participant. By applying what has worked, and avoiding what was not successful, administrators are in a better position to ensure a smooth opening, a satisfied school community, and, most importantly, successful students, all which are reflective of the schoolâs culture.
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Pintado, Irene. "Perceptions of school climate and bullying in middle schools." [Tampa, Fla] : University of South Florida, 2006. http://purl.fcla.edu/usf/dc/et/SFE0001816.
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O'Hara, J. Martin (John Martin) 1922. "Student attitude towards school in Quebec English secondary schools." Thesis, McGill University, 1988. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=55623.
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Zhang, Wei. "Investigating school leaders and professional learning in English schools." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.493629.
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The study investigates the perceptions of school leaders who have undertaken the National College for School Leadership's (NCSL) programmes as part of their professional learning experience and considers the effect on themselves and their schools. It argues that the transformational and distributive models of leadership on which the NCSL has grounded its programmes do not adequately reflect or explain the current practice of effective leaders. Whilst the College's achievements are acknowledged, the NCSL's hierarchical and rational framework is found to inadequate to meet leaders' professional needs.
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Wong, Ming-hau Anthony, and 黃明孝. "Collaborative management in school discipline in some secondary schools." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1994. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31957547.
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Smith, Edwin Francis. "Pupil composition and school ethos in four secondary schools." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.403227.
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Ahmad, Hajah Asmah bte Haji. "Collaborative management and school effectiveness in Malaysian primary schools." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 1998. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/10211/.
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The thesis investigates variations in effectiveness of six Malaysian primary schools in three kinds of geographical sites: urban, rural and resettlement areas. It also focuses on the perceptions of headteachers, deputy headteachers, and teachers about school effectiveness, leadership/ management style of headteachers and collaborative management culture. The research explores the tensions that exist between the ingrained assumptions of Malaysian education and the practices and attitudes of headteachers, deputies and teachers. Detailed interview research on effectiveness and managerial collaboration is highly significant in enhancing understanding of education in Malaysia. The findings also make a further contribution towards international and cross-cultural perspectives of `school effectiveness' and `collaborative management'. Although generally the understandings of what constitutes collaborative management and what constitute the effectiveness of schools are still in their infancy in Malaysia, however, this does not mean that they are not important to the Malaysian educators. The need for collaborative management in Malaysian primary school is getting greater as the country moves towards `Vision 2020' and obviously this need is not adequately provided for in the present education system despite the Ministry's directive. More emphasis on policy making, awareness, commitment and training are needed for better application of the collaborative management. At the same time better communication and relationship between headteachers, teachers, DEDs, SEDs and the Ministry should be enhanced. This research also suggests ways in which training for headteachers in the area of collaborative management may be helpful for the more effective function of the schools. For collaborative management to be a success, artistry is required, to know when and how to exercise the various components of leadership so that a collaborative culture that brings success can be developed and maintained in schools. Although there is relatively little disagreement concerning the belief that headteacher's management styles have an impact on the lives of teachers and students, both the nature and degree of that impact continue to be open to debate.
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Mason, Kimberly. "Drug Testing in Schools: Attitudes of High School Students." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2003. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/23.
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This research investigation examined high school students' attitudes toward drug testing prevention programs, and examined the extent to which those attitudes vary according to gender, grade, ethnicity, exposure to experiences related to a drug testing program, illegal drug use, alcohol use, and involvement in extracurricular activities at school. The results of this exploratory study are intended to help school administrators and counselors have an increased understanding of high school students' attitudes toward drug testing prevention programs. The participants in this study were drawn from a convenience sample comprised of high school students in grades 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 at a co-educational, parochial school located in the metropolitan New Orleans, Louisiana area during the 2002-2003 school year. Each participant completed survey packets which contained the Attitudes Toward High School Drug Testing (ATSDT) survey and personal demographic data. The results of this study indicated that high school students generally have neutral attitudes toward drug testing prevention programs. There appear to be significant statistical differences between high school students' attitudes toward drug testing prevention programs based on their gender, grade, ethnicity, exposure to experiences related to a drug testing program, illegal drug use, and alcohol use; however, students' involvement in extracurricular activities at school was not related to their attitudes toward drug testing prevention programs. This information may be used to assist school administrators and school counselors in designing drug-free schools that engender respect and approval from the greatest possible number of students, faculty, and public, and provide needed information for school counselors in providing drug related prevention services, interventions, and after-care to adolescents
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Barreira, Gil Vicente Esmeraldo. "An analysis of the school in schools fail brazilian." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2011. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=7780.
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nÃo hÃAnalyzing the statistical data taken from the Brazil Test 2007, we performed a study to remove the effect of school failure on student performance, since it serves as a corrective procedure deficit of student learning. So once this treaty deficit, in theory, should show that the average student would be with the same use of other students in the same series. But we noted here, once failed, the student bears this deficit for the other series, in summary, showing how it is used in schools failing to basic education in Brazil is not correcting this deficit, and only perpetuating.
Analisando os dados estatÃsticos extraÃdos da Prova Brasil de 2007, foi efetuado um estudo de forma a retirar o efeito da reprovaÃÃo escolar no desempenho dos estudantes, uma vez que este procedimento serve como um corretivo do dÃficit de aprendizado dos alunos. Portanto, uma vez tratado esse dÃficit, em teoria, deve-se evidenciar que o aluno, em mÃdia, estaria com o mesmo aproveitamento dos outros alunos nas mesmas sÃries. PorÃm evidenciou-se aqui, que uma vez reprovado, o aluno carrega este dÃficit para as demais sÃries, em sÃntese, mostrando que a forma como à utilizada a reprovaÃÃo nas escolas de ensino bÃsico no Brasil nÃo està corrigindo este dÃficit, e apenas o perpetuando.
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Dowell, Richard Marshall. "School Administrator Impact Upon Physical Restraints in Public Schools." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1403081916.
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Gosser, Brooke. "Anxiety Interventions in Schools: A Survey of School Psychologists." University of Dayton / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=dayton1405421914.
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Olusegun, Rachael Adebola. "Managing family-school partnerships in Gauteng secondary township schools." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/80499.
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This study aimed to investigate how township secondary schools manage the family-school partnership for purposes of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in township schools. A literature search on related subjects was followed by an empirical study to address the study aim. A qualitative research approach, adopting a case study design, was used to investigate the perspectives and experiences of stakeholders in this key partnership (principals, teachers, and parents) and to examine the strategies the schools employed to manage it, the challenges they encountered in the process and the solutions they employed. Two principals, two deputy principals, seven parents and ten teachers from two township secondary schools in the Tshwane West District (Gauteng Department of Education (GDE)) took part in the research process. The study findings indicate that, despite the disadvantaged circumstances of township schools, it was possible to effectively manage successful family-school partnerships in these schools, provided that all major stakeholders (principals, teachers, and parents) were committed to the process. The study furthermore shows that an effective family-school partnership in township secondary schools depended largely on the ability of the school management team to create and facilitate initiatives that promote effective family-school partnerships. It was, however, also evident from the study findings that even the commitment of all stakeholders to the family-school partnership could not always overcome the challenges posed to an effective partnership. Pro-active engagement by the stakeholders was encouraged to overcome the problems that challenged the family-school partnership. Since lack of cooperation from parents appeared to be main cause of these challenges, it was imperative for the schools to find more creative ways of attracting parents to the school environment. Schools need to collaborate with those parents who are already actively involved and brainstorm with them on strategies for reaching non-involved parents and drawing them into the partnership too. Schools should also consider organising platforms to educate parents on rules of engagement with the school over their children. The findings of my study further revealed a lack of formal policy on the partnership between school and family. Education policymakers therefore need to consider the formulation of a clear policy on the family-school partnership that will serve as a toolkit for schools in their engagement with families about the education of their children. Moreover, since I found that most parents were unable to assist their children with schoolwork at home, due to the ambiguity of the curriculum. Policymakers should consider introducing a curriculum handbook for parents on each subject and design it in such a simplified format that any average parent can relate with the content.Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria 2020.
Education Management and Policy Studies
MEd
Unrestricted
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Atkinson, Eileen. "The Middle School Transition in Private Schools: Student Perceptions." VCU Scholars Compass, 2010. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2065.
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Abstract THE MIDDLE SCHOOL TRANSITION IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS: STUDENT PERCEPTIONS By Eileen Irby Atkinson, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Director: Cheryl Magill, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership Students transitioning into the middle school often experience difficulty adjusting to their new environment. During this transition, declines in academic motivation, academic achievement, and connectedness have been noted. Most research on this transition has taken place in public school settings. This research investigated the impact of the middle school transition in a private school setting. This study examined students’ perceptions of the middle school transition as it related to the connectedness students perceived to their new school, those individuals whom students perceived as most helpful during their transition, academic motivation and achievement following the transition, and perceived helpfulness of transition activities conducted by the school. In addition, the study examined significant differences of the transition experience based on gender and race. Five hundred and two private middle school students in 35 private schools in Virginia completed a paper and pencil survey in which they responded to 47 questions regarding their transition into middle school. It was found that students generally felt connected to middle school, and the number of extracurricular activities in which a student participated did not appear to correlate significantly with connectedness. Most new middle school students did not perceive their transition experience as difficult. Middle school teachers, parents and friends appeared to be the most helpful to students during their transition. As compared to elementary school, newly transitioned middle school students were more academically motivated, and academic achievement showed a slight improvement in middle school. Students reported that visits made to the middle school as an elementary student were most helpful to their transition, and that the summer orientation and tour were also found to be helpful. Males perceived parents, middle school teachers and elementary school counselors as more helpful to their transition than did females, who considered friends most helpful. Parents were perceived as most helpful to the transition by Asian students. Caucasians reported higher academic achievement in middle school than African American students, and African American students perceived their academic achievement as higher than that of Hispanic students. African American students, more than any of the other groups represented, believed that the information given to the middle school by the elementary school was very helpful to their transition. Native American students, and students identifying their race as “Other” felt that the assignment of an older middle school buddy was more helpful to the transition than did Caucasian or Hispanic students. In terms of the relative contribution of the variables to the prediction of ease of transition, the number of transition activities has the greatest influence, followed by level of support from others, perception of connectedness to middle school, and middle school academic performance.
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Kessler, Rodney R. "Study of school resource uses in selected Wyoming schools." Laramie, Wyo. : University of Wyoming, 2008. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1799889121&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=18949&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Wyoming, 2008.Title from PDF title page (viewed on Nov. 20, 2009). Includes supplemental PDF file of case studies of Wyoming schools/districts. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-111).
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Aris, Sharon Margaret. "Understanding school choice: what parents prioritise in high schools." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/22995.
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This thesis seeks to understand how parents make sense of high school choice, and how in understanding this, insights can be gained into mechanisms of advantage and disadvantage that operate in Australian schooling. It does so by analysing the underlying bases of parents’ aims from high school and how they seek to realise this in high school selection. It examines how different parental assets, including previous experiences in school and the workforce, enable parents to attain their desired school selections. In doing so this thesis goes beyond previous studies examining parental school choice to reveal how relations between families, schools and academic achievement influence the entire school field. This study draws upon two theoretical frameworks: Bourdieu’s field theory and Legitimation Code Theory. These are used to describe and analyse 28 parent interviews from a single geographic case study area in Sydney, comparing the outcomes parents sought from high school with how school choice was envisaged by policy makers. Four groups of parents are identified: credentialists, socially-disposed parents, all-rounders and consolidators. The approach of each parent group to school choice and the basis of the outcomes from schooling they seek provides insight into how school choice creates advantages and disadvantages in schooling. This thesis makes a number of contributions. Through enacting a relational framework it creates a model for surfacing previously hidden features of the school field including revealing why some parents readily traverse the school field, while others struggle to be seen. It creates a descriptive framework for analysis that gets beyond empirical description. It reveals a field so geared to academic performance that students who will not easily boost a schools’ ratings are easily left behind. Finally, it offers suggestions for imagining new possibilities for the field.