Current domestic and international comparative studies of student achievement in science are demonstrating that the U.S. needs to improve science education if it wants to remain competitive in the global economy. One of the causes of the poor performance of U.S. science education is the lack of students who have developed the formal thinking…

The purpose of this study was to determine if problem solving skills can be improved through the use of an interdisciplinary program incorporating reading, music, and mathematics. The study was conducted in seven fifth grade classrooms, and addresses the need to teach problem solving strategies in elementary school and the importance of problem…

Since 2000, The Wallace Foundation, nationally recognized for its involvement in educational programs, has supported efforts to improve the training and conditions of school leaders to better enable them to improve student achievement. One of these efforts in Delaware was the development of district level aspiring leadership development programs.…

Community college leaders are retiring faster than replacements are being prepared creating what is predicted to be a leadership crisis. To keep community colleges functioning in their critical role of providing wider access to higher education and workforce training and re-training, future leaders need to have the skills to lead complex…

Formalized education has been around for a long time and the role of the parents has been to facilitate their child's academic success. The quality of parenting can vary widely. This study will explore parental involvement in their special needs child's educational process. More specifically, parental involvement with special needs children in a…

Racial and ethnic health care disparities continue to plague the United States, placing a tremendous personal and societal burden on individuals. A culturally diverse nursing work force can help eliminate these disparities and improve the quality of health care that is delivered. However, the nursing profession does not reflect the nation's…

Student retention is a topic at the forefront for all post secondary education institutions. Supporting students in their studies, providing the resources to empower them to complete their education is a critical component in the quality and success of colleges. It is also a fiscal concern for colleges. While first year programs abound, community…

Phonological awareness (PA) is the ability to analyze spoken language into its component sounds and to manipulate these smaller units. Literature review related to PA shows that a variety of factor groups play a role in PA in Mandarin such as linguistic experience (spoken language, alphabetic literacy, and second language learning), item type,…

As educators strive to meet the demands of federal and state mandates intended to "close the achievement gap" schools often adopt multiple programs to help improve student achievement. Many studies have examined the impact of single programs but few have attempted to understand the interactions of multiple reforms. This case study looks at one…

The purpose of this study was to address a high-volume problem for the Delaware Department of Education Office of Professional Accountability (OPA). This problem was addressed by sharing the certification decision with qualified personnel located at each of the four teacher preparation programs located in Delaware at Delaware State University…

This study examines the deployment of automated red light camera systems in the state of Texas from 2003 through late 2007. The deployment of new technologies in general, and surveillance infrastructures in particular, can prove controversial and challenging for the formation of public policy. Red light camera surveillance during this period in…

This research highlighted the use of text-to-speech technology and current shifts in strategy-based reading instruction in order to address the comprehension needs of struggling pre-adolescent readers. The following questions were posed: (a) Does reading comprehension of preadolescent struggling readers improve as the direct result of using…

While the entire weakened economy has had serious implications for higher education and the public investment in the mission of community college, the literature reveals a limited amount of research regarding the types, prevalence, and accountability of more sophisticated fundraising efforts in community colleges. Community colleges are seeking to…

This study investigates how preservice teachers make sense of student-centered instruction with existing traditional beliefs about teaching. Teacher educators assume that university instruction translates directly into practice, yet, research is clear that beginning teachers revert to traditional teaching practice. For elementary teachers, one…

Bilingualism (Sanz, 2000), motivation (Pintrich, 1989), and language aptitude (Grigorenko, Sternberg, and Ehrman, 2000) are crucial individual differences that contribute to successful adult language learning. Since Gardner's (1985) seminal work on motivation, many studies have shown that motivation is dynamic and that it affects language…