While parental involvement's effect on student achievement has been explored in current research, and the relationship among parent, teacher, and student is often discussed, no definite guidelines have been stipulated for successful engagement between the three. The purpose of this project was to examine parental involvement practices…

Mentoring programs for beginning teachers have garnered much attention in the field of education in the past decade. There is an increasing call for the redefinition of the traditional mentoring program, which often caters only to the first-year teacher, providing primarily emotional and procedural support. The Plymouth Public Schools (PPS) has…

Acknowledging the important role of reading in the university curriculum, and the important role that vocabulary plays in successful reading comprehension, researchers have directed a great deal of effort toward identifying ways that teachers and learners of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) can maximize vocabulary development efforts. Due to…

Students with disabilities are less likely than their peers to access or succeed in postsecondary education settings. In one county, students with disabilities are taught within inclusive high school environments where deficits in reading skills, self-determination attributes, and study skills are not included in the curriculum. In place of these…

The Ministry of Education has the largest portion of the national budget of 21% in Belize. Related studies in the region and around the world reveals that rural schools are not provided with highly qualified teachers. Likewise, multi-grade schools in the region and in Belize repeatedly perform lower on the Primary School Examination than their…

The current phenomenological case study, based in part on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, set out to examine the lived experiences of individuals sharing and mediating meaningful communication with individuals who have Down syndrome. To accomplish this, the researcher interviewed several categories of caregivers who regularly interact with…

The findings from this study were that the Native student leaders in Native student organization (NSO) have been impacted by their experiences in ways that were rewarding, supportive and increased participation. The benefits found from being in a NSO included communicating and networking, building a community on campus, representing Native…

Shared governance is a treasured tradition of academe. Problems of administrative practice arise when meanings and definitions of shared governance are undefined and implicit rather than defined and explicit. What are the meanings and definitions of shared governance when several governance models are considered and how does shared governance…

This is the report of a policy research study that examined the potential outcomes of instituting a standardized "Joint Reserve Officer Training Corps" during the first two years of college. Focus groups at three ROTC universities and interviews with subject matter experts were conducted to explore the meaning and purpose of jointness…

More research on postsecondary education programs for individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) is needed. Current research has shown that students with developmental disabilities need access to community living, transportation, socialization, and employment; research in these areas provided the conceptual framework of the study. Currently…

This study used the ECLS-K to examine the contextual influences of parent involvement on children's achievement growth in reading and math during elementary grades. The study used Rasch models and HLM measurement models to develop reliable and valid constructs of parent involvement both at the student and at the school level. Piecewise linear…

This study focused on a suburban elementary school experiencing significant growth in its Hispanic population over the last decade. Hispanic student achievement in mathematics as measured by state tests lagged behind that of European American students in the school. The literature revealed a positive relationship between parent involvement in…

Professional development of educators is a central feature in education reform efforts (Bredeson, 2000) and school improvement (Guskey & Huberman, 1995). The purpose of the study was to describe personal and professional gains from an international experience, notably the Fulbright-Hays Group Study Abroad Program, including new knowledge and…

This qualitative study identified perceptions of risk and resilience in four different teaching roles of first-year, secondary special education teachers in three school districts in a large metropolitan area. The study sample consisted of nine women in their first year of teaching who were also completing the requirements of a master's…

Higher education student leadership development programs have grown exponentially since the 1990's. Over this time, research has indicated that student leadership development programs are beneficial; however, the research on what makes these programs effective has not kept pace. The subjects of this study included students enrolled in three…