The purpose of this study is to provide an account of teacher perception of core practice tasks in data use, particularly data interpretation. Data interpretation is critical to professional practice in planning instructional adjustments for student learning. This is a case study of four elementary teachers who provide numerous task-specific…

Federal and state educational agencies provide guidelines for public schools across the United States to follow (Linn, 2008; Levy, 2008). During a time of high-stakes testing fueled by school accountability standards, educators strive to meet requirements for academic growth in order to maintain a successful accountability level and avoid being…

Teachers are in the perfect position to be an influential source of help to students with life and academic circumstances that inhibit them from staying on the path to graduation, but they often underestimate their role in helping students develop the resilience to do so. Re-engaging students in the learning process who are severely off the…

This study addresses the use of suspension and expulsion for defiant behavior. It examines the contributions of student and/or school characteristics and their relationship to suspension and expulsion for defiance, specifically focusing on African Americans. The purpose of this study is to examine factors that lead to students being suspended or…

Mental health issues among American adolescents and children can negatively impact their potential for school success. As many as 10% of students among the general education population suffer from psychiatric disorders, yet only between 1% and 5% of those students are being served. The effects of mental health difficulties are problematic for…

Little empirical research has been done on student learning outcomes and college experiences in China, where the gross enrollment rate in higher education reached 26.5 percent and the undergraduate population exceeded 22 million in 2010. This study seeks to describe, explain, and interpret student learning as perceived from students in Chinese…

All too often, a student's lack of success is blamed on his or her background, and/or the parent or the parent's educational level. Many factors such as socioeconomic conditions, student behaviors, attendance, and teacher demographics can directly or indirectly affect class environment, classroom management, interaction with students,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between school organizational style and student outcomes. The research questions that guided this study were, "Is there a difference in mathematical performance of fourth graders who receive departmentalized instruction as compared to fourth grade students who receive…

The purpose of this study was to determine if it is effective and appropriate to place all students needing credit recovery in computer-based classes regardless of age, risk ratio, and their previous failing grade. Driven by the NCLB mandate for schools to produce greater gains and graduate all students in 4.5 years, districts are now using online…

This study is an ethnographic portrait of Interpretive Naturalists at a Midwestern state park. The study exhibits the ways in which Interpretive Naturalists learn about a place, how they create meaning about a place, and how they transmit this knowledge to others. Principle findings include the use of experiential storytelling and intimate contact…

Increasing opportunities and access of historically underrepresented populations to higher education in both the United States and South Africa have proved challenging due to institutional climates that are perceived as unwelcoming and unsupportive. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors relating to institutional climates to uncover…

This study focuses on a quest for insights into the introduction and negotiation of critical literacy in elementary education in Cambodia, whose recent past was scarred by devastating conflicts and wars. In this study, critical education is seen as a key to avoiding the reproduction of an unwanted past and minimizing social injustice in Cambodia.…

National education statistics and data indicators show that a significant portion of both male and female learners struggle through their educational experience with little to no success. The male learner is less successful in school than the female learner and drops out of high school more often. It is even more alarming when these numbers are…

This study explores the perception of belonging by Latino undergraduate students attending a predominantly White private university by documenting, in their "own voices," the extent of their participation in the social and academic life of the campus. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of…

This ethnographic case study uses life history and qualitative methodologies to offer biographical profiles that highlight perspectives on writing of eight Black African-born male youth with limited and disrupted formal education enrolled at a secondary school in northeastern United States. Participants from Liberia, Sudan, and Somalia relocated…