The passage of the Equal Access Act (1984) brought to light the legal conflict that had been building over the previous four decades over who should or should not have access to public school facilities. Following the passage of the Act, many student and community groups began to request use of school facilities. School leaders were called on to…

Three main purposes provided the foundation for this study. The first purpose was to investigate academic achievement through analyses of data obtained through formal and informal assessments among kindergarten through eighth grade students who participated in a Head Start program, center-based care program, or home-based care prior to school…

California Community Colleges are facing increased accountability while at the same time experiencing reduced and uncertain state funding. When resources are not properly allocated there is waste, public criticism, and ultimately increased oversight. A review of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) sanction letters…

In this qualitative study the primary researcher utilized research methods of heuristic phenomenology in order to better understand the experience of recovery for a group of male participants. The purpose of this study was to aid the primary researcher in better understanding his own experience of recovery from alcoholism, as well as to add to the…

Fidelity of implementation (FOI) is the extent to which delivery of an intervention adheres to the original intent of the program designer. FOI in educational studies is hindered by the lack of a universally agreed upon definition or set of criteria for measurement. With the increasing need for justification of reliability and validity of…

This multiple case qualitative study addressed the National School Board Association's (NSBA) Key Work standards for public policy leadership by local school boards, and how three elite school board chairs understood and implemented those standards. Elite board chair status was defined by experience, training, and peer recognition. The study…

Mathematics is an increasingly important aspect of education because of its central role in technology (Kuenzi, 2008). Mathematical achievement tests are universally applied throughout schooling in the US to assess yearly progress. The middle school years (e.g., Grade 6-Grade 8) are especially crucial to success in mathematics because students…

This dissertation describes a systematic investigation of university student and K-12 teacher reasoning about key ideas relevant to the development of a particulate model for matter. Written assessments and individual demonstration interviews have been used to study the reasoning of introductory and sophomore-level physics students, introductory…

In order to understand better the dimensions of education in the foundation year of contemporary art school, this study explores teaching and learning through the lenses of art school freshmen and foundation studio art professors. Since scholarly study of art school education is limited, the author begins with a survey of related fields of…

Learning to read requires knowledge of word meanings for those words most commonly encountered in basic reading materials. Many young students lack the basic vocabulary knowledge needed to facilitate learning to read. Two randomized studies were conducted to test the effects of an online, computer-adaptive vocabulary instruction program designed…

The purpose of this project study was to assist school principals in hiring quality teachers by examining existing hiring processes and research-based criteria on teacher practices that influence student achievement. The superintendent in one school district identified a problem of low student achievement and high teacher turnover. The theoretical…

This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to explore how lesbian health educators navigate authenticity in a heteronormative higher education setting. The study was grounded in a lesbian standpoint pedagogical viewpoint, which provided a lens with which to view the nine participants' experiences. Of particular interest was how the educators in…

This dissertation study explores how dominant discourses in multicultural education can be informed by perspectives in poststructuralist theories and curriculum studies, and vice versa. This inquiry explores possibilities of conducting identity research that go beyond unitary ways of understanding cultural sameness/difference. A major focus in…

This paper describes a qualitative case study designed to investigate research-based practices as a contemporary phenomenon within the real-life context of schools. Selected first grade teacher perceptions of research based practices and sustainability of research-based practices in rural, low-income schools that are no longer receiving funding…

The purpose of this holistic case study with a mixed methods approach was two-fold: first, to investigate the extent to which elementary teachers in the BTSD sustained the use of formative assessment reform to regulate instruction, and second, to explore the factors that promoted fidelity to formative assessment reform. Although this study…