The goal of this study was to illuminate the educational experiences of one of the least researched immigrant groups--African girls. I relied mainly on narratives of four African immigrant girls in public high schools to elucidate how these girls defined their learning environment. Out of school observations were used to supplement in-depth…

This dissertation examines the methods and techniques used by school administrators to bring in and keep parents of English Language Learners coming back to be part of the school. Administrators at twelve schools in the Southeastern central San Joaquin Valley in California were interviewed to determine what practices they utilized to make ELL…

Students with moderate intellectual disabilities (MoID) typically are not taught decoding skills because they have difficulty mastering critical blending skills. In response to this skill deficit among students with MoID, an "Initial Phonics" instructional sequence was created that included student development of rapid and automatic retrieval of…

Student-athletes' and athletic administrators' perceptions of available and accessible social support in the athletic department are explored. Interviews were conducted with three athletic administrators whose job responsibilities are most focused on student-athlete welfare and 13 student-athletes from a NCAA Division I University from the Pacific…

In this investigation, 55 of the 72 Suffolk County public schools were analyzed using archival data gleaned from the New York State Education Department's BEDS report for the years 2000 to 2005. Three primary research questions were used to determine if the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 had an impact on four ethnic groups, wealth of different…

Parent involvement may have implications for student achievement (Epstein, 1986; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler, & Brisse, 1987; Lopez, Scribner, & Mahitivanichcha, 2001). Today African-American parents are frequently criticized for not being involved enough in their students' education (Dearing, Kreider, Simpkins, & Weiss, 2006). African-American parent…

Works of art have been referred to as a good source of fuel for the engagement of art museum visitors, thus art museum education researchers and practitioners have sought to create opportunities active social interactions between visitors related to the art they view in museums. However, research investigating different ways to encourage active…

In bilingual language processing, the parallel activation hypothesis suggests that bilinguals activate their two languages simultaneously during language processing. Support for the parallel activation mainly comes from studies of lexical (word-form) processing, with relatively less attention to phonological (sound) processing. According to…

It has been estimated that, due to increased turnover, an aging population, growing complexities and sizes of institutions, as well as the bureaucratization of searches, college and universities will see a continued increase in the utilization of interim leadership (Padilla, 2004). Student affairs divisions are not immune to this phenomenon and…

Goals of social equality, authentic assessments, and effective schools have peppered U.S. educational history. In response curricula, policies, and processes are constantly evolving to meet perceived needs. Nowadays "academic achievement" and "accountability" are of greatest interest to stakeholders. While students are tested…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' perceptions of commonly used instructional practices in reading, the use of literature circles, and student engagement at the middle school level. This study used a survey of teachers to collect data and the study design included descriptive and comparative components. It was descriptive in…

For years, researchers and educators alike have studied differences in educational performance as they relate to gender. And while many subject areas have been debated, "the existence, degree, and origin of a gender gap in mathematics are highly debated" (Guiso, Monte, Sapienza & Zingales, 2008). What has not been more widely…

This qualitative case study of a rural high school examines the impact of technology tools on secondary science classrooms. Specifically, document cameras, student response systems, and probeware are examined for their affect in instructional practices in science classrooms where they are used. Observational data, student surveys, and teacher…

This research is a retrospective case study designed to document and analyze the process of decision-making by educational leaders and stakeholders at a four-year university. For this study, educational leaders and key stakeholders agreed to extensive interviews about the decisions made during the design, construction, and post-occupancy phases of…

Urban superintendents are hired and commissioned to raise student achievement, especially for students who have been traditionally underserved by underperforming public schools. Site principals have a significant impact on student achievement; therefore, successful superintendents must be able to recruit, select, and hire effective principals in…