Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Education indicators'

For decades, the cohort model has been utilized to bring graduate degrees to working adults who cannot put their family lives and careers on hold to attend a university in the more traditional way. With the growing access to reliable digital tools, some cohorts have taken advantage of the ability to meet online with live-streaming applications such as Skype, GoToMeeting, and Adobe Connect. The blending of online instruction and face-to-face interaction has given birth to blended learning, a hybrid of synchronous and asynchronous learning. With this evolution of curriculum and instruction delivery, questions arise regarding the quality of graduate programs. Are the students who are investing time and money into these graduate degrees receiving the high-level of quality that they would expect if they were attending the university in a traditional way? How are they interacting with their peers in a scholarly fashion? How are the professors engaging the students in meaningful and scholarly ways? How do students and institutions know what is working for the success of the student and what needs to be improved? This study sought to uncover answers to some of these questions as it researched 16 doctoral students in one blended cohort in central California. With primarily qualitative methods, the study attempted to describe the phenomenon that is the blended doctoral cohort, specifically researching the participants’ perspective of themselves and the blended cohort model at the beginning of their program and, again, at the end of their program.

The purpose of the study was to identify perceived effective leadership in higher education by examining the indicators of effective leadership in a holistic viewpoint from an executive female leaders approach. Theoretical studies have examined female leadership development; however few have statistical data to address the concept. In addition, leadership competencies in four year higher education institutions have not been clearly stated; therefore evaluations are not consistent and have no baseline by which to begin. The study addressed both leadership competencies in four year institutions as well as female leadership. The study utilized Q Methodology with a two tier approach to conceptualize the perception female leaders in higher education have on effective leadership. Participants received a concourse of 61 statements to sort according to their perception of effective leadership indicators which they have observed in others they have worked alongside with a ranking system of “most effective leadership indicator” (+5) through “least effective leadership indicator” (-5). Participants were also asked to sort the same statements, with the same ranking scale, based off the perception of their own leadership indicators. Participants included 18 (for Qsort1) and 15 (for Qsort2) female vice-presidents/chancellors from higher educational institutions in North Carolina and Maryland. In addition, participants completed post-sort questions for demographic purposes as well as to further explain their rankings of the top three and lowest three statements in each of their sorts. For both Qsort1 and Qsort2, two factors emerged from each as effective leadership indicators: Adaptive Leadership and Enabling Leadership.

The results of this study indicate that effective leadership in higher education needs to be both adaptive and enabling to the environment in which one is placed. A primary need for effective leadership is the ability to provide long-range planning through objective analysis, thinking ahead, and planning. In addition, using frameworks to analyze complex situations and understanding complexities as well as emerging trends in higher education are important for effective leadership in higher education. The overarching areas which the participants point toward in their rankings of the statements are the need for flexibility, adapting to circumstances, and helping others learn their roles to be self-sufficient. The area which did not appear as important for effective leadership was the theme of administrative leadership. These statements encompassed following procedure and process to complete tasks.

The insight provided by the female executive leaders in higher education regarding effective leadership indicators are relevant to several areas. Gaining a deeper understanding of what areas females can pursue in order to be effective leaders can only strengthen their positioning in the higher education career ladder. In addition, higher education institutions seeking to utilize more accurate performance standards for those in leadership positions could utilize the results to place a threshold for executive leaders to adhere to. The current study should be utilized as a springboard for future leadership studies in the areas of higher education and female leadership to further provide empirical information which could enhance the leadership skills of future female leaders.

This study is an in-depth look at the role of grades and standardized test scores in predicting future student success in the classroom, focusing on the transition from middle school to high school. It seeks to identify how practicing high school administrators can utilize these two sets of predictor data in the decision of placing students into the high school curriculum at the freshman level. A review of the literature examines research on grades to students, standardized testing practices, success at the freshman level of high school, and the connection between high school and college level placement.

Middle school grades in a student’s core subject area classes (math, English, science and social science) were contrasted with standardized MAP test scores administered in the eighth grade year in their ability to predict ninth grade core subject area classroom performance, in order to identify which is a better predictor of future performance.

The study takes place in a high school district in Illinois. It looks specifically at the district’s Class of 2018 and its 223 students. In the final analysis, the study found a positive correlational relationship between both middle school grades and standardized test scores and ninth grade grades. Further analysis found that, in every research question studied, middle school grades proved to be the stronger predictor of ninth grade grades. In addition, this study found middle school grades to be far stronger of a predictor suggesting that the primary determinate of placement decisions for the ninth grade can be found in the classroom track record of incoming ninth graders and not standardized test scores.

This study examined data on 795 first-graders to identify the presence of characteristics and factors that might indicate a greater likelihood of later placement in a disciplinary alternative education program. Independent variables were chosen based on research indicating their significance and stability over time. Readiness as indicated by preschool attendance, each students oral reading fluency as indicated by their DIBELS score at the end of first grade, behavior marks on their first grade report card, the number of absences in their first-grade year, sex and race of each student, free and reduced meal plan status, and whether or not the student had been retained were examined. Chi-square analysis and one-way ANOVAs were used to test for significance between the independent variables and disciplinary alternative school placement. There was evidence of an extremely strong statistically significant association between each of the independent variables and disciplinary alternative education program placement. The data revealed there is a greater likelihood of later placement in a disciplinary alternative education program in students who demonstrate these early indicators.

This causal comparative study investigated the relationship of an identified disability (IDEA declared vs. non-declared) on success outcomes for sixth through twelfth grade at-risk students enrolled in a school-based mental health program. Outcome variables included: selected attendance, behavior, and achievement indicators for students who were enrolled in and received intensive school-based counseling.

Overall, after one year in the program, referrals for violent incidents significantly decreased for both groups of students while lack of respect incidents increased, indicating that staff changes in providing preventative strategies and approaches for working with students may have led staff to "catch" student behaviors at an earlier phase. IDEA declared students also had a significant decrease in suspensions. Although absences increased and instructional days decreased for both groups of students, a few of the non-declared students had more extreme changes. In-depth examination of the data showed that non-declared students, in particular Black and Asian students, had the most negative changes. Achievement data revealed that the majority of IDEA declared and non-declared students failed at pre and continued to fail at post.

This study adds to the limited base of research that on outcomes for students with and without disabilities. As school-based mental health counseling programs, coupled with strengths-based, multi-level counseling approaches expand across schools, it is important that we further the research base to determine what differences exist and what ramifications emerge for students based on disability, mental health problem, or ethnicity. Findings in this study of decreased referrals for severe behaviors for all students, decreased suspensions for IDEA declared students, and more extreme cases of negative outcomes for Asian and Black students without a disability, should be considered important factors in the continued effort to improve educational success for all students by supporting and promoting positive social emotional development and decreasing student risk factors.