Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Education School library finance'

Since their origin in 1925, standards for elementary school library programs have outlined role expectations for the school librarian. As the passage of time introduced new technologies into the world of education, these standards were reviewed and revised. After each revision, the standards, which were later referred to as guidelines, reflected an updated view on the school librarian's position with additional responsibilities listed in the form of roles. Researchers have explored perceptions of educator groups regarding these roles, to determine if they were accepted by the members of the school community (Church, 2008; Dorrell & Lawson, 1995; Gustafson, 1982; Kaplan, 2006; McCracken, 2001; Mohajerin & Smith, 1981; Person, 1993; Roach, 1989; Schon, Helmstadter, & Robinson, 1991; Scott, 1986; Shannon, 1996; Shelton, 2002). Repeatedly, findings indicated disagreement among the educator groups and an overall lack of support of these roles from teachers, administrators, and even school librarians themselves, in some cases. If a lack of support for the fulfillment of these roles exists, the school library program cannot develop to its full potential. Consequently, the school librarian cannot fully contribute to student achievement, and a valuable resource is wasted. This study explored perceptions held by educators at the elementary level on the roles of the school librarian, in light of the latest revision to the guidelines (American Association of School Librarians, 2009) which added the role of leader to the list of expectations for school librarians, to determine if a lack of support for the fulfillment of these roles persists.

In the 21^st century, school libraries are under pressure to innovate. Library budgets are frequently slashed as districts struggle with limited fiscal resources, while library personnel are increasingly expected to provide students with resources they need to help them pass high stakes tests. In an effort to meet student needs with limited resources, many school librarians are using parent volunteers in different capacities. This dissertation explores how three school librarians in different school settings recruited, trained, and used their parent volunteers through the use of an exploratory case study. The researcher conducted observations and semi structured interviews to gain the perspectives of volunteers and librarians regarding the use of volunteers in school libraries. The collection of schedules, photographs, newsletters, and other artifacts enabled the researcher to create a description of three different library volunteer programs. This dissertation explores the motivations of volunteers who participate in volunteer programs, and describes the challenges of operating and maintaining library volunteer programs. Key findings emerged regarding the wishes of parent volunteers to develop authentic partnerships with school staff to engage students in meaningful student learning. Stakeholders interested in establishing or modifying their own volunteer programs could use this data to inform them as they structure school library volunteer programs.

The complexities surrounding public school funding are not unique to Ohio. There have been numerous legal challenges in the State Supreme Courts and seminal cases from the U.S. Supreme Court which have assigned the practices and formulas by which schools are funded to the individual states. Although previous research has investigated voter approval related to school referenda from the 614 public school districts in Ohio, a significant question remains as to which factors are affecting the school districts and their attempts to pass school operating levies. This study focuses on seven typologies developed by the Ohio Department of Education for comparing districts based on nine demographic variables and the factors which predict the outcomes of first attempt school operating levies within each of those typologies.

The following research question was developed to provide researchers and practitioners information on factors affecting school levy referenda in Ohio public school typologies: What factors (proposed levy size in mills, length of the levy, election month, type of levy, effective millage rate, and value per pupil) are significant predictors for the passage for first attempt operating levies proposed between the years 2002 and 2010 in each of the seven Ohio Department of Education Typologies? According to the Ohio Secretary of State's certified election results, 2,199 school operating levies were on the ballot during this time frame with 327 being first attempts. These 327 first attempt school operating levies comprised the data set for this study.

Using binary logistic regression, the results of this study indicate four of the six variables tested were significant predictors of first attempt school operating levy passage. The proposed levy size in mills (Typologies 3 and 6), election month (Typology 2), type of levy (Typologies, 1, 2, 3, and 6), and effective millage rate (Typology 2 and 6) were found to be factors significant at the p < .05 level. From this, practitioners and researchers can begin to investigate how these factors are being addressed in current and future operating levies. The results of this study have presented practitioners in all 614 school districts in Ohio with evidence of the factors which affect first attempt operating levies within the different typologies. Without a radical change to Ohio's school funding formula, the practice of relying on voters in each school district to pass tax levies will remain; therefore, a "one size fits all" approach to passing proposed referenda is not recommended.

An increase in the property tax rate of a school district creates an increase in local revenues for the district (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. [MODESE], 2017). The overarching question becomes: Do increases in the local tax levy compare to improved student performance? The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference between property tax rates of Missouri public school districts to student performance as viewed through the lens of benefit tax theory (Duff, 2004). Secondary data were obtained via the MODESE which included property tax rates and information from the Annual Performance Reports for public school districts for academic years 2014–2015, 2015–2016, and 2016–2017. The categories examined from the Annual Performance Reports were: academic achievement, subgroup achievement, career and college, attendance, and graduation. Public schools with higher tax rates were found to have the best attendance rates and the highest graduation rates. Overall, public school districts with higher tax rates realized higher Annual Performance Report scores.

Using Callahan's (1962) vulnerability thesis as a theoretical framework, this qualitative case studies research examines the occupational socialization of secondary, public school librarians. The study examines three novice librarians' autobiographical narratives and explores how participants perceived the influence of professional, critical events. The study addresses the challenges and successes that novice school librarians encounter or bring about during their early years in the profession. The study also examines how critical events create professional identities of school librarians, and how narratives of vulnerability (re)produce culture myths about teaching and librarianship.

In order to have a better understanding of the occupational socialization of the school librarian participants, I collected data from multiple sources for each of the cases. The procedures included direct observations, interviews, and document analysis. The research began while participants were student teaching, and data was collected until their second year of practice.

The results of the analysis indicate that participants' student teaching placements provided polarized experiences to model their practices after: either unrealistic or unacceptable. All participants express that they were unprepared for their service in public schools, and they were unsupported by their administrators in their first school librarian positions. In addition, they convey great discomfort with the "myths" of their clerical work that their administrators or job titles demanded. The study suggests that in spite of their perceived inadequate socialization, school librarian participants exhibit strength in the midst of great occupational challenges and role uncertainty.

Saint Anne's Middle School is a Catholic, bilingual, bicultural, middle school for girls that participates in the Milwaukee Parental School Choice Program. This case study explored reading and language arts as experienced in the school through the lens of a school library media specialist. The students’ social, emotional, and intellectual needs appeared to be met at the school for the most part. The school also exhibited best practices for teaching reading at the middle school level to bilingual students. However, to improve reading, the school would want to consider changing the school’s focus from reading comprehension to reading engagement so that students become lifelong readers. In addition, as schools begin to roll out the new educational framework known as the Common Core, which will change how librarians and teachers present reading, and standardized tests assess reading, it is essential that more time be dedicated to exploring point-of-view in informational texts. Finally, because the students tend to score lower on vocabulary than comprehension in reading assessments, increasing the use of free-reading books to introduce vocabulary may provide further opportunities for students to improve on standardized test scores while teaching a valuable lifelong skill. In sum, even a strong school can improve on reading and language arts instruction, and this project shows ways that teachers and librarians can change their thinking to be ready to implement Common Core and still achieve reading engagement.

Education policy and mandates have changed drastically over the last 40 years. As politicians began adopting educational platforms as part of their political agenda, the educational standards of the United States have risen. Politicians have specifically targeted underserved populations as the focus of their educational reforms. Programs such as Race to the Top, FERPA, and No Child Left Behind are examples of politicians attempting to provide all students with equitable educations, regardless of ethnicity, gender, and economic background.

Just as it is naïve to believe that all students learn the same, it is also naïve to believe that there is one perfect program that will meet the needs of all students in all areas of the country. Under the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2009, the US Department of Education strove to close the education gap with the introduction of School Improvement Grants. The SIG provided federal funds to underserved schools through a rigorous application process. The funds were available to approved schools for 3-year period. The purpose of this grant was to help underserved schools create and implement a program that was tailored to meet the needs of their students, while promoting academic growth.

This study focused on urban, public New England schools who received SIG funds between 2010 – 2016. Through semi-structured interviews with administrators at identified successful SIG schools, a list of best practices has been compiled as a reference for future urban, public New England schools who receive SIG funding. The key findings of this study indicated that communication, strong leadership, collaboration, and good staffing choices played a significant role in the success of the SIG programs. The conclusion of this study indicated that while schools and students have a vast range of needs and difficulties, there are several common shared experiences that could possibly help other administrators in their quest to implement a successful SIG program.

"Efforts to improve our school system must start with equity" (Department of Education's Equity and Excellence Commission, 2012). This study is a statistical analysis of the 2003-2012 Minnesota K-12 pubic school general education (foundation) formula in regard to fiscal equality and wealth neutrality. The analysis utilizes a longitudinal approach to compare the findings of previous equity studies to current relatable data as it pertains to the State of Minnesota. A number of modifications have been imposed on the original Minnesota funding formula over the past decade. This study tests the equity level of a selected number of revenue sources and reviews previous studies to determine how equity has or has not been improved as a result of the modifications.

Fiscal neutrality is described as the wealth of the school district and should be a function of the wealth of the state as a whole, not of the wealth of the local school district. This study analyzed the fiscal neutrality of 333 public school districts in Minnesota in terms of variance, permissible variance, coefficient of variation, and Gini Coefficient. The analysis was based upon three research questions: 1. Based on an analysis of the 2003 to 2012 general education formula, what were the fiscal equality and wealth neutrality characteristics of Minnesota's school districts? 2. Based on an examination of like data elements from the four major Minnesota fiscal equality and wealth neutrality studies, what trends can be observed? 3. Based on the recommendations of previous studies, what legislative impact did they have?

The findings of the research show that overall the disbursements of revenue through the Minnesota funding formula do meet the standards of wealth neutrality. However, there are categories of the formula that remain inequitable and the reliance of local taxpayers on the referendum revenue source has increased over the years studied.

Today’s high school students will face a host of economic problems such as the demise of the social safety net, mounting college student debt, and costly health care plans, as stated in the rationale for financial literacy provided by the Council for Economic Education’s National Standards for Financial Literacy. These problems are compounded by growing income and wealth inequality and the widespread influence of neoliberal ideology. Although one of the major goals of economics education is to teach students to make reasoned economic choices in their public and private lives and provide the skills to solve personal and social economic problems, little empirical research has been conducted on how these goals are addressed. Secondary economics education research has primarily focused on measuring students’ grasp of neoclassical economics while a separate body of literature provides theoretical critiques of that approach. This study responds to the gap presented by these separate camps by capturing the economics discourse of a high school economics and personal finance course in relation to the role of economic decision-making in a democracy, and the space to hold values discussions. Using case study methodology that included analysis of student and teacher interviews, classroom observations, the standards and official curriculum, lesson plans, and student-produced documents, the study provides deep, context-dependent knowledge about how the official curriculum is manifest in the classroom.

Findings reveal that the role of economic decision-making and values discussions were given very little space. The discourse was heavily focused on the acceptance of the science and mastery of technical knowledge about personal finance for the dual purposes of preparing students to succeed on the W!SE Financial Literacy Certification Test and preparing students to navigate and succeed in a fixed economic reality firmly committed to neoclassical economics. The role of economic decision-making was diminished by the foregrounding of financial literacy over economics, which served as a mechanism of power to send the silent message that economic circumstances (such as wealth inequality) change through individual choices and that economic and social phenomena can be understood and addressed through the application of technical approaches.

This study explored the roles of graduate theological students' religious faith and degree program affiliation in their information behaviors, particularly their degree-related research behaviors. In 2015, religious intolerance continues to stratify barriers between communities. One domain where faith significantly affects student life is in graduate studies of religion and theology. This study's purpose was to explore problems in information action inherent to the dichotomy between academic study of theology that leads to Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees and professional study of theology that leads to Master of Divinity (MDiv) and Doctor of Theology (ThD) degrees. To locate the most appropriate research subjects for qualitative inquiry, this study first investigated the content of PhD and ThD dissertation acknowledgements using bibliometric analysis. The frequency with which the PhD and ThD dissertations' acknowledgements acknowledge affiliates within their authors' own degree programs and religious faith traditions guided the research design for subsequent interviewing of MA and MDiv students about the roles of their religious faith, degree program affiliation and interpersonal information sources in their research processes. Data were collected, coded and analyzed as a lens into the relationships between authors, affiliations and acknowledgements. The qualitative component - intensive interviewing about Master's students' research processes - qualified the results of the quantitative analysis of PhD and ThD students' interpersonal information source preferences manifest in their dissertations' acknowledgements. The study found that information behavior does relate to degree program affiliations and students' religious faith, thus degree program affiliation and religious faith background should be considered in research consultations and bibliographic instruction in theological libraries.

Voters’ hatred of the property tax has led to the enactment of tax and expenditure limitations (TEL) in most states (Brunori, Bell, Cordes, and Yuan, 2008; Sokolow, 1998). Past research suggests that TELs have consequences for school districts, such as reductions in revenue and expenditures, and that these effects may be felt disproportionately by districts that are less able to adapt, such as poorer districts (Figlio, 1998; Joyce and Mullins, 1996; Downes and Figlio, 1999; Mullins, 2004; Wallin and Zabel, 2011; Della Sala and Knoeppel, 2014; Arsen, DeLuca, Ni, and Bates, 2016; Steinberg and Quinn, 2015). Such disproportionate impacts may increase revenue inequity across districts, further widening the gap between the “haves” and “have nots.”

This dissertation explores the impacts of TELs on school district revenue and equity through analyses of Pennsylvania’s Act 1, a useful case for studying these effects because it was enacted more recently—2006—and is in place in a diverse state with a heavy reliance on property tax revenue that faces ongoing concerns over its allegedly inequitable public education funding system.

In the first study, I use multivariate regression analyses with fixed effects to consider the effects of Act 1 on various revenue sources available to school districts and whether districts that may be less able to adjust to changes in revenue streams felt these effects disproportionately. I find that local revenue and property tax revenue were reduced for school districts subject to Act 1’s tax limits compared to those not subject to them, and that state revenue did not offset these reductions, resulting in reductions in total revenue. My findings do not suggest that these effects were disproportionately felt by districts with greater needs.

In the second study, I consider the characteristics of districts that are able to avoid Act 1’s tax limits. Using logistic regression with year fixed effects, I find that districts with better fiscal conditions were more likely to receive an exception from the state that allowed them to avoid the tax limit. These results raise concerns of potential inequity, albeit with no intent on the part of the districts or Pennsylvania officials.

In the third study, I use both descriptive and multivariate regression analyses to consider the impacts of Act 1’s limits on revenue equity among districts. I find that Act 1’s tax limits appear to have reduced revenue equity among districts, and to have had a differential effect on higher need districts, when using poverty as an indicator of need.

Taken together, the findings suggest that Act 1 may have both reduced funding and revenue equity among districts, and had a differential negative effect on revenue for higher poverty districts. These results therefore suggest that the tax limits may have somewhat widened the divide between the “haves” and “have nots,” and raise concerns that revenue equity among districts has been reduced and that districts better able to adjust to tax limits—those in better fiscal health—may also be those most likely to avoid them.

This quantitative study sought to investigate the differences in the electoral outcomes of school bond elections in Missouri from 2009-2016 based on election timing. The researcher utilized election timing theory as a framework for the study. Data from Missouri school bond elections was compiled from online databases, the Missouri State Auditor’s office, and archived newspaper reports. Results suggest that differences exist in electoral outcomes for school bond issues based on election timing. The study concludes with recommendations for Missouri school administrators, designed to aid in the successful passage of school bond issues.