Browsing by Subject "Secondary education"

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The afterschool battle : reproducing a racial binary in an urban school
(2014-05) Childs, Alysia Ann; Foster, Kevin Michael, 1969-; Hartigan, John, 1964-
This dissertation project is a critical anthropological analysis of the impact of colorism on the educational attainment and academic trajectory of African-American school students in Washington, DC by examining teacher expectations. Through a historical and contemporary lens of public education in DC, I examine the ways in which a black-white racial binary has been used by those in decision-making positions -- namely teachers, counselors, school administrators, Parents and Teachers Association members and other adult decision-makers -- as an indicator of a student's academic ability and their future educational attainment. What prompts this question is the abundance of academic programs in DC that, through a variety of extensive selection criteria, chose high-achieving students for placement in the city's college-preparatory, academic programs, who have a larger tendency to fit a particular phenotype (unless they are exceptionalized through other socioeconomic indicators). Two questions that my research addresses are: how phenotype is weighed against their actual versus perceived academic ability; and how do we explain the relative over-investment (i.e., redundancy of enrichment programs and resources) at one school over a lack of resources and programs at many other schools. I selected Washington, DC as the site for my doctoral research for two primary reasons: (1) its historic association for being one of the most (skin) color-conscious cities in the United States (Russell et al. 1992; Golden 2006; Kerr 2006); and (2) its historic and unique position as a testing ground for reform efforts in the public school system. I volunteered at a DC-area public school for the 2011-2012 academic year and became active in the various parental/community associations (i.e. the Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) and the Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) as a means of gaining first-hand knowledge of -- and experience with -- the various ways in which adults (i.e. teachers, counselors, parents and other school-based staff) place value and justify the assignment of resources to particular students and upon what basis (such as phenotype or socioeconomic background). In gaining access to and awareness of the dynamics of parental engagement at my field site, I began to analyze the role of race in the ways that such involvement is contained or policed by school officials. This dissertation project also takes into account students' awareness of such intersectional processes and whether the students categorize themselves and/or their peers according to a hierarchical scale of valorization.
An early intervention to reduce the risk for dropping out of high school : a case study of a large urban Title I school district
(2017-05) Washington, Cherie Veronda; Olivárez, Rubén; Reyes, Pedro; Cantu, Norma; Johnson, Melody; Linares, Particia
NCLB and now the more recent ESSA law hold school districts responsible for graduation rates, passing state mandated assessments and dropout prevention. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to examine the effectiveness of a system wide middle school intervention program that addressed the educational needs of struggling students. It was also conducted to identify school instructional policies and procedures, curriculum frameworks, ongoing assessments, and planning and decision making structures aimed to accelerate the academic performance of overage students. Data from the school district’s student management system was collected to analyze Research Question 1: What impact on student attendance and academic performance will the intervention have on participating overage middle school students compared to overage middle school students not receiving the interventions? Thirteen school district employees were interviewed and responded to Research Question 2: What are the central office and school based stakeholder’s perceptions of the overall effectiveness of the system-wide intervention program? The study found that students in the overage pilot had better attendance, higher grades in Math and ELA and performed better on the STARR, the Texas state mandated assessment, then overage students who were not in the pilot. The four themes that emerged from the stakeholders’ perceptions of the overall all effectiveness of the system wide intervention program were the Need for a Differentiated Program Model, a Need for Early Intervention, Perception of the Web-based Curriculum as Effective, and a Need for A Systemic Process to Identify and Track Overage Students. Contributions to the success of students in the intervention were also impacted by principal leadership and focus, program expectations for student work, scheduling and implementation of the programs, teacher certification and training and mentor incentives and motivation.
An analysis of the prescribed and enacted curriculum of an engineering unit on helmet design
(2011-08) Gustafson, Katherine Alessandra; Petrosino, Anthony J. (Anthony Joseph), 1961-; Allen, David
Using grounded theory, action research and ethnographic case study methodology this research explores the contrasting ways in which a prescribed curriculum is translated into an enacted curriculum. The current study looks at a 12 week secondary engineering unit (helmet design) which was designed with significant input from a university based team including content experts, learning scientists, master teachers, classroom teachers and school district administrators as part of a grant focused on the creation of a high school engineering course. The unit was enacted in a rural/suburban school by a group of average students by a teacher with high content knowledge in engineering. Five thrusts were identified for analysis including Assessment, Activities, Apparatus, Technology and Standards. Findings indicate much alignment with Apparatus, Standards and Technology thrusts and disparity within the Assessment and Activities thrusts.
Citizen making in religious spaces : encountering the "other"/each other on school mission trips
(2020-06-22) Kim, Esther June; Brown, Anthony L. (Associate professor); Salinas, Cynthia; Payne, Katherina; Hsu, Madeline; Adair, Jennifer; Wang, David
This dissertation focuses on ideologies that shape the civic agency of students and how ideologies that divide between human beings might be deconstructed both at home and abroad. Using Sylvia Wynter’s (1995) hybrid human, and her application of subjective understanding to examine what makes a moment in history possible (e.g. Columbus’ voyage), as well as Thomas Holt’s (1995) analysis of race and racism in the everyday, this ethnography took place alongside students, teachers, and parents from a religious high school. The context is the intersection between ideology and civic education, where the following questions may be explored: how do ideologies shape the interactions between students, teachers and “others” on short term missions, and, how might ideologies shift? While multiple dilemmas emerged around doing civic work in religious spaces, three themes related to ideological movement emerged. Shifts were often facilitated by a combination of teacher mediation, the consistent leaving of home, and steadfast engagement with counter narratives offered by insiders from “other” communities. A constant dilemma, however, was the barrier of racism within the school community. Participants of color across race and grade levels expressed a shared pain in their racialized encounters with classmates and teachers. A common sentiment of feeling alone in a predominantly white space facilitated the formation of theories on their own or within their church communities to make sense of the injustices they and their families both faced and witnessed. My research with this community builds on the work of scholars who study race and ideology in the classroom, specifically how ideological shifts occur in schools (Giroux, 1991; Philip, 2011). I extend this in my research by considering how a confluence of identities and ideologies, including religion, come together and how they may be deconstructed by students and teachers.
Clickers in the secondary classroom
(2010-08) Fluegel, Hope Katherine; Walker, Mary H.; Marshall, Jill Ann
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of audience response systems on the secondary classroom. High school students (n=61) participated in one of three groups: (1) a control group, which heard traditional lectures with verbal questions only, (2) a clicker group, which had questions displayed and used clickers to answer, and (3) a questions only group, which had questions displayed but used slips of paper to answer the question. ANOVA was used to analyze various sources of data, including: test scores, post-test scores, and others, and it was found that there was no statistical difference between the control and two treatment groups. A focus group (n=4) was held to gather qualitative data. Students in the focus group indicated that they enjoyed using clickers for various reasons. Focus group participants indicated that clickers allowed for increased interaction between students and teacher and between students, the graphs allowed students to understand how they performed compared to the class, and gave opportunities for competition. More data needs to be collected on the use of clickers and how the discussion they foster might lead to increased learning.
Designing tools and interventions for a more engaging formative feedback process
(2014-05) Kraus, Alexis Rose; Catterall, Kate
To teach effectively, teachers rely on feedback from their students. But students often dislike conventional forms of feedback such as taking tests or answering questions in front of their peers. For my MFA thesis project, I have designed tools that k-12 educators can use to elicit formative feedback, even from quiet and reserved students and those who do not feel their feedback is of value. My overarching intent with these lowstakes, low-tech, inexpensive tools is to improve teaching and learning. By giving teachers tools that generate useful feedback in a way that is low-stakes for the students, all students are given a voice. Through this design process, I also developed some generalizable principles about the way in which good formative feedback can be elicited in learning environments.
The development and present status of the social studies in Texas high schools
(1948) Young, Morgan Martin, 1903-; Umstattd, James Greenleaf, 1896-1988
The development of a program to meet the needs of high school pupils
(1944) Srygley, Theodore Q. (Theodore Quarles), 1901-1983; Umstattd, James Greenleaf, 1896-1988
Discipline without derailing : an investigation of exclusionary discipline practices in schools
(2013-12) Cohen, Rebecca Weil; Vasquez Heilig, Julian
Maintaining a safe and orderly learning environment in schools is fundamental to the greater goals of education, but determining optimal disciplinary responses to student misbehavior is often complicated. While there is an abundance of research that speaks to the negative impact of exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspension, expulsion or any other disciplinary response that removes a student from the traditional classroom setting) on student behavioral and academic outcomes, there is an absence of work that examines if, when, and to what extent a student is actually better off receiving non-exclusionary dispositions. Using multivariate regression analysis on a unique dataset from an urban Texas school district, this study directly compares the impact of exclusionary vs. non-exclusionary discipline on student outcomes (controlling for student characteristics, school characteristics, and offense type). Additionally, the study examines the extent to which offense type influences the relationship between disposition and student outcomes. The study’s findings suggest that a student is generally worse off in terms of academic progress and risk of future offenses when she/he receives an exclusionary disposition for any disciplinary infraction. The impact of exclusion, however, was shown to vary by student offense.
From class to club : an exploration of high school civic-minded student organizations from 1996-2011 in Corpus Christi, Texas
(2012-05) Noyola, Sonia Adriana; Field, Sherry L.; Davis, O. L. (Ozro Luke), 1928-
Our educational system has long claimed that preparing students to be active citizens is one of its main goals. With high-stakes testing pressures, schools with high minority enrollment have been found to cut back social studies programs and/or implement a drill and practice fragmented teaching style. (Center on Education Policy, 2007; McNeil and Valenzuela, 2000). This research project seeks to understand how civic engagement opportunities were provided for, the impact of these opportunities on students and community members in Corpus Christi, Texas, during the last 15 years, and the ways in which these opportunities may serve to maximize civic engagement for today’s Latino/a student. Using oral histories and archival data as a means to uncover the history of civic-minded organizations in Corpus Christi, Texas, on high school youth and their community, this research project will investigate the founding of the organizations, the people involved in them, and the impact of these organizations as it is perceived by alumni and those with direct experience of the organizations. While a study of this type may not be highly generalizable, it will provide new insights into promising civic education and engagement for previously marginalized groups of students. The findings of this research should add to the educational and social science literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how civic engagement opportunities may be tailored to fit into the learning environment of the high school civics classroom and beyond.
High school English learners and college-going : three stories of success
(2011-05) Moon, Daniel Louis; Callahan, Rebecca M.; Sardegna, Veronica G.
Recent research suggests that the college-going trajectories of English language learners (ELLs) may be improved by focusing on their academic abilities rather than their English limitations; that ELLs are capable of high-track, college preparatory coursework. Most research draws on feedback or observations of current high school students. This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews to elicit retrospective perspectives of three Latina college students placed in English as a second language (ESL) during high school. These three former ELLs were able to navigate from ESL courses to higher-track, advanced placement (AP) courses, which prepared them for college. Results suggest that relatively short times spent in ESL may positively influence ELLs’ access to college preparatory coursework and integration with native English speaking (NES) peers who possess college-going social capital. Results also suggest that ELLs’ perceptions of teachers’ high expectations and college-going assistance may provide important social capital facilitating ELLs’ access to higher-tracks and college.
Integrating topology into the standard high school geometry curriculum
(2012-08) Kiker, William George; Odell, E. (Edward); Daniels, Mark
This report conveys some of the modern investigations surrounding the use of topology in a contextual setting. Topics discussed include applications of topology relating to the modeling of biological structures and common objects like sunshades, elementary knot theory, and the connection between the fields of topology and algebra. A brief overview and discussion of the incorporation of elementary topology into the standard Geometry curriculum of secondary schools is also examined.
An interpretative analysis of the economic and educational status of Latin-Americans in Texas, with emphasis upon the basic factors underlying an approach to an improved program of occupational guidance, training, and adjustment for secondary schools
(1942) Broom, Perry Morris, 1908-; Sánchez, George Isidore, 1906-1972
Making meaning of community : a multi-case study of three urban, middle-school teachers
(2017-05) Rothrock, Racheal Marie; Brown, Keffrelyn D.; De Lissovoy, Noah; Urrieta, Luis; Brown, Anthony L; Green, Terrance L
In response to a widespread use of the term, “community,” within the field of education, and foundational use of the notion within critical, anti-deficit approaches to pedagogy, this study takes up considerations of meanings and uses of community within middle school classrooms. The following questions guide this study: 1. How do successful, urban, middle-school teachers working with students of color understand the concept of “community” in relation to their work with these students? and 2. How do these teachers approach and draw from their conceptions of “community” in their classroom practices? Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Critical Human Geography theories are brought together to form the conceptual framework. In order to investigate these questions, a qualitative multi-case study design is used and data included interviews, observations, artifacts, photography, and mapping. Three teachers, within the subject areas of math, Spanish, and science, participated in this study. Findings revealed complex, contradictory, shifting, and dynamic ways community was conceptualized and used. Rather than being simply a positive, desirable or a negative, problematic concept, community was described in ways that positioned it as both positive and negative. The teachers’ identity, particularly around language, and their intentional actions affected their ability to be part of their students’ communities. This membership status in turn affected the classroom environment and functioning. This holds implications for teacher education and development as well as school leadership and future research.
A mixed-methods study of mid-career science teachers : the growth of professional empowerment
(2011-05) Moreland, Amy Laphelia; Barufaldi, James P.; Carmona-Dominguez, Guadalupe; Hobbs, Mary; Marshall, Jill; Richardson, Richard H.
The purpose of this concurrent, mixed methods study was to examine the professional empowerment qualities of mid-career (years 4-8), science teachers. I used the construct of professional empowerment as the theoretical frame to explore K-12 mid-career science teachers’ career trajectories and consider how they can be supported professionally and ideally retained over time. In investigating the qualities of these teachers, I also constructed a new teaching trajectory model and tested the differences between mid-career and veteran science teachers. I analyzed seventy-eight surveys of mid-career science teachers across Texas, including six in-depth, interview-based case studies. The qualitative piece used behavior-over-time graphing combined with the interviews and the quantitative component used survey data from the Teacher Empowerment Survey (TES). Results indicated that science content knowledge gain through professional development opportunities was an especially important factor in supporting mid-career teachers’ sense of empowerment. This increased content knowledge connected positively with the dimensions of decision-making, status, and impact. In a between-group analysis using a larger subset of TES data, I analyzed 254 surveys by conducting a nonparametric statistical test. A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups, in that mid-career science teachers had a lower sense of “status” than their more experienced counterparts (p < .05). I could infer that, for this sample, as teaching experience increases, so does at least one dimension of empowerment. The study was situated within a broader scope of exploring how educational leaders and professional development providers can understand and support science teachers of varying experience levels. A well-designed and possibly differentiated professional development program could successfully connect with these kind of empowered and receptive mid-career science teachers, and thus increase the probability of implementing quality science education programs, content, and pedagogy into schools. The results of this study also have the potential to provide self-reflective career empowerment information to science teachers in their mid-career years.
Municipality characteristics and math achievement : a multilevel analysis of Mexican secondary schools
(2011-05) Hubert Lopez, Celia; Potter, Joseph E.; Marteleto, Leticia J.
This study examines the impact of the municipality level characteristics on the average Math achievement of students in third year of lower secondary schools in Mexico. Using data from different Mexican and international sources and multi-level regression models the present work shows that municipality characteristics provide additional explanation of the unexplained variability in educational achievement controlling for school-level factors and even without accounting for student characteristics. Although school factors are highly correlated with municipality’s characteristics, the present study finds that unobservable characteristics of the municipality are playing an important role in Mexican students’ achievement which goes beyond the possible impact that school factors have on achievement.
Schooling in times of dystopia : empowering education for Juárez women
(2011-05) Cervantes-Soon, Claudia G., 1974-; Foley, Douglas E.; Valenzuela, Angela; Brown, Keffrelyn; Balli, Cecilia; Luykx, Aurolyn
Young women in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico are coming of age in an era of feminicides, drug wars, impunity, and fear. This ethnographic study examines the ways in which Preparatoria Altavista, a public high school, in one of the most marginalized areas of Juárez, attempts to empower subaltern young women through its critical and social justice philosophy of education. The study draws from critical pedagogy, socio-cultural theory, and feminist scholarship to offer a unique analysis of how hegemonic ideas are resisted and/or inscribed pedagogically, politically, and institutionally at Altavista. Secondly, the study examines how the school’s constructions of democratic and social justice education interact with the current dystopic context of Juárez and discourses about Juárez women to provide a framework with which a group of young women author their identities and practice forms of resistance. The ethnographic fieldwork took place in the 2009-2010 academic year. The methods included unstructured ethnographic interviews with teachers, administrators, and numerous students, as well as semi-structured interviews and an auto-photography technique with nine girls. The study identifies three interrelated aspects that characterize the transformative pedagogy of Preparatoria Altavista: freedom and autonomy, authentic caring relationships, and the cultivation of critical discourse and activism. Together, these core values promote the school’s ultimate goal for its students – autogestión, or the ability to self-author empowered identities; read their world; and initiate and develop socially transformative projects. Considering the school’s context, as well as the many challenges inherent in the dystopic Juárez of today, the study also identifies a typology of four different paths to the girls’ identity and agency development: the Redirectors, the Reinventors, the Redefiners, and the Refugees. This typology is based on various ways and degrees to which the young women in this study authored the self as they negotiated the messages from the multiple figured worlds that they inhabit. The study seeks to counter sensationalist, criminalizing, and dooming narratives about Juárez youth, as well as stereotypical and objectifying depictions of Juárez women by offering a nuanced analysis of their experiences, perspectives, identities, and forms of agency. The study also seeks to offer a language of possibility and hope for urban schools and contexts of civil unrest through critical pedagogy.
A study of the needs of 400 graduating seniors in relation to the offerings of the Austin (Texas) High School
(1948) Cawthon, John Ardis, 1907-; Umstattd, James Greenleaf, 1896-1988
Sustaining a nonrepresentative democracy : how education shapes long-term voting patterns
(2019-06-20) Carroll, Jamie Mary; Muller, Chandra; Auyero, Javier; Brayne, Sarah; Paxton, Pamela M; Warren, John Robert
Voter turnout in the United States is lower than most other advanced democracies and is largely driven by educational attainment. Thus, those who have had success within educational institutions are more represented in our democracy. At its core, voting is an opportunity for individuals to voice their opinions to those in positions of power in government. The link between education and voting may be through encouraging students to use their voices and empowering them to speak to those in positions of power across the life course. Using the High School & Beyond Dataset linked to individuals voting records in midlife, I examine three aspects of the link between education and voting in midlife to better understand the educational pathways that empower individuals to vote. First, I extend literature on the link between education and voting in early adulthood by estimating the effects of college entry, completion, and context on voting in midlife. I find that early college entry effects midlife voting, and higher levels of degree attainment are associated with voting more often in midlife. Second, I focus on adolescence as a critical period for identity development and empowerment and investigate high school experiences that support voting. Specifically, I examine the relationship between high school (dis)empowering experiences—leadership positions, advanced course-taking, and discipline—and voting in midlife, paying critical attention to the role of background, skills, educational attainment, and early voting in the process. I find that advanced course-taking positively and school discipline negatively predict voting in midlife, even when considering these factors. Lastly, I examine how teachers mold political efficacy through their perceptions of students’ potential and conformity and find that positive perceptions of students are associated with higher rates of voting, and the association does not operate through students’ background, skills, or schooling experiences. In all, I find that adolescence is a critical period for individual empowerment, and experiences in schools contribute to whether individuals will exercise their right to vote across their lives. The unequal distribution of empowering experiences in schools may sustain a nonrepresentative democracy.
The connection between perceived teacher enthusiasm and near transfer in secondary English and Physics
(2016-08) Griffin, Holly Elizabeth; Schallert, Diane L.; Butler, Andrew
The literature on teacher enthusiasm has developed broadly and rapidly over the last two decades, and it has reported correlations with several student outcomes including performance and interest. This paper applies the Keller, Goetz, Becker, Morger, and Hensley (2014) conceptualization of dispositional teacher enthusiasm, which incorporates both affect and expressivity, to hypothesize significant positive relationships between teacher enthusiasm and near transfer of knowledge. In this study, immediately after a lesson was concluded, high school students (n=67) and teachers (n=8) were surveyed on classroom emotions, experiences, and perceived enthusiasm using Kunter et al.’s (2008, 2011) adapted teacher enthusiasm scale. Participants came from four English II classes, and four physics classes. Two weeks after the lesson with associated learning objectives (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills), the students were tested on their mastery of the content with questions measuring their application level understanding. Based on correlational analysis, students who perceived teachers as enthusiastic did not perform significantly better on cumulative tests of knowledge, but all affective variables measured were significantly correlated with each other. Lastly, possible mediating factors and future directions are discussed.