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open access

Leadership Practices and Processes that Close Opportunity Gaps for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged and Minoritized Students: A Case Study of a High-Needs Title 1 Elementary School

Description: The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to identify leadership practices and processes that contributed to the success of a single High Needs, Title 1 elementary school that has experienced acknowledged superior academic success, particularly for its minoritized and low socioeconomically disadvantaged students, as indicated by the school's success on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. The study sought to explore the principal's and teachers' concep… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Braveboy, Peter
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Teacher Professional Development on Student Achievement at a North Texas High School as Measured by End-of-Course Assessments in Algebra I and English Language Arts

Description: The purpose of this study determined if a significant relationship existed between the amount of professional development that teachers participated in and the impact on the classroom instruction that followed. The goal was to study the effect that this had on student achievement in the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) for English 1 and Algebra 1 for students at a large north Texas high school. Testing years for the study included the school years 2013-14, 2014-15, and … more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Younkman, Freddy W
Partner: UNT Libraries

Prevalence and Proportionality of Dyslexia in Texas Public and Charter School Districts

Description: Passed in 1985, the Texas Education Code (TEC) §38.003, Screening and Treatment of Dyslexia and Related Disorders, required public school districts and charters to identify and provide remediation services for students with dyslexia. While Texas was the first state to pass such a requirement, the question remains: What is the prevalence and proportionality of dyslexia in Texas public school districts and charters? In Phase 1 of this study, a secondary analysis using point prevalence and disprop… more
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Date: August 2019
Creator: Sneed, Samantha
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Women's Access to School Superintendency Roles

Description: Men continue to outnumber women in public school superintendent roles by a 4:1 ratio. However, women outnumber men by a 4:1 ratio in teaching roles in public school districts. In addition, more women than men hold superintendent certificates and educational doctorates. Due to this puzzling discrepancy, it is important to understand possible factors in the form of gendered barriers to access that could lead to the unequal representation of women in superintendent positions. In this study, I exam… more
Date: December 2019
Creator: Solomon, Dana
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Measuring College Readiness: Developing a System of On-Track and Off-Track Metrics for Texas High School Students

Description: The purpose of this study was to analyze and determine the predictive power of individual and a combination of different indicators that are used to determine college readiness. For this study a logistic regression analysis was conducted due to the dichotomous nature of the dependent variable. The dependent variable for the study was the earning of a post-secondary credential. The independent variables included high school diploma type, Advanced Placement course taken, Advanced Placement test … more
Date: August 2020
Creator: Saenz, David Pael
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

College Readiness and Dual Credit Participation of Alternative High School Students

Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which alternative schools add value to the college readiness of their students, as well as to measure the capacity of alternative school students to successfully complete dual credit courses while enrolled at the alternative school. This mixed methods study utilized an exploratory approach with a descriptive research design to explore the extent to which alternative schools produce college-ready students. The Texas Success Initiative Asse… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Bradley, Jeffrey James
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Moral Disengagement: an Exploratory Study of Predictive Factors for Digital Aggression and Cyberbullying

Description: A cross-sectional quantitative causal research design was employed to explore the relationship between adolescent digital aggression, cyberbully behavior and moral disengagement. A survey was created and electronically administered to 1077 high school students in Grades 9-12 in a selected school district in Texas. High school students were chosen because research has shown a decrease in traditional bullying and an increase of digital aggression and cyberbullying at this developmental level. A… more
Date: May 2014
Creator: George, R. Jefferson
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Teaching Outside the Box: Student and Teacher Perceptions of Flexible Learning Environments Outside the 21st Century Classroom

Description: The purpose of this study was to ascertain student and teacher perceptions of the environment in which student learning takes place and their perceptions of how it has helped them in the cognitive and social domains. Data collected were through student and teacher perception surveys, student and teacher perception questionnaires, classroom observations, student focus group discussions, and teacher interviews. Themes that emerged from the data sources were student interactions, students' autonom… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Allison, Chelsea B.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

An Exploration of Impostor Phenomenon among African American Women in Educational Leadership Roles

Description: African American women in educational leadership roles face a myriad of barriers and challenges. Black feminist theory and impostor phenomenon theory offered a potent conceptual lens for understanding the experiences of successful African American women. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to examine and explore strategies that African American women use to (a) navigate the impostor phenomenon in relation to career mobility, and (b) identify and understand how social constructs … more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Dumas, Simonè Marquise
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effectiveness of a Professional Learning Community on Student Achievement in Elementary Reading and Mathematics in a Large Urban School District

Description: The study was to determine the impact of a Professional Learning Community on student achievement as measured by the state's criterion referenced reading and mathematics achievement tests. Data for this study were extracted from the school district's student database. Two cohorts of 90 students each were randomly selected from a population of approximately 600 students in 3 schools that participated in a Professional Learning Community (treatment) and 3 schools that did not (control). Profess… more
Date: May 2016
Creator: Landry, Jacqueline Hayles
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Culturally Proficient Leadership: Teacher Perceptions of Elementary School Principals in Urban, Title I Schools

Description: This study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of their principal’s level of cultural proficiency. Practices for Developing a Culturally Competent School Environment, a survey Camille Smith and adapted by Dr. Mack T. Hines, was completed from a sample size of 119 teachers. The survey contained 35 items, including six constructs: valuing diversity, assessing the culture, managing the dynamics of difference, institutionalizing cultural knowledge and resources, adapting to diversity and i… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Hendrix, Royond P.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Supporting and Retaining Beginning Teachers during COVID-19

Description: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to determine, from the perspective of beginning teachers, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected their intentions to remain in teaching. There were two additional goals in conducting the study: (a) to determine the key practices, supports, or events that played a role in impacting teachers' intentions to remain in teaching during a crisis; and (b) to determine the key practices, supports, or events teachers believe the dis… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Shuffield, Austin
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Professional Learning Communities and School Improvement: Implications for District Leadership

Description: The purpose of this research was to understand the role of district leadership better in the implementation and development of professional learning communities. This investigation was a mixed-methods analysis of the perceptions of a school district's support in the implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) at the school level. Additionally, in this study, I examined how the PLC framework supports systemic school improvement, using Hord's definition of the five dimensions of … more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Flowers, Kelly N.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Program Evaluation of Districtwide Literacy Intervention Programs: Implications for District Leaders

Description: This mixed methods study was designed for two purposes: (1) to provide district and campus leaders data about the effectiveness of how the studied district's READ 180 and System 44 literacy intervention programs were implemented, and (2) to assess the programs' impact on student outcomes to determine whether the district was meeting literacy goals and if recommendations identified in the previous program evaluation report were addressed. Archival de-identified student achievement data and focus… more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Reynolds, Danielle Foss
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Leadership on School Culture and Teacher Retention

Description: To determine the impact that school leaders have on school culture and teacher retention, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to study schools in a district feeder pattern in in a large, suburban district in Texas with a student population of approximately 25,000. In Phase 1, teachers at one elementary, one middle, and one high school were asked to complete a 26-question Likert scale survey about school culture. The last statement in the survey asked participants if they we… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Spaulding, Shelly
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Teacher Perceptions of Pay-for-Performance: An Investigation of Four Middle School Pay-for-Performance Programs in a Large Urban School District

Description: In this study, I explored the different perceptions of teachers in a large urban school district in Texas towards a pay-for-performance program used on their respective campuses between 2011-2016. In total, 97 teachers from four different middle school campuses participated in this study. A descriptive analyst was conducted on teacher responses to an online survey to answer the research questions examined in this study: 1) What are teachers' perceptions of the pay-for-performance program's impa… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Whitaker, Norbert L., Sr.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Hispanic Students' Perceptions of How Well Public High School Prepared Them for College

Description: Although Hispanics are graduating from high school at greater rates, it is not leading to college success as college graduation rates remain low. In Texas, the Hispanic population has grown to the point that one out of three of all Texans are Hispanic. A phenomenological approach to research was used to investigate the perceptions of Hispanic college students on how well their public high school prepared them for college. Through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions, eight Hisp… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Soto, Lionel
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Student and Counselor Perceptions of a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program's Effectiveness

Description: Research reveals that disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs) are growing at an alarming rate. What are schools doing to ensure success for those students who are placed in a DAEP? In this descriptive qualitative research study, I examined how DAEPs can operate at a more effective level in order to provide a restorative environment, resulting in a decreased recidivism rate for troubled youth. In order to achieve this overall objective, the following research questions framed this… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Dunworth, Rodney Dean
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Creating Equitable Educational Experiences for African American Males through Advanced Academics

Description: Across the United States, African American males face barriers to securing a quality education. Barriers such as educational gatekeeping, and low identification, have caused African American males' enrollment in advanced placement courses to be at a rate lower than all other ethnicity and gender populations. A qualitative approach to research was used to explore how and in what ways district and school leaders created or hindered equitable advanced academic program opportunities for African A… more
Date: May 2020
Creator: Johnson, Nakendrick S.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Self-Efficacy, Grit, and Their Relationship to the Black-White Achievement Gap

Description: Since the reveal of the Black-White achievement gap in 1966, leaders and policymakers have attempted to close the gap to no avail. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the relationships between self-efficacy, grit, and academic achievement of Black and White students. For the first two research questions,I sought to determine whether there were relationships between self-efficacy, grit, and academic achievement as defined by the PSAT 10 Reading or Math … more
Date: July 2023
Creator: Fingers, Alex Marquise
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Influences on Latino Males' Enrollment in Four-Year Colleges

Description: The purpose of this study was to explore characteristics that influence Latino male students' enrollment in four-year colleges. This study utilized a mixed-methods approach and acquired information specifically pertaining to the high school Latino male population. Participants for the study included Latino male high school students in Grades 9-12, parents of Latino male high school students in Grades 9-12, and counselors of high school students in Grades 9-12. The study was conducted across … more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Jones, Victor Jerrell
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effects of Family Cultural Capital on Reading Motivation and Reading Behavior in Elementary School Students with New Immigrant Background: A Structural Equation Model

Description: This study was designed to investigate the impact of family cultural capital on reading motivation and reading behavior among new immigrant children and non-immigrant children. This research used Chang and Wang's family cultural capital, reading motivation, and reading behavior questionnaire to conduct the survey. The target population of this study was students enrolled in fifth grade and sixth grade in elementary school in the fall of 2017 in Tainan, Taiwan. The sample include 414 students fr… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Tseng, Hui Te Li
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Relationship among Select School Variables and 8th Grade African American Male Academic Achievement

Description: This study was designed to investigate the correlational relationship between four school elements listed on the Texas Academic Progress Report (TAPR) and the academic achievement of 8th grade African American male students. Data for this study was provided from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Office for Public Information Requests. The study included four independent variables: percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, average years of teachers' experience, attendance rate and av… more
Date: August 2018
Creator: Bowser, Jimmy Lee, Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Self-efficacy, Academic Engagement, and Student-teacher Relationships for Ninth-grade African American Male Students’ Algebra I Achievement: a Structural Equation Model

Description: The purpose of the current study was to discern the effects of three latent constructs – self-efficacy, academic engagement, and student-teacher relationships on Algebra I achievement among ninth-grade African American male students. A nationally representative sample from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS09) was used in the study. Study participants were 697 African American males enrolled in ninth grade in the fall of 2009 across the United States. Structural Equation Modelin… more
Date: December 2015
Creator: Onsongo, Evans N.
Partner: UNT Libraries
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