Theses and Dissertations
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Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Subject "academic achievement"
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Item Open Access Case study on the role of the superintendent of schools in instructional leadership and student academic achievement(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Karbula, John, author; Lehmann, Jean, advisorThe purpose of this case study was to observe a superintendent at work in order to develop insight and understanding of the superintendent's role as instructional leader and the decision making process regarding student academic achievement. This case study examined and explored the context of instructional leadership and student academic achievement through the superintendent's personal and professional interactions with intact cultural groups such as the leadership team, the school board, district staff, parents, and community members in their natural settings. Through first-hand observation and personal interviews I observed the lived realities of the superintendent and the leadership responses to the realities he encountered, thus accumulating a written record of these observations of his experiences. These accumulated observations described, explored and examined the decisions made by the superintendent that pertain to instructional leadership and student academic achievement. The role of the superintendent of schools has evolved over time since it was first conceived in the mid 19th Century. While the specifics of the role have changed, a constant is that the role of superintendent of schools has grown increasingly complex. This complexity has been exacerbated by the intense and highly public focus on student academic achievement that accompanied the passage of the federal legislation, No Child Left Behind. This case study looks at the actual life of a superintendent as he operates in the context of a school district. The school district has 2,800 students and is located in the intermountain west of the United States. The participants in this study were the superintendent and selected members of the superintendent leadership team, and district administrators, as well as the president of the board of education. As an emergent study, it examined those issues that arose from the superintendent's role in instructional leadership and the decisions made surrounding student academic achievement in the midst of the complexity of a position with numerous, often equally demanding roles. The key findings that emerged from this study are that the core beliefs of the superintendent of schools regarding honesty, integrity, openness and transparency, and a personal ethic of caring deeply for students and staff members is at the heart of all behaviors and decisions made as superintendent of schools, particularly those regarding instructional leadership and student academic achievement.Item Open Access Perception of African American male college students' satisfaction with academic advising services and their intent to remain enrolled in school(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Thompson, Allen A., author; Gloeckner, Gene W., advisorThe purpose of this study was to examine how academic advising services impact African American male undergraduate college students' rate of retention and the students' level of satisfaction. The sample included 48 undergraduate African American male college students attending one of two public universities in Norfolk, VA: Norfolk State University or Old Dominion University. Participants in the research study completed the Academic Advising Inventory (AAI). Pearson correlation statistics determined relationships of students' satisfaction with academic advising and both the number of advising sessions attended and amount of time in sessions. Nonsignificant negative relationships were found. Independent t-tests found no difference in students' satisfaction with academic advising based on individual or group academic advising, class standing, or type of academic advising (prescriptive versus developmental) received. An additional Independent t-test found no difference in students' grade point average based on type of academic advising received. Two by two factorial ANOVAs examined relationships between students' satisfaction with academic advising with their experienced academic advising type, first generation designation, class standing, and whether or not they were advised alone or in a group. Results indicated students' satisfaction is unrelated to experienced academic advising type, first generation designation, class standing, and whether or not they were advised alone or in a group. Additional 2x2 factorial ANOVAs examined relationships between students' grade point average with experienced academic advising type, first generation designation, class standing, and whether or not they were advised alone or in a group. Results indicated students' grade point average was unrelated to experienced academic advising type, first generation designation, class standing, and whether or not they were advised alone or in a group. Multiple regression statistics examined students' satisfaction with academic advising. Results indicated no combination of variables studied: grade point average, academic advising type, class standing, first generation designation, and amount of time in sessions predicted students' satisfaction.Item Open Access "School reform is like cleaning out your garage": a case study of one school district's influence on student achievement(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2009) Gifford, Brenda K., author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Lucero, Rodrick, advisorThe purpose of this qualitative constructivist case study is to explore one school district's organizational constructs, policies, and structures that influence student achievement especially for marginalized students. The focus is on the school district as the unit of analysis. Michael Fullan's (2004) conceptual framework of ten integrated components to realize large-scale systemic improvement in school districts provided a scaffold for the literature review and data analysis. Topical questions included: (1) How do the district's organizational constructs, policies, and structures provide support to schools? (2) How do the theories about school improvement held by the school district leadership team impact the support to schools? 'What is tight' and 'what is loose'? (3) How do the explicit theories of action of the district leadership team materialize into organizational constructs, policies, and structures that impact teaching and learning at the school and classroom level? A small urban school district in Colorado was the focus of this case study. Four themes resulted from direct observations, document reviews, and responsive interviews with district administrators, principals, and teachers. (1) There is a resounding coherence of a collective moral purpose and compelling conceptualization regarding the theory of action and 'what is tight' and 'what is loose' (DuFour, 2007). (2) The alignment and interconnectedness of the organizational constructs and structures with the compelling conceptualization provides a framework of support to schools. (3) Building capacity is a core function throughout the district. (4) There is an emerging understanding of the 'defined autonomy' between the district expectations and each school's unique flexibility. The thread that is woven throughout this dissertation is the interconnectivity between district structures and schools; between hopes and dreams and constructs; and between each one of us, our experiences and the children for whom we advocate. The four themes are a springboard for a call to action to public school advocates to be courageous, to be reflective, be nimble and responsive, create coherence and interconnectedness across school district systems, define autonomy, and be inclusive in all processes.Item Open Access Summer school: effects in fourth and fifth grades(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Koehn, Karen K., author; Cooner, Donna, advisor; Gloeckner, Gene W., committee member; Lucero, Rodrick, committee member; O'Donnell-Allen, Cindy, committee memberSummer school has long been viewed as a viable method of decreasing the time out of school for students and thereby increasing student achievement for summer school attendees. A search of the literature reveals that many summer school programs are effective in preventing reading achievement loss of elementary students, particularly for students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. The purpose of this study was to determine both the short and long term effects of a summer school program on students attending summer school following their fourth grade year. Independent sample t tests were performed to determine the difference in reading MAP score growth for students attending summer school and non-attendees. Comparisons were made based on socioeconomic status. Results showed no significant difference in gain scores between attendees and non-attendees immediately following summer school or at the end of the fifth grade year, regardless of socioeconomic status. Implications for action and recommendations for further study are included at the conclusion of this study. These include closer examination of the grade levels and type of students experiencing the greatest benefit from summer school programs, the type of summer program producing the best results, and consideration for the needs of the specific school community.Item Open Access The relationship of self-regulation and academic achievement in college students with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a brain-behavior perspective(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Chang, Wen-Pin, author; Morgan, George A., advisor; Davies, Patricia L., advisorThe main purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the relationships among three constructs: (a) the underlying executive processes of self-regulation, (b) self-regulation behaviors, and (c) academic achievement in college students with and without ADHD.