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- Description:
- This non-experimental study explored the role of paraprofessionals in education, investigating the evolution of changing inclusion practices, student’s increased expectations, and ways of fostering improvement and competence for paraprofessionals to meet increasing education demands. The target population of this study was paraprofessionals who work as teacher’s assistants or aides in northern New Jersey. Specifically, the researcher aimed to acquire participants from three school districts in Northern New Jersey with access to special education programs supported by paraprofessionals. The study adopted three distinct Google survey forms as the primary tool for data collection, namely the paraprofessionals and teachers’ survey forms. One-sample t-tests were used to assess teachers’ assistants’ level of training, competency, performance, skills, knowledge, and frequency of assistants with a bachelor’s degree. The study findings established that the level of perceived training was average while the performance and competency were above average; however, the mean level of knowledge was significantly lower than average. The results indicated an urgent need for continuous training for both teachers and paraprofessionals to deliver the best services in taking care of the needs of the students. The study's findings are significant in that they fill the gap in the contemporary literature regarding the roles and competencies of paraprofessionals in support of learning and training. Apart from providing information that may assist educators and policymakers in making critical decisions during the development and structuring of programs for the paraprofessionals, the study findings foster the development of effective support models seeking to endorse the performance of paraprofessionals within special education settings.
- Keyword:
- Education, Paraprofessional Role, and Paraprofessional Competence
- Subject:
- Teacher Education
- Creator:
- Mauriello, Frank
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 01/04/2022
- Date Modified:
- 01/05/2022
- Date Created:
- 2021
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- In New Jersey the neoliberal reform agenda in education policy manifested in funding cuts to schools, changes in teacher evaluation mechanisms, and revisions of pension and health care plans. Educational discourse resides in the political space and is a platform upon which many politicians launch promises of societal growth through reform agendas. These reform agendas are often counter to the values of democratic education and often exacerbate social and economic problems like segregation and funding inequity. How did these policy changes impact educational quality in New Jersey? This study examined the impact of neoliberal policy changes to education practice in New Jersey using school-based outcomes as a measure of efficacy. Data gathered from graduation rates, student-teacher ratios, and test scores were compared over time between school districts of varying socioeconomic status. Findings revealed statistically significant changes in school performance outcomes between high- and low- socioeconomic school districts. However, these changes could not be tied directly to the specific policy shifts. Despite the lack of a causal connection, correlations emerged between policy adjustments and changes in school outcomes, suggesting the need for further analysis and the idea that this type of policy analysis can lead to more effective school-based reform. Superintendents’ salary caps were lifted after the completion of this dissertation, which does not reflect this change.
- Keyword:
- Education, New Jersey, Performance , Reform , and Neoliberal
- Subject:
- Education Policy, Educational Leadership, and Educational Evaluation
- Creator:
- Torres, Lisa B.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 01/04/2022
- Date Modified:
- 01/05/2022
- Date Created:
- 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- After-school programs in the United States provide academic enrichment to students in low-performing schools to help them acquire the skills necessary to meet state core curriculum content standards. This quantitative case study uses secondary data to determine the impact of after-school programs on student scores on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career (PARCC) in English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics. PARCC results were assessed against gender and ethnicity. Participants were sixth-graders drawn from two schools: one comprising grades six through eight that offers an after-school program, and another serving kindergarten through grade eight that does not. Both are located in high-poverty, high-risk, urban areas categorized as “Priority” by the New Jersey Department of Education. These schools have the 5% lowest academically performing students in the state based on standardized test scores. Results showed no statistically significant differences between the PARCC scores of students who participated in the afterschool program and those who did not. However, PARCC scores for students who received the intervention showed an overall increase in both Language Arts and Mathematics PARCC scores compared to an overall decrease for those who did not.
- Keyword:
- Education, PARCC Standardized Testing , Urban , High Poverty , After School Program , Academic Achievement , and Enrichment
- Subject:
- Middle School Education and Educational Tests & Measurements
- Creator:
- Luce, Francine C.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 01/04/2022
- Date Modified:
- 01/05/2022
- Date Created:
- 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to determine if elementary English language arts (ELA) teachers in a northern New Jersey school district perceived they were receiving quality professional development that enabled them to shift their instructional methodologies to address the learning outcomes identified by the Common Core State Standards and ensure students are prepared for college and career. In this study, I offer an overview of standards-based education, the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards, Common Core State Standards, and New Jersey Student Learning Standards to identify necessary changes to the planning and delivery of Common Core State Standards. I also identify the significance of effective professional development to improving student learning, integrating the standards across subject areas, and transforming elementary teachers’ method of instruction. Finally, I identify tools and resources that help elementary teachers address specific challenges of changing classroom practice (Center for Public Education, 2013). This study \ was conducted using a single-method research design involving quantitative data from a survey. The conceptual framework for this study was centered on the history of standards-based education; the development of the Common Core State Standards; state modifications to the Common Core State Standards, such as the New Jersey Student Learning Standards; and the impact of educators receiving quality professional development to reconstruct pedagogy. Results revealed that teachers had some training in the ELA Common Core State Standards and wanted more. Elementary teachers also expressed that professional learning communities, formal training sessions such as seminars and conferences, and job-embedded training were the most helpful forms of professional development. In addition, elementary teachers of Grades K-5 indicated that the training they received was of high iii quality, that they felt prepared to teach the standards to their students, and that they believed the standards would improve their instruction and classroom practice and would improve student learning.
- Keyword:
- Education, ELA instructional shifts, Professional development, Perceptions, Common Core State Standards, Elementary teachers grades K-5, and New Jersey Student Learning Standards
- Subject:
- Educational standards, Teacher education, Language teaching methods, Educational leadership, Research design, Language arts, English language, Learning outcomes, College students, and Elementary education
- Creator:
- Snow-Perry, Chantel D.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 01/04/2022
- Date Modified:
- 01/05/2022
- Date Created:
- 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- Teacher evaluation has existed in many forms throughout history. With or without formal processes teachers are held accountable for student learning and achievement gains through a variety of measures such as standardized test scores, parent feedback, administrative feedback and students' grades. Recent political movement has spurred legislators to support more rigorous and specific evaluation systems that increased accountability of teachers and school districts to link teacher evaluation to student learning. New Jersey adopted the TEACHNJ act in 2012 which required set number of evaluations for tenured and non-tenured teachers, criteria for each evaluation through a variety of models, and test scores and teacher developed assessments were tied into a final score for teachers. If the teacher evaluation system aims to improve practice and identify areas for professional growth, it is important to understand teachers' perceptions on the new system. The purpose of the study was to examine the perceptions of teachers related to the effectiveness of the teacher evaluation system in New Jersey and the perceived benefits and limitations of the new system. This mixed-methods study surveyed teachers from six suburban districts in New Jersey. The districts varied in size and socioeconomic factors, but all districts were in their second year of the new teacher evaluation system. Teachers answered eight survey questions using a Likert scale and two open-ended questions that allowed respondents to expand on any of the questions or any other related comments not addressed in the survey. The study revealed that teachers believe in the fundamental principles that serve evaluation processes. Teachers understood the research behind the systems and the need for accountability. The key in successful teacher evaluation is comprehensive training opportunities for teachers not only in what constitutes effective teaching practices, but with the implementation of these practices into the classroom. Further, teachers need to have training on how to utilize the tools used to manage the evaluation systems so that teachers are not tied up with bureaucratic practices that take away from the time to plan effective lessons or collaborate with colleagues. Additionally, evaluators need to continue to learn alongside the teachers to ensure reliability and consistency within the different evaluations a teacher receives from multiple observers. Further research that aligns teacher evaluation with student achievement, as well as teacher evaluation within a variety of settings with specific evaluation models would be valuable. As new teacher evaluation systems become the norm in districts across the nation, further study would provide school leaders with ways to ensure successful and effective implementation policies that support both students and teachers.
- Keyword:
- Historical perspectives, Teacher evaluation, New Jersey, Education, and Teacher effectiveness
- Subject:
- Educational leadership
- Creator:
- Ladd, Susan
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 01/04/2022
- Date Modified:
- 01/07/2022
- Date Created:
- 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- This research study looked at the components that may influence teacher attitudes in an accepting manner toward including students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons that may influence the attitudes of general education teachers toward including students with specific learning disabilities. The factors that were examined in the study included gender, length of years teaching, and the amount of special education courses taken in college. Elementary general education teachers from two schools in an urban school district in New Jersey were given the ATTM-m survey to determine their attitude towards special needs students. The results of this study indicated that general education teachers regardless of gender, length of years teaching, and the amount of special education courses take, were not willing to accept the inclusion of special needs students into the general education classroom. It is recommended that future research is needed to further investigate these findings.
- Keyword:
- Teacher, Inclusion, Disabilities, Education, Attitude, Learning, and New Jersey
- Subject:
- Education
- Creator:
- Phillips, Rodney R.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 12/23/2021
- Date Created:
- 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to examine the impact of a departmentalization structure in grades four and five on student performance. The study was conducted in a large, kindergarten through 12th-grade urban school district in northern New Jersey. The focus was on determining if departmentalization in grades four and five was a model that districts could use to meet the demands of accountability regarding student performance. Student performance measured by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Mathematics and English Language Arts student scale scores and student growth scores were examined. This research study’s major findings supported the hypothesis that grade four and five students who receive instruction in the departmentalization instructional setting would demonstrate significantly higher scale scores and student growth scores than students in the self-contained group, depending on demographic factors and content area. However, the size of the effect for these significant differences were small. Finally, this study concludes that departmentalization in the elementary grades provides districts with an alternative organizational structure that will allow students to achieve the student standards, student growth, and meet their accountability standards.
- Keyword:
- Education
- Subject:
- Educational administration and Elementary education
- Creator:
- Badalis, Kathleen A.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 12/23/2021
- Date Modified:
- 01/07/2022
- Date Created:
- 2020
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- Teachers are required to be computer literate in order to equip their students with the technology tools to compete in the 21st century global environment. It is important that their students are college and career ready upon completion of high school. Some teachers encounter difficulty in integrating technology because they are not comfortable using it to deliver instruction and may not want to take the risk of appearing inept in front of students. The purpose of this study is to determine whether professional development training in technology will increase teachers' comfort level with classroom integration. This paper will present reasons for some teachers' hesitancy, such as conceptions or perceived beliefs regarding technology, and the types of professional workshops offered by the district to address and remedy the situation. When limitations are recognized and professional training development is provided, teachers’ beliefs about the value of technology integration will change. In order to ease the transition to 21st century technology usage in classrooms, states, stakeholders, and districts must find a way to incorporate and promote effective professional development training.
- Keyword:
- High school, Education, 21st century global environment, and Teachers' hesitancy
- Subject:
- Educational leadership
- Creator:
- Percival, Erma
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 12/23/2021
- Date Modified:
- 01/07/2022
- Date Created:
- 2018
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to examine one urban elementary school to determine the influence of PLCs on administrator and teacher efficacy in supporting academic success. Using Stewart, Williams, and Matthew’s (2009) Learning Community Culture Indicator (LCCI), which is based on the work of Richard DuFour (2006) and Eaker and DuFour (1998), the researcher identified and measured five characteristics of professional learning communities among 81 teachers and 18 administrators. Additionally, examining Bandura’s core construct of efficacy (1997, 1988) provided a method for unterstanding the roles of the teacher and administrator within the professional learning community. Conducting ANOVA tests and 14 interviews with 7 administrators and 7 teachers, the researcher used a mixed method design to gain additional insight otherwise not available from the survey alone. The study results indicated a statistically consistent relationship between administrator and teacher efficacy and professional learning communities. The results indicated that an emphasis on professional learning communities in one urban elementary school in Northern New Jersey has the potential to support academic success. This study also enabled the researcher to identify specific themes pertinent to administrator and teacher efficacy.
- Keyword:
- Administrator efficacy, New Jersey, Education, Teacher efficacy, Academic achievement, Urban education, and PLCs
- Subject:
- Educational leadership, Education, Teacher education, Educational sociology, and Elementary education
- Creator:
- Kenyon, Margaret A.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 12/23/2021
- Date Modified:
- 01/07/2022
- Date Created:
- 2015
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
-
- Description:
- This research study looked at the components that may influence teacher attitudes in an accepting manner toward including students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the reasons that may influence the attitudes of general education teachers toward including students with specific learning disabilities. The factors that were examined in the study included gender, length of years teaching, and the amount of special education courses taken in college. Elementary general education teachers from two schools in an urban school district in New Jersey were given the ATTM-m survey to determine their attitude towards special needs students. The results of this study indicated that general education teachers regardless of gender, length of years teaching, and the amount of special education courses take, were not willing to accept the inclusion of special needs students into the general education classroom. It is recommended that future research is needed to further investigate these findings.
- Keyword:
- New Jersey, Learning, Education, Teacher, Inclusion, Attitude, and Disabilities
- Subject:
- Special education, Teacher education, and Elementary education
- Creator:
- Phillips, Rodney R.
- Owner:
- skushner@saintpeters.edu
- Publisher:
- Saint Peter's University
- Date Uploaded:
- 12/22/2021
- Date Modified:
- 01/07/2022
- Date Created:
- 2016
- Rights Statement:
- In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
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