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Examining the Relationship Between Gifted Behavior Rating Scores and Student Academic Performance
No full textCurrent trends in gifted education research suggest the importance of identifying, developing, and nurturing the talent and potential of gifted learners in addition to recognizing high ability through intelligence testing. However, despite decades of work to decrease the achievement gaps, increasing excellence gaps, the disparity between the highest levels of student achievement from White, affluent backgrounds and the top-performing students from minority or low income backgrounds, remains a problem (Plucker & Callahan, 2014). This quantitative research study examines how a component of the identification process, the gifted behavior rating scale, can be used to assess student potential and increase representation of minority populations in gifted education. In this study, ex post facto gifted behavior rating scale data gathered from the gifted screening process in a large, diverse suburban school district was correlated to determine if any relationship existed between gifted behavior rating scales scores and student academic performance. Findings from this research study indicated a weak to moderate positive correlation between students’ gifted rating scale scores and student academic performance. Because results were statistically insignificant, gifted rating scale scores were not determined to be predictors of student academic performance. However, results support the talent development approach in gifted education and demonstrate that teachers are able to recognize and identify gifted behavior characteristics for high ability students effectively using a gifted behavior rating scale. In addition, the study demonstrated the academic performance success achieved by both underrepresented and non-minority high ability students in gifted programming. Further empirical research needs to be conducted to demonstrate the predictive value of using teacher rating scales as a component of the gifted identification screening process
High Functioning Students with Asperger\u27s Syndrome in Regular Education Classes Versus Special Education Classes
No full textThe goal of this quantitative study was to determine whether the best educational placement for students with Asperger’s Syndrome is in the regular education classroom or in the special education classroom. This was done using Likert scale surveys to elicit information from parents of students with an autism spectrum disorder. The results clearly indicated parents are generally dissatisfied with inclusionary practices. Further studies might be designed to include qualitative information, as well as broadening the research population, which is underrepresented in research. With the growing prevalence within the public school system of students with Asperger’s Syndrome, more research is warranted
Community College Latino Male Student Engagement: A Qualitative Research Study
No full textAccording to Saenz and Ponjuan (2009), “Latino males are effectively vanishing from the American higher education pipeline” (p. 54). Despite a steady increase of Latino students enrolling over the past several decades, the problem remains that Latino male student persistence and completion rates are not keeping up proportionally with other student population groups (Castellanos, Gloria, & Kamimura, 2006). The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to understand how Latino male students describe their educational experience within the community college system, and provide recommendations for educational practitioners to improve programs and services that support Latino male student persistence and completion.
This phenomenological study’s conceptual framework focused on the following attributes related to the Latino male student, their influences including family, culture, and society as well as behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement perspectives. The research study concluded with the following key influence and engagement perspectives for educational practitioners to grapple with when designing programs and services that support Latino male student success at the community college level:
(a) Guidance is necessary for Latino male students who have varying levels of preparation upon entrance into their community college level studies.
(b) There is a great need to have more supportive voices in young Latino male student lives.
(c) Community college personnel must come alongside Latino male students to provide a clear pathway, assist with navigation of the institutional system, and offer information, resources, and services necessary to empower and obtain success
Developing Appropriate Challenge and Rigor in the Classroom: Perceptions of Gifted Middle Schoolers
No full textGifted education is often overlooked in schools. Reasons for the lack of programming include standardized testing causing teachers to teach to the middle, untrained and underprepared teachers, mistaken ideas of equality, and a lack of funding. Even in schools which offer gifted programming, the education offered gifted students often does not meet the educational needs of the gifted student. Although much literature exists regarding the lack of rigor afforded gifted students, the students themselves are often left out of the reporting of results. This is especially true at the middle school level. Utilizing the perceptions of students, this study examined the level of challenge gifted students felt in honors-level classes, specifically focusing on which elements of the class most contributed to or detracted from experiencing an appropriate level of challenge. The eighteen students observed in this study were simultaneously enrolled in a gifted and talented elective course, as well as honors-level math and language arts classes. Participants were questioned in a series of interviews in order to determine individual perspectives regarding middle school gifted programming at one selected school site. The findings of the study revealed all students had a desire to be challenged in their academic programming yet were not experiencing challenge, even within most of the gifted programming offered. Students noted teacher understanding, utilization of specific instructional techniques, and depth of content increased challenge while district or state policies, teacher misunderstanding, and a lack of academic rigor decreased challenge
The College-Transition Experience: The Role of High School Teachers
No full textGiven the high remediation rate in math, reading, and writing of high school seniors who matriculate to college campuses in the United States, educational leaders have explored ways to address and decrease the need for remedial courses at the postsecondary level. Many K-20 leaders have developed programs and courses to bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary education, but high remediation rates continue to exist. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the role of high school teacher college knowledge in the college-transition process. The survey measured responses using a five-point Likert scale and was administered electronically to high school teachers in one large suburban school district in California. The survey contained five parts: demographic information, teacher college knowledge, teacher interactions with guidance personnel, confidence level in supporting students in areas and tasks related to the college transition, and teacher beliefs about the role of the teacher in the college-linking process. Findings indicate that teachers lack college knowledge of key transition topics, such as placement tests, financial aid, and opportunities to partner with postsecondary institutions and have few opportunities to interact with guidance personnel. This lack of knowledge may contribute to the lack of confidence and willingness to support students as they move into higher education indicated by survey results. This research may inform district and school leadership by identifying areas where the role of the teacher could be maximized as a supportive agent in the postsecondary transition process to complement current programs and the work of guidance personnel
Teacher Perceptions of Parental Involvement With Parents Who are Deployed: A Case Study
No full textThe purpose of this research study was to understand how elementary school teachers of military-connected students perceive parental involvement when at least one of the parents is deployed. Currently, minimal literature exists on this phenomenon. The Department of Defense (2014) explained that there are over 3.4 million people serving as military personnel, and of the 1.2 million military-connected children, 80% attend public schools in the United States (American Association of School Administrators, 2016). Thus, a need for research on this population of students exists. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological systems theory and Epstein’s (2011) ideas on parental involvement, a qualitative single case study was chosen as the methodology for this research in which semi-structured interviews were conducted. Through topic coding and analytic coding, it was discovered that although perceptions vary from teacher to teacher, six common themes were found in their responses. The six themes are the role of the teacher, the role of the school, the role of the family, the role of the military/military community, factors in the effects of deployment, and communication. These themes were found to be connected with both of the research questions and theoretical frameworks within this study. The implications of this research can be expanded to assist even non-military students whose parent(s) is absent from his/her life
Discrimination and Association
No full textIn September 2016, the United States Commission on Civil Rights issued a report entitled Peaceful Coexistence: Reconciling Nondiscrimination Principles with Civil Liberties. In that report, the Commission argued that the law permits—and justice requires—that decision-makers prioritize nondiscrimination over civil liberties like freedom of religion and freedom of association. For example, the report endorsed the view that religious liberty should be limited as much as possible to freedom of belief; conduct “should conform to law.” This is because religion is discriminatory and can be used as a front for discriminatory activities. Nondiscrimination policies, in contrast, “are of preeminent importance.” Religious exemptions should therefore be read as “narrowly as applicable law requires” and perhaps amended to further protect against discrimination. The report, as one would expect, has encountered sharp criticism. But what developments influenced the conclusions of the report? There are innumerable reasons that a government body might take such an extreme position. Nevertheless, we can begin to understand this decision by considering one of the report’s central sources: the opinion in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez. This Essay will examine the United States Supreme Court’s discussions in Christian Legal Society as a foundation of the policies encapsulated in the report. [excerpt
