Theses and Dissertations from UMD

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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

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    An Exploratory Study of Teachers' Perceptions of Administrative Support Influencing Retention in Title I Schools
    (2020) King, Brian Stephen; McLaughlin, Margaret J; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Title I schools, those with high percentages of students qualifying for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS), face many challenges in serving their students. Among the most significant challenges these schools face is the likelihood they will be staffed by larger numbers of inexperienced teachers and inexperienced administrators than non-Title I schools (Cardichon et al., 2020; Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017; Machtinger, 2007). This study focused on the teacher experience level equity gap, or TELEG, between Title I and non-Title I schools in Soto County, a school system in a mid-Atlantic state. The researcher created the term TELEG to specify the equity gap being studied, namely, a teacher experience level equity gap. TELEG is calculated by comparing the percentage of inexperienced teachers at a school or group of schools to another school or group of schools. Teacher experience gaps impact student outcomes, district finances, and school culture. TELEG are often compounded by low teacher retention rates in Title I schools. Research indicates that a perceived lack of administrative support is the most predictive factor in teacher retention decisions (Ingersoll, 2011; Darling-Hammond, 2017; Boyd et al., 2011; Burkhauser, 2016; Player, 2012; Thibodeaux, 2015; Pogodzinski, 2012; Ladd, 2011). The qualitative study aimed to investigate inexperienced and experienced teachers' preferences regarding specific support provided by school-based administrators. The study sought to inform a change initiative that could test the theory that improving school-based administrative support for inexperienced teachers at Title I schools could improve those teachers' perceptions of support. The intended outcome is to decrease TELEG in Soto County by improving the retention of inexperienced teachers at Title I schools. Data was collected using focus groups and individual interviews. Analysis of the data sought to answer the study's two research questions: (1) how do inexperienced and experienced teachers describe desired and non-desired administrative support at their Title I school and (2) in what ways, if at all, do inexperienced teachers consider school-based administrator support in their decisions to remain teaching at their Title I school? The study found that inexperienced and experienced teachers desire support that is individualized and provides access to school-based administrators. The study also found that inexperienced teachers consider school-based administrator support in retention decisions to a lesser degree than experienced teachers.
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    IMPLEMENTING FULL-TIME GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMS IN TITLE 1 SCHOOLS: REASONS, BENEFITS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY COSTS
    (2018) Tempel-Milner, Megan Elizabeth; Croninger, Robert G; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This collective-case study examined the implementation of community-based, full-time gifted and talented programs in three Title 1 schools within a large school system. It investigated the reasons for, perceived benefits of, challenges of, and opportunity costs of implementing full-time gifted programs in Title 1 schools. The findings from the study reveal that the community-based, full-time gifted program directly contrasts the pedagogical beliefs and instructional practices associated with Martin Haberman's pedagogy of poverty, which was the theoretical framework for this study. The program goes against the belief that students from low-income families need basic, low-level styles of teaching, and moves to a belief that students from low-income families need access to rigorous educational opportunities, similar to their more affluent peers (Haberman, 2010). The community-based program started as a way to retain students in local schools, which lessened accountability pressures at the school, as well as, provided access to gifted services for students who qualified without having to leave the community school. However, the community-based, full-time gifted program became more than a targeted program for high-ability students, as it became a culture shift across the three high-poverty schools. The full-time gifted program became an avenue to access needed rigorous, enriched, and accelerated learning opportunities which are not prevalent in many Title 1 schools in the country. The program changed instructional practices to that of high-level, hands-on, student-centered, problem-solving activities, instead of remediation and reliance on basic skills for not only the students in the full-time gifted class but across the whole school. It opened access for students who live in poverty, where typically low-income students are underserved for gifted services, which has long-term effects on their academic achievement. The schools relied on strong principal leadership and vision to guide the program, and the program was supplemented by Title 1 funds to finance staff positions that support gifted beliefs and practices, professional development, investment in curriculum resources. Across all unique cases, the budgetary and philosophy-shift challenges associated with implementing the program were outweighed by the benefits of the program.
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    An exploration of parent ivolvement in Response to Intervention (RTI) in Title I schools
    (2016) Burho, Jamey Farren; McLaughlin, Dr. Margaret; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Research demonstrates that parental involvement positively impacts student achievement and enhances targeted instruction. Notably, however, little research currently exists on how schools involve parents in Response to Intervention (RTI), a framework for implementing targeted, tiered, research-based instruction. The purpose of this study was to interview selected parents, teachers, RTI specialists, and principals in three Title I elementary schools in one school district, plus one district-level administrator, in order to examine how elementary schools currently involve parents in RTI prereferral interventions, and to understand the factors that might facilitate or challenge such parent involvement. I employed a comparative case study qualitative design with each elementary school as the main unit of analysis. I conducted individual, in-depth interviews that lasted approximately 45-60 minutes with a total of 33 participants across the three school sites, including 11 parents, 12 teachers, and six RTI specialists, three principals, and one district-level administrator. I also analyzed documents related to RTI processes that are available through websites and participants. I used Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) three-step scheme for thematic/grounded theory analysis, and Atlas.ti as the electronic tool for management and analysis. Analyses of the data revealed that personnel across the sites largely agreed on how they explain RTI to parents and notify parents of student progress. Parents mostly disagreed with these accounts, stating instead that they learn about RTI and their child’s progress by approaching teachers or their own children with questions, or by examining report cards and student work that comes home. Personnel and parents cited various challenges for involving parents in RTI. However, they all also agreed that teachers are accessible and willing to reach out to parents, and that teachers already face considerable workloads. It appears that no district- or school-wide plan guides parent involvement practices in RTI at any of the three schools. Finally, I present a discussion of findings; implications for teachers, RTI implementation leaders, and Title school leaders; study limitations; and possibilities for future research.
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    Crossing the Divide: A Phenomenological Study of Early Childhood Literacy Teachers Who Choose To Work With Children In High Poverty Schools
    (2007-09-05) Landa, Melissa Simone Hare; O'Flahavan, John F; Hultgren, Francine; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    In this phenomenological study, I explore the lived experiences of five early childhood educators, teaching literacy in high poverty schools. My work is guided by the research question: "What are the lived experiences of White early literacy teachers who choose to work with minority children in high poverty schools?" As phenomenology demands, my work is grounded in philosophy, and I turn to the writings of Sartre, Levinas, Derrida, Levin, and Gadamer. For methodological guidance, I rely on the work of Max van Manen. Through the voices of my participants, I excavate the meaning beneath their experiences. In my initial conversations with two of my participants, Will and Paula, I detect their chosen dedication to working in Title I schools, and their respect for children's individual needs and multiple identities. Identity continues to emerge as a central structure, both in the lived experiences of each of my five participants and in their pedagogical practice. While each of my participants is White, each one conveys a sense of having a multiplicity of identities, which enables them to connect with their students and families. Through their pedagogy, my participants also attend to the various aspects of their students' identities. They address needs relating to language, family, literacy, community, and the difficult choices and challenges that await their students in society. Throughout our conversations, the notions of choice and of crossing boundaries remain central. These teachers choose to work in low-income communities, where they move back-and-forth from their middle-class homes. As they teach a transformative curriculum, they also cross the boundary of curriculum, as they attend to the demands of standardization. Finally, I suggest that teacher education programs examine how boundary-crossing might inform their own pedagogical practice. Through pre-service teachers' exploration of their own identities and their experiences with families in Title I neighborhoods, they can become boundary-crossers, comfortably moving between two divided worlds. And, by learning how to integrate reading, writing, listening, and speaking throughout all aspects of the curriculum, they can teach children about the socially transformative power of literacy.