Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
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
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item How Can (White) Teachers Do Right By Their Black Students? Grappling With Whiteness in the Math Classroom(2018) Young, Hollie; Chazan, Dan; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research is a collection of three studies that aim to better understand what it might mean for a White teacher to do right by her Black students in a mathematics classroom. By using a practitioner research design, I examine my own teaching in an all Black seventh grade low track mathematics class in an urban school. In the first study I illustrate how obligations to particular perspectives from stakeholders in the role of mathematics teacher can lead to conflicting aims, particularly when analyzing how a racialized lens influences the emergence and management of dilemmas. The second study involves a comparison of the intended and enacted curriculum in whole class discussions to examine students’ opportunities to learn mathematical language and concepts. In this study I look at how I grappled with the ways in which Whiteness is assumed as a norm in the presentation of the tasks and suggestions for discussions in a reform-oriented curriculum and in my own commitment to creating access while foregoing precision. The third and final study is a case study with two students to illustrate how a teacher can mediate the relationship between students’ perceptions of their mathematical ability and their participation in discussions. This research serves as one example of how a teacher can interrupt the assumed reciprocal pathways from students’ perceptions about their abilities and their engagement in whole class mathematics discussions. From these three studies, I summarize several themes around what it might look like for White teachers to do right by Black students. By using the phrase do right by to re-conceptualize a traditional notion of equity, I conclude that White teachers can uphold a commitment to serving the best interests of their Black students by developing a racialized lens as they grapple with Whiteness, implement a balanced approach that draws on both reform-oriented and traditional approaches for teaching mathematics, and recognize that context matters when making decisions in a mathematics classroom.Item THE MIS-EDUCATION OF BLIND URBAN STUDENTS: SOCIAL CONTEXT AND EQUITY IN THE DELIVERY OF VISION SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES(2017) Carranza, Rosy; Leone, Peter; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research has identified various barriers related to the provision of vision special education services in the United States public education system. Factors involving school context, which are of particular importance in high-poverty urban settings, have largely remained unexamined. Thus, a collective case study methodology was used to address the following central question: How do teachers of the blind describe vision special education services in high-poverty urban schools? Through in-depth individual and group interviews, the analysis of documents, and the submission of photographs, five urban teachers provided their perspectives. An overlapping conceptual framework combining disability studies and critical race theory was used to conduct a close examination of these issues. The research yielded some insights on the connections that blind students and their specialized services have to the patterns of educational inequities associated with urban education in the United States. These findings can inform research, teacher education, and professional practice with the goal of enhancing the educational experiences and future lives of blind urban youth.Item Early Urban Field Experiences for Prospective Teachers: A Case Study of Multicultural Field Placements Through a University-based Preservice STEM Teacher Program(2011) Segal, Eden Heather; Selden, Steven; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Educational and political leaders have expressed concern about racial and ethnic disparities in students' readiness for postsecondary study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A lack of preparedness of STEM teachers in high-need urban districts, which serve predominantly low-income minority students, is often associated with poor student outcomes. Programs emphasizing multicultural or culturally responsive teacher education are among the initiatives that have been developed to address inequalities. In particular, early field experiences for prospective teachers in high-need districts merit closer study. This research used a multiple case study approach to examine two field placements facilitated by a privately endowed STEM teacher education program for prospective teachers at a public mid-Atlantic university through partnerships with educational groups. It explored how two placements--at a public charter school serving grades 5 through 8 (PCS) and a college preparatory program for high school students (Summer College)--reflected nine principles of good practice put forth by Multicultural Preservice Teacher Education Project (MPTEP). Data consisted of interviews, observations at PCS, and document review, and were analyzed using matrices derived from the MPTEP principles. These nine principles, five related to preservice teacher preparation activities and three related to desired outcomes, were reflected to varying degrees in placements at PCS. One principle was not evident; participants did not appear to examine identities as part of the placements. There was also countervailing evidence of several elements. For example, placements did not appear to extend into the community or involve community-based teacher educators. Three principles regarding activities and two related to desired outcomes were reflected in placements at Summer College, but the four others were not and the data collected were weak in some areas. This research can help us better understand early urban field placements and how they may affect participants' readiness and interest in teaching at high-need urban schools. The study offers information to practitioners seeking to use urban field experiences to help prepare teachers for urban schools as part of efforts to improve student outcomes in STEM subjects. The study also suggests use of the MPTEP principles for future research.