College of Education
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..
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Item IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FULL-SERVICE COMMUNITY SCHOOL STRATEGY IN BALTIMORE CITY: A CASE STUDY(2024) Manko, Joseph Nguyen; Galindo, Claudia; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The community school strategy was first introduced in Baltimore City in 2012. Community schools are public elementary or secondary schools that provide comprehensive academic, social, and health services for students, families, and community members (U.S. Department of Education, 2023). In 2021, the state of Maryland made a substantial commitment to the expansion of community schools in landmark legislation entitled The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Through the Blueprint, Baltimore City’s community schools footprint rapidly expanded from 51 to 123 community schools during the 2019-2020 school year. In this dissertation, I present findings from a case study conducted on a newly constituted community school resulting from the Blueprint expansion. This study utilized the four pillars of community schools as a framework for examining programming and implementation of the community strategy, as well as its successes and challenges.To examine implementation of the community school strategy at the case study site, I interviewed key implementers and stakeholders including school administrators, teachers, parents, community partners, and the community school coordinator. The study found that all four pillars of the community school strategy were present at the case study site and surfaced four major successes: 1) the development of a welcoming environment; 2) buy-in from Bayfront personnel to the strategy; 3) the responsiveness of the community school strategy to feedback from students and families; and 4) robust ramp up in programs and services to provide much needed support for the community. The research findings also surfaced six challenges with community school implementation that included: 1) challenges around communication; 2) challenges posed by the Covid school closures; 3) challenges around the lack of a deep connection with parents; 4) challenges serving a Latinx population; 5) challenges associated with the lack of extended day opportunities for students; and 6) challenges that are even too large for community schools to address. The study resulted in four major findings that include an exploration of: 1) the critical role of people in the successful implementation of the community school strategy; 2) the importance of the United Way as a lead agent; 3) the existence of a siloed community schools structure that resulted in divides between academic and community functions of the school; 4) and the presence of a transactional community schools approach resulting in a unidirectional flow of resources and support. I examined several aspects of these findings through Honig’s (2006) contemporary implementation policy framework, which seeks to elevate the crucial role that people, policy, and places play in shaping how implementation unfolds. This research study can serve as a resource for researchers, policy makers, educators, community school implementers, and educational advocates seeking to answer questions about potential challenges and opportunities as community school expansion continues across Maryland as a result of the Blueprint. As the community school strategy continues to expand nationwide, this study can provide insights into key implementation considerations for schools in the early stages of strategy adoption.Item PRIVATIZATION OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN AFGHANISTAN(2021) QARGHA, GHULAM OMAR; Klees, Steven J; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study investigates the trends, nature, and driving forces behind the privatization of primary and secondary schools in Afghanistan. More specifically, this research investigates the role of national decision-makers and international donor agency representatives in influencing privatization policies. The study focuses on 20 years, starting with post-Taliban initiatives in 2002 to the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the resumption ofof Taliban rule in August of 2021. An instrumental case study approach that combines a review of available policy documents and interviews with key national and international stakeholders is used to conduct this investigation. Interviews are the primary instruments used to collect data. The study draws upon international literature on privatization and aid dependency. Theoretically, this study uses a combination of Kingdon’s (1995) Multiple Streams Framework and the education policy transfer literature to understand the liberalization of private school policies and the discussion surrounding them in Afghanistan. The study uses Dolowitz and Marsh’s (2000) continuum of policy transfer to determine the level of coercion in educational policy transfer. It uses Cairney’s concept of ‘policy transfer window’ to operationalize the synthesis of the Multiple Streams Framework with the educational policy transfer literature. The study found that events in the problem and political streams opened a policy transfer window that allowed for the liberalization of private school policies in Afghanistan. These findings contribute to policymakers’ and other stakeholders’ understandings of the education policy transfer in fragile, aid-dependent nations. Moreover, this study is one of few in the field to focus on the critical role of policy entrepreneurs in joining together the multiple streams while also providing a nuanced view of the educational policy transfer process in a fragile state environment.Item AMIDST THE TEST: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF TEACHING "UNDER" NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND(2011) Woodward, Barbara Agard; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry I explore the lived experience of public school teachers teaching amidst the federal law entitled No Child Left Behind. My research question wonders, "What is the lived experience of teaching under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)? My exploration relies heavily upon the work of Ted Aoki, Edward Casey, David Jardine, William Pinar, Hans George Gadamer, and Martin Heidegger. Van Manen's (2003) hermeneutic phenomenological research activities provides the framework for my methodology. Eleven public school teachers were engaged in individual and group conversations to bring forward the lived dimension of teaching amidst NCLB. The rendering of the audio taped conversations suggests a place in teaching akin to illness. These themes yield insight into teaching amidst a testing culture focused on data. Participants reveal how the myopic focus on test results creates a looming feeling within schools as they wait for results from the state assessments. As a consequence, students are color-coded in a non-human way as the colors of red, blue and green. This encourages teaching prescribed scripts within a narrow margin. Reflecting on this dis-ease in teaching, as suggested by these themes, calls for a refocusing and re-languaging of teaching and learning in American public schools. I propose a refocusing of education in three divergent directions. The first is a focus "down" into the classrooms, i.e., more intensely with where students, teachers and communities thrive. The second is a focus on the whole of teaching in relation to the parts. Finally, I call for a focus on the unique which will enable playing outside boxes, a curriculum of discovery and a suspension in the current belief system entrenched in test-focused technical languageItem A HALF BILLION DOLLARS ADDING UP TO SMALL CHANGE: THE PROMISES AND PITFALLS OF CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY TO SUPPORT GLOBAL EDUCATION(2011) van Fleet, Justin William; Klees, Steven J; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)At the start of the 21st century, the international community pledged an increase in volume, predictability, and coordination of external financing and monitoring for Education for All goals. Yet despite, this commitment, the global community has fallen far short of mobilizing enough resources to finance basic education for all children by 2015. Estimates support an approximate $16.2 billion in external resources needed to achieve basic education goals; the estimate increases to $25 billion if lower secondary schooling in also included. This study examines the role of U.S. corporate philanthropy to support education in developing countries. The purpose is to map the volume and focus of U.S. corporate philanthropy directed to education in developing countries, highlighting the scope and the limitations of corporate resources for realizing global education goals. The study used a mix-method design combining quantitative and qualitative survey data with qualitative interview data to answer two questions: 1. What is the volume and focus of U.S. corporate philanthropy directed toward education in developing countries? 2. How do corporate contributions to education in developing countries align with the private interests of corporations? This study finds that U.S. companies give a half billion dollars in contributions to education in developing countries annually, spanning multiple themes and targeting over 100 countries. Contributions focus heavily on emerging economies and do not target countries in most need. Additionally, U.S. companies have a variety of business motivations that drive the contributions to education in developing countries. Despite the unique assets of corporate philanthropy which make it an interesting source of financing, there are several limitations and critiques of these contributions. The contributions are typically small, short-term grants to non-profits and very few companies coordinate with governments, donors or other corporate philanthropists. There are also contradictions in the way philanthropy is conducted and tensions between the role of government and corporate resources for education. The study concludes that while corporate philanthropy in its current form may not be an effective source of sustainable financing for education in developing countries, several modifications can be made to improve its effectiveness as a global education financing partner.Item Parent Involvement in Middle School: Cultivating Comprehensive and Inclusive Programs of Partnership(2011) Hutchins, Darcy; Croninger, Robert; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to investigate how middle schools can cultivate comprehensive and inclusive parent involvement programs. More specifically, this study explored the role of district- and school-level leadership on the implementation of one district's parent involvement policy. Using micro and macro perspectives of policy implementation and Epstein's Six Types of Involvement framework of comprehensive parent involvement, this study highlighted promising parent involvement practices implemented by eight middle schools within one mid-Atlantic school district and illuminated the need for further investigation of secondary-level partnership program development and policy implementation. Data collection relied on case study methodology to investigate one district's implementation of middle school parent involvement policy. Data were triangulated from documents, district- and school-level interviews, and observations to explore how middle schools work with parents and how district administrators support school-level policy implementation. The document analysis portion of this study included the district's parent involvement policy, the eight participating schools' improvement plans, and the schools' report cards which reports test scores, demographics, and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. The interview portion consisted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven district leaders, eight middle school principals, 14 assistant principals, and 14 parents. The observation portion of this study included parent involvement workshops and school improvement team meetings. Results of this study indicate that principal leadership has a strong influence over the extent to which schools create a welcoming climate and implement activities to work with all parents, particularly families deemed "under-served." Principals' relationships with other school-level colleagues and district administrators impact their participation in capacity building opportunities. This study also indicates that further investigation is necessary to inform policy, research, and practice in regards to middle school parent involvement.Item Government Support for 'Private Schools for the Poor': a case study in Mathare informal settlement, Kenya(2011) Wildish, Janet; Klees, Steve; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This case study provides an exploration of the Ministry of Education's strategy of engagement with non-formal schools in Kenya, and the responses made by these schools. Non-formal schools in the informal settlements of Nairobi represent a form of low-cost private schooling, which is found in other urban centers in less developed countries. The ministry's program includes: school verification and validation, changes in school management and the provision of instructional materials' grants. The ministry began supporting NFS through an investment program included in the first Kenya Education Sector Support Program 2005-2010. The study findings have been directed towards the question of whether this government support to NFS influences the educational experience of the poor to their advantage. Some of the advantages identified include: greater financial stability in supported schools, which can be used to provide more concessionary places; eligibility of validated NFS for a national school feeding program through greater school legitimization; stronger support for school survival from parents and among pupils themselves because of the expectation of better academic results; higher teacher morale and greater teacher confidence; increased access to national exams through more NFS being granted exam center status and a reduction in exam fees and greater potential access to secondary school through an improvement in exam results. Disadvantages that are described include: the continuation of fees at the same levels as before the MoE support program; no substantive improvements in school conditions other than in teaching and learning materials; high rates of pupil transfer and an associated selection process, which is based on academic ability; tolerance of high rates of class repetition; increased academic pressure, translating into long school hours, class repetition and potential dropping out; modes of punishment that are not acceptable in public schools; deterioration of teacher: pupil ratio and the diversion of funds and support from other forms of non-formal education. The findings suggest that the MoE support program has resulted in some improvements in equality between pupils in NFS and those attending public primary schools, but has done little to address issues of equity amongst children growing up in these disadvantaged circumstances.Item PERSPECTIVES ON THE TEACHING PROFESSION IN KENYA(2010) Thuranira, Taaliu Simon; Klees, Prof Steve; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Education, and by extension teacher education is a dynamic process. It is usually influenced by changes in society which tend to create new demands. This dissertation sets out to research the challenges, implications and the way forward for the teaching profession in Kenya. This is a qualitative multiple case study of teacher education and the teaching profession and how people perceive it in Kenya. The brightest students shun teaching in Kenya. According to degree choices among high school leavers, the best students do not even consider teaching as a career. Yet, most parents want their children to have the best education, but they do not want them to be teachers. In the Kenyan situation, many students who take teaching do so as last resort, having failed to make it to other perceived lucrative careers. This study aims at illuminating how high school students make career choices and how this influences their future professions in Kenya. By exploring different socio-cultural, and economic factors that influence different stages of students' career choice process, this study hopes to contribute to identifying the most appropriate policies and practices in teacher education in Kenya. The study also illuminates students' and community's general perceptions of the teaching career and why teachers decide to stay or leave the profession. The research also looks at the free primary and secondary education programs and how they impact on the education sector, especially in regard to the freezing of employment of teachers in the public schools and the new (2010) controversial issue of contract teachers being recruited by the government of Kenya. Finally, this study gives recommendations on what might be done to improve teacher education in the country.Item THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS IN MARYLAND: A CROSS-CASE STUDY OF MONTGOMERY AND PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS(2010) Coffman, Ann Nutter; Malen, Betty; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Alternative teacher certification programs have become a prominent policy option to address teacher quality issues. Despite recent headway in the analysis of alternative teacher preparation graduates and programs (e.g., Weschler, et al., 2009; Boyd, et al., 2007), the literature has been plagued by incomplete program descriptions, limited research on policies, and the contextual factors that influence program development and implementation. The purpose of this study is to address the gaps in the literature by considering how two Maryland school districts translated state alternative teacher preparation policies into programs between 1999 and 2008. Using a cross-case study of the two school districts, this research seeks to understand how local, state, and national factors influence the development and implementation of alternative teacher preparation programs and policies. Since the current literature base does not contain an integrated framework to systematically describe alternative preparation programs and concurrently consider the influence of the multiple levels of the policy context, I created two orienting frameworks. This study contains two district case studies that consider the development and implementation of alternative teacher preparation policies and programs within each district and then a cross-case analysis that examines the patterns of development and implementation of policies and programs across districts. This study finds that (1) the No Child Left Behind policy, Maryland's alternative preparation policy requirements, and each district's experience within the teacher labor market influenced the prevalence and development of programs in each district; (2) the districts' approaches to and work with providers reflected the debate and division in the national teacher education debate and the perceived "quality" of types of alternative preparation; (3) the majority of program training components, program theories of action, and implementation adjustments were not shaped by districts factors, but through Maryland's alternative preparation policy requirements and the individual provider; and (4) the contextual conditions of the districts' situation within the broader policy environment set each district up to pay closer attention to aspects of program development and implementation over others. The study closes by proposing refinements to the study's conceptual frameworks and discusses the use of contextualized teacher education research to consider teacher education program quality.Item Bridging Cultures in a Third Space: A Phenomenological Study of Teaching Chinese in American Chinese Schools(2010) Weng, Xuan; Hultgren, Francine; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study explores the lived experiences of Chinese teachers in American Chinese Schools. Max van Manen's methodology for hermeneutic phenomenological research provides a framework for the study, and the philosophical writings of Heidegger, Gadamer and Derrida guide the textual interpretations. Pedagogical voices of Aoki, Pinar and Greene, and cultural journeys of Hongyu Wang and Xin Li reveal possibilities for understanding the experiences of Chinese teachers, as I address the question: "What is the meaning of teaching Chinese in American Chinese Schools?" Seven Chinese teachers engage with the researcher in a series of open-ended conversations. These Chinese teachers teach Chinese in different campuses of Hope Chinese School or other Sunday Chinese Schools around the Washington D.C. area. They are all women who have between 3 and 15 years experience teaching Chinese in American Chinese Schools. In addition, they all have similar teaching or other educational experiences, as well as having studied in Normal Universities in China. Their conversations illuminate the experience of teaching in American Chinese Schools around three main themes. The teachers tell of being shocked by the cultural and pedagogical differences when they land in a foreign place. They speak of the struggles and challenges teaching in-between two different cultures and pedagogies, creating a third space. Finally, in following the metaphor of Chinese knotwork, they reflect on splitting and splicing the knots through changing and adjusting their way of teaching as they strive to become good teachers. The study suggests a need for Chinese teachers in American Chinese Schools to participate in on-going professional development to bridge the pedagogical differences in which they find themselves. It is also suggested that a teacher preparation track be developed in Chinese Normal schools for teachers who plan to teach Chinese in the United States. Finally, the study suggests a need for Chinese teachers, administrators and parents to be open to change as east and west cultures are brought together in the Chinese Schools where teachers seek the Tao of teaching Chinese in American Chinese Schools.Item Education Amidst Transition: The Case of Romania(2010) DiGiacomo, Francis Anthony; Lin, Jing; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)After enduring centuries of colonialism, followed recently by the exogenous forces of globalization and isomorphism, Romania and other countries in Eastern Europe have had unique opportunities amidst formidable challenges since they began their transitions toward democracy. In this case study, I explore these forces and resulting challenges that influenced the Romanian education system between 1989 and 2007. With this approach, I try to elucidate the difficulties endured by the Romanian political and education elite when transitioning the country from totalitarianism toward democracy. I conducted an extensive literature review and document analysis, coupled with in-depth interviews with the Romanian bureaucratic education elite who influenced the country's education reforms. My research investigated the complicated manner in which education plays a role in supporting a country in transition. Two central questions drove my research: (1) What factors impacted Romania's transition from a totalitarian regime toward democracy? (2) What role did education play in Romania's transition from a totalitarian regime toward democracy? My findings suggest that too many poorly constructed short-term focused reforms, developed by an elite deeply entrenched in its communist past, slowed significantly the development of a democratic education system in Romania. Exogenous forces such as colonialism, globalization and isomorphism further compounded the challenges of Romania's political transition. The elements of these findings, in addition to domestic factors such as Romania's history and culture, coupled with its nascent political system and colonized mentality, partially explain the reasons for the core of the education system remaining largely status quo.