Policy, context and schooling: The education of English learners in rural new destinations

The number of immigrant English learners attending schools in new destinations across the US is rapidly increasing. We draw on the sociological scholarship on ΓÇ£contexts of receptionΓÇ¥ and scholarship on sociocultural approaches to policy to examine the educational contexts faced by immigrant English learners in new destination communities and how these contexts shape their educational experiences. Using data from qualitative case studies of rural school districts in Wisconsin, we examined local discourses surrounding new immigrant populations, and how they shaped the ways in which local educators interpreted and enacted educational policies on the ground. We argue that policy implementation is influenced by local understandings of immigrant English learners and their educational needs, such that potentially inclusive educational policies become assimilative in practice

The Beautiful Struggle: A Qualitative Examination of Black Educator Experiences Creating Academic Spaces for Student Success

While any student is susceptible to experiencing a traumatic incident, students living in socio-economically marginalized communities are often exposed at higher rates. Students from racial minority groups are more likely to experience distress from acts of violence committed against People of color than their White counterparts. For educators working in predominantly Black, Chicago communities, exposure to violence directly and via the shared experiences from students occurs disproportionately compared to educators working in other areas of the city. Educators working within particular communities battle the effects of chronic stress and structural racism, while striving to create hope and academic success within their students. Research suggests that African-American educators’ use of culturally responsive pedagogical methods in tandem with their humanistic commitment to students is integral to student success. It is critical that the perspectives of Black educators committed to creating environments where students can thrive academically amidst stressful conditions found outside the classroom are captured. Their narratives can further identify practices necessary to better support success within Black students while also highlighting the impacts felt by educators working in chronically stressed communities. The purpose of this research study is to present educator personal narratives on how they create supportive academic spaces for students to thrive, while highlighting the barriers faced by students and educators on the road to academic success. This study employs Critical Race Theory as both the methodological and theoretical framework to analyze the experiences of participant narratives

Bai and Bilingual: Improving Academic Achievement Through Bilingual and Multicultural Education

This paper aims to examine minority language policy and practice in China, particularly among the Bai minority in Yunnan Province. There are large discrepancies between what law stipulates and what occurs in practice. Based on a literature review and findings from my study, minority students in rural areas are at a comparative disadvantage with minority students in urban areas who have greater access to resources and better educational facilities. Offering bilingual and multicultural education is of greater importance to rural minority students in creating a culturally relative environment to improve academic achievement

Learning Environments: Design Solutions for Elementary Schools

Children start to acquire physical, cognitive, and psychosocial skills during their attendance in elementary school, which ultimately influences their academic achievement. With a great amount of time spent in school, they quickly learn and are stimulated by the spaces designed for them. Knowledge and skills obtained during childhood affect their overall health and are eventually carried into adulthood. Historically, the evolution of learning environments was influenced by innovations of designers. The effects the spaces had on education and the well being of the children, however, was not considered in school designs until more recently. Although many parts of the world are beginning to incorporate new ideas to develop and enhance the skills of the children, studies have shown that designs which decrease productivity and progress can still be found in schools today. Because of this, there is a great need for change. The study of the history of schools will determine common design issues while analyzing new innovations will establish ideas that would enhance the necessary skills for children as well as support the changes of modern day schools. Information on how children develop and methods of teaching will be used as a guide in understanding what spaces are appropriate for development in the schools of today and the future. The information gathered from this research can be used as a starting point for designs of new schools. The purpose of this study is to create awareness of reoccurring issues in elementary school designs and to inspire creative thinking for new ideas that support and enhance the growth and development of children. The innovative ideas that have emerged should be seen as alternatives to traditional school designs and not as the only solution for new schools. Information acquired does not apply to all learning environments but instead should be altered, manipulated, and applied on a case by case basis

Graduate Catalog, 2002-2003

https://scholar.valpo.edu/gradcatalogs/1029/thumbnail.jp

Graduate Catalog, 2001-2002

https://scholar.valpo.edu/gradcatalogs/1028/thumbnail.jp

Elementary School Library Collections: A Content Analysis of Science Trade Books

In this study, science trade books from the libraries of 10 elementary schools across the United States were evaluated using the modified Hunsader rubric for their overall quality pertaining to science content, literacy, and critical literacy criteria. Findings indicate that 62% of the books met the overall science content criterion, 99% met the overall literacy criterion, and 41% met the overall critical literacy criterion. The majority of science trade books in each school were life science books, and the majority of books across all schools were 18–23 years old, with many being much older. Implications and recommendations are provided