New and Old South Elementary School

A case study of demographics in elementary schools

Principal Self-Efficacy, School Climate, and Teacher Retention: A Multi-Level Analysis

This article presents the findings of a correlational study that examines the relationship among the variables of principal self-efficacy, school climate, and teacher retention. A purposeful sample of 11 principals from a southeastern Texas school district were given the Principal Sense of Efficacy Scale to determine each individual’s level of self-efficacy. Simultaneously, a sample of 233 current and former teachers completed the Organizational Climate Index to measure the school climate of each participating school. The results of the multi-level analysis indicate that overall a relationship does not exist between either principal self-efficacy and teacher retention or principal self-efficacy and school climate. However, findings do suggest a relationship between teacher retention and school climate. More specifically, teachers are more likely to remain employed at campuses that are less influenced by vocal parent and citizen groups.Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude corrélationnelle portant sur le rapport entre trois variables : l’efficacité personnelle des directeurs d’école, le climat scolaire et la rétention des enseignants. Suivant un échantillonnage dirigé, 11 directeurs d’un district scolaire dans le sud-est du Texas ont répondu à un questionnaire portant sur leur sentiment d’efficacité personnelle. Pendant la même période, 233 enseignants (anciens et actuels) ont complété un questionnaire sur le climat organisationnel de sorte à mesurer le climat scolaire dans chaque école participante. Les résultats d’une analyse à plusieurs niveaux indiquent que, globalement, il n’y a pas de lien entre l’efficacité personnelle des directeurs et la rétention des enseignants, ni entre l’efficacité personnelle des directeurs et le climat scolaire. Toutefois, les résultats suggèrent un rapport entre la rétention des enseignants et le climat scolaire. Plus précisément, les enseignants sont plus portés à maintenir leur poste dans des écoles qui sont moins influencées par des groupes protestataires de parents et de citoyens.

Student and Faculty Perceptions of the Quality of Online Learning Experiences

Some faculty members are reluctant to offer online courses because of significant concerns relative to the impact of such formats on the quality of instruction, learning, and participant interaction. Faculty members from The University of Southern Mississippi implemented synchronous interactive online instruction (SIOI) in the spring of 2007. This article explores the rationale for use of the particular technology, faculty conclusions regarding implementation of the technology, and the impact of the technology on instruction and learning. Comparisons by students of the quality of the learning experience in this environment with the quality of learning in face-to-face and asynchronous online learning environments were also analyzed. The study finds that instructors and students view SIOI favourably. The mean student ratings for the dimensions of instructional quality were the same for SIOI and face-to-face course formats in all but one dimension, but mean ratings for SIOI and face-to-face formats were consistently higher than those for asynchronous online instruction. The single exception was for the dimension, ease of access to the course; the SIOI and asynchronous online formats were rated higher than the face-to-face format in this quality dimension. These findings suggest that it is possible to achieve levels of effectiveness in an online instructional format similar to those that are realized in face-to-face delivery. However, there is slight, though not statistically significant, evidence of concern about the quality of student collaboration in SIOI-enabled courses. Thus, instructors will need to capitalize on available mechanisms for interaction and collaboration

Student and faculty perceptions of the quality of online learning experiences

Some faculty members are reluctant to offer online courses because of significant concerns relative to the impact of such formats on the quality of instruction, learning, and participant interaction. Faculty members from The University of Southern Mississippi implemented synchronous interactive online instruction (SIOI) in the spring of 2007. This article explores the rationale for use of the particular technology, faculty conclusions regarding implementation of the technology, and the impact of the technology on instruction and learning. Comparisons by students of the quality of the learning experience in this environment with the quality of learning in face-to-face and asynchronous online learning environments were also analyzed.The study finds that instructors and students view SIOI favourably. The mean student ratings for the dimensions of instructional quality were the same for SIOI and face-to-face course formats in all but one dimension, but mean ratings for SIOI and face-to-face formats were consistently higher than those for asynchronous online instruction. The single exception was for the dimension, ease of access to the course; the SIOI and asynchronous online formats were rated higher than the face-to-face format in this quality dimension. These findings suggest that it is possible to achieve levels of effectiveness in an online instructional format similar to those that are realized in face-to-face delivery. However, there is slight, though not statistically significant, evidence of concern about the quality of student collaboration in SIOI-enabled courses. Thus, instructors will need to capitalize on available mechanisms for interaction and collaboration

John Cage and the 'Freshening' of Education

The ambition in what follows is to begin a consideration of the lessons that might be learnt from a reassessment of 20th Century avant-gardist practice within the domain of musical composition. The goal here will not be an evaluation of the compositional outputs of this period but, rather, some reflections on the place and role of teaching within and amongst the musicians themselves; remembering that many of them gained a considerable reputation as teachers: Schoenberg, Messiaen, Stockhausen and Cage being the preeminent examples

The SPAN cookbook: A practical guide to accessing SPAN

This is a manual for remote users who wish to send electronic mail messages from the Space Physics Analysis Network (SPAN) to scientific colleagues on other computer networks and vice versa. In several instances more than one gateway has been included for the same network. Users are provided with an introduction to each network listed with helpful details about accessing the system and mail syntax examples. Also included is information on file transfers, remote logins, and help telephone numbers

The Consequences of Information Technology Control Weaknesses on Management Information Systems: The Case of Sarbanes-Oxley Internal Reports

In this paper, we investigate the association between the strength of information technology controls over management information systems and the subsequent forecasting ability of the information produced by those systems. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 highlights the importance of information system controls by requiring management and auditors to report on the effectiveness of internal controls over the financial reporting component of the firm’s management information systems. We hypothesize and find evidence that management forecasts are less accurate for firms with information technology material weaknesses in their financial reporting system than the forecasts for firms that do not have information technology material weaknesses. In addition, we find that this association appears to be driven by control weaknesses most directly related to data processing integrity. Our results support the contention that information technology controls, as a part of the management information system, affect the quality of the information produced by the system