Collaboration Between Universities and Public Schools for Improved Student Achievement: A Report on the Progress of a Developing Partnership

This article reports the progress of one project aimed at bringing together professionals from post-secondary and K-12 environments. The project is being implemented at Richards Middle (RMS) in Columbus, Georgia and involves a collaborative partnership between several universities and RMS, resulting in a school-based evaluation initiative with direct implications for strengthening leadership, training, and instructional practices in schools. Faculty researchers from three universities from two states, Troy University, Columbus State University, and Auburn University are working collaboratively with faculty and staff of Richards Middle School on an inquiry with a three-fold purpose. The primary goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme in its first year of implementation in the sixth grade. A second goal of the investigation is to evaluate the effectiveness of the staff training and development process employed during the initial year in terms of effective professional learning practices. A third goal is to investigate the effectiveness of the collaborative process itself in terms of the implementation of the dialogic approach discussed in Clark, et al. (1996)

A Comparative Examination of Two Online Programs

With increased enrollment of non-traditional students and concerns about student retention and degree progression, the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education could serve as a tool for improving course design and delivery within the online learning environment. The participants in this concurrent mixed methods study included 40 education and 68 nursing students. The results of the web-based survey data indicated group differences with the Cooperation among Students and Prompt Feedback subscales. Given professional development, the Seven Principles could be implemented into online courses at little to no cost for an institution to improve student satisfaction, which could lead to increased retention, progression, and graduation

Support systems: A comparison of factors that influence adult doctoral and undergraduate students who are employed full time

This study investigated factors that influence adult students in the familial, work, and college environments. Mid-level career professionals employed in corporate or educational settings who were undergraduate or doctoral students and alumni comprised the sample. Drawing on the literature of support systems, higher education, adult learners, and the workplace, the assumption was made that adult students are affected by the home, work, and college environments. Network theory provided an analysis of each environment as a system of support. Principles of qualitative research were employed in a comparative case study. The sample consisted of two groups of 20 adult students over the age of 30. The first group of 20 consisted of adults employed full time in business and industry; half were enrolled in an undergraduate degree program designed for working adults and half were recent alumni. The second group of 20 consisted of adults employed full time in education; half were enrolled in an accelerated cohort-based doctoral program and half were recent alumni. All participants were interviewed once using a structured interview guide. In addition, the Acknowledgments and Dedications section of doctoral alumni dissertations and workplace documents were also examined. Analysis of the data revealed supports and barriers in each environment. It was found that the two groups studied were more similar than dissimilar. Both groups indicated using supports within all three environments. All participants used resources in combinations which previous literature had not suggested as being useful or necessary to successful completion. The findings suggest that an adult student with multiple responsibilities needs to utilize resources within all three environments of support