Language: English

ISSN: 0889-5643

Language: English

ISSN: 0889-5643

Language: English

ISSN: 0889-5643

Language: English

ISSN: 0889-5643

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to describe the variables that contributed to the establishment of a charter school in an urban Arizona district and rural California district noting the similarities and dissimilarities, and to disclose the factors used to justify the implementation of the Montessori theory of education. Another purpose of the study was to describe the guidelines for maintaining a charter school, and the evaluation methods and factors used in the school's unique experience with staffing and funding. This research was descriptive and employed a case study approach. Descriptive research methodology was used to identify the same factors found in the Arizona study replicated by the researcher. Nonprobability, purposive sampling technique was the sampling used in the study. The instrument used for the study was interviews. Findings. The NFL/YET Academy in Arizona and Discovery Charter School in California experienced many similarities when the same variables were applied to both schools. As a result, the stakeholders of both schools used the principles of the organizational theory of empowerment to implement choices in curriculum. This process allowed the stakeholders an opportunity to meet the educational needs of students in the community. The following conclusions were made: (1) community empowerment plays a vital role in educating children; (2) the charter school movement allows parents, teachers, administrators, and community leaders to be involved in the creation of school governance and curriculum; and (3) charter schools allow all stakeholders to become involved in the decision-making process. The following are recommendations for further study: (1) This study should be conducted using a greater number of charter schools, and (2) This study should be conducted using administrator's leadership style in the organizational theory area of structure/roles.

Language: English

Published: La Verne, California, 2003

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1963

Edition: Rev. ed.

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this study was to compare reading and math academic achievement scores of a cohort of students who had experienced mixed-age (two-grade span) and multiage (three-grade span) configurations, in a selected nongraded elementary school located in East Tennessee. Student attitude toward school, gender and socioeconomic status were also analyzed. The causal-comparative quantitative approach, along with convenience sampling, was the foundation for this study. Academic achievement normal curve equivalency (NCE) scores from the TerraNova Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills for the 1997-2000 academic years and survey results from the Attitude Toward School Inventory (Meier, 1973) given in the concluding year (2000) were analyzed using ANOVA, ANCOVA and t-tests to determine which configuration produced better results for students. Statistically significant results (p=. 05) were found indicating that the multiage students performed better in reading achievement during the 1997 and 1998 years (ANOVA). ANCOVA results indicated multiage configuration to be statistically significant in 2000 when controlling for prior reading achievement. ANOVA results proved to be statistically significant in math for the multiage configuration in 1998. NCE mean scores in reading and math were higher, some significantly higher, for all four years 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 for those students in the multiage (three-grade span) configuration. No statistically significant differences were found in configurations regarding attitude toward school, however in all subtest areas the multiage (three-grade span) students mean scores were higher than the mixed-age (two-grade span) students scores. Findings include a stronger case for multiage (three-grade span) configuration when planning a nongraded developmentally appropriate elementary program.

Language: English

Published: Johnson City, Tennessee, 2001

Language: English

Published: Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Technomic, 1993

Abstract/Notes: This longitudinal quantitative study compared literacy achievement of students from second through sixth grade based on two organizational systems: graded (traditional) and nongraded (multiage) classrooms. The California Standards Test (CST) scaled and proficiency scores for English-Language Arts (ELA) were used as the study's independent variable to measure student performance. A matched control was utilized in which nongraded students were compared with graded students based on gender, ethnicity, and date of birth. Data analysis included independent samples t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and effect size. Results showed that nongraded students had a significant advantage over their graded counterparts in literacy achievement (p=0.000). Effect size for the matched group increased with length of exposure in the nongraded program from Cohen's d=0.49 to d=0.99. It is difficult to determine if significant outcomes were the result of classroom structure or instructional strategies used in the nongraded setting. However, a unique quality of this study involves the rare conditions and matched control design that allowed for variables to be controlled, which have yet to be simultaneously accounted for in multiage studies to date. Based on the results, this study suggested that nongraded education, by responding to the developmental nature of children in the classroom, may offer a viable alternative to the graded system. In nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Finland, and Canada with the highest literacy rates in the world, nongraded classrooms are common educational practice.

Language: English

Published: Los Angeles, California, 2011

Abstract/Notes: This issue of the OSSC Bulletin explores problems encountered in implementing a closely associated group of educational innovations whose adoption has become increasingly common in recent years. This "family" of organizational and instructional practices includes non-age-graded organization, mixed-age grouping, developmentally appropriate practices, continuous-progress learning, integrated or thematic instruction, and cooperative learning. Data were gathered from a review of literature and 10 telephone interviews conducted with teachers and administrators. Chapter 1 surveys the theoretical base for nongraded education and for common nongraded practices and program configurations, focusing on areas in which controversy exits or research evidence is incomplete. It also shows how ignorance of the change process can affect implementation. Chapter 2 explores misunderstandings that often sabotage nongraded practices, and how these misunderstandings develop, and suggests actions that can be taken to reduce them. The third chapter examines the ways inadequate practical skills lead to failure and discusses effective ways for teachers to acquire the appropriate skills. Chapter 4 illustrates how an unsupportive school culture can discourage educators and undermine a program, and chapter 5 documents the need for district and state support. The sixth chapter considers the need for sufficient time and financial resources to prevent program failure. It examines how these factors have affected implementation efforts in British Columbia, Kentucky, and Oregon. Chapter 7 suggests actions school boards and administrators can take to avoid or overcome these obstacles. A Bulletin in Brief, a four-page condensed version, is included. (LMI)

Language: English

ISSN: 0095-6694