A FOUCAULDIAN ANALYSIS OF NCLB: STUDENT DATA AS PANOPTIC SURVEILLANCE by Chris King

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB; Public Law 107-110) reauthorizes and expands the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require large amounts of student data for the purpose of academic surveillance. This study investigates the historical and philosophical components of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon as a model of surveillance to identify similarities between panopticism and the rubric of collecting student data required by NCLB. All public school districts are evaluated annually for adequate yearly progress (AYP). Under the auspices of this evaluation, all students must be tested, and all results must be included in each district’s AYP calculation. All African American, Hispanic, White, economically disadvantaged, special education, and limited English proficient (LEP) students must meet the same performance and participation standards. States individually develop minimum size criteria for evaluation of student groups. High schools must meet a graduation rate standard set by the state.

NCLB’s comprehensive data compilation and student tracking initiatives are consistent with previous federal education policies to conduct data surveillance on students and teachers. Similar to Jeremy Bentham’s 18th century Panopticon model of penal supervision and rehabilitation, NCLB is transforming the schoolhouse into a correction house by unveiling technologies of surveillance and power. By using Benthamian and Foucauldian philosophical analyses, this dissertation examines NCLB’s

worldview of student data and tracking, specifically from student subgroups, and their effects of panoptic surveillance.

This dissertation proceeds with a review of the historical context of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon and Michel Foucault’s panopticism. This study recognizes various American educational reform movements from 1776 to 2002 in identifying the following panoptic disciplines: constant surveillance, hierarchical observation and categorization, and panoptic power. It considers the NCLB doctrine of data collection for student and teacher tracking purposes and presents an anticolonial analysis of NCLB’s methods of compiling and tracking student subgroup data using the works of anticolonial scholars Frantz Fanon, Sylvia Wynter, and Carter Woodson. The dissertation concludes with a synthesis of the questions and the problems presented by NCLB and the implications of this analysis for students and teachers.

INVESTIGATING NOVICE WHITE TEACHERS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CLASSROOMS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF

CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS

by

Debra J. Barrineau

This study deconstructed the degree to which novice White teachers in an elementary school in a rural middleGeorgiadistrict were aware of and prepared for the challenges inherent in teaching in a predominantly African American classroom. Four novice, White teachers participated in the study. The student population of the school was 72% African American, nearly 10% White, and more than 17% Hispanic. Using a phenomenological approach, data were collected using an open-ended questionnaire in order to determine the teachers’ perceived academic and non-academic needs of their students and to explore how their awareness of the needs of their students influenced the educational experiences the teachers provided in their classrooms. Classroom observations were utilized in order to determine how the teachers related to their students and the manner in which they demonstrated responsiveness to the students’ academic needs, through the activities they provided.

The teachers demonstrated only a limited ability to understand the academic and non-academic needs of their students, due mainly to a lack of understanding of the cultural dynamics of the African American students residing in this rural community. Through a lack of ability to build necessary bridges within the school community, the teachers failed to establish a trusting relationship with parents, which would have helped mitigate the disconnect between the environment of the school and the environment of the students’ homes. In addition, the teachers’ efforts to support their students through multicultural activities were merely superficial. Some of the teachers were more focused on the perceived needs of the students than on using the rich heritage of students in order to build a community of learners that would foster greater levels of academic success. The findings of this study will benefit those interested in cultural responsiveness by suggesting the need for teacher preparation programs to increase the academic and experiential focus on cross-cultural teaching. It will also benefit school districts by suggesting the need for ongoing professional development and focused induction programs for teachers who are teaching cross-culturally.

Considering the research on engagement and the need to improve students’ literacy achievement, there is a compelling reason to know how and when students are engaged in writing. The aim of this study was to investigate the intersection of engagement theory and students’ engagement. Specifically, this inquiry focused on the students’ perceptions of engagement while identifying indicators of engagement and factors affecting engagement related to the student, task, or context within the writing classroom. My study addressed the following questions: (a) How can student’s engagement in a writing classroom be described? and (b) What are students’ perceptions of their engagement in a writing classroom?

The findings of this study prompt educators to consider the importance of focusing on engagement in our classrooms. Students identified factors that promoted their engagement: importance of choice, making connections and teacher modeling. This study also found engagement and attitude influenced each other resulting in a positive classroom environment. Finally, this research identified the significance of student voice and how students are able to ascertain their level of engagement, if asked.

STUDENT ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASES

MISSOURI EX. REL. GAINES V. CANADA, REGISTRAR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, 1938,

AND

GRUTTER V. BOLLINGER, 2003

by

Ansley Knox Daniel

The purpose of this study is to identify primary themes related to student access to higher education and establishing diversity in higher education classrooms through a comparative analysis of the 1938 Gaines v. Canada case and the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger case. Both of these Supreme Court opinions have significantly impacted student access to higher education. The landmark ruling in Gaines inaugurated a new and ground-breaking series of legal victories that opened minority student access to higher education and eventually to secondary education. In Grutter, the Supreme Court upheld the use of race as one of many factors that can be used to consider in the student admissions process in higher education to encourage diversity in student populations and in leadership opportunities. Using a methodology of historiography of education law, the intention of this study is to expand the historical and legal implications of the Gaines and Grutter cases, focusing on the application of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the relationship between the outcomes of the cases and the judicial interpretation employed by the justices. In Grutter, while considering narrow-tailoring and strict scrutiny to check for the legal development and implementation of affirmative action policies, the justices prioritize providing equal access to higher education for all students and ensuring meaningful diversity in university classrooms for an extended, but still limited, time period. It is valuable for historians of the law and members of the legal profession to consider the notion of active liberty articulated by Justice Stephen Breyer (2005) when developing their interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause and how it should be applied.

For the purpose of this study, I adopted a qualitative case study approach. The primary source of data collection was semi-structured phenomenological interviews with three women who were tenured within the last five years. This case study investigated tenure, institutionalized power, and gender at a small public university. I abstracted themes from the data by applying an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) technique to analyze and describe the results of the study. Results show that the participants felt stressed out and unsure about the criteria for tenure. Data also show that finding a mentor and beginning the process early are important. This study will add to the body of knowledge about women’s experiences with the tenure process in higher education.

EXPLORING COLLEGE READINESS: SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF EARLY COLLEGE STUDENTS

by

Kim R. Ramsey-White

Research shows that too many students are graduating from high school ill-prepared to be successful in the postsecondary environment. This study examined the high school experiences of dual-enrollment students who participated in an Early College High School, and how the students perceived their high school experiences in preparing them for college. Additionally the study sought to understand the role that social capital played in the students’ preparation for college. In-depth interviews with 13 African American students, some of whom were first-generation college attendees, were used to illuminate the student voice in an effort to learn how early college practices and strategies were beneficial and/or detrimental to their preparation for college. Data from the study were analyzed using a college readiness framework developed by David Conley (2007) which focuses on four dimensions of college readiness: (1) Key cognitive strategies, (2) academic content, (3) academic skills and behavior, and (4) contextual skills and awareness. Findings from the study indicate that the students’ Early College High School experiences increased their confidence as college students (key cognitive strategies), taught them the benefits of time management and working in study groups (academic skills and behavior), and provided meaningful relationships and social networks that allowed them to navigate the college application and financial aid processes (contextual skills and awareness). The students also expressed concern that there was very limited alignment between the high school academic courses and expectations and those in the postsecondary institutions they attended. The results of the study contribute to the scholarship on the Early College model.

Within the history of black education there is a recent effort to present alternative interpretations concerning the once stigmatized segregated school. Research now focuses on the value that was placed on black segregated schools by the local community, highlighting the schools’ strong leadership, caring teachers, academic curriculum and extra-curricular activities, and supportive community and parents. These factors were researched within AHIS/BHHS and found to have been substantial in assessing value to the school. Additionally, the study researched the involvement of H.T. Edwards, principal of AHIS/BHHS, within the national, state, and local networks determining that through its black principal, professional education associations, and professional development, AHIS/BHHS was a part of a system of networks among black schools. Reflecting the larger research indicating a loss within the black community upon desegregation, my study demonstrated this loss within the black community of Athens as a result of the closing of AHIS/BHHS and the displacement of its educators. The study employed historical methods such as archival data and oral histories.

ACADEMIC CULTURE, BUSINESS CULTURE, AND

MEASURING ACHIEVEMENT DIFFERENCES:

INTERNAL AUDITING VIEWS

by

Benjamin Sterling Roth

This study explored whether university internal audit directors’ views of culture and measuring achievement differences between their institutions and a business were related to how they viewed internal auditing priorities and uses. The Carnegie Classification system’s 283 Doctorate-granting Universities were the target population. Directors for 144 institutions (51%) returned questionnaires providing their views of academic culture and measuring achievement differences; the importance of internal auditor attributes, and types, subject areas, and determinants of internal auditing work; and whether operational audits of research, teaching, and public service were appropriate. Data collected included directors’ age, gender, race and ethnicity, education, certifications, and work experience and information on their reporting officials, boards/audit committees, audit departments, and institutions. Chi-square tests of independence, p ≤ .05, determined statistically significant relationships, and Cramer’s V, effect size. Dichotomous categories of “businesslike” and “distinct” were used to label views from the university’s perspective. Fifty-six percent viewed university culture distinct; 65% viewed measuring achievement businesslike. Thirty-eight percent viewed both businesslike; 30%, both distinct; 26%, culture distinct and measuring achievement businesslike; and 6%, culture businesslike and measuring achievement distinct. Culture views were related to measuring achievement views with medium effect, and with large effect for respondent subsets, such as older (≥ 50 years) males, certified internal auditors (CIAs), and directors at schools with higher research funding and/or a medical school. Also, with small effects, a distinct culture view favored awareness of culture and missions; a businesslike culture view favored operational audits; and a businesslike measuring achievement view favored operational audits in research, teaching, and public service. Older males had the highest percentages viewing culture businesslike and both culture and measuring achievement businesslike. CIAs had highest percentages viewing culture distinct and both culture and measuring achievement distinct. With culture and measuring achievement views related, internal auditor awareness of university culture and missions might warrant greater emphasis. Businesslike views favoring operational audits might encourage management practices historically decried by scholars as ill-fitting an academy, or might conserve resources to make more available to enhance academic practices and outcomes.

DECISION MAKING IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS:

ONE INSTITUTION’S JOURNEY TO MAINTAIN

TITLE IX COMPLIANCE

by

John Rowland

The allocation of resources and participation opportunities in intercollegiate athletics has been a debate among researchers for nearly 40 years. Title IX and traditionally male-dominated budgeting practices continue to be opposing forces that shape the financial and gender makeup of university athletic departments. In fact, the need to be Title IX compliant often dominates discussions when structural changes occur in athletic departments. This case study analyzed the decision making process of distributing resources and participation opportunities at Division I University from 1998 to 2007 based on John Rawls’ arguments about distributive justice. Division I University administrators focused on the substantiality proportionality clause of the three-part test as the only method to comply with Title IX. The Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act and other gender equity reports completed during certification play an important role in the decision making process. The analysis of the decision making process showed that Title IX was used as a political tool to deflect the controversy of program elimination. This analysis also showed that program elimination was not necessary in order to maintain Title IX compliance. Thus, the decision to eliminate sports was a violation of Rawlsian justice.

1) What is the college experience like for an individual who identifies as an out gay or male bisexual student?

2) What does safety mean to an individual who identifies as an out gay or male bisexual student?

3) How does an individual navigate staying safe as an out gay or male bisexual student?

The study found:

1) The presence of LGTB’ness is integral to the LGBT student experience.

2) Being involved and feeling connected to campus serves as a pivotal component of the LGBT student experience.

3) Navigating masculinity is complicated given traditional gender roles.

4) Classroom climate is a major factor for the success and safety of LGBT students.

Reviewing the results of this study college faculty, staff, and administrators can begin to understand the unique experiences of LGBT college students; and through this meaning making process, higher education officials can learn what is needed to improve the college experience for this historically marginalized minority. This study informed what colleges and universities can do to better meet the needs of LGBT college students and ensure they have a welcoming and safe college environment.

Using narrative case study design, this research reveals aspects of their lives, careers, and families as it pertains to their experiences as Catholic principals. Six major themes emerged from the analysis of data: (1) the unwavering link between the Catholic Church and school; (2) the call for leadership that deepens the faith of their constituencies; (3) the importance of building community as a dimension of the principal’s role as faith leader; (4) the requisite for principals to model faith in action; (5) the need for spiritual and professional development to support principals as faith leaders; and, (6) the negotiation of tensions in their personal and professional lives.

Results provide a richer understanding of the complexity associated with lay leadership and informs the reader of areas in need of further research to assure the future of Catholic education in the United States. Specifically, findings suggest Church leadership structure programs that adequately prepare lay Catholic principals for their roles, perform studies focused on the multifaceted roles associated with Catholic school leadership, and create opportunities for spiritual and professional development for those who currently serve in these positions. The study confirms priests as the link between the Catholic Church and school, and suggests their preparation, as well as desire to oversee a Catholic school, as critical.

When Mr. Clark arrived as principal, EHS was characterized by large numbers of students living at or below the poverty line, overcrowded classrooms, and outdated resources. Additionally, there were issues such as: high dropout rates, drugs, teenage pregnancy, violence towards students and teachers. In an attempt to raise the students’ Minimum Basic Skills Test scores and eliminate the violence at EHS, Mr. Clark was hired as the principal.

Through face-to-face and telephone semi-structured, open ended in-depth interviews with twenty-two participants, I uncovered personal views of Mr. Clark’s leadership style. Mr. Clark used a leadership style that was characterized by the informants as autocratic, directive, charismatic and caring. The voices of his students, teachers, and administrators speak volumes about the strategies he developed that made an impact on their lives in addition to reforming EHS.

ROBUSTNESS OF TWO FORMULAS
TO CORRECT PEARSON CORRELATION FOR
RESTRICTION OF RANGE

by

Dung Minh Tran

Many research studies involving Pearson correlations are conducted in settings where one of the two variables has a restricted range in the sample. For example, this situation occurs when tests are used for selecting candidates for employment or university admission. Often after selection, there is interest in correlating the selection variable, which has a restricted range, to a criterion variable. The focus of this research was to compare Alexander, Alliger, and Hanges’s (1984) formula to Thorndike’s (1947) formula and population values using Monte Carlo simulation when the assumption of normal distribution is violated in a particular way.

In both Thorndike’s and Alexander et al.’s correction formulas, values for the variances in the restricted and the unrestricted situations are required. For both formulas, the variance in restricted situations was a sample estimate. In the Monte Carlo simulation, the difference between the two approaches was that in Thorndike’s formula, the variance in the unrestricted situation was the population variance from the exogenous variable, whereas in Alexander et al.’s approach, the population variance was estimated based on the sample variance in the restricted situation. In the simulation, robustness situations were created from non-normal distributions for predicted group membership in a classification problem.

As expected, Thorndike’s corrected correlation values were more accurate than Alexander et al.’s corrected correlation values, and Thorndike’s formula had a smaller standard error of estimates. Absolute values of the mean differences between the estimated and population correlations for Alexander et al.’s approach compared to Thorndike’s approach in robustness situations ranged from 1.37 to 2.15 larger. Nevertheless, Alexander et al.’s approach, which is based only on estimated variances, appears to be a worthwhile correction in most of the simulated situations with a few notable exceptions for non-normal distributions.