2022 Doctoral Capstone Projects

Resources that strive to increase academic performance for secondary students is a noble endeavor. One such technique may prove beneficial and does not require additional resources. This resource is to increase instructional time within the classroom. The setting of this research project was at a suburban comprehensive technical high school in the lower Bucks County region of Pennsylvania and the participants were incoming 9th grade students. The purpose of this project was to analyze whether increasing algebraic instructional time would have an effect on academic performance. This project was important because it would provide a justification for the allocation of resources, should the outcome indicate a positive correlation between increased instructional time and academic performance. The research questions involved in this project were to analyze increased instructional time and academic performance as well as differentiating academic performance regarding gender and socioeconomic status. The quantitative design of the project relied on a classroom diagnostic test and a teacher-made assessment. The results from the teacher-made assessments did not demonstrate a statistically significant event for any research question. The classroom diagnostic test did reveal a statistically significant event for the initial assessment as well as the initial and mid-year test regarding socioeconomic status and academic performance. The conclusion was that there was no statistically significant difference in academic performance differentiated by gender and that increasing instructional time did not affect academic performance following an increase in instructional time on both final assessments. There was evidence that non-economically disadvantaged students scored statistically higher on the initial and mid-year classroom diagnostic test.

School districts are always exploring different ways to develop programs and activities for students in an attempt to provide opportunities for academic growth and achievement. One area of particular focus has been programs offered during the summer months to try to minimize and/or eliminate the "summer slide" that some student experience with the retention of the concepts and skills that they learned in the previous school year. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the implementation of a summer learning program within an elementary school has an impact on the academic growth of students. Comparisons were made between students that did and did not participate in the program, specifically students that have been identified to receive support services through an individualized education plan (IEP) versus those in a regular education setting and students that come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. A mixed-methods approach was utilized as the format for this study. Benchmark assessment data from a three-year period was analyzed as part of the quantitative portion of this action research project. Qualitative data was collected through surveys that were provided to both the families of students that participated in the summer program and the individuals that served as both instructors and assistants in the program during the summer of 2021. Findings from this study will be utilized during the planning for programming that will take place within the school district in subsequent years as part of a continued effort to provide opportunities for students to grow and develop academically.

According to Robert Marzano, author of the archetypal work, "Classroom Instruction That Works", good instruction can take any student and make them better. The Peters Township School District's mission and vision statements align with Marzano's beliefs. However, the current system employed by the District by which students are placed into honors and academic level classes is in conflict with that mission and vision. During the transition from middle school to high school, access to honors classes requires a student's prior teacher's recommendation. Their only option to take an honors class without a recommendation is to file an official appeal to the high school administration and counselors. This current process is creating barriers for many students to experience the higher rigor honors classes and the opportunities of trajectory they create. This study seeks to inspect the current recommendation and placement process as well as to analyze the impact it is having on student outcomes. As a mixed-methods study, it is driven by three research questions that ask for the quantitative data associated with the overall student population final grade outcomes as well as the outcomes for students who appealed to get into each of the courses. It also contains an analysis of the qualitative data associated with teacher's opinions about the course recommendation and placement process. This study shows the current process arbitrarily and unnecessarily limits students and makes recommendations for its modification to better support the mission and vision of the District.

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are in their fifth year of implementation at Avon Grove High School. DuFour et al. (2010) define a professional learning community (PLC) as an “ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve” (p. 11). The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of PLCs on teacher practices and student learning. In order to make this determination, the following research questions were investigated: What are teachers’ perceptions of professional learning communities (PLCs) in terms of the impact on their pedagogical practices? When it comes to the implementation of PLCs within academic content areas, how do the challenges and benefits impact student achievement? What supportive structures, resources, and conditions are most favorable for teacher growth in the implementation of PLCs? A mixed-methods research approach was used to answer the research questions. The Professional Learning Communities Assessment – Revised was administered twice during the school year, semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers, and student results on the Classroom Diagnostic Tool (CDT) were collected over the last five years. The analysis of this data suggests that teachers feel their pedagogical practices have expanded and improved, student achievement has seen positive gains in two out of three measured content areas, PLC meeting time during the school day has been a necessary condition for success, and resources are available and necessary to help grow and sustain PLCs in the school.