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AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL, STATUTORY, AND GOVERNANCE ISSUES OF VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOLS
Title
AN ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL, STATUTORY, AND GOVERNANCE ISSUES OF VIRTUAL CHARTER SCHOOLS.
Creator
Thedy, Elizabeth, Murray, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examined the legal, statutory, and governance issues facing virtual charter schools. Virtual models of schooling have the potential to change the face of public education as such schools challenge traditional forms of education. Legislators, policy makers, and school boards must carefully consider existing charter school legislation and determine whether such language is applicable to virtual charter school models. As virtual forms of schooling increase, and choice options for...
Show moreThis study examined the legal, statutory, and governance issues facing virtual charter schools. Virtual models of schooling have the potential to change the face of public education as such schools challenge traditional forms of education. Legislators, policy makers, and school boards must carefully consider existing charter school legislation and determine whether such language is applicable to virtual charter school models. As virtual forms of schooling increase, and choice options for parents become more readily available, the challenge is to develop statutory language that is not overly restrictive but provides a framework from which authorizers and governing boards may operate to ensure the quality, equity, and fiscal responsibility of virtual charter schools. The focus of the study was on the existing legislation in the 19 states with current virtual charter school statutes. The qualitative examination of case law, combined with a review of statutory language, provided the sources of data. Recommendations for policymakers, legislators, departments of education, and school boards were developed to ensure the instructional quality control, the compliance with state and federal statute, and the financial security of virtual charter schools. In an era where choice in education has become mainstream, monitoring the quality of choice options becomes paramount. The development of policies and laws relative to the careful operation of virtual charter schools, from authorization, to governance, to appropriate funding is in the purview of the state. Case law developed in states such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where the legality of virtual charter schools has been challenged provides the legal standards for other state legislatures. The establishment of carefully worded legislation that addresses the issues inherent in the next version of school choice is critical to the successful operation of virtual charter schools. Oversight for funding, attendance, curriculum and instruction, and teacher certification is critical in both the authorizing and governance of such schools. Legislation that details the process for enrolling district and out of district students, the process for how the funding flows from the state, to the district, to the virtual charter school, and how the students will be counted for accountability purposes is critical to the successful implementation of virtual charter schools.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003244, ucf:48557
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003244
The Impact of Homelessness and Remaining in School of Origin on the Academic Achievement of Fourth Through Eighth Grade Students in Brevard County Public Schools
Title
The Impact of Homelessness and Remaining in School of Origin on the Academic Achievement of Fourth Through Eighth Grade Students in Brevard County Public Schools.
Creator
Dunkel, Richard, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Doherty, Walter, Thedy, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examined the impact of homelessness and the ability of homeless students to remain in their school of origin on the academic achievement of fourth through eighth grade students in Brevard County, Florida. To determine effects of homelessness, homeless students were compared to non-homeless students who qualified for free lunch utilizing developmental scale scores and learning gains from 2011 FCAT Reading and Mathematics. To determine effects of remaining in school of origin,...
Show moreThis study examined the impact of homelessness and the ability of homeless students to remain in their school of origin on the academic achievement of fourth through eighth grade students in Brevard County, Florida. To determine effects of homelessness, homeless students were compared to non-homeless students who qualified for free lunch utilizing developmental scale scores and learning gains from 2011 FCAT Reading and Mathematics. To determine effects of remaining in school of origin, homeless students who changed schools were compared to homeless students who did not change schools utilizing the same assessment data. Independent t-tests and chi-square tests of association were used with .05 significance levels.Findings showed that homeless and non-homeless students had no significant differences in reading scores, and homeless students had significantly higher mathematics scores. However, significantly fewer homeless students made an annual learning gain in reading and math learning gains were statistically equal. Remaining in school of origin also had no significant impact on reading and math developmental scale scores, but a significantly lower percentage of homeless students who changed schools made annual learning gains in reading and mathematics.These results led the researcher to develop a theory called the Weighted Saddle Effect, caused by homeless mobility, to describe the difficulty homeless students had in making annual learning gains commensurate with their developmental scale scores.Recommendations for policy included school districts ensuring transportation to school of origin was available for all homeless students as mandated by the McKinney-Vento Act.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004531, ucf:49232
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004531
An Analysis of the Impact of K-12 Educational Leadership Program Graduates: 1992-2012
Title
An Analysis of the Impact of K-12 Educational Leadership Program Graduates: 1992-2012.
Creator
Bennett, Roseann, Taylor, Rosemarye, Baldwin, Lee, Doherty, Walter, Thedy, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study addressed the problem of insufficient information concerning the economic and professional impact of educational leadership program graduates. In Florida, there is often times a delay in obtaining an administrative appointment after graduating from an educational leadership program. The delay in appointments causes difficulty with tracking careers and economic impact. The research questions were:1.What is the economic impact of activities, projects, and research performed by 1992...
Show moreThis study addressed the problem of insufficient information concerning the economic and professional impact of educational leadership program graduates. In Florida, there is often times a delay in obtaining an administrative appointment after graduating from an educational leadership program. The delay in appointments causes difficulty with tracking careers and economic impact. The research questions were:1.What is the economic impact of activities, projects, and research performed by 1992 to 2012 graduates while enrolled in the educational leadership program? 2.How many educational leadership program graduates from 1992 to 2012 were appointed or elected to superintendent positions, senior staff or superintendent's cabinet, or school district level director positions (using the 2012-2013 school district student enrollment size rankings)?3.How many educational leadership program graduates from 1992 to 2012 were appointed to principal or assistant principal positions in the selected school districts (using the 2012-2013 school district student enrollment size rankings)?4.What are the Florida School Grade trends among educational leadership program graduates from 1992 to 2012 of a large urban research university in Florida who were school principals? This study utilized descriptive statistics and was designed to analyze program performance outcomes delivered by graduates of a large urban research university's educational leadership program (1992-2012) and their responses to a survey. The value of activities, projects, and research completed while enrolled in the educational leadership graduate program was determined to arrive at economic impact. Graduates were matched with administrative positions including K-12 superintendent, senior staff or superintendent's cabinet, school district level directors, public school principal or assistant principal. In addition, Florida school grades for those graduates that held principal positions in a specific geographical area during the 1998-2012 period were identified. Measures of central tendency and descriptive statistics were conducted, as appropriate, for each of the four research questions. Research findings indicated there were data to support that while enrolled in the educational leadership graduate program, economic impact was provided to school districts. Furthermore, graduates who were identified as principals in K-12 public schools had student outcomes that outperformed the state average as indicated by school grades. The data trend of meeting high expectations determined by student achievement results increased each year as evidenced by a greater number of schools earning (")A(") grades. Recommendations made for future research were for universities to create and maintain a university database and survey graduates to gather data. The data would be used to align the preparation program curricular and instructional practices with the professional experiences needed to prepare leaders to be position ready. Additionally, universities must continuously communicate with graduates in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the preparation program, measure economic impact and capture career paths. This would be performed through a longitudinal study.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006440, ucf:51483
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006440
A Study of the Impact of Brevard Public School's Peer Coaching Model on Student Achievement Outcomes and Teacher Evaluation Results
Title
A Study of the Impact of Brevard Public School's Peer Coaching Model on Student Achievement Outcomes and Teacher Evaluation Results.
Creator
Pace, Debra, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Taylor, Rosemarye, Thedy, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study investigated the effectiveness of a sustained professional development initiative, Brevard's Peer Coaching Model, on improving teacher performance and student achievement in a large Central Florida school district. The study analyzed professional practices scores and value-added scores for teachers who participated in a minimum of six of nine days of professional learning before the study, after year one of the training, and after year two of the training to evaluate growth in...
Show moreThis study investigated the effectiveness of a sustained professional development initiative, Brevard's Peer Coaching Model, on improving teacher performance and student achievement in a large Central Florida school district. The study analyzed professional practices scores and value-added scores for teachers who participated in a minimum of six of nine days of professional learning before the study, after year one of the training, and after year two of the training to evaluate growth in professional practices and student achievement, and also compared the scores of BPCM participants to the scores of teachers who did not participate in the study. The findings of the study replicated those of previous researchers who found that peer coaching generally has a positive impact on improving teacher practice but limited impact on student achievement. Both professional practices scores and value-added results improved over the course of the study, during and after implementation of BPCM. However, the results were not statistically significant when comparing improvements of value-added results for BPCM participants with the VAM scores of the population of Brevard Public Schools teachers who did not participate in the professional development. BPCM participants showed significant growth over the course of the study and demonstrated stronger improvements in observation scores when compared to the non-BPCM teachers. The most significant growth occurred after the first year of the BPCM training, with smaller levels of growth in year two. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research were provided.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005678, ucf:50159
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005678
An Analysis of Race and Gender in Select Choice Programs Within Brevard County Public Schools
Title
An Analysis of Race and Gender in Select Choice Programs Within Brevard County Public Schools.
Creator
Doaks, Synthia, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Baldwin, Lee, Thedy, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The focus of this research was to compare the student membership population proportions, by race and gender, of Brevard County Public School students with the actual participation in select choice programs offered to Brevard County public high school students. This study was based on an analysis of the scores of 1,152 eighth-grade students who received a score of 4 or 5 on the 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics and a score of 4 or 5 on the 2008 Florida Comprehensive...
Show moreThe focus of this research was to compare the student membership population proportions, by race and gender, of Brevard County Public School students with the actual participation in select choice programs offered to Brevard County public high school students. This study was based on an analysis of the scores of 1,152 eighth-grade students who received a score of 4 or 5 on the 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics and a score of 4 or 5 on the 2008 Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) reading and their participation in high school advanced academic courses. The advanced academic choice programs selected for this study consisted of the four Florida articulated accelerated college credit seeking programs: Advanced Placement (AP), Dual-Enrollment (DE), International Baccalaureate(&)#174; (IB) Diploma Programme, and the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE). The proportion comparison consisted of student membership data and eighth-grade FCAT scores from 2007-2008 and the student membership data and high school course load data from the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and 2011-2012 academic school years. Chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were run to analyze the proportions by race and gender of the sample groups and student membership populations. For each respective year involved in this study, there was a statistically significant difference in the race and gender proportions of the samples and the student membership populations.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005325, ucf:50509
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005325