Education, Elementary

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts one in every 44 children in the United States (CDC, 2022) and is characterized by marked deficits in social communication with the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Students with ASD are increasingly being educated in the general education classroom and are expected to meet the curricular demands thereof (Roberts & Webster, 2020). Due to the core features of their disability, these students often experience significant challenges in written expression. Writing, across content areas, is a primary means in which student learning is measured and evaluated. The COVID-19 pandemic forced educators to explore the use of technology, through the application of synchronous and asynchronous instructional models, to meet the needs of all students while also providing access to Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) and rigorous content (Cox et al., 2021). This study examined the effects of an intervention package consisting of video modeling and virtual coaching on the use of a procedural facilitator (PF) as a planning tool on the overall written quality of the opinion writing with elementary school-aged children with ASD. Writing quality was measured by the presence of planned paragraph elements, Correct Word Sequences (CWS), and Total Words Written (TWW). The significance, acceptability, and effectiveness of the intervention package was also explored.
Results indicate a functional relationship between the intervention package and the presence of planned paragraph elements. The intervention package did not directly impact CWS or TWW. Participant perceptions of the intervention package were generally positive. Caregiver perceptions of the intervention package were generally positive. Implications of the present study are discussed along with limitations and recommendations for future research.

The research study was designed to determine if significant correlations existed between selected factors of school climate and selected factors of leadership behaviors. The responses of the instructional staff of two Saint Lucie County elementary schools served as the basis for the study. The correlation of several bivariate combinations was studied for both schools independently. The Pearson product-moment correlation statistic was used to determine if a significant relationship existed at the.05 level. The Diagnostic Inventory of School Climate measured the following variables of school climate: (a) clear school mission, (b) safe learning environment, (c) expectation for success, (d) high morale, (e) effective instructional leadership, (f) quality classroom instruction, (g) monitoring student progress, and (h) positive home-school relations. Each of the climate variables was correlated with the following variables of leadership behavior as measured by the Diagnostic Survey for Leadership Improvement: (a) communication of the school principal, (b) control of the school principal, (c) decision making of the school principal, (d) interaction-influence of the school principal, and (e) confidence and trust processes of the school principal. It was concluded that in school one there were no statistically significant relationships between the variables of school climate and the variables of leadership behavior. However, in school two there were statistically significant relationships between: (a) the control of the school principal and high morale, (b) decision making of the school principal and high morale, (c) confidence and trust processes of the school principal and high morale, (d) decision making of the school principal and effective instructional leadership, (e) decision making of the school principal and quality classroom instruction, (f) control of the school principal and positive home-school relations, (g) decision making of the school principal and positive home-school relations, and (h) confidence and trust processes of the school principal and positive home-school relations.

The purpose of this study was to examine criteria used by public school administrators who select from among applicants to fill elementary and secondary classroom teaching positions in a large southeastern school district. The study was designed to determine the relative importance of criteria used by hiring officials when selecting first-time classroom teachers. The sample for this study included 76 South Florida public elementary (47) and secondary (29) principals. The survey instrument included 16 criteria. Each criterion was categorized into one of two subscales of the teacher selection process (credentials or interview). The design of this study included a series of eight factorial analyses of variance (ANOVAs) performed to examine the relationships between responses on the two subscales and school level, and selected administrator demographic variables. All eight analyses included identical school levels (elementary and secondary) and identical criteria subscales (credentials and interview). However, each of the eight analyses included a third factor pertaining to one of the eight administrator demographic variables (highest degree completed, number of years taught, number of certifications, number of years in administration, number of years at current school, age, gender, and ethnicity). Results indicated that means in the credentials subscale were significantly higher for secondary than for elementary administrators (p <.05). This difference in means was consistent regardless of which of the eight other demographic variables were included in the factorial analysis of variance design. Means in the interview subscale for elementary and secondary administrators were not significantly different. Means in both the credentials and the interview subscales for the eight demographic variables were not significantly different as main effects, or along with school level as two-way interactions. T-test results that indicated elementary administrators rated the interview subscale higher than the credentials subscale were in agreement with ANOVA results that indicated the credentials subscale was rated higher by secondary than by elementary administrators. The highest rated criterion, "enthusiasm for teaching" was rated most effective by 89% of the elementary and 97% of the secondary administrators surveyed. The lowest rated criterion, "test scores" was rated most effective by none of the elementary and four percent of the secondary administrators surveyed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a particular mathematics program, which has been proven effective in changing student proficiency in mathematics, will also alter student emotional reactions to failure. The program selected for this study is unique in that through a series of diagnostic tests and remedial lessons, the student and teacher can accurately pinpoint the student's processing errors in mathematics. The sample consisted of 126 eighth grade mathematics students from a public middle school. There were five independent variables: sex, race (black vs. white), attributional style (internal vs. external), proficiency level in mathematics (high vs. low), and grouping for instruction (Enright Program vs. control). The dependent variables consisted of test scores collected before the mathematics program and immediately after completion of the program on the affective factors of anxiety, hostility, and depression. The results showed a significant difference in student emotional reactions to failure after being exposed to the Enright Arithmetic Program as compared to students in the control group. The students in the Enright group had significantly less negative affective reactions to failure in relation to all three of the dependent variables after working with the Enright Arithmetic Program than did the students who were not afforded the opportunity to work with the program. This study thus demonstrated that the Enright Arithmetic Program not only improves student proficiency levels in mathematics, but also alters students' emotional reactions to a stressful failure situation in the classroom in a positive way.

This mixed methods study investigated 5th-grade teachers' reported use of computer technology and variables that have been identified by researchers as affecting teachers' use of technology, including professional development activities, physical access to computer technology, and technical and instructional support provided for teachers. Quantitative data were collected from 80 5th-grade teachers from a Florida public school district through an online survey in which teachers reported how frequently they used and had their students use computer technology for 27 different purposes. The teachers also reported the amount of emphasis those 27 different topics received during their technology-related professional development experiences, the number of hours they participated in technology-related professional development, the number of months they participating in a technology coaching/mentoring program, the access their students had to computers in the classroom and in a one-to-one co mputing environment, and the frequency that they received technical and instructional support. Information from the school district's technology plan provided a context for the study. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with seven of the survey participants. The findings indicated that for 18 different purposes of technology, there was a significant correlation between how frequently teachers used and had their students use technology and the teacher-reported emphasis those topics received during technology related professional development. Self-reported frequency of support, student-to-computer ratio in the classroom, hours of professional development, and months of mentoring did not moderate the relationship between frequency of technology use and the content of professional development.