Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine how charter school authorizers conceptualize and navigate policy implementation as intermediary organizations. Through a phenomenological multi-site case study design, fifteen Ohio charter school authorizing staff across three organizations shared the ways in which they operate, navigate policy, access resources, and respond to the use of incentives and penalties in policy. With Honig's (2004) theory of intermediary organizations as a conceptual framework, I explore the role of charter school authorizers as mediating actors of state-level policy. Three major findings are shared: 1) while charter school authorizers largely conceptualize their roles to be innovators and gatekeepers, the demands of policy requires them to be more; 2) authorizers rely heavily on the state-issued performance rubric in determining their organizational priorities; and 3) authorizers access a variety of organizational processes and resources in navigating policy implementation. Additionally, findings indicate that authorizers are generally unresponsive to the promises of incentives but do modify behavior to prevent the receipt of penalties. The dissertation concludes with a discussion on the isomorphic pressures of policy on organizational structure, implications for stakeholders, and recommendations for future research.

Committee: Karen Beard (Advisor); Belinda Gimbert (Advisor); James L. Moore III (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

This dissertation examines the ways that teachers in charter schools respond to market pressures to recruit students to their schools. Policymakers in the United States promote charter schools to introduce competition into the education system in an effort to increase quality, efficiency, and innovation in schools. Charter schools do not draw a pre-determined student body based on their geographic location. Rather, charter schools start with no students and must recruit every child who enrolls in the school. A key assumption underlying these policies is that school personnel will feel competitive pressures when they do not meet their enrollment needs and make changes to their educational approaches to attract more students. One unintended consequence of charter school policies is that teachers may be drawn into work to recruit students to their school in addition to their full-time work to educate students. Drawing on sensemaking theories and employing a multiple-case study methodology focusing on 12 teachers at seven schools, I examine the ways that teachers come to understand and act on the need to recruit students to their school. There are several notable findings. All teachers in this study were surprised by the need to recruit students and experienced ambiguity both around how to respond and whether they would keep their jobs if they did not meet enrollment numbers. Teachers engaged in multiple different actions to recruit students, although there was a high level of variation in the extent to which teachers participated in student recruitment work and the ways that they experienced competitive pressures. The factors that shaped sensemaking include the extent to which schools are under pressure to recruit students, teachers' conceptions of their school's mission, ethical considerations, the extent to which teachers experienced burnout, and characteristics of school leaders. Teachers' sensemaking of student recruitment work also led them to create competitive d (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ann Allen Dr. (Advisor); Belinda Gimbert Dr. (Committee Member); Jozef Raadschelders Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Organization Theory; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2011, Higher Education

Higher education institutions have been engaging with public schools in different forms, such as teacher preparation, curriculum design, and research. Starting in the 1990s, higher education institutions began to collaborate with a new form of public school called charter schools. This collaboration is called “sponsorship” or “authorization.” Nationally, very few higher education institutions have taken advantage of this collaboration opportunity. However, a number of higher education institutions in the State of Michigan entered into relationships with charter schools through authorization. Even though different forces, such as public school officials and teacher unions, resisted this collaboration, colleges and universities in Michigan have continued to engage with charter schools and their collaboration has grown and flourished. The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons behind the choices made by higher education institutions in Michigan to authorize charter schools. By studying the history and experience of one higher education institution's engagement with charter schools through authorization, it was hoped that this study would shed light on the reasons that might have led higher education institutions in Michigan to work closely with and authorize charter schools. A qualitative design that employed a case study approach was utilized. Methods of data collection, such as interviews and document analysis, were used to try to understand the motives behind the initial decision of the chosen higher education institution to authorize charter schools. The study was guided by the stewards of place conceptual framework. The results revealed that the decision to sponsor charter schools was made by the institution's leadership without the constituencies being either consulted or informed of the decision. The results also showed that political forces, such as the Governor and the Michigan state charter school law, were the influential factors behind the insti (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ron Opp PhD (Advisor); Penny Poplin Gosetti PhD (Committee Member); Lynne Hamer PhD (Committee Member); Mary Ellen Edwards PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education History; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2012, Educational Administration (Education)

The purpose of this study was to investigate fifth-grade student achievement in Ohio public charter schools as compared to student achievement in traditional public schools, and to determine whether the performance of charter schools changed over time. Research questions asked 1) how does student achievement in Ohio's public charters compare to that of traditional public schools, and 2) do Ohio's charter schools show increased student achievement over time? Drawing on an approach used by Miron (2002; 2005; 2007), adjusted, or filtered scores were created by using the slope and intercept obtained from two regression models (one for reading and one for mathematics) that were performed with traditional public schools for each of the six years of the study. This approach allowed the investigation to control for the influence of student achievement predictors generally recognized in the research literature: socioeconomic status, ethnicity, special needs status, and school size. The result produced three measures for each of the schools: actual scores, predicted scores based on the adjustment for demographic variables and the computed difference between the actual and predicted scores. Score differences were then compared and analyzed over time to determine whether the gap between public charter and traditional public school achievement changed. As public charter schools matured, and as the number of operational public charters increased, T-test results confirmed that charter school performance in Ohio improved. In the sixth year of the study, the level of charter school achievement approximated that of traditional public schools. Results of the study have policy implications regarding public charter school funding, methods to properly assess school-wide student achievement, and the equitable treatment of both public charter and traditional public schools with regard to sanctions related to student achievement outcomes. Further, study findings can be used to guide future (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jerry Johnson EdD (Committee Chair); Gene Geist PhD (Committee Member); John Hitchcock PhD (Committee Member); William Larson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Tests and Measurements; School Administration

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2013, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Over the last decade, the focus on student achievement in America's public schools has dramatically increased. The pressure to perform and show growth in student achievement has been challenging due to increased levels of competition through school choice across the nation. Charter schools are one of the most recent education reform movements designed to increase accountability, innovation, and competition. Since the adoption of the first charter law was passed in Minnesota in 1991, the number of charter schools has grown rapidly across the nation. “Charter schools have recast the definition of public school and have presented the field of education with its greatest challenge” (Murphy & Dunn, 2002, p. 1). According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, there are currently over 5,000 charter schools that operate in 42 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 1.6 million students (“Charter schools 101:,” 2012). Students across the country have the option to attend charter schools or remain in the home school district. Parents and students are challenged to make a choice of which educational avenue is best for their family and must weigh all of the advantages and disadvantages to see which may produce the greatest outcomes and meet the needs of a diverse student population. The current investigation synthesizes numerous studies conducted across the nation at the elementary, middle and high school level. Meta-analytic techniques assist parents and educators in making evidence-based decisions while adding to the research supporting educational reform and promoting best practices in both educational models. This study was specifically designed to consider a number of variables in charter schools relative to traditional public schools, including socioeconomic status, English Language Learning, school competition, and eligibility for special education that may impact student mathematics and reading achievement. Analysis revealed that cha (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Larwin PhD (Advisor); Robert Beebe EdD (Committee Member); Robert Isherwood PhD (Committee Member); Jake Protivnak PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education History; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Middle School Education; School Administration; Secondary Education; Teaching; Technology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2013, EDU Policy and Leadership

Policy makers have increasingly turned to school choice and, particularly, charter schools, in an effort to increase educational quality and equity for elementary and high school students. Many school choice policies work under the assumption that parents, acting as rational agents, will choose the best possible school for their child when given the opportunity and, collectively, these choices will increase the aggregate quality of K-12 education. Parent rationality is an important component to this market-based model which is one aspect of a larger set of neoliberal reforms that reach far beyond education. This study draws on twelve interviews with fourteen parents and six observations of charter school informational meetings at two schools to argue that parents are not purely rational and thorough in their choice process. I argue that parents use heuristic devices, mental approaches to select and analyze information surrounding a complicated decision, that rely on experiences and memories of place-based geographical aspects of the schools in their choice sets. Parents came to understand the schools as geographical places through their experiences of certain aspects of the schools such as the student body, the physical building, the surrounding community, and their sense of belonging or familiarity with the school. Parents did not make their school choice decisions in a careful, measured, and rational manner. Instead they relied on visceral memories, first impressions and experiences of the geographical aspects the schools they considered. This study adds to existing research that problematizes the notion that parents will rationally choose the best schools for their children. It also highlights several key issues that policy makers and school leaders can address in order to help parents in their choice process.

Committee: Bruce Kimball Dr. (Advisor); Jan Nespor Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Policy; Geography; Political Science; Psychology; Public Policy; Social Research; Sociology

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted longstanding issues in student achievement in the United States, with only 37% of students from grades 4-12 showing proficiency in math and reading, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The East Coast Charter Authorizer (ECCA), which oversees one of the largest and most diverse public-school systems, has taken on the responsibility to address these systemic issues. While there are initiatives to diversify the teaching workforce, and an intensive focus on evaluating schools, there is a critical gap in ensuring school leadership is representative of the student population and has the environment necessary to be successful in their roles as school leaders, and in implementing the kind of creative change needed to address systemic inequities. This study focuses on the experiences of Black Women School Administrators (BWSAs) and the necessary organizational conditions to improve their retention and effectiveness. This study employed a convergent social justice mixed methods research design to address the inequity in the experiences and presence of Black Women Principals in K- 12 schools. Quantitative data from a Qualtrics survey (N=12) and qualitative data from interviews (N=10) were collected concurrently to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research problem. The integration of both data types, as well as available research - known as triangulation, allowed for a robust analysis of the impact of perceived 4 experiences with the ECCA on Black Women Principals. Ensuring participant confidentiality and honoring their wishes to contribute comfortably were paramount and as such, prioritized throughout the study. The findings underscore the need for the ECCA to provide more tailored support to Black women leaders, addressing specific challenges unique to their experiences and fostering a more equitable educational environment. The study resulted in an equity-oriented (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: James Olive (Committee Chair); Novea McIntosh (Committee Member); Samantha Miller (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Educational Leadership

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Public Policy and Management

How government delivers public services can have broad societal effects, beyond the impact on programmatic outcomes. Such societal effects are particularly likely in the delivery of public education, as educational concerns drive residential and school choices, and public schools are the second largest public employer in the United States. My dissertation explores how innovations in the way we administer public education may affect societal inequities by race, gender, academic ability, and socioeconomic status. The first essay examines how the emergence of online “virtual” public schooling, which families within a state can access regardless of where they live, has affected school-based segregation by race and poverty. The second essay examines the impact of the sudden closure of a large virtual charter school on district segregation by race and academic ability. Finally, the third essay estimates the impact of introducing teacher collective bargaining—which empowers teachers in the management of public schools—on the diversity of staff and employment and pay of women. Overall, this dissertation explores how education administration affects with whom students interact in school and who has access to quality public sector jobs—all of which, in turn, have well documented long-term impacts on children.

Committee: Stéphane Lavertu (Advisor) Subjects: Economic Theory; Economics; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Technology; Experiments; Public Administration; Public Policy; Social Research

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2018, Educational Leadership

Educational policy at state level is complex and can easily lack coherence as multiple regulations and guidance documents affect the same area of practice. This research addresses the layering of policies that influence state action regarding least restrictive environment in Ohio's electronic charter schools. In this study, I conduct a close textual analysis of least restrictive environment, taking an historiographic approach to describe the policy contexts of this term from its origin in federal legislation through its development in case law and policy guidance. I further analyze the current enforcement mechanisms for least restrictive environment at state level, contending that a) the layered policies that govern least restrictive environment and Ohio e-schools do not align, b) these policies may be irreconcilable, and c) the current practice of policy implementation on the issue represents an abdication of state responsibility for educational governance, including policy enforcement and reporting to the public. Without such oversight, parents cannot make informed decisions about their children's special education placements. The study begins to develop a critical inquiry based on the policy analysis, and asserts that solving this problematic policy situation would require an approach both comprehensive, to reflect the purpose of least restrictive environment, and targeted, to address the use of fully online curricula for students with disabilities.

Committee: Kate Rousmaniere Ph.D. (Advisor); Michael Evans Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joel Malin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Monica Schneider Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Sociology; Educational Technology; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; School Administration

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2018, Instructional Technology (Education)

This is a quantitative phenomenological study of the perceptions of principals of public secondary schools in rural Appalachian Ohio. The purpose of the study is to understand the experiences of the principals as online charter schools become feasible for students in their school district. A random sample of ten principals was obtained from the population. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with each principal. Data was then coded from the interviews to identify the concerns, opinions, and responses of the principals to the phenomenon of competition from online public schools. The principals consistently reported very few students have transferred to the online schools and half or more of those who transfer, return to the district school within a year. Students are attracted to the online schools when medical, emotional, behavioral, or social constraints make it difficult for the student to be successful in a traditional classroom. The principals do not believe the online charter experience is beneficial to students because they return to the district school without having made progress in the online charter. The principals are also concerned about the lack of socialization provided by online charters. The primary response to online charters is an attempt to accommodate student needs within the native school by providing online course delivery in-house.

Committee: David R. Moore (Advisor); Greg Kessler (Committee Member); Phyllis Bernt (Committee Member); Teresa Franklin (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Educational Technology

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2017, School Psychology

Parental involvement in education improves students' learning and development (Reece, Staudt, & Ogle, 2013). In spite of this, a number of barriers exist - particularly in low-income, urban areas - which discourage or prevent parents from becoming actively involved. Thus, the current study examined the effectiveness of a parental involvement program, as perceived by stakeholders, in increasing parental involvement in one urban, elementary, charter school. A summative program evaluation was completed; data were gathered through (n = 48) parent/guardian and (n = 10) teacher and school administrator surveys. Results indicated that stakeholders hold neutral perceptions of the overall effectiveness of the Classroom Parent Community (CPC) program. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Committee: Susan Davies Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Elana Bernstein Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Stoughton M.S. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2017, Educational Administration (Education)

This multiple-methods study explored the influence that leadership style has on philanthropy and fundraising, and investigated how behaviors and characteristics associated with leadership style promote successful fundraising in three P-12 independent schools. Research was conducted via a multiple-methods design in which qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. Initially, qualitative interviews were conducted with the head of school, the director of development, and a major donor to the respective school. Subsequently, quantitative data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire for a more complete understanding of each head of schools' unique leadership style. Findings revealed that heads of school utilize both transformational and transactional leadership behaviors and characteristics. Additionally, results indicated that the ability of independent heads of schools to delegate leadership tasks, thereby utilizing a distributive leadership approach in addition to transactional and transformational leadership achieved maximum success in their fundraising efforts.

Committee: Charles Lowery (Committee Chair); Krisanna Machtmes (Committee Member); Leonard Allen (Committee Member); Renee Middleton (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance; Education Policy; Educational Leadership

MA, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Geography

Charter schools are often an effort to ensure that all children, no matter where they live, have access to a quality education. However, access to the educational market is not evenly distributed across society or space; school choice has an inherent geographic component. Children choosing to go to a charter school are constrained in their choice by their social and spatial place. The research questions ask from which traditional public schools do charter schools receive their students, compares the two schools, and investigates why students go to their charter school. Charter schools in Columbus, Ohio serving grades 9-12 are the focus of the study. State report card data of traditional public and charter schools is used, along with surveys of charter students, to address the research questions. The results point to Columbus charter schools perpetuating the racial, class, and educational achievement inequality already found in traditional public schools.

Committee: David Kaplan (Advisor); Jennifer Mapes (Committee Member); Tricia Niesz (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Geography

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, EDU Physical Activity and Educational Services

This qualitative case study explored the practices, programs, and processes within one urban charter high school. The school has been in existence for ten years and has a history of attracting and retaining students who have been described as “at risk” of academic failure. The study was designed to provide an in-depth, rich understanding of the procedures and routines which support student success and retention within this single school. Further, it utilized comprehensive focus groups, individual interviews, surveys, and demographic questionnaires to elucidate the motivation of students, families, and staff members in their selection and persistence at this particular school. Three major themes emerged from participant responses: (a) people and relationships; (b) school climate and culture; and (c) student centered curricula. Recommendations for practical applications and future research are offered.

Committee: James Moore III Ph.D. (Advisor); R. Michael Casto Ph.D. (Committee Member); Helen Marks Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: School Counseling; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2004, Educational Theory and Practice

High school students in the United States need to know how to write clearly and concisely in order to pass state mandated assessment tests and college entrance exams, and to compose essays for college applications. Despite decades of writing research and changes in pedagogical methods for teaching writing, however, many high school students continue to struggle with writing. Additionally, the nation's schools have been wired for technology as a way to reform schools and to prepare students for future careers in a global economy. Implementation of computer related technologies resulting in large-scale changes to classroom practices, however, have been minimal. In this study the researcher employed qualitative methodology framed by socio-cultural theories including activity theory and communities of practice to investigate the ways in which 9th and 10th grade high school students took up literacy learning during the second semester of a public urban charter high school's first year of charter. This school was founded upon notions of experiential learning and alternative education and organized around a two schools model. Students spent the better part of each Tuesday and Thursday at one of seven experiential learning sites within the larger community. In addition to assignments for their ‘regular' courses, and work at their site, the students were to complete an end of semester research project related to the site on a topic of interest to them. The author found context to have a significant effect on students' literacy learning, particularly with regard to appropriation of writing and computer technologies for school related purposes. The students' previous and current ‘places' positioned them and thus affected the literacy practices students could take up. Students' positioning, then, further shaped these students' sense of identity as evidenced by their discourse about writing and technology as well as through the writing students produced and the technology they w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Caroline Clark (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, Educational Administration and Supervision

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in the effectiveness of board governance activities of traditional public school boards and charter (known as community) public school boards in the state of Ohio. The six categories of school board activities were defined by Smoley's model for school board effectiveness (Smoley, 1999). The six areas of focus are (1) Making Decisions, (2) Functioning as a Group, (3) Exercising Authority, (4) Connecting to the Community, (5) Working Toward Board Improvement, and (6) Acting Strategically. The literature review explored the historical role of the traditional public school board, the emerging role of the charter school board and the board effectiveness studies of Eugene R. Smoley, Jr., the work of Richard P.Chait, Thomas P. Holland and Barbara E. Taylor, and the work of the Institute for Educational Leadership under the direction of Jacqueline P. Danzberger. A 73 item survey was sent to superintendents of Ohio's community/charter schools and of the traditional public school district within which they are geographically located. The overall MANOVA test of differences in effectiveness of board governance activities across types of board revealed a significant relationship between the two types (p = .0015). Since there was a significant difference, univariate tests were run for each of the six subgroup activities. Community/charter school boards were found to be more effective than traditional public school boards in which they are geographically located in the areas of Making Decisions, Functioning as a Group, and Acting Strategically. Only the community/charter public school boards were perceived as “effective” in Smoley's model for school board effectiveness. They were “effective” in two of six areas, Making Decisions and Acting Strategically. The results suggest that public school boards in both traditional and community/charter school settings need to be committed to bui (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Pauken (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Administration

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2022, Educational Leadership

The study examines the problem of practice of community engagement in urban charter schools. Charter schools often do not have the same access to resources or the amount of funding that traditional public schools receive. Creating partnerships with external community stakeholders is a tool that organizations can use to fill in the gap created by the inequality of funding. Part of developing community partners is increasing community engagement with the organization. Community engagement can create multiple types of supports for the students. Engaging the community and involving external stakeholders provides the organization with insight into what outcomes the community wants for the students, providing a range of voices and opportunities for the students. The study provides an action plan to create and sustain community engagement in an urban charter school and provides a framework other organizations can model.

Committee: James Olive (Committee Chair); Pamela Young (Committee Member); Bobbie Fiori (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; School Administration; Secondary Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Educational Studies

The importance of a high school diploma continues to increase. Still, certain student at-risk factors have been identified across the research literature that negatively impact likelihood to finish school and may increase prevalence of school dropout. That is, for students identified as at-risk, more maladaptive profiles of risk factors often lead to lower academic performance. However, these risk factors are typically non-adaptive, stable constructs endemic of prior experiences or external family-focused factors often uncontrolled by students; as such, transforming student achievement just by addressing this risk-performance relationship is insufficient. This study targeted this limitation by focusing on virtual learning environments. In online virtual-based learning, several important variables more amenable to change are posited to be important for student success in this study. These include mathematics self-efficacy, technology self-efficacy for online learning, and effective time management planning and monitoring. Combining these adaptive student personal characteristics with risk factors, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student at-risk factors and mathematics achievement in the context of one online charter high school. Further, the study examined how student personal characteristics, which are often amenable to change and intervention, impact the relationship between risk and mathematics achievement. Using multiple linear regression, this study explored how at-risk factors interacted with student personal characteristics to influence mathematics achievement. Thus, the priority was to interpret the statistical mechanisms by which these student personal characteristics influenced the risk to achievement relationship. Results show that student performed at an average level in their Algebra 1 course. Further, students' age, likely coinciding with the grade level they took the courses negatively and significantly predicted cours (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kui Xie (Advisor); Ann O'Connell (Committee Member); Azita Manouchehri (Committee Member) Subjects: Demographics; Education; Educational Psychology; Educational Technology; Mathematics Education; Secondary Education

MA, Kent State University, 2019, College of the Arts / School of Art

This case study research describes how a mid-career art teachers makes visible holistic approaches to art education in a choice-based practice in an urban public charter school. It includes a dual review of literature on the topics of choice-based and holistic practices in contemporary art education. The findings of this case study research describe a detailed analysis of how holistic and choice-based approaches support each other in practice.

Committee: Linda Hoeptner-Poling Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Art Education; Education Philosophy

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the self-questioning with visual prompt fading on the reading comprehension of fifth graders who struggle with reading comprehension. A multiple-probe experimental design across four English Language Learners (ELLs) was used to evaluate the effects of self-questioning on the ability of participants to answer comprehension questions. The study took place in an urban charter school located in the Midwest. The participants were trained to generate and answer questions while reading an expository passage, followed by a multiple-choice comprehension quiz. The results indicate that the participants successfully maintained the self-questioning skills two weeks following intervention. The study findings are consistent with previous findings demonstrating the effects of the self-questioning intervention on struggling readers.

Committee: Sheila R. Alber-Morgan (Advisor); Helen Cannella-Malone (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; English As A Second Language; Reading Instruction