Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Judith Stein
Committee Member
Paul Borthwick
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
applied dissertation, assessment, classroom climate, classroom communication, classroom environment, classroom management, comprehensive evaluation program, deficiencies, Ethel Beckford/Richmond Elementary School, federally funded Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program, learner-centered training program, learning strategies, managing the learning environment, MDCPS, Miami-Dade County Public School, Professional Assessment and Comprehensive Evaluation Program, Region V, retention rate, R. R. Moton Elementary School, student populations, teacher retention, teachers, teaching methods, Title I schools, training programs
Abstract
During the 1999-2000 school year, 43% of Miami-Dade County Public School (MDCPS) teachers were rated as unsatisfactory in the area of classroom climate and 32% in managing the learning environment. In the 2000-2001 school year the percentages were 44% and 24%, respectively. There was an urgent need to investigate thoroughly the MDCPS training and in-service programs that addressed deficient classroom management and to develop strategies to improve teaching skills.
Interventions to improve the classroom management skills of MDCPS teachers included the development of a comprehensive learner-centered training program that focused on developing and enhancing the skill level of teachers who were identified as having deficiencies in the area of classroom management. Teachers with deficiencies were identified by the district’s Professional Assessment and Comprehensive Evaluation Program.
An attempt was made to reduce the deficiencies in the classroom management skills of selected teachers at Ethel Beckford/Richmond Elementary School, R. R. Moton Elementary School, and several other Region V schools. Ethel Beckford/Richmond and R. R. Moton Elementary Schools are classified as Title I schools and are so identified as a result of having greater than 95% of their student populations participating in the federally funded Free and Reduced-Price Meal Program.
The implementation of this applied dissertation resulted in a 74% reduction in the number of Region V teachers receiving unsatisfactory ratings in the area of classroom management for the 2002-2003 school year and a 19% increase in the teacher retention rate for that school year.