David S. Brown, Associate Professor of Education recently received two grants that graduate students are currently working on. These grants are: *2005 – 2007 Award of $158,000 from the Oklahoma Regents of Higher Education. *2005 – 2007 Award of $113,759 from the National Science Foundation and EPSCOR.These grants are used in part to fund several Technology Education & Collaborative Summer Academies that Dr. Brown directs here at TU. Alexander Wiseman, Assistant Professor of Education and Education Graduate Program Advisor, has two new books being published of particular interest to the TU Graduate Community. The Impact of Comparative Education Research on Institutional TheoryThis volume explores how educational research from a comparative perspective has been instrumental in broadening and testing hypotheses from institutional theory. In turn, institutional theory has also played an influential role in developing an understanding of education in society. Two pioneers in the field, John W. Meyer and Francisco O. Ramirez (both of Stanford), contribute the Forward and the concluding chapter.
The Employability Imperative: Schooling for Work as a National Project The focus of this book is not whether schooling prepares youth for future work. Instead, the focus of this book is on how schooling for work has become a global policy phenomenon and a concerted project of nations.
Dr. Shirley Robards, Associate Professor and Director of Field Experiences, was awarded continuing funds on a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education for continuing the Tulsa GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a program that encourages disadvantaged middle and high school students from Tulsa Public Schools to prepare themselves for college (and perhaps a career in teaching). This new grant, for $6 million, started in 2005 and will run to 2011 and will focus on improving student achievement in math, science and reading for 1200 sixth and seventh graders from the following middle schools: Cleveland, Clinton, Gilcrease, Hamilton, Madison, and Monroe. Other partners in the Tulsa GEAR UP include Tulsa Public Schools, Tulsa Community College, Oklahoma State University, Langston University – Tulsa, Tulsa Urban League and the Tulsa YWCA. |
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THE UNIVERSITY of TULSA |
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GRADUATE SCHOOL Newsletter
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Indira Acharya, who received a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Education and a Masters in Education from the University of Mysore, is examining whether a scarcity of school resources influences parental involvement in schools. She is undertaking a cross-national analysis of the relationship between school resources, parental involvement and student performance. Ms. Acharya’s abstract states,
Prior research shows that unequal distribution of school resources could have negative consequences for the school achievement. The proposed research will study whether increased parental involvement can overcome the negative effects of shortage of school resources on students’ achievement. The proposed study examines the relationship between availability of school resources and parental involvement across nation. Data from a cross national representative sample of over 360,000 8th grade students participated in the TIMSS 2003 mathematics achievement test will be analyzed using multiple regression models. The proposed research suggests that increased parental involvement in students’ academic activities is in indeed a powerful tool to overcome the negative effects of shortage of school resources on students’ achievement, and that educator and policy makers should work to nurture and increase such involvement.
Ms. Acharya is working toward completing her Masters of Science in Math and Science Education and will graduate in December 2006. She plans on teaching in Dallas, Texas following graduation..
Ivette A. Chavez, who received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Hunter College in New York City, is researching the impact of communication between Latino parents and children on native language retention. Ms. Chavez’s abstract explains that
This proposed study explores the impact of communication between Latino parents and children on native language retention. The researcher will conduct an exploratory analysis in order to determine why some Latino children are able to retain their native language. The researcher will survey Latino families and conduct language assessments with children from these families, at two different elementary schools locations. The researcher will examine the level of communication between parent and child, and if the communication levels are affected by the child’s gender. The researcher will also analyze other factors that may contribute to language retention among Latino children in this study.
Ms. Chavez received a Masters of Arts in Education this past spring. She currently is making plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology or Education. |