<p> The opportunity for the nation&rsquo;s students to secure gainful employment and economic stability is becoming increasingly tied to the attainment of postsecondary education (OECD, 2016). Student postsecondary success is tied to students&rsquo; level of college and career readiness, which can be partially attributed to the quality of education received in their K-12 studies. Current standards-based reform policy connected to the Common Core State Standards has been developed to promote college and career readiness through the provision of equitable standards for all students. The introduction and successful implementation of the CCSS requires teachers to shift their instruction to assist students with mastering the standards. As these changes are implemented across the nation, it becomes imperative that teachers understand the changes required of students as well as instruction tied to the standards, and can implement them, enabling students to master the concepts and skills associated with their grade and preparing them for the postsecondary studies needed to assist with the attainment of educational equity and a foundation for postsecondary success (Rothman, 2011). The CCSS are now 7 years old, and Louisiana educators have been using them as a basis for instruction for the past 5 years. Are Louisiana teachers fully aware of what instruction aligned to the standards truly means, and their role in advancing equal educational opportunities for students and the achievement of postsecondary success? </p><p> This phenomenological case captures data regarding teachers&rsquo; experiences with and understanding of the CCSS, the types of thinking required of college and career ready students, the instructional shifts needed for students to successfully access the standards, and the roles of teachers and of the standards in advancing equal educational opportunities for students. Based on the analysis of data from interviews and focus group discussion, the researcher found that (1) teachers are aware of the types of thinking and instructional shifts required of the CCSS, but are still experiencing a steep learning curve, and (2) although equity and equal educational opportunity are the intent of the standards, it may not be the reality. The reality is that the teacher makes the difference and provides the opportunity.</p><p>

<p> The current mixed method study explored the job satisfaction perceptions and retention plans of 241 secondary science teachers from seven North Texas school districts. For the current study, an email questionnaire was sent to seven districts across 83 secondary campuses, which included 51 middle schools and 32 high schools. The current study intended to find reasons why secondary science teachers continue to teach or decide to leave the profession. The participants&rsquo; perceptions and intentions to continue teaching were gathered through an online survey which gathered data across seven job satisfaction domains. Demographic and retention responses provided additional data on each participant. Through a quantitative analysis of Likert type survey responses and qualitative analysis of open-ended retention responses, the current study explored secondary science teachers&rsquo; perceptions and intentions to stay teaching. The quantitative analysis of survey data found significant differences in almost all of the job satisfaction domains for all teachers. There were also significant differences across some demographic groups as well. Through a qualitative analysis, motivation to teach was the leading predictor for retention. On the other hand, school culture and compensation were the top reasons for teachers planning to leave the classroom. </p><p>

<p> Approximately 80% of students attending community colleges intend to earn a bachelor&rsquo;s degree; however, only 17% attain the goal (Horn &amp; Skomsvold, 2011). The Complete College America (2011) initiative signaled a paradigm shift from access to higher education to public policy defining success as completion, graduation, and transfer. Despite efforts made, community colleges are falling short of reaching their two-year to four-year college completion goals (Monaghan &amp; Atwell, 2015). Attention to transfer students and their role in the college completion agenda has become a focus of recent research. There is, however, minimal understanding of transfer admission pathways such as Joint Admission programs and their relationship to degree completion. </p><p> This non-experimental causal-comparative ex-post facto study investigated the relationship between a Joint Admission Agreement (JAA) program and two-year to four-year degree completion and time to degree completion, and was guided by these research questions: 1. Is there a relationship between JAA student participation and bachelor degree completion? </p><p> 2. Is there a difference in bachelor degree time-to-completion between JAA and non-JAA transfer students? </p><p> 3. To what extent and in what manner is variation in bachelor degree completion rates explained by four-year GPA, total number of transfer credits, degree type, Pell and demographics on JAA and non-JAA? Ex-post facto data of JAA and non-JAA transfers (n = 846) who earned an associate&rsquo;s degree and transferred to a state flagship institution from 2011 to 2015 were collected and analyzed using SPSS software. A t-test analysis indicated participation in JAA (n = 121) showed a positive, significant relationship to four-year degree completion, t = 5.038, p = .001, M = .70 compared with non-JAA M = .47. A t-test analyses showed JAA t = 4.28, p = .001, M = 2.12 had .33 of a year faster rate of time-to-completion over non-JAA, M = 2.45. Results of ANOVA analysis showed demographics has no effect on time-to-degree completion. </p><p> This study filled a gap in the literature in finding a positive relationship between JAA participation and both four-year degree completion and time to completion. The results may suggest consideration of both system and institutional policy initiatives to promote and encourage JAA participation.</p><p>

<p> Today 17 elite private colleges in the U.S. have offered no-loan policies, which replace student loans with grants, scholarships and/or work-study in the financial aid packages awarded to all undergraduate students eligible for financial aid. Generally, the goal of these policies is to increase the socioeconomic diversity of campuses and to reduce the amount students borrow to finance their education. However, since the 2007&ndash;2008 credit crisis two colleges eliminated their no-loan policies for all students on financial aid and several restricted the policies to their lower-income students on financial aid. Therefore, this qualitative case study explored the financial implications of no-loan financial aid at private elite liberal arts colleges. </p><p> Leaders from various offices involved in planning and implementing no-loan policies at four colleges were interviewed: two campuses that maintained their full no-loan policies after the financial crisis of 2007&ndash;2008 and two that did not. The leaders were interviewed to understand how no-loan policies were financed and managed; how they affected operating budgets and other academic priorities; and how they were communicated to college constituents. </p><p> Findings from this study provided a more nuanced understanding of why some schools maintained and others retracted no-loan financial aid. Contrary to reports in the news, endowment losses, while symbolic of financial distress, were not the only reason that schools retracted no-loan policies. Endowment losses in the context of other internal and external budget pressures resulting from the credit crisis and Great Recession led to this decision. Each college in this study made a series of tradeoffs in how to balance mission and market pressures in a new budget reality where all three of their primary revenue sources were constrained. These competing priorities included how to increase faculty lines and compensation, reduce teaching loads, fund capital projects, reduce student loan debt, and distribute scholarship aid to ensure proportional socioeconomic diversity on campus. Higher education policymakers and leaders can use this study&rsquo;s findings to improve institutional policies and practices in higher education finance.</p><p>

<p> Though much is known about the school environments that increase students&rsquo; access to opportunity, the process for developing conditions that presage such outcomes remains a pertinent area of study. The reality that widespread school performance has yet to realize the promise of true educational equity, particularly in urban settings, attests to the challenge. In the search for solutions, one response across decades has been to grant schools autonomy, a trend that continues today. The goal of this research study is to understand the process by which a school in such a context builds its capacity to improve student outcomes. With capacity seen as a function of available information, the relationships and organizational structures are given particular attention knowing that such mechanisms serve as conduits for information exchange in organizations. It is seen the presence of strong relationships and strong organizational structures are necessary but not sufficient for productive information exchange. In order to realize their full utility, leadership must cultivate relational trust and manage expectations of their duties as leader. Moreover, organizational activity must align to the school&rsquo;s desired direction and capitalize upon available capabilities. Finally, the importance of clear communication about autonomy&rsquo;s multiple dimensions related to schools is seen. The results of this case study suggest that relationships and organizational structures can illuminate the complex work of serving students in the context of a school granted autonomy while calling for greater nuance in the idea&rsquo;s conceptualization as a means for school improvement.</p><p>

<p> The principal is ultimately responsible for decisions regarding the master schedule at the elementary level of education (Canady &amp; Rettig, 2013; Young, 2008), and these scheduling decisions are influenced by multiple factors (Benamati, 2010; Harris, 2013; Howard &amp; Rakoz, 2009). Although principals have become increasingly aware of the need to use data to make informed decisions (Holcomb, 2012; Marzano, Waters, &amp; McNulty, 2005; O&rsquo;Neal, 2012), data pertaining to the relationship between scheduled opportunities for students to participate in physical activity and academic achievement is limited. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of principals&rsquo; scheduling decisions regarding how much time is designated for daily physical activity for third grade students in Virginia and the relationship between these decisions and academic performance. </p><p> A survey of public school principals was used to collect information regarding scheduling decisions, as well as the role of accountability, wellness legislation, and other factors that may possibly influence decisions. This survey collected scheduling information regarding the opportunity for students to participate in physical activity as part of the scheduled curriculum. These data were compared to each school&rsquo;s academic achievement, which was measured by students&rsquo; performance on Virginia&rsquo;s Standards of Learning (SOL) exams in third grade reading as reported by school leaders. </p><p> Based on the results of this study, school leaders identified multiple factors influencing their scheduling decisions pertaining to opportunities for students to participate in physical activity. These factors of influence were coded into six categories: accountability demands of the SOLs, student health, autonomy limitations, time limitations, resource limitations, and liability risks. School leaders reported accountability demands of the SOLs as having the greatest influence on their scheduling decisions. </p><p> Based on the data reported by school leaders, there is a significant positive correlation between the daily duration of scheduled physical activity and the academic performance of the school on the Grade Three Reading SOLs. Adjusting for socioeconomic status using the percentage of students receiving free or reduced priced meals, the scheduled duration of physical activity was a better predictor than the duration of reading instruction in predicting academic performance.</p><p>

<p> Municipalities, administrators, and teachers have faced the challenge of school violence since public education began. In some states, legislatures have passed special legislation granting specific benefits to teachers who are injured by violence while on duty. Louisiana&rsquo;s teacher assault pay statute provides that a teacher who is away from work due to an assault by a student or other person is entitled to full pay without any deductions from the teacher&rsquo;s accumulated sick leave. However, the meaning of that statute has been disputed in litigation between teachers who suffered injuries and Louisiana school boards that seek to limit their responsibility for paying teachers who are on leave due to workplace violence.</p><p> As a matter of public policy, teachers who are injured in the workplace by acts of violence should receive special compensation, whether the violence was perpetuated by a student or any other person. And teachers who are harmed by a violent incident deserve special compensation whether or not the teacher was the intended victim of a violent act.</p><p> This study analyzed Louisiana appellate court decisions that interpreted the Louisiana teacher assault pay statute, as well as the teacher assault statutes that have been adopted in twelve other states. Based on this analysis, the researcher drafted a proposal for a model teacher assault pay statute that codifies the public policy considerations in favor of compensating teachers for injuries caused by workplace violence. The model statute grants injured teachers up to one year&rsquo;s compensation without reduction in accumulated sick leave, and the statute clarifies that a teacher victimized by violence is entitled to the benefits of the teacher assault pay statute, regardless of whether the teacher was the intended victim.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to an investigate school administrator perceptions of their authority to intervene in disciplinary issues that arise from students&rsquo; use of social media. The overarching question for this proposal was: <i>How do educational leaders view their role in protecting students and the learning environment from student misconduct that occurs off campus?</i></p><p> The exponential use of personal technology allows students to continuously interact with each other, even off school campus. Some of this interaction represents a continually unwanted harassment between students. In Louisiana, there have been at least three documented cases of students committing suicide following negative exchanges online with their peers. Such negative communications between students may also disturb the learning environment of the school. School districts may also vary in their approach to addressing issues originating either off campus or on social media.</p><p>

<p> Students are coming to school with myriad issues that teachers and schools cannot address alone. ecological systems theory posits that the environments with which a child comes into contact, either directly or indirectly, can impact her or his development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). With the support of community partner organizations in the local community, community schools can effectively respond to students&rsquo; needs and help them navigate the interconnected web of environments. Through interviews, focus groups, and a document review, this cross-site case study explored the practices that are employed by community school leaders (school staff and employees of community partner organizations) at two pilot high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to implement six guiding principles of community schools. </p><p> The study also captured impacts of these practices through participants&rsquo; perceptions, documents, and the application of transformative leadership theory. The findings revealed that the pilot school model is a natural avenue for the community schools strategy, and that intentional practices and a shared vision by all stakeholders can result in transformative impacts on students and the school as a whole. District and school leaders could consider developing processes and systems for implementing a community schools strategy district-wide by providing funding for community school coordinators for school sites, working with school leaders to develop their shared decision-making skills, and leveraging the assets and resources of community partners.</p><p>

<p> Performance funding, the automatic and formulaic association of specific resources to institutional results on designated indicators, grew out of the accountability movement in higher education that originated in the 1950s and 1960s and redefined itself as the &ldquo;new accountability&rdquo; in the 1990s. To date, much of the literature on performance funding has been descriptive, prescriptive, and anecdotal, at best, with very little empirical evidence that performance funding is effective in impacting institutional performance. While recently some researchers reported on multivariate, multi-state analyses, findings continue to be mixed. </p><p> The 1974 Louisiana Constitution empowered the Louisiana Board of Regents to develop a funding formula for higher education with three main formula components, an example of a performance funding 1.0 program, which was finally incorporated into the <i>Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education </i> (Louisiana Board of Regents 2001, 2012). The Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomies for Diplomas Act of 2010 (GRAD Act) as amended in 2011 (Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomies for Diplomas Act, 2011), an example of a performance funding 2.0 program, provided four performance objectives and related specific targeted measures. Finally, Act 462 (Louisiana Legislature, 2014) called for the development of a new comprehensive outcomes-based funding formula that ensures the optimal allocation of state appropriated funds to public postsecondary educational institutions. That formula, approved by the Board of Regents in December 2015, was implemented in the 2017 fiscal year. </p><p> This study describes institutional efforts and changes in policies/initiatives implemented at select four-year, public institutions in Louisiana as a result of the GRAD Act. The study discusses, from a policy perspective, whether or not the GRAD Act as a performance funding policy achieved its stated goal of increasing &ldquo;the overall effectiveness and efficiency of state public institutions by providing that the institutions achieve specific, measureable performance objectives aimed at improving college completion and at meeting the state&rsquo;s current and future workforce and economic development needs&rdquo; (Louisiana Granting Resources and Autonomies for Diplomas Act, 2010, pp. 1&ndash;2). Unintended consequences of the Act are also noted. The study could inform future changes to Louisiana higher education performance funding models.</p><p>