Skolor i Sverige ska kontinuerligt arbeta med skolutveckling. Enligt Skolverket är rektor ytterst ansvarig för att leda skolutvecklingsarbetet på respektive skolenhet. Skolutveckling innefattar många olika delar och innehåll där den inre organisationen på respektive skolenhet till viss del kan avgöra vilken inriktning utvecklingsarbetet bör ha. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka rektorers föreställningar om skolutveckling på den lokala skolenheten i relation till verksamhetsintegrerad grundlärarutbildning. Studiens ansats är kvalitativ, där det empiriska materialet utgörs av intervjuer med rektorer. Den  teoretiska utgångspunkten i denna studie grundar sig i ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv med en förståelsebaserad orientering. Resultatet av studien visar att skolutveckling bedrivs på många olika sätt. Exempel på skolutvecklingsarbete har utkristalliserats i olika teman såsom aktuell forskning, systematiskt kvalitetsarbete, samverkan och elevernas resultat. Den inre organisationen påverkar riktningen i detta utvecklingsarbete i form av den kultur som råder samt vilket utvecklingsområde det fokuseras på. I relation till skolutveckling upplever rektorerna den verksamhetsintegrerade grundlärarutbildningen positiv utifrån flera aspekter men framförallt att teori och praktik tillämpas vecka för vecka. Utbildningens utformning kan bidra till skapandet av gemensam kunskap och skolutveckling på arbetsplatserna. Dock har rektorerna en föreställning om att studenterna kommer bidra mer och mer  till skolutvecklingen under utbildningens gång. / Schools in Sweden should continuously work with school development. According to the National Agency for Education the principal is ultimately responsible for leading the work with school development. School development includes many different parts and content where the inner organization at the school units should prioritize the development work. The purpose of this study is to research principals’ notions around school development at the local school unit in relation to a work-integrated teacher education. The approach of the study is qualitative, where the empirical material consists of interviews with principals. The theoretical outset in this study is based on a social constructivism with understanding-based perspectives. The results show that school development is being carried out in many different ways. Themes that have emerged in the study in terms of school development are current research, systematic quality work, collaboration and the students’ results. The inner organization affects the development work by way of the existing culture as well as which area of development is being focused on. In relation to school development the principals experience the work-integrated teacher education in a positive way from several aspects but above all that theory and practice are carried out week by week. The formation of the education contributes in generating common knowledge and school development at the workplace. However, the principals have an idea that the students’ contribution to the school development increases during the education.

Farm-to-school (FTS) programs are supported at federal, state, and local levels as a cross-sectoral intervention to curb rising levels of obesity, strengthen local food systems, and improve school climate and academic outcomes. Comprehensive FTS programming, according to the “3-C” approach embraced by leaders in the FTS movement, includes interventions in three domains: the cafeteria, classroom, and community. FTS programming in these domains may include procurement of local food; school gardens; and education related to food, agriculture, and nutrition. Existing research supports the comprehensive FTS approach, illustrating that multi-component programs with strategies that are integrated across these environments improve outcomes for students. FTS programs have potential impacts in the sectors of public health, economic development, education, and environmental sustainability, and they involve a diverse range of stakeholders including students, teachers, school leadership, food service staff, local farmers, and state and national policymakers. However, literature on FTS programs is largely in the areas of health behavior and nutrition outcomes for students, and further investigations of other aspects may lead to improved programming. The three distinct papers in this dissertation represent an unsequenced descriptive case study, in which each article explores one of the three FTS domains. The case study methodology allowed for in-depth mixed-methods data collection about a bounded system using multiple sources of information. The case for this research was a school district in northern California with a comprehensive FTS program supported by partnership with a local non-profit partner. The first study examines the classroom through teacher involvement in FTS programming using qualitative methods. Social cognitive theory is used as a framework to understand factors that impact classroom teacher involvement and propose strategies to support teacher involvement in FTS. The second study examines the cafeteria through research of a new school lunch program connected to the district FTS programming. Through mixed-methods data collection and analysis, the second article examines the factors that supported a school district in overcoming the barriers to instituting healthier meal options as well as a broad range of student outcomes. The third study examines the community through a qualitative exploration of the relationships between schools, families, and community partners at the case study site. Specifically, it examines FTS programming as an avenue for community partner involvement and family engagement in schools. This research may support teachers, administrators, and non-profit partners in improving comprehensive FTS programming. These studies fill gaps in the research around the three domains of FTS, particularly the classroom and community, and they may contribute to further studies that seek to explore and compare the different aspects of FTS that lead to outcomes for students and schools. Each chapter may also be a resource for researchers in the fields of food, agriculture, and nutrition education; curriculum innovation; school food; and community-school partnerships.

[pt] Esta tese propõe que a liderança empoderadora tem um importante papel no engajamento de profissionais com alta qualificação, e, como consequência, sobre o seu desempenho e resultados alcançados pelas organizações, particularmente em empresas de serviços. O trabalho desenvolve um modelo teórico que associa a liderança empoderadora com o engajamento de profissionais da área de ensino, e através de sua mediação, com atitudes e comportamentos de alunos no segmento do ensino técnico. Estas premissas são investigadas empiricamente através de um estudo de campo, realizado a partir de dados levantados em uma amostra de 71 coordenadores de programas de ensino técnico, 404 docentes desses mesmos programas, e 577 discentes matriculados nos cursos. Os dados foram analisados através da aplicação de análise de regressão multivariada e testes de mediação. Os resultados sugerem que a liderança empoderadora tem impacto direto no engajamento de docentes do ensino técnico, e indireto na satisfação de discentes com o ensino, e em sua atitude em relação ao programa cursado. / [en] This thesis proposes that empowering leadership plays an important role in engaging highly qualified professionals, and consequently, on their performance and results achieved by organizations, particularly service companies. This work develops a theoretical model that associates empowering leadership with the engagement of professionals in education, and through its mediation, with attitudes and behaviors of students in professional education. These premises are investigated empirically through a field study, based on data collected from a sample of 71 coordinators of professional programs, 404 faculty from these programs, and 577 students enrolled in the courses. Data were analyzed through the application of multivariate regression analysis and mediation tests. The results suggest that empowering leadership has a direct impact on the engagement of faculty in professional schools, and indirectly affects the satisfaction of students with teaching, and their attitude towards the programs.

Under the George W. Bush U.S. presidential administration, the federal government pushed for greater accountability among institutions of higher education for educational outcomes. Graduation rate is a key performance indicator of institutional accountability. Previous researchers of student attrition focused primarily on the effects of student level factors on student persistence/withdrawal behavior. Recently, researchers put more focus on the effects of institutional characteristics on graduation rates, but most of these studies were exploratory and based on multiple regression models. No institutional model has existed to synthesize their results within a theoretical framework. Such an institutional model is needed to explain the process of student persistence at the institutional level. The purpose of this study was to develop a model of institutional performance in graduation rate for four-year, public and private not-for-profit, Title IV institutions in the United States. This study validated the institutional model based on the IPEDS dataset using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Further group comparison analyses are conducted by fitting the same SEM model to several subgroup datasets based on grouping variables such as control, geographical region and state. Benchmarking analyses were conducted to demonstrate how administrators and policy-makers can use the institutional model to compare the performance of an institution with its peers and what policy changes can they pursue to improve graduation rates.

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the phenomenon of teacher perception of change in school culture as a result of the implementation of mindfulness. This study used a phenomenological methodology, enabling the researcher to gather information by focusing on and describing the impact of mindfulness on school culture in a deep comprehensive manner. The investigator was able to extract meaning and code data, leading to the emergence of themes that supported and aligned with the study’s research questions and thus led into a holistic understanding of the phenomenon. This was accomplished through data analysis of rich, in-depth interviews, onsite visits, and document analysis, which consisted of aggregate student disciplinary information, aggregate achievement results, the state report card, attendance records, teacher retention records, and faculty survey results. The quality of data sources led to saturation, and variety of sources allowed for triangulation of the results. The principal researcher in this study found that mindfulness results in a large, positive impact on school culture, including improved relationships among stakeholders, improved academic performance, and a decrease in disciplinary incidents. This was evidenced and supported by a thorough literature review, the results of participant interviews, and document analysis. The researcher also specified factors teachers perceived as essential to the implementation of mindfulness in schools and provided practical suggestions for putting mindfulness in place as well as suggestions for future research. The results from this study provide a framework for understanding and exploring the phenomenon.

Federal mandates ensure that each and every child regardless of race, national origins, and socioeconomic status, is entitled to a high-quality education. Reports from the Department of Education have stated that over 80% of exceptional students receive their academic instructions within general education classrooms. There is limited research on exceptional students learning outcomes in general education classrooms with general education curriculum. The purpose of this quantitative study was to test the theory of self-determination that explains the impact of teacher characteristics (N = 85 educators) on the academic outcomes of exceptional students in the special and general education classrooms. Teacher characteristics such as, experience, training, and attitude were measured by the Teacher's Attitude Towards Inclusion scale (TAIS) scores, and student learning outcomes, were reports of student performance ratings and standardized scores, of the exceptional students. Results revealed significant correlations between specific inclusive TAIS attitudes and student learning outcomes. The independent sample t test results indicated that the years of experience and student outcomes of students of general education teachers were significantly higher in comparison to special education teachers. Availability of Instructional Options was also measured; it did not moderate the relationship between teachers' characteristics and academic outcomes of exceptional students. Positive social change thus can be initiated by training teachers in the instructional practices, identified by this study, who deliver the optimal academic outcomes for the exceptional students. This will initiate positive social change for the special child, their families, and the community as a whole.