This study identified school and district level variables relevant to the relationship among advanced academic achievement, as defined by a score of 3, 4, or 5 on at least one Advanced Placement exam, and high school context, opportunities for social support and advanced academics, and district support for high ability students in grades K-12. Using school and district-level data from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), district level data on services for high ability students from the IDOE Division of Exceptional Learners, and school-level data from College Board, 49 variables are described for 339 public high schools. A hierarchical linear regression was applied to 15 independent variables thought to be most relevant to the explanation of the variance among high schools. After review, a second hierarchical regression was conducted with 9 retained independent variables explaining 80% of the variance in high performance. The retained variables included size of the graduating class, SAT average, demographic classification according to local population density, percentage of the community with less than a high school education, number of different AP exams offered by the school, ratio of the number of students scoring between 55 and 80 on the math portion of the PSAT to the number of graduates, ratio of the number of students taking SAT Subject Tests to the number of graduates, percentage of the school corporation enrollment identified as high ability, and the number of grade levels and subject areas in which advanced instruction differentiated for high ability students was offered for at least 150 minutes per week. The variables included in the first regression are delineated for the highest 34 (10%) and lowest 34 (10%) performing schools on the dependent variable to construct profiles of a high and low performing school. High performance is limited in small and rural schools. The overarching finding is that schools make a significant difference in the opportunities and development of high performance in adolescents of high ability. Future research directions are suggested and implications of the findings for policymakers are discussed. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationship, if any, existed between student participation in the C.L.A.S.S. Project and student achievement as measured by the ISTEP testing program. This study was designed to provide statistical data for teachers, administrators, and other educators looking for instructional methods to provide students with increased learning opportunities to improve education.There were two groups of subjects in this study. The experimental group consisted of schools who had been participating in the C.L.A.S.S. Project for a minimum of two years. Thirty-seven Indiana schools made up this group. Thirty-seven schools were selected for a control group. They were randomly selected as not significantly different from schools in the experimental group by using performance based leagues determined by a statistical formula and provided by the Indiana Department of Education.Data collected regarding the schools in the study included rank and league placement as determined by the Indiana Department of Education and ISTEP scores provided by the Indiana Department of Education. ISTEP scores were used for grades two and three in the subject areas of Reading, Language Arts, Math, and Total Battery.The primary hypothesis of this study, stated in null form, is that the C.L.A.S.S. Project has no effect on student achievement as measured by the ISTEP testing program. Alternate null hypotheses were stated regarding the results of the individual subject areas: Reading, Language Arts, and Math.The results of this study failed to find significant differences between the schools using the C.L.A.S.S. Project and those in the control group. Analyses of variance were conducted on the experimental and control groups' data from test scores achieved on 1993 ISTEP test. Multivariate analysis (MANOVA) and univariate analyses (ANOVAs) were conducted to determine if the C.L.A.S.S. Project had any significant effect on isolated subject areas as tested on ISTEP and to see if the C.L.A.S.S. Project had any significant effect on anticipated achievement compared to actual achievement. The .05 alpha level was used to test the level of significance in this study. / Department of Educational Leadership

The purpose of this study was to determine if the student-to-administrator ratio in a school was related to student achievement as well as to examine the duties a principal delegated to others to determine if a pattern existed between principals of high and low performing high schools in regard to duties kept versus duties delegated. While the results of this study did not find one overall recommendation for a student-to-administrator ratio, it did determine that there are certain duties principals of high achieving schools did not delegate as compared to principals of schools with lower achievement. This study also produced a comprehensive description of the 51 duties of a high school principal and provides a recommendation for which duties may be most valuable for the principal to keep and which duties could be delegated to other personnel. / Department of Educational Leadership