The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between elementary school principals’ leadership, supervisory, and administrative proficiencies and student achievement. This study utilized the following descriptive survey and inferential statistical procedures as developmental tools for subsequent analysis and results: (1) development of the questionnaire, (2) validation of the questionnaire, (3) administration of the questionnaire, and (4) collection and analysis of the data using analysis of item means, intercorrelation, regression analysis, and factor analysis. The following research questions were investigated in the study: 1) What are the effects of leadership, administrative, and supervisory proficiencies on student achievement? 2) Is there a difference in leadership, administrative, and supervisory proficiencies between principals in an effective school project and principals in control schools? The findings in this study indicate that: 1) There is no significant relationship between leadership proficiencies and student achievement. 2) There is no significant relationship between administrative proficiencies and student achievement. 3) There is a significant relationship between supervisory proficiencies and student achievement. 4) There is no significant difference in leadership proficiencies between principals practicing ESP and those not in ESP. 5) There is significant difference in administrative proficiencies between principals practicing ESP and those not in ESP. The data indicates that principals in the non-ESP schools are higher on administrative proficiencies than principals in ESP schools. 6) There is significant difference in supervisory proficiencies of IESP and non-ESP schools. The data indicates that here also principals in non-ESP schools are higher on supervisory proficiencies than principals in the ESP schools. 7) There is significant difference in student achievement in project and non-project schools. The data shows that the ESP schools are higher on student achievement than non-ESP schools. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that the DeKalb County School System do the following: 1) Use the findings from this study as a pretest and conduct another study in three years to assess gains. 2) Conduct an on-going evaluation of the program to assess short term goals and continuously encourage support and improvement of the ESP. 3) Examine other variables that were not included in this study that could be affecting student achievement.

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No description available.

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to compare the self-perceptions of emotional intelligence (EQ) in teachers of the year at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and the ways in which teachers of the year describe the impacts of EQ traits on classroom performance.</p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> The target population for this study was district teachers of the year from Riverside County, California, for the years 2012, 2013, and 2014. Data were first collected for the quantitative portion of the study using the Emotional Intelligence Appraisal&ndash;Me Edition (online), which revealed teachers&rsquo; overall EQ scores as well as a breakdown of their scores based on the four EQ traits of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Questionnaires filled out by the highest scoring appraisal participants explored how the EQ traits of the participants were exhibited in their classroom performance.</p><p> <b>Findings:</b> Participants from elementary school, middle school, and high school rated themselves fairly high in EQ based on mean scores for each group. When comparing the three groups of teachers, there were no significant differences noted. There was no highest EQ trait that stood out for any group of teachers, as scores varied and were fairly evenly distributed among the traits. Finally, the questionnaires revealed the following emotionally intelligent behaviors that are exhibited by teachers in their classrooms: understanding their own emotions, understanding the consequences of their actions, reflectiveness, not letting emotion control their behavior, understanding others and reacting appropriately to achieve goals, being aware of student emotions, being supportive of students, building relationships/trust with others, recognizing needs of self, recognizing needs of students, and setting clear expectations for students. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> Even in this group of top performing teachers of the year, there is room for growth in EQ. There was no general consensus on self-assessment of EQ among this particular population. Finally, EQ traits contribute to a productive learning environment and better student-teacher relationships.</p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> District leaders and credentialing programs need to begin taking EQ seriously and looking at it as a way to improve relationships among not only teachers and students but all staff members as well.</p>

The general purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between self-concept and achievement in mathematics for three groups of children from Charles L. Gideons Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia. The specific purpose of the study was to determine whether this hypothesized relationship is affected by Title I supported education and/or race. The subjects of the study were one hundred seventy-two pupils from the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Seventy-five were in Title I and ninety-seven were Non-Title I students. Both groups were given the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory to determine their level of self-concept. The achievement scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills were obtained from the Principal’s Office. The Title I students were selected on the basis of a composite score of 90 and below. When the total scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and the Cooper smith were compiled, the Pearson r was used to determine the relationship between them. Once the relationship was established, the “t” distribution was used to test its significance. The data for the study were compiled to test the following hypotheses: (1) There is a positive relationship between self-concept and achievement in mathematics; (2) There is no significant difference in the relationship between self-concept and achievement in mathematics among black and white students; and (3) There is no significant difference in the relationship between self-concept and achievement in mathematics among Title I and Non-Title I students. The results of the data analysis support hypotheses 1 and 3, but do not support hypothesis 2 because there was a significant difference in the relationship of white students but not in the relationship of black students. With regard to the total population, a relationship does exist between self-concept and achievement in mathematics. The correlation coefficient representing this relationship was significant at the .01 level. In this study there was a significant difference in the relationship between the self-concept and achievement in mathematics among the white students. The relationship between self-concept and achievement was the same for both the Title I and Non-Title I students in this study. The researcher recommends that: (1) More research should be conducted to determine the effect of Title I on the achievement of the students ~n Title I; (2) More study should be conducted to identify factors which contribute to high self-concept and achievement in children of the disadvantaged; (3) A thorough evaluation of each Title I program needs to be implemented once every two years to determine if the desired goals are being met; and (4) finally, a diagnostic tool for pointing out the disadvantaged child’s strengths and weaknesses should be designed.

This exploratory study elicited the opinions of urban, inner-city, African-American parents as documented by their responses to an informal survey. The survey focused on parental viewpoints regarding the need for their involvement in the education of their children. Literature was reviewed on educators' viewpoints on the need for parental involvement. Specific attention was given to current literature by African-American educators and studies on African-American parental perspectives. The opinions of the sample of parents participating in this study agreed with current writings of educators on the need for parental involvement. There also was an indication of interest in parent education. There is a paucity of research on the opinion of African-American parents on issues affecting their children's education and their roles in the classroom. Additional research should be done with a control group experimental design in an effort to further clarify the validity of the findings and to continue study of African-American parental involvement and their perspectives regarding their roles and functions in school settings.

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No description available.

This qualitative study examined the experiences of eight Black male higher education doctoral students attending a predominantly White institution in the South. Interviews were conducted asking the participants to reflect upon their educational experiences. The primary overarching research question guiding this study was: What factors contribute to the academic success of Black males seeking doctoral degrees in Higher Education at a predominately White institution? Sub-questions assisting in this research were: A) What experiences, educational and otherwise, promote academic success? B) What strategies and resources did Black males utilize in persisting and seeking doctoral degrees at a predominately White institution? Analysis of the findings revealed factors that contributed to the academic success of Black males seeking a doctoral degree in Higher Education at a predominantly White institution. They were grouped into three main categories: 1) the Impact of Early Experiences Related to Education; 2) the Impact of Experiences During Graduate School; and 3) the Final Perceptions of Participants. Findings regarding the impact of early experiences related to education were comprised of two primary components: 1) Support from Family and Teachers; and 2) a Focus on the Value of Attaining a College Degree. Key themes that emerged from the findings related to the participants experiences during graduate school could be further categorized into four areas: 1) Program Characteristics, which included Black faculty, a social justice aspect, mentor relationships, financial aid, and feeling valued; 2) Racial Identity; 3) Race Talk; and 4) Support from Others. Finally, the last main category was related to the final perceptions of participants and included summaries of participants responses labeled as: a) the most significant hurdle to overcome, and b) the most important factor in academic success.

This case study examined the lived experiences of three first-generation, African American men whom have persisted to achieve doctoral success in the form of Ph.D. attainment. Participants were interviewed in order to gather data in their own voices about their educational experiences as first-generation African American Males (AAMs). Participants attributed their success to what can be categorized as sociocultural capital in the form of resilience and persistence factors. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations were made to educational stakeholders on how to transform educational spaces into venues that build cultural capital and promote resilience and persistence within this population so that college success and ultimately doctoral success can be achieved for the betterment of African Americans as well as this nation.