Thesis (M.A.)--University of Michigan, 1935. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [128]-129).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 178 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-165).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2009. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Directed by John Weaver. ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 300-312) and appendices.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-92). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-92). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Michigan, 1935. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [128]-129).

<p> The varied academic needs of students with learning disabilities throughout the U.S. and in Southern California, specifically, have driven demand for private learning centers. For the purposes of this study, a learning center refers to a private business that teaches primary and secondary school students with learning disabilities outside of the school system. However, these centers often struggle with business success and the retention of employees and clients. Little research exists to address this topic. Therefore, there is a need to explore strategies to sustain these centers for students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies used by a successful K-12 learning center for students with learning disabilities in Southern California to sustain their business. Data was collected from interviews with four employees, observations from four visits, and seven types of archival data. The data were analyzed and grouped into the five deductive themes found in the literature review: training, relationships, innovation, structure, and customer development. Five new inductively developed themes resulted from the analysis of the data: Theme 1: Engaging in closed-loop communication with all stakeholders; Theme 2: Taking a holistic approach to student improvement; Theme 3: Providing differentiated instruction for a personalized experience; Theme 4: Engaging in a growth mindset; Theme 5: Setting an intention for the learning center to follow. Aspects such as innovation, flexibility, and intentionality proved to be beneficial to improving student outcomes and sustaining a learning center. Three conclusions were made from the study: Conclusion 1: A learning center can be sustained through a focus on the five literature themes of training, relationships, innovation, structure, and customer development; Conclusion 2: Flexibility allows for individualization, and continual improvement; Conclusion 3: Learning centers seeking a competitive advantage should focus on innovation. </p><p>

<p> This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of 25 National Guard members and reservists representing the United States Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps returning to civilian careers following a post-9/11 deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. The research question asked: What are the lived experiences of post-9/11National Guard and Reserve military veterans as they transition back to the civilian workplace? The literature review revealed numerous studies focused on active duty military personnel transitioning out of the military and seeking civilian employment, but few studies were found regarding National Guard members and reservists serving in a post-9/11 deployment for over 90 days and returning to their civilian jobs &mdash; citizen soldiers. The transition experiences of these members are the focus in this study. Interview questions were designed based on Schlossberg&rsquo;s 4-S model and Bridges&rsquo;s transition theory. Six themes emerged from the analysis of this data offering insights on the experiences of these citizen-soldiers: (1) Getting to the core of what matters most and what is valued, (2) adjusting to the civilian workplace, (3) united in education: insider perspectives on Department of Defense workshops, (4) to have, or not to have, transition support, (5) wrestling with a new normal, and (6) transferring military skills to the civilian workplace: hiring our heroes. Recommendations for future research are to examine the curriculum and design of Department of Defense transition workshops, continuing and adult education for recruiting and retaining military veterans in the civilian workplace, and adult leadership programs for military-connected college students.</p>

“The only thing that matters is getting to product/market fit.” - Marc Andreessen Many educational products have flooded the American K-12 market in recent years, launched by startups and established educational institutions alike. Many of these startups will fail, and seasoned entrepreneurs and business strategists suggest that failure results primarily from the inability to access a sizeable market and address the needs of that market with the correct product, what Andreessen calls “product/market fit.” The "Lean Startup” methodology, popularized by entrepreneurs like Steve Blank and Eric Ries, has gained significant popularity as a process for achieving product/market fit. Users of the Lean Startup method articulate all of their assumptions about the market and product and create small and inexpensive tests to validate or invalidate these assumptions. At each round of results of assumption testing, the enterprise has the choice to “pivot, persist, or perish” in the belief that the right pivots will ultimately achieve product/market fit. This capstone details my work as a founder of The Teaching Genome as I pivoted, persisted and avoided perishing. The Teaching Genome is an assessment that can discern the teaching style of a user and a series of tools that use these results to improve teaching and learning. The idea for the Teaching Genome developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and NewSchools Venture Fund hosted me as its founder and incubated the idea over the course of the residency year. In this capstone, I chronicle the process of developing a product with clear assumptions related to its impact and financial sustainability. I also describe the pilots that tested those assumptions, the results of those tests and the responding pivots. Drawing upon research on the characteristics of innovations that spread and scale and research on the dominant norms in education, I offer explanations of what constitutes product/market fit in the education sector and describe the implications of my learning on the future of the Teaching Genome. These findings contain implications for those seeking to develop educational interventions from inside or outside school systems, especially for actors looking to achieve wide-spread adoption.

Leaders of education organizations must determine how to positively impact students, staff, and families while ensuring organizational strength. Innovative leaders and entrepreneurs seek to develop and roll out new ideas to dramatically advance students’ achievement. However, the need to innovate does not supersede the need to execute on a core business while maintaining high levels of quality; this paradox makes it challenging to know how to allocate resources and people toward innovation. In this capstone, I describe and analyze my experiences leading a strategic project for supporting innovation and experimentation at Panorama Education, an education technology company focused on school improvement through data analytics. I developed a framework for promoting innovation, workshopping, and experimentation in order to support the organization to make evidence-driven product decisions. I describe the theoretical foundations for the framework and literature documenting the leadership challenge of implementing it at a fast-paced, rapidly growing organization. I argue that by deliberately allocating resources and effort toward ideating and designing, aligning to company strategy and vision, and prototyping and testing, a growing organization can prepare for ongoing innovation and adaptability. I also find that change management on the part of the implementer is a necessary part of innovative change, so I reflect on my successes and challenges as a leader developing and implementing the new system at Panorama Education.