<p>The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to address that gap in the literature and investigate whether current collective bargaining agreements have affected school reform efforts. The study was grounded in the pragmatic view with the goal of finding common contractual roadblocks to programmatic change and common solutions being used by educators to avoid them. To support this research, the following areas of literature were reviewed: (a) the history and scope of NCLB and the controversy surrounding its resultant reforms, reforms, (b) the role of collective bargaining in California public school districts, and (c) the impact of collective bargaining agreements on school reform efforts. </p><p> This research targeted the 56 California school districts in the Inland Empire's Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Data were collected via an online survey, individual semi-structured interviews, and a document review. </p><p> Key findings regarding the impact of contract language on reform efforts were (a) the importance of a collaborative relationship between the teachers association and the district and/or the presence of a contractually required implementation process for reforms, (b) perceived restrictive contractual language and the lack of an implementation was common among subjects who viewed the contract as having a negative impact, (c) hours of employment/meeting times, class size and evaluation procedures were the contractual perceived as having the most impact on reforms, and (d) teacher benefits and leave policies were perceived as having the least impact. </p><p> The study concluded that the more collaborative the relationship was between the district and union the more likely it was that they would be able to work with each other and overcome any contractual issues together. Districts that do not have a program implementation protocol find the process to be more confrontational for all stakeholders. Curricular leaders were not always cognizant of their role in dealing with the contract's impact on reform initiatives and demonstrated a detachment from their colleagues in human resources. Participants in this research held similar opinions regarding the ideal role of the contract regarding programmatic change. </p><p> This study may lead future researchers to explore other connections between contracts and reforms. It may also lead current educational practitioners to consider the effectiveness of reform implementation practices and union relationships in their own districts and ways to improve them. </p>

<p> No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the 2002 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, was the signature education legislation of the George W. Bush administration. NCLB was but the latest evolution of at least two previous reauthorizations of the ESEA. In 1988 continued receipt of Title I funds to schools was first linked to increased student achievement scores (LeTendre, 1991). The1994 ESEA reauthorization under Bill Clinton saw the federal government go further by tying Title I funds to standards-based curriculum reform (DeBray, 2005). What has made NCLB so different was the punitive approach it took toward Title I schools. The law guaranteed that parents would have the option of opting out of schools that were deemed failing under the law. Failing was defined as a school that had not reached its annual yearly progress goals or, AYP, for two consecutive years. </p><p> This study compared two sets of Title I middle school students: students who remained in their home school, and a matching group of students who chose to opt out of their Title I school and into another school that was not under federal sanctions. Results indicated that students who chose to opt out of their home school did show academic growth. However that growth was similar to their peers who remained in their home school with regard to reading. However, growth was significantly less than their peers with regard to mathematics; thus casting doubt as whether the federal mandate of using school choice as means of improving student achievement was having its intended effect. Implications for future research and practice will also be provided.</p>

<p> Alternative high schools serve some of the most vulnerable students and their programs present a significant challenge to evaluate. Determining the impact of an alternative high school that serves mostly at-risk students presented a significant research problem. Few studies exist that dig deeper into the characteristics and strategies of successful alternative schooling. Moreover valid program evaluation methods to identify successful alternative school practices are hit and miss. As a result, public policy and systems of accountability have either disregarded information relating to alternative high schools or unjustifiably included them in comparisons with traditional high schools. </p><p> This dissertation studied the issue of how best to evaluate alternative high schools and what tools support leaders in planning a thorough and accurate program evaluation. The <i>Alternative High School Program Evaluation Toolkit</i> was developed to support school leaders and evaluation teams made up of internal and external stakeholders as they facilitate the program evaluation process. The features of the Toolkit address the need for alternative school evaluation to be practical, useful, fair and accurate. The Evaluation Toolkit includes training materials, protocols, an evaluation planning worksheet and an evaluation planning matrix that supports the team in conducting the evaluation. </p><p> The research represented in this dissertation is theoretically and practically grounded in Bridges and Hallinger's (1995) Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Borg and Gall's (1989) Research and Development (R&amp;D) Cycle. The product of the R&amp;D Cycle was the <i>Alternative High School Program Evaluation Toolkit</i> and a process for use by evaluation teams assigned the task of planning and carrying out program evaluations.</p>

<p> Both the nation and California are faced with a critical threat to our long term strength and welfare due to an acknowledged deficit in STEM ready students and workers as we head into the 21st century. The STEM workforce gap requires integrated conversations and solutions as it impacts multiple stakeholder groups who do not necessarily fully comprehend each other's needs and challenges. There is a broad consensus that increasing the STEM workforce is critical to the U.S., impacting standard of living, as well as national security in areas such as international competitiveness, combating terrorism and addressing global warming, to name just a few. Historically, the world has looked to the U.S. as the globe's preeminent source of innovation. However, critical indicators have caused industry, educators, policy makers, and communities to take a deeper look at some alarming trends. For example, a U.S. Department of Commerce study noted that the U.S. has made no progress in its competiveness since 1999, and is beginning to lose ground to other countries that are actively building their scientific and technological infrastructures. </p><p> This study utilized the literature review to explore the power of applying system's thinking to this complex social problem. In addition, the study quantitatively demonstrated the current state of alignment in California across two key stakeholder group's leaders, industry and education by exploring the following areas: 1. Are the perceptions of two respondent stakeholder leader groups aligned relative to nine identified California STEM goals? 2. Are the perceptions of the assignment of roles across the California STEM stakeholders related to the two respondent group leaders' affiliation? 3. What is the current state of collaboration in California based on the perceptions of the two respondent groups' leaders? </p><p> The quantitative research demonstrated alignment of the key stakeholder leaders around what is important relative to the goals of California's STEM workforce gap as well as alignment around which stakeholder leaders should be executing specific tasks. The research also underscored an aligned understanding of the current lack of collaboration that exists across stakeholder leaders in California.</p>

<p> Principals in rural schools lead with an awareness of multiple contingent factors that influence their decisions every day regarding programming for students. The purpose of this research is to examine how rural elementary school principals conceptualize programs in their schools, the processes used to connect students to these programs, and their leadership role in doing so. Through the lens of contingency theory, this qualitative research study informs the research regarding contextual variables that influence principals' decisions as they program for students.</p><p> Three research questions provided the frame through which to examine the ways that principals conceptualize the benefit of programs in their school buildings, as well as the ways that they negotiate the environment and obligate resources based on student needs and outside influences. A purposeful sample of 11 principals working at rural elementary schools in a mid-Atlantic state participated in this study. A basic qualitative design provided the framework for interpreting the interview data collected. </p><p> Major findings of this study indicated that principals were more apt to introduce a new program to their building if it was one they had had experience with before. If they did not consider the program beneficial, they were less apt to support it in their building. In addition, principals and school teams used formal and informal assessment data to make decisions regarding student programming. Principals obligated human resources in multiple ways in order to meet the programming needs of their students, but funding, regulations, and curricular and testing demands influenced their programming decisions. In addition, teacher "burn-out" and limited time in the school day were all areas of concern.</p><p> Nationally, public schools receive billions of dollars in federal, state, and local funding for the purpose of student programming. Policy makers write policy from an urban-centric viewpoint. This viewpoint forces rural principals to interpret the policy in creative ways to ensure it meets the needs of their students. This study provides insight as to how rural principals interpret policy in order to utilize resources to program for students. This study also examines the contexts that influence their programming decisions.</p>

<p> School districts face enormous challenges with recent reductions in fiscal resources due to cuts in California's state budget and an average tenure for a school superintendent of only 3 years. School boards are challenged to find a leader who can address the needs of the school district during these difficult times. As numerous school superintendents are retiring, and a new generation of educators is applying for key positions in educational leadership, it is important to better understand the perceptions of school board presidents who have experience in selecting a school superintendent.</p><p> This study explored the perceptions of the superintendent selection process of five participating school board presidents. The participants in this study shared their perceptions of the superintendent search process and selection criteria, perceptions on the most important leadership characteristics desired in a superintendent, and perceptions in the standards used to measure leadership in the candidates selected as superintendent.</p><p> The findings revealed several components of the selection process that will serve school boards in evaluating the best strategy for them in conducting the superintendent search. When school boards embark on the process of selecting a superintendent, their actions become very public and ultimately reflect on how they view community involvement and input into on-going district leadership. As a result, a well-defined plan of action will reflect well on the school board, build community trust, and set the stage for a positive transition to new leadership at the superintendent level. The assertion that selecting a superintendent may very well be the school board's most important duty of action, it is imperative that such a process be articulated and integrated within the scope of district need and community involvement.</p>

<p> Principals play a critical role in how a school performs and what type of culture it will have. However, most principal evaluation relies heavily on practices and beliefs grounded in 20th century educational paradigms or adheres to outdated behavioral checklists. This mixed methods study explores the current realities of principal evaluation in southeastern Idaho and the perceptions of 127 principals and superintendents. Findings suggest that there is a variance between written evaluation policies and current practices. Further, there was a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of principals and superintendents in nearly every aspect of principal evaluation studied. The study supports the need to revise and examine current practices being employed to assess principal job performance.</p>

<p>Although all of the schools in the target school system adhere to a school improvement process, achievement scores remain mediocre or stagnant within the overseas school in Italy that serves children of United States armed service members. To address this problem, this study explored the target school&rsquo;s improvement process to discover how different stakeholder groups viewed that process. The aim of these investigations was to determine if different stakeholder groups&rsquo; competing values hindered the school&rsquo;s improvement efforts. The conceptual framework of this study was Schein&rsquo;s organizational culture theory along with recent findings by Creemers and Kyriakides that show that school culture must be addressed in order for a school to improve. The research design was a single case study. Four different stakeholder groups were interviewed, two school improvement committee meetings were observed, and seven school-improvement related documents were examined. <i>ATLASti</i> qualitative analysis software was used following Hatch&rsquo;s typological analysis method. Two major themes, <i>Teachers versus Technocrats</i> and <i>Pre-Fourth Way</i>, revealed the importance of school culture. The recommended project, a Networked Learning Community (NLC), was designed to build a positive culture by promoting collective responsibility, empowering innovation, and building capacity. This study will promote positive social change by demonstrating how school improvement occurs and by providing a research-based plan for a NLC that can help shift the trajectory of the static moderate achievement levels in the case study school and the target school system. </p>

<p> Florida has been a leader in the K-20 educational reform in an effort to ensure the seamless transition into postsecondary education for all students, but specifically improving preparation for, and access to, higher education for populations traditionally marginalized and underrepresented in higher education. The purpose of this study was to examine the demographic composition of students participating in dual enrollment programs in Florida, and the relationship between dual enrollment participation and postsecondary success, as measured by student persistence and degree attainment, moderated by race, gender, and Pell status. Alexander Astin&rsquo;s (1993) I-E-O student involvement theory was chosen as the theoretical lens with which to guide the design and analysis of the study.</p><p> A quantitative analysis of archived student records retrieved from the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness at a large urban state college in Florida was used in this study. The analytical sample included 2614 first-time-in college students in the fall 2009 semester. Data was analyzed via SPSS, version 20, using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and discriminant analysis. The analysis revealed that students who were dual enrolled were more likely to persist in college and more likely to earn a degree than their non-dual enrolled peers. A discussion of the findings and conclusions in relationship to earlier studies are enumerated followed by recommendations for K-20 school leaders and future research.</p>

<p> Digital textbooks continue to hold the potential to revolutionize the dissemination of knowledge to anyone, anywhere. The understanding needed to reach a new digital paradigm includes tools that are consistent with the needs of a new generation of educators and students. This qualitative modified Delphi study provides a foundation that defines the function, structure, and role of the textbook in education. The textbook is defined as a basic educational resource that provides definitive knowledge, defines and bounds the scope of discussion and learning, and helps assure that the stated learning goals are met. A textbook is an educational resource and may contain other resources. As such, the textbook functions as an educational workspace; digital textbooks need to function as the principal resource in an online or interactive educational workspace that supports a mix of materials, including and regardless of multiple media formats. As is the role of the best technology, a fully functional digital textbook seamlessly encapsulates the educational materials and resources needed by the specific course. The consideration of linear and nonlinear study functions in terms of existing devices and interfaces played a critical role in understanding textbooks. Current PDF-based digital textbooks do not meet students&rsquo; needs. A list of functional considerations, that need to be part of the next generation of digital textbooks, is included in this study. Students need to be able to tailor the interface to best suit their individual preferences. The importance of reducing costs in the marketplace will ultimately decide which technologies will succeed.</p>