<p> The ISLLC standard 6 of 2008 and ELCC standard 6 of 2011 both indicate that a district-level leader should be influential in state-level education legislation and policy-making. There was little scientific research that showed evidence as to how superintendents were adapting to this requirement, although anecdotal and journalistic writings were available. This study sought to fill that gap. </p><p> This study was of all public school superintendents in the state of Illinois. The study used mixed-methods, and utilized a sequential explanatory design. The quantitative portion of the study was completed via an online survey, and the qualitative portion of the study was complete with face-to-face interviews of randomly selected superintendents. 201 Illinois public school superintendents completed the online survey, and 6 superintendents were randomly selected for interviews. </p><p> The study identified 7 key findings regarding Illinois public school superintendents and their efforts to be influential in state-level education legislation and policy-making: they utilized professional organizations most extensively in their efforts to contact and influence legislators; their perceptions of effectiveness were significantly increase when there was a close personal or proximal association with a legislator; their perceptions of effectiveness were significantly increased in accordance with the number of prior administrative positions held; their perceptions of effectiveness were significantly increased with relation to a particular school district configuration; their perceptions of effectiveness were significantly increased with relation to their affiliations with particular educational organizations; they identified only one coherent impediment to being influential, that of graduate coursework preparation; and they had a reasonable knowledge of the legislative process, although that did not affect their perceptions of success in being influential. By applying these key findings, Illinois public school superintendents can make themselves more influential in state-level education legislation and policy-making.</p>

<p> The purpose of the study was two-fold: (a) to analyze the historical pattern of substance or weapon abuse incidents by students with different types of disabilities from 2001 to 2011 using the Data Accountability Center data sets (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Data, 2013) and the information from the National Center for Education Statistics about the number of students with disabilities receiving special education services under IDEA (2013) (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=64); and (b) to explore underlying causes of substance abuse or weapons offence incidents. </p><p> Regarding the historical pattern, the analysis showed that a significant and consistent pattern exists in the relationship between type of disabilities and frequency of substance or weapons offences. Students with emotional disturbance had been more likely to have substance abuse or weapons offences when compared to students who were in the categories of specific learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury or an intellectual disability from 2001 to 2011. Whereas specific learning disability students' incidents ranked second, those with traumatic brain injury or intellectual disabilities showed the minimal number of offenses for substance abuse or weapons offences in the years 2001-2011. </p><p> During the interview portion of the research, most interviewees perceived that students with emotional disabilities would be at risk for higher substance or weapons offence referrals compared to students with other types of disabilities. This finding was consistent with the statistical analysis found through Chi-Square tests. When asked about a causal relationship, a range of personal factors including being lonely, being bullied, seeking attention, being disrespectful or being impulsive were the key factors for the student having either substance abuse or weapons offences referral. Most of the interviewees addressed that such personal contexts seem to be more critical factors for students with disabilities to have discipline referrals for substance or weapons abuse rather than the type of disability itself, noting that the issues of substance or weapon abuse are not limited to students with disabilities but applied to students without disabilities. The interviewees' responses supported the historical pattern from 2001 to 2011 that showed that a very small percentage of students with disabilities&mdash;less than 1% of students with disabilities with a range from .01% to .39%, had been involved in substance or weapon abuse across the nation. </p><p> The results of this study suggest that diverse stakeholders including educators dismiss any beliefs that students with disabilities often have substance or weapon abuse problems. Instead of having the prejudice against students with disabilities, this study urges to ensure all students with disabilities are fully inclusive in their classrooms and community.</p>

<p> The higher education environment is currently in a state of transition and uncertainty; institutions must locate, train, and maintain talented individuals in key administrative positions. Against this backdrop, the definitions and responsibilities of individual positions are being altered. Many mid-level administrators now are being expected to assume increasing leadership responsibilities as well as maintain managerial duties. The higher education registrar is a mid-level administrative role that is undergoing this type of transformation. The position of registrar typically is a mid-level administrative position, and the 21st-century registrar is considered to have both management and leadership responsibilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the management and leadership role of the higher education registrar and the skills needed to fulfill that role, as perceived by registrars, senior-level administrators, and faculty leaders at private, 4-year institutions of higher education in California. For this qualitative ethnographic study, data were collected through registrar job descriptions from 6 institutions and through in-depth interviews with 6 higher education registrars, 6 senior-level administrators, and 6 faculty leaders. All participants perceived the registrar as both manager and leader within the department, but there was disagreement regarding the registrar's role as the institutional leader. Participants identified a variety of factors that were considered to impact the registrar's role as a campus leader. Three management skills (articulate communicator, organized, knowledgeable about higher education) and 2 leadership skills (demonstrates interpersonal skills, visionary and able to see the big picture) were perceived by the study sample as particularly important for the role of the registrar. Each subgroup of participants identified additional skills as particularly crucial. The findings of the study may be used by institutions of higher education to define the registrar's role in the institutional governance structure and to strengthen their human capital. Additionally, the identification of desired skills allows for the development of training programs for current registrars to maximize their potential and succession planning for future registrars to be suitably prepared for this complex administrative role.</p>

<p> For students with disabilities, inclusion implies more than access as stipulated through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its 2008 Amendments Act. It indicates the idea of a communal experience that attempts to develop a culture wherein the full participation of diverse students is established through proactive decisions and allows them to engage in aspects of campus life "in a seamless and real-time manner" (Huger, 2011, p. 5). The purpose of this study was to explore conversations surrounding disability, as understood by students with physical impairments, in order to make meaning of their lived experiences, the messages they receive, and their interpretations of those messages. Using discourse analysis as both a theory and method (Gee, 2011), seven students self-identifying with physical impairment were asked to discuss their college experiences; what factors impact their decisions regarding involvement; what it means to be "inclusive"; what they feel their institutions do to create and encourage inclusive campuses; and what they think non-disabled peers think of them. </p><p> Despite interviews designed to focus conversations on social involvement and engagement, participants often gravitated toward their educational pursuits and specific concerns based upon individual disability needs. Students de-emphasized extra-curricular involvement in favor of adherence to objectives for successful academic pursuits, often requiring they weigh the physical and wellness tolls such activities could take on their bodies. Considering how respondents speak of their university experiences, this paper argues the discourses of disability are understood as seriously academic and seriously medical or health related. Further, while participants stated overall positive experiences at their universities, analysis of the conversations revealed encounters with physical access problems and difficulties with interactions and interpersonal relationships on campus. This suggests a deeper complexity to their initial assertions, perhaps highlighting the low expectations students with physical impairments hold toward true inclusion and the degree to which bad has to be sensed as bad enough to reach the level of being truly damaging to their view of the overall experience. Implications for this study are to help the university community&mdash;administrators, faculty, and students&mdash;understand the decision-making process for students with disabilities regarding campus involvement.</p>

<p> Community integration and involvement is the overarching goal in planning for the transition from high school to adulthood for students with disabilities. The provision of a continuum of services, based on each student's individual needs is, the cornerstone of special education and transition services. The focus of this study was on how educational leaders in the coastal region of a South Atlantic state ensure that the transition requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) are implemented. The study included the identification of specific methods and practices used in that region. The researcher, driven by a desire to know more about the uniqueness of the case, interviewed educational leaders including school-based administrators, a division-based administrator, and a guidance counselor. Information was collected by surveying transition coordinators (<i>N</i> = 64) from the school divisions in the coastal region of a South Atlantic state with regard to career and vocational opportunities offered in the school divisions, transition planning practices within the school divisions, and the demographics of the participants. The researcher solicited the opinions of the participants concerning their knowledge base and their division transition practices. The researcher reviewed archival documents maintained at the state level pertaining to transition practices and transition outcomes for each school division included in the study. This was an intrinsic case study focusing on a specific group that is unique in geographic location, organization, and collaboration. The study was not intended to extend theory. The findings from the study identified (a) the proficiency of educational leaders in regard to their knowledge of transition practices and service delivery in their respective schools or school divisions, (b) the perceived education and training needs for educational leaders with regard to the transition practices and service delivery in their respective schools or school divisions, and (c) the specific transition practices and service delivery models utilized by the region's school divisions when reporting on the state indicators. Additionally, the findings added to the current research addressing a variety of approaches to transition planning for students with disabilities.</p>

<p> The role pharmacists play on the healthcare team is important to the health of the nation and society. Pharmacists are the medication experts whose role is to optimize their patient's health. Today's student pharmacists are prepared through pharmacy education to play this role on the healthcare team. This requires pharmacy schools to identify the appropriate students to enroll in professional Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) programs. The purpose of this research is to examine healthcare related experience as a factor used to predict admission as well as success (academic and clinical performance) in the first and second professional year of the Pharm.D. curriculum. </p><p> The study sample consisted of the Pharm.D. applicant pool for the 2010-2011 application cycle, which included 12,288 complete applications. A subset of this sample was combined with success markers (cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) in the first and second year, and Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experience (IPPE) GPA for the first and second year (P1 and P2 years)) for a second sample that included 389 applicants. The methodology used for this research was binary logistic and multiple regression analysis. </p><p> Statistically significant study findings showed that healthcare related extracurricular experience is a predictor of admission, but not of academic or clinical performance in the first or second year of the Pharm.D. curriculum. The study findings held practical significance for prospective applicants through explanation of the variables as predictors of admission, in order for prospective applicants to properly prepare for the pharmacy school admissions process. The findings are also relevant for admissions officers and will inform their admission processes. Limitations include confounding variables that impact cumulative and IPPE P1 and P2 GPAs, generalizability to all pharmacy schools, as well as a lack of variance in the outcomes measures. Future studies should be conducted at the institutional level and in other health professions to evaluate these admission characteristics in terms of student performance and success at the institution level and in other health professions programs. Future studies should also explore other holistic admission factors (e.g. leadership, community service, etc.) to see if they contribute to appropriate success markers in the pharmacy curriculum.</p>

<p> In recent decades, there has been increasing pressure for teacher accountability and interest in teacher evaluation throughout the world. While much research has been conducted on significant factors contributing to high student achievement, including the examination of the positive correlation between the faculty evaluation process and student success, there is a lack of research in the Vietnamese culture on faculty perceptions of the meaning and influences of faculty performance evaluation. This study addressed faculty perceptions of a particular evaluation process and their perceptions of its impact on their teaching performance. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore full-time faculty members' perceptions of the evaluation or performance appraisal (PA) process currently implemented in a private university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study utilized data obtained from individual, semi-structured interviews with12 full-time faculty participants. After data analysis, the following salient findings were identified. First, faculty found a PA process that emphasized both competency and highlighted professional growth beneficial and motivating in measuring their performance and enhancing their teaching quality. Second, significant factors contributing to faculty positive perceptions of the PA process and to faculty instructional improvement included the clarity of the PA purpose, faculty involvement in the PA design and development, and the critical role of the evaluator and his/her constructive feedback in the PA process. Finally, faculty strongly recommended that additional types of evaluation, especially student feedback, be incorporated into the PA process and more opportunities be made available for professional development. As a result of these findings, this study could serve as a catalyst for policymakers and school leaders in improving the existing evaluation processes and in increasing their insight into how instructors perceive these policies and what factors contribute to their perceptions. In addition, the findings could stimulate further research on appraisal policy reform. Identifying key factors that instructors believe are critical in an effective evaluations process could assist the leadership in finding tools to make process meet instructors' expectations. </p>

<p> While public higher education is facing numerous pressures the core function of the institution remains student learning. Students, taxpayers, state legislators, alumni, and parents expect returns on their financial investments. Employers expect college graduates hired to read, write, and communicate effectively. In the mean-time, public universities are facing reductions in state allocations and a higher number of students enrolling, with many enrolling under prepared and in need of additional services. </p><p> Public universities are more reliant on tuition to balance their budget and find new revenue streams at the same time. Often these revenue-generating activities move the institutional focus away from student learning. This tension between student learning and new revenue streams requires campuses to have especially effective and efficient operations. </p><p> This case study research project focuses on the factors that affect student learning at one public Midwestern university. Data for this project were collected through studying publications, observing campus stakeholders and attending campus meetings, and interviewing students, faculty, and staff. The information collected was sorted into overarching themes. </p><p> Three themes emerged. First, centralization of certain campus functions is an ally to achieving campus-wide goals, such as improving retention or increasing graduation rates. Campus processes such as advising, which is a critical success relationship for students, needs an overarching mission, purpose, and procedures to assure equitable experience for all students. Decentralized advising processes causes great variance. The second theme is alignment. As resources diminish, the critical factor for institutions is not how many student services it offers, but rather how resources are allocated to serve the most students. The final theme is messaging. A comprehensive campus-wide messaging program that drives students to use programs is needed. Offering programs and services for students is a first step but insufficient without the active examination of their access and effect. The true assessment of campus services and programs is how many students use them and how successful those students are. A strong messaging program informs stakeholders of expectations and keeps the dialogue current. </p><p> Higher education is highly valued and sought after. The role it serves in society is endless. However, the institutional framework for universities conducting these activities needs be effective and continuing to look for ways to improve.</p>

<p>In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, principals are often ill prepared for the demands of the job. According to Baxter (2012), every year in the Archdiocese approximately 30 principal vacancies are filled. Many of the Pastors who hire for these vacancies do not have an educational background, nor do they have much experience in hiring practices. With the increase of lay educators leading Catholic schools, not only are competent principals needed, but principals who can be Pastoral, educational, and managerial leaders (Manno, 1985). To increase the probability of hiring strong candidates for the principal vacancies in schools across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a hiring protocol is needed to standardize the process, while encouraging collaboration and input from multiple stakeholders. This case study implemented and evaluated a hiring protocol at one school site within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The protocol was designed to help Catholic schools hire qualified principals, and its development was guided by previous research on effective hiring procedures for such positions. The case-study data collected provides insight into the benefits and of using this specialized hiring protocol while also identifying potential changes to further strengthen the protocol. The results of the case study will be shared with the Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to provide a framework for a principal hiring protocol that can be used at all school sites.

<p> Across state lines, budget cuts in education are a reality, especially for those in remote and rural areas. With less financial support, some districts are looking to their state departments to be models of good practice for how to leverage and work within budgetary means, while also keeping up with the advancement in education seen around the world. The history of American schools has defined itself by keeping up globally to ensure its students can be global competitors. In order to continue on the path of educational excellence, there is a need to find innovative ways to continue to be supportive of one another through embedded, professional development and systemic thinking. This concurrent mixed-methods research study looked to one state's coaching project over the last seven years. This state utilized its own coaches as a means to grow and develop leadership capacity for system improvement, even when budget woes were at an all-time high. This study found three key findings: (a) all participants demonstrated positive levels of agreement that the coaches had the skill-set identified by the researcher, engaged in actions that align to effective professional development, and that coaches were perceived to have an impact on leadership; (b) administrators and administrative coaches had the highest levels of agreement with all survey items, and their views were consistently in agreement with no statistical difference; and (c) school staff who were further removed from formal leadership roles were less aware of the skill-set, actions, and effects of the coach, and although they had positive levels of agreement, the levels of agreement were statistically lower than that of the administrators and coaches. Essentially, staff members who served in some type of leadership capacity perceived to benefit from the administration receiving state coaching support, than those who did not. These findings will help this rural state to reexamine its structure not only to strengthen the project, but to be the model for other divisions within the department attempting to utilize state coaches throughout the state. Themes presented will also allow other state agencies to better assess their needs of implementing a statewide coaching project, especially for those from rural states.</p>