<p> This qualitative, action-research study used themes from appreciative interviews of Texas elementary teachers to recommend a framework for a school-wide assessment model for a Texas elementary school. The specific problem was that the Texas accountability system used a yearly measurement that failed to track progress over time and failed to accurately provide elementary classroom teachers with information about student performance in ways to guide instructional decision making. Appreciative interviews of 22 participants were analyzed using open coding and thematic analysis. Findings revealed teachers valued teacher-made assessments, consistency and alignment, multiple assessment measures, multiple assessment formats, student-centered assessment, and data-centered assessment for classroom use. Themes were triangulated with literature and public testimony of Texas teachers. Recommendations were made for educational leaders and global leadership. The research method used in this study was an Appreciative Inquiry generative research approach within a larger continuous improvement change management cycle. This is significant for global leadership as a method for implementing a process of change in an organization.</p>

<p> Each fall, approximately one million children enter the ninth grade with little prospect of completing high school. Of the 1.1 million students projected to leave school without a diploma for the 2012 school year, a staggering 27 percent (approximately 310,000) will be of Latino descent (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2012). The purpose of this study&mdash;"Dreams Deferred: A Qualitative Study of Latino Youth Who Left High School Prior to Obtaining a Diploma"&mdash;was to examine the perceptions and beliefs of Latino youth as they attempted to make meaning of the factors that led to their leaving school before graduation. Utilizing phenomenological research methods, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with ten individuals who had the shared experience of leaving high school prematurely. The phenomenological in-depth interview research design was chosen because the occurrence of Latino students leaving school without a diploma cannot be examined without consideration of how the experience was defined and felt by the students. In addition, multiple factors must be considered including the subjective impact of the students' social, cultural and educational histories on their school experience. The individuals were participants in a community-based GED program and were selected through purposeful sampling based on pre-identified selection criteria. The study focused on the participants' perceptions of their school experience and the events and influences that precipitated their premature departure from school. Data were collected through the in-depth interviews and detailed field notes of observations made during the interviews and program activities. Data analysis consisted of coding responses and clustering relevant statements into themes and patterns, which were then synthesized into descriptions of the participants' school experience and the factors associated with their leaving school prior to graduation. Data from the study revealed that the participants began to feel disengaged in middle school, and they perceived that their interaction with school personnel had a significant impact on their school experience. In addition, the participants cited multiple factors outside of school that diverted their focus from learning and ultimately contributed to their leaving school without a diploma. Recommendations for practice and additional research are included following a discussion of data.</p>

<p> A general problem is that testing a homeschooled child for learning disabilities (LD) is not required in the state of Texas and therefore dependent on the homeschooling parent&rsquo;s recognition and desire to test. A qualitative exploratory method was used to determine the perceptions of parent/teachers on their struggling high school students&rsquo; learning, potential to have specific learning disabilities (SLDs), and college readiness. In addition, perceptions of parent/teachers&rsquo; self-efficacy and self-advocacy, with potential transference to students were explored. The sample included 56 homeschooling parent/teachers from one of four participating homeschool organizations in Texas. An Internet survey link was used to collect data. Parent/teachers&rsquo; views and perceptions were shared on their experiences with struggling high school students. The following perceptions emerged: (a) parent/teachers felt effective identifying their students&rsquo; area of struggles; (b) parent/teachers felt confident understanding their students learning style; (c) parents felt adjusting their students&rsquo; lesson was an effective strategy to reduce learning struggles; (d) parents felt they effectively handled the demands of teaching their struggling student; (e) parent/teachers largely joined homeschool organizations for support, services, programs, and/or resources; (f) parent/teachers felt their student could effectively describe their strengths and weaknesses; (g) parent/teachers did not think their struggling student had a SLD; and (h) parent/teachers felt their struggling high school student was college ready. Most parent/teachers acknowledged positive levels of self-efficacy and self-advocacy, yet, the need to have a stronger sense of transference to their struggling homeschool student was found. Future studies are recommended to increase knowledge and literature on homeschooling families with struggling learners during elementary, middle, high school, and through college.</p>

<p>The growing calls for accountability within higher education have mobilized student affairs divisions to develop practices that provide evidence of student learning and development. In order to do this effectively student affairs divisions understand the importance of creating, managing, and sustaining a culture of assessment. The purpose of this study was to explore and understand effective practices in creating a culture of assessment within a division of student affairs at a large public university. The findings from this study offer insight into the experiences of one division in creating a culture of assessment. Key themes of leadership, socialization, and learning were consistent with organizational theory regarding the creation and management of a culture of an organization and with student affairs assessment literature. This study offers suggestions for best practices in ways other divisions might approach the creation of a culture of assessment. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine efficacious instructional strategies that the New England Community College (NECC) nursing program could implement in the curricula to improve National Council Licensure Examination Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) first-time pass rates. Effective strategies from students and nursing program faculty had used were investigated. Such strategies support student nurses in their efforts to succeed on the first administration of the exit examination. The rationale for this study and resulting project was that they could improve NCLEX-RN first-time pass rates and positively impact the local hiring of qualified nurses. Guided by Knowles's adult learning theory, key results of the study and resulting project were developed from effective instructional strategies discovered from former NECC students. The central research question focused on identifying which teaching-learning strategies in the NECC nursing curricula improved students' critical thinking skills and problem solving skills. A qualitative case study design was employed with a purposeful sample of 15 former NECC nursing program graduates. Participant focus groups and annual program/accreditation documents were used to collect data to address how student nurses learn best in order to be successful on the exit examination. The project was the creation of a 3-day seminar in the first semester curriculum that focuses on effective licensure preparation instructional strategies to establish and maintain high NCLEX-RN pass rates. Implications for positive social change include, but are not limited to, improving students' problem solving skills and application of critical thinking strategies in order to positively impact the lives of the patients whom they will serve.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to determine the reading and math outcomes of randomly selected majority culture students participating in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program kindergarten through fifth-grade compared to randomly selected same school control majority culture students participating in a traditional academic content area English only program kindergarten through fifth-grade. Study results indicate that posttest ending third-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores <i> M</i> = 196.02 (<i>SD</i> = 46.18) compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores <i>M</i> = 227.07 (<i>SD</i> = 9.58) following kindergarten through fifth-grade participation in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program was statistically significantly different rejecting the null hypothesis in the direction of improved NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores where dependent <i> t</i>(39) = 4.05, <i>p</i> &lt; .001 (two-tailed), <i> ES</i> = 1.11. Furthermore, posttest ending third-grade NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores <i>M</i> = 197.42 (<i>SD</i> = 46.22) compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores <i>M</i> = 238.72 (<i>SD</i> = 14.70) following kindergarten through fifth-grade participation in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program was statistically significantly different rejecting the null hypothesis in the direction of improved NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores where dependent <i>t</i>(39) = 4.99, <i>p</i> &lt; .0001 (two-tailed), <i> ES</i> = 1.35. Students who participated in a traditional standard of care academic content area English only program serving as a control group also made statistically significant reading and math gains over time. Between group post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores for students in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program compared to post-posttest ending fifth-grade NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores for students in a traditional standard of care academic content area English only program were statistically significantly different rejecting the null hypothesis in the direction of greater post-posttest NWEA MAP-Reading Test Scores for students in an elective, parent choice, full academic content area Spanish Immersion Program where independent <i>t</i>(78) = 3.22, <i>p</i> &lt; .01 (two-tailed), <i>ES</i> = 0.73. However, the null hypothesis was not rejected for the between group post-posttest NWEA MAP-Math Test Scores comparison indicating statistical equipoise where independent <i>t</i>(78) = 1.63, <i>p</i> = .107 (two-tailed), <i> ES</i> = 0.40. It is clear from the study results that students participating in the programs of this research are making significant academic progress as measured by norm-referenced reading and math test results over time, third-grade to fifth-grade. It is also remarkable that students who are learning basic skills at the elementary level in a second language, Spanish, are doing so at an observed above grade level pace suggesting that they will be ready for middle school English and math coursework with an advanced promise of success in future second language, Spanish, coursework as well.</p>

<p> Most high school students have the opportunity to participate in athletic programs during a transformative time in their personal and academic development. Very little qualitative research examines how former high school athletes perceive these experiences after they graduate. In this descriptive, exploratory study, former athletes viewed their participation as a key experience that continues to affect them positively two to five years later. During semi-structured interviews, they spoke of having developed and maintained new capacities for leadership, greater personal accountability, and healthier overall lifestyle choices. They also learned how to relate to others, both on and off the athletic field in more authentic and caring ways, and thus how to establish and maintain lasting relationships. Many of these outcomes echo aspects of <i>self-concept </i> and <i>character development</i> as described in the literature. Although athletic coaches' behaviors were described as both positive and negative, participants were generally able to overcome the negative aspects. Especially when budget cuts threaten many non-academic and extra-curricular offerings, the results of this small and geographically limited study point to the need to further explore how high school athletics may have lasting positive effects on participants.</p>

<p> In my dissertation, I set out to explore the following research question on bridging: <i>How does ownership evolve as learners engage in a guided inquiry-based science learning environment focused on design and technology usage?</i> My dissertation explores a case study of four learners involved in an afterschool program called Kitchen Chemistry (KC). KC is a nonformal learning environment in which learners engage in scientific practices within the context of cooking. Learners engage in inquiry practices through the development of their own scientific food investigations. In my study I examined how four focal learners come to develop a sense of ownership of science learning as they each develop their own personal food investigations. Using Wenger's (1998) framework of identity formation in communities of practice (imagination, engagement, and alignment), my study shows that a learner's identity and social dynamics from home, school, and informal learning shape and fashion what he or she chooses to own, how ownership is expressed, and how that ownership can both support and hinder a learner's science learning.</p>

<p> Progress monitoring has been shown to be effective for gauging student growth in the area of mathematics. Likewise, self-graphing has been shown to improve student achievement in education. The present study investigates the effectiveness of progress monitoring as an intervention with a self-graphing component for second-grade students in the area of mathematics. This research examines the impact of progress monitoring on increased math skills, accuracy, and generalization to universal screening assessments. While results were variable, students' accuracy improved upon implementation of progress monitoring. All-together, results suggest that progress monitoring with self-graphing can be an effective intervention.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an adaptation of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) in mathematics on achievement and anxiety of third grade students. Four intact classrooms were randomly assigned to experimental or control condition groups. Experimental teachers implemented one of three interventions: PALS, a relaxation technique (RT), or PALS+RT twice weekly for 12 weeks. Outcome measures included AIMSweb's curriculum based measure for math computation (MCOMP) and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Second Edition (RCMAS-2). Within the classrooms, baseline, pre-test, and post-test data were collected on 79 students. The study did not reveal statistically significant results, however, results indicated that students in the PALS+RT group made the greatest gains in math achievement and students in the RT group had the greatest reduction in anxiety. The results suggest that PALS can be adapted to include a brief relaxation technique and that relaxation techniques may be beneficial in reducing student anxiety symptoms.</p>