<p> This study examines lived experiences of advisors and mentors during leadership development efforts and how understanding cultural differences enables leadership emergence. Work conducted by advisors and mentors in Afghanistan provided the focus for research. The qualitative approach used incorporated interviews of ten participants. The researcher used Moustakas&rsquo; phenomenological research method to explore the lived experiences. Findings provide understanding of how cultural differences influence leadership emergence development in marginalized societies and how cultural differences influence approaches to developing local leaders. </p><p> Conclusions from this study provide meaning because they address gaps in knowledge regarding experiences related to leadership development for society&rsquo;s marginalized elements, leadership approaches mentors report important in fulfilling their roles, and methods to develop emerging leaders. Conclusions indicate 1) mentor and advisor experiences stress the importance of adaptability, demonstrated competence and positive outlook; 2) building trusted relationships, leadership as a social process, and the emerging leader construct form foundational elements of mentoring in post-conflict marginalized societies; 3) trust, critical thinking, planning, accountability and expertise are leadership competencies that result in mentor success; 4) developing leadership emergence in cultures other than one&rsquo;s own require engagement strategies that enable rapid understanding of how to deal with cultural differences; 5) mentees in marginalized societies can alter mentors perspectives; and 6) developing leadership emergence is a non-gender specific process and should emphasize technical expertise. </p><p> This study offers recommendations for practice in developing leadership emergence and illuminates future research. Recommendations for practice include: providing intensive leadership development training for mentors and fostering increased multicultural understanding for emerging leaders; the importance of developing trusted relationships and networks; fostering curiosity in learning about other cultures; promoting the need for openness toward cultural differences; and integrating cooperative learning into leadership development practices. Recommendations for research include using actual field experience of leadership development that takes into account cultural differences; study on leadership emergence of youth in marginalized societies; study on indigenous cultures through the lens of cultural dimensions; and future meta-analysis of leader emergence in developing nations and vulnerable groups.</p>

<p> This study utilizes the lens of student experience to provide an understanding of how students&rsquo; behavior and attitudes are influenced by first-year college leadership programs in order to promote civic engagement. This qualitative study uses semi-structured, face-to-face, individual interviews, focus groups, and an online survey at three sites&mdash;the John Glenn College of Public Relations at The Ohio State University, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at The University of Maryland, and The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania. The study reviews the best practices and principles of leadership in communicating and interacting with others through democratic dialogue and democratic deliberation. The focus of the study is on sophomores, juniors, and seniors who participated in first-year college leadership programs and how they express the value derived from their classroom and service-learning involvement in collective decision making and democratic settings for the common good of all. The findings contribute to understanding how colleges and universities may effectively implement their roles in the development of students as civic-minded citizens of an increasingly global community through first-year college leadership programs.</p>

<p> In 2010, the state of Pennsylvania began the work of creating and adopting a state-wide principal effectiveness plan that mirrored the framework established for the evaluation of teachers. Backed by a series of assumptions about the power of an assessment or evaluation tool to increase the effectiveness of school leaders, a team of educators at the state level reviewed plans from numerous states and districts as well as the widely recognized VAL-ED school leadership evaluation plan to inform the creation of a plan tailored for Pennsylvania school leaders. </p><p> The growing focus on evaluation of school leaders was fueled in part by a disconnect between overwhelmingly positive principal evaluations and standardized state assessment scores for student achievement that indicate a disproportionate percentage of &ldquo;failing&rdquo; schools. A growing body of research has explored the influences of principal leadership on student performance as well as the theoretical frameworks for effective principal evaluation plans. Less prevalent was research on the influence of an evaluation plan to guide, change or improve the practices of school leaders. </p><p> In the 2012-13 school year, over 200 school district, charter schools, Career and Technology Centers, and intermediate units in Pennsylvania agreed to implement the Principal Effectiveness Plan (PEP), later called the Pennsylvania Framework for Leadership (PFL), for the possible evaluation of up to 1900 school leaders in over 1300 individual school sites. This research was designed specifically to study the influence of the pilot year of the Pennsylvania Framework for Leadership on a group of principals in secondary schools in Pennsylvania by exploring how the principals conceptualized the uses of the plan on their daily practices. </p><p> The study was designed to explore qualitative data gathered through 17 secondary principal interviews which were a representative sample targeted from the 117 secondary principals who completed the pilot process and were included in the data set of 484 principal reports submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education at the end of the pilot year. In addition, survey data from PDE were used to inform the construction of the interview protocol. Researcher journal and memos were also considered (Maxwell, 2005, p. 96, p. 110, Miles &amp; Huberman, 1994, p. 72).</p>

<p> Systems engineering leaders have a huge impact on the success of acquisition programs in the defense industry. Many systems engineers are promoted to leadership positions based on technical merit without receiving the adequate leadership tools to succeed. This study explored the competencies that influence successful systems engineering leaders in the defense industry as well as the professional experiences that shape these leaders. The findings from this study are the result of a qualitative design utilizing 25 interviews from systems engineering leaders in the defense industry who have: (1) served as a systems engineering leader in a successful acquisition program; and (2) greater than 20 years of experience in systems engineering. This study resulted in five key findings of successful systems engineering leaders in the defense industry: (a) over 80% use the emotional and social intelligence competencies of adaptability, conflict management, influence, organizational awareness, self awareness, and teamwork; (b) over 80% use the systems thinking cognitive competencies of open minded, understands the big picture, understands systems from multiple perspectives, and understands interconnections; (c) over 80% use the leadership competencies of builds trusting relationships, communicates, empowers others, learns from successes and failures, makes timely decisions, promotes collaboration, and solves problems and analyzes issues; (d) over 80% have been enabled by professional experiences that include opportunities to broaden perspective, opportunities to collaborate and bring teams together, a culture that is tolerant of failure, and a culture that empowers others; and (e) over 80% have been developed to cultivate their acumen by learning by doing, using mentors, and using program management skills. The contributions and implications for practice are also discussed, as well as opportunities for future research.</p>

<p> Described as sitting, &ldquo;&hellip;at the intersection of three current popular approaches to the improvement of teaching and learning &ndash; walkthroughs, [professional] networks, and district improvement strategies&rdquo; (City, Elmore, Fiarman, &amp; Teital, 2011, p. 4)- instructional rounds is designed to bridge the gap between educators and their instruction. At its core, instructional rounds rests upon the same premise as any other community of practice; however, this community of practice has developed a set of protocols and procedures that quickly establishes expectations of the group, group norms, and a common language. THS implemented school-based IR as a way for teachers to build relationships and a common language around instructional practice, while also reflecting on and refining classroom instruction. </p><p> This study explores the experiences of ten teachers in the lower school division of The Haverford School (THS) who are engaged in school-based instructional rounds (IR) groups. It aims to understand teachers&rsquo; perceptions of IR as aiding in the development of collaborative relationships, as well as the tensions and possibilities that exist around the implementation of IR in a school and how these factors may influence the development of collaborative relationships. Finally, this study explores factors influence the type of learning community that emerges in a school. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.) </p>

<p> Independent school leaders are seeking opportunities to improve their organizations&rsquo; impact on mission (Collins, 2005; Mair &amp; Marti, 2006), respond to the new affordances and expectations driven by information and communications technologies (Christensen, Horn, &amp; Johnson, 2008; Cuban, 2013), and improve their financial sustainability (Baumol &amp; Bowen, 1966; Farkas, 2012; Ewert, 2013). The answer to similar challenges in other fields has been innovation (Christensen et al., 2008; Schumpeter, 1949). However, there is a gap in the research&mdash;an absence of a theory of practice for the work of identifying, enacting, and diffusing value-adding changes, or innovations, throughout independent K&ndash;12 schools. As a first step in developing such a theory of practice, this exploratory qualitative study focuses on independent school leaders identified by their peers as innovative and working at independent U.S. K&ndash;12 schools that have been defined as representative through the metrics of enrollment, tuition, endowment, and length of operations. Via a process of structured interviews, archival document review, member checks, and researcher writing, this study explores and seeks to understand these particular leaders&rsquo; perceptions, conceptualizations, and thinking about innovation, and their efforts in relation to the enactment of innovation in their particular school contexts. The major findings of this study are: (a) innovation is an under-theorized area of practice for leaders of independent schools; (b) the conceptualizations of innovation of Heads of independent schools are varied among individual leaders depending on several factors; (c) conceptualizations of innovation by Heads affect their approaches to innovation and leading innovation adoption; and (d) the field of independent schools lacks an approach to innovation that would help contain cost growth. The conclusion of this study is a call for a new theory of practice for independent school leaders regarding innovation, informed by theory from various fields and grounded in the experiences of leading practitioners.</p>

<p> This study investigated the role of the school administrator in helping teachers to use instructional practices that led to improved student learning outcomes. The data indicated that teachers were comfortable learning from other teacher-leaders in the school. Teachers responded favorably to opportunities to participate in collegial observation and being provided specific feedback to stimulate growth. The study also confirmed that teachers looked to the school administrator to provide necessary resources and funding for professional development opportunities. Teachers need to be provided ongoing opportunities to learn and grow together through meaningful grade-level team meeting. </p><p> This study took place during the 2010&ndash;2011 school year, and investigated individually and collectively four initiatives: reorganizing grade-level team meetings to facilitate better coordination, collaboration, and peer consultation; gearing professional development opportunities toward proven learning strategies; engaging the teachers in reflective practices for self-improvement; and engaging the teachers in keeping professional growth logs. Teachers were asked to respond to a questionnaire created by the principal, to complete feedback forms as a follow up to each professional development workshop, and to evaluate the effectiveness of grade-level teams using a scoring guide. An analysis of MAP and Tungsten data, teacher created goals/outcomes, and walk-through data was used to evaluate student growth, as well. </p><p> A narrow focus on analyzing and using data to make instructional decisions had an impact on standardized test result. The instructional leaders were responsible for helping staff to understand and interpret data, create short-term and long-term goals, monitor the progress and celebrate success. </p><p> An underlying theme evolved during the study, encompassing the importance of the school leader to build positive relationships and lines of communication with the staff to guide them toward the improvement of instructional practices. </p>

<p> Teacher burnout is not a new problem; however, with increasing frequency, teacher burnout leads to teacher attrition. Teacher burnout is a problem that affects school districts nationwide because of the financial and academic toll it has on education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teacher burnout, its perceived causes, and its effects in an urban high school in the northeastern United States. The conceptual framework was based on Vygotsky&rsquo;s social development theory. The research questions focused on factors that contribute to teacher burnout and teachers' perceptions of the ways in which their burnout affected instruction as well as their interactions with parents, colleagues, and administrators. The data collection method was based on in-depth interviews with 5 high school teachers who experienced burnout. The interview data were analyzed and color-coded to identify recurring themes and patterns. An individual narrative was developed for each of the 5 teachers followed by a cross-case analysis of the data. Major findings suggest that teacher burnout may result from several factors such as educational mandates, classroom discipline issues; it affects classroom instruction and impacts interaction with all educational stakeholders. The study's implications for positive social change are rooted in identifying and eliminating the factors that contribute to teacher burnout in order to retain highly qualified and motivated teachers who will provide students with consistent, high-quality, equal educational opportunities that help them reach their full academic potential. </p>

<p>Data use is proliferating in schools as a tool to inform instructional improvement. Teacher evaluation is increasingly viewed as an important data source and mechanism in this effort. This qualitative case study sought to examine how data generated from teacher evaluation and other teacher learning experiences worked in conjunction to improve practice. More specifically, this study examined the role of leadership in using data for the purpose of increasing teacher knowledge and skills. Spanning a four-month period, the study focused on eight English teachers, a principal, and two assistant principals in one high school involved in implementing a new teacher evaluation process and immersed in data use for the purpose of improving practice. Findings revealed that the principal was not well equipped to build the capacity of her staff to use data to examine their pedagogy in a way that would foster instructional innovation. Her efforts resulted in little more than minor tweaks to practice. Likewise, she did not have a clear approach to improving instruction. Her emphasis was on initiating multiple disconnected learning experiences that were not consistently aligned nor did they include an explanation of why and how these experiences would enhance instruction or an expectation for following through to ensure that new learning would take hold. Professional development was mostly delivered in a top-down fashion that resulted in the exclusion of teacher voice. Finally, the principal responded to external accountability demands by buffering her teachers from the cumbersome, unpleasant aspects of them, while simultaneously using them as leverage to pursue instructional improvement. Ultimately, despite good intentions, the principal was not well positioned to promote the use of data as a tool for teacher learning.

<p> This study is an in-depth look at the role of grades and standardized test scores in predicting future student success in the classroom, focusing on the transition from middle school to high school. It seeks to identify how practicing high school administrators can utilize these two sets of predictor data in the decision of placing students into the high school curriculum at the freshman level. A review of the literature examines research on grades to students, standardized testing practices, success at the freshman level of high school, and the connection between high school and college level placement. </p><p> Middle school grades in a student&rsquo;s core subject area classes (math, English, science and social science) were contrasted with standardized MAP test scores administered in the eighth grade year in their ability to predict ninth grade core subject area classroom performance, in order to identify which is a better predictor of future performance. </p><p> The study takes place in a high school district in Illinois. It looks specifically at the district&rsquo;s Class of 2018 and its 223 students. In the final analysis, the study found a positive correlational relationship between both middle school grades and standardized test scores and ninth grade grades. Further analysis found that, in every research question studied, middle school grades proved to be the stronger predictor of ninth grade grades. In addition, this study found middle school grades to be far stronger of a predictor suggesting that the primary determinate of placement decisions for the ninth grade can be found in the classroom track record of incoming ninth graders and not standardized test scores.</p>