<p> The opportunity for the nation&rsquo;s students to secure gainful employment and economic stability is becoming increasingly tied to the attainment of postsecondary education (OECD, 2016). Student postsecondary success is tied to students&rsquo; level of college and career readiness, which can be partially attributed to the quality of education received in their K-12 studies. Current standards-based reform policy connected to the Common Core State Standards has been developed to promote college and career readiness through the provision of equitable standards for all students. The introduction and successful implementation of the CCSS requires teachers to shift their instruction to assist students with mastering the standards. As these changes are implemented across the nation, it becomes imperative that teachers understand the changes required of students as well as instruction tied to the standards, and can implement them, enabling students to master the concepts and skills associated with their grade and preparing them for the postsecondary studies needed to assist with the attainment of educational equity and a foundation for postsecondary success (Rothman, 2011). The CCSS are now 7 years old, and Louisiana educators have been using them as a basis for instruction for the past 5 years. Are Louisiana teachers fully aware of what instruction aligned to the standards truly means, and their role in advancing equal educational opportunities for students and the achievement of postsecondary success? </p><p> This phenomenological case captures data regarding teachers&rsquo; experiences with and understanding of the CCSS, the types of thinking required of college and career ready students, the instructional shifts needed for students to successfully access the standards, and the roles of teachers and of the standards in advancing equal educational opportunities for students. Based on the analysis of data from interviews and focus group discussion, the researcher found that (1) teachers are aware of the types of thinking and instructional shifts required of the CCSS, but are still experiencing a steep learning curve, and (2) although equity and equal educational opportunity are the intent of the standards, it may not be the reality. The reality is that the teacher makes the difference and provides the opportunity.</p><p>

<p> The current mixed method study explored the job satisfaction perceptions and retention plans of 241 secondary science teachers from seven North Texas school districts. For the current study, an email questionnaire was sent to seven districts across 83 secondary campuses, which included 51 middle schools and 32 high schools. The current study intended to find reasons why secondary science teachers continue to teach or decide to leave the profession. The participants&rsquo; perceptions and intentions to continue teaching were gathered through an online survey which gathered data across seven job satisfaction domains. Demographic and retention responses provided additional data on each participant. Through a quantitative analysis of Likert type survey responses and qualitative analysis of open-ended retention responses, the current study explored secondary science teachers&rsquo; perceptions and intentions to stay teaching. The quantitative analysis of survey data found significant differences in almost all of the job satisfaction domains for all teachers. There were also significant differences across some demographic groups as well. Through a qualitative analysis, motivation to teach was the leading predictor for retention. On the other hand, school culture and compensation were the top reasons for teachers planning to leave the classroom. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative retrospective causal-comparative study was to determine to what extent the form of professional development (face-to-face or online) or the level of instruction (elementary or high school) has on classroom teaching practices as measured by student learning outcomes. The first research question sought to determine to what extent the form of professional development affects classroom teaching practices as measured by student learning outcomes. The second research questions sought to determine to what extent the level of instruction affects classroom teaching practices as measured by student learning outcomes. The sample was 432 Ohio teachers who participated in the Ohio Performance Assessment Pilot Project. There were 105 teachers who engaged in face-to-face professional development and 327 teachers who engaged in online professional development. There were 216 elementary teachers and 216 high school teachers. An independent samples <i>t</i>-test with a probability level of <i>p</i> = 0.05 was used to determine the differences in student learning outcomes by form of professional development and level of instruction. This study found there is no statistically significant difference between teachers who engaged in face-to-face professional development (<i>M</i> = 0.519) or online (<i>M</i> = .467) or teachers who taught elementary (<i>M</i> = 0.524) or high school (<i> M</i> = 0.493). These findings suggest when the content of professional development is comparable, the form of professional development and the level of instruction have minimal effect on student learning outcomes. </p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to discover the factors which contribute to the positive transformation of a comprehensive public high school&rsquo;s culture as perceived by the school&rsquo;s administrators, teachers, and classified staff. An additional purpose of the study is to determine what similarities and differences exist between the perceptions of administrators, teachers, and classified staff. </p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> The researcher identified comprehensive public high schools within the state of California where measurable growth in positive perceptions of school culture had been achieved within the preceding two to four years. Of this target population, six schools were identified, through which the researcher conducted individual interviews with each principal and focus group discussions with separate groups of six to eight teachers and six to eight classified staff members at each school site. Additionally, the researcher participated in observations at each school site and gathered artifacts to support the data garnered through the interviews and focus group discussions. </p><p> <b>Findings:</b> Participants recognized trust, relationships, and shared values as the fundamental components of a positive school culture. Principals perceived shared leadership and decision making as vital, while teachers and classified staff members responded strongly to the inspiring vision of a passionate school leader. Classified staff members also responded strongly to the importance of communication within the organization. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> Cultural change efforts require time, patience, empathy, and willingness to engage in conflict and honest discourse. Additionally, schools with strong, positive culture create an environment that is student-centered, feels like home/family, and values all stakeholders as equally important. All decisions, goals, and plans are rooted in the shared values of the school community, which are communicated constantly in various ways. </p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> School leaders hoping to positively shift their cultures must engage all stakeholders in the development of shared values, implement structures that facilitate the building of relationships, celebrate risk-taking and small wins, demonstrate and inspire trust, and develop methods to assess and constantly reassess the aspects of their schools&rsquo; cultures in order to spark a call to action that will resonate with stakeholders.</p><p>

<p> Though much is known about the school environments that increase students&rsquo; access to opportunity, the process for developing conditions that presage such outcomes remains a pertinent area of study. The reality that widespread school performance has yet to realize the promise of true educational equity, particularly in urban settings, attests to the challenge. In the search for solutions, one response across decades has been to grant schools autonomy, a trend that continues today. The goal of this research study is to understand the process by which a school in such a context builds its capacity to improve student outcomes. With capacity seen as a function of available information, the relationships and organizational structures are given particular attention knowing that such mechanisms serve as conduits for information exchange in organizations. It is seen the presence of strong relationships and strong organizational structures are necessary but not sufficient for productive information exchange. In order to realize their full utility, leadership must cultivate relational trust and manage expectations of their duties as leader. Moreover, organizational activity must align to the school&rsquo;s desired direction and capitalize upon available capabilities. Finally, the importance of clear communication about autonomy&rsquo;s multiple dimensions related to schools is seen. The results of this case study suggest that relationships and organizational structures can illuminate the complex work of serving students in the context of a school granted autonomy while calling for greater nuance in the idea&rsquo;s conceptualization as a means for school improvement.</p><p>

<p> This study examined the effects of a school improvement project involving Distributed leadership (DL), a perspective for studying or developing organization leadership through the interaction of organizational members and activities. This research was part of a larger DL Project taking place in York City School District, PA, which sought to improve school leadership to enhance student achievement as a final end. While recent studies provided significant findings about DL&rsquo;s contribution to school improvement, the literature begs for more research about the effects of distributed leadership. One of the effects the DL Project wished to accomplish was the development of trust among the DL teams. According to the literature, trust has a direct link to academic achievement and school improvement respectively. Similarly, it was expected that this effect would improve the implementation of the DL Project. This smaller study sought to answer how, if at all, the DL Project implementation changed trust on the teams and in the schools; and how the experience of doing an evidence-based project, within the DL Project, contributed to the changes in trust in the teams over time. The two-month study took place in York City schools and involved the first-year of the DL Project, and as participants, DL team members and members from the staff. An embedded mixed methods approach was used to collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data from project archives, surveys and interviews. The analysis suggests that trust changed positively or negatively within the first year of the Distributed Leadership (DL) intervention; The DL Project mainly improved respect and integrity (two dimension of trust) among the teams and in the school; The other two dimensions of trust were highly affected during the first year of the DL Project implementation: Competence and personal regard; Improvements in trust are less evident in the first year; The context can greatly affect trust changes; and the evidence-based project proved to catalyze changes in trust during the first year.</p><p>

<p> The principal is ultimately responsible for decisions regarding the master schedule at the elementary level of education (Canady &amp; Rettig, 2013; Young, 2008), and these scheduling decisions are influenced by multiple factors (Benamati, 2010; Harris, 2013; Howard &amp; Rakoz, 2009). Although principals have become increasingly aware of the need to use data to make informed decisions (Holcomb, 2012; Marzano, Waters, &amp; McNulty, 2005; O&rsquo;Neal, 2012), data pertaining to the relationship between scheduled opportunities for students to participate in physical activity and academic achievement is limited. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of principals&rsquo; scheduling decisions regarding how much time is designated for daily physical activity for third grade students in Virginia and the relationship between these decisions and academic performance. </p><p> A survey of public school principals was used to collect information regarding scheduling decisions, as well as the role of accountability, wellness legislation, and other factors that may possibly influence decisions. This survey collected scheduling information regarding the opportunity for students to participate in physical activity as part of the scheduled curriculum. These data were compared to each school&rsquo;s academic achievement, which was measured by students&rsquo; performance on Virginia&rsquo;s Standards of Learning (SOL) exams in third grade reading as reported by school leaders. </p><p> Based on the results of this study, school leaders identified multiple factors influencing their scheduling decisions pertaining to opportunities for students to participate in physical activity. These factors of influence were coded into six categories: accountability demands of the SOLs, student health, autonomy limitations, time limitations, resource limitations, and liability risks. School leaders reported accountability demands of the SOLs as having the greatest influence on their scheduling decisions. </p><p> Based on the data reported by school leaders, there is a significant positive correlation between the daily duration of scheduled physical activity and the academic performance of the school on the Grade Three Reading SOLs. Adjusting for socioeconomic status using the percentage of students receiving free or reduced priced meals, the scheduled duration of physical activity was a better predictor than the duration of reading instruction in predicting academic performance.</p><p>

<p> Municipalities, administrators, and teachers have faced the challenge of school violence since public education began. In some states, legislatures have passed special legislation granting specific benefits to teachers who are injured by violence while on duty. Louisiana&rsquo;s teacher assault pay statute provides that a teacher who is away from work due to an assault by a student or other person is entitled to full pay without any deductions from the teacher&rsquo;s accumulated sick leave. However, the meaning of that statute has been disputed in litigation between teachers who suffered injuries and Louisiana school boards that seek to limit their responsibility for paying teachers who are on leave due to workplace violence.</p><p> As a matter of public policy, teachers who are injured in the workplace by acts of violence should receive special compensation, whether the violence was perpetuated by a student or any other person. And teachers who are harmed by a violent incident deserve special compensation whether or not the teacher was the intended victim of a violent act.</p><p> This study analyzed Louisiana appellate court decisions that interpreted the Louisiana teacher assault pay statute, as well as the teacher assault statutes that have been adopted in twelve other states. Based on this analysis, the researcher drafted a proposal for a model teacher assault pay statute that codifies the public policy considerations in favor of compensating teachers for injuries caused by workplace violence. The model statute grants injured teachers up to one year&rsquo;s compensation without reduction in accumulated sick leave, and the statute clarifies that a teacher victimized by violence is entitled to the benefits of the teacher assault pay statute, regardless of whether the teacher was the intended victim.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to an investigate school administrator perceptions of their authority to intervene in disciplinary issues that arise from students&rsquo; use of social media. The overarching question for this proposal was: <i>How do educational leaders view their role in protecting students and the learning environment from student misconduct that occurs off campus?</i></p><p> The exponential use of personal technology allows students to continuously interact with each other, even off school campus. Some of this interaction represents a continually unwanted harassment between students. In Louisiana, there have been at least three documented cases of students committing suicide following negative exchanges online with their peers. Such negative communications between students may also disturb the learning environment of the school. School districts may also vary in their approach to addressing issues originating either off campus or on social media.</p><p>

<p> Students are coming to school with myriad issues that teachers and schools cannot address alone. ecological systems theory posits that the environments with which a child comes into contact, either directly or indirectly, can impact her or his development (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). With the support of community partner organizations in the local community, community schools can effectively respond to students&rsquo; needs and help them navigate the interconnected web of environments. Through interviews, focus groups, and a document review, this cross-site case study explored the practices that are employed by community school leaders (school staff and employees of community partner organizations) at two pilot high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), to implement six guiding principles of community schools. </p><p> The study also captured impacts of these practices through participants&rsquo; perceptions, documents, and the application of transformative leadership theory. The findings revealed that the pilot school model is a natural avenue for the community schools strategy, and that intentional practices and a shared vision by all stakeholders can result in transformative impacts on students and the school as a whole. District and school leaders could consider developing processes and systems for implementing a community schools strategy district-wide by providing funding for community school coordinators for school sites, working with school leaders to develop their shared decision-making skills, and leveraging the assets and resources of community partners.</p><p>