<p> Changes in recent federal, state, and local legislation have added increased scrutiny of and pressure on the evaluation systems of educators across the nation. This scrutiny and pressure have prompted significant changes to both the systems and processes for determining and reporting the effectiveness of teachers and principals. One of the most substantial changes is the use of student growth goals in determining evaluation outcomes for educators. This qualitative study examined the practice and impact of student growth goals created by principals. How do principals describe the impact of evaluative student growth goals on their leadership practice? In what ways are teacher-created student growth goals reflected in the student growth goals that principals set?</p><p> To examine these questions, the researcher interviewed ten principals and analyzed the data using an open coding and thematic organization of the results. Several themes that emerged from the participant interviews included: (a) principals view improved evaluation as a crucial leadership practice; (b) principal level (i.e. elementary or secondary), rather than experience, is a critical factor in goal-setting effectiveness; and (c) principals must have expertise in collaborative leadership to effectively develop meaningful student growth goals.</p><p> The implications of these themes suggested that policymakers and practitioners increase professional development designed to improve the level of learning-focused conversations of teachers and principals, target increased professional development to secondary principals, develop student growth measures that are useful at the secondary level, and find ways to create time in the system for teachers, principals, and their evaluators to engage in these evaluation conversations. </p>

<p> This study explores teacher perceptions of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs in the classroom, with a focus on teacher use, student equity of access, and student ability to use their devices as learning tools. While one-to-one laptop programs (students assigned identical school-owned laptop or tablet) has an extensive body of literature behind it, BYOD has relatively little peer-reviewed research. </p><p> A framework was developed to guide this research that related teacher technology use, equity of student access, and student ability to learn to use the devices they brought. Two instruments were created to collect data: (a) an anonymous online survey to collect information from 108 teachers already incorporating BYOD into their classes, (b) a semi-structured interview with eleven teachers who volunteered after completing the first instrument. </p><p> Findings suggested that teachers with constructivist compatible beliefs were likely to have more positive perceptions of BYOD, as were those who worked in schools with a more positive atmosphere. Very few teachers (12%) thought that BYOD programs were inherently inequitable, although 25% thought the programs in their own school was inequitable. Teachers were concerned that all students have access to an effective device when the student did not bring one and they primarily looked to school-owned technology to be available. Teachers also reported that students could learn to use their individual devices by working with other students and through working on assignments, while teachers had specific techniques they used to support this learning. Teachers overall did not view themselves as being responsible for providing technology support to students, and instead expected students to resolve their own technology problems. Many teachers (42%) liked that students had different types of devices. </p><p> A key advantage of BYOD is the knowledge the students bring when they bring their own device. These results provide tentative support for Bring Your Own Device programs as a viable, cost- effective way for students to use their own technology for learning.</p>

<p>In 1983, the <i>A Nation at Risk</i> report stated that our educational institutions in the United States and especially in urban areas were not meeting the educational needs of our students. Since <i>A Nation at Risk</i>, elected school boards in urban areas were under fire from the media, parents, other civic and community leaders, and voters due to fiscal irresponsibility and poor student achievement. In selected urban cities across the nation, elected school boards were replaced in favor of mayoral control (e.g., Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC) and appointed school boards (Wong et al., 2007). In 1999, the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) was taken over by the state of Michigan in an effort to reform the district. In 1998 prior to the state takeover, DPS had 261 schools, 167,000 students enrolled in the district, and a $93 million budget surplus. In 2014 after several years of state control, DPS had 97 schools (&minus;62%), 47,000 students enrolled (&minus;71%) in the district, and a $232 million budget deficit (&minus;349%). During this same time period, DPS had eight different district leaders under three different school governance models. This qualitative historical case study developed an understanding of the overall impact of school governance reform on the institutional progress in DPS from 1999&ndash;2014. <i>Institutional Progress</i> examines the overall functioning of a school district in the areas of: leadership, educational programs, finances, personnel, community support and political support. This study also described the external and internal barriers preventing DPS from making institutional progress. This qualitative study utilized four data sources: interviews of current and former Detroit Public School personnel (i.e., school board members, central and building administrators, teachers, parents and community activists), Detroit Board of Education meeting minutes reports, daily newspaper coverage of DPS from the <i>Detroit Free Press </i> and the <i>Detroit News</i>, and city of Detroit archives on the annual <i>State of the City Address</i> given by Detroit mayors to determine whether or not institutional progress was achieved in DPS from 1999&ndash;2014. The findings of this study were the following: 1.) there was a lack of institutional progress in Detroit Public Schools; 2.) school governance reforms in DPS did not have a positive impact; and 3.) internal and external barriers prevented DPS from making institutional progress. </p>

<p> This qualitative research study discovers, investigates and explores how selected Latinas make meaning of their high school experience. This study also examines whether there are any resources and/or factors that contributed to their success. The 14 participants are currently enrolled as full time students at a post-secondary institution. The researcher conducted one in-depth, semi-structured interview with each participant. Qualitative research methods (Merriam, 2009) were used to analyze what participants shared. Social capital theory was the theoretical perspective that provided the lens for this study (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 2000; Stanton-Salazar, 2001). A concept map containing four categories, self, family, school and community, along with a constructivist outlook were included in the overall approach to interpret how Latinas made meaning of their experience. Results from analysis of the data revealed five main themes: (a) Self Identity, (b) Family Influences, (c) Educational Experiences, (d) Advocacy, and (e) Community Connections. These themes and the categories in the concept map are interrelated and were found to have an impact on how Latinas access, acquire, network, and build upon social capital. The conclusions, along with the implication to theory, inform the implications for practice in school systems and policy.</p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative research was to investigate student perceptions of safety at urban, suburban, and rural community colleges using three community colleges in the mid-Atlantic region. The study also examined the demographic variables (gender, race, age group, academic classification, and the geographic location). This quantitative study employed causal comparative methods to analyze data from the survey instrument on campus safety. Participants in this study were from urban, suburban, and rural community colleges in the Mid-Atlantic Region. SPSS was used to conduct the analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic variables. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were employed to test the null hypotheses at an alpha level of .05. The Kruskal Wallis was also conducted to reaffirm any significance the ANOVA test found or find significance where the ANOVA did not. The result of this study indicated that male and female students, freshmen and sophomore, and students of different races and age groups have the same perceptions of fear of crime on campus. Students from urban, suburban, and rural community colleges also perceived fear of crime the similarly. Female students were more likely than their male counterparts to perceive the likelihood of being victimized despite the geographical location. Students&rsquo; age group, racial makeup, or academic standing (freshmen and sophomore) did not differ in their perception of likelihood of being victimized. Students who were from different geographic locations had different perceptions when it came to the likelihood of being victimized on campus. Tukey <i>Post hoc</i> comparison suggests that suburban and rural community college students&rsquo; perceptions differed from those of urban community college students in terms of likelihood of being victimized but were not significantly different otherwise. The results of this study have contributed to the body of research on community college students&rsquo; perceptions of safety.</p>

<p> This qualitative study explored how parents make school-choice decisions. I conducted a basic interpretive qualitative study to collect and analyze data. I used criterion purposeful sampling to determine participants who met the criteria for this study: (a) parents who currently had students at schools of choice, and (b) parents who were entering the educational marketplace for the first time. The study used participant interviews as the primary source of data collection to develop a deeper understanding of parents&rsquo; experiences and decision making regarding school choice. </p><p> The following research questions guided the research: How do parents from a diverse Mid-Atlantic urban&ndash;suburban county make school-choice decisions for their children? What factors do parents consider when choosing a school for their children? How do parents gather information about the schools available to their children? How do parents choose the school that best fits their preferences? The experiences of the parents unfolded through a semistructured interview protocol that used open-ended questions. Several themes emerged during the interview process: expectations, access, experiences, responsibility, and decision making. I coded and analyzed the experiences shared by the parents. The data collected indicate that parents factor in many reasons and characteristics when making school-choice decisions for their children, reasons spread along continuums of academics, personal convenience, and personality and characteristics of the child. I pieced together the common themes of each individual experience like pieces of a puzzle to paint a picture that had never been shared.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to assess the effect that different North Carolina state legislation had upon overall student engagement and success in dual enrollment Huskins, Learn and Earn Online, and Concurrent enrollment in comparison to the later Career and College Promise (CCP) dual enrollment program within North Carolina community colleges. </p><p> The questions researched in this study were the following: a. Was there a difference in completion between students who were dually enrolled in North Carolina community college programs in 2008 compared to 2012, as measured by the awarding of a certificate, diploma, or degree, three years from initial enrollment? b. Was there a difference in cumulative grade point average (GPA), total college credits earned, and total courses completed between dually enrolled students in North Carolina community colleges in 2008 compared to 2012, three years from initial enrollment? c. Was there a difference in success indicators specific to gender and minority status between dually enrolled students in North Carolina community colleges in 2008 and in 2012, three years from initial enrollment? </p><p> Dual enrollment student data including student GPA, course completion rates and cumulative course completion, level of credential awarded (certificate, diploma, or degree), gender, and minority status, were retrieved from state-wide student records contained in the Data Warehouse at the North Carolina Community College System Office. Data were analyzed using a combination of chi-squared and t-test statistical tests for significance testing (Mead, 2009). The results suggest that there were higher completion rates and higher GPAs for students who participated in Career and College Promise dual enrollment over earlier programs. It appears that minority students were not negatively impacted by CCP policies, in fact, Hispanic students showed marked improvement in several areas.</p>

<p> This phenomenological study examines the impact of educator sexual misconduct on the secondary school community as seen through the lens of the principal. This study offers a greater understanding for school leaders who may face this challenging situation and provide insight into the impact educator sexual misconduct has on the school community. Through the open-ended interview protocol, participants reflected on their experiences of the events surrounding the accusation, investigation, loss of certification, and possible conviction and sentencing of a teacher on their staff who engaged in a sexual relationship with a student.</p>

<p> Parent involvement in children&rsquo;s education has long been accepted, as a positively linked variable in their children&rsquo;s educational achievement, and it has been part of general education law in the United States since 1965. Parent Involvement research in public, private, home and charter school often focuses on student outcomes as the primary effect of parental involvement, but little research exists on the effect the decision to transfer schools has on the family&rsquo;s social network or the effect of student mobility has on student outcomes (Fiel, Haskins, &amp; Turley, 2013). Using the lens of Epstein&rsquo;s Overlapping Spheres of Influence, this study sought to understand how parents see themselves in the role of education decision maker, the experiences that prompt them to transfer schools, and how their families relate to their communities during decision-making. Theories from Social Sciences disciplines were applied to provide depth to Epstein&rsquo;s Spheres: Hoover-Dempsey&rsquo;s Parent Role Construction, Blau&rsquo;s Exchange Theory, and Simon&rsquo;s Economic Theory of Bounded Rationality. Findings from this study suggest teachers, school administrators, and parents approach the education of children from priorities rooted in micro, macro, and meta ideals. Parents of middle and high school students find their need to release (launch is the term used in post-secondary education literature) their children to post high school life is often in conflict with secondary school policies that prioritize student self-advocacy over parental needs to provide, guide and rescue their children, when their children fail to negotiate on an adult level with school professionals. The study provides school leaders additional insight in to the dissonance where policies and practices may disconnect which may lead parents to pursue education channels outside of public education. The study findings also imply how school leaders and parents may find a way to work together with greater understanding or student needs, with attention to creating the best possible environments that support student learning.</p><p>

<p> The Davis Teachers Association has asserted that the Davis Joint Unified School District&rsquo;s (DJUSD&rsquo;s) beginning salary steps are lower than the starting salary steps of districts that the district competes against for the same pool of qualified teachers, and that, as a result, the DJUSD is unable to recruit high-quality teachers. Complicating this matter, the 2007&ndash;2012 recession significantly decreased the number of college graduates entering the teaching profession in California; the resulting teacher shortage makes the recruitment and retention of teachers very competitive among school districts. Viewing this issue within the context of starting salary and career earnings magnifies the need for districts to be creative in the way they advertise their salary schedules. </p><p> To assist school districts with the creative presentation of their salary schedules, this study develops the cumulative salary index (CSI). Simply defined, CSIs calculate total salary earnings for a specific block of time. Within that context, the aim of this study is to understand how beginning and ending salary differences between DJUSD and 12 other Sacramento-region school districts influence long-term earnings for teachers. From that standpoint, I ask two research questions. First, how do specific steps on the Davis teacher salary schedule compare to similar salary steps of 12 other Sacramento-region school districts that compete for the same beginning and veteran teachers, before and after integrating health benefits? Second, do districts that offer higher first and final salary steps have greater CSIs than those that offer lower first and final salary steps? I also examine the influence(s) that school site and district environmental conditions may have on teacher recruitment and retention. </p><p> I use a straightforward methodology to answer the research questions. To address the first research question, I compare specific salary steps for each of the 13 study districts, before and after the integration of health benefits. To answer the second research question, I develop educational pathway scenarios and five-year block scenarios to measure and compare the 13 districts&rsquo; various CSIs. The findings show that DJUSD&rsquo;s overall salary ranks pretty low across a variety of cells and CSIs in comparison to the other study districts. The findings also reveal that the integration of health benefits into the teacher salary schedule either positively or negatively influences how a district&rsquo;s salary ranks. Additionally, CSI comparisons between the 13 study districts reveal that just because a district has the lowest starting salary does not mean that its teachers will have the lowest career earnings. Finally, findings from this study provide additional evidence to the body of literature demonstrating that teachers are willing to compromise wages in exchange for favorable environmental conditions at school. </p><p> Based upon the observations made from this study, I recommend that school districts implement policies and practices that improve environmental conditions for teachers. As a way to provide a more comprehensive view of teacher salary, I also recommend that school districts create, promote, and utilize various CSIs when recruiting teachers.</p><p>