<p> The quality of teacher education allows first-year teachers to meet mandates at federal and state levels (Darling-Hammond, 2010a). The teaching profession is complex and requires new and innovative quality preparation programs (Wei, Andree, &amp; Darling-Hammond, 2009). This study involved examination of the perceptions of 17 building principals and 16 first-year teachers to determine the effectiveness of teacher preparation. First-year teachers identified essential elements of teacher preparation and weaknesses of programs. The study addressed building principals&rsquo; perceptions of differences, if any, in the effectiveness of first-year teachers graduating from traditional teacher preparation programs and first-year teachers who choose alternative routes to the profession. Perceptions of first-year teachers and building principals were identified in regard to the skills of first-year teachers in the classroom. Building principal perceptions indicated first-year teachers are prepared as effective classroom teachers in the areas of content knowledge, creating positive environments, classroom management, cooperative learning, cooperative partnership, implementing curriculum, use of technology and communication; understanding student learning, growth, and development; and performing roles, responsibilities, and collegial activities. Identified weakness in the effectiveness of first-year teachers were in the areas of instruction and assessment. Building principals indicated first-year teachers from traditional programs were more effective than those who chose alternative programs. First-year teachers indicated essential elements of teacher preparation programs to be organization, classroom structure, positive reinforcement, classroom management, and implementing a variety of instructional strategies. Areas of weakness identified were time-management, parent teacher conference experiences, preparing the classroom environment, and time for realistic opportunities to experience classroom teaching. First-year teachers perceived their preparation to be more positive than building-principal perceptions in the areas of analyzing instructional goals and differentiated instructional strategies, teaching for critical thinking, effects of instruction on individual/class learning, use of student assessment data to analyze and modify instruction, assessment data to improve learning, and self-assessment. </p>

<p> This study involved a mixed design to generate the perceptions of students and teachers about failing ninth-grade students and the impact of learning resources. The participants in this study were a purposive selection of ninth-grade students and ninth-grade teachers in one Missouri school district. The conceptual framework of this study was based on the premise that ninth-grade students who failed multiple classes also lacked learning resources. The learning resources were categorized into cultural and physical resources. To determine if learning resources had an impact on the ninth-grade students&rsquo; academic performance, the perceptions of the failing ninth-grade students were analyzed through a student survey and one-on-one interviews. In addition, ninth-grade teachers were surveyed, and their perceptions were included in the data analysis. The results of the data analysis indicated the students and teachers perceived the ninth-grade students had inadequate levels of family and friend support, lacked motivation and preparation for school, and made poor decisions that negatively impacted their academic performance. Furthermore, the perceptions of both students and teachers indicated the failing ninth-grade students did not lack physical resources. One significant aspect of this study was through the data collection process and the challenge of managing at-risk students. The students&rsquo; at-risk factors included attendance, discipline infractions, and course failure. These factors, along with irresponsibility, created barriers for the student participants and contributed to a 17.2% completion rate. </p>

<p> Extracurricular activities have been an important part of adolescents&rsquo; lives for generations (Kremer-Sadlik, Izquierdo, &amp; Fatigante, 2010). Extracurricular activities take place outside of the classroom and result in several benefits to students (National Federation of State High School Associations [NFHS], 2010). With the recent recession in the United States, many school districts are having to find ways to cut budgets and are looking at eliminating extracurricular activities to save money (Lamb, 2011). Data from graduating seniors were reviewed in the largest accredited public school district in a Midwestern state. Graduates are required to take a post-follow up survey upon graduating from high school (DESE, 2015). This study involved examination of what those graduates who participated in extracurricular activities while in high school did after graduating. Five high schools were examined within the school district. Each of the five high schools creates an eligibility roster of students who participate in extracurricular activities. The data were collected from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 graduating classes. Graduates who did and did not participate in extracurricular activities were compared, noting whether they went on to college or the military or the workforce. The data revealed more students who participated in extracurricular activities while in high school went on to college than did those students who did not participate.</p>

<p> A pilot study on the effects of mentoring on ninth-grade at-risk African American males was completed with 25 students. This study was conducted during one calendar school year. The purpose was to use mentoring as an added intervention in support of some struggling students, males in particular, who were at-risk of dropping out of school before graduation. This study was meaningful, because these students were consistently failing, and the school was looking for innovative ways to academically encourage these at-risk students.</p><p> The study was conducted at a ninth grade academy directly linked to the high school, in an urban city. This academy facilitated approximately 426 ninth-grade students. Ninety-nine percent of the students received free and reduced lunch.</p><p> The overall research question was, does volunteer mentoring affect the educational success of ninth-grade at-risk African American male students? The research methodology was qualitative. The researcher used interviews and surveys to examine the students&rsquo; expectations of the mentoring program and the results. The mentoring program took place twice a month with four volunteer mentors. The qualitative data conveyed information on 25 African American ninth-grade male students&rsquo; grades, attendance rates, and number of discipline referrals they received.</p><p> The outcomes revealed that the students, parents, and mentors perceived the pilot study of the mentoring program to help keep the students in school. However, the students and the mentors declared that the program was too short and needed more time during the sessions or more sessions. The students considered the mentors to be someone that they could talk to and look up to. The teachers were supportive of the program as an added intervention and were flexible in allowing the students to participate in the program. In conclusion, data revealed there was not a significant change in the students&rsquo; attendance, behavior, or grades as a result of the mentoring program. However, research disclosed that mentoring at-risk students does affect the educational success of students.</p>

<p> Student retention has been consequential to students through an assortment of disparaging labels derived from the retention process. It served to marginalize the academic status of those students considered for retention through such practices as ability tracking, inferior labeling, and other discriminatory measures, as they moved through their respective academic journeys. And while both research current to the time of this writing and past research continued to be overwhelming in its stance that such policies and procedures were filled with negative unintended consequences, there was still little or no effort to abate such practices (Allensworth, 2004). This research explored whether student retention policies and procedures at the elementary level were addressed and exercised with consistency, practiced with fidelity, and fully understood by all who participated in the retention decision-making process. Furthermore, were those who are tasked with the decision to retain, doing so in a manner that provided each student considered for retention a process of fairness and equity. The researcher examined the impact of absence of systematic retention procedures through the lens of a mixedmethods research study of a large Midwest metropolitan school district. This study utilized two instruments to acquire data for the proposed research questions. The <i> Teacher Retention Belief and Knowledge Questionnaire,</i> used by Witmer, Hoffman, and Nottis (2004), followed by interviews of selected elementary principals and district assistant superintendents. The findings from this research proved inconclusive with regard to responses to intervention strategies, resource availability for retained students, and the employment of then-current research literature and practices as part of the student retention decision-making protocol.</p>

<p> With schools having an ever-increasing interest in reducing acts of violence and reducing the incidence of out-of-school suspension, new interventions are constantly being sought. How the program is implemented can play a significant role in program effectiveness. Durlak (1998) found that many evaluation methods did not consider the implementation process because they were done after the implementation of the program. Whether an evidence-based intervention would have a positive effect depended on closely following the details of the implementation process (Durlak, 1998). This study was motivated by four research questions: (a) Was the process used to implement Positive Behavior Intervention and Support at a suburban high school? (b) Were the seven components for Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program development identified by Colvin addressed? (c) What are the adaptations that need to be made to make Positive Behavior Intervention and Support appropriate for high school students? and (d) Do staff members feel Positive Behavior Intervention and Support is having an impact on discipline at the high school level? The purpose of the study was to (a) Document how Positive Behavior Intervention and Support was implemented in a suburban high school, (b) Explore unique challenges at the high school and how the challenges are met, (c) Document the impact on discipline, school culture, teacher perception and (d) Determine if staff members feel Positive Behavior Intervention and Support is having an impact on discipline. The qualitative method is employed to explore the research questions. Staff members at the suburban high school in the study completed an 18-question survey using an online survey tool. Data were also gathered with six staff members who volunteered to participate in the face-to-face interviews. The online survey tool Survey Monkey was used to gather the data. The findings from the 18 survey questions supported the responses that provided the evidence that implementation processes were followed. The face-to-face interviews allowed the interviewees to share their personal perspectives. The themes that surfaced from the survey questions and the face-to-face interviews were similar. The importance of staff buy-in was a frequent theme that is repeated in the surveys and the interviews. Communication was another common theme. The study highlighted recommendations such as the importance of student involvement at the high school level and student participation of the leadership team for any new initiative that is being implements. Understanding the factors that can influence successful implementation was one of the most important findings of the study.</p>

<p> In this mixed-methods study, the researcher investigated teacher fidelity of implementation with cooperative learning structures, according to the Kagan Framework, related to students&rsquo; academic achievement and perceptions of cooperative learning. An analysis of the variations in teacher implementation of cooperative learning structures utilizing the Kagan Framework, based on the fidelity checklists, was completed during the study. In addition, the researcher examined the differences in mean achievement scores during baseline (i.e., traditional teaching practices) and intervention (i.e., cooperative learning structures) weeks, a correlation of relevant data points, and a discussion of teacher interviews, surveys, checklists, observations, and student surveys. To investigate teacher fidelity of implementation the researcher employed an A-B-A-B, single-case research design to examine the outcomes of the three Kagan structures (Flashcard Game, Quiz Quiz Trade, and Numbered Heads Together) on pupil performance measured by formative and summative assessments and students&rsquo; self-assessments of their word knowledge. Three teachers (i.e., Teacher A, B, and C) with various levels of experience in using cooperative learning structures and 48 students served as participants. The findings indicated high student achievement with Teacher B&rsquo;s students, while student achievement in Teacher A or C&rsquo;s classrooms were inconsistent. Teacher B&rsquo;s implementation (98.4%) of cooperative learning structures, according to the Kagan Framework, resulted in statistically significant student achievement during intervention weeks. Furthermore, the researcher noted relationships between student confidence levels and student achievement scores for Teacher B&rsquo;s students for all baseline and intervention weeks. Teacher A&rsquo;s and Teacher C&rsquo;s implementation of cooperative learning structures deviated frequently and resulted in inconsistent student achievement during intervention weeks. In addition, for students in Teacher A and C&rsquo;s classrooms, the relationships between student confidence levels and student achievement scores were inconsistent and students lacked confidence in their own knowledge and actual achievement. Qualitative data showed overall teachers perceived the cooperative learning structures as valuable instructional strategies that engaged and motivated students to learn. The researcher suggested school districts must ensure high teacher fidelity of implementation according to the defined components of strategies and programs to guarantee consistent academic achievement for students.</p>

<p> The Missouri School Improvement Plan&rsquo;s fourth standard addresses the importance of attendance to the accreditation of school districts. Because of this standard many school districts are in need of a successful plan to increase attendance; therefore, this study was designed to determine the extrinsic motivators educators use to encourage attendance and the influence the motivators have on students. The population for this study included accredited public school districts in the west central and southwest regions of Missouri. A stratified sample consisting of 45 high schools was selected from public school districts with 400 or fewer students in grades K-12 during the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 school years. From this group, 20 high school principals agreed to participate in the study. Principals completed a survey which was designed to identify extrinsic motivators used to increase attendance rates in their respective districts. Survey results indicated nine different motivators were used among the 20 schools with a final exam exemption identified as the most frequently used and most effective motivator. Attendance data from the Annual Performance Report (APR) for each participating high school were collected. The data revealed only four of the 20 high schools recorded an increase in average daily attendance in school years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015; however, the majority of the 20 high schools&rsquo; attendance rates were higher than the average daily attendance rate of the state. When attendance rates were reviewed with the survey results, there was little or no increase in attendance rates based on the number of motivators used in the participating high schools.</p>

<p> This purpose of this study was twofold: (1) investigate effective instructional strategies for athletic training education, and (2) investigate a correlation between research-based instructional strategies and first attempt success on the Board of Certification (BOC) examination. Research based instructional strategies exist within allied health education, however, no previous research set out to specifically identify instructional strategies which lead to first attempt success on the BOC examination. Therefore, a mixed-method investigation of research based instructional strategies was performed, and correlation data between instructional strategies and success on the BOC examination were collected. Data produced by the study revealed that instructional strategies based on feedback and metacognition, inductive instruction, and teacher-centered instruction correlate to first attempt success on the BOC examination. In addition, data produced also suggests that a prevalent misconception of the perceptions of instructional strategies exists between athletic training students and athletic training instructors. Based on the data presented, researcher recommends the use of a blended design to instruction, which allows for guided instructions, feedback interactions, and frequent meta-cognitive development opportunities for the athletic training student.</p><p>

<p> Low socioeconomic status is widespread throughout the United States (Makarewicz, 2013). Education is one factor to help people break the cycle of poverty (Payne, 2013). This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of one-to-one technology on equipping students from low-income families with the education needed to break the cycle of generational poverty. A rural school district in southwest Missouri was selected for the study. Students, parents, and educators were surveyed to gain their perspectives concerning the efficiency of one-to-one technology. Data were gathered to assess the statistical differences in English II end-of-course exam scores, attendance rates, graduation rates, and free and reduced price meal counts prior to versus after the implementation of one-to-one technology. A <i>t</i>-test was performed on the data gathered. After analyzing the data, it was discovered attendance was least affected by the one-to-one technology program. Graduation rates unfortunately dropped; however, English II end-of-course exam scores increased, and free and reduced price meal counts decreased.</p><p>