Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes special study report entitled: A plant selection study at the entrance area and the highway of the Hong Kong new airport at Chek Lap Kok. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.L.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes special study report entitled : A plant selection study at the entrance area and the highway of the Hong Kong new airport at Chek Lap Kok. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Michigan, 1937. / Type-written. Bibliography: 4th prelim. leaf.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1926. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves i-vii).

Instructional coaching is emerging as a job-embedded professional development tool for schools to utilize in an effort to improve teaching practice and student achievement. Since there is a lack of understanding of the differing roles served by instructional coaches in schools and the functions they perform that influence teacher utilization of best practice procedures in teaching, this study concentrated on giving voice to teachers and administrators regarding their concerns and changes in teaching behavior. By listening to the assertions of educators employed within the schools housing an instructional coach, it is possible to gain an in-depth understanding of how the presence of an instructional coach influences, or does not influence, the efforts or initiatives undertaken by the school and district to positively influence student performance. The intent of this qualitative case study was to examine the roles played by instructional coaches in two schools in the third largest district within the state of Mississippi and how administrators, teachers, and students (the stakeholders) are affected by the presence of instructional coaches within this environment, inclusive of hindrances or problems perceived. Recommendations included: (a) school districts should locate funds to assign an instructional coach to every school, (b) train the principal of the school housing an instructional coach so he understands the roles, exclusions, and possibilities inherent in the position, (c) write a detailed job description for the coaching position and devise a list of tasks the coach is NOT to perform, such as substitute in classes and evaluate teachers, to clarify the expectations for the program and communicate the true mission of the position, (d) make certain through the principal that teachers are aware of the roles to be served within the school by the instructional coach, emphasizing the fact that the coach is not a supervisor and will not serve in an evaluative capacity (e) utilize coaches to educate stakeholders on the guidelines within current legislation that affects the school community, (f) train the coaches on strategies to use in teacher training sessions that are conducted ?just in time? at the local school (g) educate the instructional coaches on adult learning theory and brain based research, (h) provide coaches with a variety of strategies that can be utilized to train teachers that are in different career stages as such differentiation of training models what is expected in the classroom, (i) hire coaches that are effective classroom teachers, (j) employ instructional coaches within a school that are leaders and have organizational skills, (k) note that obtaining similar results contained within this study may only occur if that district provides the same level of support as is offered by the district in this study, (l) make certain that district and school level administrators are aware of the literature provided by various professional education organizations in support of the instructional coaching program, (m) prepare all stakeholders for the possibility that results of the instructional coaching program may not be noted in the first year of program implementation, (n) consider the climate of the school and the stylistic and technical skills of the coach applicants in selecting the right coach for the job, (o) support for the instructional coaching program openly from the district level, (p) schedule regular meetings with other instructional coaches so they can share frustrations, strategies, and challenges, (q) utilize the expertise of the coach to analyze test data, (r) require coaches to maintain a log of their activities across the entire school year and collate that information into percentages of time spent in various activities for sharing with stakeholders, (s) allow coaches to assist each other in their area of expertise, (t) investigate how other districts are using instructional coaches and how they have resolved any defined struggles, (u) make certain that the principal and all teachers within the building understand that the instructional coach is not a part of the evaluation team, (v) design time within the school day for teachers to access the expertise of the coach, (w) voice principal support of the instructional coaching program effectively so that teachers clearly understand that the school administrator expects cooperation and collaboration to happen between the coach and teachers, (x) communicate expectations for school improvement clearly through the voice of the principal and echoed through the instructional coach and the plans put into place by the school leadership team.

Abstract A fundamental problem in the software engineering community is how to achieve a state of continuous improvement. Over the last ten years a number of studies have been made concerning various tools, methods and software process improvement project life-cycle models, but the problem persists and in many cases the software process improvement program dies off within a year. This thesis takes the assumption that the answer cannot be reduced to a single tool or method, as there are no silver bullets to complex problems. Instead the entire Software Process Engineering system should be studied to find out what elements are necessary for sustaining improvement activity on a long-term basis. Through understanding the fundamental elements of a Software Process Engineering system, the organization can manage and improve the system, tune it up to the environment and make it efficient and effective. When the system is operational, the software process improvement program, which is a part of the system, can be sustained. This research studies a case in which the Software Process Engineering system of a large, multi-site telecommunications company was successfully revised to meet the increasing improvement challenges. The revised system has proven to be capable of sustaining continuous improvement and case is used here to derive architectural design models of a Software Process Engineering system. Two such models are established here. One is a system model that is independent of implementation and identifies the main elements of a Software Process Engineering system. With the help of this model, those responsible for process improvement in their organizations can design, evaluate, and revise complete Software Process Engineering systems. The other model is a design of a multi-site Software Process Engineering organization, and identifies not only the operative part of the organization but also the key non-operative elements that a Software Process Engineering system needs to work with. With the help of this model a multi-site organization can set up the operative Software Process Engineering organization and plan for strategies for managing the cooperation with the interfacing entities up front, rather than ending up managing such contacts on a reactive fashion.

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that contribute to the successful turnaround of schools. This research was conducted in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District of the North West Province. The case study method was used and one school was purposefully selected from a number of schools in the district, because it had just recently managed to turn itself around. The participants in the study were the principal, six teachers (one of whom was Head of department) and fifteen learners. Data were collected by means of qualitative interviews and a written open - ended questionnaire. The data were analyzed by means of qualitative data analysis methods which involved first, transcribing the interviews verbatim and sorting the data into themes and categories. On the question, "What factors contribute to the successful turnaround of schools?" the study revealed that an effective leadership style constitutes one of the most important factors contributing to the turnaround of a school. In addition, communication and mutual relationship among learners, staff and parents is important for effective learning to take place. In order for a school to be successful, it is recommended that the principal demonstrates an appropriate leadership style which will involve all learners, SUB members, parents and teachers in improvement efforts in the school. Principals, teachers, learners and communities should work together to ensure the successful turnaround of their schools. / Thesis (M.Ed) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

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