<p> This mixed-methods case study examined the impact of a mandatory service-learning intervention college preparatory elective class on at-risk students in a Southern California charter high school. At-risk was defined as, disadvantaged high school students from low income families and possessing poor health, cognitive problems and/or behavior issues that might hinder educational attainment. The embedded design analyzed two years of archival data from four student cohorts (<i>n</i> = 133), all of whom had the same instructor, who was trained to lead the class. The study included a quantitative survey taken by the students at the program&rsquo;s beginning and end, demographic information, students&rsquo; GPAs, attendance records, and reflective journals and notes from the teacher of the class. </p><p> The examination of academic achievements of participating students found that student participants increased their school attendance and overall GPA following completion of the class. Including student voice in instructional activities and reflection in writing journals contributed to developing the students&rsquo; understanding of leadership capabilities. These leadership capabilities included their change in self-awareness that they and their friends could assume positive leadership roles. Following the class, female students significantly increased their participation in clubs and organizations on campus. </p><p> During data analyses, the data coders noted that over the course of the study, the instructor became more focused and included more activities into the class. In year one more than 50% of students were unable to participate in the service-learning project (SLP) prior to the semester&rsquo;s completion. In year two, the program instructor decreased the time spent on formal curriculum to allow students the opportunity to increase their time spent working on actual SLP. Since then, the service-learning program has been embraced by students and administration as these at-risk students build relationships with their peers and identify student leaders based on their experiences in the ACT program. </p><p> Recommendations include that the SLP increase hands-on activities and seek formal opportunities to engage students in diverse communities. In that process, the SLP should garner student input in the implementation and design of the SLP to ensure that the curriculum, activities and projects remain relevant to at-risk SLP students.</p><p>

<p> A shortage of teachers is a serious threat to today&rsquo;s schools as between 30% and 50% of teachers leave the profession within the first five years. A need exists to develop teacher induction programs that begin with learning to teach through situated engagement, rather than mere knowledge acquisition, so that novices stay in the profession. </p><p> Due to the social nature of this study, and the reliance on participants&rsquo; perceptions, social constructionism was selected as the epistemology with situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation as the theoretical perspectives to conduct a multiple descriptive case study methodology that involved document analysis and interview research to explore the efforts of one private, faith-based university in the Eastern United States to prepare high school math and science teachers to fill the current teacher shortage. </p><p> The over-arching finding was the notion that the Fellows learned through every day formal and informal interactions with their Mentor Teachers during their shared practices. Significant learning occurred through increasing social practices, which were part of a community of practice. The situated engagement allowed the Fellows to develop an identity within the community, undergo a process of change, and become a full member by acquiring the language and knowledge of the group. </p><p> Preparation programs that provide strong mentoring and induction may experience lower rates of turnover among graduates. The impact of the intense and lengthy mentoring that candidates receive is highly dependent upon appropriate personality matches between mentors and mentees, the time devoted by all parties involved, and the chance to have an extended experience that allows for a true understanding of what the teaching profession entails. </p><p> Future research should include investigations of other teacher preparation programs, longitudinal studies that follow novice teachers during the induction phase of their career, and studies that look more closely at the effect that these novices have on student learning.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of the current study was to understand the ways that heads of evangelical Christian schools exercise pastoral leadership in order to enrich the culture and community of their schools, promote student outcomes, and enhance the Christian ethos of their institutions. The current study filled the gap in previous literature through a qualitative multiple case study method examining and describing the means and modes by which three heads of evangelical Christian schools led their school communities, as perceived by the heads, board members, senior leaders, faculty members, students, and parents within the school. What emerged from the research is that the heads provided pastoral leadership for their schools through: (a) proclaiming God&rsquo;s word&ndash;communicating the mission, vision, and values of the school&rsquo;s distinctively-Christian character to the community, living those values incarnationally, and connecting Scripture to the daily context of the school; (b) demonstrating genuine pastoral soul care and concern for staff, students, and parents, care that connected school family members with the school and allowed them to internalize and reflect school values themselves; and, (c) equipping senior leaders, faculty, students, and parents to serve the school community and each other, stewarding the resources of the school. The heads&rsquo; pastoral leadership created cultures of authentic Christian care and community, flourishing climates in which faculty felt free to collaborate, work as a team, and share craft knowledge. Students felt cared for and safe to take academic risks, ask questions, and try harder, all of which provided healthy media for learning. Keywords: pastoral leadership, head of school, evangelical Christian school, Christian educational leadership, pastoral care.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation examines the role of the faculty-student interaction in the perceived sense of belonging first generation students experience while attending 2-year community college. While Strayhorn&rsquo;s (2012) definition of sense of belonging is referenced this researcher has developed a diagram that focuses on the sense of belonging that focuses specifically on the 2-year community college student due to the fact that the theoretical frameworks regarding sense of belonging focus, primarily, on the perception of belonging among college students attending residential 4-year colleges and universities. The sense of belonging for first-generation, community college students suggests that a student&rsquo;s perceived sense of belonging (what is referred to as <i> internal)</i> is influenced by the faculty-student interaction; particularly by the external (what is referred to as <i>behavioral)</i> actions of faculty. The first-generation student&rsquo;s perception of belonging, those students whose parents do not have a college degree, will be discussed; in particular, the research examines the experiences of first-generation African American and Latino, community college, students. The perceptions of belonging were uncovered through the use of one on one interviews and an examination of the 2014 responses by first-generation students to the University of Texas (2015) Community College Survey on Student Engagement (CCSSE). This is not a true mixed methods study as the data from CCSSE was used for reporting purposes only. The focus on the lived experience provided this study with rich and insightful material that adds to the limited body of research related to the community college as a post-secondary institution.</p><p>

<p> Racial disparities in educational achievement have been a persistent phenomenon in the United States. This inequity has been described as educational &ldquo;opportunity gaps&rdquo;, &ldquo;education debts&rdquo;, and &ldquo;achievement gaps&rdquo;. Education debt refers to the year after year amassed racial and ethnic achievement gaps that result in a debt for most minoritized groups in comparison to White and Asian students. Despite the repeated significance of focusing on education inequalities concerning race and ethnicity, there is a paucity of research that examines the interrelatedness of school climate and academic achievement specifically with respect to racial and ethnic differences. The ecology of human development framework provides a complex lens to better understand the students&rsquo; experiences in the environment of the school. For this quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to answer the research questions about the extent that high school students&rsquo; perceptions of school climate predicted their self-reported grades, whether they differed as a function of students&rsquo; race and ethnicity, and whether the magnitude between race/ethnicity groups was substantial. Overall, evidence was found for the unceasing and persisting education debt for minoritized groups regarding their grades, but also in connection to the influence of school aspects on their academic achievement. For Black and American Indian/Alaska Native students the results indicated an intensification of the education debt through the considerably lower impact of school climate characteristics on grades than for White and Asian. For Mixed, Latin@, and Other the debt appeared to be unchanging due to similarly small impacts as for White and Asian, yet, not lessening due to their lower grades.</p><p>

<p> Most decision analysis techniques are not taught at higher education institutions. Leaders, project managers and procurement agents in industry have strong technical knowledge, and it is crucial for them to apply this knowledge at the right time to make critical decisions. There are uncertainties, problems, and risks involved in business processes. Decisions must be made by responsible parties to address these problems in order to sustain and grow the company business. </p><p> This study investigates some of the most recognized decision analysis techniques applied by global leaders from 2006 to 2016. Several decision analysis tools are introduced such as heuristic decisions, multi-attribute rating, decision trees, Monte-Carlo simulations and influence diagrams. The theoretical development framework is presented. The approach for this research is Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate (ADDIE), which included cognitive, behavioral, and constructive learning theories. Some of the top decision analysis skills needed for today&rsquo;s leaders and managers from literature review over the past decade (2006 to 2016), were taught to organization leadership doctorate students. Research scheme, the method chosen for selecting the topic, group of contributors, and the method selected for collecting the data are offered. </p><p> The learners were in their senior year of a leadership doctorate program and they did not need leadership training along with decision analysis technique training. Older learners had more interest in learning the fishbone and influence diagrams prior to the training. Students with intermediate math were more interested in learning about strategic planning techniques before training. The trainees with more computer skills were interested in learning the Zachman framework technique, which was surprising to the researcher since this tool does not require extensive computer skills. </p><p> After the training, the researcher observed that learners with higher computer skills showed more interest in learning about group decision-making (consensus versus analytic hierarchy process). That students with intermediate math skills were more interested in top-down induction of decision trees, algorithm decision making (data mining and knowledge discovery), and strategic planning techniques. </p><p> Spearman correlations with a moderate strength showed that older respondents tended to be more interested in the analytical hierarchy process, fishbone diagram, and risk analysis tool. After the training, students with stronger computer skills showed greater curiosity about learning more about the decision tree analysis, Zachman framework, and risk analysis. It made sense that students with weaker computer skills were less eager to learn about the Monte-Carlo simulation.</p><p>

<p> Improving the STEM readiness of students from historically underserved groups is a moral and economic imperative requiring greater attention and effort than has been shown to date. The current literature suggests a high school science sequence beginning with physics and centered on developing conceptual understanding, using inquiry labs and modeling to allow students to explore new ideas, and addressing and correcting student misconceptions can increase student interest in and preparation for STEM careers. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to determine if the science college readiness of historically underserved students can be improved by implementing an inquiry-based high school science sequence comprised of coursework in physics, chemistry, and biology for every student. The study used a retrospective cohort observational design to address the primary research question: are there differences between historically underserved students completing a Physics First science sequence and their peers completing a traditional science sequence in 1) science college-readiness test scores, 2) rates of science college-and career-readiness, and 3) interest in STEM? Small positive effects were found for all three outcomes for historically underserved students in the Physics First sequence.</p><p>

<p> Extensive research confirms that a high school diploma has a lasting value on future educational opportunities and career goals. Some students, in their transition to high school, can harm grade point averages to such a degree that future opportunities for rigorous courses or post high school opportunities are diminished. Caring relationships are a critical element in the motivation and encouragement of most of life&rsquo;s endeavors and the purposeful creating of this type of relationship within the school day could have a positive impact on a student's&rsquo; success. The improvement in semester grades for the first semester of high school could only serve to increase the probability of future success in school. </p><p> This quantitative study, utilizing a quasi-experimental design, looked at the immediate impact of using teachers as mentors for struggling students during the first semester of their transitional year of high school at a suburban, middle-class high school in the Pacific Northwest. The students were not aware that the teacher had been assigned to them, hence the term invisible mentor, in order to examine the impact of natural forming relationships. </p><p> Two-sample t-tests were conducted on the mean grade point averages of the struggling students who had invisible mentors for their transitional semester into high school. The results conclude that such a mentoring program had a positive impact on the first semester grades of the first semester of high school. Linear regression scatter plots showed positive relationship between the frequency of interactions that an invisible mentor has with a mentee and their academic improvement, as measured by GPA. This study scratches the surface into the impact of invisible mentoring for struggling students in this suburban, Pacific Northwest school district. Additional research may serve to strengthen these initial findings that promote the academic improvement of struggling students.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate first-generation students&rsquo; pathways to undergraduate research experiences, the forms of capital brought to their research that allow them to self-author, and the validation they gain as a result of research participation. First-generation students are often described via deficit-based perspectives and are cited as having persistence issues and lower academic efficacy. The success of first-generation students is critical to the economic mobility of lower socioeconomic populations. By determining how these students are navigating more rigorous academic pursuits, such as undergraduate research, this study identifies how first-generation students persist academically. Through 12 qualitative interviews, students revealed their first-generation identity to be a source of motivation. Findings emphasize the importance of familial support, campus resources, supportive learning environments, and validating interactions with faculty. Ultimately, students&rsquo; identities become a form of capital within the research experience, that acts on their self-authorship abilities and are further empowered through the validating experience of undergraduate research. The findings of this study suggest a theoretical foundation of first-generation students&rsquo; interaction with research through Yosso&rsquo;s Community Cultural Wealth theory, Rend&oacute;n&rsquo;s validation theory, and Baxter Magolda&rsquo;s theory of self-authorship. Recommendations for practice include early exposure to research experiences, more structured and formalized mentoring strategies, and more opportunities to connect to the campus research community.</p><p>

<p> The importance of principal preparation in special education has increased since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed in 1975. There are significant financial reasons for preparing principals in the area of special education. Recent research also shows that all children learn better in an inclusive environment. Principals who are not prepared in the area of special education have a difficult time implementing an inclusive culture at their schools. This qualitative inquiry study set out to explore principals&rsquo; perceptions of their preparation in special education and subsequent district support in building their understanding and implementation of an inclusionary culture in their schools. </p><p> Grounded in Critical Disability Theory (Hosking, 2008) and Social Justice Leadership Framework (Furman, 2012), the conceptual framework of this study, Inclusive Leadership Framework, outlined characteristics of an inclusive leader and a framework for building an inclusive culture. Some principals interviewed for the study demonstrated these characteristics and some did not. Principals wanted to learn more about special education and wanted their students to succeed. The Inclusive Leadership Framework evolved throughout the study, but was remained grounded to prevailing praxis of reflection and action. </p><p> This study examined the attitudes of principals in K-12 settings in nine Southern California school districts in order to discover their perceptions of the effect their administrative credential preparation in special education had on building an inclusive culture. In addition, principals offered their perceptions relative to how district support in special education helped inform leadership practice regarding building a culture of inclusion. Finally, participants shared anecdotal experiences revealing ways they &ldquo;learned on the job&rdquo; as they navigated the world of special education. Recommendations for policy and practice for administrative preparation programs and the Clear Administrative Credential process, professional development and coaching of administrators is addressed in this study. </p><p> Significant findings revealed that principals who feel unprepared in special education do not always develop an inclusionary culture, or understand its benefits to student learning. In addition, participants revealed that they would have preferred knowing more about the process of special education before taking their first administrative position. One interesting anecdotal finding suggested that administrators who are parents of a special needs child or were one themselves are very well educated in the realm of special education and take a personal interest in it. A key recommendation for policy/practice/research included making a special education goal in the Individual Induction Plan for the Clear Administrative Credential. The program includes coaching and coaches need to be provided that can instruct in special education and the building of inclusive school culture.</p><p>