<p> The college education gap between Latinas/os and whites has grown to 29 percentage points (Kolodner, 2017). I am a product of this gap. As a high school principal, I believe the solution to this problem lies within the creative minds of school principals/leaders. When a resource was not available to address the college readiness gap at my campus, I created one. The resource I created is <i>College Ready-the Game</i>. You can create one too! </p><p> The purpose of this qualitative study is to discover the experiences of middle and high school AVID students who played <i>College Ready-the Game</i>. John Dewey&rsquo;s theory of pragmatism guided the study. The intent behind the development of <i>College Ready-the Game</i> was to create a vocabulary resource that students can <i>learn by doing</i>. </p><p> The methodological framework was based upon tenets of Action Research. Patterns of experiences from participants of the same social group (students in the AVID program) that had played the college-ready game were observed through an interpretivist lens. Data from interviews were unitized and sorted into categories. </p><p> Secondary AVID classrooms who most widely use the game were chosen for the selection of participants. The classrooms are located in Title I and Non-Title I campuses to help ensure diversity of the participants. </p><p> The emergent patterns of responses conclude the following: &bull; Game-play of <i>College Ready-the Game</i> sparked conversations that developed college-ready vocabulary. &bull; <i>Physical movement, competition, and repetition</i> of <i>game-play</i> motivated students to learn college-ready vocabulary. &bull; <i>Community of inquiry</i> and a <i>college-going culture</i> were established through game-play. &bull; <i>Bank of college-ready vocabulary</i> empowered students to participate in <i>college-talk</i> and earn <i>social and cultural capital</i>. &bull; The <i>social and cultural capital </i> led the students to the critical <i>predisposition</i> stage to pursue college with their counselors, peers and parents. </p><p> While the study adds to the literature of college readiness, future qualitative studies are recommended to uncover the experiences from a variety of student and parent populations, such as speakers of other languages. Longitudinal quantitative studies are recommended to discover the effects of students who play <i>College Ready-the Game</i> throughout their school years. </p><p>

<p> This research evaluates the effectiveness of Project ReCharge, an energy efficiency, STEM curriculum designed for middle and high school students. The project includes a five-unit curriculum, and monthly professional development spanning a year. The project was implemented in ten schools over three years. Four areas were explored in the study including (1) changes to student content knowledge, (2) changes to student attitudes towards STEM subjects and careers, (3) changes to teacher self-efficacy and beliefs, and (4) changes to teacher content knowledge. A content test for teachers and students, the STEM Semantics Survey, and STEBI-A were used to collect data on 4123 students and 47 teachers. Data were collected in a quasi-experimental design utilizing parametric and nonparametric techniques. Analyses suggest student content knowledge increased significantly from pretest to posttest for all years (Pretest: <i>M</i> = 11.38, <i>SD</i> = 4.97, Posttest: <i>M</i> = 16.67, <i> SD</i> = 5.83, <i>t</i> = 45.05, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001, <i> d</i> = 0.98). Increases to student attitudes in STEM varied by year and grade, but overall increases were found in science (<i>N</i> = 2362, <i>z</i> = &ndash;2.618, <i>p</i> = 0.030, &eta;² = 0.002), and math attitudes (<i>N</i> = 2348, <i> z</i> = &ndash;2.280, <i>p</i> = 0.023, &eta;² = 0.002). High school students tended to show more increased attitudes in more subject areas than middle school students. No changes to teacher self-efficacy and beliefs were found, and increases to teacher content knowledge only occurred in the third year (<i>N</i> = 22, <i>x</i>² = 5.158; <i>p</i> = 0.076, &eta;² = 0.319).</p><p>

<p> This research addresses the problem of low math achievement of middle school students through the use of a Growth Mindset intervention and related strategies. While the research on Growth Mindset interventions and strategies show positive results in controlled settings, there is a need to better understand Growth Mindset implementation from the perspectives of teachers and students in classroom settings. This study looked at Growth Mindset implementation with 449 students and seven teachers in sixth-grade math classrooms from two middle schools in one suburban school district. This study examines teacher and student perspectives of the effectiveness of four Growth Mindset instructional strategies and achievement results after a Growth Mindset intervention conducted by the classroom teachers. Teachers learned to implement four Growth Mindset strategies through an online professional development series provided by the district and shared their perspectives in an online discussion group and subsequent survey. All the sixth-grade students completed a survey and the researcher conducted two focus groups to identify students&rsquo; perspectives of the classroom goal orientation and the Growth Mindset strategies. The impact of the Growth Mindset intervention was measured using benchmark test scores and trimester grades, which assisted the district&rsquo;s goal to improve mathematics achievement in middle school. The results demonstrate that teachers and students perceive both mastery and performance classroom goal orientations and find two Growth Mindset strategies, celebrating mistakes and providing challenging math tasks, to be well received by both groups. Findings also indicate that after the Growth Mindset intervention student achievement on the benchmark test did not improve, however, students&rsquo; grade point average did improve compared to students from the previous school year in the same district.</p><p>

<p> Professional learning environments and professional development practices among educators throughout the United States have experienced a great deal of attention in the need for changes toward collaborative learning models and professional learning opportunities that engage in hands-on work focused on student learning and the growth of teachers&rsquo; practice to help students develop their ability to think critically. This qualitative phenomenological study explored middle and high school teachers&rsquo; and administrators&rsquo; previous professional learning experiences through the practice of School-Based Instructional Rounds and Student Shadowing. The research focused on exploring the impact, if any, on transforming teaching strategies that provide deeper learning experiences for students in college and career readiness. A transformative framework under the theory of Mezirow&rsquo;s transformative learning theory and Knowles&rsquo;s adult learning theory using a constructivist paradigm and grounded theory approach informed the exploration of worldviews from the data of this research study. </p><p> The participants who took part in School-Based Instructional Rounds included 8 high school and middle teachers and administrators in 3 school districts representing 4 Southern California schools. In-person interviews support the research findings in this study. The participants represented in the Shadow a Student Challenge consisted of school leaders and a teacher who work in public and private middle and high school districts in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Rhode Island. Document analysis and personal interviews support the research findings of this study. Professional learning experiences of School-Based Instructional Rounds and Student Shadowing were explored within the lived experiences of teachers and administrators professional learning practices. Perceptions of deeper learning opportunities in middle and high school classrooms were examined, connecting professional development and the transformation of deeper learning instructional practices. This study will contribute to the body of literature on the value of implementing School-Based Instructional Rounds and the Shadow a Student Challenge as hands-on professional learning practices for teachers and administrators toward supporting the adoption of engaging, meaningful, and relevant strategies for 21st-century learning skills in middle and high school classrooms.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to investigate if and to what extent Northeast PA middle school principals&rsquo; use of a Transformational Leadership (TL) style related to their teachers&rsquo; perceptions of self-efficacy. TL includes four specific leadership behaviors: intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, inspirational motivation, and individual consideration. The sample included 217 middle-grade teachers (4^th&ndash;8^th) from six middle schools in four school districts. Instruments included: the Multi-Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) on Transformational Leadership (TL) behaviors, and Bandura&rsquo;s Teacher Self-Efficacy Scales (TSES). Transformational leadership and teacher self-efficacy were the theories used to undergird the study. Results indicated that principals&rsquo; TL style did have a statistically significant relationship with teacher self-efficacy in regard to total score (<i>r_s</i> = .331, p &lt; .001), and a statistically significant relationship with each of the four components of transformational leadership: intellectual stimulation (<i>r_s</i> = .301, p &lt; .001); idealized influence (<i>r_s</i> = .273, p &lt; .001); inspirational motivation (<i> r_s</i> = .289, p &lt; .001); and individual consideration (<i>r_s</i> = .243, p &lt; .001). Results revealed that teacher perceptions of their principals&rsquo; TL were related to higher levels of teacher self-efficacy. These results offer new insight and add to the existing body of knowledge on how principals can build higher performing schools by transforming teacher self-efficacy through attitudes of empowerment, growth, and improvement. The results of this study have implications for school leaders of all levels, educational researchers, and teachers in regard to facilitating teacher self-efficacy development by engaging in transformational leadership behaviors.</p><p>

<p> American schools are becoming increasingly diverse, with an estimated 17 million first- and second-generation refugee and immigrant children residing in the United States. English learners navigate the challenges of learning how to read, write, and speak a new language, all while being expected to stay on grade level. Classroom teachers nationwide are looking for engaging ways to meet the needs of their students, despite resource and budget deficits. The purpose of this study was to explore the role that student-created vodcasts, or video podcasts, may play in the English acquisition of a Haitian learner. This research question morphed to focus on the perceptions and practices of this student&rsquo;s middle school teacher of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in using vodcasting and other technologies to facilitate his English acquisition. A second research question explored the role of sociocultural learning regarding the learner&rsquo;s creation of vodcasts. Guiding bodies of research in this work included second language acquisition research, particularly regarding identity formation involving brain-compatible teaching, sociocultural learning, and culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP). Data collection occurred between January 2015 and May 2015. The student and his teacher shared their perspectives in six interviews each during the data collection process. Other data sources included 2 student-created vodcasts, 1 created in a group and 1 created by the student alone, a writing sample, and results from the previous school year of the state English as a Second Language Achievement Test (ESLAT). The teacher found that the vodcasts, in combination with other factors, helped the student reflect on his writing, particularly regarding punctuation, and that he overcame an error with comma splices immediately after recording a vodcast. The student found that the practice of vodcasting, in combination with other factors, helped him practice academic language, as required by his teacher for the assignment. The teacher allowed the student to work individually for the second vodcast assignment, and stated that the result was of much higher quality overall, particularly noting an increase in the amount of time the student spent speaking. The data indicated that vodcasting, in conjunction with other strategies supporting language acquisition, might have played a positive role in the student&rsquo;s progress in his ESOL class. Furthermore, according to both the student and the teacher, independent creation of the video was more effective for him than collaborative group work, which the teacher explained may have had causes rooted in the student&rsquo;s home culture.</p><p>

<p> Purpose. This study sought to identify, understand, and describe the decision-making processes used by school districts to determine the middle school science course sequence as part of the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. Additionally, this study explored and described the expressed comments, feelings, and beliefs of participants involved in the decision process about their experience in the decision-making process and the outcome. </p><p> Methodology. This multiple case study focused on four cases&mdash;three school districts that chose the integrated approach and one district that chose the discipline approach. Ten participants represented the four school districts. Data were collected from each participant utilizing personal face-to-face interviews. </p><p> Findings. Significant findings included: Administrators tended to defer to teachers, because of their expertise, to promote consensus and teacher buy-in; prolonged discussions led to expressions of demoralization among teachers; each of the four school districts used a different approach to the decision&mdash;one depended on expertise of a dedicated science education leader to make a command decision, while three districts included a broad set of participants to promote consensus; conceptual structuring devices facilitated decision making; science teachers with discipline-specific backgrounds tended to prefer the discipline model and were more reluctant to adopt the integrated approach; the professional identity of the science teacher influenced their preference and their feelings about the outcome; and each participant expressed unique perceptions of who was involved in the decision&mdash;teachers tended to downplay the importance of their own influence and to describe the ultimate decision as being in the hands of administrators. </p><p> Conclusions. There is no best approach to selecting a middle school science course sequence. Multiple decision-making approaches resulted in acceptable outcomes, but any approach can be improved by taking steps to promote levels of trust among constituents. </p><p> Recommendations. Educational leaders must understand how the <i> professional identity</i> and <i>science content expertise</i> of science teachers influence their preferences of curricular sequencing. Leaders interested in developing consensus should take careful steps to promote transparency and trust. Participants in the decision should be provided professional development to limit ambiguity, provide guidelines, and promote structuring devices to facilitate the decision.</p><p>

<p> Economic forecasts predict an unprecedented shortage of STEM workers in the United States. This study examined the vocational anticipatory socialization factors and classroom stratagems influencing middle school students&rsquo; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) career development. Student attitudes towards STEM content areas and related career aspirations were measured. Parental, peer, media, out-of-school time activities and physical school environmental influences were examined along with teacher and school counselor capacities. The results showed middle schools were not actively engaging in STEM identity formation and career development practices nor were they providing out-of-school time STEM activities for their students. Parents, peers and the use of the online learning platform, Learning Blade did, however, have significant influences on students&rsquo; STEM career development.</p><p>

<p> <i>Professional Development Tools to Enhance the Abilities of Veteran Teachers in Pre-K Through Eighth Grades</i> examined the variety of professional development tools available to veteran educators. The quasi-experimental study allowed veteran teachers to participate in a pretest survey consisting of questions about teachers&rsquo; desire for continued professional development, learning preferences, tools and ideas, and demographic information. An intervention in the form of PowerPoint was then presented to the veteran teachers outlining the adult learning theory and a variety of professional development tools. After the intervention, a posttest was conducted and compared using an ANOVA. </p><p> The results in the study indicate that while there is not a significant difference in the pretest and posttest following the intervention, veteran teachers are interested in learning, growing, and enhancing their classroom. Veteran teachers would like to be actively involved in the planning and expansion of professional development opportunities and would like to learn from their peers in how to make their classroom more effective. Veteran teachers also feel that their peers can learn from watching them teach in the classroom and would like to use the peer coaching model and Instructional Rounds to be able to learn from their colleagues. Veteran teachers feel that tools such as observations and feedback are helpful in the classroom and would like to learn more about student engagement, instructional strategies, classroom management, differentiation techniques, Instructional Rounds, growth mindset, and subject specific programs. </p><p> The results from the teachers&rsquo; survey were given to administrators for feedback about how to use the responses to develop effective professional development opportunities in schools. The interview results from the administrators revealed that teacher observation and collaboration are optimal for teachers to grow professionally. The one-on-one interviews also resulted in the overwhelming need to include teachers in the creation of professional development opportunities. </p><p>

<p> This case study explored dog-assisted reading with three middle-school special education students in a self-contained alternative school. Data collection conducted over a 15-month period included observations, interviews, and artifacts. In this study, reading with therapy dogs and their handlers, helped three adolescent readers with their reading motivation, engagement, and literacy processes/behaviors. The students&rsquo; engagement with the dog, the role of the dog handler, and the role of the context all impacted students in different and multiple ways. </p><p> The students read to the dogs and liked engaging with them&mdash;this calmed and interested each student and created a purpose for reading. Concurrently, through the handler&rsquo;s vocabulary supports, questions, comments, and book choices, the students also became more attentive to their own reading performance. Students began to self-monitor, self-correct, and discuss stories. As the study transitioned from an office setting to the classroom, the dog and handler continued as reading partners, now with a growing audience of additional students and staff. Students talked and interacted with books in a way that bypassed reading level, behavior issues and computer-based comprehension questions, ultimately forming a community of readers. </p><p> Recommendations encourage school personnel to intentionally structure and integrate dog-assisted reading teams for literacy learning, with training sessions for handlers to learn how to engage with books, listen carefully to readers, and notice when students need additional support. Professional development can help classroom teams better integrate dog-assisted reading and literature-based instructional approaches. Importantly, providing a wide range of reading materials during dog-assisted time can support students to engage as readers in multiple ways.</p><p>