This analysis of California's Public School Accountability Act (PSAA) and the federal government's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation reviews the components, implementation timelines, and impact these two accountability policies have had on secondary schools and more specifically secondary schools located in Tulare and Kings Counties of the San Joaquin Valley of California. The study identifies both Immediate Intervention for Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP) schools and similar schools that did not elect to enter the program Non-II/USP schools. Quantitative analysis of Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) from 1999 to 2006 is statistically compared. Summary interviews with site administrators from all schools within the study reflect how these two populations II/USP schools and Non-II/USP schools addressed the requirements and met the challenges of the PSAA and NCLB legislation. Conclusions draw into question the state and federal legislations implementation timeline, readiness to support changes needed in the secondary schools starting in 1999, and recognition of communication issues with secondary schools concerning the expectations of the accountability legislation. Finally, issues are outlined concerning the effectiveness of the timeline and funding process associated with the state sanctions of II/USP and SAIT programs.

Title II of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is intended to increase student academic achievement through strategies such as improving teacher quality and increasing the number of "highly qualified teachers" (HQTs) in the classroom. This Federal policy relies on educational research that demonstrates a connection between student achievement and teacher quality. Although NCLB considers each route that teachers may take to meet HQT requirements as equivalent, research demonstrates that some routes may foster higher student achievement than others; those teachers, who met HQT requirements through these routes, are referred to in this study as "research-based HQTs" (RB-HQTs). The quantitative phase of this mixed methodology explores how northern California secondary mathematics teachers in suburban, urban, and rural schools meet "highly qualified teacher" requirements. The subsequent qualitative phase explores the challenges and promising practices in retention and recruitment of RB-HQTs used by those mathematics departments identified as having a "common" or "distinguished" profile of each respective suburban, urban, or rural sub-sample. This study identifies and reports eight strategies used by mathematics departments that have demonstrated success in retention and recruitment of RB-HQTs. The eight identified strategies, when implemented individually or collectively, may increase the proportion of RB-HQTs and improve student academic achievement in each mathematics department across northern California secondary schools, be it suburban, urban, or rural.

Standardization has been part of teaching and learning in the United States since the late 19th century. This technocratic approach has gained more traction in the past two decades beginning with the passage of the landmark No Child Left Behind law in 2001and continuing through the recent standardization movement to restrict content and pedagogical autonomy. These efforts have one thing in common: The knowledge and expertise of teachers are not considered. In contrast, this study positioned teachers as experts. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate how middle school teachers conceptualize themselves as readers, engage in reading for justice, and envision these concepts in their own classrooms as they participate in a young adult (YA) literature book club. This work brings together two often separate scholarly approaches to reading: reading lives (reading as pleasure) and social justice literature (reading as political) to see how teachers inform or reimagine literacy (reading as pedagogical) in their classrooms. This study was grounded on the notion that theory and practice are not separate endeavors. Critical sociocultural theory undergirds this collaborative teacher inquiry group. Teachers take a critical stance as they read YA titles that center social justice issues. Through semi-structured interviews, teachers reflected on their own reading histories and lives as well as their ideas about literacy in their classrooms. This study adds to the existing scholarship on literacy and teacher learning. Methodologically, the researcher utilized a practice (book clubs) that is used academically in school settings and socially among friends. The book club exists in a liminal space between the academic and the social, suggesting it is an alternative space for teacher learning. This study has the potential to contribute to a greater emphasis on the value and importance of teacher-centered learning communities.

The purpose of this research was to examine rural middle school teacher’s perceptions of stressful factors present in their current position. Data was gathered from 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade teachers in the city and county schools located in O County, Mississippi. Two instruments were used for the study. The first survey instrument identified three stress factors (teacher workload, student discipline, and No Child Left Behind) and their relationship with teachers. The second instrument measured the degree to which the three stress factors were appraised as stressful. The data gathered in this study provided an awareness of factors that can increase understanding of teacher stress levels. The discussion of stress emphasized that what is perceived as stressful for one person may not be perceived as stressful for another. Results revealed that these teachers face some difficulties at their schools and in the classroom dealing with their emotional perspective or from the perspective of the children they teach. Furthermore, results indicated that rural schools offer a less stressful learning environment than urban schools. Just knowing some of the common stress factors can assist school systems and administrators in developing interventions to alleviate stress that may at some point lead to burnout.

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As achievement gaps persist among some groups of students, school leaders are identifying strategies and implementing plans to support the academic needs of diverse student populations. The purpose of this research study was to identify the leadership practices and strategies used by National ESEA Distinguished School principals who have successfully minimized the achievement gaps among Caucasian and non-Caucasian students. Six successful National ESEA Distinguished School principals were interviewed. These leaders represented rural and urban pre-K–12 schools in different geographic regions of the United States. A qualitative research methodology with in-depth interviews was used to gather the data. The participants were asked open-ended questions during the semi-structured interviews. The findings in this study reflect nine leadership strategies and practices identified by these school leaders to minimize achievement gaps. The leadership strategies were compared to Kouzes and Posner's (2017) five leadership practices, which are model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. Results can be used to inform practitioners about what worked for leaders who have been effective at minimizing achievement gaps. Based on these results, school division leaders should consider designing targeted professional development, mentoring, and coaching around effective principal leadership practices. / Doctor of Education / As achievement gaps persist among some groups of students, school leaders are identifying strategies and implementing plans to support the learning of diverse student populations. The purpose of this research study was to identify the leadership practices and strategies used by National ESEA Distinguished School principals who have successfully minimized the achievement gaps among Caucasian and non-Caucasian students. Six successful National ESEA Distinguished School principals were interviewed. These leaders represented rural and urban pre-K–12 schools in different regions of the United States. The participants were asked open-ended questions during the semi-structured interviews. The findings in this study reflect nine leadership strategies and practices identified by these principals to minimize achievement gaps. The leadership strategies were compared to Kouzes and Posner's (2017) five leadership practices, which are model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. Results can be used to inform school leaders about what worked for principals who have been effective at minimizing achievement gaps.

This study investigated the relationship of statewide high school graduation rates of student ethnic groups from 2002 to 2006 to the four policy pillars of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001: Accountability for Results; Expanded Flexibility and Local Control; Expanded Options for Parents, Strengthening Teacher Quality. The quantitative, non-experimental, multivariate, correlational design addressed four research questions and six hypotheses. The research population was composed of high school students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The predictor variables were the four policy pillars themselves. Data were collected through archival reports from the Education Commission of the States (ECS) and State Accountability Report Workbooks provided by state departments of education to create an index of implementation to determine the extent to which the four policy pillars were implemented. The criterion variable was high school graduation rate split across student ethnic groups. Graduation rates of subgroup student populations were collected from the Average Freshman Graduation Rates archives for the ninth grade cohort entering in 2001 and exiting in 2006. Data were analyzed both by a one-factor correlational analysis of covariance with one covariate to determine the impact of each NCLB policy pillar, and by a four-factor analysis of covariance with one covariate to determine the impact of all NCLB policy pillars together. The study found that no significant relationships existed between any of the four NCLB policy pillars, singularly or between all four of the policy pillars together, and statewide high school graduation rates among any student racial or ethnic subgroups for the academic years covered in the study. Reasons for the lack of significant relationships are a source for further study. It is recommended that such studies examine the effect of policy implementation that currently allows: (a) each state to set its own test and measurement standards or its own criteria for teacher certification; (b) parents to keep their children in failing schools even if those children are also failing; and (c) each state to underfund mandates. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection