As school buildings continue to age, school stakeholders are increasingly concerned about the influence school facilities have on the academic achievement of students, especially in urban low income school districts. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine school building conditions through the perceptions of 12 stakeholders including teachers, facility managers, administrators, and school board members in 3 school districts. The research question involved understanding how local school stakeholders perceived or acknowledged the relevance and relationship of school building conditions to student learning, social constructivism and aspects of organizational theory severed as the conceptual frameworks for this study. A recursive coding method and a comparative content analysis of semistructured interviews was completed. Themes that emerged included thermal comfort, technology, and symbolism. Analysis of interview responses revealed stakeholders perceived that thermal comfort and the presence of stationary technology within classrooms are of primary importance to student learning. Also, the analysis highlighted a common perception supporting the premise that the condition of school facilities represents a symbolic measure of the importance placed on student achievement by the school community. Implications for positive social change include a data-driven dialogue involving policies and practices that support providing optimum school buildings and facilities to support low-income and minority student achievement.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-66).

In recent years there has been increasing interest in improving the quality of policy through building the policy capacity of public sector institutions. To date, however, there has been little evidence on which to base capacity building interventions. This thesis presents a study of policy process and policy capacity in the Department of Human Services (DHS) in the Australian State of Victoria. Policy capacity was defined as the organisational infrastructure that supports effective policy development and implementation (including individual competencies). The study drew on the health policy, public policy and public administration literature. Data collection methods involved (i) individual in-depth interviews with policy workers in four policy-oriented organisational units of DHS to explore the policy process and policy capacity, and (ii) a focus group and individual interviews with experienced policy workers to explore potential capacity building strategies. Findings indicate that building policy capacity requires attention to four domains: building and managing a policy-competent workforce; developing formal processes and guidelines for strengthening the policy process; strengthening organisational culture and policy leadership; and strengthening structures and relationships to support policy capacity. Building capacity also involves negotiating tensions between policy capacity and two other elements of governing capacity (administrative capacity and state capacity). The appropriate choice of capacity building strategies depends on context and contingency, including the specifics of particular policies, times and settings. Accordingly, the thesis concludes that a focus on developing policy leadership at the middle and senior levels would be a strategic approach to building policy capacity. Policy leadership involves local level judgement, mentorship, initiative and responsibility, and the ability to mobilise organisational resources to build policy capacity.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 2007. / Adviser: Richard Baum. Includes bibliographical references.

Submitted to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Adviser: William R. Moomaw. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 271-277). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan, 1995.

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-131).

Report (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. M.S. 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-105). Also available via the Internet.