Library research studies have provided evidence that teacher-librarians (TLs) impact student academic success; nevertheless, TLs statewide and internationally are at a critical juncture due to stakeholder groups' ambiguous perceptions regarding their influence on student achievement. The problem in this study involves a local independent school district's lack of conclusive evidence to demonstrate TLs' contribution to student achievement on standardized testing. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of TLs, classroom teachers (CTs), and administrative staff (AS) concerning student achievement as instructed by local TLs. Using Piaget's cognitive theory and Mezirow's transformative learning theory, this qualitative case study explored the perceptions of 15 participants and acquired clarification regarding the TLs' instructional practice. The interview questions focused on perceptions of 5 CTs, 5 AS, and 5 TLs regarding the instructional role of TLs on students' academic success as well as the evidence provided by these stakeholders regarding the value of school libraries. Data collection with semi-structured interviews followed by an open coding thematic analysis revealed 7 themes: (1) involvement in curriculum, (2) flexibility of schedule, (3) preconceived misconceptions, (4) using an evidence-based practice approach, (5) collaboration, (6) access to materials, and (7) a conducive learning environment. The resulting project consisted of a policy recommendation created for augmenting stakeholder perceptions. The project contributes to social change by fostering an informed societal positive perception of the TLs' instructional influence on student academic achievement and by offering a measurable interpretation of the TLs' educational value to the learning community that may transform stakeholder perception locally and worldwide.

Educators and researchers have long considered parental involvement to be an integral factor in the success of students. However, parental involvement is low in many U.S. schools. Guided by Epstein's parental model, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' perceptions and experiences of parental involvement at an inner-city K-8 center in the United States which has had low parental involvement over the last 5 years. The overarching research question concerned teacher perceptions and experiences regarding communicating with parents, encouraging learning at home, and parents volunteering. Data sources consisted of interviews, questionnaires, and unobtrusive data. Purposeful sampling was used to identify the 11 teacher participants. Data were transcribed, coded and analyzed for various themes. The findings indicated that teachers perceive parental involvement to be important when they communicate with parents, when parents encourage learning at home, and when parents volunteer. The themes that emerged from the data were (a) the importance of parental involvement, (b) reinforcing learning at home, (c) communication, (d) encouraging parental involvement at school, and (e) increasing parental involvement. Based on the findings, a policy recommendation was developed to enhance the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) currently in place at the study site. This project could lead to positive social change by assisting the staff at the K-8 center in developing a PTSA program that may encourage parents to become more involved. Their efforts may provide a model for other schools struggling with a lack of parental involvement.

In recent decades, economists are gradually showing their interests in the study of happiness. They even put forward some challenges to the traditional theories. In contrast, studies on Chinese happiness problem are not enough in terms of breadth and depth.  This paper used the data provided by China General Social Survey to conduct an empirical analysis. The model author adopted is Ordered Discrete Choice model. In the empirical section, author analyzed the impact of income, macroeconomic variables, etc.  Ultimately, based on the empirical results, author proposed some policy recommendations and further study suggestions.

Addressing the needs of developmental math students has been one of the most challenging problems in higher education. Administrators at a private university were concerned about poor academic performance of math-deficient students and sought to identify factors that influenced students' successful progression from developmental to college-level coursework. The purpose of this retrospective prediction study was to determine which of 7 variables (enrollment in a college success course, math placement results, frequency of use of the developmental resource center, source of tuition payment, student's age, gender, and race/ethnicity) would be predictive of success in developmental math as defined by a final course grade of C or higher. Astin's theory of student involvement and Tinto's theory of student retention formed the theoretical framework for this investigation of 557 first-year students who entered the university during Fall 2013 and Fall 2014. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed. Successful completion of the university's college success course as well as enrollment in introductory/intermediate algebra or intermediate algebra were significant predictors of success in remedial math courses. In addition, the lower the level of developmental math a student was placed in and engaged with, the higher the probability of success in the course. These findings were used to create a policy recommendation for a prescriptive means of ensuring students' early enrollment in developmental math courses and engagement with university resources, which may help students overcome barriers to success in developmental math and lead to positive social change for both the students and university through higher retention and graduation rates.

Contrary to popular belief, the L.A. region is more of a desert than a tropical oasis. Little rainfall during the winter months and practically no rainfall during the summer months is characteristic of Southern California’s desert-like weather patterns. Due to these low precipitation levels, water is considered the most important commodity in the Los Angeles region. Prior to 1900, the inhabitants of this area were fully aware of the importance of water. Most settlements were established near water sources and had adopted various techniques and constructed small-scale dams to conserve and reuse rainwater. Yet these measures were not sufficient to sustain large populations during drought conditions. Most settlers were forced to seek other areas where more reliable sources of water were found. The construction of early engineering feats like the Los Angeles aqueduct quickly changed prior perceptions of the region’s potential. Such systems allowed for cheap and previously inaccessible water to flow to the abundant land, spurring an unprecedented population and agricultural boom. For decades, the construction of more aqueducts and canals provided a sufficient amount of water to meet the demand in the region’s growing agricultural and financial economy. As the abundance of land and favorable weather attracted more businesses and industries into the region, more and more homes were built to accommodate the workforce. By 1936, the Hoover Dam had been built and California had signed and agreed to the Colorado River Compact, which granted Southern California 4.4 million acre-feet annually of the Colorado River’s water. As a result, relatively cheap water was able to meet the demands, thus catapulting California’s agricultural industry and residential development.

Southern U.S. teachers at suburban high schools can use Edmodo; however, teachers prefer traditional teacher-centered teaching methods. This quantitative correlative study explored teachers' technology acceptance in relation to teaching styles and experiences. Framing acceptance by Davis's technology acceptance model (TAM), research questions addressed the direct and moderating relationships between teaching style and the TAM variables related to using Edmodo and the direct and moderating relationships between teaching experiences and TAM variables. From 240 teachers at the high school, 45 completed an online survey (response rate of 18.75%). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and regression analyzed data. TAM could be verified for the entire sample; however, no significant direct relationship between teaching style and the TAM variables was found. Teaching style moderated the relationships within the TAM; these were stronger for teachers with a teacher-centered teaching style. No significant direct relationship existed between teaching experiences and TAM variables; a moderating effect on the relationships existed within the TAM. Among experienced teachers, ease of use was the strongest acceptance predictor, whereas perceived use was the strongest predictor among less experienced teachers. Results indicated teachers might develop a more student-centered teaching style, thus concentrating on technology's ease of use, rather than its potential utility. A policy recommendation could ensure teachers efficiently used technology to support student-centered learning. The application of the recommended policies might lead to teachers' more effective use of instructional technology, which might affect student learning and motivation.

This study addressed the problem of the lack of Career and Technical Educational (CTE) courses offered at 3 high schools located in a rural Alabama county. Guided by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, this study examined cultural capital in reference to the transference of knowledge that each high school in this study provides its students throughout their high school education. The research questions explored the stakeholders' perceptions of the factors that prevent the schools from offering more CTE programs and how CTE programs should be expanded in each school. A collective case study design was used for this study, with the data collected through transcribed interviews of 9 educators from the study schools and the examination of archival documents. The data were coded and categorized into a case study spreadsheet. According to the stakeholders, the major factors that prevented the schools from offering more CTE programs were lack of funding, proximity, and conflicts within the schedule. The stakeholders believed that the school system needed to create regional CTE centers that offered more courses with hands-on learning experiences that matched the students' interests. These findings led to a policy recommendation to the Board of Education to create a section under the current CTE policy which addresses program expansion. The policy recommendation and results from this study may effect positive social change by informing the creation and implementation of CTE courses that match students' interests, which may aid in those students being more college-and-career-ready upon graduation. The results from this study are also of interest to researchers examining problems in other school districts with similar deficits.