Item response theory (IRT) has great potential for solving many measurement problems. The success of specific IRT applications can be obtained only when the fit between the model and the test data is satisfactory. But model fit is not the only concern. Many tests are administered to relatively small numbers of examinees. If sample sizes are small, item parameter estimates will be of limited usefulness. There appear to be a number of ways that estimation might be improved. The purpose of this study was to investigate IRT parameter estimation using several promising small sample procedures. Computer simulation was used to generate the data. Two item banks were created with items described by a three parameter logistic model. Tests of length 30 and 60 items were simulated; examinee samples of 100, 200, and 500 were used in item calibration. Four promising models and associated estimation procedures were selected: (1) the one-parameter logistic model, (2) a modified one-parameter model in which a constant value for the "guessing parameter" was assumed, (3) a non-parametric three parameter model (called "Testgraf"), and (4) a one-parameter Bayesian model (with a variety of priors on the item difficulty parameter). Several criteria were used in evaluating the estimates. The main results were that (1) the modified one-parameter model seemed to consistently lead to the best estimates of item difficulty and examinee ability compared to the Rasch model and the non-parametric three-parameter model and related estimation procedures (the finding was observed across both test lengths and all three sample sizes and seemed to be true with both normal and rectangular distributions of ability), (2) the Bayesian estimation procedures with reasonable priors led to comparable results to the modified one-parameter model, and (3) the results with Testgraf, for the smallest sample of 100, typically led to the poorest results. Future studies seem justified to (1) replicate the findings with more relevant evaluation criteria, (2) determine the source of the problem with Testgraf and small samples/short tests, and (3) further investigate the utility of Bayesian estimation procedures.

The primary purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the role and accomplishment of selected urban School Councils in pursuing the mandated goals and objectives of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993. The study investigated the effectiveness of current policies and practices of School Councils in accomplishing the projected goals and objectives of the Massachusetts Education Reform Act in their school districts. Further, the study evaluated the perceptions of School Council members regarding the extent to which they are successful in pursuing the projected goals and objectives of the educational reform as a result of involvement in the development of a School Improvement Plan. The sample for the study included Council members of randomly selected elementary schools from four urban school districts in Massachusetts. The data for the study were collected through the use of a questionnaire validated by a panel of experts in the field of education and by conducting a follow-up personal interview with six of the respondents who volunteered to be interviewed. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were conducted to analyze the data collected for the study. The quantitative analysis was achieved by providing answers to the research questions through the use of certain descriptive statistics, as well as testing the research hypotheses through the use of appropriate inferential statistics. The qualitative analysis was pursued by classification and interpretation of the responses provided by the participating Council members to the open-ended items of the questionnaire as well as the resulting interviews. With regard to the scope of the study and in accordance with the resulting analyses, several conclusions emerged from a number of significant findings. Finally, in compliance with the significant findings of the study, a number of recommendations were made to those who are interested in evaluation of the role and accomplishment of School Councils. Future investigators are encouraged to replicate the study with a special focus on sampling representation and other methodological approaches to secure the generalization of the results.

The purpose of the study was to examine and compare the service delivery models of three students with severe disabilities in three different settings and to detail the benefits derived in each of the programs. The study included classroom observations, analysis of individual educational plans (IEPs), interviews with families and teaching assistants, and presentation of in-depth cost data. The study found three examples of unsuccessful inclusion, as determined by observed social isolation, documented skill loss, and feedback presented by the teaching assistants. Analysis further revealed a lack of staff support and training. Cost analysis found that the highest expenses incurred among the participants were for individual aides and transportation. Implications of the study focus on the importance of thoroughly assessing a child's needs prior to placement in an inclusive setting, and then comparing those needs with existing and potential programmatic resources. Finally, inclusion strategies deemed effective in serving students with mild to moderate special needs in all likelihood will provide insufficient support to youngsters with severe disabilities.

Although the need has been recognized for over two decades, ongoing, formative, and comprehensive assessment of college and university faculty development programs often does not occur in a systematic and thoughtful way. Furthermore, a review of the literature on faculty development shows that successful evaluation research has not been widely publicized to administrators of faculty development programs nor replicated by other researchers. The purpose of this research project was twofold--to design an assessment model and to test this model through actual data collection. The two-phase assessment process went beyond rating participant satisfaction with individual services offered by the Center For Teaching (CFT) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Phase I, quantitative in nature, is a statistical analysis of a range of demographic characteristics of faculty who had chosen to participate in campus-wide workshops over four academic years. In Phase 2, qualitative in nature, interviews were conducted with members of the instructional faculty representing both users and non-users of CFT services. The process was designed to assess benefits and behavioral changes that resulted from participation, to explore issues related to institutional impact, to uncover factors which influence participation and non-participation, and to evaluate services provided by the CFT. The quantitative analysis of the demographic characteristics of instructional faculty attending campus-wide workshops produced the following findings: there was a significant difference between expected and actual attendance for the Colleges of Nursing and Food and Natural Resources; for instructional faculty, males were under-represented and females over-represented; those holding the rank of Professor were under-represented and Assistant Professors and Lecturers were over-represented; and technology workshops attracted the largest average attendance. Through the qualitative analysis nine major categories of findings emerged; the major ones included: the CFT has helped the University make a legitimate claim that it has made a significant contribution to teaching, active learning strategies were incorporated into the curriculum as a direct result of CFT participation, insights were provided for extending the impact of the CFT on campus, motivations for participation and non-participation were uncovered. Triangulating methodologies resulted in a research design that functionally answered the research questions.

Organized to share the perspective of the classroom teacher, this study represents an investigation of looping, an educational plan in which the same teacher and students remain together as an instructional unit for a minimum of two years. Offered as an alternative to traditional grade organization and standard progression through the grades, looping is explored as an option for restructuring to better serve American students. The premise behind this plan is that the teacher will come to know his/her students as learners better over time; a knowledge that will improve the teaching/learning dynamic within the classroom. As looping is more prevalent at the elementary level, the participants in this study are elementary classroom teachers with experience in looping. Using a mixed-methods design, the study involved two parallel phases: focused interviews of teachers from four local communities and a geographically wider sampling of teachers through distribution of a questionnaire. Potential participants were selected through a snowball technique. Secondary means of data collection involved on-site observations and examination of related school documents. From the interviews, common themes emerged regarding many issues related to the implementation of looping. These views of classroom teachers were upheld by questionnaire responses. As reported by teachers, major findings of this study include the following: Looping builds a strong sense of a community of learners. The home-school link is strengthened. Students who loop show numerous gains within the affective domain, with additional benefit to those identified as being at-risk, and with a lessening of "summer anxiety." Teachers found that time was saved in transitioning between grades, allowing for increased time-on-task and opportunities to expand the curriculum. Research conclusion: Based on the perceptions of teachers in this study, looping holds significant promise as a program of persistence in group to offer a reasonable alternative for reorganizing elementary schools to maximize the teaching/learning dynamic.

The major purpose of this study was to determine the problems that public school systems encounter when attempting to involve principals and teachers in the process of curriculum improvement. A second purpose was to identify the procedures that school systems use to improve curriculum and the extent of principal and teacher involvement in the curriculum decision making process. The study was conducted through two strands of inquiry. The first strand involved the distribution of a Curriculum Improvement Survey to all communities in the state of Rhode Island. Of the thirty-five Directors of Curriculum, twenty-six completed and returned the survey. Their responses provided a broad spectrum from which to view how, individually and collectively, curriculum improvement was being implemented in response to national and state initiatives. The second strand was an ethnographic study of several different committees within a local school community that were involved in various aspects of curriculum improvement. Findings suggest curriculum improvement is a shared responsibility among a cross section of individuals within school systems. The primary initiators and major determinants that influence the curriculum improvement process were identified. Most school systems reported having long range plans for improvement that are guided by administrative regulations and are implemented within varying cyclical time frames. Smaller districts where administrators and teachers wear “different hats” than in larger systems appear to be less formal in their approaches to curriculum change and the improvement process is on-going without regulations. In regard to participation in the process, the survey responses and the plans suggest that principals and teachers are given ample opportunities to participate in decision making to improve curriculum, however, their degree of participation varies with the type of decision they are being asked to make. The major problems in implementing curriculum improvement that were identified by the twenty-six school systems included insufficient time educators’ lack of curriculum theory and practical experiences; insufficient funds; and contractual considerations. The in-depth study of one school system also documented these problems, as well as: the lack of a common language for deliberating and writing curriculum; personal attitudes and professional ability levels that hinder role fulfillment; inequitable treatment of task force committees by administrators; and pressures to serve as a “rubber stamp” for principals and administrators to ensure the fulfillment of their political agendas. Recommendations for future research are suggested to determine ways to strengthen communication between the state and local school levels; to identify how institutions of higher learning may better prepare educators for curriculum leadership; and to examine the role of Director of Curriculum in order to identify leadership characteristics that are essential to curriculum improvement on a system wide basis.

For the past several decades the role of the superintendent has been that of educational manager. With the advent of educational reform the superintendent's role has changed. Since the 1956 Gross study of the Massachusetts superintendency, it has been unclear how and in what directions the superintendent's role has evolved. This study was designed to clarify the process and substances of this evolution. The primary purposes of this study were to examine the emerging roles and issues of concern for the Massachusetts superintendent. Personal and professional profile data on the superintendency in Massachusetts were reported. This information was generated through the analysis of a survey questionnaire instrument administered to superintendents in Massachusetts and the conducting of in-depth interviews with eight superintendents from separate communities in Massachusetts, followed by interviews of two minority superintendents. These data about the Massachusetts superintendency were then compared and contrasted to state data obtained in the 1956 study. The author examined data obtained from the 1992 Glass national study of the superintendency. The study took place in Massachusetts during 1996. Those serving as “full” school superintendents in Massachusetts, a population of 275 full-time superintendents, participated in the descriptive study which consisted of a 45-item questionnaire. Additionally, eight superintendents in Massachusetts participated in the in-depth interview study, as well as two minority superintendents. General categories of questions from the survey were reflected in the in-depth interviews. The following primary conclusions were drawn. The role of the Massachusetts superintendent is changing to meet current societal impacts on public education. Massachusetts superintendent profiles vary in their personal, professional, educational, and experiential factors. Massachusetts superintendents display an identifiable profile in relation to role expectations and current issues of concern. Massachusetts superintendents reflect an identifiable profile concerning superintendents' perceptions on the impact of education reform. Comparisons can be made between Massachusetts superintendents and superintendents nationally on the issues of minorities, women, and preparations for the office of the superintendent.

In the corporate world, leaders typically plan for succession, carefully grooming their heir apparent. In academia, however, it is rare for such planning to occur at the institutional level, much less the departmental level. This multiple case study explores how twelve department chairs in one public research university think about leadership development for their departments. While succession planning – as defined in traditional management literature – does not occur in academic departments, current chairs are active in promoting leadership continuity – purposefully preparing and cultivating potential leaders who have the skills and knowledge to most readily step in as chair so that departments can maintain momentum even during times of leadership transition. There are three dimensions that have been derived from the analysis: context, process, and person. This study describes how these three dimensions influence the ways in which chairs seek to enhance leadership capacity in their departments, provides policy and practice recommendations for institutions and departments to support these activities, and offers suggestions for future research in this critical area of academic leadership.

The purpose of this study is to determine how elementary principals are evaluated and the extent to which evaluation is considered a means for assisting elementary school principals to improve student learning. The four major research questions guiding this study are: What evaluation procedures do selected public schools use to evaluate the effectiveness of elementary school principals? What similarities and differences in procedures do selected school systems use to evaluate the effectiveness of elementary school principals? What ways do teachers in selected public schools use to evaluate elementary school principals? How are evaluations of elementary school principals in selected public schools used to improve student learning? The review of research and literature undertaken for this study described contemporary principal evaluation procedures and examined the role of parents, students, and teachers in the evaluation of elementary school principals. Data were gathered about principal evaluation procedures in interviews with fourteen public elementary school principals in demographically diverse schools in the state of Massachusetts. A content analysis of the principal evaluation procedures found in the data was conducted to determine whether school districts have documented principal evaluation procedures, the characteristics of the evaluation procedures that school districts are utilizing, the participants included in the evaluation of principals, and the procedures/similarities and differences in the evaluation procedures. This study analyzed the performance indicators included on principal evaluations and how they contributed to improving student learning. The data gathered in this research found that the participating principals supported the linkage of their evaluation to the improvement of student learning. Further, this research indicated that the participating principals were knowledgeable of their school district's principal evaluation procedures and tat some school districts in Massachusetts are lacking documented principal evaluation procedures. Finally, this study proposes recommendations that may be useful to principal preparation programs and to assist school districts in strengthening principal evaluation procedures for improving student learning.

The purpose of this study was to look at mission driven school district leadership in Massachusetts public schools and attempt to identify any relationship, or lack thereof, between district mission statements and student achievement. In this study, 288 Massachusetts public school districts are ranked according to their 2011 high school graduation rate and their 2011 tenth grade Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results. From the 288 districts, a sample of the top thirty and the bottom thirty were selected. All district wide mission statements were obtained from the websites of the top 30 and bottom 30 school districts with a 100% return rate. The mission statements were then coded using Bebell and Stemler's 2011 coding rubric. Bebell and Stemler's coding rubric contains 11 themes with 42 subcategories. The 11 themes are: academic/cognitive, social development, emotional development, civic development, physical development, vocational preparation, integrate into local community, integrate into global community, integrate into spiritual community, safe nurturing environment, and challenging environment. The 42 subcategories are indicators composed of key words and phrases for each of the eleven themes in Bebell and Stemler's 2011 coding rubric. Results from the present study found the academic/cognitive theme occurred more than any other theme in both the top and bottom public school districts in Massachusetts. Statistical differences did appear for two of Bebell and Stemler's themes: civic development and vocational preparation. The civic development theme was correlated with the top 30 school districts, while the vocational theme was correlated with the bottom 30 school districts. Subcategories of the civic theme include productive, responsible, contributing members of society involved in public service and character education, while vocational subcategories include competition in the workforce and marketable skills. This study is limited in size and scope and more research is suggested. This study is unique because it is the first time that mission driven leadership in Massachusetts school districts is being analyzed to see if there is a connection with student achievement. The present study would be of interest to policy makers and practitioners who are interested in mission driven leadership and student achievement.