The purpose of this study was to examine the educators’ perceptions of shifts within the culture of Jefferson Elementary School after the implementation of a trauma-informed approach. This study focuses on examining changes to the school culture after implementing trauma-informed practices. As educators continue to feel the pressure of increased academic expectations alongside the social and emotional demands that arise from childhood trauma, increased support through trauma-informed practices becomes necessary for the wellbeing of everyone. However, there are challenges in the implementation of these practices which can impact the culture of the school. The researcher used the qualitative method of case study to complete this research. The researcher conducted and recorded individual teacher interviews, focus group interviews, and analyzed documents to provide an in-depth understanding of the case being studied. This case study provides a detailed picture of how teachers in the school perceived the changes within the culture after the implementation of a trauma-informed approach. The researcher found that implementation of a trauma-informed approach positively impacted the school culture. Through analysis of the individual interview transcripts, focus group transcripts, and document analysis, the participants described their experiences. When collectively analyzed, these experiences provided a thorough understanding of the positive shifts to the school culture brought by the implementation of a trauma-informed approach.

This study was conducted to see if teachers perceive a significant difference in school culture and leadership in Title I and non-Title I schools. Specifically, this researcher considered the possibility that teachers working in Title I schools have lower perceptions of their school’s culture and leadership than teachers working in non-Title I schools. A quantitative study was used to find the perceived differences between school culture and leadership in Title I and non-Title I schools. A quasi-experimental design was selected because preexisting data were collected on teachers in an upper East Tennessee region. The data were collected from the TELL Tennessee survey conducted in 2011 by the Tennessee Department of Education. The TDOE contracted with the New Teacher Center (NTC) to conduct the state’s survey. The NTC is a national organization that has administered surveys in several states and is dedicated to developing and supporting a quality teaching force. The TDOE compiled 8 constructs or focus indicator areas for the survey, and 5 of the 8 indicators were used to determine school culture and leadership. School culture indicators were compiled from the focus questions of facilities and resources and community support. Leadership indicators were compiled from focus questions of student conduct, school leadership, and instructional practices and support. The population included teachers who taught in public schools, Pre Kindergarten through 12th grade during the 2010 through 2011 school year. This study showed no significant difference in regard to teacher perceptions of leadership in Title I and non-Title I schools in an upper East Tennessee region. However the study did find a significant difference in regard to teacher perceptions of school culture in Title I and non-Title I schools in the area of facilities and resources. An examination of the group means indicates that Title I schools (M = .845, SD = .120) had a significantly more positive perception of facilities and resources than teachers in non-Title I schools (M = .786, SD = .149).

This study was developed to generate data about the overall culture of selected central Florida middle schools in Osceola County. It was designed to enhance the existing body of knowledge on collaboration, collegiality and self-efficacy, as related to the academic achievement of students with specific learning disabilities. This study focused on two research questions: (a) to determine how well the three key areas of school culture (collaboration, collegiality and teacher efficacy) predict the placement of middle school students with specific learning disabilities in general education or special education (resource and separate class)settings and (b) to determine what relationships (if any) exist between the three key areas of school culture (collaboration, collegiality and teacher efficacy) and FCAT Reading and Mathematics scores of middle school students with specific learning disabilities. Secondary analyses consisted of (a) analyzing and comparing the three areas of school culture across the selected schools and (b) analyzing and comparing FCAT Reading and Mathematics scores of middle school students with learning disabilities across general education, resource and separate class educational settings. The population of this study consisted of seventh and eighth grade middle school students with specific learning disabilities during the 2003 - 2004 school year in the selected middle schools in Osceola County Public Schools, Kissimmee, Florida. To control for the high mobility rate, only those students who attended the same middle school since grade 6 were selected. Twenty-five general education and five exceptional education teachers were randomly selected from each of the four selected middle schools. FCAT Reading comprehension and Mathematics problem solving percentile rank scores for all selected students with specific learning disabilities over a four-year period (2001 through 2004). According to a review of professional literature research findings, the researcher concluded that (a) none of the three key areas of school culture (collaboration, collegilaity or teacher efficacy) predicted the placement of middle school students with specific learning disabilities in general education or special education (resource or separate class) educational settings and (b) there were no relationships between any of the three key areas of school culture and FCAT Reading and Mathematics scores for middle school students with specific learning disabilities in the sample population. Secondary analyses revealed (a) strong overall cultures in the selected middle schools, as overall culture scores in collaboration, collegiality and teacher efficacy ranged from the mid 2nd quartile to mid 3rd quartile; (b) statistically significant differences between Reading and Mathematics FCAT scores for students in general education as opposed to those in resource or separate class placements. (No statistically significant differences were found between FCAT Reading and Mathematics scores of students in resource room or separate class placements.)

No description available.

No description available.

This qualitative case study examines the impact of a character education program, Rachel's Challenge, in a high school to determine if the implementation of the program promotes resiliency, improves school culture, and supports an increased sense of community within the school. I examine, in rich detail, a suburban high school which implemented Rachel's Challenge and the research thoroughly formulates a description of the school prior to the implementation of the program and following the implementation of the program to determine the impact of the character education initiative on the school's culture, the resilience development of the school community members, and the sense of community within the institution. I collected the data in a suburban high school located in a Mid-Atlantic state. Limiting my study to one school provided me the necessary and advantageous opportunity to gain a rich description of the possible impacts of the program while also allowing me to deeply immerse myself into the realities of the participants. In-depth interviews were carried out with students, parents, counselors, administrators, and teachers to gain a rich understanding of any need for and value of the program and of any impacts of the program on the school's culture, the development of resilience, and a sense of connection and community. Constructs of Turbulence Theory are used to dissect the value of the character education program; I examined what need induced the implementation of the program in the school community and any positive impacts of the program on the school culture, resilience development, and sense of connection and community. Constructs of Resilience Theory are used, as it has been applied to individuals and organizations, to analyze the possible impact of the character education program on the resilience levels within the school community. Interviews were carried out with the various key-players within the high school who offered a wide interpretation of the effects of the character education program on the overall school culture and the level of resilience within the school community. A thorough document review was also carried out to further explore any impacts of the program on school culture, resilience development, and sense of community to clarify and further add to the interviews. The data provide educational leaders with a practical understanding of the impact of character education, namely the Rachel's Challenge program, on school culture and the development of resilience within a school community to help leaders formulate a value of its implementation in their schools. The research provides evidence that the Rachel's Challenge program did improve school culture in this particular school by encouraging a community built on acceptance, inclusion, kindness, respect, and compassion. The program encouraged pro-social behavioral changes within the school as well as promoted an anti-bullying message to the members of the school community. The research also provides evidence that the Rachel's Challenge program did promote the development of individual and community resilience at this particular school as demonstrated by an enhanced ability to stand up against peer pressure as well as the promotion of strength in the face of adversity and a sense of connection and unity within the school community. / Educational Leadership

To determine the impact that school leaders have on school culture and teacher retention, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to study schools in a district feeder pattern in in a large, suburban district in Texas with a student population of approximately 25,000. In Phase 1, teachers at one elementary, one middle, and one high school were asked to complete a 26-question Likert scale survey about school culture. The last statement in the survey asked participants if they were willing to participate in a focus group about school culture and teacher retention. In Phase 2, focus group interviews were conducted with volunteer participants who took the survey and stated they would be interested in participating in a focus group. Three focus groups were held to divide the participants by grade level grouping taught: elementary, middle, and high school. Focus group participants stated that they believe school leaders play a vital role in creating the culture of the school and in teachers' desire to remain not only teaching at their school, but also remaining in the field of education. The survey data supported these findings. By examining teachers' perspectives, the findings of the study may positively inform and influence district hiring practices, develop leadership profiles and behaviors, and provide school leaders with ways to recruit and retain teachers. Further research could include a case study at one specific school or expanding the sample size and including more schools or studying a variety of districts to find additional ways to build school culture and retain teachers.

The national push for increased accountability, the demand for academic achievement for all students, as defined by high-stakes testing, and sanctions imposed on public schools create significant challenges for the school principal. The principal is charged with leading improvement efforts to improve student achievement and school effectiveness. Striving for excellence is a collaborative, inquiry-based quest, in which the principal must engage all stakeholders in the development of a productive learning culture designed to improve teaching and learning. To do this, educational practitioners must glean and use improvement strategies from well-grounded theory, educational research, best practices, and evidence-based decision making. This study is an investigation and synthesis of the relationships among leadership behaviors, school culture, and school outcomes, including student achievement, in an effort to determine direct and indirect effects. It is based on the premise that school leadership has a direct effect on school culture, and school culture has a direct effect on school effectiveness, including student achievement. Schein's model of culture was selected as the operational definition of culture. The concept of school climate is based on environmental factors and is included within the larger concept of school culture. The resulting work is the development of a theory of school effectiveness, based on a review of educational research, theory, and best practices synthesized from multiple studies. The work is intended to serve as a resource for those involved in school leadership and school improvement efforts. Evidence for supporting direct effects of leadership on school effectiveness, including student achievement is very limited in the literature. However, results indicate that the principal does have a direct effect on school culture and climate through strategic intervention strategies and behaviors. A review of studies examining the relationships between school culture and student achievement indicate that there is a significant moderate effect between school culture and student achievement in K-12 public schools in the United States. Although there remains limited evidence that the school principal directly affects student achievement, there is sufficient evidence to indicate that school culture is a significant mediating factor between principal leadership and school effectiveness. / Ph. D.

Thailand is entering into a new phase of educational administration under the new National Education Act of 1999 which requires all educational institutions to have internal and external quality assurance in order to ensure improvement of educational quality and standards at all levels (Section 47). This means that all educational institutions, especially in the private sector, have to undergo many changes, including changes in administration, teaching and learning processes, methods of evaluation and professional development programs. The current study focused specifically on the transformational leadership behaviour of principals on school culture. Culture is considered to be a key factor in determining whether school improvement is possible (Deal & Peterson, 1999). The study was conducted in two phases: quantitative and a qualitative, and carried out in the secondary schools of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, in Thailand. In the quantitative phase, the researcher used two instruments, namely the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ, Short form) developed by Bass (2000) to measure the leadership behaviour of principals, and the School Culture Survey developed by Gruenert (1998) to measure school culture. The results from the quantitative study were used to select a school for the second phase of the study that was carried out using a qualitative approach. The quantitative findings provided descriptive evidence that transformational leadership existed in the schools of the Brothers of St. Gabriel, in Thailand and the dominant culture of the Gabrieltie schools was Professional Development. In addition, the findings also revealed that there was a significant relationship between leadership behaviour and school culture. In the second phase, the leadership behaviour of the selected principal was interpreted based on transformational leadership applied in a school setting. This process was outlined by Leithwood (1996) as frame of reference to identify a pattern of leadership behaviour of the selected principal. The findings revealed that the selected principal exercised the qualities of transformational leadership to some extent. Some qualities were missing and some were practised to a moderate degree. The study helps provide guidance and direction to principals who wish to exercise their leadership in a more appropriate and relevant way particularly in a context of change.

Teachers' perceptions of leadership are often based on the leaders' behavior, and what leaders model daily. The problem in this case study was that teachers' perceptions of school leadership were not well enough understood to leverage as a tool for school improvement. The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers' perceptions of school principal's leadership style, and behavior affect school culture. The conceptual framework was based on literature of 3 key dynamics: leadership styles, and approaches, school culture, and influences of leadership on teachers' perceptions of school culture. The primary research question explored how teachers' perceptions of school leadership style, and behavior influenced the culture, and work of the school. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 15 elementary, middle, and high school teachers from across the United States who taught during the 2014-2015 school year. Data were collected using email interviews, and surveys. Data were coded using computer assisted data analysis and analyzed for themes using an inductive process. Emergent themes for school culture were identified as collaboration, teacher support, and professionalism. Leadership themes included equity and fairness, communication, and trustworthiness. Results suggest that teachers' perceptions of school principals influenced school culture and affected teacher's work. As a result, training is recommended for school leaders in the areas of ethics, professionalism, and school culture. Implications for social change are that leadership staff may become more knowledgeable and influence the teachers' perceptions of school leadership, thereby promoting school culture, resulting in improved student achievement, profiting both the community, and society.