English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing student group in U.S. public schools. The purpose of this mixed method study was to gain an understanding of the relationship between principal actions and the academic achievement of ELs to determine which practices had the greatest impact on student achievement using archival achievement data. A mixed methods research study was conducted in an urban school district in North Texas to explore differences between principals of schools with high and non-high performance of ELs as it related to the implementation of leadership practices and social justice principles. The principals in the PK-5 grade level band who participated in an online survey, reported statistically significant differences regarding the implementation of leadership practices in the areas of leading student culture and data-driven instruction. Statistically significant differences were also found in the competency of driving for results within the social justice principles. Further data analysis of interview findings revealed the distinction between the high-performing and non-high-performing group to be centered on principal actions as inputs for effective teaching as it related to the implementation of schoolwide systems and processes. Further research is recommended to continue the identification of best practices that support the academic success of ELs in a public-school setting.

The goal of this research was to increase the knowledge base regarding Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software implementation, particularly in the public sector. To this end, factors regarding benefits sought through ERP system implementation and critical factors surrounding successful ERP implementation were identified. In addition, the perception of project team members’ satisfaction with modules implemented and their concerns about implementing ERP software were identified in this study. The results of this study provided recommendations for public- and private-sector organizations in order to increase their opportunity for successful ERP system implementation. The literature review and results of this study suggested that the benefits sought during ERP system implementation were consistent among public- and private-sector organizations. Benefits such as increased standardization, better reporting, and reduced operational costs were recognized as goals of ERP software implementation. Factors that attributed to successful ERP system implementations were top management support, and knowledgeable project managers and team members. The t-test analyses found differences among the two groups, public and private sector organizations, regarding some benefits sought and the level of satisfaction with some modules. The study included recommendations for organizations to fully research ERP functionality prior to implementation, implement strong change management, use other means of measuring return on investment, ensure employee buy-in and top management involvement, and avoid scope creep.

The purpose of this study was to obtain a representative sample of public opinion to the following questions: (1) To what extent do the parents favor the educational program of the Stockton Unified School District? (2) What do the parents think of the treachers in the Stockton public schools? (3) Are the parents aware of the student growth and building problems that face the Stockton Unified School District? The data of this study were obtained by means of a questionnaire sent to parents of school children in nine elementary and four high schools in Stockton. The questionnaires were sent home with the students the third week of December, 1953. It was further the purpose of this study to provide a comparative analysis of the results of the poll among the nine elementary schools which were selected from three distinct socio-economic areas and to compare the elementary schools with the high schools. It was hoped that this study would contribute to data which would be used as a basis for making recommendations for creating better understandings between the teachers and administrators of the Stockton Unified School District and the parents whose children they teach. This study will confine itself to the compiling of totals to answers on the questionnaires and to the making of comparative analyses of these results. From the data of this survey it was hoped that administrators and teachers would become aware of sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the schools and from this knowledge a public relations and educational program could be devised which would make possible closer cooperation and the elimination of major sources of discontent among the patrons of Stockton’s public schools.

The study focuses on young children with developmental delays (DD) in a large school district and explores the effects of Pre-Kindergarten Exceptional Student Education (Pre-K ESE) duration on 136 students' 3rd grade academic achievement and socialization opportunities. This study specifically examines the 2003 statewide assessment (i.e. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT) results of children with DD and their 3rd grade special education status. The literature review showed that providing early intervention services for young children ages 3 through 5 with special needs in the public school system has become the movement of both the federal and state educational policies. However, the empirical studies regarding the effects of Pre-K early intervention programs provided within the public school system are few. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted to examine the effect of the Pre-K duration (1 year vs. 2 years) on students' 3rd grade performance as measured by FCAT Reading scores, FCAT Math scores, and socialization opportunities (i.e. weekly Non-ESE minutes) while controlling for students' socioeconomic status (i.e. free/reduced price lunch status) and gender. Moreover, a paired sample t test was conducted to examine the difference of the Matrix of Services scores between Pre-K and 3rd grade evaluations. The results of this study provide an insightful picture of Florida Pre-K intervention duration on the performance of children with special needs in public schools.

The Harrisburg (PA) city schools had been failing for many years, plagued by bad student performance on standardized tests, high absenteeism, poor graduation rates, and what appeared to be organizational chaos, according to media reports. The school board had hired and fired three superintendents in the space of a decade, but nothing they or their administrators did stemmed the tide of bad news. In December of 2000, Stephen Reed, the long-standing Democratic mayor of Harrisburg, instituted a mayoral takeover of the city schools under the auspices of Act 91 of 2000, commonly referred to as the Empowerment Act of 2000. His first act under the provisions of the law was to appoint a board of control, which left the elected school board little role to play. The mayor's next move was to recruit a superintendent of schools. He found Dr. Gerald Kohn, former superintendent of schools for the city of Vineland, New Jersey. The new superintendent brought with him his own hand-picked top-level management team; this resulted in a flurry of management changes (including reassignments and dismissals) among administrative staff in place before the takeover. Recognizing that such a high level of change in school governance this would create, the purpose of this case study was to examine the attitudes and perceptions of a group of administrators who attempted to bring about, or adapt to, a sea change in a troubled school district under the auspices of a city mayor who abrogated the authority of a duly elected school board, resulting to date in what seems to many interested observers as little or no progress after seven years, and in what appeared to be according to media reports a climate of controversy and turmoil. Administrators completed a pre-interview survey and then a randomly selected sub-set participated in a forty to fifty minute interviews. Both the survey and interviews focused on the four research questions: How do administrators perceive the takeover has affected their stress levels? How has it affected their job satisfaction? Has in their opinion the takeover increased or decreased the level of turmoil in the district? What do they believe is the level of confidence the public has in the job they are doing? The survey and administrator interviews were augmented by interviews with selected representative stakeholders in the district who were queried on essentially the same questions. Administrators generally reported high or very high stress levels accompanied by good or very high rates of job satisfaction. They and their stakeholder counterparts agreed that turbulence had subsided in the district since the takeover. Administrators and stakeholders split on the issue of public confidence. Administrators felt public confidence in the schools was improving; stakeholders expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of change in the district and what they perceived as unacceptably low PSSA scores. / Educational Administration

The achievement gap has been identified as a significant challenge faced by school districts across the nation and has been an item on the national agenda for quite some time. Students that are part of the identified disaggregated groups are not achieving at the same rate as their White and Asian counterparts. While urban schools have had to deal with disparities in student achievement across racial lines for decades, suburban districts are now faced with greater numbers of students who are not demonstrating success and achievement academically. As a result, school districts are challenged to design programs to meet the needs of students that have fallen into the gap; and they must come up with ways to fill the academic gaps that individual students have in order to demonstrate progress. In response to the achievement gap, districts are designing interventions and programs that specifically address the needs of these students. Data driven decision-making is a direct result of the progress that school districts and schools must show for every student and student group. This study identifies how the Ganton School District, a suburban district outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is addressing the achievement gap through district-level and building-level leadership. Efforts evidenced through programs and initiatives are identified that are having an impact on the success and academic achievement of black students that have fallen into the gap in the Ganton School District. / Educational Administration

Because the public school budgeting process is arguably the single most important process in a school district, the budgeting process is a leadership challenge for the Superintendent. This leadership challenge is even more pronounced in fiscally dependent school districts where the school board does not have the authority to tax and must obtain funding from the local governing board. In fiscally dependent school districts, superintendents must develop and guide the school district budget through two different boards with different responsibilities and interests: a school board focusing on the educational vision of the school district and a local governing board focusing on overall community needs and tax rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of fiscal dependence on superintendent leadership during the budget process. This multi-case study utilized Stake's (2006) multi-case analysis methods to determine findings from four cases selected using a stratified, purposeful sampling of school districts in Virginia, a fiscally dependent state. The analysis resulted in eleven findings: 1) Superintendents guide school district budgets through the local government approval process. 2) The fiscally dependent method of school district funding in Virginia has a direct impact on the development of the school district budget. 3) The importance of education in a community influences the budget development process. 4) Personalities and relationships can be more important than budget processes and documents. 5) Limited local revenue has an impact on the budget development process. 6) An appointed school board increases the importance of the local governing board and influences the budget approval process. 7) The depth to which local government leaders look at the budget details influences the district budget development process. 8) Superintendents ensure frequent and ongoing dialogue with local government leaders. 9) Superintendents maintain good relationships with the local government leaders. 10) Superintendents have a good budget process and budget document. 11) Superintendents involve and engage the larger school community. This study has implications for superintendents that work in states with fiscally dependent school districts. / Ph. D.

The focus of this project is an analysis of the relationship between the results of the Academic Performance Index (API) and the Fitnessgram for seventh grade students in California's Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Results of the analysis show a positive relationship beween academic scores and fitness scores.

The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding the effectiveness of training in problem solving management by critical analysis. The focus of the study therefore, was to determine if training in problem solving management by critical analysis would increase levels of problem analysis and judgment productivity in a group of administrators. Previous research studies indicate positive relationships between training in problem solving and improved performance of administrators in their task efforts. Twenty-six administrative and supervisory staff members in an urban school district took part in the study. Using a randomized pretest-posttest research design, subjects were divided into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group was exposed to training sessions in problem management by critical analysis based upon writings by Elbing (1978), Drake (1976), Ennis (1962) and Rickards (1974). The control group received no training. All subjects were pretested using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Form A. Following the training sessions with the experimental group, all subjects were post-tested using the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Form B. The Critical Thinking Appraisal Forms A and B thus yielded a numerical score for each of the five subtests on problem analysis and judgment productivity-inference, recognition of assumptions, deduction, interpretation, and evaluation of arguments. A null hypothesis was constructed to deal with experimental and control group comparison and possible differences with the training sessions functioning as the independent variable and the post-test scores functioning as the dependent variable. To determine if gains by any group were significant, a t-test was applied to the data. The .05 level of confidence was utilized to determine if data were significant. This analysis reported a gain in problem analysis and judgmental productivity in the experimental group and none in the control group. It was therefore concluded that the gain or differences reported in the post-test results, can be directly attributed to the training sessions in problem solving management by critical analysis.

In 1983, the report A Nation at Risk catapulted school reform to the forefront of national attention. The State of Texas responded with legislation dictating curriculum and instructional time. Failure to accomplish the desired improvement in student achievement caused these mandates to be eased. In lieu of the mandates, the Texas legislature and the Texas Education Agency have set expectation standards called academic indicators. Local districts and campuses must utilize site based decision making (SBDM) to determine how each campus will meet the set standards. Dealing primarily with curriculum roles and responsibilities, this study details perceptions of principals and teachers as SBDM was being implemented in a suburban school district serving 25,000 students. Data were gathered utilizing a structured interview and a follow-up telephone interview. Addressed in the study are perceptions of: (a) role changes, (b) responsibility changes, (c) needed improvements in the implementation process, (d) teacher empowerment, (e) positive and negative elements, and (f) student achievement.