Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-229). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Additional advisors: Nataliya Ivankova, Foster Watkins, Martha Barber, Margaret Rice. Description based on contents viewed May 29, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-235).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 226 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-184).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1999. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 18, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Paul Baker (chair), Dianne Ashby, Elizabeth Lugg, Gregory Aloia. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-91) and abstract. Also available in print.

From 2010 to 2016, public schools in New York City were required to affiliate with one of approximately 60 Children First Networks (CFN). These networks were designed to provide a broad range of support for instruction, leadership, curriculum, and operations in schools, as well as facilitating collaboration between schools, with the ultimate goal of raising student achievement. Using mixed methods, the research presented in this thesis investigates relationships between these networks and student achievement, and explores processes and interactions relevant to collaboration and school improvement within and between schools and their affiliated networks. The overall explanatory sequential mixed methods design began with a quantitative phase, in which secondary data were analyzed using multilevel modeling to determine whether there was an overall effect of networks on student achievement on state assessments in literacy and mathematics. Contextualised value added (CVA) school effects were also investigated at this stage, and the results were used to inform the sampling of schools for the qualitative strand of the project. Qualitative inquiry used a case study approach, with the "case" defined as the network structure as a whole, and embedded cases consisting of 10 schools in several different networks. Interviews were conducted with various stakeholders (principals, teachers, and network staff) to access multiple perspectives and experiences of network roles, participation and collaboration in networks, and how these relate to school improvement. Main findings from the quantitative analysis demonstrate little evidence of an overall effect of networks on student achievement, but show significant variation between schools' CVA effects. Qualitative findings offer insight relevant to these results, as accounts of participants at different levels of the network structure vary regarding the nature, extent and impact of schools' involvement with networks. Focusing on an under-researched network structure and applying rigorous methods from educational effectiveness research within a mixed methods design to study networking and collaboration in education, this study makes an original and substantive contribution to both of these fields. Findings have the potential to inform relevant policy in New York City, and though results from this context must be generalized cautiously, this research may provide useful considerations for policymakers in other settings by adding to the broader evidence base on the effects of school networks and the processes and interactions within them.

The papers in this portfolio are part of the author's efforts to 'make things better' in education, and are the products of over a decade's thinking and research. While most of the papers are written from within the context of the state school system in NSW, their messages apply equally well to school systems elsewhere. The papers reflect an eclectic mix of research perspectives and methodological paradigms. It is suggested that student learning outcomes may be improved if schools specify goals and objectives, make the necessary resources available and establish accountability mechanisms for monitoring and measuring performance. The analysis and synthesis generates critical knowledge, that is, knowledge which is explanatory and interpretive. The desire to assist schools to achieve a position where they are able to (firstly) assemble their own data systems, and secondly to conduct their own analysis of this data and report this to the school community has been the common theme underpinning all the professional work of the author. The works evolved in this portfolio document an evolving process, and one which is far from concluded. There is much further work that could be done. An analysis of the macro and micro-politics of school improvement processes, for example, would be a useful contribution to the literature. For the present purposes, there is a practical need to limit the scope and number of the works presented. The works included all address, in some way, the common theme of improving school and systemic effectiveness through better information management. Hopefully, they have made some small contribution to better understanding the phenomenon, and will in turn positively impact on the performance of schools and school systems / Doctor of Education

Graduation date: 1997

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-209).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-293). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 284-293). Also available on the Internet.