<p> This study was a qualitative action research project that involved focus groups of key stakeholders at an alternative education high school including: students, teaching staff, classified staff, supervisors, families, and collaborative partners. A semi-structured interview guide was used to discover their perceptions of a school culture and climate where students FLOURISH. The word FLOURISH is used in this research to describe the optimal experience of thriving and growing as well as an acronym that contains the elements that a literature review found to be important for such environments serving the most vulnerable student populations. This type of research is especially important in light of the recent transformation to educational planning and finance in California called LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) and its creation of the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs) with their mandate for stakeholder input. Finally, and most importantly, emerging research shows schools that improve their culture and climate can counter the &ldquo;school to prison pipeline&rdquo; effect so often experienced by vulnerable youth in the alternative education system. Both systematic analysis and a constructivist approach were used in coding and memoing to track the presence of existing themes from the literature review and to capture new ones emerging from the transcripts. Leadership, systems, equity and implementation implications were explored as secondary questions. Findings included the generation of a new model, coined The 5Rs Cycle &ndash; Resources, Regulation, Relationships, Relevance &amp; Rigor, which captured the essential elements found in the literature review along with the myriad themes produced by the focus groups.</p><p>

<p> The growing demand placed upon educators has taken a toll on the profession (Walker, 2014). Teacher burnout, stress, and unhappiness may be predestined unless administrators recognize how to prevent these from happening (Elias, 2012). The intent of this quantitative study was to survey teachers in southwest Missouri to determine their level of job satisfaction as it relates to student performance on state-mandated assessments. The survey included items designed to collect data on overall level of teacher job satisfaction in relation to demographic areas of age range, gender, level of education, years of teaching experience, subject areas taught, and salary range. The first research question was designed to determine the correlation between high school teacher job satisfaction and high school student achievement. Based on this research, there was a relationship between teacher job satisfaction and Missouri Performance Index scores. The second research question was designed to determine the correlation between teacher job satisfaction and years of experience, salary, age, level of education, and gender. Based on the data collected, there was a correlation between teacher job satisfaction and years of experience and between teacher job satisfaction and the age of the educator. However, there was no correlation between teacher job satisfaction and level of education, nor between teacher job satisfaction and gender. Research question three was posed to determine if there was a difference in teacher job satisfaction between those teachers required to administer end-of-course (EOC) exams and teachers who were not required to administer EOC exams. The research determined there was no difference in job satisfaction between the two groups.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which secondary students, aged 14-21 with intellectual disabilities in North Dakota (ND) engage in community-based work experience (CBWE). Perceived barriers to implementing CBWE were examined and a comparison was made between rural and urban communities. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used to survey professionals responsible for implementing CBWE in ND secondary schools. Data obtained from the study showed that 60.01% of students with ID are engaged in CBWE and there was no difference between rural and urban communities in percentage of students engaged in this practice. There was no significant difference between these communities in types of jobs in which students were engaged. Professionals were asked to agree or disagree to a list of perceived barriers to implementing CBWE and, there was little difference between rural and urban communities. Professionals identified child labor laws, parental concerns, and requirements to align instruction to academic standards as common barriers to implementing CBWE.</p><p>

The purpose of the study was twofold: to measure problems and needs of senior high school students as an aid to counsellors and guidance personnel in planning meaningful psychological services in the school, and to compare the problems and needs of students grouped according to school programme in order to determine if there are significant differences between these groups in terms of problems and needs expressed by means of a problem inventory. A population of 574 high school students was selected, comprising the grade eleven classes of two high schools in the area surrounding Vancouver. As each of the schools selected received students from over a wide area, it was assumed that social-economic-ability variables were randomized. The data was presented in a number of forms: 1) according to the intensity of the problem choices as expressed by the intensity scale of the Youth Inventory; 2) according to the percentage of students selecting each problem; 3) by problem areas; 4) by arithmetic means; and 5) by profile charts. This presentation was repeated for: 1) the entire population; 2) the entire male sample according to school programme sub-groups; and 3) the entire female sample according to school programme sub-groups. Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there were significant differences in problem choices between the eight problem areas for the entire population. The analysis of variance disclosed significant differences in five of the eight problem areas: Looking Ahead, About Myself, Getting Along with Others, Health, and Things in General. A Scheffé test for multiple comparisons between means did not disclose any significant differences between the problem choices of the school programme sub-groups. Limitations in sample size in the Visual and Performing Arts, and the Community Services programme sub-groups can be considered a serious weakness of the study. The findings did tend to support the hypothesis, that students with similar sets of problems tend to be found in the same school programmes. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

M.Ed. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the parental involvement in the education of their children. This research study is also an endeavour to explore the views of parents of students in grade eleven at Sitintile secondary school and on their role as support structure. In gathering data, qualitative research methods were used. This qualitative research methods lead to the understanding of people's perceptions. Processes that were involved in the data collection were one to one interviews with each of the twelve parents and observation was employed as the secondary data collection method. The researcher approached twelve individuals and they were identified as the sample population of the study . . The main implications of these findings could be summed up this way: • For the grade eleven students to prosper and be goal directed, parent-teacher relationship need to be enhanced. • There is a need for the parents to involve parents in the education of their children. • In conclusion, parents must play a meaningful role in the education of children.

Many high schools appear to be experiencing declining academic achievement and decreasing attendance. The Renaissance Program, which relies heavily on incentives, is currently being advocated nationally as a solution to these problems and has been implemented in many schools. The effectiveness of this program needs to be evaluated. School improvement literature from the Excellent Schools, the Essential Schools, and the Effective Schools calls for the institutional use of incentives to improve achievement. The Renaissance Program is an incentives-based approach used by Silver Lake Regional High School in order to improve motivation to achieve. It impacts students and teachers and is dependent on parents and the community for its success. Transforming (i.e., creative) leadership recommends that schools use incentives similar to those used in businesses. Psychological and educational research has shown that incentives are essential for effective motivation. An evaluation of the Renaissance Program at one suburban high school was undertaken by: (1) examining raw data concerning grades and attendance; (2) surveying a random sampling of students, teachers, and parents regarding their perceptions of the program; and (3) interviewing students, teachers, parents, and administrators, concerning their impressions about the effectiveness of the program. Since the implementation of the Renaissance Program, grades and attendance have improved and drop-out rates have decreased. Work attitudes and school spirit have also improved since the program was introduced. The program has been applicable to all students because of it is multi-faceted and flexible. There is teacher, parent, and community support for the program. However, in all three areas, there is a need for increased support. The program has been seen as mainly administrative-driven. There needs to be more student, parent, and teacher participation in the planning of the program. Student incentives need to be kept fresh but there does not seem to be a need for formal teacher incentives as part of the program. There is a great deal of support for the program and it has been seen as having a positive impact on the school as a whole.

This dissertation examines and analyzes the differences between a public and a private school in Nepal. The study looks at different factors such as school management and operation, school environment, external interference in school business, student discipline and behavior, teacher qualification and training and school curriculum. The study examines them as factors contributing to the school's success and effectiveness. The study explores how the two schools are managed and operated, the curriculums that are taught, and the learning environment that existed. The study describes how students, teachers, school Headmaster, Principal, and parents felt about the public and the private school. A qualitative case study method was used as the primary research methodology for this study. The main source of data came from in-depth interviews of 16 participants who were students, teachers, school Headmaster, Principal, and parents of the two schools. Additional data was gathered from the researcher's journal based on school observations, government statistical reports, and school documents. The findings indicate that the school Headmaster needs autonomy and decision making freedom to manage the school effectively. A positive learning environment is necessary for a school to succeed and outside interference and presence of non-educational activities such as politics is destructive to the school environment. The study suggests that the government and the community must clearly define and understand their role in the school, so that their involvement helps rather than interferes in the school. The study indicates that the quality of education in the private school was better than the one in the public school. Although not significantly different, the public school teachers had more qualifications and training than the private school teachers. However, more supplemental and advanced curricula was taught in the private school. Despite the high tuition and fees, the parents preferred to send their children to private schools.

Although there are many how-to manuals on forming business/school partnerships, there is little valuative information on what actually takes place within them. This dissertation, a case study of a school-to-work partnership between an urban high school's business education department and the local business community, affords a practical insight into the dynamics of such a cooperative. A series of in-depth, phenomenological interviews were conducted with student workers and their workplace mentors. Their candid, powerful testimonies reflect the backgrounds, attitudes, and concerns that each brought to the workplace. Their personal voices express the relationships and interactions that defined their work experiences. Additional interviews with key figures in several similar contemporary programs confirmed that business/school partnerships are as complex and sensitive as the personalities of the individuals and the characters of the institutions that form them. Although all of the participants in this study attest to the value and importance of such partnerships, it is also evident that the demands of sustaining a successful program are daunting. This study suggests that implementing the business/school mandates as proposed in school reform legislation will be difficult, if not impossible. The evidence in this study illustrates that predominantly minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds can succeed in an initial work experience, can grow through that exposure, and can then create new personal visions for themselves. Of the twenty-five business students who participated in this cooperative program, over half entered a two or four year college upon graduation; six were offered a permanent position with a business partner. The director of the partnership that is at the core of this study, a committed teacher and a business owner, was available on a daily basis to provide students with personal guidance as they assimilated new experiences, faced unexpected challenges, or redefined new understandings. The overall findings substantiate the value of such consistent individual support for students in their first adventure into the world-of-work.

Disaffected students have an extra need for activities which bolster self-confidence, add to self-esteem, and address their sense of alienation from more advantaged students. Without on-going efforts to compensate for their perceived inadequacies they are likely to fail in career and educational goals. Urban high schools do not have staff and programs available to assist these students. Hope lies in extra-curricular programs which attempt to bridge the gap between needs of the students and lack of resources available to alleviate the problem. The Senior Class Day Show is a successful extra-curricular program which has benefited many students who feel otherwise alienated from the mainstream. This is a qualitative descriptive case study in which I, as a participant-observer of this yearly event, examined 161 secondary school student Show participants of the total defined population of 1,285 students involved in the Show from 1969-1992 concentrating on years 1987, 1989, and 1991. A triangular methodology was used including the following: (1) Attendance statistics from 157 (100%) secondary school student Show participants from three graduating classes were analyzed and compared with non-participants from the same years. (2) Survey results from 115 (73%) secondary school student Show participants of the same three graduating classes were collected immediately after the Show. These results were coded into six categories which were developed after an examination of all the surveys. (3) Open-ended interviews with four alumni who had been Show participants and selected to represented different classes, sexes and background were coded and excerpts were aligned with the six categories examined in the surveys. The data shows that the absence rate for participants decreased during the fourth quarter when students were actively preparing for the Show and the mean absence percentage rate for quarter 1-4 were found to be significantly lower for participants than for non-participants. Surveys from 115 student participants expressed six positive benefits attributed to their participation. The most significant benefits expressed by these students were (1) improved attendance; (2) sense of community or "Esprit de Corps;" (3) heightened self-esteem; (4) opportunity for self-expression, (5) a sense of accomplishment, and (6) the thought of theater as a career.

The purpose of this study was to examine how college freshmen make meaning of their secondary school physical education experiences. The study was also designed to explore the events, individuals or factors associated with their physical education experiences that influenced the ways in which students construct their meanings. Using concepts first identified in Kelly's (1955) "personal construct psychology", the study was designed to understand how college students describe their experiences in high school physical education and their current beliefs about the value and meaning of those experiences. A semi-structured, open-ended interview format was used to engage 27 college freshmen from a small private, two year college in New England in a discussion about their high school physical education experiences. This methodology allowed the students/participants to ascribe their own meaning to the experiences they had in physical education. Each audiotaped interview session lasted approximately sixty minutes and was later transcribed for analysis. Two overriding themes emerged from the data. Students recognized and have come to understand that athleticism means power and physical education has little value as a subject matter offering. Several factors contributed to these understandings. The most influential factor was student skill level. Skill level influenced interactions with and treatment by teachers and other students. In many schools it created an adolescent society where personal status and underlying self worth were accorded solely on an individual's physical ability. Curriculum content and teaching behaviors were also identified as strongly influencing student experience. Programs which had a strong team sport foundation disenfranchised many students whose talents and interests did not find avenues of expression in the activities offered. Closely aligned with participants' remarks about curriculum choices were comments regarding the lack of instruction. Participants indicated that little teaching was occurring and low-skilled students believed this put them at an even greater disadvantage. Participants believed physical education had little value as a subject matter offering. These beliefs were most directly influenced by their association with parents and peers, while indirectly influenced by grading schemes and contrasts with other more "academic" subjects.