Greenleaf's servant leadership model has been described as an innovative vision in which the leader performs duties of service as the focal point of a mission for social change. Although the servant leadership model has been widely implemented in business and religious organizations, its effectiveness in educational settings has not yet been widely explored. Therefore, the purpose of this explanatory correlational study was to examine the prevalence and effectiveness of servant leadership among a random sample of 156 of New Jersey's school superintendents. Subjects completed the Self-Assessment of Servant Leadership (SASL) and the Leadership Practice Inventory (LPI) that assesses 5 functional attributes of best practice leadership including modeling, inspiring, challenging, enabling and encouraging. A median split of raw SASL scores created a dichotomous classification as servant or non-servant leaders which was employed in chi-square analysis that demonstrated no significant links connecting SASL classification with gender, ethnicity, academic degree or experience in education or administration. However, independent sample t-tests revealed that servant leaders demonstrated significantly more best-practice decision-making across all 5 LPI attributes than were observed for non-servant leaders. These results led to the conclusion that the servant leadership model aligns well with the role of the school superintendent, and that servant leaders may possess advantageous characteristics that allow them to facilitate systemic reforms in organizations. This study represents an important contribution to the existing literature and can enhance social change initiatives by informing the professional development of educational leaders that will ultimately benefit student achievement.

Previous research has demonstrated that adolescent learning increases with a proactive type of student-teacher relationship. However, due to the lack of common expectations for a positive student-teacher relationship, a disconnection occurs for some students, who then may become disengaged at school and may not reach their full potential academically, socially, or developmentally. This mixed method sequential, exploratory design focused on a Midwestern secondary school of approximately 250 students. The disconnection between students and teachers was addressed by investigating positive student-teacher relationships; student achievement; and the connection between student-teacher relationships and achievement. Qualitative data were collected using focus groups of students and teachers who explored characteristics of positive student-teacher relationships and of student achievement. These data were then analyzed using data reduction that selected, focused, simplified, abstracted, and transformed the data as they appeared in field notes. Quantitative data were then collected using a survey that examined student perceptions of student-teacher relationships and their potential effect on student achievement. Descriptive analysis of survey data revealed themes that were then contrasted against the qualitative data. The overarching theme that emerged from the triangulated data suggested most students perceived that a relationship existed between student achievement and relationships they had with teachers, while most teachers' perceptions were in contrast to the students' perceptions. The research demonstrated that if students and teachers connect in the classroom with a more unified approach to building and sustaining positive student-teacher relationships, a more-prepared individual emerges contributing to the community, the workforce and society at large.

Bill 160 in Ontario removed administrators from teachers' federations creating an unhealthy gap between groups and a lowering of morale for both. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between perceived effects of teachers' union actions on administrators' and teachers' roles and morale. Learning and organizational theories provided a theoretical framework for this quantitative study. Voluntary participants included teachers and administrators from Canadian Education Association and administrators from Ontario Principals' Council. Questionnaires addressed three hypotheses, which dealt with level of morale between participants, correlation between the morale score and the learning environment score, and difference in morale between teachers and administrators when the learning environment was controlled. Two measures standardized through a panel review and pilot study were used: Teacher/Administrator Morale and Learning Environment questionnaires. A continuous scale measured the dependent variable, morale and the independent variable, learning environment whereas a categorical scale measured the independent variable, role. Two-sample t test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis analyzed the data. Significant findings indicated that learning environment scores affected the morale of administrators more than teachers. Results will fill the gap between research and practice, suggesting a need for further knowledge on teachers' morale. Social change is accomplished through student achievement, a result of administrator/teacher collaboration and resultant increased morale. Social change might also occur if teachers had the option of belonging to a teachers' union in Ontario as in the United States.

Across the United States, student achievement is a concern. The local district under study is not meeting adequate yearly progress (AYP), a standard initiated by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which schools are expected to attain to avoid sanctions. The district's students are performing lower than state average on the state's standardized test, and the district wants to increase teachers' knowledge and use of differentiated instruction (DI). The purpose of this study was to describe teachers' DI practices, create a project that may increase the implementation of DI, and recommend further study to seek correlations between teachers' use of DI and student performances. A quantitative approach included analyzing archival survey data from the district's teachers to describe how frequently teachers reported practicing differentiated instructional strategies. Data were analyzed through analysis of variance to compare elementary, middle, and high school teachers' responses. Findings indicated teachers employ simple strategies often, while more complicated strategies are seldom initiated. Also, elementary and middle level teachers in the district utilize strategies more frequently than high school teachers. A wiki was created to enhance teachers' knowledge, understanding, and application of strategies to potentially improve student outcomes. Implications for positive social change include providing teachers with a tool to increase professional collaboration regarding student learning, knowledge of differentiated instruction, and practice of strategies for the purpose of improving student learning.

An educational problem facing high schools in 2 Midwestern school districts is that few local contextual experiences exist for developing professional learning communities that contain research-based characteristics. Identifying such experiences is important to school leaders and teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine 2 local high school professional learning communities to identify research-based characteristics such as practice-based discussions and a focus on learning and results. Constructivism and social change theory provided the theoretical foundation. A single research question sought the presence of research-based characteristics. The characteristics formed the conceptual framework and emerged from many voices in the field. Qualitative case study research methods guided the study; each high school served as a case. Interviews with 10 educators, observations of 4 team meetings, and examination of artifacts from the sites were conducted to collect data. Data analysis included coding information from interviews, meetings, and artifacts; developing individual case narratives; and constructing a cross-case analysis. A key finding was that all research-based characteristics were present in each school. One conclusion reached was that strong administrative leadership contributed positively to the presence of characteristics. Another was that operating from a learning model (e.g., AIW [Authentic Intellectual Work] or DuFour) contributed positively as well. Several recommendations are included and focus on following a model under strong administrative leadership. Given the findings, positive implications for social change include more effective teaching, more authentic collaboration in schools, and a culture of teacher excellence.

Empirical evidence substantiating the effectiveness of engagement programs to support at-risk students is virtually nonexistent. In an attempt to improve student engagement and literacy for Grade 9 students enrolled in a developmental curriculum known as the essential-level program, the staff at one school implemented single-gender classes during the 2010--2011 school year. This project study was designed as a summative, goals-based, quantitative program evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the first-year single-gender program based on its stated goals and objectives. A purposive sample of 45 students, 6 teachers, and 2 educational assistants in the essential-level program was used to collect pretest and posttest Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) score data as well as teacher and student survey data related to perceptions of single-gender classes. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine perceptions of student engagement, academic achievement, and behavior in single gender classrooms. Findings revealed that students and teachers indicated more positive perceptions toward single-gender classes. Analysis of covariance revealed that students in single-gender classes showed significantly higher reading achievement scores when compared to students in mixed-gender classrooms. The results of this program evaluation contribute to social change by adding to the body of knowledge focused on quantitative program evaluations, addressing a deficiency in the literature on single-gender instruction for at-risk students, and assisting the educational community in decision making to address gaps in literacy development and student engagement.

Concerned educators have been implementing ninth-grade transition programs to help freshmen adjust to the demands in high school and to reduce ninth-grade failure rates. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the impact of a ninth-grade transition program. The research questions addressed impact on cumulative GPAs and credits, ninth-grade dropout rates, and student satisfaction with ninth grade as measured by a survey of 120 ninth-grade transition program participants and 102 nonparticipants. Theoretical foundations were provided by the construction of new knowledge based on different background knowledge, different social conditions, and different life experiences. Another theoretical foundation was social control theory predicting less student delinquency if students have strong bonds with society such as school, family, and peers. After using a posttest-only with nonequivalent control-group design and independent-measures t tests for all hypotheses, results showed that the transition program did not have any effect on dropout rates, student satisfaction, and cumulative credits earned. The program had a negative effect on GPAs, possibly because of an increased margin of error (low return rate of parental consent for participation) and a new math curriculum for the experimental group. Recommendations for future study include conducting a longitudinal study with more participants, adding qualitative aspects, and teaching the same curricula to all study participants. Findings are significant for positive social change because they challenge educators to reexamine transition procedures, implement improved strategies, and review their teaching methods to provide students with the skills required by employers for a successful workforce that will contribute to America's well being and strong economic status in the 21st century.

What makes an effective teacher? This is the question I have tried to answer as I developed this ethnographic narrative. What is written here for you to read is an outline of what my experiences have been for the past two years, although it could have been my first year of teaching, but because I set back in the program, I will talk about both my first and second year of teaching. It traces back to the early expectations and hopes to more complex understandings of my students and myself. It has been 19 months since I started writing my ethnography, therefore you will notice my verb tense throughout the whole writing process. There are also new perspectives for each section. The project begins with a reflective piece about my personal educational experiences and my journey to become a teacher. I do wish to warn you that I have included specifically, details about my personal upbringing that may make a few people uncomfortable, but all in all this is who I am and what has helped shaped me through out the years. The work of this ethnography centers on my experience in my current position as an Intern teacher at a high school in Pomona, California. This opens with a study of three focus students who I had the privilege of visiting in their homes. This allowed me to discover who my students truly are and lay a foundation for my teaching goals. It is then followed by a section on the school, classroom, and community environment because this is what helps further analyze what shapes my students and it opens up opportunities to understanding where, how and why my students perform at the level they do. Finally, this project although the majority analytical, it is also very personal. In the last section presented, I reflect on the journey as an educator and what changes can be made to better suit my students. This section allows me to analyze how effective I have been and continue to be as an educator.

Over the last few decades, a growing body of research has linked extracurricular activity participation with positive outcomes among high school students. Extracurricular activities often provide a rich environmental context for positive youth development, given that they provide opportunities for identity formation, the creation of interpersonal connections, and the development of social, emotional, academic, and/or career-related skills. However, there are no studies to date examining the relationship between extracurricular activity involvement and student outcomes among students enrolled in rigorous high school curricula (e.g., Advanced Placement [AP] and International Baccalaureate [IB]). The purpose of the current study was to extend the current understanding of the relationship between extracurricular activity involvement and academic and mental health outcomes for youth enrolled in AP and IB programs by investigating the levels of extracurricular activity participation among AP/IB students, and examining whether participation predicted student success in terms of academic and mental health outcomes. Given the increased academic demands faced by this group of students, this study aimed to also investigate the overscheduling hypothesis to see whether there was a curvilinear relationship between extracurricular activity involvement and student success (i.e., a point of diminishing return). In addition, this study examined whether the program type (i.e., AP or IB) moderated the relationship between extracurricular activity participation and student outcomes. Using data obtained from a larger research project led by Dr. Shannon Suldo and Dr. Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick (Institute of Education Science: R305A100911), results indicated that on average, AP and IB students (N= 2,379) reported being involved in 3-4 different extracurricular activity types and spent approximately 5-9 hours per week involved in extracurricular activities. Findings also revealed that compared to AP students, IB students participated in a greater number of types of activities (3.38 vs. 3.89) and more hours of activities per week (3.03 vs. 3.18, where “3” corresponds to 5-9 hours per week). Although a significant difference in the overall levels of involvement in extracurricular activities was observed between AP and IB students, these differences did not translate into differences in associations between extracurricular involvement and student outcomes. Finally, this study found significant linear associations between the breadth of extracurricular activity participation and higher levels of life satisfaction, lower levels of psychopathology, higher GPAs, and higher AP/IB exam scores. Significant linear relationships between the intensity of extracurricular activity participation and lower levels of psychopathology and higher GPAs were also observed. Regarding the overscheduling hypothesis, results from the current study found curvilinear relationships between breadth of participation and AP/IB exam scores and GPA, with optimal levels of breadth of 4.1 and 5.2 types of extracurricular activities, respectively. Moreover, curvilinear relationships were also observed between intensity of participation and students’ psychopathology and GPA, with optimal intensity scores of 3.2 and 3.3 (i.e., between the “5-9” and “10-19” hours per week response option categories), indicating that participation in 20 or more hours of activities per week was associated with diminishing outcomes. Implications of findings for school psychologists and educational stakeholders, as well as future directions for research are discussed.

Secondary physics education in the United States has been shown to be sub-standard, and not even offered in many high schools. National assessment results have suggested that changes in secondary physics education are greatly needed and are slow in coming. One attempt to enhance physics instruction is the UPDATE program. UPDATE is a physics teacher enhancement program offered by the University of Massachusetts. The program is primarily designed to enhance physics teacher knowledge in topical and important areas of contemporary physics that are not always well represented in secondary classrooms. This study assesses the impact of participation in the UPDATE program on the high school physics instruction of the 1995-96 program participants. Focus group interviews, individual interviews, and a questionnaire are methods used to collect data. This document includes transcriptions from both focus group and individual interviews, as well as quantitative results from a questionnaire. Commonalities are drawn from the three sources of data to illustrate the impact of the UPDATE program on participants' high school physics instruction. Aspects of the program which have contributed to enhancement of instruction are also identified and recommendations are made for subsequent teacher enhancement programs. The findings generally indicate that participants became more confident, enthusiastic, gained more physics knowledge, and changed their teaching practices to include more UPDATE related topics. In addition, laboratory experiences as well as laboratory equipment offered to participants during the program contributed significantly to their perceived instructional enhancement.