<p> As the nation ages, many adolescents will become caregivers for a burgeoning population of elders. These adolescents will have had little training and information on how to address a loved one&rsquo;s psychosocial needs. This thesis evaluated if a week-long &ldquo;What Gives Your Life Meaning&rdquo; (WGYLM^&copy;) program increased awareness of and improved attitudes about palliative care (PC) among high school students. </p><p> Fourteen (14) high school students participated in this week-long study by viewing clips from the movie <i>Being Mortal</i>, participating in a discussion with a palliative care professional, listening to an interview with an adolescent caregiver, and answering questions relative to end of life. The students&rsquo; accurate definition of palliative care as care focused on quality of life increased from 57% to 78%. Results suggested that a school based WGYLM^&copy; program would benefit adolescents&rsquo; knowledge and attitudes about PC.</p><p>

<p> American high schools must graduate more students who are college-ready. The employment market for adults with only a high school diploma is rapidly shrinking (Parikh, 2013). The United States is facing a shortage of educated adults who will be needed to fill the estimated 60% of jobs that will require a four-year degree by year 2025 (Conley, 2014; Dyce, Albold, &amp; Long, 2013; Schaefer &amp; Rivera, 2012; Varee, 2008). Studies have shown that educational programs exist on the high school level that can increase the academic achievement of underperforming students and effectively prepare them for college (Beer, Le Blanc, &amp; Miller, 2008; Bernhardt, 2013: Bosworth, Convertino, &amp; Hurwitz, 2014; Campbell, 2010; Ghazzawi &amp; Jagannathan, 2011; Mendoza, 2014). But how do these students fare once they get into college? Do they persist? Do they complete a 4-year degree? If yes, how long does it take them to complete their degree and graduate? The purpose of this study was to answer these questions by comparing the college enrollment and degree completion rates of students who participated in AVID, GEAR UP, Upward Bound, or both GEAR UP and Upward Bound, and students who did not participate in a college preparatory program during high school. Data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 was used for this study and tracked students up to eight years post-high school graduation. Results from this study show that AVID students attain their 4-year degree eight years post high school graduation at a higher rate than students in all other groups. This finding was statistically significant and contributes to the growing pool of research that suggests that AVID is an effective program for increasing the likelihood that first-generation college-going students, students from lower-socio economic families, and students from subgroups traditionally underrepresented in higher education are better prepared for the rigors of a college education and complete their 4-year college degrees in a timely manner.</p><p>

<p> Although the public school has made great strides in making its vision of education for all a reality, 13.8% of the students continue to stumble in their pursuit of a high school diploma and 4.2% ultimately fail in this pursuit (Dalton, Ingels, &amp; Fritch, 2015; &ldquo;Public high school graduation rates,&rdquo; 2016). This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of students who initially chose to drop out of high school but chose to later re-enroll in a non-traditional setting. The purpose of this study was to find commonalities among the experiences of the participants to shed light on the essence of the phenomenon. This study included interviews with 30 non-traditional high school students and three staff members of a non-traditional high school. Three global themes emerged: 1) students were academically behind and over-age yet began to have feelings of hopefulness after attending the non-traditional high school, 2) students appreciate the supportive environment fostered at the non-traditional high school yet feel they are more independent and in control of their educational journey, and 3) students make more academic progress in the non-traditional setting yet continue to struggle to complete the requirements, specifically in mathematics, for high school graduation. The essence as revealed through this study is that students who choose to leave high school do so for academic, social and emotional, and familial reasons. However, these students also understand the benefits of earning a high school diploma. Therefore, they have chosen to re-enroll in a setting where they can use the knowledge they have gained through life experiences to help them complete their educational journey.</p><p>

<p> The 2013 adoption of the Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control Accountability Plan provides local communities and districts with educational decision-making and provides a roadmap of how to improve outcomes in low-performing districts. One of the eight-priority areas California public school districts are held accountable to make progress on an annual basis is improving school climate. Building strong trust based relationships prepares schools to address a myriad of complex challenges. This dissertation examined the key facets that build relational trust between high school teachers and principals within a hierarchical role relationship in a public comprehensive high school district in Northern California. This mixed methods study stretched previous research to understand how secondary principals and teachers conceptualize relational trust. Survey and one-on-one interview data suggest gender, ethnicity, and years of experience are not significantly related to the conceptualization of relational trust and that high school teachers largely feel the same way, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or years of experience. Of note, principals and high school teachers may view the importance of the five facets of relational trust in a dissimilar manner. Principals are encouraged to understand that 10 out of 11 high school teacher groups, while also recognizing that past experiences have a profound influence on the trust building process, ranked reliability as the most important facet in the trust building process.</p><p>

<p> During the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a trend developed for schools to meet the needs of struggling and at-risk learners through the implementation of multi-tiered response to intervention models (Apple, 2014). Response to intervention (RtI) is one of those frameworks and has been extensively researched from the perspective of those working in urban elementary schools (Burns &amp; Gibbons, 2013). This research project was designed to allow for better understanding of the rural secondary perspective of RtI through investigation of the perceptions of administrators, counselors, and educators who have implemented RtI frameworks. This qualitative examination resulted in a narrative gathered through interviews with teachers, counselors, and administrators working in rural secondary schools of southwest Missouri about their experiences with academic intervention strategies and response to intervention. Data were gathered during the fall and spring of 2017. The purpose of this study was to add to the limited body of research about the implementation, operationalization, and improvement of RtI programs in rural secondary schools. Respondents identified difficulties and obstacles and illustrated how the implementation of RtI has affected their roles. Both similarities and differences were discovered between rural secondary-level staff and their urban elementary-level colleagues. Respondents explained how solutions addressed problems with their programs. The researcher noted how this process created one-of-a-kind multi-tiered intervention programs. Lastly, suggestions for additional research were offered.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of parental involvement as minority students access information while preparing for college. Two qualitative questions formed the foundation of this study: 1. How does parental involvement contribute to minority students&rsquo; access to TRIO? 2. What roles do minority parents play in their children&rsquo;s education while they are enrolled in TRIO? Participants of this study were minority parents whose children were enrolled in TRIO. In total, 9 minority parents participated in this study &ndash; 67% Hispanic, 22% Pacific-Islanders, and 11% Native-American. To collect data a semi-structured interview was used; interviews were face-to-face and lasting approximately one hour. Three themes emerged from participants&rsquo; interview: 1) passive parental involvement; 2) the impact of TRIO, and 3) active parental involvement. Examples and a further explanation of each theme are described in the results chapter of this thesis.</p><p>

<p> A K-12 education should prepare students for their transition to postsecondary life, regardless of the nature of such a future. This study aims to explore the secondary and postsecondary experiences of alumni from East Menlow School (EMS), a co-educational, K-12, college-prep, independent day school on the east coast of the United States. By surveying and interviewing faculty and alumni, this mixed-methods study seeks to identify which student and teacher characteristics or practices, curricular and pedagogical practices, and school and family supports contribute to the high school completion and persistence through at least the first year of their postsecondary institution of EMS students in general and EMS students with learning differences (LD) in particular. A young adult&rsquo;s persistence to college graduation is multi-dimensional. Learning differences add an extra layer of academic and non-academic difficulty. As a result, it is vital that educators understand the needs of their LD students. </p><p> While the perspectives of EMS alumni in general, both non-LD and LD, are analyzed, this study further seeks to compare and contrast the experiences of EMS alumni with dyslexia, also known as a reading disability or reading disorder, with their non-LD and other LD peers. For many students, the ability to read and to write is the foundation of college success. Since the juried literature is scant in independent schools, this study attempts to provide a foundation for other research on LD students in independent schools. </p><p>

<p> This qualitative case study was designed to explore the culture of an exemplary equitable high school through the students&rsquo; perspective. In this study, a high school was chosen that has transformed learning and systematically integrated a system-wide approach to meeting the needs of the whole child by upholding the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of children in order to increase student engagement, equity, and achievement, and decrease the achievement gap and student drop-out rate. The case study was built on data gathered from one-on-one interviews with 12 students and observations of 13 teachers and a guidance counselor. Findings emerged from student interviewees, artifacts, teacher observations, and school observations. The research question that guided the study was as follows: What is the culture of a high school that has become exemplary through an Equity through Excellence paradigm from the students&rsquo; perspective? This question was answered through the identification of a culture of equity, which consisted of individualization, peer support, and teacher support (as student themes) and individualization, engagement, and support (as teacher themes). The main implication derived from the study was that there is a close relationship between teacher interest, student engagement, the development of a culture of equity, and academic excellence. Schools that focus more attention on individualizing relationships with students, increasing peer support, building engagement, and identifying and preventing bullying may develop or sustain a culture of equity.</p><p>

<p> This study is a review of the Learning Acceleration Program and the impact it has on student academic success in the Rural School District (pseudonym). This mixed-methods study used qualitative and quantitative data analyses to identify the impact that the Learning Acceleration Program has on the overall attendance and graduation rates for the district. The study also provided an understanding of the impact the Learning Acceleration Program has on perceptions as it pertains to the program. Data for this study were collected for the period of three academic school years on attendance, graduation rate for each year, and surveys completed by participants who have first-hand knowledge of the Learning Acceleration Program. The participants in this study were high school principals, one assistant principal, high school counselors, and Learning Acceleration Program personnel. The findings exhibited statistical significant difference in attendance or graduation rates on district. Furthermore, the findings from the survey highlighted the ability to meet the needs of each individual on an individual basis and provide future recommendations. </p><p>

<p> This study was guided by Deci and Ryan&rsquo;s (2015) self-determination theory, which focuses on meeting three specific psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. The literature review for this study included topics relating to alternative education such as educational reform, school improvement, school climate, student discipline, intervention strategies, at-risk students, and the achievement gap. This study involved determining the effectiveness of alternative schools through a mixed-methods examination of graduation rates, school climate, student motivation, and academic rigor in high schools from the southwest Missouri region. Graduation rate data were compared from school districts without alternative schools and those with alternative schools utilizing a t-test. The mean of the graduation rates of districts with alternative schools was significantly higher than districts without alternative schools. Quantitative data collection continued via a survey designed to measure the degree to which high school principals report an improved school climate upon implementation of an alternative school. These data demonstrated an improved school climate within the traditional school due to the implementation of an alternative school. Qualitative data collection consisted of interviewing subject-area high school teachers and alternative school teachers from randomly selected school districts in southwest Missouri. These interviews were designed and conducted by the researcher to gather teacher perceptions of the degree of student motivation and academic rigor evident among alternative school students within their respective school districts. These data demonstrated increased student motivation with mixed results pertaining to academic rigor in alternative schools.</p><p>