The purpose of this qualitative study was to give an indepth and insightful description of the personal and professional worlds of the women high school principals of grades 9-12 in Tennessee in 1993. Specific areas which were addressed in the study included: (1) personal background information, (2) career paths and goals, (3) personal influences upon the women (4) possible barriers, (5) the role(s) of the woman high school principal, and (6) job demands. The data were gathered through a demographic questionnaire and the process of the long interview with open-ended questions with all seventeen of the women high school principals in Tennessee in 1993. Instead of aggregate descriptions, the intent of the analysis was to utilize the direct quotes of the women whenever possible to present a clearer representation of the women's individual perceptions or "life-world". The findings of the study indicated some overall commonalities, specifically in career decisions, educational background, and career paths. The women were greatly influenced to enter teaching by their parents and their teachers. Most of the women had undergraduate majors and minors in English and social studies. Only one of the seventeen women began her career with any career plan other than teaching. The women did not perceive that they had experienced major career barriers, particularly relative to family responsibilities. However, the majority perceived that being "female" was in itself a barrier. The women characterized themselves as spending more time in management than in instructional leadership. Overwhelmingly, the women mentioned "time constraints." The women acknowledged the recent or current existence of a "good ole boy network" in their school systems. They recognized the importance of "mentors," "visibility," and "networking" to career advancement. They recommended to women high school principal aspirants to learn all they can about the job, be visible, work hard, and not be discouraged. The results of this study should prove pertinent in the field of education and particularly to women administrative aspirants and administrative preparation programs.

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to (1) determine which characteristics of alternative schools exist in North Carolina public alternative high schools for at-risk/potential dropouts, (2) determine the degree to which North Carolina alternative school administrators and teachers perceive each characteristic as important, (3) determine if there was a significant difference between administrators' and teachers' perceptions regarding the frequency of occurrence of program characteristics to alternative high school's, (4) determine if there was a significant difference between administrators' and teachers' perceptions regarding the relevancy of program characteristics to alternative high schools, and (5) determine if there was a significant difference between administrators' and teachers' mean gaps of program characteristics to alternative high schools. Descriptive data were gathered relating to six categories: (1) perceptions about alternative schools, (2) student attitudes toward alternative schools, (3) school climate, (4) leadership, (5) student needs, and (6) student services. Method. A random sample of 21 of the 42 public alternative high schools in North Carolina for at-risk/potential dropouts made up the study. A survey was sent to each administrator and teacher of the 21 programs to gather information relating to the categories. Findings. A mean was computed for each program characteristic to determine administrators' and teachers' perceptions regarding the relevancy and level of existence of each program characteristic. A mean gap was calculated, denoting whether or not more resources should be devoted to specific program characteristics. Kendall's Tau Coefficient was calculated, signifying that there was no significant difference in rank order between administrators' and teachers' perceptions regarding level of existence, importance, and mean gap. Conclusions. Nine conclusions were drawn based on the findings. First, administrators' perceptions were higher than teachers' perceptions about existence of program characteristics of alternative schools. Second, administrators and teachers differed significantly in their perceptions of existence of nine of the 40 program characteristics of alternative schools. Third, administrators' perceptions were higher than teachers' perceptions about importance of program characteristics of alternative schools. Fourth, administrators and teachers differed significantly in their perceptions of importance of five of the 40 program characteristics of alternative schools. Fifth, the categories of student needs and services consistently ranked at the bottom of the lists for both levels of existence and importance among administrators and teachers. Sixth, teacher mean gaps concluded that more resources should be devoted to 39 of the 40 program characteristics while administrator mean gaps revealed that too many resources are being devoted to three of the 40 program characteristics. Seventh, the results of the use of Kendall's Tau Coefficient demonstrated substantial similarities in the perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding the degrees of existence, importance, and mean gaps between selected characteristics of alternative schools. Eighth, North Carolina alternative high schools for at-risk youth are to be commended as they are exhibiting to some degree all of the 40 program characteristics. Ninth, administrators and teachers surveyed exhibit commitment to their alternative school and are anxious to participate in research on alternative schools. Implications for further research are discussed.

Even though very good courses have been worked out for the numerous colleges of the state of Kentucky, there still remains a problem unanswered by the teacher-training institutions of the State. This problem is: What shall the prospective teacher be prepared to teach? and the question for the prospective teacher is: In what fields shall I prepare to teach? In order that the objective of this study - the ability to give more intelligent guidance from the standpoint of the teacher-training institutions and the ability to make the proper selection of subjects from the standpoint of the prospective teacher - may be attained, the problem becomes one of determining (1) how many subjects a high-school teacher in Kentucky should be prepared to teach and (2) the most desirable combinations of subjects. To answer these questions intelligently, we must know not only the number of subjects taught but the combinations that are taught in the high schools of Kentucky.

This study addressed the implementation of the tutorial program currently in use at an urban school district in Mississippi. Because successful completion of assessments is a graduation requirement, the study site implemented the tutorial program to help at-risk students improve their academic outcomes on state-mandated assessments in Biology I, United States History, English II, Algebra I. The purpose of this study, guided by Bloom's theory of mastery learning, was to examine the perceptions of the teachers who served as tutors in the program. Using the narrative inquiry method, the research focused on the implementation of the tutorial program, the perceived impact of the program on the academic achievement of at-risk students and what changes would benefit the program. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 tutors. Data were collected using open-ended questions in semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and coded. Emergent themes indicated the program needed more administrative support, better parental notification, and better communication between tutors. While the results suggested that the program was beneficial for at-risk students, recommendations were made to further improve the program's delivery through the development of an executive report to school administration and an evaluation report to stakeholders. Suggested modifications included designating a specific time for tutors collaboration and administrators taking a more active role during the implementation of the program. Modifications made to the existing tutorial program could lead to positive social change by increasing the academic success on both the state-mandated examinations and in academic classes, thus leading to increasing the graduation rates of at-risk students.

When Tennessee Department of Education adopted Common Core in 2010, Tennessee implemented New Critical ideas associated with the college classroom, but did not present this connection to English teachers. Comparing high school education reforms like A Nation at Risk (1983) and TNCore to the New Critical works of Cleanth Brooks, T. S. Eliot, John Crowe Ransom, Robert Penn Warren, William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley, reveals that New Criticism is the literary method grounding current ELA education reform. Referencing Deborah Appleman’s Critical Encounters in Secondary English (2015), Diana Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System (2010), and questionnaires completed by Tennessee teachers, this study tracks New Criticism’s influence from the college classroom to the high school classroom. Presenting English teachers the history behind what and how they teach will equip them to explain their methodology to students.

<p> As school leaders continue to attempt to integrate technology into today&rsquo;s classrooms, 1:1 laptop initiatives are becoming increasingly more prevalent and certainly more affordable than ever before. School leaders must be able to justify the expenditure by the direct impact the integration of the laptops make on classroom instruction and learning. Preparing and supporting teachers to teach and facilitate learning with these new technological tools is a necessity that cannot be overlooked in ensuring the success of 1:1 laptop initiatives. This study examined the impact of various professional development preparatory factors on the instructional change that occurred immediately after implementation of a 1:1 laptop initiative within three high schools. Significant differences were observed between the teachers&rsquo; perceived value of different types of professional development activities, including learning to use hardware, software, content management and instructional delivery platforms, as well as learning to integrate technology into instruction. Significant changes were also observed in each of 11 different instructional activities when comparing teacher practice pre-1:1 laptop initiative implementation and during implementation. Correlations between the amount of time teachers had access to their own laptops prior to the 1:1 implementation and the change in frequency of use of the instructional activities indicated limited significant results, as did the correlations between the length of professional development preparation designed to prepare teachers for the 1:1 laptop initiative and the change in frequency of use of the 11 instructional activities. The final correlations between the teachers&rsquo; perceived value of the four professional development activities and the change in frequency of use of the 11 instructional activities also yielded limited significant results.</p>

<p> The research design is a quantitative causal comparative method. The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) which measures student scores included assessments in mathematics and reading. The design study called for an examination of how type of small learning community (SLC) or the type non-SLC high school environment affected student achievement in FCAT mathematics, FCAT reading, graduation rates, and entrance into college/post secondary education, employment, and teacher job satisfaction using analysis of variance. Results indicate that students who participated in SLCs were more likely to graduate from high school than their non-SLC counterparts. SLCs seem to be supportive of both high school completion and education beyond the high school diploma. Participating teachers provided self-reported levels of employment satisfaction using the Mohrman-Cooke-Mohrman Job Satisfaction Scales (MCMJSS). Results of the ANOVA analysis indicate that SLC teachers do demonstrate a significantly higher rate of job satisfaction than their non-SLC colleagues indicate the probability that the relation between the variables found in the sample (<i> p</i> &lt; .001) was significant. The results of this study were that SLCs improve student graduation rates, students&rsquo; entering college and post-secondary education and further expanded the empirical evidence that teachers in SLCs have increased job satisfaction.</p>

<p> This study investigates the effect of participation in high school-community college partnership activities on teachers&rsquo; reflective practice. It examines the responses of teachers from one suburban high school, one urban high school and one urban charter school located in the Upper Midwest of the United States, gathered via semi-structured interviews. The partnership activities took place during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years. </p><p> The experiences of the teacher participants can be located in the phases of the reflective practice cycle, which consists of: having a catalyzing experience, seeking additional information, reframing and challenging assumptions, and testing through action. By engaging in collaborative activities, teachers accessed feedback on the needs of students and insights regarding different pedagogical approaches. This information fed the cycle of the reflective practice by causing teachers to have catalyzing experiences, motivating them to seek additional information, helping teachers to reframe and challenge their assumptions, and providing them with opportunities to test new ideas. </p><p> Besides supporting the cycle of reflective practice, the results of this study also connect to several tenets of teacher professional development in the literature. On one hand, this study&rsquo;s findings align with much of the literature regarding collegial collaboration, teacher motivation, and the execution of professional development over time. On the other hand, these results raise questions about forms of feedback that influence teacher reflection and whether experience is always a necessary precursor to teacher learning. </p>

<p> Grit, defined as the tendency to pursue long-term goals with sustained zeal and hard work, was shown to predict achievement in academic, vocational, and avocational domains. In 2009, Duckworth and Quinn found that grit predicted student effectiveness in school and the concept of grit was largely unrelated to talent. Grit provided incremental predictive validity for achievement outcomes, particularly in settings of high challenge. From the combination of persistence, self-control, and more broadly, conscientiousness, emerges the concept of grit. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to compare the relative grittiness of students from two different high school settings. The first of these was a non-traditional technical high school. The second was a traditional suburban high school. One hundred students from each high schools took the Grit-S survey to determine their level of grit. It was found that students attending the non-traditional high school and students attending the traditional high school had no statistically different level of grit. However, students from the non-traditional technical high school had an observably higher level of self-reported grit. Teachers and administrators were interviewed to determine their perceptions about grit. Qualitative analysis of their responses rendered three commonalities. The first theme was a definition of grit rooted in persistence and self-motivation. The second theme was the need for adults to model grit for the benefit of their students. The third theme was a lack of difference between the genders in perceived grit or academic prospects. </p><p> This dissertation expanded on the research of Grit and Student Performance as it relates to students who attend a non-traditional technical high school and students who attend a traditional high school. There was a lack of previous research comparing these two distinct types of high schools. After the data was gathered and analyzed no significant differences were found. This dissertation provides ideas for future research and its results may possibly change attitudes about students in both high school settings.</p>

<p> This embedded case study explored and described the delivery of career development activities by high school counselors (n=9) at predominantly Latino high schools within a Southern California school district. Using the ASCA National Standards as a guide, participants were queried about their adherence to said standards. The following themes emerged: (a) The Need for Parental Involvement in Students&rsquo; Education, (b) Counselors&rsquo; Barriers to Delivering Career Development Activities, (3) Perceptions of a Potential Career Development Course, (4) Career Exploration, (5) and Lack of Accountability for ASCA Standards. The results from the questionnaire highlighted inconsistency among the participants&rsquo; delivery of career development competencies. Limitations include a small sample size and questionnaire flaws. Implications include the need to track fidelity for ASCA National Standards, improve parental involvement, reduce non-counseling tasks, and reduce the student-to-school counselor ratio. Recommendations for future research for educators in predominantly Latino high schools are provided.</p>