The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the degree to which a principal demonstrates instructional leadership and student achievement in small high schools in Virginia. This inquiry was an extension of previous research which has examined the relationship between these two variables in urban elementary schools. The study controlled for the effects of the socioeconomic status of the students, which has been demonstrated through research to have an important impact on student achievement.;Forty-four high schools with enrollments in grades 10-12 of 500 or less students participated in the study. Teacher and supervisor questionnaires were used to measure principal instructional leadership. Student Achievement was measured by the schools' results on the Test of Achievement and Proficiency, which is the 11th grade component of the Virginia State Assessment Program. The percentage of students eligible for free and reduced meals at each school served as the surrogate variable for socioeconomic status.;It was hypothesized that (1) there would be a negative relationship between student achievement and socioeconomic status (i.e., the percentage of students eligible for free and reduced meals) and (2) after controlling for the effects of socioeconomic status, there would be a positive relationship between student achievement and principal instructional leadership.;It was concluded that there is a negative relationship between student achievement and socioeconomic status. It was further concluded that the results of the study do not support the hypothesis that principal instructional leadership has a statistically significant relationship with student achievement.;Further study is needed to examine the complex nature of the instructional leadership construct. Research should be conducted to determine how the principal's managerial efforts influence the teaching-learning process. In addition, the roles played by other individuals, such as other administrators, teachers, and parents should be investigated as to how principals can coordinate the efforts of these individuals to enhance student achievement.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 mandates that middle school students be technologically literate by the end of 8th grade, but teachers need more information on how to make this outcome a reality. This qualitative phenomenological study used a constructivist theoretical framework to investigate teachers' descriptions of technological literacy outcomes, instructional practice, and challenges influencing middle school student technological literacy. Twelve teachers at 1 public middle school in a large urban area of Georgia were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the typological method with the inclusion of both inductive and predetermined categories. Teachers described technologically literate middle school students as able to perform basic computer skills and use those skills for research and problem-solving. Teachers' instructional practices included modeling and demonstration, hands-on practice, coaching, collaboration, and frequent assessment to achieve the outcome of student technological literacy. Challenges that can impede teachers' implementation of practices for technological literacy included lack of school support, equipment, time, and effective professional development. Recommendations to overcome challenges include increasing availability of equipment by providing better ways to schedule the computer laboratories and staff to monitor the equipment. Relevant up-to-date staff development and inclusion of technological literacy as a school goal were also suggested. This study may influence social change because it may help teachers improve practices to develop students' technological literacy skills necessary for successful employment in the 21 st century.

Although all of the schools in the target school system adhere to a school improvement process, achievement scores remain mediocre or stagnant within the overseas school in Italy that serves children of United States armed service members. To address this problem, this study explored the target school's improvement process to discover how different stakeholder groups viewed that process. The aim of these investigations was to determine if different stakeholder groups' competing values hindered the school's improvement efforts. The conceptual framework of this study was Schein's organizational culture theory along with recent findings by Creemers and Kyriakides that show that school culture must be addressed in order for a school to improve. The research design was a single case study. Four different stakeholder groups were interviewed, two school improvement committee meetings were observed, and seven school-improvement related documents were examined. ATLASti qualitative analysis software was used following Hatch's typological analysis method. Two major themes, Teachers versus Technocrats and Pre-Fourth Way, revealed the importance of school culture. The recommended project, a Networked Learning Community (NLC), was designed to build a positive culture by promoting collective responsibility, empowering innovation, and building capacity. This study will promote positive social change by demonstrating how school improvement occurs and by providing a research-based plan for a NLC that can help shift the trajectory of the static moderate achievement levels in the case study school and the target school system.

The standards-based, teach-and-test methods that have come to proliferate secondary education since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fail to adequately prepare students for higher education and employment. This system lacks opportunities for developing 21st century skills such as higher-level thinking, problem solving, and group dynamics, as well as opportunities for fostering spiritual growth and personal development. This problem impacts graduates of U.S. high schools because they are unprepared for higher education and the 21st century workplace. Using qualitative multiple case study methodology, this study examined five U.S. Montessori high schools through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory. Interview and blog-based focus group responses and document data were coded line-by-line using predetermined categories and codes as well as open coding. The coded data were analyzed by individual case and then collectively. Findings revealed that education in these settings addressed all areas of development and fostered 21st century skills. Some characteristics that typify Montessori education at lower levels, such as multi-age classes and the prepared environment, played less significant or different roles in the high school programs. Characteristics that were prominent across the cases included use of place-based, experiential learning; building of caring, family-like staff/student relationships; and emphasis on social development. Implications for social change within the Montessori community include informing practice at existing schools and development of teacher education programs. In the broader education community, the consistency in program emphasis, despite diverse school circumstances, suggests a Montessori approach may facilitate social change by inspiring a fresh approach to school reform in high schools.

A follow-up study of five Senior Classes of Oldham County High School (Kentucky) was conducted to determine students' initial status six months after graduation. Study findings based on survey responses from slightly aver 83 % of the 2,025 students listed as seniors in the spring semester for the years 1979-1983 included the following: It was found that 58% of the respondents entered educational activities, 36% entered the work force and 6% were unemployed. Eighty-five percent of all graduates entering college did so at an in-state, state supported institution. Results further indicated that 25% of all graduates attended either the University of Kentucky or the University of Louisville and that most students entered four year colleges in the educational category and retail sales in the employment categories. It is suggested that Oldham County High School could benefit from a reevaluation of the school's curricular program offerings and further study comparing the academic program followed in high school versus actual college and/or career pursuits. The study includes data tables showing a summary percentage of survey respondents by class year and sex, educational and occupational categories, by specific postsecondary schools attended and by academic programs indicated in high school. Appendices include more detailed information by class and sex.

My experience in the teacher education program at Claremont Graduate University has been eye opening and display of true growth for myself as an educator. Part A provides a description of my personal background and motivations for becoming a teacher. Provided, is an explanation behind my current teaching pedagogy. In addition, Part B introduces my three focus students. This year, I selected a student with a traumatic life experience, an English Learner, and a student with an Individual Education Plan. Getting to know these students’ academic profiles and personal lives, I have formulated individualized action plans based on personal goals. Part C dives into my student teaching experience at Canyon Hills Junior High. This section offers an analysis of the community, the school, and a microanalysis of my own classroom. In reflection of all that I have learned and grown this past year, Part D provides a self-analysis of teacher effectiveness and areas in which there is room to continue to grow.

Many school administrators begin their careers in educational administration as assistant principals. The literature on assistant principals contributes very little to an understanding of the perspectives that assistant principals develop during their organizational socialization experiences and of the conditions and processes that influence the development of these socialization outcomes. The purpose of this study was to develop a theoretical understanding of the perspectives that emerge from assistant principals' organizational socialization experiences. Symbolic interactionism established the theoretical and methodological foundation for this study. The sensitizing concepts of perspective (Becker, Geer, Hughes, & Strauss, 1961), situational adjustment (Becker, 1964), and organizational boundary passages (Schein, 1971; Van Maanen & Schein, 1979) provided the analytic framework. The Glaser and Strauss (1967) constant comparison model guided the process of collecting and analyzing data. Six assistant principals with experience from three months to three years were interviewed. The study resulted in a grounded theory that describes the perspectives that the assistant principals developed and explains the processes and conditions that influenced the development of these organizational socialization outcomes. The results of this study suggest that assistant principals develop a common set of perspectives in response to a common set of problematic situations. These perspectives include: "it takes time to learn," working for the principal, working with other assistant principals, doing tasks, working effectively with teachers, and an integrated perspective. Assistant principals appear to develop these perspectives using a situational adjustment process that includes assessing the requirements of problematic situations, experimenting with ideas and actions to determine how to behave, and choosing strategies that enable them to respond successfully to the situational requirements. The requirement to pass through the functional, hierarchical, and inclusionary boundary passages appears to be the most important organizational factor influencing the development of administrative perspectives. The quality of assistant principals' preparation experiences, their styles and longevity as teachers, and their motivation appear to be the most important individual factors influencing the development of administrative perspectives. Teachers appear to be the most powerful socializing agents. The assistant principal's role may provide essential preparation for a principal's role and may have the potential for developing leadership.

Public education in the United States has experienced an increase in distance-learning (DL) opportunities. Because research has focused on student achievement in post-secondary DL programs, little is known about secondary students' experiences. The purpose of the current study was to explore DL applicability within secondary education. Specific research questions addressed by the concurrent mixed methods nested study included examining students' opinions and experiences in a secondary DL course and determining whether individual learning styles were addressed. Structured interviews, group discussions, and a survey were used to gather data over 2 months from 14 students in grades 9 through 12 participating in a state wide Alabama DL program. Surveys were used to assess and match DL activities to Gardner's 8 learning styles. Interviews and discussions explored students' opinions about activities and components and perceptions of their academic achievement. Quantitative data indicated that students reported some activities related to all learning styles with the greatest coverage observed for linguistic methods. Qualitative data were open and axial coded within each research question and the coded data was analyzed to define common DL practices used to meet specific styles and emergent themes related to student perceptions. Triangulation of results showed DL students felt successful based on their participation in a spectrum of activities including interactive video, e-mail, online discussion boards and tutoring sessions, and self-directed learning. The study contributes to positive social change by documenting a variety of strategies employed to successfully engage secondary DL students who present a variety learning styles and challenges related to DL curricular content and modes of delivery.

Practices for supporting school change have not been implemented consistently in K-12 schools in the United States. Researchers have not studied the needs of K-12 principals who fail to implement these practices, and barriers or supports to implementation have not been identified. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methodology study was to understand K-12 principals' perceptions of the supports and barriers related to their abilities to implement the practices of challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, modeling the way, and encouraging the heart. Seven public school principals and 29 teachers in their schools completed Kouzes and Posner's Leadership Practices Inventory and indicated that the principals implemented all of the practices to some degree. Reflective journals and individual interviews helped discern the principals' perceptions of the supports and barriers to implementation of the practices. Analysis using a combination of a priori and open coding showed that internal variables, such as relationships, and external variables, such as central office support, influenced the implementation of leadership practices. The ability to foster relationships was a top support to inspiring a shared vision while a lack of central office support was a barrier. Relationships and culture were the top two supports for challenging the process, and lack of central office support was a top barrier. Implications for positive social change include improving preparation programs for school leaders, enhancing professional development programs for working principals, and informing school reform. School culture, educational beliefs, and practices can be changed if supported by solid leadership, and ways to increase the capacity of principals were identified in this study.

Although the roles of instructional leader and lead learner have become central in the work of 21st century principals, their professional development has garnered little attention. This quantitative, non-experimental, comparative survey study investigated differences in the self-reported leadership behaviors of principals who identified themselves as using either supported or unsupported professional development. Brain based learning, constructivist learning, and adult learning theories, together with professional development standards, created the conceptual framework for this study. Participants were obtained through a purposive national sampling of 7,000 of 230,600 U.S. principals, delimited to leaders in their school for 2 years or more. The voluntary, anonymous online survey yielded 186 usable surveys. The Principals Instructional Management Rating Scale was used to measure leadership behaviors. The t-test of means was used to compare the means of responses from supported and unsupported principals for each leadership domain. Supported principals' means of responses were higher for Domain 1 (defining the school's mission). The difference in means, however was not statistically significant when subjected to the Bonferroni correction adjustment for potential family wise errors. Research suggests the strongest link between student achievement and leadership practices is Domain 1 leadership behaviors, thus warranting further investigation of the use of principals' professional learning communities and trained mentors/coaches. Implications for positive social change include further understanding of the importance of high quality professional development for school leaders to support their work in defining the school's mission.