<p> Despite the continued research into Career and Technical Education (CTE) program expansion in public schools and the relationships surrounding student success, educational leaders are in growing need of empirical evidence to justify the continued funding of such programs and to support reform movements associated with educational policies. The main hypotheses included testing for statistical significance in the predictive relationships between final high school cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) and both, &ldquo;Instructional&rdquo; and &ldquo;Non-Instructional&rdquo; factors related to Science-based CTE courses completed while enrolled in high school. The study population was comprised of high school graduates in the years of 2013 -2017 from a single participating school district in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The quantitative research method included a predictive correlational design using Likert-type survey instrument, administered through SurveyMonkey, to collect numeric data from 97 participating subjects. The results of the study showed that a moderately negative predictive relationship exists between graduates&rsquo; perception of instructional factors related to Science-based CTE courses and their final cumulative high school GPA. A predictability of 4.1% between the criterion and the predictor variable, identified as the &ldquo;Instructional Factor&rdquo;, while no statistically significant relationship was found to exist between the criterion and the predictor variable, identified as the &ldquo;Non-Instructional Factor&rdquo;. Implications from the findings of the study suggested that educational leaders should pay more attention to promoting a positive perception among students towards CTE course instruction, rather than non-instructional factors related to their educational experience.</p><p>

This thesis is principally concerned with the statutory assessment of design and technology at key stage 3 of the National Curriculum. Design and technology is a foundation subject of the National Curriculum for England and Wales introduced under the auspices of The Education Reform Act of 1988. To establish the context in which this research was undertaken, this chapter describes in outline the National Curriculum. In particular the role of The Task Group on Assessment and Testing is considered and discussed as its key recommendations had a direct influence on statutory testing. In particular issues relating to end of key stage 3 assessment in design and technology, the focus of this thesis, are detailed. The aims of this thesis are described in relation to the key questions which it seeks to answer. In brief these are concerned with the validity and reliability of national statutory tasks; the impact of adopting criterion referencing in design and technology; the effect of assessment activities on learning experiences and the relationship between the different modes of assessment. Each of these issues is reviewed in relation to the way in which they might effect statutory testing. In addition the aspects which will need to be considered in undertaking the research and development required are identified.

The central focus of the thesis is a sociological exploration of the lives and work of supply teachers who fill the temporal gaps whenever regular teachers are absent from school. Time permeates the thesis at three levels of analysis: the substantive, the theoretical, and the methodological. The interpretative, and to a lesser extent, the critical and normative traditions in sociology are applied to time in education. Time is used both as a parameter to explore links between educational structures and action as they relate to supply teachers and teaching, and to locate supply teachers' lives and work in time. The study is based upon qualitative research conducted in schools and domestic settings. Chapter 1 highlights the temporal strands which help to construct the chapters and underpin the thesis. In chapter 2 methodological issues are considered, in particular the embedding of diaries within the research process. Chapter 3 explores understandings about supply teachers and teaching in the wider context of educational change, and at the interface of local, institutional, and individual experience. Chapter 4 examines relationships between supply work, temporal commitment, and identities. In chapter 5, supply work is considered in relation to the substitute curriculum. Temporal connections in lives which move rapidly between private and public spheres are prioritised in chapter 6. The contribution of pupils to understandings about supply work is the theme pursued in chapter 7. The sociological and educational dimensions of the research are assessed in chapter 8. These have overlapping as well distinctive implications for sociologists with interests in time, school organizations, teaching, and in gendered occupations, and for educationalists with interests in the management of school systems, professional development and training, and importantly, for supply teachers themselves. Appendix 1 and 2 comprise interview and diary schedules, and Appendix 3 is a methodological note on the tracing and tracking of supply teachers.

<p> An education benefit available to all corporate and franchisee employees of the large quick service restaurant (QSR) under study is an opportunity to achieve a high school diploma at no cost by enrolling in online high school (OHS). The purpose of this research was to explore the role of Thomas Gilbert&rsquo;s behavior engineering model factors&mdash;information/data, resources, incentives, knowledge/skills, capacity, and motives&mdash;in helping 15 QSR employees to graduate from an OHS program. This study was warranted because in order to improve employee OHS graduation rates, the QSR under study needed to better understand and cultivate the success factors for OHS program completion. A basic qualitative methodology was used for this study and semistructured telephone interviews were conducted as the primary form of data collection. Thirty online learner success themes were synthesized from the data during the analysis process. Technology, and study skills were the only factors identified by all 15 study participants as being factors in their program success. The most influential online learning success factors reported by study participants were design of instruction, program policies, the role of the academic coach, program accessibility, and student characteristic of persistence/determination. Lack of time to complete OHS lessons was the top challenge to success shared by study participants. The online learning success factors that are currently in place at OHS and the QSR under study and are recommended to continue include 24/7 availability of the program, accepting transfer credits, the role the academic coach, the ability to retake tests, and the QSR under study covering the cost of the program. Recommendations to improve QSR restaurant environmental success factors include increased OHS program follow-up by QSR corporate and franchise leadership, scheduling OHS lesson completion time on restaurant schedules, and providing a reliable computer/tablet.</p><p>

<p> The culture of American education that is largely predicated on acquiring the proverbial golden ticket for entrance to an esteemed college has produced the most anxious, stressed, and sleep-deprived generation ever (Jones &amp; Jones, 2006). As students strive to graduate from high school with perfected profiles that impress and garner admission to these colleges, high school success and educational practices are typically focused on achievement as reflected by test scores, grades, college acceptance results, and scholarship offers (Zins, Bloodworth, Weissberg, &amp; Walberg, 2004). As a result, instead of prioritizing process-oriented learning that is associated with a growth mindset, achievement performance measures focus on extrinsic rewards often linked with a fixed mindset such as grades, scores, rankings, and awards (Dweck, 2006). As students pursue accolades and marks of achievement, various aspects of learning are supplanted including risk, struggle, persistence, resilience, and growth, often at the expense of character, values, integrity, and psychological well-being (Guang, Hanchao, &amp; Kaiping, 2016). </p><p> The study revealed the relationship between mindset and psychological well-being for a sample of 123 high achieving, college-bound senior students attending private, college-preparatory Christian high schools in Orange County, California. It also reviews the factors related to the college admission process that affects and shapes the life experiences of these students. Quantitative data reveal the relationships and themes related to mindset and psychological well-being and offer insight and strategies that may promote positive, healthier outcomes for college-bound students as well as topics for future research. This study adds to the current body of knowledge related to implicit theories of intelligence, mindset, adolescent psychological well-being, and social emotional learning. </p><p> Furthermore, this study is relevant because it reveals the underlying factors related to the emotional needs of today&rsquo;s adolescents, providing teachers, counselors, and school administrators with important information that may influence vision, goals, policies, and instruction. The results of this study support the need to reevaluate the effects of the college admission process on adolescent mindset and psychological well-being.</p><p>

<p> Poor mathematics and science skills are one of the leading challenges for advanced STEM career preparedness. There is currently a national deficit in prepared STEM career interest and readiness. A national decline prompted plans for the development of more rigorous standards. Changes in K-12 education were developed through Common Core and New Generation Science Standards. These changes were expected to better prepare students for post secondary educational opportunities such as college or technical school. This research studied effects of perceptions of the impact of high school STEM classes on career choices in two Tennessee schools that are actively participating in the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and have actively implemented a STEM program since 2012. There is no evidence of research regarding student perceptions of STEM classes regarding STEM implementation in the state of Tennessee since 2012. According to the results of this study, students&rsquo; perceptions between subgroups showed no statistical significance regarding readiness or interest in STEM regarding college and career. The subgroups studied included race/culture, gender, classification by grade, and school attended.</p><p>

<p> Computer algebra systems (CAS) have been available for over 20 years and yet minimal CAS-rich opportunities present themselves formally to high school students. CAS tools have become readily accessible through free or inexpensive versions. Educators are emboldened to integrate essential mathematical tools in the reasoning and sense making of mathematical knowledge for students. It is the teacher that is at the heart of technology instruction, creating authentic environments for all learners. </p><p> This study investigated two secondary teachers pedagogy in classes that exploited CAS in the development of mathematical knowledge. A qualitative within-site case study design was used to explore each teacher&rsquo;s instructional practices. Teachers that exemplified qualities of CAS-infused instruction were purposively selected. Rich descriptive lesson vignettes as captured from classroom observations, written reflections, and interviews revealed participants&rsquo; pedagogy. The pedagogical map framework guided the identification of participant pedagogical affordances of the utilization of CAS. Eight opportunities were observed as exploited by the participants that included subject level adjustments; classroom interpersonal dynamics with students; and mathematical tasks. Data revealed several emergent themes in operation as the teacher participants oriented their mathematics instruction: viewing CAS as a mathematical consultant, verifying answers, applying multiple representations, regulating access, providing guidance, and outsourcing procedures. The components interlock with one another to form a cohesive depiction of pedagogical decisions in the presence of CAS-rich classroom instruction. The schema of CAS-oriented instruction serves as a methodology for educators to create opportunities that enrich the development of mathematical content knowledge. </p><p>

<p> Leadership is a common and often generalized phenomenon. Traditionally, leadership denotes an individual, yet leadership is rarely the work of one. This study looked outside of Western ideologies to further examine leadership. The Zapatistas are a people in charge of autonomous territories in Chiapas, Mexico. This study focused on identifying how rotation in leadership among other Zapatista principles and practices can be implemented into secondary schools for more efficient and sustainable leadership. Through a constructivist grounded theory approach, the researcher interviewed two sets of participants Zapatista delegation and <i>encuentro</i> participants along with administrators to develop a Rotating Leadership Model for American high schools.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of the reading platform Actively Learn affected the reading engagement, reading comprehension, and vocabulary achievement of secondary students. The area of secondary reading achievement has seen no significant improvement over the past four decades (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2017). The research questions were designed to use quantitative pre-test and post-test data from the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) and the Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR) to determine if the use of Actively Learn, combined with the use of embedded questions to encourage metacognitive strategies and timely feedback from the instructor, affected secondary reading engagement and achievement. The data demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in student perceptions of reading engagement strategies on the MARSI from pre-test to post-test after application of Actively Learn. However, data from the STAR reflected no significant difference in student achievement in the areas of reading comprehension or vocabulary after using Actively Learn. </p><p>

Situated understandings of identity have gained prominence in the organisational studies litera-ture. Through the guiding works of Lefebvre and Ibarra this thesis explores the relationship be-tween organisational space and occupational identity through an empirical study of two schools in the UK. Narratives are collected using visual prompts to examine individuals’ lived experiences in the workplace. My rich data allow me to bring to the fore and unpack how physical changes form and transform occupational sense of self. In particular, my findings indicate that space is involved in the formation of occupational identity in different ways, namely, by giving a sense of continuity to employees, assisting in the development of a sense of belonging and upholding in-group identity, providing employees with a sense of expectations and idealised performances, and sustaining hi-erarchy by establishing a daily routine that excludes and isolates groups of workers. This study makes three main contributions. First, through Lefebvre’s lens, it discusses how identity is mediated through space and discusses the politicisation of space and shows that space can be used to emphasise or interrupt power relations in the workplace. Secondly, through application of Lefebvre’s work this study explains tensions created through spatial change and the implications that these have for the formation of occupational identity. Thirdly, this study takes Lefebvre’s con-cern with tensions one step further by unpacking the complications posed by these for the for-mation, reflection and modification of occupational identity. To make sense of this, Ibarra’s work has been introduced to argue that space is instrumental in reflecting and formulating new, some-times provisional, sometimes conflicting, occupational identities and this leads to ambivalence and ambiguity in the profession. This study highlights the importance of not treating space simply in terms of walls and physical ap-pearance. Space has a special meaning for employees and is a tool that allows them to express their sense of professional self by desiring, imagining and planning a physical space that corre-sponds to their professional role. When space is taken away from professionals, they create their own physical boundaries that send messages to outsiders that they have control of their profes-sion. They do this in order to protect their professional autonomy, feel noticed at the workplace and to imprint parts of their personality according to their professional needs.