"The purpose of this paper is to define as clearly as possible the role of the classroom teacher in the guidance of high school students. The second chapter is concerned largely with defining and justifying the functions of the classroom teacher in the guidance of high school students. In the third chapter an attempt is made to show the relationship between the developmental tasks of adolescents and the teacher's role in guidance. In the fourth chapter some of the more important tools that are helpful to the teacher in the guidance of students are discussed. And finally, some conclusions have been drawn from the literature examined during the research"--Introduction. / "June, 1951." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Mode L. Stone, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-68).

"The purpose of this paper is to present the guidance program the writer plans to submit to the guidance committee in his school. The school is located in a rural community, has a faculty of twenty-five, with grade seven through twelve taught in the same building. A majority of the six hundred enrolled pupils are transported to school, some of them riding more than one hour each way"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1952." / "Submitted to the Graduate council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: H. W. Dean, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-53).

"The purpose of this paper is to construct a picture of group guidance as it appears today in theory and practice. The paper also reviews results of certain recent research in the field of group dynamics which might contribute techniques useful in group guidance activities at the high school level"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "January, 1956." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Stewart Murray, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 22-24).

A cultural shift occurring in education today calls for more collaborative interaction between school personnel and parents. Many school leaders and most parents, however, lack experience with this type of interaction for school improvement. The three questions which framed this qualitative, multiple-case study were: 1) What are school leaders' conceptions of fully engaged parents in school improvement processes? 2) What do school leaders offer as evidence of parental engagement? 3) What do visiting school leaders offer as evidence of parental engagement? The theoretical framework for this study was derived from the research-base on parent involvement and the application of social capital theory to parent involvement, which included asset, market based and school centric approaches. An archival document review was conducted to collect and analyze accreditation self-studies and visiting team reports from five high schools. Follow-up interviews with each of the visiting team chairpersons were conducted. Data were analyzed using content analysis, replication logic and comparative contrast methods. Substantial differences were found between what school leaders provided as evidence of full parental engagement and what visiting team members expected to find as evidence. While school leaders most often presented one-way communication activities as evidence, visiting teams were expecting to find evidence of meaningful, decision-making. These findings led to the development of a project to engage parents alongside school leaders in on-going, collaborative problem solving and authentic decision-making for school improvement. Implications of positive social change from this project are that common experiences such as these, which lead to shared understandings, effect a substantial improvement in the relational dynamics of the home and school partnership.

Teacher attrition has become a concern at local, state, and national levels. As a result, a number of researchers have examined the factors that affect teacher job satisfaction and retention. However, in spite of all the efforts in research to find a solution, problems associated with teacher attrition have not significantly improved. This study was developed to examine new teachers' job satisfaction as based on their perceptions of principals' transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. Hezberg, Maunser, and Snyderman's 2-factor theory and Burns's and Bass's transformational and transactional leadership theory guided the research questions. A convenience sample of 71 new teachers with 1 to 3 years of experience participated in this study. Instruments used to collect data for the study were the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Job Satisfaction Survey. Pearson product-moment correlations and partial correlational methods were employed to examine the relationships between the variables. Findings revealed statistically significant positive relationships between new teachers' perceptions of principals' transformational leadership behavior and their overall job satisfaction. Further, the findings showed that perceptions of more transactional leadership behavior were significantly and negatively related to their overall job satisfaction. Results suggest that organizational leaders who adopt the transformational leadership model and implement effective leadership practices can cultivate positive change within the organization through the development of a team-centered environment that fosters inclusion, support, growth, recognition, stability, and satisfaction.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law (NCLB), schools that fail to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) receive assistance and eventually are subject to corrective action if they do not improve. This qualitative case study used interviews with 10 elementary and middle school administrators from 8 public schools to assess the influence of NCLB on schools with a high percentage of students of color and students in poverty. This study was viewed through the lens of Toffler's conceptual framework of how change occurs, and on the current school reform climate surrounding NCLB and how its accountability system of assessments for students of color and high poverty makes it difficult for them to participate in the American economy. The data analysis strategies included the use of data triangulation through the review of archival data, participant interviews and employing member checks to insure the trustworthiness of data. Results showed that administrators in the targeted schools have difficulty retaining highly qualified teachers. Interventions such as extending the school day, increasing test preparation, using test data to drive instruction, and using academic intervention services have met with mixed results. Participants generally believed that NCLB has prompted a lack of curricular innovation and has promoted too much teaching to the test. Outside academic intervention, services were described as expensive and inconsistent. Interview data from the study indicated that the prevalent challenge was dealing with unmotivated and disrespectful students. This study has the potential to influence social change by providing further support for both social policy advocacy and other research on NCLB. Scheduled for reauthorization in 2009, state, federal policymakers and education advocates have called for sweeping modifications. The results of this study will contribute to the ongoing debate on student achievement, teacher quality and school equity.

Professional learning communities (PLC) have the potential to strengthen students' academic achievement. An academic pyramid of interventions, one aspect of PLCs, may be especially helpful in schools where subgroups of students are underperforming relative to other students on standardized testing. This quantitative, one-group, pretest-posttest study examined the impact of implementing an academic pyramid of interventions as part of a PLC on middle school student academic achievement. The 100 students from grade 7 and 8 who participated in the study were identified by teachers as being at-risk for success on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). The reading and math test scores from the CRCT were extracted for data analysis. The researcher used a repeated-measures t test to compare the mean pretest and posttest scores. Bivariate correlations were conducted to determine the relationship between math and reading scores at grades 7 and 8. Results indicated that reading scores significantly increased across time (p < .001). Math scores also increased but the difference was not statistically significant. All correlations were significant (p<.05). Overall, the results indicated that implementing a PLC improved the standardized test scores of at risk students. These results have potential implications for social change in that all students will be better prepared for success throughout their academic career. These implications also suggest that when teachers work collaboratively within a PLC they will better meet the academic needs of all subgroups of students, especially those identified as at risk.

Minority students lag Caucasian students in science performance and are underrepresented in the fields of science and technology. It is therefore pivotal for minorities, African American and Hispanic students, to show improved performance in science education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of cooperative learning strategy on physics achievement by high school minority students. Constructivism formed the theoretical framework for the study. Independent learning, the traditional strategy, and cooperative learning dyads, the novel intervention, were the independent variables, and the dependent variable was achievement in physics. A repeated measures design and a convenient sample group of students were used in this study. Difference of scores obtained from the performances of the group as independent and cooperative learners was subjected to a repeated measures t test. A significant relationship between cooperative learning dyads and physics achievement by high school minority students was found. By learning in small groups, students were able to help each other construct meaning and make sense of their learning. Further study was recommended to foster cooperative learning strategy in minority classes and among science teachers of high schools with a majority of minorities. Social change is embedded in the study as increased achievement in science by minority students could possibly lead to advancement in science and technology careers for minorities and possibly close the gap that exists in science performance between minority and Caucasian students. This change could lead to a better social status for minorities.

Alternately certified teachers (ACTs) are teachers who receive teacher training in an accelerated program provided by alternate certification programs (ACPs). Induction/mentoring programs are provided to ACTs as a source of additional training. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers in relation to their students' achievement and the support provided to them as new teachers by their induction/mentoring training. The research question explored if there was a relationship between the amount of support provided to the ACTs from their induction/mentoring programs and the ACTs' perception of their effectiveness in relation to student achievement. The primary data sources consisted of journal data and semistructured interviews from 2 ACTs. Open, axial, and selective coding strategies were used as one component of the data analysis. Conventional content analysis was used to explore the perceptions of the 2 ACTs interviewed. Analysis revealed that ability to manage a classroom and the support provided by induction/mentoring programs may influence the ACTs' perceptions of effectiveness in terms of student achievement. Results also suggested that ACTs' induction/mentoring programs did not successfully facilitate a transition into the teaching profession. The results from this study can be used by mentoring/induction program directors, and school administrators to inform policy and curricular modifications to induction/mentoring programs that would optimize ACTs' perceptions of their effectiveness as teachers and student achievement. The use of these data may contribute to social change by providing the ACT with an improved support system during the ACTs' first year in the classroom.

Research confirms inactivity increases in adolescence and that unfit youth are at risk of acquiring cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, or other significant physical disorders later in life. Thus, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of chronically inactive children who were exposed to an exercise intervention program. The specific focus of the research was to better understand the essential educational needs of the participants and the effective elements of the program, Moving for Fun (MFF), a 7-week after-school fitness intervention program designed to modify chronic inactivity. Open-ended interviews and 3 observations were conducted with 8 middle school students (4 males and 4 females) identified as scoring low on a standardized assessment protocol of health-related physical fitness. Interview data were transcribed and coded using a combination of open and a priori coding to extract significant statements that were analyzed into clusters of meaning that described key elements of the students' experience. Video-taped observations were analyzed to use behaviors during MFF activities as a means of checking interpretations of the interview data. Interpretation of the final structural analysis suggested that students did not have a good understanding health-related fitness or how it is achieved; however they enjoyed participating in inclusive physical activity, and were planning to add more physical activity to their lives. Recommendations include an examination of physical activity programming and an increase in programs that serve participants with varied needs. Developing more student-centered programs that teach or include fitness education can decrease the number of students lacking physical fitness and increase the population of those who carry fitness activities and better health with them into the future.