Similar to other organizations, change is a part of any school setting. In this time of necessary educational transformation, school principals must have the knowledge and skills to be change agents. This study sought to expand on existing research on change orientation by examining how principal support affects the faculty's receptivity to institutional change. Thus, the focus of this study was to explore the relationship between two dimensions of principal support and three aspects of change orientation. The Principal Support Scale (PSS) and Faculty Change Orientation Scale (FCOS) were used to survey 1,276 licensed, professional teachers in 34 public high schools throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.;Correlational statistics revealed a significant positive relationship between principal support and faculty perception of principal openness to change. When regressed with the other principal support factor, expressive support demonstrated a significant effect on principal openness to change. In addition, a significant relationship emerged between one dimension of principal support and faculty receptivity towards community pressure for change. A significant positive correlation was also found between principal openness to change and faculty openness to change.

For the first time in 15 years in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a major restructuring in the elementary and secondary education finance formula was enacted during the 1988 General Assembly and revenue for education was increased by {dollar}576 million for the upcoming biennium. The overriding purpose of these modifications was to reduce disparities between more and less affluent school systems. The problem of educational disparity is not unique to Virginia. Over the last 20 years, between 60 and 70 individual pieces of litigation have been filed, contesting the constitutionality of public school finance systems in 41 of the United States. In 1990 alone, state courts found three states' education funding formulae to be in violation of those states' constitutions, and the state of Kentucky called for the restructuring of the entire system of public education. The Coalition for Equity in Education Funding filed suit against the Commonwealth of Virginia in the circuit court for the city of Richmond on June 12, 1992. The suit, which was filed on behalf of 31 local school boards and students in those school divisions, asked the court for a judgment declaring that the current system of funding public elementary and secondary schools to be declared unconstitutional because it denies children from less affluent school divisions an educational opportunity that is equal to that of children who attend public school in wealthier divisions in the Commonwealth of Virginia.;The purpose of this study is to analyze the Virginia school finance system in order to determine: (1) whether disparities in revenue for education have been reduced between pupils in high and low fiscal capacity school divisions as a result of the 1988 changes in the financing system in education, and (2) if the relationship between a locality's fiscal capacity and its educational expenditure has changed subsequent to the 1988 Virginia General Assembly's restructuring of the school financing system.;Five research questions were investigated using a correlational methodology. Upon analyzing the data, the following are some of the conclusions drawn: (1) When range was used, the disparity increased between 1988 and 1992; (2) A high positive correlation does exist between ability-to-pay as measured by the composite index and total per pupil expenditure; and (3) A high positive correlation does exist between per pupil expenditure from local funds and total per pupil expenditure. Recommendations are made for future research.

To be human is to seek to understand the known and unknown world. The Covid-19 pandemic offers researchers the opportunity to examine online meaning-making on a more ubiquitous magnitude than ever experienced in history, without positioning the digital world as less authentic, or distinct, from the physical. Using mixed-methods grounded theory, this study posed the research question: (RQ) How do high school parents use an online community to (re)conceptualize aspects of contemporary society? The NRC Emotion Intensity lexicon (Mohammed, 2018) was used to score online forum posts from 2018-2021 using eight emotions to quantitatively represent changes over time. The qualitative data focused on core issues in education and observations during the Covid-19 pandemic using constructivist thematic coding - initial, focused, and theoretical – to identify prevailing themes. The convergence mixed-methods model was used to combine QUAN+QUAL data and identify the prevailing theory that can be concluded from the research. With relation to the research question, the findings establish that reconceptualization occurs in an online community through various agents engaged in dialogic conversation, and further reveals that (A) extreme coping mechanisms are used to adapt to new and reoccurring threats and Covid-19 is a catalyst for this behavior, (B) parents are extremely dissatisfied with contemporary education independently of the pandemic and in reaction to poor adaptability during it, and (C) variation in emotion may occur relative to context each year, but the priority categories of concern produce greater variation.

Although the federally funded TRIO Program entitled Upward Bound has been in existence for over thirty years and numerous federally and privately funded studies have been conducted about the hundreds of programs available throughout the nation, there has been relatively few investigations involving qualitative research approaches. Additionally, despite the fact that first generation college students, the primary target population for Upward Bound Programs, are most likely low-income and Latino, few studies have sought data directly from these target groups about their experience in Upward Bound. In this regard, the data gathered and reported in this qualitative education evaluation research study is unique. Twelve former first-generation, low-income, Puerto Rican Upward Bound students who had completed at least one year of college were interviewed for this study. The interviews utilized a protocol from a twenty-five year old study that also interviewed Upward Bound students (Bemak, 1975). The purpose of this inquiry was to investigate how first generation, low-income, Puerto Rican college students evaluate the impact of their participation in a high school Upward Bound program on their academic preparation for college, self-perceptions, family and social relationships, future educational goals, and ultimately their post-secondary success. The findings of this study shed light on the impact Upward Bound has upon first-generation, low-income, Puerto Rican students who have succeeded in post-secondary education. Data from the study indicate that the services and support provided by Upward Bound effectively intervenes in the unique struggles of first generation, low-income, Puerto Rican students who are at great risk for educational access and attainment. Reflections of former Upward Bound students inform the field of education regarding the impact of college preparatory programs on students who face the most difficult barriers in college completion. This research identifies practices that contribute to post-secondary success and uses the words and ideas of first-generation, low-income, Puerto Rican students as a guide to the implementation of future support services.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the college and career program, in one urban high school setting, was being implemented as intended by the school district. A mixed methods analysis was conducted using student PSAT/SAT scores, interviews, surveys, focus groups, classroom observations and anecdotal notes from the program director. The results were coded to show emerging trends and themes. The results of the analysis showed that portions of the program were being conducted as designed by the school district; however, of the four criteria required to be invited to bet admitted into the program, one was not being implemented correctly at the school site. The district vetted for students who had PSAT scores in the top 15% in the nation, WGPA over 4.0 and on the federal free/reduced list but first-generation students were not being vetted correctly at the school site. Although members of the first graduating class were able to secure admission into top-tier colleges and universities, only approximately 25% of the students in the program would be the first in their families to graduate from college. Thus, the program was not being implemented as designed and may not have been serving the needs of the target population of students for whom the program was designed.

The purpose of this research study was to understand high school teachers' acceptance and use of Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) (Canvas, 2011) in a large public school district. Teachers are the keystone species within the educational environment, and as such, are critical for the successful integration of technology in the classroom (Davis, Eickelmann, & Zaka, 2013). Therefore, in order to facilitate teacher's acceptance and use of technology for instructional purposes, those factors that influence or prevent use need to be understood. This study used a revised Technology Acceptance Model (Fathema, Shannon, & Ross, 2015) to determine those factors that affect teachers' actual informational and communicational use of the Canvas LMS (Canvas, 2011). This mixed methods study used a survey and interview to answer three research questions concerning acceptance, use, and departmental influence on the use of Canvas LMS. The survey data were analyzed with Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in order to produce two explanatory models to address the three research questions. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 teachers from one high school in a large public school district. The interview questions were transcribed, coded, and themed in order to answer research questions two and three. The analysis of the survey and interview data found that teachers were more likely to use informational rather than communicational features in Canvas. Communicational use differences were more evident than informational use among the four core subject areas, with mathematics using these features the least. For both models of survey data, the quality of the Canvas system was an influence on teacher use. The influence of teacher intent was contradictory between the two models. The findings from this study can be used to inform stakeholders of factors that influence high school teachers Canvas use, and recommendations to improve integration in the future.

The purpose of this study is to determine if vocational/business education has an influence on a student's ultimate academic achievement--high school graduation. This study consists of comparing students with no vocational/business education experiences to students with some degree of vocational/business education. The cohort group started high school during the 1999-2000 school year, had earned a GPA of 2.5 or lower at the end of the freshman year (May 2000) and finished high school prior to the start of the 2003-2004 school year. There were 322 students identified in the initial cohort group. In completing this study, the following procedures were implemented: related literature was reviewed to provide a background of the role vocational/business education plays and the effect vocational/business education has on a student's achievement, data were collected and a survey was taken. The data collected included grade point average, standardized test scores, attendance, discipline and whether or not the student withdrew prior to graduation. The data were analyzed using ANOVA to determine a significant difference. Significance was tested at the .05 level. Data related to withdraws were analyzed using the Chi-Square Test of Independence. The researcher developed and implemented a survey instrument. The survey was offered to all Lyman graduates in the class of 2003 over the age of 18 who had completed at least two courses in one vocational/business program. These students were asked to describe the significance and relevance of their vocational/business education training to their high school experience and career choice (which may include college education). The survey asked students to list advantages and disadvantages of their vocational/business education training and their participation in co-curricular organizations. Students were asked to state their perception of the effect that the vocational/business classes had upon their academic achievement. The following results were obtained from this research. There was not a statistically significant difference in grade point averages, standardized test scores, absences and out-of-school suspensions. There was a statistically significant difference in in-school suspensions and withdraws prior to graduation. There were 227 students who withdrew prior to graduation. Of the 227 students, 91 had no vocational/business education and 96 had taken some amount of vocational/business education training (one course in one or more vocational/business education programs). Of the 95 students who remained throughout the four years of high school, 84 of the students graduated. Of the 84 students who graduated, 56 of the students completed a vocational/business education program. All graduates who responded to the survey strongly agreed that vocational/business education had a positive effect on their academic achievement.

It was the purpose of this study to answer the question: "Is it reasonably possible for certain of the school districts near Sacramento to institute junior high schools within their boundaries?"

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine what reciprocal relationships existed among three core themes (the school culture, the principal's leadership, and the school innovations) and how they contributed to the systemic nature of seven Northern California model continuation high schools. It examined the complex influential forces of key interventions, paradoxes, and relationships that were conducive to the creation of effective learning systems for at-risk students. The study's conceptual framework, created by the researcher, investigated a triad of reciprocal relationships. Various scholarly works influenced the development of the researcher's focus. Among them were Thomas Sergiovanni's (1992) "head, heart, and hand" premise for moral leadership, Peter Senge's (1990) principles for creating learning organizations, and Howard Gardner's (1993) multidisciplinary investigation on creativity. Also influential in the development of the researcher's Triad of Reciprocal Relationships Model was the literature on change leadership and the "new science" principles used to understand and describe natural phenomenon. The naturalistic inquiry method was selected because it is considered more amenable to the multitude of diverse realities found within complex systems. Six major research questions were examined concerning the three reciprocal relationships. The data gathering tools utilized were: (a) a structured interview with the principal, (b) a staff questionnaire, (c) an observation of the school environment, and (d) various available school documents. The seven model continuation high schools developed systems that emphasized autonomy and empowerment of staff and students, focused on building relationships to enhance student participation in their education and welfare, provided students with opportunities for academic and social growth within a safe, structured, and nurturing environment, and had fluid and collaborative communication systems. Process took precedence over content in their learning interactions. The schools' successes and imperfections, contributed new perspectives on how educational systems, at any scale, may create necessary and effective beliefs, structures, and processes for student success.

In the 1990s many educators asserted that interdisciplinary teams of teachers working with students in middle grades 5–8 were more effective than traditional instruction in isolated disciplines. Research reported elements of team teaching positively affect student learning, behavior, and achievement (Arhar, 1990, 1994; Arhar & Irvin, 1995; Dickinson & Erb, 1997; Flowers, Mertens & Mulhall, 1999, 2000; Mertens, Flowers & Mulhall, 1999). This study identifies the characteristics and practices of teaching teams that correlate with higher student performance in mathematics, reading and writing in the eighth grade. Student performance as measured by the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program (NECAP) was compared across teams teaching 7th graders in Vermont. The NECAP scores were adjusted to control for household income within each school district. The independent variables of teaching team characteristics and practices were measured by a team self-assessment survey developed using dimensions of teaching teams identified by the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), an individual questionnaire completed confidentially about how team members work together, and a survey for principals to identify demographic characteristics of each teaching team. This study found: (1) teaching teams giving students greater roles in decision-making correlate positively with student performance in reading and mathematics; (2) teaching teams communicating with parents via email or website correlate positively with student performance in mathematics; and (3) three descriptors of internal teaching team dynamics are associated positively with student performance. The study also found elements of teaching teams that correlate negatively with student performance. These include: (1) team identity including, motto, logo or mascot, mission, song, apparel, and team awards for students; (2) the extent of control teaching teams have over instruction; and (3) the use of student advisory groups. Finally, the study explored the impact of how teaching teams are formed (careful consideration does not impact effectiveness), the integration of a special education teacher on teams (negative impact on student achievement), and overall school size (schools with larger enrollments performed better).