<p> A pilot study on the effects of mentoring on ninth-grade at-risk African American males was completed with 25 students. This study was conducted during one calendar school year. The purpose was to use mentoring as an added intervention in support of some struggling students, males in particular, who were at-risk of dropping out of school before graduation. This study was meaningful, because these students were consistently failing, and the school was looking for innovative ways to academically encourage these at-risk students.</p><p> The study was conducted at a ninth grade academy directly linked to the high school, in an urban city. This academy facilitated approximately 426 ninth-grade students. Ninety-nine percent of the students received free and reduced lunch.</p><p> The overall research question was, does volunteer mentoring affect the educational success of ninth-grade at-risk African American male students? The research methodology was qualitative. The researcher used interviews and surveys to examine the students&rsquo; expectations of the mentoring program and the results. The mentoring program took place twice a month with four volunteer mentors. The qualitative data conveyed information on 25 African American ninth-grade male students&rsquo; grades, attendance rates, and number of discipline referrals they received.</p><p> The outcomes revealed that the students, parents, and mentors perceived the pilot study of the mentoring program to help keep the students in school. However, the students and the mentors declared that the program was too short and needed more time during the sessions or more sessions. The students considered the mentors to be someone that they could talk to and look up to. The teachers were supportive of the program as an added intervention and were flexible in allowing the students to participate in the program. In conclusion, data revealed there was not a significant change in the students&rsquo; attendance, behavior, or grades as a result of the mentoring program. However, research disclosed that mentoring at-risk students does affect the educational success of students.</p>

<p> With schools having an ever-increasing interest in reducing acts of violence and reducing the incidence of out-of-school suspension, new interventions are constantly being sought. How the program is implemented can play a significant role in program effectiveness. Durlak (1998) found that many evaluation methods did not consider the implementation process because they were done after the implementation of the program. Whether an evidence-based intervention would have a positive effect depended on closely following the details of the implementation process (Durlak, 1998). This study was motivated by four research questions: (a) Was the process used to implement Positive Behavior Intervention and Support at a suburban high school? (b) Were the seven components for Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program development identified by Colvin addressed? (c) What are the adaptations that need to be made to make Positive Behavior Intervention and Support appropriate for high school students? and (d) Do staff members feel Positive Behavior Intervention and Support is having an impact on discipline at the high school level? The purpose of the study was to (a) Document how Positive Behavior Intervention and Support was implemented in a suburban high school, (b) Explore unique challenges at the high school and how the challenges are met, (c) Document the impact on discipline, school culture, teacher perception and (d) Determine if staff members feel Positive Behavior Intervention and Support is having an impact on discipline. The qualitative method is employed to explore the research questions. Staff members at the suburban high school in the study completed an 18-question survey using an online survey tool. Data were also gathered with six staff members who volunteered to participate in the face-to-face interviews. The online survey tool Survey Monkey was used to gather the data. The findings from the 18 survey questions supported the responses that provided the evidence that implementation processes were followed. The face-to-face interviews allowed the interviewees to share their personal perspectives. The themes that surfaced from the survey questions and the face-to-face interviews were similar. The importance of staff buy-in was a frequent theme that is repeated in the surveys and the interviews. Communication was another common theme. The study highlighted recommendations such as the importance of student involvement at the high school level and student participation of the leadership team for any new initiative that is being implements. Understanding the factors that can influence successful implementation was one of the most important findings of the study.</p>

<p> The Missouri School Improvement Plan&rsquo;s fourth standard addresses the importance of attendance to the accreditation of school districts. Because of this standard many school districts are in need of a successful plan to increase attendance; therefore, this study was designed to determine the extrinsic motivators educators use to encourage attendance and the influence the motivators have on students. The population for this study included accredited public school districts in the west central and southwest regions of Missouri. A stratified sample consisting of 45 high schools was selected from public school districts with 400 or fewer students in grades K-12 during the 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 school years. From this group, 20 high school principals agreed to participate in the study. Principals completed a survey which was designed to identify extrinsic motivators used to increase attendance rates in their respective districts. Survey results indicated nine different motivators were used among the 20 schools with a final exam exemption identified as the most frequently used and most effective motivator. Attendance data from the Annual Performance Report (APR) for each participating high school were collected. The data revealed only four of the 20 high schools recorded an increase in average daily attendance in school years 2013-2014 and 2014-2015; however, the majority of the 20 high schools&rsquo; attendance rates were higher than the average daily attendance rate of the state. When attendance rates were reviewed with the survey results, there was little or no increase in attendance rates based on the number of motivators used in the participating high schools.</p>

<p> Low socioeconomic status is widespread throughout the United States (Makarewicz, 2013). Education is one factor to help people break the cycle of poverty (Payne, 2013). This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of one-to-one technology on equipping students from low-income families with the education needed to break the cycle of generational poverty. A rural school district in southwest Missouri was selected for the study. Students, parents, and educators were surveyed to gain their perspectives concerning the efficiency of one-to-one technology. Data were gathered to assess the statistical differences in English II end-of-course exam scores, attendance rates, graduation rates, and free and reduced price meal counts prior to versus after the implementation of one-to-one technology. A <i>t</i>-test was performed on the data gathered. After analyzing the data, it was discovered attendance was least affected by the one-to-one technology program. Graduation rates unfortunately dropped; however, English II end-of-course exam scores increased, and free and reduced price meal counts decreased.</p><p>

<p> Educators wax eloquently about the importance of developing leaders, and establish a variety of high school student clubs that on the surface appear to develop leadership skills, but they do not seem to really provide students with a curriculum or meaningful opportunities to develop the skills and dispositions that are required to become leaders. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and describe how high school students feel about leadership, that is, to see how high school students define leadership, to determine their motivation behind seeking out leadership opportunities, and to see what types of experiences high school students have with leadership on and off campus. This study was conducted using both document analysis and in-depth semi-structured interviews, while utilizing the theoretical framework of relational leadership. The 25 participants of this study were high school student leaders during the 2015-2016 school year who collectively represented 29 clubs at the same school site. Findings of this study reveal that participants&rsquo; understanding of leadership includes setting the example for others, guiding and leading other people, reaching a common goal, and serving others. The school environment and female family members seem to be the most powerful influences on participants&rsquo; understanding of leadership. Participants&rsquo; motivation for seeking out leadership opportunities comprise of having a desire to help or guide others, desiring self-improvement, desiring to help change the school environment, or desiring to look good. Only a handful of participants actually participated in club-sponsored leadership development programs, though some of these programs appear to be inadequate for high school students. Participants did seem to develop some amount of leadership abilities as student leaders, though it appears this was primarily due to their observations or experiences, rather than to a formal leadership development program. Findings suggest that there is a connection between the level of relationship built between a student leader and club advisor, and the student leader&rsquo;s level of leadership development. This study provides recommendations for practice and policy that can support the development of leadership skills for high school students with support from club advisors, school administrators, and district level personnel.</p>

<p> In pursuance of analyzing attendance at Midwest High School (a pseudonym), the researcher examined the attendance program&rsquo;s effect on the junior class. The goal of the researched attendance program was to find what worked in the program, what needed to be changed, and how effective was the program. In order to evaluate the program, the researcher used a software system, Pulse, to collect all quantitative data. The data system gave all numerical information covering attendance from the 2015&ndash;2016 school year. Qualitative data was used to analyze the students&rsquo; reactions and responses to the then-current attendance program. Students who were juniors in the 2015&ndash;2016 school year were asked to take a voluntary survey about the attendance program. This data was coded and used to make recommendations regarding changes to be made and essentials already within the program. A focus group was also held and led by a student at Midwest High School. The focus group&rsquo;s answers were used to elaborate upon the program&rsquo;s faults and positives. The researcher analyzed both the quantitative and qualitative data and compared answers of the students to find out what were the most popular and least popular aspects of the attendance program, along with how the students perceived the program. Additionally, the rate of attendance was measured and analyzed to validate if the program was working by examining the percentage of students attending school. The data showed the program as working, and many of the students in the survey and focus group liked pieces of the program. Overall, a theme emerged that the program worked, but changes needed to be made. The researcher suggests that incentives be added to the program and contact with parents shift from weekly to a modified grouping of students who are in need of reminders and on a bi-weekly basis.</p>

<p> This applied dissertation was designed to describe and explain the dropout phenomenon occurring in a rural high school in southeastern North Carolina. Caucasian students were dropping out at a disproportionate rate compared to other ethnic groups in the school. Over the last 4 years, 68 students did not graduate with their prospective class at the southeastern rural North Carolina high school research site; approximately 63% of those students were Caucasian, and 37% were non-Caucasian. Caucasian students were the smallest population at the selected high school (40%); however, they accounted for the highest average percentage of dropouts (63%). In 2011, Caucasian students alone accounted for 81% of the total dropouts. In essence, the largest ethnic group not graduating in this rural school district was Caucasian students. In an effort to investigate the academic, social, and home factors (strains) that may have contributed to the high dropout rate of Caucasian students, a study was conducted at the high school. The study involved investigating perceptions of professional staff at the selected high school. Professional staff completed a survey that measured perceptions as to why Caucasian students dropped out a higher rate than other ethnic groups. The general research design answering the 2 research questions for this study was a explanatory mixed-methods research design utilizing quantitative and qualitative data collected sequentially. After calculating descriptive statistics from survey responses (means and frequency of occurrence), performing a chi-square goodness-of-fit test, and conducting focus-group interviews, the results of the study indicated that professional staff members at the selected high school perceived that academic and home and community setting strains, not social strains, were the greatest influence on why Caucasian students were not graduating at the same rate as non-Caucasian high school students at the selected rural high school.</p>

<p> The racial classification of Armenian American college students as White leads to the lack of ethnic-specific data on their educational outcomes and experiences. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of Armenian American college students of their campus climate. The study used an interview approach to examine the conditions that supported or inhibited their college experience. Campus Climate was used as a conceptual lens to guide this study. The study revealed four themes: family influence, mainstream campus culture, Armenian campus culture, and hidden minority status. Impersonal campus conditions inhibited Armenian American students&rsquo; experience; conversely, personable campus conditions, supported their college experience. The findings demonstrated that these students constantly negotiate between their Armenian ethnic identity and American student identity while finding ways to connect to their campus environment. Policy and practice recommendations include increasing awareness, presence, and inclusion of this population on college campuses.</p>

<p> For many years, two international schools in Southeast Asia have had, as part of their high school curricular program, annual extended cross-cultural service-learning Outdoor Education (OE) trips in which the entire student bodies participated. The purpose of this study was to identify the educational and character development benefits to students experiencing the OE programs. The study sought to identify and describe from the students&rsquo; perspectives how the OE programs contributed to the students&rsquo; growth in social-emotional and character development (SECD), 21^st-century skills, and their schools&rsquo; global learning outcomes (GLOs). Additionally, the study sought to determine which components of the OE programs the students perceived as contributing to their growth. In this ethnographic intrinsic case study, the methodology for gathering data employed reflexive photography and photo elicitation interviews that resulted in photos submitted by students documenting their OE experiences, photo journals they kept during the trips, and transcripts of the interviews conducted soon after their trips. The student data were categorized and hand coded to identify 33 themes arranged in an explanatory schema. From the student data, 15 design-and-activity components were identified that facilitated 14 resultant design and activity outcomes. Additionally, four distinctive themes highlighted the importance of providing students with opportunities to experience collaboration, service, spiritual input, reflection, close communal living, reciprocity, and natural beauty. The components and outcomes were compared to the five aspects and selected character traits of SECD, selected 21^st-century skills, and each of the school&rsquo;s GLOs. The results of this study showed that students perceived that growth in SECD, 21^st-century skills, and their schools&rsquo; GLOs was attributable to the 15 identified components. These components worked together to create challenging conditions and tasks that students experienced, performed, and learned during the OE program. A science course analogy can be applied to OE. In this analogy, students get the lecture portion of the course at home, school, and church, while the laboratory portion is experienced through OE. During OE, students have opportunities to apply and practice the knowledge and skills they have been learning in the lectures. </p>

<p> The purpose of this mixed method research study was to examine the constructivist beliefs and instructional practices of secondary science teachers. The research also explored situations that impacted whether or not student centered instruction occurred. The study revealed science teachers held constructive beliefs pertaining to student questioning of the learning process and student autonomy in interacting with other learners. Teachers held the least constructivist beliefs pertaining to student teacher collaboration on lesson design. Additionally, teacher beliefs and practice were not congruent due to instructional practices being deemed less constructivist than reported. The study found that curricular demands, teacher perceptions about students, inadequate laboratory resources, and the lack of teacher understanding about the components of constructivist instruction inhibited student centered instruction. The results of this study led to six recommendations that can be implemented by school districts in collaboration with science teachers to promote constructivist instruction. </p>