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Distributed Leadership is often considered an optimal form of leadership to improve student achievement. The challenge though is that previous research on distributed leadership has often described what distributed leadership is as opposed to what distributed leadership's impact on student achievement might be. Since leadership has an indirect effect on student achievement, exploring organizational factors that may have a more direct impact on student achievement is important. Academic optimism describes teachers' perceptions of the staff's collective efficacy, the trust experienced between teachers, and between teachers and administrators, and the extent to which academic press (high expectations) is evident in the school. Academic optimism is an organizational factor that improves student achievement according to previous research. This thesis examined patterns of distributed leadership and their correlation to academic optimism. Further I examined the impact that academic optimism has on student achievement. By surveying 2122 teachers in 113 schools in a large school board in south-central Ontario, I determined that planfully aligned distributed leadership had a significant correlation to academic optimism but academic optimism did not have a significant correlation to student achievement. Rather, academic press, one of the variables within academic optimism, did have a significant correlation to student achievement in language and math. This study concluded that planfully aligned distributed leadership mediated by academic press had a significant impact on student achievement.

This quantitative study has two purposes. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers’ perceptions of principals’ instructional leadership affects student achievement in Texas suburban elementary schools. The secondary purpose of the study was to learn whether school demographic variables or prior achievement predict the level of instructional leadership elementary school teachers report for their principals. The primary outcome of instructional leadership was the achievement of fifth grade students who attended five select suburban elementary school districts in Texas for the 2011 – 2012 school year. The data collected for this research examined the two-year performance of the fifth grade students on their Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading test. Data were also collected from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade elementary teachers who attended one of the 97 participating schools from the five school districts. The teachers completed a voluntary survey during a faculty meeting. The survey asked teachers to report their perceptions of instructional leadership. The survey questions tapped four primary areas of instructional leadership: setting goals, providing professional development, monitoring and providing feedback, and establishing high standards. The main hypothesis was that instructional leadership would have a direct effect on student achievement. A variety of statistical techniques, such as factor analysis and multilevel analyses, were utilized for this study. A factor analysis method was used to create a measure of degree for instructional leadership in schools and multiple regression methods were utilized to test the relationship between instructional leadership and school SES, ethnicity, and prior achievement. This study found a modest direct relationship between instructional leadership and reading achievement. More specifically, teachers’ perceptions of instructional leadership were a marginally statistically significant and positive predictor of between school variation in student achievement in reading. Additionally, the study revealed that the school socioeconomic status, ethnic composition, and prior achievement do not predict instructional leadership. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-79). Also available via the Internet.

This study examines the impact of successive versus non-successive scheduling of mathematics courses on the achievement of ninth-grade students in a suburban Oregon high school. The Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and student performance on the geometry course final exam were employed to compare the achievement of intact groups of students who had geometry scheduled for two successive trimesters and students who had geometry in two non-successive trimesters. An ANCOVA provides a comparison of students on pre-test and post-test performance. The results show no differences in student mathematics achievement as a result of scheduling differences after the covariate pre-test is examined. The implications are that schools may choose schedules for reasons other than improving student achievement and that scheduling does not impact student achievement.

Student achievement is influenced by efficacy, a construct linked to behaviors that promote learning. The researcher investigated the strength of the relationships between teacher, principal, and collective efficacy at middle schools within a metropolitan area that received Outstanding Oregon State Report Card ratings for 2010-2011. Teachers and principals completed questionnaires to assess their beliefs about executing specific academic and behavioral tasks. The survey instruments were previously validated. Responses to open-ended questions provided insights into practices that develop efficacy. It was hypothesized that teachers and principals would report strong senses of individual and collective efficacy. Findings showed a moderate relationship between teacher and collective efficacy and a moderate relationship between academic efficacy beliefs and behavioral efficacy beliefs at the teacher and collective levels. The middle schools with higher levels of teacher, collective, and principal efficacy were characterized by collaborative cultures focused on improving instruction and leadership that promoted collaboration and growth.

The purpose of this study was to identify an effective strategy to increase English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency in middle schools. This study assessed the outcome of classroom looping in an urban middle school. Vygotsky's theory of social development was the theoretical framework of this study. Two research questions explored statistical differences between scale and number correct scores on the standardized ELA Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP). Classroom settings (looping and traditional) served as independent variables, and ELA TCAP assessments were used as the dependent variable. This study included a random sample of 188 students (94 looping and 94 traditional) in a West Tennessee middle school. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to obtain mean scale and number correct scores on 2011-2013 ELA TCAP assessments. Findings indicated no statistically significant differences in performance between groups, with small effect sizes. Mean scale and number correct scores also indicated below proficient levels for all years tested in both groups. Findings suggested a need for the middle school studied to analyze current practices possibly attributing to current ELA TCAP proficiency as a solution. Continuous school improvement was presented as a strategy of utilizing multiple data sources to monitor and adjust school practices to improve student proficiency. A white paper was chosen as a project due to its intent to provide a short, concise explanation of an unfamiliar concept to administrators. The presented project has the potential of leading to positive social change by providing administrators with an ongoing system of monitoring and adjusting school wide instructional practices to meet the needs of all students being served.

Technology has changed almost every aspect of our daily lives. It is not surprising then that technology has made its way into the classroom. More and more educators are utilizing technological resources in creative ways with the intent to enhance learning, including using virtual laboratories in the sciences in place of the “traditional” science laboratories. This has generated much discussion as to the influence on student achievement when online learning replaces the face-toace contact between instructor and student. The purpose of this study was to discern differences in achievement of two laboratory instruction types: virtual laboratory and a traditional laboratory. Results of this study indicate statistical significant differences in student achievement defined by averages on quiz scores in virtual labs compared with traditional face-toace laboratories and traditional laboratories result in greater student learning gains than virtual labs. Lecture exam averages were also greater for students enrolled in the traditional laboratories compared to students enrolled in the virtual laboratories. To account for possible differences in ability among students, a potential extraneous variable, GPA and ACT scores were used as covariates.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the accelerated course learning format on student achievement in developmental English and math courses offered at a rural community college. Due to a rise in the number of underprepared students who enroll in community college, some college officials implemented the accelerated course learning format to allow students to complete developmental coursework in a shorter timeframe. Research on the utilization of the accelerated learning format in developmental education has been conducted in urban areas, and this study provides research and findings from a rural perspective. Historical enrollment data were used to find out if the accelerated course learning format method of instruction increased a student’s developmental course success and college-level persistence. The enrollment of students enrolled in at least 1 developmental English or math course offered in an accelerated or traditional format during the fall 2010 through fall 2015 enrollment period was tracked to evaluate success and persistence. A non-experimental, comparative research design was used to evaluate the relationship between 1 independent variable (method of instruction: traditional or accelerated) and 2 dependent variables (success: grade of A, B, or C and persistence: proceeded to and successfully completed the college level course: English Composition I and College Algebra). The data collected were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. Descriptive statistics were also used to analyze the data, and Chi Square tests were used to determine how well the experiential distribution of data fits with the distribution that was anticipated with the independent variables. In reviewing the findings, results were consistent for each developmental course, in English and math. Students enrolled in 8-week courses consistently outperformed students enrolled in 16-week courses. Recommendations for future research include a review of students who withdrew and a discussion of demographics to determine if students withdrew because it was too fast. Another recommendation is to evaluate students who repeated courses and changed formats.