Self-determination and self-advocacy skills, necessary for students to successfully transition to secondary education and beyond, are often missing in students with disabilities. These skills are an important part of the process of addressing transition in an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding of general education teachers' perceptions about self-determination and self-advocacy skills in students with disabilities. Guided by Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, this study examined general education teachers' perceptions about self-determination and self-advocacy skills in students with disabilities, and attempted to determine how these skills changed after students with disabilities worked with a peer advocate. General education teachers' perceptions about self-determination and self-advocacy were identified, as well as differences in perceptions regarding students who worked with a peer advocate and those who did not. A purposeful sample of 5 general education teachers was selected to participate in this study. Teachers participated in 1 interview, completed an anonymous survey, and participated in 1 classroom observation. Descriptive analysis was used to present the information in a narrative. Participants felt that self-determination and self-advocacy skills were important for students with disabilities. Teachers with the experience of having peer advocates in their classroom noticed an increase of self-determination and self-advocacy skills in students with disabilities. This study may provide positive social change by giving insight to educators on ways to utilize peer tutors or advocates with students with disabilities to aid in their academic and social success, resulting in successful student participation in the IEP process and transitioning from middle school to high school.

Lack of parental involvement is an issue in the educational system because parents and teachers do not understand each other's views. Research has shown that when parents and teachers provide students with support, student achievement increases. The problem of teachers' and parents' lack of common understanding of parental involvement was addressed in this study. Epstein's model of parental involvement and the theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical framework of this qualitative, exploratory, phenomenological study to explore the perceptions of 5 teachers and 10 parents who were purposefully sampled. The research questions were focused on parents' and teachers' perceptions on parental involvement in supporting students' achievement. Data were analyzed using of Moustakas's steps for phenomenological model. Trustworthiness was ensured through peer review, member checking, and descriptive research notes. Findings from the data collected from face-to-face interviews identified 3 themes: parenting and learning at home, volunteering and decision making, and communicating and collaborating with the community. The 3 themes overlapped with components of Epstein's model of parental involvement and were evident in the participants' answers to the interview questions. The resulting project was a white paper designed to educate the community about problems with parental involvement, provide solutions to the issue, and help parents and teachers to work collaboratively to improve student achievement. The project contributes to social change through formative feedback for the major stakeholders regarding ways to promote efficient and effective practices for both parents and teachers to promote student learning.

The relationship between transformational leadership and student academic achievement in diverse urban elementary schools is under-researched. However, studies have indicated that there are no evident gains in student achievement when administrators and teachers differ on views of effective leadership practices. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between teachers' perceptions of administrator leadership practices and student achievement in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics within diverse elementary schools. Burns's seminal theory on transformational leadership was the theoretical framework for this study. The research questions were designed to explore the relationship between teachers' perceived rating of transformational leadership practices of administrators and student academic achievement in ELA and mathematics. The study was a secondary analysis of publicly available data from 595 elementary schools surveyed by the New York City Department of Education. Two one-way analysis of variance were conducted. From the data, a post hoc test was conducted that determined significant differences between teacher ratings of administrators and student achievement levels in ELA and mathematics. The results indicated the higher the transformational leadership score of administrators, the greater the student academic achievement level. This study may influence district superintendents to offer professional development to administrators, to participate in intervisitation between higher achieving schools and lower achieving schools, and to have administrators mentor one another in cohorts. Positive social change may result by assisting and guiding administrators to use effective transformational leadership practices to improve school climate, trust, and job satisfaction.

The purpose of this study was to determine teacher perception of education program suitability in Northern Saskatchewan. The sample consisted of one hundred sixty-five divisions I, II and III teachers in Northern Saskatchewan. Analysis was made on teachers as a total group, and teachers grouped according to the following variables: type of teaching certificate held; area of study in teacher training; total years of teaching experience; total years of teaching experience with Indian and Metis children; division level of experience with Indian and Metis children. Six hypotheses were proposed regarding the total group and the five variables.<p>In order to test these hypotheses, all teachers in divisions I, II and III in Northern Saskatchewan were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to determine their perception of education program suitability.<p> The first hypothesis, that teachers would generally perceive the education program as unsuitable, was tested by determination of standard score probability of error for teacher responses to Part II of the questionnaire. Hypotheses two to six inclusive, that teacher perception of education program suitability would vary according to the five variables mentioned above, were tested by means of multi-factor analysis of variance. Responses to Part III of the questionnaire were analyzed by means of frequency tables.<p>It was found that generally teachers felt that the education program in Northern Saskatchewan was unsuitable. Areas of the program perceived as least suitable included programs in reading and literature, English and social studies. <p>The shortage of relevant resource materials was seen as a problem by a significant number of respondents. Areas perceived as most suitable by the teachers included nature science, mathematics, the adapted social studies program for pupils of Indian ancestry and pre-vocational and vocational courses.<p>When teachers were grouped according to the five variables referred to earlier, several significant differences in perception of education program suitability were noted. Teachers who had taken courses in Indian or cross-cultural education perceived the education program to be less suitable than did teachers who had not taken courses in these fields. It was also noted that teachers with less than four years of teaching experience with Indian and Metis children, and teachers with a total of less than four years of teaching experience perceived the education program to be less suitable than did teachers with more experience. A significant interaction was found to exist between area of study and division level. No significant differences were noted when teachers were grouped according to the type of teaching certificate they held, or according to the division level in which they had experience with Indian and Metis children.

The intent of this study was to explore the perceptions of Black middle and upper class preservice teachers as they relate to teaching and learning in high poverty urban schools. Participants included 11 senior early childhood education preservice teachers at a historically Black college in the southeast region of the United States. The study was conducted using qualitative inquiry. Background questionnaires, individual interviews, and a group interview served as the data sources. While there is an extensive body of knowledge focused on the increasing number of White preservice teachers who lack experience with students in diverse communities, there are limited studies pertaining to the perceptions of Black middle and upper class preservice teachers who may lack experience with students in high poverty urban schools. In the Black community, color and social class have been inexorably linked for generations. Social class is conceivably one of the most significant sources of inequality in schools and was one of the first factors, after intelligence, researched by scholars as a source of difference in achievement. The study answered the following questions: (1) What are the perceptions of Black middle and upper class preservice teachers regarding teaching and learning in high poverty urban schools? (2) To what extent do Black middle and upper class preservice teachers believe they can be successful teachers in high poverty urban schools? The data demonstrated that Black middle and upper class preservice teachers (a) prefer to teach in communities similar to their own school experiences; (b) believe students from high poverty urban schools can achieve at the same level as students in middle and upper class schools, but are uncertain of the value their informal knowledge brings to the classroom; (c) recognize effective teaching strategies and best practices in classroom instruction; and (d) have mixed feelings regarding their ability to connect with students and parents in high poverty urban schools. Implications from the study include expanding the scope of field experiences for Black middle and upper class preservice teachers in high poverty urban schools and recognizing Black middle and upper class preservice teachers in teacher education research.

The purpose of this study was to determine teacher perception of education program suitability in Northern Saskatchewan. The sample consisted of one hundred sixty-five divisions I, II and III teachers in Northern Saskatchewan. Analysis was made on teachers as a total group, and teachers grouped according to the following variables: type of teaching certificate held; area of study in teacher training; total years of teaching experience; total years of teaching experience with Indian and Metis children; division level of experience with Indian and Metis children. Six hypotheses were proposed regarding the total group and the five variables.<p>In order to test these hypotheses, all teachers in divisions I, II and III in Northern Saskatchewan were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to determine their perception of education program suitability.<p> The first hypothesis, that teachers would generally perceive the education program as unsuitable, was tested by determination of standard score probability of error for teacher responses to Part II of the questionnaire. Hypotheses two to six inclusive, that teacher perception of education program suitability would vary according to the five variables mentioned above, were tested by means of multi-factor analysis of variance. Responses to Part III of the questionnaire were analyzed by means of frequency tables.<p>It was found that generally teachers felt that the education program in Northern Saskatchewan was unsuitable. Areas of the program perceived as least suitable included programs in reading and literature, English and social studies. <p>The shortage of relevant resource materials was seen as a problem by a significant number of respondents. Areas perceived as most suitable by the teachers included nature science, mathematics, the adapted social studies program for pupils of Indian ancestry and pre-vocational and vocational courses.<p>When teachers were grouped according to the five variables referred to earlier, several significant differences in perception of education program suitability were noted. Teachers who had taken courses in Indian or cross-cultural education perceived the education program to be less suitable than did teachers who had not taken courses in these fields. It was also noted that teachers with less than four years of teaching experience with Indian and Metis children, and teachers with a total of less than four years of teaching experience perceived the education program to be less suitable than did teachers with more experience. A significant interaction was found to exist between area of study and division level. No significant differences were noted when teachers were grouped according to the type of teaching certificate they held, or according to the division level in which they had experience with Indian and Metis children.

Texas public high schools induct beginning science teachers each year; yet, little is known about how schools induct beginning teachers. The three studies included in this dissertation use a mixed methods approach to explore data collected by the Policy Research Initiative in Science Education (PRISE) Research Group during the 2007-2008 academic year. The first study focused on principals' perceptions of teacher induction. A content analysis of interviews collected from 50 principals examined principals' perceptions of teacher induction. Analyses indicated that high school principals had an overwhelmingly narrow focus of mentoring and provided mentor teachers with little support or training. Findings indicated that induction activities for beginning teachers were front-loaded before the school year began and were left in the hands of unprepared mentors during the school year. Further analyses indicated that the primary purpose of mentoring and induction for beginning teachers in Texas high schools revolved around orientation to campus policies and procedures. Beginning teachers' instructional needs appeared to be an afterthought. The second study explored beginning high school science teachers' evaluations of their induction experiences. Beginning teachers identified the best school-level induction supports received and recommended improvements for school-level induction. Teachers identified mentoring as one of the best received supports, yet also made recommendations for more structure in the mentoring experience. A comparison of beginning teachers' responses with teacher turnover found that: (a) Stayers (i.e., teachers retained at a campus) were most likely to report that they received induction support from other science teachers; (b) Movers (i.e., teachers who transferred to another campus) less frequently reported working conditions as a positive induction support; and (c) Leavers, (i.e., teachers not retained in the profession) most frequently did not identify induction support from the school. The final study compared principals' perceptions of induction and beginning teacher Movers and Leavers' evaluations of their induction experiences. Findings from this study indicated that principals were aware of induction components that were considered helpful by both Movers and Leavers. However, principals did not acknowledge what Movers and Leavers recommended for improvements to current induction practices. The final chapter provides a summary of all three studies. Recommendations are made for improving induction practices for high school science teachers. In particular, high school principals should discard their current "hands-off" approach to teacher induction and become more active in their induction experiences. Additionally, types of induction practices should increase to include more than mentoring. Moreover, policy makers should reform mentoring policies so that current practices, which have a narrow focus on school policies and procedures, are abandoned.

This descriptive, correlational study investigated small learning community campuses‘ teachers‘ perceptions and traditional high school campuses‘ teachers‘ perceptions of eight factors as measured by the Cultural Awareness and Beliefs Inventory (CABI): (1) cultural awareness, (2) teacher beliefs, (3) school climate, (4) culturally responsive classroom management, (5) home and community support, (6) curriculum and instruction strategies, (7) cultural sensitivity, and (8) teacher efficacy. Further, the statistical differences between teachers‘ perceptions were explored as related to ethnicity and gender. The relationship between teachers‘ perceptions as measured by the CABI and student achievement as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) Ninth Grade Reading Test was examined. The data were collected from eight secondary campuses in a large urban school district in the southwest United States: four small learning community campuses and four traditional high school campuses. This descriptive, correlational study of ninth grade teachers‘ perceptions of cultural awareness and beliefs yielded unexpected results when delineated by the campus group in which the teacher was employed. The data found statistically significant differences between Small Learning Community campuses‘ and Traditional High School campuses‘ teachers‘ perceptions of school climate by campus group, by ethnicity and campus group, and finally by gender and campus group. Two additional factors of the CABI reported statistically significant difference when delineated by ethnicity: cultural awareness and teacher efficacy. The relationships between teachers‘ perceptions of the eight factors and the TAKS for ninth grade reading reported negative correlations for the small learning campus groups‘ teachers and a mixed results for the traditional high school campus groups‘ teachers with five negative correlations and three positive correlations for HCS, CI, and CS. In the final analysis, these results countered the expected responses given the research on small learning communities.

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of third and fourth grade African American students who might be selected for the gifted and talented program. It is the first study concerning teachers’ perceptions of African American students in an urban school district with a relatively high representation of African American students and teachers in the gifted and talented program. The results showed the improvement in African American representation in gifted and talented programs that can result from positive teacher perceptions of African American students. Since these positive perceptions may be due, at least in part, to the high proportion of African American teachers in the school district under study, these results suggest a link between an increased proportion of African American teachers, positive teacher perceptions of African American students and an improvement in African American representation in gifted and talented programs. Public educational policy should strive to increase the proportion of African American teachers. This could be achieved by modifying standardized tests used for teacher certification, which researchers have shown to be biased against minority cultures, and also by university recruitment to attract African Americans to education. The results also suggest the need for increased levels of multicultural and urban courses as a standard part of pre-service teacher education. Quality instruction in these areas can contribute toward a greater understanding among teachers of the effect of culture in the classroom and, thereby reduce the tendency to form low expectations of African American and other minority students. This indulgence in deficit thinking needs an aggressive intervention before prospective teachers enter the classroom where some may propagate the detrimental effects of low teacher expectations on another generation of African American students. Increased levels of multicultural and urban education among teachers can also help teachers understand how to interact with African American parents in a constructive manner. This is an important step in creating a school environment, which encourages parental school involvement and, thereby allows African American students readily to enjoy more the academic benefits of parental involvement. When these steps are implemented, this may lead to an increase of African American students to the gifted and talented program.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the perceptions of teachers, learners, teacher trainers and administrators on teachers