<p> 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. </p>

<p> Professional learning communities (PLCs) have gained attention as an effective practice for supporting teachers and developing students since their inception in the early 1990s yet there is still work to be done in developing a blueprint for effective implementation in a pervasive culture of isolation and resistance, especially in secondary schools. While there is political, scholarly and practitioner interest in PLCs as a reform, few empirical studies explore the leadership implications of implementation. </p><p> The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experience of 6 secondary site leaders in the Southern California region as related to the implementing and sustainment PLCs at their sites. The purpose of this study was to glean the significant challenges and barriers faced by these sites as well as the effective strategies and tools to overcome those challenges as evidenced through the analysis and coding of 1-on-1 in-depth interviews with carefully selected PLC leaders. </p><p> 9 themes emerged during the analysis. There were 6 themes under Research Question # 1: (a) PLC steps were implemented to address low API scores, (b) lack of communication and collaboration prior to PLC implementation, (c) resources of time and money, (d) overcoming staff resistance, (e) the importance of a Leadership Team, and (f) building relationships. There were 3 themes under Research Question # 2: (a) facilitating ongoing communication and celebration, (b) using professional development to promote PLC work, and (c) using common practices for PLCs. </p><p> The study's findings suggest recommendation of several leadership strategies and resources that secondary site leaders should consider when implementing PLCs at their own sites.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to build upon the growing foundational base of knowledge on the academic and social transitions of student combat veterans and contribute to a greater theoretical understanding of this population and how their perception of identity may influence their experience as college students. </p><p> The researcher conducted a qualitative study to explore the experiences of student combat veterans as they transitioned from the military to higher education and discovered how their perceptions of their own identity influenced their experiences in college. The researcher's investigation aimed to answer a primary research question: How do combat veterans perceive their own identity and what influence does this have on their experience as college students? </p><p> Hecht's (1993) Communication Theory of Identity (CTI) and Gee's (2000) conceptual identity model served as guiding frameworks for the development of interview protocols in a two-part semi-structured interview series. Nineteen student veterans (<i>n</i>=19) at two community colleges in Northwestern Massachusetts were interviewed. In addition to participant interviews, the researcher employed fieldwork throughout the study in an effort to provide the appropriate data triangulation, including observations during student veteran organization meetings and college-sponsored events, and informal conversations with student veterans, faculty, and staff at each site. </p><p> Analysis of the data consisted of the three levels of coding recommended by Strauss and Corbin (1998): (a) open (emic) coding, (b) axial coding, and (c) selective (etic) coding. Seven initial categories of data and common codes were identified amongst all 19 participants at both research sites. These categories and associated codes were then evaluated by the researcher in the context of the research question and protocols for distinctive overlapping commonalities and parallel meaning, then grouped into core themes. </p><p> Four themes representing the collective experiences and perceptions of the participants emerged in the research: Perception of self, perception of others, inferred perception of self, and connections to other veterans. The researcher found each of these themes influenced the experience for participants as college students on multiple levels.</p>

<p> Student leadership development is a key initiative at many colleges and universities in the United States today. Many of the liberal arts institutions in America have leadership development of their student population as one of the fundamental elements of their educational objectives (Astin, 1997; Durden, 2001; Rothblatt, 2003). This study utilized a qualitative, multiple-case study design to explore how two liberal arts institutions developed socially responsible leaders within their student population. An expert-driven, purposeful sampling strategy was utilized for this study. Using an interview and focus group protocol that was framed by the Social Change Model of Leadership (SCM), the researcher also used a documentation review to collect data. The findings were reported as two individual case studies, followed by a cross-case analysis looking for areas of convergence and divergence between the institutions. The SCM was an effective theoretical framework to determine how these liberal arts institutions develop socially responsible leaders. Each of the eight constructs from the SCM was addressed by the study's research question and subquestions. The findings from the study were consistent with the student learning and development analogous with the descriptions of the constructs from the theoretical framework. However, there were several influences on student leadership development that were underrepresented in the findings. Thus, the recommendations offered, along with other findings of the study, propose tactics for more thorough development of socially responsible leaders at liberal arts institutions.</p>

<p> Faculty satisfaction has consistently been considered an important component of any successful educational program. With the emergence of online education, which has been spearheaded primarily by for-profit institutions, faculty satisfaction remains a critical element in the overall success of these business enterprises. Understanding which factors influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution is a significant area of study for these organizations. This study used a survey to explore the student-related, instructor-related, and institution-related factors that influence satisfaction for online faculty at a for-profit institution. The methodology included using a survey instrument, an adapted version of the Online Faculty Satisfaction Survey (OFSS) on a sample population of online faculty at a for-profit institution. Analysis revealed that all three factors on the survey contributed to overall satisfaction, with student-related factors being the most significant. Overall, faculty were moderately satisfied with online teaching, with 71% either agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement, 'I look forward to teaching my next online class'. The most important demographic factor was the degree to which faculty in the study worked exclusively at the for-profit institution. Both full and part time faculty that worked exclusively at the institution studied had higher incidences of satisfaction among all dimensions.</p>

<p> In the fall of 2008 Westside Community Schools &ndash; District 66, in Omaha, Nebraska implemented a one-to-one notebook computer take home model for all eighth-grade students. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a required yearlong one-to-one notebook computer program supported by high-speed Internet connectivity at school on (a) English, (b) math, (c) reading, (d) science, and (e) composite score norm-referenced EXPLORE achievement test scores, District's Criterion-Referenced Descriptive Writing Assessment scores, and classroom performance grade point average (GPA) scores for the core subjects (a) English, (b) science, (c) social studies, and (d) cumulative GPA scores of eighth-grade students who do not have high-speed Internet connectivity at home (<i>n</i> = 19) compared to eighth-grade students eligible (<i>n</i> = 19) and not eligible (<i>n</i> = 19) for free and reduced price lunch program participation who do have high-speed Internet connectivity at home. The results of this study support the implementation of a one-to-one notebook computer program as a systematic intervention to improve student achievement. Furthermore, all within group pretest-posttest gains and between group posttest-posttest equipoise demonstrated that the achievement gap between students eligible and students not eligible for free or reduced price lunch participation with or without high-speed Internet connectivity at home had been mitigated through participation in the school-wide one-to-one notebook computer program. While the one-to-one notebook eighth-grade computer program in this study may not be singled out solely for between group posttest equipoise causality, its inclusion as a fundamental academic programmatic component of this middle school's curriculum should be considered as a contributing factor.</p>

<p> With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2002) and the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWDs) in general education classrooms has become more prevalent within our public schools (DuFour &amp; Eaker, 1998; Mcleskey et al., 2010). Current research on inclusion focuses on student outcomes and procedural changes and not the contexts and capabilities of education leaders who are implementing it. Empirical research that examines how schools have built the capacity for sustaining these models, especially through the perspectives of those who implement it, is limited to date. </p><p> The purpose of the current study was to examine in depth one school's capacity development during their own inclusive education reform. Specifically, this study (1) explored how school leaders perceived their own capacity in initiating and implementing inclusion reform; (2) explored how leaders perceived the school's capacity to implement inclusion and (3) explored how their capacity to implement inclusion aligned with the school capacity literature. </p><p> Case study methodology was used to make meaning of the participants' individual perspectives and weave them into an integral whole. This case study sought to uncover the perspectives that school leaders (teacher leaders and administrative leaders) placed on their capacities to initiate and sustain an effective inclusive education model.</p>

<p> This mixed methods study was conducted in a large school system in Georgia. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast a variety of methods used to support new elementary teachers to increase both self-efficacy and retention. Traditional support methods such as teacher preparation, induction, mentoring, and administrator support were included in this study. In addition, minimally researched areas of new teacher support including instructional coaching, professional learning communities, observation/feedback, and online support were examined. </p><p> The data sources utilized in this study included an online new teacher survey, a new teacher focus group, and an administrative interview with the Executive Director for Human Resources Staffing for the school system. Based on the results, developing key partnerships between schools systems and teacher preparation institutions along with year-long student teaching experiences or residency programs is recommended to promote new teacher success. Additionally, the school system's own alternative teacher certification program exhibited positive results. Beginning teachers also expressed a desire for training on paperwork, student support meetings, and programs specific to the school system. </p><p> A common thread across all data sources was that support from people is extremely helpful to new teachers. In particular, mentoring and coaching were helpful across all three data sources. Moreover, online support including social networking and educational websites were shown to be extremely useful to novice teachers. Results also indicated that the opportunity to observe other teachers was tremendously beneficial and desired by 100 percent of new teachers who had not received that opportunity.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the essential elements of a community of practice intended to increase communication and collaboration between traditional public and charter school leaders. Members of the Los Angeles Cohort of the School Leaders Network participated in this study. </p><p> This case study triangulated observation, interview, and document review data to identify the factors that were most beneficial to this particular community of practice. Drawing on the research of communities of practice, constructivism, and leadership theory, these factors were articulated into five domains with the hope that, with further research, this framework could influence the creation of additional communities of practice between traditional public and charter school leaders. </p><p> This framework, including indicators and action steps to aid in creating a community of practice, identified five key factors: knowledge, relationships, authenticity, constructivism, and leadership. The convergence of these five domains pointed to two key take-aways: Communities of practice must create a risk-free environment in which sharing can occur so that participants can use storytelling as a vehicle for the exchange of ideas. Essential in creating this environment is the influence of a skilled facilitator who can drive these conversations. Ultimately, in sharing stories and building community, these communities of practice are meant to further the cause of a socially just education for all students regardless of the type of schools they attend. </p>

<p> This is a normative ethical analysis of school discipline policies. The overarching objective of this work is to inform school practices that directly benefit students. Chapter one examines the current state and practices of student discipline within schools. It focuses upon the pervasive use of suspensions to deal with non-violent student offenses and the adverse consequences that result from the applications of suspensions. Chapter two analyses three theoretical frameworks as they inform the developmental of a threshold for the ethical application of punishment. Developmental liberalism informs the understanding of the role that schools have in exhausting educative measures before the use of force, Self-Determination theory provides the foundation for psychologically nurturing school environments as necessary for the curtailing of adverse student behaviors, and School Community theory acknowledges the essential aspects of curriculum in engaging students. Chapter three sets forth a model for making ethical decisions within schools, and provides an analysis of principles and educational aims that directly inform this process. Chapter four explores the "crime and punishment" phenomenon within school discipline and provides the theoretical rationale that is offered to support such arguments. The chapter concludes with a discussion of when, if ever, it is appropriate to suspend students from school. Chapter five examines existing approaches to student discipline that align with the requirements of the threshold for ethical application of discipline and a well-informed ethical decision making process. </p>