<p> The increase in teacher attrition rates within the state of California since 2000 is of concern to the California Department of Education and districts throughout the state because of a myriad of issues created by the loss of qualified teachers. The cost of replacing qualified teachers and recruiting and training new teachers to replace those who have left is a costly challenge. In California, 13% of new high school teachers leave the profession within the first two years of teaching and 22% leave within the first four years, even after successful completion of a teacher support program funded by the state (Reed, Reuben, &amp; Barbour, 2006). Teacher attrition is a growing concern to both the state and the nation.</p><p> In this quantitative correlational study, one public high school within San Diego Unified School District served as a sample reviewed for data relating to teacher job satisfaction and elements of educational leadership that work to promote teacher retention. Data were analyzed to formulate a conclusion regarding job satisfaction and the set of predictor variables including the general quality of administrative leadership within a teacher&rsquo;s educational environment, problem-solving conducted by the leadership in place, professional respect demonstrated for the educator by school leadership, professional development opportunities for teachers, and projected length of employment of the teacher. </p><p> A Bonferroni adjustment was performed on the original alpha level (&alpha; = .05) to reduce the likelihood of a type I error (false positive interpretation). Due to the application of the Bonferroni correction, the research study presented the finding that job satisfaction was not related teacher job satisfaction. Recommendations include the integration of relevant, focused professional development opportunities for teachers, with the ultimate goal in mind to retain dedicated, quality educators who seek to improve the lives of their students daily.</p>

<p> This qualitative case study explored perceptions of teachers and educational administrators regarding differences between online grading systems and traditional written grade books. The purpose was to gain knowledge of online grade books in relation to parental involvement in the educational process and student academic performance, when compared with the older written grade book method. As well as educator&rsquo;s perceptions of the time use required by online grading systems, and any concerns that educators have with the technology, as compared with the older written grade book method. The research method was qualitative, using recorded interviews of participants where interviewees gave their perceptions relating to the research questions in this study. Research Question 1 was, &ldquo;How do online grading systems affect parental involvement in the educational process compared with traditional written grade books?&rdquo; After coding of the responses to this research question, the main theme was &ldquo;Transparency&rdquo;. Research Question 2 was, &ldquo;How do online grading systems affect student academic performance compared with traditional written grade books?&rdquo; After coding of the responses to this question, the main theme was, &ldquo;Transparency&rdquo;. Research Question 3 was, &ldquo;How do online grading systems affect the time use of educators compared with traditional written grade books?&rdquo; After coding of the responses to this question, the main theme was, &ldquo;Grades Automatically&rdquo;. Research question 4 was, &ldquo;How do the technological concerns with online grading systems compare with traditional written grade books?&rdquo; After coding of the responses to this question, the main theme was, &ldquo;Reliability&rdquo;. Educators and educational institutions may find this information useful when making decisions relative to implementing online grading systems.</p>

<p>This action research study examined the effects of student voice in one high school and the self-reflection of the researcher-administrator involved in the effort. Using three cycles of action research, the researcher-administrator completed a pilot study, implemented a student voice project in one class, and developed a professional development module completed by two other teachers in the school. The researcher-administrator documented personal changes throughout the process. Data was collected through student and adult questionnaires, student and adult interviews, action plans, observations, field notes, and the researcher-administrator&rsquo;s reflective journal. Data was coded for themes and triangulated to obtain results. The reflective journal was used to analyze the researcher-administrator&rsquo;s growth. The researcher-administrator derived two themes as important to both students and teachers engaged in the study: student growth and collaboration. Students in the study believed that by having a voice, personal and school change occurred. Teachers involved in the study believed the action research projects implemented made them more effective. The researcher-administrator&rsquo;s views changed during the study in three major areas: personally, conceptually, and in the development of a Living Educational Theory. There were four outcomes to this action research study: students engaged in this study reported self-growth; students valued their roles as change agents; teachers engaged in the study reported self-reflection helped to make positive changes in practice; and the researcher-administrator evolved as a person and school administrator. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> student voice, action research, data collection, themes </p>

<p> The enormous growth of online learning creates the need to develop a set of standards and guidelines for fully online programs. While many guidelines do exist, web-based programs still fall short in the recognition, adoption, or the implementation of these standards. One consequence is the high attrition rates associated with web-based distance learning programs. This poor outcome has a negative impact on the perceived quality of these programs which in turn limits the resources that are made available to academic institutions for implementation. Faculty plays a significant role in this dilemma. While academic administrators strive to enhance their online offerings for a number of reasons, faculty are faced with a number of barriers that deter them from adapting to this mode of delivery. </p><p> This report outlines how an in-depth analysis of these barriers was carried out. A mixed research synthesis design approach known as metasummary was used to synthesize the quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research studies that address the issue. The outcome of the synthesis was a set of solutions and recommendations that can be used to increase faculty buy-in and ownership of online learning. Regulatory bodies responsible for accrediting distance programs can benefit from these recommendations by including specific guidelines that explicitly consider the level of faculty satisfaction as a measurement of effectiveness when evaluating fully online programs.</p>

<p>New employees lack the professional development, decision-making, and developing skills when entering the Department of Student Affairs (Ondercin, 2009). Given this information, the literature indicates that administrators use different leadership styles and techniques when addressing workplace problems and challenges. This quantitative correlational research study investigated the relationships among student affairs administrators in NASPA&rsquo;s Mid-East region pertaining to their leadership frames and practices disaggregated by gender and the length of time in student affairs (new versus mature administrators). Two instruments used in this research were Bolman and Deal&rsquo;s four-leadership frames typology and Kouzes and Posner&rsquo;s leadership practices inventory. The dependent variables in the study were nine subscales from both the Leadership Orientation Survey (LOS) by Bolman and Deal (1991a) and the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) by Kouzes and Posner (2002). The independent variables in the study were, first, gender of the administrator (male/female) and second, tenure of administrators dichotomized as new administrators with 5 or less years of service versus mature administrators with 6 or more years of service (National Association for Student Personnel Administrators, 2009). Study findings revealed a correlation between both survey instruments and that certain subscales yielded significant results. Recommendations for future research include the need to expand future studies to encompass additional demographic information from participants (race, name of the position held, actual years of service, and identifying the number of administrators who use multiple leadership frames and practices). Researchers should examine additional methods to increase the number of survey participants. The incorporation of these suggestions would increase areas for generalizability. </p>

<p> The Chief Research Administrator (CRA), also known as the Vice President, Vice Provost, or Vice Chancellor for Research, plays a key role in the research university. It is a position of power and not only affects the mission of the institution, but also controls a very large and vital percentage of external funding. The lack of information on how to prepare for the position makes it difficult to plan a career path for those who aspire to the position. This study was designed to obtain information to define the persona and career path(s) of the CRA at research universities in the United States. Survey data related to career pathways resulted in the emergence of four main pathways; Faculty/Academic, Administrative, Private Industry, and a Combination of the first three pathways. The results indicated that the most highly cited pathway to the position of the CRA was the Faculty/Academic (83%). The least traveled pathway to the position of CRA was found to be Administrative, that is, beginning at the lowest levels of a research office or administrative position and progressing through the ranks of the research office.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of Illinois Parents as Teachers (PAT) program leaders managing a multigenerational workforce. Supervisors state that leading a multigenerational staff possesses challenges that affect overall productivity (Bell, 2008). PAT stakeholders including leaders, facilitators, parents, and children risk failing to provide or receive optimal services because of weak supervisory practices. Obtaining the perceptions and lived experiences, as narrated by PAT leaders about the work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership styles of employees from various generations will add insight to this plight. The study involved 10 Illinois Parents as Teachers program leaders purposely selected based on the number of employees and generational cohorts represented in the program. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured, open ended interview format; data was collected and analyzed. Five themes were extracted from the data using manual analysis and NVivo 9.0&copy; to aid in the coding process. The themes were important to understanding the participant&rsquo;s perceptions of managing a multigenerational staff. This study provided insight into how PAT leaders view employees from various generations in terms of work practices, behaviors, ethics, and leadership. The narratives provided rich accounts of leader&rsquo;s experiences, which in turn will be a helpful professional development and technical assistance tool in training leaders to use the most effective techniques with a multigenerational staff. Suggestions for educational practice and further research are included in the recommendations.</p>

<p> Studies have documented challenges in meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB) expectations as well as gender differences that contribute to the achievement gaps between boys and girls. In response to increased NCLB accountability and achievement gaps between boys and girls, several experts have promoted single-sex education as a possible strategy to improving student achievement. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to examine data that were gathered from an economically disadvantaged Title I federally-assisted upper elementary school with respect to the implementation of single-gender classrooms. This study was guided by the following two research questions: First, what were the perspectives from teachers, students, and parents with the initial year of implementation of single-gender classrooms? Second, what school level data could be analyzed and summarized with respect to student behaviors during the initial year of implementation? </p><p> Unlike previous studies, which focused on private or parochial schools at the secondary school level, this study focused on an economically disadvantaged school within an upper elementary setting. In addition, limited previous research has examined the perspectives of teachers, students, and parents. As research continues to show an ever-increasing achievement gap between students in poverty and those who are not, many educators seek alternative ways to educate students in economically disadvantaged schools. While single-gender classrooms are by no means a cure-all for the adversity faced by disadvantaged students in public schools, an analysis of the aforementioned research data indicated salient benefits for such students in that they can provide a learning environment where affective and cognitive learning outcomes could be realized. </p><p> The results from this study revealed that teachers and parents considered single-gender classrooms provide a positive learning environment for students. Teachers, students, and parents emphasized that single-gender classrooms allowed students to be more productive, removed the largest distractions for male and female students, and allowed them to concentrate on their schoolwork. In addition, the data revealed that single-gender classrooms had a positive impact on girls as viewed by teachers, female students, and parents of female students in terms of feeling comfortable enough to ask questions when they did not understand something.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to explore teacher experiences, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs regarding professional development in order to plan professional development in the future. Eighteen teachers, the elementary school improvement coordinator, and elementary principal were interviewed or participated in a focus group, in a semi-structured environment using a set of questions to gather data. Financial records for professional development expenditures, teacher credentials, agendas from professional development activities, school calendars, and grants were reviewed to get a better understanding of past professional development in the district. This research indicates that teachers: (a) are unsure whether professional development improves teacher quality and/or student achievement (b) have had a lot of diverse professional development experiences; (c) like professional development that is interactive, easily implemented, and applicable; (d) feel more time needs to be allocated for professional development; (e) do not feel they are involved in the planning process of professional development; and, (f) that there's a lack accountability, sustainability, and focus related to professional development. Implications can be generalized for all teachers, but more specifically, from this research for this individual district. </p>

<p> Recent national attention to issues of access, cost, and institutional performance in our public institutions of higher education have included numerous critiques and calls for reform at the level of board appointments and board governance. There has been considerable attention in both scholarly and popular media regarding governance issues including shoddy political appointment practices, lack of orientation and preparation, run-away boards, arrogant chief executives, and the negative effects of under-prepared, under-qualified trustees. These concerns have persisted as national, even congressional, attention has turned to high college costs, student debt-load, and the use of university endowments to offset costs to students and their families. These concerns were amplified by the recent economic recession and its impact on higher education. The use of appointment commissions or councils (whose responsibility is to recommend board member appointments based on merit) has been identified as a way in which to improve higher education governance. This study will examine the context surrounding the establishment of the 2002 Virginia Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments (which will be referred to as the Commission), and will explore its impact on subsequent boards of visitors at the four largest public universities in the Commonwealth. The question, Has board governance in Virginia state-supported higher education institutions changed with the advent of the Commission? will be investigated. The methodology employed and the conclusions reached may inform and encourage other state systems to consider similar reforms in the trustee appointment process and will add to the literature on best practices in higher education governance.</p>