<p> In large school districts, principal supervisors oversee groups of principals. Principal supervisors commonly have titles such as Area or Regional Superintendents, Leadership Directors or Network Leaders. They are situated in the organizational hierarchy between top district leaders (Chief-level positions) and principals, and serve as the link between these two groups. To reflect recent changes in the responsibilities of principals from a focus on school management to a focus on instruction, many school districts have re-conceptualized the role of principal supervisors based on the premise that having principal supervisors provide support to principals about issues that directly relate to teaching and learning is necessary in order to raise school performance. Using qualitative methods, this research study analyzed the role of principal supervisors as middle managers who are expected to develop the instructional capacity of the principals they supervise by examining how the organizational conditions of school districts and the practices of top district leaders and principals influence principal supervisors&rsquo; work. Since there is minimal scholarship in the field of education, the conceptual framework of the study draws on theoretical perspectives about middle managers and strategy implementation from the fields of business and organizational behavior&mdash;Argyris &amp; Schon&rsquo;s (1974) theories of action and Guth &amp; MacMillan&rsquo;s (1986) middle management expectancy theory. </p><p> Through written questionnaires and interviews with top district leaders, principal supervisors and principals in a large, urban school district, this research found that principal supervisors do not spend the majority of their time focusing on developing the instructional capacity of the principals they supervise. Rather, as a result of principal supervisors&rsquo; positioning in the district&rsquo;s organizational hierarchy, the organizational conditions and practices of top district leaders and principals, and principal supervisors&rsquo; views about their intended job functions, principal supervisors often serve as &ldquo;brokers&rdquo;&mdash;intermediaries between central office staff members and principals. Honig &amp; Copland (2008) set forth the conceptualization of principal supervisors as &ldquo;brokers,&rdquo; and the findings from this study confirm their findings. However, the results of this study extend their research by offering numerous additional ways in which principal supervisors&rsquo; brokering serves central office staff members and principals. As a contribution to the existing scholarship about principal supervisors, I further distill Honig &amp; Copland&rsquo;s (2008) denotation of principal supervisors as brokers by dividing principal supervisors&rsquo; broader brokering functions into three more refined categories of buffering, bolstering and bridging, and providing evidence to support these distinctions. I contend that most of these brokering activities are consistent with the district goal of having principal supervisors support principals&rsquo; instructional leadership. </p><p> The findings from this study have a variety of implications for school districts, including the need for districts to either further refine the role of principal supervisors based on the realities of principal supervisors&rsquo; daily work, or to address district organizational conditions and practices in a way that allows principal supervisors to serve their intended instructional role.</p><p>

<p> We are experiencing powerful and exponential shifts in our economy (Schwab, 2015), marked by rapid advancements in automation, information technology, and robotics (Ford, 2016) and the displacement of millions of Americans in the middle class (Goldin &amp; Katz, 2008; Keeley, 2015; Pew Research Center, 2015). Our current education paradigm is &ldquo;no longer effective&rdquo; (Zhao, 2016) to prepare students/graduates for a dynamic, volatile, and ambiguous future. These economic shifts have profound social and political impacts. In order for schools to retool and transform, trust creation will become increasingly important to school improvement efforts. The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers perceive trustworthy principal behaviors and what school practices promote trust between teachers and principals and among the teaching faculty. Using primarily a phenomenological methodology, this study examined trust-rich environments in two schools in Southern California. Two questions guided this study: <i>What principal behaviors do teachers perceive as being trustworthy?</i> <i>What sorts of school practices are used to build trust among the adults in school?</i> Teachers in this study were willing to be vulnerable with each other, to experiment with new practices, to initiate change efforts, and to engage in public problem-solving and collective decision-making. The findings suggested that teachers perceived the following three principal behaviors and school practices as important elements in creating trust: (a) Exercising Empathy and Openness, (b) Relating to Teachers as Whole People, and (c) Creating Practices of Voice and Choice. The findings suggest that we may need less industrial-style school leaders and more school leaders who are deeply empathic and skilled facilitators in leveraging the individual and collective strengths, interests, and values of their people.</p><p>

<p> A single case design was employed to explore the implementation of the new teacher induction and mentoring program (NTIMP) from the perspective of new teachers who participated in the program. The district the researcher studied for this single case study had been experiencing a high teacher turnover. To reduce this problem, an NTIMP was implemented in the district. The NTIMP was investigated with a diverse sample of new educators from a semi-rural school district in the western part of the United States. Data sources, including interviews, surveys, and document review, were used in the study to allow for the triangulation of data. Findings indicated that the NTIMP was a beneficial initiative implemented by the study site for helping teachers adjust to the teaching and for reducing feelings of isolation. Responses regarding the NTIMP&rsquo;s impact on a new teacher&rsquo;s development of a positive attitude towards teaching and in developing a sense of professionalism indicated both positive and negative experiences. The responses to the survey questions and the semi-structured interviews reflected the importance of access to professional development and both formal and informal mentoring access for new teachers to help them achieve success in teaching. A support system is critical to new teachers who were grappling with seeking answers to questions and gathering assistance to become a more effective educator. New teachers require experienced teacher support through the development of professional relationships, relationships with students and students&rsquo; families and caregivers, and additional guidance in professional practice. Future studies should include the long-term impact of the program on participants. </p><p>

<p> This study investigates the impact, both proximal and distal, of inter-scholastic sports participation on the academic experiences of Latino male high school students. I utilize the notion of imbrication and a nested ecological framework to interrogate these larger constructs to illuminate differences and commonalities that exist amongst and between Latinos, the type of sport played, and three forms of engagement (cognitive, behavioral, and emotional). </p><p> &ldquo;Do sports impede mobility or do sports enhance mobility?&rdquo; is a fundamental question in education and interscholastic athletics research. Using the ELS:2002 survey data from 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2012, I conducted a series of statistical analyses to explore the following relationships: 1. between specific U.S. Latino population demographics to sports participation, and academic engagement/achievement/attainment; 2. between participation in high school sport, generally, and academic engagement; 3. between the type of sport played on academic engagement; 4. to test if academic engagement is a mediator between continued sports participation and educational achievement/attainment. </p><p> The regression results consistently show that those who participate in athletic activities have higher grades and greater rates of high school/college degree attainment. The relationship between sports participation and academic engagement was either neutral or negative, particularly as it pertained to behavioral engagement. The outcomes imply that institutional practices created to boost athletic participation are unlikely to produce positive effects on engagement unless there are intentional efforts by school officials to create athletic environments that are conducive to academic endeavors. </p><p>

<p> The students in Title I schools remain the most vulnerable in our education system. Principals in these schools must be exceptional and well prepared. However, principals have been trained in a universal approach that is not sufficient for those who lead schools with high poverty rates as well as culturally and linguistically diverse learners. The purpose of this mixed-methods descriptive study was to gain insight from principals about instructional leadership in Title I schools. Thirty-two principals described their perceptions about the preparation, supports, and challenges necessary to develop instructional leadership, including cultural proficiency for Title I schools. The findings in this study highlight the complexity of the principal role with a specific focus on Title I schools. While principals reported positive experiences as well as support from their leadership preparation programs and school districts, neither was sufficient to fully prepare them to be instructional leaders in Title I schools. Recommendations include a comprehensive, cohesive district coaching and mentoring program that considers elements necessary to build well-prepared and exceptional leaders for Title I schools.</p><p>

<p> Preparing students for 21st-century learning is a great responsibility and a challenge for many school districts across the country. A large body of research suggests that a school district&rsquo;s level of awareness with regards to education technology and particularly those technologies that are on a positive trend correlates with a successful technology implementation program. District Administrators that lead the charge of developing technology policies and oversee the various aspect of the technology implementation must possess a solid awareness of modern education technologies and their interplays with curriculum and pedagogy. In addition, district Administrators must have the technological skill to overcome network infrastructure capabilities constraints as well as the leadership skill to prioritize technology. </p><p> This study used a survey as its main method of data collection; the survey was guided by three research questions that helped gain valuable insight about California K12 school district Administrators&rsquo; familiarity with most relevant modern technologies and strategies for educating students in the 21st-century, knowledge of intermediation between (technology, pedagogy, curriculum), as well as what Administrators perceive as constraints that impede effective technology implementation. The data shows that majority of district Administrators reported to having insufficient knowledge of modern and emerging technologies or digital strategies that are most reliant on technology, in addition, the data suggest that district Administrators are finding funding, training, and infrastructure as main factors that impede implementation of technology appropriate for a 21st-century education. The results of this study propose recommendations that have implications for K12 school districts&rsquo; technology awareness, knowledge acquisition for technology preparedness, district technology plan, and minimum technology readiness requirement for school district Administrator positions for the 21st-century.</p><p>

<p> Historically, after-school extracurricular programs can be linked to success in student achievement as well as increased school attendance and giving students &ldquo;safe after-school environments&rdquo; (National Center for Education Statistics, 1995). This causal comparative study investigated student achievement as measured by students&rsquo; grade point average, the number of extracurricular activities the student is involved in, the income status of the student, attendance, as well as gender and grit that the student possesses. The sample included 110 high school seniors, 47% males and 53% females, from the graduating class of 2017 from four rural communities in the Midwest. Participants completed the Grit Scale by Duckworth et al. (2007), which measures an individual&rsquo;s perseverance and passion to continue on to complete one&rsquo;s goals. Analysis of the data centered on the significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, income, attendance, and perception of grit. The researcher also ran an analysis to see if there was a correlation between grade point average and grit. Results indicated a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by income. Results also uncovered a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by attendance. Results also showed a significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by perception of grit. Although there was no significant interaction effect between grade point average and extracurricular activities as moderated by gender, the researcher wanted to validate the research due to the fact this study was happening in a rural community with fewer students involved. There also was a positive correlation when examining grade point average and the score of grit. Future researchers should focus on whether or not the student feels supported. Another focus would be to investigate if students work during the school year and the number of hours that they work during the school week. Co-curricular versus extracurricular activities also need to be explored further within the context of whether they make a difference in a student&rsquo;s grade point average.</p><p>

<p> While teacher stress is a topic that has been widely explored, there is a lack of research that focuses on teacher stress at high-performing schools. This study used Clark and Estes' gap analysis framework to examine what knowledge, motivation, and organizational resources teachers at a high-performance high school need to effectively manage workplace stress. Analysis of evidence from one-on-one interviews and researcher constructed documents revealed that while teachers had declarative knowledge of workplace stress and coping, they lacked the procedural and metacognitive knowledge needed to apply what they know. Furthermore, lack of self-efficacy and attainment value impeded teachers&rsquo; ability to manage workplace stress, especially in the face of high-performing expectations and work demands within a high-performing culture and setting. Lastly, inadequate resources also served as barriers to effective workplace stress management. To address these knowledge, motivation, and organizational needs, a comprehensive workplace stress management program that includes training, communities of practice, and peer model partnerships was recommended.</p><p>

<p> Texas Education Agency (TEA) introduced Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS) for the 2016-2017 year. The evaluation system identifies five standards that serve as a guide to campus principals for improving school productivity, increasing student achievements, and continually improving effectiveness as a leader. In an effort to support principals with T-PESS standards, some districts have implemented leadership development plans. Leadership development plans provide a framework for principals to measure their leadership competencies, acquire peer feedback, and develop an action plan focused on effective leadership practices. Standard 4 of T-PESS measures effective culture-leader practices of principals. The current study reviewed principal leadership development plans and the perceived impact on school culture. According to T-PESS standards, effective culture leaders establish a shared campus vision, high expectations, family and community engagement, school safety, and student discipline. In the current qualitative study, eight campus principals who have utilized leadership development plans for two consecutive years and the eight assistant principals who serve under these principals were interviewed. The researcher used NVivo 11 Pro to analyze the qualitative data from the interviews. The researcher analyzed and coded the data as patterns emerged in perceptions of leadership development plans and the impact on school culture. Themes emerged which aligned with T-PESS Standard 4 culture-leader indicators. Furthermore, the data indicated that the participants considered leadership development plans to be a useful guide for campus principals in developing effective practices as culture-leaders. </p><p>

<p> Some believe sixth through twelfth grade configured schools offer programs and incentives that aid the success of students. The assumption is that these schools provide inherent motivation supportive relationships, and forward thinking about education and its implications on life (Gootman, 2007; Hall, 2008). This study examined the relationship between sixth through twelfth grade and ninth through twelfth grade configured schools and student achievement. This study was based on a positivist research paradigm, and used quantitative methodology and statistical significance testing. </p><p> The research on grade configuration and its impact on students&rsquo; engagement levels in ninth grade stemmed from Socialization Theory, Flow Theory, and the Human Capital Theory. Quantitative analysis was conducted through multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to discover the relationship between student engagement in both sixth through twelfth and ninth through twelfth configurations. The Research Assessment Package for Schools-Middle School (Institute for Research and Reform, 1998, Wellborn &amp; Connell, 1987) was the data collection tool.</p><p>