acase@tulane.edu / Agencies declare the development of social and emotional skills critical to child development, and research on outcomes of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programming supports this claim. Despite the growing number of resources for educators, the day-to-day realities of individual school environments provide countless obstacles to implementation of SEL programs and initiatives. Without proper implementation, programs may not produce the desired student outcomes. Administrative support has been identified as a key factor underlying effective implementation, and while this seems to be a concrete way to increase SEL outcomes, the construct lacks a clear definition. This makes it difficult to identify which aspects of administrative support for SEL are the most important, and what mechanisms underlie the provision of support for SEL. Because there is no academic definition to guide school administrators in what supports to provide for effective implementation, it is necessary to research this construct. The current study seeks to do so by listening to the voices of those closest to the work of implementation, administrators and teachers themselves. By determining what supports stakeholders perceive necessary to successfully implement SEL in the context of a specific school site, the study aims to identify salient components of administrator support and create an emic definition to guide implementation. / 1 / Laura C. Cornell

Researchers know much about the use of contract (or adjunct) instructor faculty in academe, but little about contract instructors in civilian federal training agencies. No one has determined the effective administrative support of instructional delivery or the professional development needs of these federal agency contractors. The National Fire Academy's mission is to promote the professional development of those fire personnel engaged in fire suppression, fire prevention, and allied functions. Each year approximately 3000 resident students complete a variety of two week training programs. Approximately 500 contract instructors conduct most of these on-campus programs. These instructors have widely divergent expertise, instructional competence and teaching experience. The research questions were: 1. What are the problems, if any, that NFA contract instructors have had that have implications for effective program delivery?</li> 2. What are the administrative support services, if any, that should be provided to contract instructors in the areas of: A. Orientation of new instructors? B. Program delivery? C. Evaluation processes? D. Professional development?</li> 3. What other administrative support services, if any, would assist contract instructors in providing instructional services?</li> 4. What are the problems, if any, that Program Chairs have dealt with that have implications for effective program delivery? All 536 resident contract instructors received a questionnaire about their perception of their administrative support and professional development needs; 45% responded (n=245). Eight of the ten Academy Program Chairs, who oversee the contract instructors, were interviewed about the types of problems and solutions they have used in dealing with these personnel. Analysis used both quantitative and qualitative methods. This research had a three-fold purpose. First, the research could determine the elements of effective support of instructional delivery for the Academy's contract instructors. Second, the research could provide the basis to make policy recommendations of such elements for the Academy. Finally, the research sought to determine what was required to support the professional development of contract instructors in any training organization. The results indicated that the responding contract instructors had several administrative support needs and concerns including keeping program content current, providing new instructors with an orientation and an instructor handbook, gaining access to classroom supplies, and improving the availability of program evaluations. There was also strong interest in three professional development options: preferred admission to other NFA classes, on-site instructor conferences, and a newsletter. Generally, Program Chairs' responses were supportive of these needs. The recommendations included the implementation of a contract instructor career path and the use of a government and contractor "shared responsibility management model." / Ed. D.

This qualitative study explores the experiences and learning of five new teachers with less than three years in the classroom as they engaged in a study group. This research highlights the ways that participation in a study group enhanced teacher efficacy and supported their retention.The research reveals that power and authority over classroom decisions, lack of support from administration and frustration with autonomy of curriculum issues hindered the development of a positive teacher efficacy. When framed in a more positive light within a study group setting the changes to teacher efficacy enabled the study groupparticipants to be more proactive for their own personal and professional needs.Implications for supporting new teachers through opportunities to participate in a studygroup format are discussed. The result of this work is a contribution to the effects ofteacher efficacy and the power of collaboration in a study group setting for new teachers.

Administrative support plays a vital role in the self-efficacy of special education teachers (Otto & Arnold, 2005). In order to meet the education needs of special education students and comply with Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002), education leaders and policy makers need to be aware of the correlation between stronger administrative support and special education teacher self-efficacy (Thornton, Peltier, & Medina, 2007). Research shows that one of the most important administrative tasks is to demonstrate an understanding of the special education teachers’ role (Otto & Arnold). Given the consistent positive impact of teacher self-efficacy, it is imperative to identify constructs that increase perceived self-efficacy or that act in concert with self-efficacy to obtain positive results (Nir & Kranot, 2006). This paper examines the construct of administrative support as a factor in the self-efficacy of special education teachers by focusing on the relation between special education teachers and building-level administrators of special education. This type research is needed in order to provide building-level administrators in this central Virginia school system with definitive leadership strategies to use in their efforts to support special education teachers. Recommendations for future research are offered.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of community college general education faculty members regarding their perceptions of the importance of internationalizing the general education curriculum and to what extent those perceptions are related to their attitudes toward globalization. The study further examined the degree to which faculty members perceive that they are incorporating the teaching of global competencies into their courses. Finally, the study looked at faculty members' perceptions of administrative support - both from the perspective of what they felt their college should be doing to support internationalization and what their college was actually doing to support internationalization efforts. No studies were found that examined the importance of internationalizing the general education curriculum in Florida community colleges. Quantitative data were collected using an online survey instrument sent to full-time and part-time general education faculty members teaching at community colleges in the State of Florida. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and regression tables and descriptive statistics were also reported. Results showed that respondents generally believed that globalization and internationalization are important; however, respondents were not incorporating international instructional strategies at a level that correlated with their attitudes toward globalization and internationalization. Among those faculty members who were incorporating international instructional strategies, results indicated that the more years' experience in higher education a respondent had, the more likely they were to be incorporating these strategies in the classroom. Respondents also indicated that they would like more support from administration to internationalize the curriculum than they believe they are receiving. Release time, and professional development and training experiences are strategies colleges could use to help improve instruction in international education. Providing opportunities for faculty members to travel to conferences and meetings with a global/international scope would also help faculty to have a better understanding of international issues.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether transformational leadership behaviors were significantly related to the variables of teaching efficacy, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment as perceived by special education teachers. One hundred twenty-one special education teachers from region seven of the Commonwealth of Virginia completed surveys for this study. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that administrative support was the transformational leadership behavior most frequently recognized by participants of this study. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that administrative support was significantly related to the factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. However, administrative support was not significantly related to teachers' sense of teaching efficacy. Teaching efficacy did share a significant relationship with teachers' job satisfaction. This finding suggests that the higher teachers report their perceived their sense of teaching efficacy, the higher they report their level of job satisfaction. The highest correlation in this study was between the factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. These findings suggest that as special education teachers' perceptions of administrative support increases, so do their levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment; thereby increasing the likelihood that special education teachers will remain in their current teaching positions. / Ph. D.

This study was designed to address teachers' difficulties implementing Response-to-Intervention (RtI) program strategies at a low-performing school in south Texas in response to students failing to meet statewide assessment standards in reading. This exploratory case study investigated the perceptions of Grades 3 and 4 teachers to assist in understanding a pathway to increase higher fidelity of RtI implementation and improve student academic performance. Knowles' theory of andragogy and Lewin's change theory provided the framework for the study. The study included interview data from 6 purposefully selected Grades 3 and 4 teachers supplemented by document reviews of professional development (PD) presentations and RtI implementation policies. All data were analyzed using comparative and inductive analysis and coded into 7 emergent themes. The findings included the need for administrative supervision, a lack of RtI fidelity of implementation, and a need for PD focusing on interventions and organizational tools. The project, which was developed based on the findings and literature review, includes opportunities for learning and participating in campus RtI planning to gain support for the program, attending district-approved PD sessions to assist teachers' techniques to improve student performance in reading, and training in specific RtI progress monitor reporting to document use of the various interventions for individuals in the classroom. By ensuring that students receive RtI instruction that is designed to meet their individual academic needs, the project may help the school district decrease referrals to special education and improve students' reading abilities.

Focus County School District in the Mideast United States experienced a 12% teacher turnover rate over the last 2 years. The purpose of this study was to explore those factors that led to teachers leaving the district. Bandura's social cognitive theory was the guiding theory to examine and explain those factors that contributed to the district's teachers' attrition. Using narrative inquiry, the teachers' thick descriptions of their experiences were collected through the interview process. The data consisted of 9 personal interviews of teachers who left the district. .The data were analyzed and coded through the 6-part LaBovian model of abstract, orientation, complicating action, evaluation, result, and coda. The semistructured interviews were analyzed with thematic analysis of the interviews. The 4 themes, developed inductively, were (a) lack of administrative support, (b) mentoring, (c) teacher preparation, and (d) salary. The results of the study prompted questions about how teacher careers might be sustained by considering each person's narrative stories. A policy paper project was created based on the findings of the study. The policy paper addresses teacher turnover in Focus County schools and ways to mitigate the turnover crisis. Positive social change will result from the school district being better positioned to improve teacher stability. Through increased teacher stability, the students will be situated for improved instruction.

The manpower of military structure has always been dominated by male gender (as shown literally by the word ¡§manpower¡¨); females rarely participate in this particular work environment. However, more females are engaged in this field resulting from an awareness of equal rights on sex as a combined consequence of trend of time, diversified development of the society, and ROC¡¦s ever-changing national defense strategies. Ever since the establishment of Chinese Army, i.e., the Hung-Pu Military Academy, military schools have been recruiting males solely except for the National Defense University and the National Defense Medical Center in which females are also recruited. In order to fully utilize female human resource, professional officers/sergeants were open to female to apply since 1991. The application of recruitment were later available for all the military academies. The participation of females in ROC¡¦s military forces has significantly impacted on the structure of human resource. As the number of female human resource increases, the following issues regarding sex such as equal right on employment, promotion, training, and lifestyle management have been regulated and adjusted accordingly. Female human resource will be an integral part in ROC¡¦s military forces. In spite of the fact that researches on females have become popular in recent years in Taiwan, the studies on female officers or sergeants are scarce. The current research focuses on female officers¡¦ and sergeants¡¦ perception of administrative justice and their attitude toward work. The study is based on an analysis using administrative support as a perturbing parameter. The influence of this parameter is investigated and evaluated. A survey was carried out by sending out a questionnaire to 400 female officers and sergeants, with 350 copies returned. By comparing differences and similarities of the survey using a statistic regression analysis, it can be concluded that: 1. In general, most female officers and sergeants show similar perception and responses to administrative justice, job satisfaction, dedication to work, and promises from their organizations regardless of their personal backgrounds. 2. A coherent connection exists between their responses to administrative justice and factors such as their job satisfaction, dedication to work, and promises from their organizations for most female officers and sergeants. However, some interviewees do not change their attitudes toward their administrative justice. 3. A perception of administrative support on justice has a more important negative impact on work attitude rather than a positive impact, i.e., it discourages a female officer¡¦s or sergeant¡¦s dedication to work more than it encourages her work morale.

This study was designed to address teachers' difficulties implementing Response-to-Intervention (RtI) program strategies at a low-performing school in south Texas in response to students failing to meet statewide assessment standards in reading. This exploratory case study investigated the perceptions of Grades 3 and 4 teachers to assist in understanding a pathway to increase higher fidelity of RtI implementation and improve student academic performance. Knowles's theory of andragogy and Lewin's change theory provided the framework for the study. The study included interview data from 6 purposefully selected Grades 3 and 4 teachers supplemented by document reviews of professional development (PD) presentations and RtI implementation policies. All data were analyzed using comparative and inductive analysis and coded into 7 emergent themes. The findings included the need for administrative supervision, a lack of RtI fidelity of implementation, and a need for PD focusing on interventions and organizational tools. The project, which was developed based on the findings and literature review, includes opportunities for learning and participating in campus RtI planning to gain support for the program, attending district-approved PD sessions to assist teachers' techniques to improve student performance in reading, and training in specific RtI progress monitor reporting to document use of the various interventions for individuals in the classroom. By ensuring that students receive RtI instruction that is designed to meet their individual academic needs, the project may help the school district decrease referrals to special education and improve students' reading abilities.