<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>

<p> Research on school leadership speaks to the importance of evaluating school administrators. Evidence suggests that involving school leaders in the design of the evaluation process as well as including feedback from stakeholders in the school community as part of the evaluation process can positively impact administrators' professional practice. Effective assessment supports the continued development and growth of school leaders. </p><p> In the local archdiocese the pastor evaluates the parish school administrator, using a standard form based on the job description and issued by the superintendent's office. The same self-evaluation is completed by the principal and discussed with the pastor. Since the pastor is typically not an educator, questions arise about the accuracy and usefulness of the data generated by the evaluation. These questions lead to discussions about the efficacy of the process and generate ideas for improvement and a willingness to effect change. </p><p> This dissertation study seeks to identify perceptions of Catholic elementary school principals about the current evaluation process in their diocese, exposes administrators to research into best practice in leadership evaluation, and shows how these principals collaboratively designed an evaluation tool and process. This action research process tracked changes in attitudes and beliefs about effective evaluation that occurred as the administrators designed a new tool and method for potential implementation in their diocese. Trends were identified and coded utilizing the research questions and the theoretical framework of Organization Governance, Leadership Theory, Evaluation Theory and Change Theory. This qualitative research study adds administrator voices to the developing professional dialogue about effective leadership evaluation. </p>

<p>The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to address that gap in the literature and investigate whether current collective bargaining agreements have affected school reform efforts. The study was grounded in the pragmatic view with the goal of finding common contractual roadblocks to programmatic change and common solutions being used by educators to avoid them. To support this research, the following areas of literature were reviewed: (a) the history and scope of NCLB and the controversy surrounding its resultant reforms, reforms, (b) the role of collective bargaining in California public school districts, and (c) the impact of collective bargaining agreements on school reform efforts. </p><p> This research targeted the 56 California school districts in the Inland Empire's Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Data were collected via an online survey, individual semi-structured interviews, and a document review. </p><p> Key findings regarding the impact of contract language on reform efforts were (a) the importance of a collaborative relationship between the teachers association and the district and/or the presence of a contractually required implementation process for reforms, (b) perceived restrictive contractual language and the lack of an implementation was common among subjects who viewed the contract as having a negative impact, (c) hours of employment/meeting times, class size and evaluation procedures were the contractual perceived as having the most impact on reforms, and (d) teacher benefits and leave policies were perceived as having the least impact. </p><p> The study concluded that the more collaborative the relationship was between the district and union the more likely it was that they would be able to work with each other and overcome any contractual issues together. Districts that do not have a program implementation protocol find the process to be more confrontational for all stakeholders. Curricular leaders were not always cognizant of their role in dealing with the contract's impact on reform initiatives and demonstrated a detachment from their colleagues in human resources. Participants in this research held similar opinions regarding the ideal role of the contract regarding programmatic change. </p><p> This study may lead future researchers to explore other connections between contracts and reforms. It may also lead current educational practitioners to consider the effectiveness of reform implementation practices and union relationships in their own districts and ways to improve them. </p>

<p> The results of the study provided a unique perspective of 20 teachers and how their personal childhood bullying experiences influenced their response to student bullying. Teachers who participated in this study acknowledged that they had a heightened awareness of student bullying, felt their positive attitude was due to their Olweus training as well as a sensitivity towards students who are bullied, indicated that they were aware of the negative impact on their self-esteem, and identified the role empathy played in their response to student bullying. The question of self-efficacy in fourteen participants (70 percent) was an alarming emergent theme in teachers&rsquo; response to student bullying. Although fifteen participants (75 percent) responded in a proactive way, the participants&rsquo; self-confidence in stopping bullying altogether remained an issue. The benefits of responding to bullying, according to the participants, included stopping the cycle so as the student being bullied would not bully others, and these same participants felt that responding to bullying helped to build trust between teachers and students. The results of the study provide a framework of recommendations for educational leaders, policy makers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, and teachers.</p>

<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> Federal stimulus funding expired in 2011-12. NCLB performance mandates approached the 2013-14 deadline. The ESEA waiver became an option with first year of implementation, 2012-13. This convergence of forces and timeline provided the opportunity for this study. </p><p> The study sought to explore whether or not superintendents from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont had already taken and/or would take greater responsibility for curriculum, instruction, and assessment or whether these responsibilities would be delegated to other district personnel and/or outside agencies to ensure that structures were in place and were effective in supporting student achievement. </p><p> This mixed method descriptive study was used to gather data. One hundred superintendents completed the survey. Survey data was collected through SurveyMonkey and analyzed using SPSS v. 20. The study showed that superintendents have taken a greater role and more responsibilities for curriculum, instruction, and assessment due to fiscal limitations. In addition, two-thirds of responding superintendents had yet to establish nonnegotiable goals for student achievement. The study encountered two categories of superintendents: those with and those without district level positions for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. </p><p> Data from the respondents showed that there were differences among the states. The following are a few of the findings from the study. Respondents from Connecticut had the greatest percentage reporting that principals had shared responsibility for curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Respondents from Massachusetts had the greatest percentage reporting that superintendents had increased involvement with curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the previous two years. Respondents from New York had the greatest percentage reporting an anticipated budget shortfall for 2012-13. Respondents from Vermont had the greatest percentage reporting a district level position for curriculum, instruction, and assessment.</p><p> Key words: changing superintendent responsibilities, fiscal limitations, budget, curriculum, instruction, assessment</p>