<p> While there is an abundant amount of research relative to coaching and mentoring programs, there is little understanding about the interaction between coaches/mentors and students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate student perceptions of their academic coaching and mentoring experiences at two Southern California community colleges. Alexander Astin's input-environment-output (I-E-O) model and theory of involvement was used alongside an interpretive model to help explain students' understanding of their experiences with coaches and mentors. One-on-one interviews and a focus group were conducted and provided data that led to the emergence of themes related to role models, empowerment, and motivation. In addition, the one-on-one interviews and the focus group also illustrated students' strong desires to pursue advance and professional degrees. In addition the findings highlighted the importance of race and ethnicity in the establishment of rapport and the need to validate individuals as college students with the abilities to peruse advance degrees in higher education. Lastly, the research identified role modeling, cultural connectedness, opportunities for mentoring, and the various institutional agents who may occupy the status of a mentor or coach as important factors in the mentoring and coaching experiences. </p>

<p> The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe, analyze, and interpret a comparison of assistant superintendents&rsquo; perceptions of the impact of classroom walk-throughs as a model of teacher development designed to monitor and improve instructional practices in 12 school districts in Connecticut. A major focus of this study is whether the practice of classroom walkthroughs have an impact on with improving instructional practices. According to Marshall (2012a), &ldquo;Classroom observations, student achievement, and feedback from students are important, but they&rsquo;ll only improve education if they&rsquo;re used wisely&rdquo; (p. 50). This research study is informed by a comprehensive review of the literature related to teacher evaluation models, including the practice of classroom walk-throughs, brief visits, and instructional rounds, prior to interviewing assistant superintendents about their perceptions of the impact that classroom walkthroughs have on improving instructional practice. Marshall (2012c) indicates that &ldquo;In most schools, by contact or by tradition, administrators give advance notice of their formal observations and teachers quite understandably take their performance up a notch or two&rdquo; (p. 19). There are social and professional implications of this inquiry-based research that need to be considered. A social implication is the relationship to teacher acceptance behavior of the implementation of classroom walk-throughs that could change school culture. Professionally, relationships between and among teachers and building administrators could become stronger in terms of creating a professional learning community. Conversely, there could be resistance to the change process that impacts potential positive results. Conducting a phenomenological study through a carefully designed methodology will result in qualitative reflection and findings that will support the assistant superintendent subjects as they examine the impact of individual walkthrough models on improving instructional practices.</p>

<p> This study examines a relatively new area of investigation: the relationship between attachment theory (Bowlby, 1973, 1980, 1982) and transformational leadership theory. Using self-report surveys and controlling for demographic variables, California community college chief executive officers&rsquo; (CEOs) attachment styles and transformational leadership characteristics are measured and the potential relationship between them examined (N=74). The two measures used are Kouzes and Posner&rsquo;s (2002a) Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and Brennan, Clark, and Shaver&rsquo;s (1998) Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR). </p><p> No significant correlation between attachment scores and the demographic variables was found in the study. Three moderate strength positive correlations were found between LPI scores and the demographic variables: between age and the LPI <i>Enable Others to Act</i> score, between female CEOs and the LPI <i>Challenge the Process</i> score, and between female CEOs and the LPI total score. The analysis demonstrated moderate correlations between the two attachment scales and the five transformational leadership characteristics as well as the LPI total score, with all 12 resulting correlations being negative and significant at the <i>p</i> &lt;.05 level both before and after controlling for demographic variables.</p><p> The moderate correlation found in this study between more securely attached leaders and their self-assessed transformational leadership style found provides insight into the complex fields of leadership study and personality theory. Implications include the possibility of incorporating attachment and leadership measures into employee selection to better match desired styles to the organization&rsquo;s needs. Individual leaders may also be able to leverage the relationship explored in this study to further their personal leadership development.</p>

<p> This qualitative research explores how college and university presidents engage in the process of developing formal institutional vision. The inquiry identifies roles presidents play in vision development, which is often undertaken as part of strategic-planning initiatives. Two constructs of leadership and institutional vision are used to examine key variables such as vision development and the college presidency. </p><p> In-depth, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 10 presidents representing private and public institutions that have been or are being transformed. These interviews revealed 21 findings arrayed as: 1) seven organizing modalities, 2) five presidential roles, 3) seven role-based success factors and 4) two issues concerning balancing ownership of vision between presidents and stakeholders in shared-governance environments. </p><p> Many of the presidents developed formal institutional visions narrowly and on their own, but then undertook more inclusive processes to finalize their visions, socialize them through their organizations and integrate them into strategic planning. A related finding is that, despite pressures to engage in vision development with a broad spectrum of their communities, presidents are routinely asked to provide their visions to trustees and others during job recruitment. </p><p> Other findings include confirmation that visioning is generally part of strategic-planning exercises. Presidents often think in terms of what this study labels visionary intent, identified here as the combination of formal vision, objectives and strategies. Presidents also report relying on outside experts to play roles in visioning and strategic planning. Some presidents also spoke of balancing the need to encourage creativity and ambition among those engaged in the process with a responsibility to protect their institutions against misguided or even dangerous visions. </p><p> Numerous implications for both practice and theory emerged from this research. These include how essential it is for presidents to understand the cultural, political, historical, financial and operating contexts of their institutions prior to embarking on visioning. This includes awareness of the dynamics and visioning efforts of their immediate predecessors. </p><p> The presidents ultimately chose different courses of action to develop vision, though they all shared many best practices. In theoretical terms, this reflects an interesting Contingency Leadership approach to visioning in Complexity Leadership environments marked by the considerable Shared and Servant Leadership characteristics of shared governance.</p>

<p> The purpose of this case study was to explore the effects of a literature-based social-emotional learning curriculum on kindergarten students' social-emotional behaviors, awareness, and early reading skills in a large elementary school. The study examined beliefs/perceptions of kindergarten teachers in regards to what reading skills students possess, the progress students make during a semester, how social-emotional skills affect the classroom environment and whether a literature-based social-emotional learning curriculum has a general impact. Two experimental and two control teachers participated in the study. There were fifty-three (N = 53) students who participated in the study. Forty (N = 40) students were assessed due to time constraints; twenty (N = 20) in the experimental group, twenty (N = 20) in the control group. Students were assessed using the <i>Assessment of Children's Emotion Skills</i> test, (Schultz, Izard, &amp; Bear, 2004) to measure social awareness and emotional accuracy skills and the <i>Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills</i> (DIBELS) Next Assessment (Dynamic Measurement Group, 2011) to measure first sound and letter naming fluency both before and after implementation of Strong Start, the literature-based social skills curriculum. Qualitative data collected included teacher interviews, teacher reflective journals, fidelity check observations, communication logs, and researcher field notes. </p><p> Results showed that while there was a change in scores on the ACES and <i> DIBELS Next</i> assessments from pretest to posttest for all groups and from experimental to control group, scores were not comparatively statistically different. The change in scores could not be attributed to the social-emotional learning curriculum. Gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, nor group had any effect on the scores for the ACES. However, white children did better than "other" students on the letter naming fluency <i>DIBELS Next</i> subtest. Experimental group students did not lose ground in reading, improved their problem-solving skills and enriched their social-emotional vocabulary. The data revealed classroom schedules filled with primarily teacher driven activities, core academics, and structure. Teachers changed their own behaviors by focusing on students' social-emotional skills and behaviors, teaching social-emotional skills formally and explicitly, and by modeling social-emotional skills.</p>

<p> For all that is revealed in the research literature identifying and describing traits and behaviors exhibited by principals who make a positive difference in student learning, many schools are still failing. With all we know, how does this continue to happen? The goal of this study was to develop theory to expand and enrich the existing research by defining and describing what three successful principals&mdash;a middle school and two junior high schools&mdash;did to turn their failing schools around and positively influence the levels of student achievement in their respective schools. </p><p> The significant contribution this study adds to the field of educational research is its identification of five themes or categories of leadership implemented by the principal in each of the schools studied that were credited by the participants as causes for their schools' successful turnarounds. These five categories&mdash;expectations and accountability, leadership, responding to student needs, climate and culture, and instruction&mdash;and their indicators were consistently identified by the participants in all schools as reasons why their schools were successful in improving student performance levels and each school's achievement status. Clearly, the five categories were interrelated and interdependent upon each other and thus, equally critical to the success the schools experienced.</p>

<p> Most states require that schools engage in school improvement programs to meet accountability mandates which necessitates that teachers develop the skills necessary to accomplish school improvement efforts. The problem is that classroom practitioners lack the skills necessary to achieve effective school improvement. Limited research exists with respect to professional development activities and teacher perceptions toward professional learning experiences. Teacher perceptions of their professional development experiences affect classroom instruction and student learning. The SMART Goal Framework (SGF) has been developed as a school improvement model designed to provide teachers with the skills necessary to build leadership capacity through focus, reflection, and collaboration. This qualitative, single site case study examined teacher perceptions with the SGF to understand how the skills learned affected teacher behavior and student learning, built collegiality with peers and school leaders, and built leadership capacity within the school. Individual interviews, written responses, and a focus group interview were conducted with 10 teachers who were trained and implemented the SGF over a 5-year period in a rural East Texas school district. Using case study analysis, data were triangulated and three themes emerged relative to the skills learned from the SGF training: intentional instruction, collegiality and collaboration, and leadership and leadership capacity. Results of the study indicated that: 1) teachers were empowered to make instructional decisions which increased teacher efficacy and student learning; 2) collegial relationships allowed teachers and administrators to work collaboratively to solve instructional problems; and 3) teachers could articulate the traits of leadership capacity, but they were unable to articulate a conceptual understanding of leadership capacity. Teachers identified campus leadership as the key to successful SGF implementation. Teachers perceived three barriers that hindered campus implementation: failure to train non-core content teachers, new employee training, and campus leadership. Recommendations included: 1) developing an induction program for new employees; 2) developing a training plan for non-core content teachers; and 3) discussing the findings with district administration regarding leadership capacity. Recommendations for future research included: 1) conducting a study on the effect of the resistance of school leaders to engage in professional development activities to further school improvement efforts; 2) conducting additional studies on practitioners' perceptions and attitudes of professional learning experiences to add to the existing limited research in this area; and 3) conducting additional studies on practitioners' perceptions of professional learning experiences with other initiatives in the current district.</p>

<p> This quantitative study was designed to be an analysis of the relationship between school climate and student achievement through the creation of an index of climate-factors (SES, discipline, attendance, and school size) for which publicly available data existed. The index that was formed served as a proxy measure of climate; it was analyzed through both a hierarchical clustering method and a multiple regression.</p><p> The data used for the study was drawn from a sample of 335 middle schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and student achievement was measured using pass percentage rates for each school on the Virginia SOL tests in each of the four tested content areas. Through analysis of the data generated through both the cluster analysis and the multiple regression process, a clearer picture of the relationship between school climate and student achievement was revealed. Five clusters of schools emerged from the cluster analysis, ranging from highly negative to highly positive in terms of climate. Findings indicated that for each of the four core content areas, there was a significant difference in the mean achievement of each cluster; these findings supported the general hypothesis of the study that as climate becomes more positive student achievement rises. Further, the multiple regression analysis supported the findings of the cluster analysis. With regard to the variables used as climate factors, both the cluster analysis and the multiple regression analysis showed that school size had the least impact on achievement whereas SES had the greatest impact. In both analyses, the climate factors reflected a more significant relationship to student achievement when examined collectively.</p>

<p> This study researched the preparedness of English as a Second Language directors in school corporations in Indiana to determine their background experiences, awareness of second language acquisition research, levels of qualification, attitudes towards English learners (ELs), efficacy for leading ESL programs, and to gain an understanding of how to provide guidance and support to this group of individuals. Furthermore, the study investigated relationships between these factors to gain insight into how they impact each other and program implementation. The study endeavored to provide useful information towards policy making and support of ESL leaders. The research was quantitative and utilized a tailored design Internet survey to collect data. Descriptive data was analyzed using analysis of frequency (distribution, central tendency and dispersion of individual variables), while relationships between elements were analyzed using a combination of ANOVA, and Pearson's Product Moment correlational analysis, followed by post hoc analysis and regression analysis. Findings indicated that having experience with English learners and teaching certification for working with English learners were significant factors in the areas of knowledge, attitude, and efficacy. An exploratory model of ESL program leadership, developed by the researcher, concluded that when EL directors are certified and bring experience of working with ELs to their positions, it is more likely that their programs will be successfully implemented. Finally, the interplay of variables showed that these directors' levels of knowledge of second language acquisition principles and efficacy for leading the ESL program had highly significant effects on attitude, program implementation and each other. The implications of this study include directions for policy, training programs, and further research.</p>

<p>The purpose of this action research study was twofold: 1) to investigate the role the Socratic Method of teaching had (if any) on the leadership skills of Junior Reserve Officer Training Cadet (JROTC) leaders at a military boarding school in the Midwest, United States, and 2) to determine if there was any change in the researcher&rsquo;s teaching while implementing the Socratic Method to his JROTC Cadet leaders in his Western Intellectual History class. The researcher defined leadership based on the Five Leadership Practices derived from the Student Leadership Practices Inventory. These practices consisted of Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. Through the collection of data via a pretest and posttest on the leadership skills of the cadet participants, student weekly journal entries, the researcher&rsquo;s weekly journal entries, classroom observations, an end of the year questionnaire concerning the cadet participants&rsquo; self-perceptions of their leadership development, and video-recordings of Socratic discussions, the researcher was able to ascertain the development of leadership skills and his own pedagogical development. The data supported that the cadet participants perceived an improvement in their leadership skills after engaging in the Socratic Method in Western Intellectual History class. Moreover, themes that emerged from the journal entries and answers to the end of the year questionnaire aligned with the leadership characteristics in the Five Leadership Practices. Furthermore, the data revealed that the researcher&rsquo;s pedagogical experience, specifically in lesson delivery, changed during the time he used the Socratic Method of instruction in his Western Intellectual History class. </p>