<p> Universities are expanding and growing at rapid rates to meet the demand for higher education in America. The profession of student affairs serves as the beacon to help guide students outside of their classroom experience. In response to the changing campus climate, Student Affairs' divisions will be tapped to help shape university policy while meeting the academic and developmental needs of all students (Love, 2003). Student Affairs' departments require strong leadership in order to meet the needs of students financially, socially, and academically. Leading a Student Affairs' department is a senior-level administrator who is there to set vision, budgets, and help guide the Student Affairs' practitioners to engage students, develop an organizational culture, and meet the university's mission. This study examined how senior-level Student Affairs' administrators lead their Student Affairs' departments to build effective leaders and support new practitioners in developing their own leadership practices. Three research questions were used in this mixed-method study. The quantitative portion of this study was conducted through the Leadership Practices Inventory? (LPI) instrument which was sent to 40 senior-level Student Affairs administrators at two universities in California. The Leadership Practices Inventory^&copy; (LPI) survey has five fundamental leadership practices which are: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. These five fundamental leadership practices help leaders to create and accomplish extraordinary things (Kouzes and Posner, 1987). In the end, 23 senior-level Student Affairs' administrators completed the LPI survey. The qualitative portion of this research study used the technique of purposeful sampling in which four senior-level Student Affairs' administrators were selected to participate in a 30-minute standardized open-ended interview and answer questions about their beliefs and practices. The research study resulted in several key findings from data analysis. First, senior-level Student Affairs' leaders utilized Kouzes and Posner's (2003) leadership practice of Enabling Others to Act at high levels in their leadership styles. Second, the leadership practice of Inspiring a Shared Vision was the lowest utilized leadership practice by senior-level Student Affairs' leaders in this study. Third, senior-level Student Affairs' leaders utilized the themes of Relationship Building, Group Collaboration, Working towards a Common Goal, and Confronting Negative Behaviors in conjunction with LPI leadership practices to a high standard and perceived themselves to create a positive work environment. Fourth, senior-level Student Affairs' leaders perceive themselves as strong mentors, leaders, and trainers that pass on their leadership knowledge to the next generation of Student Affairs' practitioners through the themes of Role Modeling, Mentorships, and Support of Professional Developments in conjunction with LPI leadership practices.</p>

<p> Universities must retain satisfied employees to enhance productivity and reduce turnover. Leadership represents one of the fundamental factors in job satisfaction. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between perceived academic administrator leadership styles and the satisfaction of faculty members. The independent variables were the transformational, transactional, and passive/avoidant leadership styles of academic administrators as evaluated by faculty members. The dependent variable was job satisfaction of full-time faculty members. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to identify the leadership style of an administrator as perceived by faculty members. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey was used to assess a faculty member's level of job satisfaction. One hundred four participants from a state university in Florida completed the online survey. A logistic regression model was developed, and the statistically significant correlations indicated that (a) faculty members who identified transformational leadership as dominant had increased job satisfaction, (b) faculty members who identified transactional leadership as dominant had increased job satisfaction, and (c) faculty members who identified passive/avoidant leadership as dominant had decreased job satisfaction. Based on a 95% significance level, there was a significant relationship between the 3 leadership styles and job satisfaction. Using this model, academic leaders can take further action by refining their leadership styles on the basis of their faculty members' indicated preferences. The study results may contribute to social change by making academic administrators aware of effective leadership models that promote higher job satisfaction among faculty in universities.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of students enrolled in a basic skills math class at a California community college and the role of the peer model in informing their college-going behaviors. There is significant interest in increasing the number of students who complete basic skills courses and make progress towards a degree and transfer to a four-year college. While poor performance by students enrolled in basic skills classes is generally associated with a lack of academic preparation, research indicates that students may lack the cultural capital or college know-how necessary to be successful. This case study considers the role a peer model can play in informing students of college-going behaviors when interventions are embedded in the classroom. </p><p> The site of this case study was an Arithmetic class taught in the fall 2012 semester at a mid-size, diverse community college in northern California. The class included embedded interventions provided by a peer model who demonstrated college-going behaviors. Semi-structured interviews with six students, the peer model, and the instructor, as well as observations of the classroom and supplemental instruction, provided rich data for the findings and implications of this study. The central research question was, &ldquo;How do embedded interventions offered in a basic skills math class inform college student behavior?&rdquo; </p><p> Purposeful sampling was used to identify the participants for this qualitative study conducted in the tradition of a bounded case study. Initially, two primary themes were identified and used to guide my data analysis: 1) the significance of feeling cared for, and 2) acquiring college know-how. Later in the process of data collection and analysis, I identified the significance of setting and maintaining expectations and the emergent theme of faith. </p><p> The findings from my study have implications for both practitioners and researchers. For practitioners, this study provides a framework for teaching students college know-how in order to advance student success, specifically students enrolled in basic skills courses. The findings from this study also indicate the significance of students feeling cared for and how this contributes to course completion and success. For researchers, data from student interviews indicate that we can learn from students about the factors they believe inform their course success. Including student voices in future research about student success will help the field understand the interventions or treatments that students find most significant. </p>

<p> Growing demand for higher education has contributed to the popularity of online education. While online courses can be effective in terms of student learning and success, and there are many potential benefits, there are also still areas that can be improved. There is evidence that students can experience online courses as impersonal and lacking interaction. They can feel isolated, less satisfied, less successful, and are more likely to withdraw. Thus, one of the challenges facing online education is to find ways to increase connection and interaction between students and faculty.</p><p> One means for addressing the sense of isolation students might feel in online courses might be instructor immediacy. While instructor immediacy in traditional classes has been shown to motivate students, create a sense of connection, and support their learning and success, it is not known whether or how immediacy can help students in a fully online course.</p><p> The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental intervention study was to examine the effectiveness of faculty immediacy on undergraduate student engagement and success in an online course. Students in an upper division psychology course were randomly assigned to either a redesigned high immediacy section or a 'regular' section. The study's hypothesized framework suggested that instructor immediacy would enhance student engagement, and thereby influence student success.</p><p> A survey measured immediacy and student engagement; success was measured by total points earned. The sample included 215 students enrolled in the course in the fall 2012 semester. Independent samples <i>t-</i>tests, correlations, multiple regression, and repeated measures ANOVA were the statistical tests used.</p><p> The findings revealed no significant differences between the high immediacy (intervention section) and low immediacy (regular nonintervention group) sections of the course. Immediacy and engagement were highly correlated. Engagement was a significant predictor of student success. Age, units completed, and gender were also significant predictors of student success in this study. These results provide insight into the relationship between immediacy and engagement. Implications and recommendations based on the findings of this study are given. Further studies are recommended to further study the relationship between immediacy and engagement.</p>

<p> As higher education changes to reach larger numbers of students via online modalities, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the issue of student attrition and other measures of student success become increasingly important. While research has focused largely on undergraduate online students, less has been done in the area of online non-traditional doctoral student success, particularly from the student trait perspective. On the trait level, the concept of grit has been identified as an important element of the successful attainment of long-term goals. Earning a doctorate can be classified as a long-term goal; therefore the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of doctoral student grit scores on student success. Success was measured in three ways: (a) in terms of persistence as measured by longevity in the program (the number of courses a student had successfully completed), (b) by examining current student GPA, and (c) by studying whether or not students have reached the critical milestone of successfully defending their dissertation proposal. The results of the study found no significant differences in mean grit scores for first, second, or third year students, nor found differences in mean grit scores for students that had or had not successfully defended their dissertation proposals. However, significant relationships were found between grit and current student GPA, grit and the average number of hours students spent of their program of study weekly, and grit and age. The results of this research are important for informing how doctoral education is structured, which characteristics may help students succeed, as well as providing areas for future research. </p><p> <i>Keywords: Higher education, grit, doctoral education, non-traditional students, online education, academic success, attrition</i></p>

<p>Uncivil workplace behavior in the higher education environment is counterproductive for achieving institutional goals. Prevailing uncivil behaviors frequently result in unresolved conflict, a focus of various researchers since the mid 1970&rsquo;s (Andersson &amp; Pearson, 1999; Martin &amp; Hine, 2005; Pierre &amp; Peppers, 1976; Pietersen, 2005; and Twale &amp; DeLuca, 2008). This study was designed to examine administrator and faculty members&rsquo; perceptions of uncivil workplace behaviors and organizational culture. The study further examined the relationship between incivility and organizational culture. The Uncivil Workplace Behavior Questionnaire (Martin &amp; Hine, 2005) and the K &amp; C Organizational Culture Instrument (Kendig &amp; Chapman, 2012) were combined and distributed to a small sample of administrators and faculty members in higher education. The respondents included 34 administrators and 151 faculty members from three similar Public 4-Year Institutions of Higher Education (Carnegie Classification, 2010). Results indicate that perceptions of incivility and organizational culture between administrators and faculty members are not different. This study can serve as a contribution to the professional development efforts of administrators and faculty members in higher education. </p>

<p> The United States is experiencing an increase in young students developing literacy in English and Spanish. Schools providing dual-language English/Spanish instruction need technically adequate tools to assess reading skills in the languages of instruction, and interpretation of results needs to acknowledge the complexity of cross-linguistic learning. Although passage reading fluency in English strongly predicts overall reading proficiency in English in the primary grades and there is some indication that passage reading fluency in Spanish provides equivalent information regarding Spanish reading skills, rarely have the two been examined simultaneously and within a dual-language instructional context. The current study examined predictive and concurrent validity of passage reading fluency in English and Spanish within third grade within a dual-language instructional environment. Using a state assessment of reading as the criterion measure, a correlational design was used to investigate the relation between passage reading fluency in English and Spanish and performance on the statewide assessment of reading in English. Findings indicate that within a dual-language context, passage reading fluency in English is the stronger predictor of performance on the state assessment in English, regardless of the student&rsquo;s home language. Spanish reading fluency is also strongly related to English reading fluency but did not explain additional variance in predicting performance on the statewide large-scale assessment of reading in English beyond what English fluency explained. Results are consistent with the idea that same language assessments are more predictive of reading performance than cross-language assessments are, but the benefits of formative assessment in the language of instruction remain.</p>

<p> Seeking and finding highly effective principals to lead our schools is one of the highest priority tasks for a school head. Research has documented the importance of the principal for improved student achievement. Waters, Marzano, and McNulty (2004) reviewed the literature over the past 35 years and identified 21 specific leadership responsibilities that have a statistically significant, positive correlation to student achievement. The purpose of this descriptive survey study was to deepen our understanding of the ways that international school heads identify high-potential principal candidates. </p><p> The survey, Dimensions of Quality Leadership Candidate Identification (DQLCI), was distributed to a random sampling of the complete population of international school heads of full member schools in all regional associations. From a population of 732 international school heads, an average of 184 valid responses (25%) for the four questions was received. However, two regions received a higher percentage response rate thus improving the external validity of the results for the two regions: East Asia Regional Council of Schools (44%) and the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools (56%). </p><p> Specifically, the study examined four areas that heads attribute to identifying each of the 21 responsibilities upon screening principal candidates: the principal candidate quality, the value that heads attribute to each of the 21 responsibilities upon screening principal candidates, the perceived ease of identifying each of the 21 responsibilities in principal candidates being screened, and the best method of identifying each of the 21 responsibilities when screening principal candidates. </p><p> The results indicated that international school heads felt that the quality of candidates was just a little better than average with qualitative data highlighting the shallow pool of quality candidates. Heads perceive the 21 responsibilities to have high value in the candidate screening process. Five themes emerged from a factor analysis or data reduction process. Heads value the following factors (in descending order of importance): (1) Ideals and Beliefs about the School's Learning Culture; (2) Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment; (3) Personal Communication and Relationships; (4) Managerial Leadership; and (5) Principal as Change Agent. These themes provide a clear topical framework for principal preparation programs and for the design of effective principal recruitment tools. </p><p> In response to the third question, the heads became more uncertain about their ability to identify the 21 responsibilities. Heads deemed interview, then reference checks, the two best methods to identify the 21 responsibilities in candidates; however, qualitative data points to the need for multiple measures to triangulate the data and build a better profile of a potential candidate. </p><p> Recruiting high-quality leadership is difficult in the best of conditions but the nature of international school leadership recruitment is complex. It is important for an international school head to be proactive and able to develop systematic and intentional hiring practices.</p>

<p>Media outlets have propagated news about teen suicides resulting from bullying and harassment because of perceived or identified sexual orientation and gender identity. However, the issues of bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity are rarely addressed at the elementary school level because of limited resources, little training, and low incidences of such reported events. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and knowledge of elementary school principals in one Southern California school district regarding LGBTQ-related issues and to identify the requirements principals deem necessary in order to create a safe learning environment for LGBTQ students. The study relied on two sources of data, including a survey and individual interviews. After data was gathered, it was analyzed to determine common themes among participants. </p><p> Three major themes emerged from the qualitative study that connected principals' experiences and attitudes regarding the integration of LGBTQ topics in the school curriculum and LGBTQ bullying at the elementary school level. The themes included a) affirmative views that personal backgrounds influenced attitudes regarding LGBTQ issues, (b) adequate or sufficient education not provided for principals at the school district level, and (c) elementary school environments were not safe learning environments for students who identify as or are perceived to be LGBTQ. </p><p> Based on the findings of this qualitative study, three recommendations were made to assist principals in their efforts to create safe learning environments for LGBTQ elementary school students and to integrate LGBTQ topics into the classroom. These recommendations included, (a) provide elementary school principals with professional development opportunities on LGBTQ topics, (b) educate parents on LGBTQ issues, and (c) include information on LGBTQ bullying and harassment in school discipline policies and safe schools plans. </p><p> Elementary school principals are not provided with sufficient professional development and resources to address the issues of bullying of LGBTQ students or the integration of LGBTQ topics into the instructional program. This study contributed to the extant body of literature that exists to support school leaders in providing LGBTQ students with safe learning environments and information on the integration of LGBTQ related topics into the school curriculum. </p>

<p> My study concerns the teacher knowledge of <i>mehankhim</i>, teachers in Israeli high schools entrusted to promote students' moral, civic, and social growth. It examines two <i>mehankhim</i> from a secular Israeli high school who participated in a long-term professional development program in secular Jewish education, centered by traditional and modern Jewish texts. This study is situated within the body of research on teachers' professional development, focusing on the vocation of <i>mehanekh</i> in secular Jewish education, teachers' professional knowledge, and <i>mehankhim's </i> life stories. I suggest that <i>mehankhim</i> are professionals, with a professional practical knowledge unique to them, despite their current lack of specific training for their vocation. One major source of knowledge that informs the practice of today's <i>mehankhim</i> is the historical legacy of the role. A second is the evolution of Israeli public discourse, which demands a corresponding evolution in the undefined "mission statement" of <i>mehankhim</i>, and in their preparation and in-service training. Using the qualitative method of portraiture and relying on narrative analysis, I have drawn portraits of two <i>mehankhim</i>. I completed a full ethnographic survey of the participants in their professional setting, engendering the creation of a multi-layered, comprehensive and esthetic whole. This study examines ways to professionalize the vocation of <i>mehankhim</i>. It offers hope for change in the Israeli public discourse by well-trained Jewish and Arab <i>mehankhim</i>, invigorated with a new popular mandate; it suggests an opportunity for Jewish Israeli <i>mehankhim</i> to collaborate with their American counterparts in Jewish education, giving Jewish texts a central role.</p>