<p>In 1983, the <i>A Nation at Risk</i> report stated that our educational institutions in the United States and especially in urban areas were not meeting the educational needs of our students. Since <i>A Nation at Risk</i>, elected school boards in urban areas were under fire from the media, parents, other civic and community leaders, and voters due to fiscal irresponsibility and poor student achievement. In selected urban cities across the nation, elected school boards were replaced in favor of mayoral control (e.g., Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington DC) and appointed school boards (Wong et al., 2007). In 1999, the Detroit Public Schools (DPS) was taken over by the state of Michigan in an effort to reform the district. In 1998 prior to the state takeover, DPS had 261 schools, 167,000 students enrolled in the district, and a $93 million budget surplus. In 2014 after several years of state control, DPS had 97 schools (&minus;62%), 47,000 students enrolled (&minus;71%) in the district, and a $232 million budget deficit (&minus;349%). During this same time period, DPS had eight different district leaders under three different school governance models. This qualitative historical case study developed an understanding of the overall impact of school governance reform on the institutional progress in DPS from 1999&ndash;2014. <i>Institutional Progress</i> examines the overall functioning of a school district in the areas of: leadership, educational programs, finances, personnel, community support and political support. This study also described the external and internal barriers preventing DPS from making institutional progress. This qualitative study utilized four data sources: interviews of current and former Detroit Public School personnel (i.e., school board members, central and building administrators, teachers, parents and community activists), Detroit Board of Education meeting minutes reports, daily newspaper coverage of DPS from the <i>Detroit Free Press </i> and the <i>Detroit News</i>, and city of Detroit archives on the annual <i>State of the City Address</i> given by Detroit mayors to determine whether or not institutional progress was achieved in DPS from 1999&ndash;2014. The findings of this study were the following: 1.) there was a lack of institutional progress in Detroit Public Schools; 2.) school governance reforms in DPS did not have a positive impact; and 3.) internal and external barriers prevented DPS from making institutional progress. </p>

Through an exploration and analysis of the roles of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) in education policy reform particularly at the Basic Education level in Zambia, this thesis argues that over the past few decades, NGOs have become increasingly visible. Indeed, since the 1990s, many NGOs supporting education have entered the arena of advocacy and policy dialogue with government; yet the success of internationally recognised goals - such as Education For All (EFA) – seem as remote as ever. To address the concern regarding the role of NGOs in education policy, qualitative methodological approaches were utilised. These included interviews, participant observation, focus group discussions and documentary analysis. This research finds that the participation of NGOs in Basic Education Policy Reform in Zambia needs to be “reformulated” to end problems concerning access, inequity and quality in education. Although NGOs are involved in policy through their roles as service providers and policy advocates, the majority depend on foreign donor funding which creates tensions between government strategies and donor priorities. Due to their dependence on international funding NGOs in Lusaka province appear to have made a limited contribution to educational developments. The government of Zambia, because of its indebtness, has accepted neo-liberal policies in education which are frequently tied to conditionalities in aid packages. Therefore, it has been found that NGOs have helped the neo-liberal agenda of donors rather than the needs of local communities and schools. The conclusion one must draw, is that if NGOs are to contribute to minimising educational problems, they need to support policies that are indigenous that put educational needs of all children, especially the marginalised and vulnerable, first.

<p> This qualitative research study discovers, investigates and explores how selected Latinas make meaning of their high school experience. This study also examines whether there are any resources and/or factors that contributed to their success. The 14 participants are currently enrolled as full time students at a post-secondary institution. The researcher conducted one in-depth, semi-structured interview with each participant. Qualitative research methods (Merriam, 2009) were used to analyze what participants shared. Social capital theory was the theoretical perspective that provided the lens for this study (Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 2000; Stanton-Salazar, 2001). A concept map containing four categories, self, family, school and community, along with a constructivist outlook were included in the overall approach to interpret how Latinas made meaning of their experience. Results from analysis of the data revealed five main themes: (a) Self Identity, (b) Family Influences, (c) Educational Experiences, (d) Advocacy, and (e) Community Connections. These themes and the categories in the concept map are interrelated and were found to have an impact on how Latinas access, acquire, network, and build upon social capital. The conclusions, along with the implication to theory, inform the implications for practice in school systems and policy.</p>

<p> Teacher preparation programs are facing increased pressure to report on the outcomes of their graduates, including their job placement rates. Prior research on job placement for teachers establishes that a variety of factors are related to whether or not individuals apply for and receive jobs. This research study explored these factors through quantitative analysis of three cohorts of teacher preparation program completers within the institutions of the University of Maine system, using logistic regression to identify the individual and contextual characteristics that are most predictive of job application and hiring.</p><p> Of the factors studied, the most influential factors in job placement in public schools in the state were (1) in-state residency status, (2) preparation in a teacher shortage area, (3) completion of a post-baccalaureate preparation pathway, (4) receipt of financial assistance that requires completion of future teaching service, (5) institution attended, (6) GPA relative to other graduates, (7) year of graduation, and (8) age at the time of completing the program. However, these combined variables provide less than 20% of the potential predictability in job placement outcomes. This suggests that additional work is needed to identify the factors influencing beginning teacher placement. Job placement rates for preparation programs should be interpreted with caution, as at least some of the related factors are not within the control of preparation programs (e.g. year of graduation). Furthermore, the use of job placement rates to make high-stakes decisions may provide incentives to programs to implement policies that may not be ethical (such as preferential admission of younger applicants) or that may not be advisable for other reasons.</p>

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to understand and to interpret the complex array of factors that contribute to the phenomenon of learners dropping out of school. This investigation highlights the phenomenon of high school dropouts in particular. Whilst I am not entirely comfortable with the term “dropout”, I have decided to use it based on its use in a report of the Ministerial Committee on Learner Retention in the South African Schooling System that was published in October 2007. This report provides various understandings of the term, and I use the term with reference to said report. The research methodology for the study is interpretive analysis, and the purpose thereof is to provide “thick description”, which means a thorough description of the characteristics, processes, transactions, and contexts that constitute the phenomenon being studied. The analysis is couched in a language not alien to the phenomenon, and takes into account the researcher’s role in constructing the description. The research data have identified a number of factors within families, within schools, and within communities that affect whether learners are likely to drop out, or to graduate, from high school. These are: poverty, almost all the parents of the participants were school dropouts themselves (did not complete their schooling), teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, the lack of home and school stability, social behaviour, rebellion, peer pressure, and a sense of caring. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om die legio faktore wat bydrae tot die verskynsel van leerders wat by skole uitval te verstaan en te intrepreteer. Hierdie ondersoek lê veral klem op die hoë uitvalsyfer van hoërskoolleerders. Hoewel ek nie gemaklik voel met die term “drop out” of uitval nie, het ek besluit om die term te gebruik aangesien die woord “drop out” gebaseer is op 'n Ministeriële Komitee verslag oor die behoud van leerders in die Suid Afrikaanse Skoolstelsel, wat in Oktober 2007 gepubliseer is. Die verslag dui op verskillende interpretasies van diè term, en ek gebruik diè term met verwysing na diè verslag. Die navorsingsmetodologie vir die studie is interprevistiese analise, en die doel daarvan is om 'n uitgebreide beskrywing te verskaf, waarmee bedoel word 'n deeglike beskrywing van die eienskappe, prosesse, ooreenkomste en die konteks wat die verskynsel verteenwoordig. Die analise word aangebied in 'n taal wat nie vreemd is tot die verskynsel nie, en poog ook om die navorser se rol in die konstruksie en samestelling van die beskrywing uit te beeld. Die navorsingsbevindinge het menige faktore binne families, binne skole en binne gemeenskappe geïdentifiseer wat leerders affekteer wat waarskynlik sou uitval of verhoed om hul hoërskoolloopbaan te voltooi. Dit is: armoede, ouers wat self skool vroeg verlaat het (“drop out”), tienerswangerskappe, dwelmmisbruik, gebrek aan huislike en skool stabiliteit, sosiale gedrag, rebelsheid, groepsdruk en omgee.

<p> The current study examines California special education hearing officer (SEHO) case records for due process hearings held to settle disputes between families and the juvenile justice system. A mixed methods research design was used to explore trends and characteristics of the youths, families, types of disputes, and prevailing parties. Results indicate most of the cases involved male students aged 12-18 who met eligibility for emotional disturbance, seven types of complaints were filed, and families prevail more often in both substantive and procedural cases. The results of this study raise ethical concerns about juvenile justice agencies' ability to provide special education resources for court-involved youth.</p>

<p>The Personalized Integrated Educational System (PIES) design theory is a design recommendation regarding the function and features of Learning Managements Systems (LMS) that can support the information-age learner-centered paradigm of education. The purpose of this study was to improve the proposed functions and features of the PIES design theory such that it is compatible with the technological needs of the information-age, learner-centered paradigm of education. Four schools or educational systems that embodied all or some of the characteristics of the learner-centered, information-age paradigm were selected through a purposeful, theoretical sampling process. They were selected based on how useful they would be in extending and improving the design recommendations for PIES and the extent to which the naturalistic cases had transitioned into the learner-centered, information-age paradigm of education. Research participants within these schools were chosen through a non-probability sampling method. Twenty teachers agreed to participate and were interviewed and observed. Data collected in the form of interview transcripts and observation notes were analyzed to reveal functions and features that could be added and removed from the PIES design theory. Data were analyzed to also reveal factors that encouraged/discouraged technology use, implementation, and policy. </p>

<p> In this dissertation, I describe a study examining institutional policy documents for statements related to the implementation of openness. The purposes of this study were to explore the current state of policies related to the implementation of openness in higher education, and to provide guiding recommendations to higher education institutions looking to address the issue of implementation of openness in their own policies. Policy plays a critical role in the implementation of innovations such as openness. The policy environment is complex and potentially confusing. Technology enables the proliferation of openness, and higher education institutions are now facing a number of challenges associated with the implementation of openness. Not much is known about the stance of higher education or the state of its response to openness. As a result, there was not much guidance available for institutions looking to address the implementation of openness in their institutions. </p><p> This dissertation involved a descriptive study that follows summative content analysis methodology. The research design was a qualitative dominant sequential mixed methods model, meaning that I focused primarily on the qualitative elements of the study and provided limited descriptive quantitative analysis derived from the qualitative data. </p><p> Five major areas of openness affecting higher education institutions were drawn from the literature. These are Open Access Research, Open Content, Open Teaching and Learning, Open Source Software, and Other, less pronounced, areas of openness. I searched the Faculty Handbooks, Strategic Plans, and Technology Plans of a stratified random sample of research-intensive higher education institutions for keywords related to the major areas of openness. I then evaluated the resulting statements based on the directness with which they address openness and on their policy role as enabler, barrier, or neutral toward the implementation of openness. </p><p> I provided 45 idealized policy statements as well as the best-found policy statements from the study. These statements were intended to be used as recommendations for guiding institutions in crafting their own policy statements to address openness through policy. The idealized statements were intended to fit in the three policy documents (Faculty Handbook, Strategic Plan, Technology Plan), serve each policy role (enabler, barrier, and neutral), and address area of openness (Open Access, Open Content, Open Source Software, Open Teaching and Learning, and Other Areas of Openness). Five major findings emerged from the study. These include the realization that openness is really a human-centered approach, and the discovery that openness is not commonly addressed in higher education policies. Additionally, I found that there was wide variance in how institutions actually address openness, that Open Access is addressed more than other areas in policy, and that content analysis is an effective method for obtaining information related to higher education policies. I provided my reflections and conclusions on the study in Chapter Five.</p>

<p> This body of work presents the summary of findings; explanation of implications; discussion of conclusions; and recommendations about practice, policy and future research regarding principal leadership in school districts recognized as national Baldrige Award winners. This study widened the scope and definition of quality management in education by dissecting the roles of principal leadership as defined by the 21 Leadership Responsibilities (Marzano et al., 2005) of school leadership. These Leadership Responsibilities served as a vehicle for educators to report their observances of how principals express their roles in the context of their work. The study began with a dominant phase of quantitative data collection followed by a qualitative phase. The quantitative segment purposively sampled groups of employees, principals and their building staff, concurrently through electronic survey. The second, qualitative portion, consisted of interviews of principals who participated in the survey. To summarize, the quantitative data defined the "what" of building administration's work in a Baldrige system and the qualitative portion illuminated the "how" or the application of the 21 Leadership Responsibilities. Statistical analysis determined that principals reported expressing all 21 Leadership Responsibilities in their work. Staff observances correlated and supported the data reported by the participating principals. As a result of the principal interviews further observations were made regarding the work of Baldrige building level leaders. Considerations included innovation through shared leadership and process management to improve learning and services for students and staff. Principals appeared to express particular clusters of Leadership Responsibilities more than others to increase the student growth and school improvement. Participants included principals and teachers from Iredell-Statesville Schools, NC; Jenks Public Schools, OK; and Montgomery Public Schools.</p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative research was to investigate student perceptions of safety at urban, suburban, and rural community colleges using three community colleges in the mid-Atlantic region. The study also examined the demographic variables (gender, race, age group, academic classification, and the geographic location). This quantitative study employed causal comparative methods to analyze data from the survey instrument on campus safety. Participants in this study were from urban, suburban, and rural community colleges in the Mid-Atlantic Region. SPSS was used to conduct the analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic variables. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were employed to test the null hypotheses at an alpha level of .05. The Kruskal Wallis was also conducted to reaffirm any significance the ANOVA test found or find significance where the ANOVA did not. The result of this study indicated that male and female students, freshmen and sophomore, and students of different races and age groups have the same perceptions of fear of crime on campus. Students from urban, suburban, and rural community colleges also perceived fear of crime the similarly. Female students were more likely than their male counterparts to perceive the likelihood of being victimized despite the geographical location. Students&rsquo; age group, racial makeup, or academic standing (freshmen and sophomore) did not differ in their perception of likelihood of being victimized. Students who were from different geographic locations had different perceptions when it came to the likelihood of being victimized on campus. Tukey <i>Post hoc</i> comparison suggests that suburban and rural community college students&rsquo; perceptions differed from those of urban community college students in terms of likelihood of being victimized but were not significantly different otherwise. The results of this study have contributed to the body of research on community college students&rsquo; perceptions of safety.</p>