<p> The ethnographic study presented here documents emergent behaviors that arose when two multimodal composing and production tools - Collabosphere and Tumblr &mdash; were used in three different college courses (Introductory Psychology, Education 1B, and College Writing 101). The work addresses how conceptions of writing in the college classroom and across disciplines shift, converge, and vary across courses and between disciplines. I use Engestr&ouml;m&rsquo;s (1999) model of activity theory to show how the introduction of new tools pushed both students and teachers to think more broadly and creatively about how they compose and comport themselves in academic settings. Specifically, this work reveals instances of expansive transformation as two activity systems &ndash; academic writing and digital writing &ndash; converged in these classrooms. By documenting new approaches that students and teachers developed when using new tools in an academic setting, I hope to visualize new opportunities for university writing to expand and include new literacy practices.</p><p> This study documents how digital tools in the Academy were perceived, repurposed and used in a variety of different ways. I used a combination of interviews with faculty and students, observations, and analysis of semiotic materials to gain a holistic understanding of the dynamic activity systems at play in each setting, and across the university. Specifically, I endeavored to document the types of expectations placed on undergraduate students and faculty to use digital tools in innovative and compelling ways, and how those expectations informed how both approached composing in their courses. Here I strove to understand the new demands on college writers within different disciplinary departments, new kinds of audiences, and new kinds of texts as students collaboratively composed. This study also conceives to help educators and teaching faculty think about what kinds of methods, rubrics and assessment frameworks would help support students using new tools for writing in college classrooms. </p><p> One of the central findings of this study is that in order to make room for expansive learning and new systems of writing to emerge, teachers must make explicit the course goals and assessment models for grading and evaluating digital and multimodal pieces. Without this framework, students often default to those writing models that were successful for them in the past, which were text-heavy and often discipline-specific. Further, teachers also need to help extend student&rsquo;s notions of communication to include the visual and aural in a way that is both meaningful and critical. This study showed that it was not enough for students to simply present and prioritize multimodal composing, but that students needed a conceptual frame to understand how and why composing in different modes supported their analytic reasoning, and feel confident in their ability to synthesize them into their composing work.</p><p>

<p> At-risk children have demonstrated that the traditional industrial model of education often does not work well for them, yet the majority continue to be educated in this fashion. With the evolving ability to incorporate technology into education, the potential exists to develop innovative, personalized methods to meet at-risk students&rsquo; educational needs.</p><p> This study took place in three public high schools in the western United States for students designated as &ldquo;at-risk.&rdquo; These schools, located in the same public school district, worked together to develop and implement mastery-based, personalized instructional models with blended or hybrid instructional delivery school-wide. The use of teachers as mentors provided the framework to develop student-teacher relationships, while blended delivery provided academic choice over pace, place, time, and path.</p><p> The impact of the introduction of a blended, mastery-based learning model during the first semester of full implementation included a reduction in behavior incidents among students in all three high schools. Four out of five cohort grade level groups across the three high schools experienced a statistically significant reduction in behavior occurrences. While behavioral occurrences reduced, school exclusion rates through suspension were not significantly impacted through initial implementation of the new educational model. </p><p> Student academic achievement data was also collected and demonstrated the difficulty researchers can have comparing a time-based traditional instructional model to a mastery-based model where time is variable. Initial implementation demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in credits earned over the first semester. Grade point averages were not shown to be impacted significantly through initial mastery-based model implementation. </p><p> Student perception was measured through a survey tool developed to gather student input on model transformation and demonstrated that the change to a personalized learning model included the majority of the elements identified as key to developing student engagement. </p><p> The results of this study support and expand the work of other researchers who have demonstrated that implementation of a mastery-based instructional model delivered through blended instruction benefits at-risk students.</p><p>

<p> Through the change theory lens of this bounded system multi-site case study of two low performing schools which participated in the Turnaround Program started with a look at where they began, the process during the Turnaround Program, and examination of the school three years post-Turnaround. Insight into the changes sustained and those discarded in both schools were discovered through this research. Through the change theory lens this research has demonstrated the importance of sustainability of leadership in the change process of program initiation. Research has also shown implementation post-Turnaround had continuity partially due to a change in the school climate and culture. For a school to Turnaround a significant piece to the Turnaround Program and its success was due to data analysis. Finally, a discussion of the power and political factors were included as both districts were impacted due to these influences. </p><p> The findings indicate success of these two Turnaround schools was due to a change in school culture and climate. This was brought about through the political influences from administration and members of DESE. The importance of high academic achievement was communicated by both administrators and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Buy-in from parents, faculty members, school board members, and students were a major contributor to implementing successful change in both districts. Data analysis was continued by both districts to enhance student performance and guide classroom instruction. Decisions regarding student mastery were based on data and continued to be used three years post-Turnaround. Data analysis was seen by both districts as a significant factor used to enhance positive changes.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to assess the nature of participation in a hybrid Community of Practice; exploring how teacher efficacy influenced participation; and how participation impacted both technology teacher leadership and technology integration practice. The researcher addressed the following research questions: <i>What is the nature and frequency of the activities and interactions evidenced by participation in a hybrid CoP? What types of knowledge capital were found in a hybrid CoP? Does teacher efficacy influence participation in the online component of a hybrid CoP? How does participation in a hybrid CoP impact teachers&rsquo; technology integration and the development of their technology leadership ability?</i> Participants included 31 teachers enrolled in an Innovative Teacher Leaders (ITL) program. The researcher implemented a mixed methods comparative case study, collecting data via participant observations, monthly self-reports, and semi-structured interviews. A survey instrument was administered to collect data on Teacher Efficacy and Teacher Leadership. Frequency data were collected based on interaction logs and face-to-face training observations of the CoP. Findings of this study pointed to the need for time to practice, implementation support, and peer coaching/discourse as necessary factors for successful professional development. Participation in this hybrid CoP was found to have a positive impact on teacher technology integration and technology leadership ability.</p><p>

<p> The challenge of designing and implementing teacher evaluation reform throughout the U.S. has been represented by different policies, teacher evaluation components, and difficulties with implementation. The purpose of this qualitative embedded single case study was to explore teacher perceptions about new evaluation model implementations and how new model implementations impact the relationships between teachers and administration. The main unit of analysis was teachers at one school experiencing the implementation of new evaluation reform. The sub-units were the experience levels of teachers, specifically New Teachers, Mid-career Teachers, and Seasoned Teachers. Findings in this research demonstrated a protectiveness of the low income school in which the participants work, and a lack of trust in the state understanding the needs of a low performing school. The findings indicated teachers perceive the lack of local control or input into the development or implementation of a new evaluation tool may create feelings of mistrust and ulterior motives. Results also emerged suggesting that teachers perceive a new teacher evaluation model may add stress to the site, provide tools for feedback and accountability, and possibly negatively impact the relationships with students. Finally, the findings indicated striking differences of the perceptions of teachers with different levels of teaching experience. Teachers of all experience levels perceived similar, positive relationships between teachers and administrators. However, the perceptions of the current evaluation tool was markedly different based on years of experience. New Teachers and Mid-Career Teachers stressed a desire to receive feedback and the need for feedback to improve their practice. Conversely, Seasoned Teachers stated a clear lack of need or desire for feedback. Additionally, All experience level groups perceived that there may be some level of added stress during the implementation of a new evaluation tool. Seasoned Teachers Mid-Career Teachers perceive the possibility of a new tool as a negative event, while New Teachers viewed this as an opportunity for accountability and alignment. </p><p>

<p> School board governance matters. Past research has demonstrated that effective school boards are associated with higher student achievement. However, this research has been less clear about what those agreed upon effective practices are. The current study set out to identify effective school board governance practices and to determine the extent expert panelists agreed with these practices. Obstacles to effective governance were also identified and agreed upon. Differences in responses from panelists in five sizes of school districts were also explored. </p><p> Using a Delphi methodology, expert panelists in Montana provided information in the form of narratives and lists about their perceptions of effective school board practices as well as their encountered obstacles during round one. Qualitative analysis techniques were used to create a set of effective practices and a set of encountered obstacles. Further refinement was accomplished by using two additional rounds in which panelists provided feedback, reconsidered their responses and provided additional comments. A set of 17 highly agreed upon effective practices and a set of two highly agree upon obstacles resulted. </p><p> From this data, a model of effective school board governance was developed. This model aligns well with past research that was conducted based upon outside sources of judgment, such as high test scores. </p><p> However, some important deviations from past recommendations are also noted. Data from the current study places an increased emphasis on the actual operations of school boards, such as on the types of discussions that are held, as well as the mechanics of productive and collaborative school board meetings. </p><p> The power of school boards occurs when acting collectively as a group in a school board meeting and this study supports focusing improvement efforts in making that time more effective. School board members many gain knowledge and experience individually, but it is only through working together that they shape and guide the cultures that are needed to improve our public schools for the future.</p><p>

<p> Increased access to technology has changed the current educational landscape and, will dramatically affect the future of education. These shifts are redefining the roles of educators and require that teachers have the attributes necessary to legitimately incorporate technology into the classroom.</p><p> The purpose of this study is to examine existing characteristics of teachers employed at Minarets High, which uses a 1-to-1 and project-based curriculum, to determine if there are any relationships between the selected measures. </p><p> The research questions are:</p><p> 1) What teacher and district/school factors allow for effective technology integration? Specifically, a. What relationship, if any, exists between teachers&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy and teachers&rsquo; attitudes toward instructional technology? b. What relationship, if any, exists among the factors of teachers&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy (Student Engagement, Instructional Practice and Classroom Management) and Student Productivity? c. What district/school factors, if any, promotes the use of technology in the classroom by and for students? </p><p> Based on the literature review on the topic of teacher self-efficacy and attitudes toward technology, research was conducted using questionnaires to quantify the existence and extent of any relationships between teachers&rsquo; self-efficacy and attitudes, follow-up interviews were used to identify various school and district factors that promote the use of technology in the classroom. </p><p> The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson-r correlations, and through the coding of interviews. There were 16 surveys and 9 interviews. The study did reveal the high self-efficacy and positive attitude that teachers have towards technology. Through interviews, attributes were identified and the <i>Technology Integration Framework at Minaret</i>s was developed to visualize the creation of an <i>atmosphere</i> of learning at Minarets.</p><p> The outcome of this research suggests that the integration of technology into the modern-day classroom goes much deeper than merely purchasing hardware for the teachers and students to use. The findings show that beyond access there are many other factors that affect the student learning experience. The study revealed an intricate system of <i>Student Experience Influencers </i> that is required for Minarets to provide this unique learning space. </p><p>

<p> Across the country, people believe education in America is in crisis, and the implications are frightening as historians have described the decline of public education as a threat to the nation&rsquo;s economy and military (Williams, 2012). This study involved examination of research on teacher home visit programs. Data were collected through a mixed methodology of focus groups, an interview, and parent and student surveys. Once data were collected, they were coded and examined to discover different themes regarding teacher home visits. The themes included the following: building relationships, diversity and safety, parent involvement, and impact on the future of students. The research data revealed the importance of determining needs and studying each teacher home visit program to determine the best fit for individual school districts. Whatever program a district decides to implement, communication among teachers, administrators, and families must be ongoing in order for the program to work.</p><p>

<p> School administrators develop, recommend, and carry out policy for school districts. The policy can have long lasting effect on students. Ideology and gender of the administrator can influence adoption and implementation of individual school&rsquo;s policy. A study consisting of quantitative and qualitative measures was utilized to determine the difference of opinion between male and female administrators through a survey about zero tolerance discipline policy. Missouri public high school principals were the focus of the study, each receiving the opportunity to participate in the survey via email. The results of this study are consistent with previous studies, but enhance the knowledgebase with new evidence. Data analysis resulted in identification of gender preferred discipline methods related to zero-tolerance discipline policy in the areas of: (a) acceptability of zero-tolerance as a discipline policy, (b) academic outcome differences of students suspended more than, compared to less than, 90 days, (c) ability of the threat of suspension and expulsion to deter negative behavior, and (d) positive or negative lasting effects for zero tolerance on students.</p><p>

<p> Spending limited educational budgets on technology for classrooms is a strategy many school districts have used to increase student achievement (Levenson, Baehr, Smith, &amp; Sullivan, 2014). In recent years, the technology movement allowed for arbitrary purchasing of devices with little to no pedagogical planning for how technology device usage was expected to increase student achievement (Johnston, 2014). The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between student achievement and the amount of money spent on technology hardware, technology software, and technology-related professional development. The research design incorporated quantitative methods through collection of test scores and survey data regarding school budgets and educational technology expenditures. The data were analyzed to reveal the strength, if any, of correlations between the amount of money spent on technology hardware, technology software, and technology-related professional development and student achievement among third, fifth, and eighth-grade students. The target population of the study consisted of 23 elementary principals within a Catholic diocese in southwest Missouri. A convenience sampling was conducted with 100% participation. De-identified core battery scores from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were provided by the superintendent of the diocese for grades three, five, and eight. The data collected and analyzed in this study revealed weak or no significant positive correlations between the amount of money spent on technology hardware, technology software, or technology-related professional development and ITBS test scores in grades three, five, and eight for the academic years 2011-2012, 2012-2013, and 2013-2014.</p><p>