<p> Success and satisfaction in the teaching profession are goals; teacher turnover and burnout being constant problems. This study explored factors of support to determine why teachers remain in teaching. Sixty teachers took part in a federal grant, the <i>AIMS</i> (autism, inclusion, math, science) Scholar Program, designed to provide transitional support for newly hired teachers. The participants were queried in order to ascertain sufficient data to identify the early in their careers enabled these teachers to thrive. Open-ended survey questions and in-depth interviews provided insight into why these teachers stayed in the profession and have plans to continue to teach for many years to come. Classroom observations yielded data to support their effectiveness in the classroom. This study was primarily based on teacher perceptions of teacher professional competence and their own performance in the classroom. There is a need to determine the relationship between teacher professional competence as measured by student achievement, student self-esteem, and parent perceptions of teacher competence as they relate to attrition. Six themes were determined as support strategies that helped this group of teachers remain in teaching. It is suggested that these 6 themes be integrated into all support programs to ensure teacher retention.salient triggers of pre-attrition related casual agents. The grant was tailored for teachers completing university teaching programs. Enrolled students were from all areas of California, with most being in the southern part of the state. One hundred percent of the participants were still teaching at the time of the research. This dissertation was designed to discern how support Keywords: teacher retention, teacher induction, teacher attrition, beginning teachers</p><p>

<p> This mixed method study researched African-centered pedagogy and examined if it made a difference for Black males in middle school. The study examined what it meant to be Black for the participants through administering the Multidimensional Model of Black Identity (MMBI) which measures Black males&rsquo; connections to their own cultural group. Students were asked three semi-structured questions about their experiences in school. In addition, MCA test scores and GPA were compared. Twenty-four middle school students participated for two different middle school types in Minnesota: one traditional school and one African-Centered school. Findings revealed that there were substantially different scores on the MMBI. Overall, students who attended the African-Centered school had better tests scores and GPA. Although, the t-tests conducted demonstrated these scores were not statistically significant. Major themes emerged from student interviews including that students wanted to learn had high expectations of their teachers. Implications and future research are discussed.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this research study is to analyze the impact that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have had on institutions of higher learning and explore successful strategies implemented by educational leaders in meeting the challenges of these new learning platforms. As online learning has exploded in recent years&mdash;with MOOCs representing the latest evolution of that process&mdash;traditional educational methods at brick and mortar colleges and universities have been challenged by the scope and reach of virtual scholarship. With this rapid development of online learning, and MOOCs specifically, educators must learn to adapt and embrace these new cyber-driven educational venues to stay relevant in today&rsquo;s ever-changing, global learning environment. The insights garnered from this research project can shed light on actions taken by higher education leaders who have addressed the recent massive, evolving shift to virtual learning while still managing to retain the essence of the traditional college experience at their campuses. It is the researcher&rsquo;s hope that the findings of this study will empower college educators to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of MOOCs on higher learning institutions, and to help them strategize ways to successfully incorporate these virtual learning venues into traditional educational programs at their schools. </p><p> This qualitative, phenomenological research study encompasses the lived experiences of 12 higher education leaders who have had involvement with Massive Open Online Courses at their learning institutions as articulated through data collected from 12 semi-structured Interview Questions, framed by 4 overarching Research Questions. The findings of the research project have significant implications for individuals planning to implement and develop Massive Open Online Courses at their learning institutions.</p><p>

<p> ADHD is a common disorder in youth, with core deficits that impair important areas of functioning, most notably academic achievement. Existing school-based interventions may not be as effective in improving long-term academic outcomes for adolescents with comorbid ADHD and internalizing disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between ADHD and internalizing symptoms in adolescents and the impact of anxiety and depression symptom severity on their academic outcomes after engaging in a multicomponent school-based intervention (BEST Project). The BEST Project was implemented in several high schools, with 126 participants included in this study. All participants met DSM-5 criteria for ADHD, were 14-18 years old, and attended public high schools. </p><p> A multiple multivariate regression analysis was conducted to investigate if internalizing symptom severity predicts pre-treatment academic performance. Female students were found to have more academic problems. To examine whether pre-treatment internalizing symptom severity predicts post-treatment academic performance and moderates the relationship between the effects of the BEST project and academic performance, a second multiple multivariate regression analysis was conducted. Graphed interactions and Johnson-Neyman results suggest that once student&rsquo;s internalizing symptom scores are above the median, treatment effects on homework problems are stronger for those with anxiety symptoms and weaker for youth with depression symptoms. These findings suggest anxiety may serve as a protective factor in the context of a structured intervention. Limitations and future directions for research and practice are discussed.</p><p>

<p> This study compared the ratings of self-efficacy and burnout by traditionally-trained direct care staff in a residential treatment center with ratings by a group of direct care staff that were trained to implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) with adults who have intellectual or developmental disabilities. Staff responses on measures of self-efficacy, using the <i>Teacher&rsquo;s Sense of Efficacy Scale</i> (TSES) and burnout, using the <i>Maslach Burnout Inventory</i> (MBI) were compared across the two groups: One group of staff was not exposed to PBIS training (traditional training only), whereas the other group was trained to implement PBIS. A total of 70 direct care staff members from a Residential Treatment Center (RTC) participated in this study. The mean differences of total scores on each measure were compared using <i>t</i>-tests to determine if there were significant between-group differences. In addition, as the measure of self-efficacy was originally designed for use with teachers and was slightly modified here for use with direct care staff, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factor structure of the measure when administered to staff in an RTC. </p><p> The results indicate that the modified <i>TSES</i> has one factor, which differs from the three factors found when the <i>TSES</i> was administered to teachers who were implementing PBIS in schools. Additionally, significant differences were found in staff members&rsquo; sense of self-efficacy between the control and PBIS groups. However, staff members&rsquo; degree of burnout were not significantly different. The results must be interpreted with caution because of the study&rsquo;s small sample size. However, there are several implications for future research that are discussed to further examine the impact of implementing PBIS on direct care staff members in residential treatment settings.</p><p>

<p> High-quality hospitality education is important to bring to international locations because it is a foundation for business and tourism. An international network of hospitality schools (HS) has a problem of convincing faculty to relocate to international locations, which limits expansion efforts and the quality of faculty available at less desirable locales. The purpose of this correlation study was to investigate the relationship between varies workplace factors that faculty expect to be of the highest quality, allowing senior management to ensure relocations. The theoretical foundation that grounded this study was Authors&rsquo; expectancy theory, which stipulates that what people expect to occur drives their behavior; in this study, the behavior in question was the decision to relocate or not. The research questions concerned the correlations between faculty ratings of current workplace factors and faculty ratings indicating the quality they expected each workplace factor to show at a relocation site. Approximately 180 faculty members of HS answered an anonymous online survey. The survey was rated using 2 scales indicating how true each workplace item was in the current location and how high quality each workplace item was expected to be. Correlation analysis was conducted for each of the survey items to determine if there was a relationship between the faculty&rsquo;s ratings of their current position and what they expected in a relocation. The study found that feedback on work results was highly valued by participants wherever their workplace was located. The study may promote positive social change by supporting the school&rsquo;s capability to provide a workplace environment in compromise locations that attract and retain hospitality faculty, ultimately benefiting students in the globalizing world of education.</p><p>

<p> By employing <i>pl&aacute;ticas y encuentros</i>, this qualitative study examined the <i>testimonios</i> of Chicana/Latina youth and their experiences with navigating the sexual politics on the high school campus. Six young Chicana/Latinas, all of whom graduated from the same high school in South East Los Angeles, participated in the study. The study used two frameworks: Chicana/Latina feminist theory and critical pedagogy to analyze the young women&rsquo;s <i>testimonios</i>. Findings speak of their daily struggle with adults policing, objectifying, and containing their bodies; as well as the benefit of a third space, counterspaces, for self-actualization. This study contributes to this field by identifying how Chicana/Latina youth experience schooling and what they believe must happen in order to ensure that the school community and larger society is more responsive to their experiences with navigating sexual politics in and outside of the educational context. </p><p>

<p> Secondary educators must be knowledgeable in their content while increasing the academic literacy of their students, a process further complicated when working with students who are long-term English learners (LTELs). This mixed-methods study explored the knowledge, practices, and perceptions of six secondary teachers working to develop the academic literacy of LTEL students in content-specific classrooms. Set within a sociocultural framework, the study provides a greater understanding of the challenges and successes educators experience when working at the secondary level with students with diverse learning needs. The data were collected in two phases. Phase I included a quantitative survey of teachers, designed to acquire demographic information from participants who met the inclusion criteria: educators who taught a content-specific course and had a minimum population of 10.7% LTEL students in at least one of their classes. These data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Phase II consisted of qualitative one-on-one interviews, classroom observations, and follow-up interviews. Data analysis for Phase II included transcribing the interviews and taking notes on emerging themes. </p><p> Qualitative data were also provided by the classroom observations using the Observation Protocol for Academic Literacies. Notes created in each of the classrooms were coded by themes and used in the creation of profiles for each educator. Themes that emerged through the one-on-one interviews and classroom observations were used to create questions for the follow-up interviews. Findings add to the body of research regarding content-specific secondary teachers&rsquo; knowledge and perceptions about the academic literacy development of their LTELs.</p><p>

<p> This study surveys the knowledge base of culturally responsive instruction (i.e., culturally relevant, responsive, sustaining, revitalizing, and reality pedagogies) and consolidates them under the term Culturally Agile Pedagogies (CAPs). CAPs are defined as theories, principles, and methods of teaching that require the mutual understanding, valuing, and use of teachers' and students' linguistic and cultural identities to inform instruction and optimize learning. This study engages teachers who have been identified by their principals as exceptionally culturally responsive and helps those teachers reconcile their practice with empirically supported instructional strategies. This study uses culturally responsive instruction literature, a teacher questionnaire, lesson observations, and teacher interviews to develop and present a tool that might be used to identify and assess expertise in CAPs. This tool is the CAPs Practices Expertise Scale. The tool development process measures the teachers' shift from an intuitive sense of justice in teaching toward a more formal knowledge of CAPs practices. This new teacher learning is then applied to refine the tool so it more accurately describes observable instructional practices in the classroom.</p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose.</b> The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore self-efficacy in teacher educational leadership and its connection to burnout as perceived by teacher-leaders in a confined small suburban school district.</p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> This research followed a qualitative case study research design. This approach allowed the researcher to interact extensively and intimately with the participants. This method also allowed the thorough exploration of phenomena through in-depth inquiry within a bounded system, time, place, or physical environment. Through semistructured interviews, the researcher was able to uncover the subtle personal understandings and perceptions of the teacher-leader participants in the real context. This helped the researcher gain insight into the relationships between the perceived self-efficacy of the participants and their experiences of burnout. Including the voices of the participants in the real context deepened the researcher&rsquo;s understanding of the participants&rsquo; experiences as teacher-leaders.</p><p> <b>Findings.</b> The findings of this study are consistent with prior research from Bandura&rsquo;s social cognitive theory and self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986, 1989, 1997, 2012). The researcher identified 11 themes that contribute to teacher-leaders&rsquo; perceived self-efficacy and feelings of burnout: (a) lack of organization at the district level, (b) credibility and broken trust, (c) administration turnover, (d) lack of funding to support the variety of programs, (e) lack of acknowledgement or recognition, (f) lack of student progress, (g) lack of support from colleagues due to broken relationships or friendships, (h) lack of clear expectations and communication, (i) loss of purpose, (j) lack of experience with a new task, and (k) lack of self-preparation. The researcher also found aspects distinctive to the participants of this school district, such as the substantial value the participants place on the friendships they have with their colleagues.</p><p> <b>Conclusions.</b> This study adds to the knowledge base that identifies specific activities that organizations can implement to build the self-efficacy and capacity of their teacher-leaders and prevent teacher-leader burnout.</p><p> <b>Recommendations.</b> District and school administration should explore ways to set the groundwork and help develop a financial framework to allocate resources that allow teacher-leaders the support they need to perform their work efficiently. In addition, administrators should design guidelines that promote inclusive behaviors in the organization to stimulate healthier work relationships and a support system for teacher-leaders. Finally, organizations should intentionally invest resources to create an environment at the workplace where the mental health of employees is nourished.</p><p>