<p> The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the adoption of Open Educational Resources had a significant effect on student learning outcomes in seven courses taught at seven post-secondary institutions. The use of open educational resources (OER) is increasing in the United States. Initiatives focusing on expanding the use of OER as a replacement for traditional textbooks at the post-secondary level include OpenStax, Project Kaleidoscope, Open Course Library, and others. While researchers have begun to explore OER, few have sought to evaluate the quality of OER as a function of student academic success. In this dissertation, I examined measures of student success in seven courses at seven different early-adopters of Project Kaleidoscope where faculty members chose to adopt OER to replace traditional textbooks. The sample for this study consisted of students using open textbooks in courses at seven Project Kaleidoscope post-secondary institutions, as well as a control group of students at those same institutions who used traditional textbooks in sections of the same courses. I used an ex-post-facto quasi-experimental design, in which I compared students using OER to students using traditional textbooks in comparable courses. In order to control for the threat of selection bias, I used propensity score matching (PSM) to match treatment and control groups on a set of demographic variables. After creating matched treatment and control groups, I used multiple regression and logistic regression to examine whether textbook selection predicts a measurable difference in student achievement after accounting for relevant covariates. </p><p> I found that students using open textbooks earned, on average, lower grades than students who used traditional textbooks, after controlling for student-level and course-level covariates. Further analysis revealed that this negative differential was isolated to students in business and psychology classes. I also found that students who used open textbooks enrolled in more credits than students using traditional textbooks, controlling for relevant covariates. Because of the finding of a variation in textbook effect from course to course, future studies may seek to understand the effects of particular OER adoption instances rather than the global effect of OER adoption.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative study was to closely examine the RISE evaluation system and its effectiveness in non-traditional, Montessori schools. The research consisted of a qualitative study interview approach using three administrators, one who did not use the RISE evaluation system, and two who were mandated by their central office to use it; and four teachers, all who were evaluated with the RISE evaluation system. This qualitative study used the theoretical framework&mdash;hermeneutic phenomenology. Interviews with the administrators and teachers were used to collect the data. The interviews were administered in personal offices, coffee shops, and at my personal office. All interviews(except one) were tape recorded and transcribed by me. The transcribed interviews were coded to create an item analysis. </p><p> The main purpose of this study was to determine if the RISE evaluation system would be an effective tool to use in non-traditional classrooms, such as a Montessori classroom. This study was intended to give educators of non-traditional schools and classrooms information about the RISE evaluation system&rsquo;s effectiveness. </p><p> This research contributes to the field by studying the RISE evaluation system&rsquo;s effectiveness in non-traditional classrooms. This study provides a framework for examining the factors for conducting effective evaluations using the RISE evaluation system in non-traditional schools.</p>

<p>The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure of the Student School Uniform Survey, developed by Sanchez, Yoxsimer, and Hill (2012) for the purpose of collecting data on student perceptions of the benefits of wearing a school uniform. A secondary purpose of this study was to investigate relationships among responses based on student membership in the demographic groupings of gender, ethnicity, and grade level. This quantitative study utilized existing, de-identified data that related to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at three middle schools in northern Nevada. The data were collected in each school at the conclusion of the first year of a mandatory school uniform policy. A factor analysis was conducted on 32 of the survey items which revealed 13 of the items contributed to three meaningful factors: Factor 1&mdash;Safety and Behavior of Others, Factor 2&mdash;Acceptance and My Behavior, and Factor 3&mdash;Ease of Going to School. Internal reliability of the survey items was assessed using Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha coefficient (a), which indicated the 13 variables that related to each of the identified factors had a high degree of reliability (&alpha; > . 70). To check the factors for reliability, a Pearson&rsquo;s product moment correlation was conducted. In all cases the identified factors had a high degree of reliability. Finally, three multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) were conducted to determine if demographic groups identified by gender, ethnicity, and grade level had discrepant response patterns on the three identified factors. Where significance was found, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was calculated and the factor means were examined to identify which groups responded higher on each factor. The results revealed that seventh grade students responded higher on Factors 1 and 3, Hispanic/Latino respondents responded higher on Factors 2 and 3, and there were no differences in response patterns by gender. </p>

<p> In this mixed methods study, the researcher investigated whether or not Missouri school administrators were prepared to meet the creative leadership demands of the 21st century by measuring their creative capacity, creative styles, and their current creative leadership practices. A convenience sample of Missouri K-12 public school administrators and teachers completed the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, the Creativity Styles Questionnaire &ndash; Revisited and an original Organizational Creativity Survey; two homogenous small focus groups discussed their experiences regarding creativity and creative leadership within school organizations. </p><p> Whereas teachers were statistically significantly more creative than the normed adult population, administrators did not stand out from the normed adult population in this study; the weak sample size and mortality effect suggested that they may have even been less creative than the data suggested. The researcher noted administrator trends toward low risk propensity, high conformity, and a deficit of creative leadership. Findings further suggested that demographic factors and career attributes such as age, gender, school level, job level, job embeddedness, and work experience were not significantly related to creative capacity. Researchers should expand upon these findings with longitudinal mixed-methods studies of larger random samples of administrators. Teachers were a wealthy source of creative performance and leadership while school administrators tended to daily managerial tasks and the political constraints of their positions. The researcher recommends that schools further investigate the creative leadership potential of teacher leaders.</p>

<p> With teacher evaluations, school ratings, and ultimately school funding being linked more and more to student achievement data, U.S. public schools are searching for new and effective ways to boost academic testing scores. This study examined teachers&rsquo; and administrators&rsquo; experiences with and perceptions of merit pay, with the goal of identifying key program components positively impacting student success. With this information, solid and successful merit pay structures could be implemented in schools across the nation. Professional educators from two Midwest states who were involved in performance pay programs participated in the study through both a survey instrument and personal interviews. Surveys were crafted using the review of related literature, then distributed and collected via SurveyMonkey to educators in selected merit pay schools. Likert scale selections and open response inquiries were utilized to assess educator opinions and experiences. Personal interviews were scheduled and conducted within one Arkansas school district. This district employed an innovative merit pay program for educational stakeholders. Experiences, perceived strengths and weaknesses, and results of the merit pay structure were discussed during the interview sessions. Valuable perceptions regarding merit pay structure and implementation were gained. Three important factors of any successful school motivation program emerged. These three components included development of a purpose driven structure, fair measurement of student growth, and educator empowerment. Further research is recommended to determine varied and effective ways to structure programs to sustainably increase student achievement gains.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine whether equity for students could be measured in high schools located in a large urban school district using publically accessible quantitative data. The motivation for the study was a seemingly inequitable distribution of resources in the district, which employed Student-Based Budgeting.</p><p> In the 22 high schools studied, no schools were found to be more over-resourced than expected compared to a normal distribution of schools. However, some schools were under-resourced.</p><p> Multiple regression analyses indicated that the variables best predicting student scores on achievement tests in math and reading were two sociodemographic variables: percentage of students in special education (statistically significant for both reading and math) and percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (statistically significant for reading). After controlling for the sociodemographic variables, the variables used to measure equity were entered into the regression equation. It was found that the higher the nonpersonnel expenditures per student, the lower the students&rsquo; achievement scores. This result was statistically significant for reading scores, and approached statistical significance for math scores. Also, the higher the student-teacher ratio, the students&rsquo; math achievement scores (this result approached statistical significance). The results for the equity variables, taken together, might indicate a profile of larger schools with better achievement scores than smaller schools; correlations among the equity variables showed that the larger schools had higher student-teacher ratios and lower nonpersonnel expenditures per student than smaller schools. Note that smaller schools tend to be poorer than larger schools.</p>

<p> During the past 50 years, the landscape of education shifted from a rank order model to a system where all students are expected to achieve at a minimum level. This led to reforms in the way schools operate and teachers teach. One change to teaching is the use of data to inform instructional practices and student groupings. The need for teachers to increase their data use and change their instruction has prompted the need for professional development practices to be more effective. Coaching has been shown to be an effective professional development strategy to help teachers transfer new skills into their practice. This mixed-methods study examined one urban school district&rsquo;s two-year attempt to implement a data informed decision-making model of instruction in 20 schools through the use of instructional coaches. The study used two data sets&mdash;archival literacy benchmark scores and coach surveys&mdash;to identify a purposive selection of interview participants. The interviews were conducted to determine what structures and factors increased the implementation of the data informed decision-making initiative. Findings indicate professional development and leadership structures were needed for successful implementation of the data initiative. Results of this study showed the factors of trust, focus, coach-principal relationship, and assessment literacy contributed to the coaches&rsquo; ability to implement the data initiative successfully. </p>

<p> The following dissertation examined the relationship between dissatisfaction found within teacher working conditions and Melvin Seeman's theory of alienation. More specifically, it showed that all forms of teacher dissatisfaction engender feelings of alienation and that the oppressive nature of alienation is the root cause of all the negative consequences associated with teacher dissatisfaction. After an introduction, the literature review presents detailed descriptions of Seeman's theory of alienation, Paulo Freire's theory of empowerment, and the latest information surrounding the issue of teacher dissatisfaction. Next, qualitative narratives from interviews with six teachers about their experiences with dissatisfaction are presented. The researcher then shows how the participants' answers matched the information from the literature surrounding dissatisfaction. The alienation framework is then applied to the data to show its presence within the teachers' experiences. Once the narratives are shown to be connected to both the dissatisfaction and alienation literature, the researcher discusses how alienation is an inextricable part of dissatisfying working conditions. An analysis is then presented to explain how alienation plays a foundational role in creating detrimental educational environments. Finally, possible solutions and further research possibilities are detailed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to understand how African-American males enrolled in middle school in Los Angeles County experienced and understood the application of the California educational code regarding discipline. Disproportionate numbers of African-American students are being suspended and expelled from public schools. This overreliance on exclusionary punishment has led to the School-to-Prison Pipeline, and the statistics related to suspension rates from school mirror that of the criminal justice system. This study captures the voices of students who are consistently referred to the office by classroom teachers in order to understand how they perceive and articulate their experiences with the school disciplinary process and how those experiences impact their academic and personal lives. Findings indicate that participants want to do well in school. The participants described many of the behaviors that triggered an office referral as trivial, such as being tardy to class, talking, or not doing their work. When their infractions were more serious, students stated that they acted out because the teacher had been disrespected or antagonized them. More than anything, participants want teachers to listen to them and to respect them, and they want to be active participants in their learning. </p>

<p> School boards have the power to provide instructional leadership, but few school boards exercise that power and fewer still do so effectively. </p><p> The leadership power of school boards derives from their legal authority to set expectations, monitor progress and provide support. School boards that provide effective instructional leadership set district-wide expectations for student academic performance and then those boards monitor the district&rsquo;s progress toward meeting those goals and provide support, generally in the form of policies and funding. </p><p> Most school boards, however, tend to focus on management rather than instruction, and restrict their involvement in instructional issues either to continuing practices of the past or to implementing the agenda of the superintendent. </p><p> The goal of this Educational Leadership Portfolio was to encourage and facilitate education leadership by Delaware school boards. The portfolio contains nine artifacts designed to help Delaware school boards to understand and to exercise their leadership power. </p><p> The artifacts are divided into three categories: Information, Training and Tools. Three of the four Information artifacts are booklets written for publication by the Delaware School Boards Association (DSBA). School Boards in Law and Regulation describes the legal and historical basis on which Delaware school boards exist and derive their power. Key Points in Research summarizes the literature on effective school boards. The Survey Analysis provides the results of a survey of Delaware school board members. The fourth Information artifact is an article, &ldquo;When we understand the data, we are equipped to lead,&rdquo; which was published in the National School Boards Association journal, <i>American School.</i> </p><p> The three Training artifacts were developed in workshop formats. Standard Setting for DCAS first presented the work of the Standard Setting Panels Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) and then provided guidance on how to understand and interpret the panels&rsquo; recommendations in the context of local Delaware school districts. Data 101 for School Board Members introduced participants to the student assessment data available on the Delaware Department of Education&rsquo;s public web pages, and Data 201 is a follow-up workshop providing updates on the state&rsquo;s student assessment system and extending participants&rsquo; data location and assessment skills. </p><p> Of the two Tools artifacts, the Discussion Protocol provides school boards with a structured way to examine and evaluate their work as school boards, and Effective Communication with Legislators is a manual of techniques for successful advocacy with Delaware&rsquo;s elected officials. Effective Communication with Legislators also is the fourth booklet written to for publication by the DSBA. </p><p> Response to seven of the nine artifacts has been universally positive. Participants in Standard Setting for DCAS and Data 101 for School Board Members report increased skills and understanding, and multiple invitations to repeat the sessions indicate that they were valued. The four DSBA publications were well received when presented to the DSBA Board of Directors, and the <i> American School</i> article received positive comments from the journal&rsquo;s editor. The remaining two artifacts are available to Delaware school boards, but have yet to be implemented.</p>