<p> Research on turnaround schools suggests that school districts have had limited success in effectively turning around underperforming schools including how districts support turnaround principals. Furthermore, the research makes an explicit connection between the success of a turnaround, the principal, and district support. Absent from the literature is how turnaround principals experience this support. In this qualitative study, I examine the experiences of turnaround principals and their perceptions of the district support provided them. My research questions are: &ldquo;How do turnaround principals experience district support? What do struggling and successful principals say about the support process?&rdquo; The primary data collection method consisted of interviews of 20 turnaround principals, 10 who were successful and 10 who were struggling. The data was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, and the following themes emerged: distributed leadership, self-efficacy, and capability and capability development. There were five major findings: 1) There is an interrelationship between self-efficacy, capability development, locus of control, and the success of turnaround principals; 2) Turnaround principals want differentiated support from central office; 3) Successful turnaround principals employ distributed leadership practices; 4) Both successful and struggling turnaround principals need social-emotional support from central office; and 5) The capacity of the district&rsquo;s central office to support turnaround principals is crucial. </p><p>

<p> In the early 1990s, the educational system in the U.S. began to change with the advent of publicly-operated charter schools. In recent years, there has been a surge in parents opting for this type of alternative educational setting to meet the needs of their students. This increase in enrollment did not preclude students with disabilities. This research study specifically examined charter school leadership perspectives regarding the inclusion model as it relates to accountability standards, service delivery trends and models, and general education professional development. It is important to measure the efficacy of these elements and their compliance with education law as it relates to students with disabilities. Few studies have been conducted in the area of compliance of programs for students with disabilities in charter schools, and therefore, this study serves as an exploration into these publicly run but misunderstood segments of the educational environment. The major findings of this study report that from the perspective of the charter school administrators, there is compliance with the method used to serve students with disabilities. In terms of the scope of the study, 38 participants completed this study with a 100% completion rate. The service delivery models differ from site to site, but in essence, all operate in good faith to serve their students with disabilities. </p><p>

<p> As technology prices continue to decline, access to devices has become less of a barrier, and public schools are able to implement one-to-one initiatives easier (Ruggiero &amp; Mong, 2015; U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 2016; Zheng, Warschauer, Lin, &amp; Chang, 2016). It has become vital to support teachers in the area of professional development, but oftentimes these programs have failed to prepare teachers for technology integration (Hunter, 2015; USDOE, 2016). The purpose of this study was to identify key aspects of professional development teachers and administrators have found to be of the utmost value when implementing a one-to-one initiative to further the development of future professional development programs. An online survey was sent to school districts known to have been implementing a one-to-one initiative for a minimum of three years. The population included five public school districts in the southwest Missouri area, and the sample was comprised of 16 administrators and 33 high school teachers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and to provide a statistical summary of the survey findings. A Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> Test was performed to analyze nonparametric values. This causal-comparative study revealed areas of professional development proven to be the most important when considering a technology initiative as well as differences in perspectives, visions, and values found amongst administrators and teachers. The findings of this study further revealed the importance of creating professional development programs to meet the needs of teachers in accordance to their individual levels of knowledge, thus requiring a differentiated approach to future professional development practices.</p><p>

<p> This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of former students who are economically disadvantaged from a poor, rural district in central Pennsylvania who left their traditional school to enroll in one of the three biggest cyber-charter schools in the state. Through extensive interviews with the students and their learning coaches, the study attempted to see the experience through the eyes of those who lived it. Particular emphasis was placed on supports students and their learning coaches received from their schools and teachers and in their homes. Also, the researcher attempted to understand the perceptions of students and their learning coaches about the advantages and disadvantages of enrolling in a for-profit cyber-charter school as opposed to remaining in their traditional schools. </p><p> The results of this study, based on the experiences of five students and their learning coaches, imply that support from home is critical for student success in cyber-charter schools. Support from family members or loved ones was found to be more effective than support from social agents or acquaintances, and support from home was found to be more important than support from school. The study also implies that not all students are suited to work in the online environment. Some students in the study reported a sense of isolation as they worked in their cyber-charter schools. Some students in the study also had difficulty adapting to this new way of learning. Finally, the study determined that students who are not capable of functioning in a public school environment may feel more comfortable and be better served in a cyber-charter program. The study provides recommendations for improving the cyber-charter school experience. The improvements suggested included opening local satellite offices around the state staffed by a teacher to provide more face-to-face interaction with students, offering social opportunities in more local venues so students can connect in a sustainable way, and finally, developing a more rigorous screening process that would give all potential students and their learning coaches a realistic view of the expectations required in the cyber environment.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of a democratic school leader and understand how his conception of leadership is congruent or incongruent with notions of democracy and democratic leadership. This small, participant-observer case study follows a democratic school leader and his staff for a year and examines those challenges and opportunities. Specifically, the research addresses how a school leader&rsquo;s belief system impacts their approach to school governance. It also examines the tensions leaders in this context encounter and how those tensions are navigated. The data uncovers unique opportunities that similarly situated democratic school leaders encounter, and the best approaches for practitioners in the field.</p><p> The research traces the history of democratic schools and the diverse set of ideas that define the broad spectrum of these types of schools. This work also examines recurrent leadership themes in literature and pairs them with some of the defining characteristics of democratic schools. It then looks specifically at research aimed at understanding democratic school leadership. It creates a conceptual understanding of democratic schools based on an intimate and practitioner-based understanding of the research site: voice in decision-making, curriculum, and community.</p><p> The findings uncover a school leader who is pulled in many different directions, but one who remains committed to the democratic process of deliberation and listening. The findings also elucidate a tension with autonomous teaching and curriculum writing, as well as the process of terminating students from community. While revisiting existing research, this work explains some new understandings about leadership in a democratic school context and contains some practical suggestions for leaders in similar situations.</p><p>

<p> Recent years have seen large-scale growth in the international school sector, with schools reporting increasing competition to recruit and retain expatriate teachers, particularly in hardship locations. Using a gap analysis framework (Clark &amp; Estes, 2008), this study seeks to identify the knowledge, motivational, and organizational factors necessary for principals to be successful in their efforts to retain expatriate teachers in international schools in the sub-Saharan region of East Africa. Assumed causes were generated from a review of the research literature in this area and validated with data collected through interviews with principals, teacher surveys and principal surveys. This study suggests that, although principals possess understanding of the knowledge and motivation factors that contribute to teacher retention, they lack understanding of the relative importance of these factors. Furthermore, though principals are motivated to invest time and effort in the retention of teachers, this study suggests that organizational policy gaps exist in how the principals approach teacher retention in a strategic manner. The study concludes with a range of proposed solutions and a detailed implementation plan designed to assist schools in addressing the challenges that they face in seeking to leverage the work of principals in retaining expatriate teachers. </p><p>

<p> Superintendent turnover has been rampant in the public school district in Guam, an unincorporated United States territory; there have been 18 superintendents since the 1981. This qualitative study aimed to identify and analyze potential factors affecting the superintendency in Guam. Social systems theory proposes a number of factors about the dynamics that define the relationship between an individual and a social system to help us understand the behavior of the individual within an organization. To triangulate the data, this study was comprised of individual interviews with Guam superintendents and content analysis of the Guam Public School Audit of 2009 and subsequent amendments made to board policies after the audit. Based on social systems theory, major findings suggest that superintendent turnover in Guam is influenced by the following: the Guam Education Board did not understand its roles and responsibilities and often micromanaged the superintendents; the budgetary process for the Guam Department of Education was stressful and problematic; and political pressures from the legislature and the governor encouraged superintendents to take other roles. Suggestions for improving stability within the superintendency of Guam were offered by former superintendents.</p><p>

<p> There is evidence to suggest that the teaching assignment process affects teacher career decisions and therefore teacher retention (Andrews &amp; Quinn, 2004; Donaldson &amp; Johnson, 2010; Feng, 2010; Gardner, 2010; Loeb, Kalogrides, &amp; Beteille, 2012; Ost &amp; Schiman, 2015). Understanding what administrators believe influences their decisions and what teachers perceive influences those decisions shed light on how the teaching assignment process works and how it might affect teacher career decisions. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the strategies and rationale employed by administrators in the distribution of teaching assignment, the factors teachers perceive to influence the teaching assignment process, whether teachers and administrators believe the process affects teacher retention, and whether teachers believe power relations play a role in the process. Qualitative interpretive design was the best choice of methodology to examine the teacher assignment process in schools (Merriam, 2009). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 teachers and nine administrators in nine districts across six states. </p><p> This study used Bourdieu&rsquo;s concepts of social capital and misrecognition as theoretical framework (1984). In addition, psychological contract, trust, communication, and transparency (Rousseau, 1989; Tschannen-Moran &amp; Hoy, 1998) were used as conceptual frameworks. Findings from data analysis included the following: (1) social capital was a component of the teaching assignment process connected to teachers&rsquo; preference for honors courses and students; (2) administrator communication and transparency seemed related to teachers&rsquo; perception of psychological contract breach, trust in their administrators, and occasionally their career decisions; (3) social conditions were an important factor in teacher retention; (4) teaching assignment had an impact on teacher career decisions; and (5) administrators demonstrated symbolic violence over teachers, evident through language of power and decision making. </p><p> This research contributed to a better understanding of how administrators implement the teaching assignment process and how teachers experience that process, with implications for improvement. It is important for administrators to know how changing teaching assignments affects teachers and how teachers understand and experience the process in order to retain high quality teachers. </p><p>

<p> Educators are always evaluating how students connect to their school, trying to identify strategies and intervention programs that will help students be success and linked to their school. A school&rsquo;s culture and student engagement opportunities provide areas that can be impacted, especially when mentoring is added to the model being implemented. Educators go into the profession with the goal of having an impact on the lives of students. Key to the success of making an impact is the importance of connecting with students, providing student engagement opportunities, and maximizing mentoring with younger peers. </p><p> Peer Leaders Uniting Students program is helping districts address day-to-day issues in a collaborative manner using data. This study evaluated the impact the PLUS Program had from the perception and knowledge of adults (teachers, counselors, administrators, and support staff), assessing school climate, student engagement, and student monitoring. The researcher used quantitative and qualitative measurement instruments. A survey was provided to teachers, counselors, administrators, support staff, and PLUS advisors. The survey was followed by interviews that had questions created using data from the adult participants&rsquo; survey responses. </p><p> This grounded theory approach guided the researcher to conclude that even though the PLUS Program is proving to be effective for students, adults need additional training to use the program data. The researcher created a professional development session to meet this need.</p><p>

<p> Calls for educational technology integration over more than thirty years have taken on new urgency in an era of computerized assessments for accountability. As Internet Communication Technology (ICT) becomes more widely available, the digital divide is evolving into a digital use divide, characterized by differences between students&rsquo; productive uses of technology to create and communicate compared with passive uses for entertainment or skills practice. A growing body of research points to the important interplay among teachers&rsquo; frames of reference, school-level context, and alignment of supports in creating conditions for technology innovation. Meanwhile Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) hold potential as leverage points for affecting teacher beliefs and practices regarding technology use. This study analyzes interactions among a group of teacher leaders participating in a tech PLC at a school on the verge of becoming a technology-focused school. Analysis of the group&rsquo;s natural discourse points to important elements of teacher talk and shared resources that contribute to aligning the group&rsquo;s goals and practices when innovating with technology. It also illustrates how alignment between meso-level and micro-level context factors help to facilitate teachers&rsquo; ability to innovate in ways that have the potential to address the digital use divide.</p><p>