<p> Providing students with a free and appropriate education in a safe environment is at the core of education in a democratic society. Discipline issues are of grave concern in American schools today. Carver and Lewis (2010) in a 2007-2008 study commissioned by the United States Department of Education revealed that 64% of school districts had at least one alternative setting for at-risk students that was administered either by the district or by another entity. Consequently, the question remains: Does a relationship exist between key demographics and specific communities with placement in an alternative setting? If so, to what degree? In order to better understand alternative settings for at-risk students, the relationships between gender, grade, race, SPED status, socioeconomic status and specific communities will be examined. This study can be of great value to school systems and education officials in their search to provide at-risk students with adequate support to ensure educational success. For example, if results suggest that key demographics and specific communities may impact placement in an alternative program, this discovery could result in early identification of the specific needs of students more likely to require alternative education placement.</p><p>

<p> This dissertation is a mixed-method study that includes research on how school administrators perceive the effectiveness of their district walk-through instrument and their walk-through process as they pertain to helping teachers improve in instruction and prepare for their formal observations. The Louisiana Department of Education's desire for an increase in student achievement and classroom instruction led to the phasing in of the Common Core State Standards and Louisiana's Comprehensive Performance Management System (Compass) in the 2012-13 school year. Louisiana, just like Tennessee, Texas, Florida, and other states, chose to use a value-added assessment system to evaluate teachers and measure student progress. Louisiana's Compass, a value-added model, is developed to use student achievement data to make decisions about student learning, school status, and teacher effectiveness. In order for teachers to meet the expectations of Compass, they need immediate support from school leadership. One support strategy to get teachers prepared for their Compass Evaluations is for principals to frequently conduct walk-through observations. &ldquo;According to the Center of Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, a classroom walk-through is defined as a brief, structured, non-evaluative classroom observation by a principal that is followed by a conversation between the principal and the teacher about what was observed&rdquo; (Moersch, 2013, p. 3). Value-Added Measure (VAM) is accompanied by great accolades as well as harsh criticism. Whether researchers are in favor or against VAM, 234 stronger accountability is here to stay, and school administrators must help teachers to be successful in the classroom, thus be successful on their evaluations.</p><p>

<p> This quantitative research study was developed to support school principals leading in urban school settings with high rates of poverty, crime, and violence with a need for a set of skills to create a positive school culture with kindness, empathy, and compassion. To prepare administrators for the stressors of working in an urban school setting, a school leader must be able to maintain effectiveness under stressful, or even hostile, conditions. Thus, school principals must improve their Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) competency skills to be effective in creating a positive school culture with kindness, empathy, and compassion. </p><p> This research study utilized a quantitative, correlational-design approach to examine the positive correlation between staff perceptions of a secondary school principal&rsquo;s leadership effectiveness with customer service and interpersonal skills with students&rsquo; sense of belonging in the same urban school. To answer the research question based on dichotomous student data (agree versus not agree), chi-square tests were performed. To measure the level of positive correlation between the staff perceptions of leadership and student, Cramer&rsquo;s V tests were used. </p><p> Results from this study indicated that students reported higher overall sense of belonging for schools having principals with high scores for communicating effectively (64.4%), having principals with high scores (62.6%) for treating people with respect, and having principals with high scores (62.6%) for working collaboratively with others. For all 18 chi-square tests, a positive relationship was found between the student&rsquo;s sense of belonging and ratings of the principal&rsquo;s leadership abilities based on staff perceptions. Findings from this quantitative research can be used to enhance educator preparation programs in universities and be a beginning for more future research for school districts to improve key performance indicators such as chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, test scores, and graduation rates.</p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose.</b> The purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore the challenges facing virtual school principals and how these leaders navigate these challenges. This study explored the experiences, practices, beliefs, and opinions of virtual school principals as they confront these challenges and lead their innovative schools. Theoretical Foundation. The work of Kouzes and Posner&rsquo;s (2012) 5 practices of exemplary leadership model and Bass&rsquo;s (1985) transformational leadership theory served as a theoretical foundation for this study. </p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> This study utilized a qualitative multiple-case study research method. Data were collected through semistructured, one-on-one interviews with 12 public, private, and charter virtual school principals from across California. </p><p> <b>Findings and Conclusions.</b> Following the data collection and data analysis process, the findings from this study confirm the results from a 2015 study conducted by Richardson, LaFrance, and Beck; however, the findings in this study indicated some notable differences in ranking from the 2015 study. Six additional challenges were also uncovered in this study. The study identified 6 essential skills and 6 ways in which virtual principals overcome challenges. These themes included being open to new ideas, taking positive risks, staying flexible, empowering staff, communicating effectively, serving stakeholders. Other themes included being a visionary leader, taking positive risks, learning from mistakes, staying mission-focused, trusting their followers, and empowering others. </p><p> <b>Recommendations.</b> As virtual school options continue to evolve, so too will the challenges that leaders face. In order for leaders meet these challenges, leaders must possess a number of essential skills to overcome these challenges. Practitioners should engage in regular, meaningful professional development centered on honing these essential skills. School boards and district office staff also need to demonstrate a continued commitment to providing virtual school leaders the necessary resources to successfully operate these schools. Finally, university administrator preparation programs need to include exposure to online learning leadership and offer virtual school leadership certification.</p><p>

<p> Despite teacher evaluation reforms, there is little evidence of improvements in the quality of teachers&rsquo; performance or in student achievement. This raises questions of principals&rsquo; implementation of teacher evaluations, and how evaluation-related practices are implemented and utilized within schools to meet the dual purposes of evaluations as an accountability measure and to improve teacher performance. Principals&rsquo; implementation of teacher evaluations and using the subsequent data to drive improvement is dependent upon their content and pedagogical knowledge and understanding of and experience with teacher effectiveness, evaluations, and evaluation-related practices. In addition, principals&rsquo; biases and perspectives, framing, experience and ability, training, time, and position influence how they make sense of, analyze, interpret, and integrate evaluations within their buildings. This phenomenological study uses sensemaking theory to uncover charter school leaders&rsquo; authentic experiences as they interpret evaluations as a policy initiative, determine how to balance the accountability component with their existing school goals and instructional values, and how (and if) they use information derived from evaluation rubrics to design and implement professional learning to support teacher performance. Specifically, I ask: <i>What are charter school leaders&rsquo; experiences gathering data to drive teacher evaluation decisions? And What are charter school leaders&rsquo; experiences using teacher evaluation data to facilitate growth in teacher performance?</i> Findings indicate that leaders see promise in evaluations to support teacher growth, yet seek greater autonomy in evaluating teachers due to constrictions of evaluation framework design and of summative reporting. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to investigate if there is a positive relationship between principals mentored through the NewLeaders Assistance Service and the retention of the participants who continued their career in educational administration. The participants for this study were first-year principals from 2001-2016 in the NewLeaders Assistance Service program. The NewLeaders Assistance Service was a comprehensive principal mentoring program with experienced and highly trained mentors. The program was personalized with professional development, on-going support, and individual mentoring. Results indicate that a high percentage of respondents felt the program was critical to their success in the profession with 83.5% remaining in the profession. Additional research needs to be conducted on the ongoing demands of the ever-changing political landscape over extended periods of time.</p><p>

<p> Technological advancements in society demand that students learn in contexts that take advantage of the vast availability of information, tools, and connectivity. Although research has focused on the development of Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) to inform and support teachers and principals within these evolving environments (Barkley, 2012; Carpenter &amp; Krutka, 2014; Sinanis, 2015; Visser, Evering &amp; Barrett, 2004), there is a lack of formal learning opportunities for leadership to support this transformation. Further, limited empirical research exists to substantiate claims that school district leaders who use social media for PLN purposes learn about, share, and enact leadership to support organizational transformation.</p><p> To help fill this gap in the knowledge base, this study employed a four-stage mixed-method research study to investigate United States public school superintendents use of Twitter for learning, leading, and leveraging improvement. Stage one established the population of United States superintendents with Twitter accounts. Stage two drew a random sample from the population to analyze representative Twitter patterns. Stage three focused on coding randomly sampled tweets of 100 superintendents for content aligned to the conceptual framework of learning, leading and leveraging through Twitter. Coding results framed stage four, which presented case studies of a purposeful sample of superintendents to identify motivations, purposes and influence on leadership enactment through Twitter use.</p><p> The study results showed that approximately 17% of U.S. superintendents have Twitter accounts. The Twitter-using superintendents reflect the gender breakdown of American superintendents, but Midwestern superintendents are overrepresented. Superintendents use Twitter predominantly for professional reasons with tweet content demonstrating a higher inclination toward leveraging influence than learning or leading. Superintendents purposefully use Twitter in ways they believe enhances their leadership by providing transparency to their work and district accomplishments. Through connections with others, superintendents use Twitter to inspire and communicate a vision for purposeful change; advocate for funding and policy; and model effective technology use through PLNs to enhance learning and collegial relationships. Additionally, Twitter enhanced off-line interactions and provided connection with students, offering professional wisdom about their experiences within school systems. The study provides insights of how social media contributes to digital leadership within school districts.</p>

<p> This dissertation study explores the association between principal leadership behavior and school climate with an end goal of impacting student achievement. Certified staff members in a large suburban Illinois school district were involved in this study. Data were collected through the use of the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Form XII (LBDQ Form XII) and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (elementary OCDQ&ndash;RE, middle OCDQ&ndash;RM, and high school OCDQ&ndash;RS). All of the 10 leadership domains examined in this study showed statistically significant associations with various school climate areas. The leadership behaviors of Consideration, Integration, and Tolerance of Freedom were found to have the strongest correlations consistently across levels.</p><p>

American social culture had a long-prevailing ideology that minorities were inferior to their Caucasian counterparts. Clearly, though, integration reflected an acknowledgement that racial equity and equality could and should be achieved in the composition of schools. In the last 40 years, as a profession and individually, educators have shifted from concerns about removing legal constraints or policy barriers based on race or gender to issues of equity and access to opportunity for advancement to the site-based leadership position called the principal.;This study use Marshall's typologies of the (1992) plateaued assistant principal, shafted assistant principal, and the assistant principal who considers leaving to determine if there are significant differences in the barriers to upward mobility between aspiring minorities and their Caucasian counterparts. Additionally, the strategies employed by currently practicing principals were assessed to determine if the strategies assistant principals intend to employ are the same as the successful ones employed by practicing principals.;The findings of this research indicate that some assistant principals still meet barriers to their ascendancy. Promisingly, this study indicated that barriers based solely on race are minimal. Lack of mentors, lack of sponsors, and exclusion from the ole' boys/girls' network were critical barriers to advancement. Some assistant principals, though, found that their climb has been free from barriers. A holistic approach to career development emerged as the most effective way to overcome the ole' boys/girls' network and get a job as principal.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-202). Also available on the Internet.