Teacher evaluation systems have served to remove ineffective teachers and support teacher professional development. Even with changes in evaluation systems that incorporated student-growth measures, teacher evaluation systems are more likely to serve for teacher development than teacher removal. This qualitative study focused on teacher perceptions of one school’s evaluation components in supporting teacher professional growth and student learning. The study broke the teachers into career level experience groups of novice, early career, and experienced. The required district/state evaluation components of goal conferences, classroom observations, and student-growth measures were selected for the study. The study also looked at the school practice of teacher-reflection in the evaluation system. Twenty-one teachers participated in focus group interviews designed to understand how teachers use goal-setting conferences, classroom observations, student-growth measures, and teacher reflection. Focus groups were designed to protect teacher anonymity and reduce bias in the study. The results revealed differences in how teachers value the evaluation components based on the teacher’s experience level. At times teachers questioned the value of the evaluation system, goal meetings, classroom observations, and student-growth measures, yet teachers understood the need for the components in evaluations. Teachers requested more frequent observations and opportunities to review goals and professional practices. They also wanted fidelity in the evaluator the tools for the evaluation. Perceptual data identified teacher reflection emerged as the most influential component in improving teacher practices.

Research shows that providing teacher leadership opportunities has a positive influence on the capacity building of teachers and is an effective strategy to retain effective teacher leaders. Current reform efforts include creating sustainable career pathways that provide teachers the opportunity to grow professionally while leading from the classroom. However, present trends depict low returns on investment from professional learning programs resulting in reduced funding. The purpose of this study was to determine if Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) human capital investment approach in the M-DCPS Teacher LEADership Academy (TLA) strengthens the capacity of teacher leaders to lead professional learning while retaining them in the classroom. An Innovation Configuration Map was used to determine fidelity of implementation to purposively select the study sample. Building administrators, teacher leaders, and teachers from the selected schools completed a nine question Likert scale survey to determine their perceptions regarding the value of the academy. Using semi-structured focus groups, data were also gathered regarding the capacity of teacher leaders to lead professional learning and the impact of the M-DCPS TLA on their decision to lead from the classroom. The findings from the study support and extend the literature on best practices in human capital development regarding teacher leaders who can support and influence teaching and learning for their colleagues through greater involvement in school leadership. We recommend that school districts make an investment in formalizing teacher leader roles that foster collaborative, job-embedded professional learning that is sustained over time to impact teaching and learning.

Many scholars believe that school improvement and school climate are important aspects in student learning and achievement. This study takes a strengths-based approach to school improvement as well as improving school climate. The Appreciative Inquiry action research method was used to help develop a school improvement plan and attempt to improve school climate at a rural elementary school. The Appreciative Inquiry process uses the 5-D cycle of Define, Discover, Dream, Design and Deploy to help organizations look at how and in what areas the organization is thriving in to help in areas where they are looking for better results. Data were generated from two main stakeholder groups that participated in this study: parents and faculty and staff. The data were gathered at the end of the Appreciative Inquiry process by examining what the design teams created in their groups based on the major themes reveled in the form of Provocative Propositions/Possibility Statements, Commitments, Offers and Requests and then compared to a template to see if what they created aligned with what the state said qualified as a school improvement plan. The stakeholders also participated in filling out a reflection survey at the end of the Appreciative Inquiry process to determine if the Appreciative Inquiry process had a positive effect on the school. The results found in the data were positive as they related to both helping develop a school improvement plan and having a positive effect on the school climate.

The achievement gap between school-age boys and girls is creating and adding to multiple contemporary cultural issues where underachieving boys have shown statistical links to decreasing workforce outputs, college enrollment and graduation, violence, and increasing prison populations. Current research suggests that single-sex classrooms contribute to larger gains in both mathematics and reading than co-educational classes for both boys and girls. This exploratory program evaluation used a qualitative design to examine the process of implementation in a single-sex academic high school environment. Teachers with experience in single-sex schools were interviewed to identify perceptions and differentiated teaching methods/strategies. Findings did not fully support the program theory. Classroom observations suggest that teachers employ very few gender-specific strategies during classroom instruction, and in cases where they exist, they are not viewed by teachers as gender-specific. Teachers who were found to use gender-specific strategies but primarily relied on their experiences rather than research on the subject. Additionally, the strategies were not consistently applied throughout the classroom observational periods. The findings suggest a relative lack of awareness and implementation of these strategies in this educational setting. Strategies and educational environments that contribute to increased performance for boys, particularly those that engage them in activities related to spatial relationships, literacy skills, hands-on learning in a safe yet structured learning environment, will ensure their readiness for today's workforce leading to more productive contributors to a global society.

This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.

This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.

This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.

Using a combination of the quantitative and qualitative, a peer tutoring program at a secondary governor's school was analyzed between fall of 2015 to spring of 2019 for efficacy with respect to how participation influenced changes in tutees' quarter scores, when the optimal time to offer peer tutoring would be, and what participants identified as the primary benefits and barriers to attending. Peer tutoring was offered both after school and during lunch during this investigation, and yielded many interesting results. First, peer tutoring was found to have no significant influence overall upon change upon participants' quarter scores compared to a control, and in a highly unusual result was even found to have a negative influence upon tutees' quarter scores under certain circumstances. Second, participants attended during certain times and days more reliably than others, though overall attendance was highly vulnerable to academic and activity conflicts. Third, tutors' motivation to offer support tended to be altruistic in nature, whereas tutees' motivation was to receive academic support. Last, participants identified activity conflicts as a significant barrier to attending peer tutoring, and mixed results were found about the influence of lacking transportation as a challenge for attendance.

This dissertation explored a growing concern - the lack of retention of early career teachers (ECTs). We investigated the perceptions of a large sample of ECTs regarding how principal support and job satisfaction affects their decisions to remain in or leave the field of education. We employed an exploratory mixed approach based on a framework derived from DiPaola's (2012) work on principal support. Three surveys collected ECTs' perceptions of principal support, job satisfaction, and their intention to remain in teaching. A series of semi-structured focus group interviews were also used to collect data from ECTs across four school-level configurations in both high and low socioeconomic school settings. Findings revealed ECTs' preferences of different kinds of support from their principals. Although preferences for support did not vary among ECT in different grade level school configurations, there were significant differences in preferences of the kinds of support between teachers in schools with high socioeconomic characteristics versus those in low socioeconomic schools. Strong positive correlations were found between ECT's perceptions of support and their job satisfaction. High levels of ECT's job satisfaction were found to be significant indicators of their intention to remain in the teaching profession. Additionally, principal perceptions of how they support their ECT were compared to the actual perceptions of ECTs. Findings indicate that school socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on perceptions, teachers value different types of support based on school configuration, and principals and teachers have similar perceptions. The study recommends a differentiated approach to principal support based on socioeconomic factors and, to a limited degree, school performance.

Teachers play a critical role when it comes to impacting student achievement. As a result, quality of teachers is an issue that is being addressed through continuing professional development. Even with this emphasis, current professional development is perceived by teachers as being ineffective and lacking in relevance to student and teacher needs. However, research-based professional development practices do exist, and this study sought to explore which of these features teachers perceive to be effective within the learning experiences of lesson study, book study, and peer observations. Additionally, self-efficacy can affect teacher impact on student achievement. Four sources of efficacy contribute to feelings of confidence and can be embedded within professional development activities. Two research questions were asked in this study: Do teachers perceive lesson study, peer observations, and book study as effective forms of professional development? What are teacher perceptions of their own self-efficacy following an academic year of professional development? This qualitative study used interviews, focus group meetings, teacher journals, and field notes to answer the questions after teachers engaged in an action research cycle that included a professional development activity of their choosing. Results revealed that teachers find value in learning that includes ongoing time to learn, meaningful collaboration with peers, and teacher choice. Teachers also benefit from the self-efficacy sources of mastery experience and emotional arousal. Recommendations of this study include protecting time for teacher learning and linking it to teacher evaluation and providing teachers with opportunism to experience sources of efficacy within their learning activities.