<p> This position paper explores whether the current model of governance of public education is antiquated and in need of change. At present, the issue has not been included in any discussions regarding public education reform. Local boards of education are becoming obsolete due to federal and state mandates. School reform efforts have ignored the local governance factor, instead focusing on state-implemented curricula tied to federal funding. The literature shows us that local school boards focus on administrative issues and micromanagement which, along with such distractions as nepotism and &ldquo;unholy alliances&rdquo; with unions, indicates a need for change. However, the democratic foundation of our government makes it hard for legislators to implement a change that would be perceived as an attack on these basic principles. This position paper puts forth suggestions to these and other concerns related to local public education governance.</p>

<p> This applied dissertation was designed to provide a better understanding of the effectiveness of out-of-class safety net corrective instructional activity practices conducted beyond regular classroom instruction for lower secondary level (9th- and 10th- grade high school) students within mastery learning educational environments. The study was designed to shed light on the impact and implications of these practices on Bloom&rsquo;s vanishing point (Bloom, 1971) and Arlin&rsquo;s leveling effect (Arlin &amp; Westbury, 1976). Seven mastery learning structured international schools in geographic proximity, of similar size, and utilizing the same program of study were used in this study. Three of the schools that employed a safety net program were the basis of this study, and the four schools that did not have in place a safety net program were used as a control for this observational research. </p><p> Normed Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) RIT scores (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2005), grade point averages, and safety net program data were used in a series of case-control tests to determine the effectiveness of out-of-class corrective instructional activity safety net programs for above-average and below-average achieving students. The mean study and control group RIT percentile ranking scores for the students was nearly 1 standard deviation above the averages reported by the Northwest Evaluation Association (2005), so these relative comparisons involved bright students. This large volume of data enabled analysis of the effects of out-of-class safety net activities on school-wide and individual improvement in literature, writing, mathematics, and comprehensive results. </p><p> Series of conclusive nonparametric analysis were used instead of normal distribution tests because of the out-of-bounds skewed nature of the data. Analysis of the data suggested that safety netting programs benefit all students, irrespective of whether or not students received out-of-class corrective instructional activities. The MAP RIT scores of below- average achieving students were not affected by attending a school with a safety net program but their GPA results improved in all subjects. Arlin&rsquo;s leveling effect (Arlin &amp; Westbury, 1976) most likely accounted for improvement of MAP RIT scores for above- average students who attended a school with a safety net program but their GPA results were not affected. These contrasting benefits masked the school-wide test results, which suggested that a school district might not realize an overall increase in MAP RIT and GPA results when adopting a safety net program. Students identified in need of safety netting services benefited by having been placed in the program up to twice in any respective course, but a point of diminishing returns was reached when a student fell 3 or more units behind in a course in relation to the progress of the class.</p>

<p> Many culturally responsive theorists support culturally responsive pedagogy for closing the achievement gap in the rapidly changing demographics of America&rsquo;s education system. The purpose of this case study was to examine stakeholders&rsquo; perceptions and practice of culturally responsive pedagogy in St. Andrew Academy (pseudonym), a Catholic NativityMiguel school located in a Midwest metropolitan area. The goals were: (a) to examine middle school teachers&rsquo; and the principal&rsquo;s perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy and extent of culturally responsive teaching implemented in the school, (b) to examine how parents perceived culturally responsive caring relationships with teachers and the principal, and (c) to examine the degree to which St. Andrew Academy demonstrated culturally responsiveness in staff meetings, professional development training, parent-teacher conferences, and school social events.</p><p> The results of this study revealed that middle school teachers and the school principal were unanimous in their lack of comprehension and practice of culturally responsive pedagogy. The teachers in their response indicated that they did not receive adequate professional development or training consistent with culturally responsive teaching. The principal in his response indicated that he was in fact a culturally responsive leader but argued that his staff did not understand culturally responsive pedagogical procedures. The survey results indicated that parents were unanimous in their perception that the teachers and the principal of St Andrew Academy provided a positive caring school environment. The results also suggested that the parents at St. Andrew Academy had a passive versus collaborative role in participating and making decisions about their children&rsquo;s education. The results of the study showed that staff at St. Andrew Academy lacked the ability to communicate verbally with most parents because of their inability to speak the Spanish language.</p><p> This study offered a number of recommendations. The results showed that St. Andrew Academy could make the following improvements: (a) challenging social inequalities by examining their own bias and prejudice (b) undergoing a process of learning about and embracing all the cultures represented in their school, (c) providing true academic diversity in their teaching strategies and school environment, (d) implementing well-designed culturally responsive professional development training and (e) taking the initiative to improve the practice of culturally responsive pedagogy through partnership with parents, the school staff and culturally responsive stakeholders. It is the administrator&rsquo;s responsibility to challenge all school staff to embrace culturally responsive pedagogy in order to enrich academic success for every student.</p>

<p> As with traditional healthcare providers, emotional-social intelligence (ESI) plays a role in the holistic practitioner-client relationship. It is important to determine if students in holistic healthcare programs increase their ESI, and subsequently better serve their clients. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine if online education can develop students&rsquo; ESI at levels similar to that of traditional programs. This study is based on the theory of ESI and transformative learning theory. The sample consisted of 95 students in an online program and 61 in a traditional program. Multiple linear regression, ANCOVA, and Pearson Correlation&rsquo;s were used to explore the relationships between the independent variables professional standing, program delivery method, program progress, and number of classes with elements consistent with transformative learning theory, and the dependent variable emotional-social intelligence, as measured by the EQ-i 2.0 survey. The results of the study revealed no significant differences in the development of ESI between online and traditional methodologies, except within the self-expression category, for which online was higher. The number of transformative classes taken had no effect on the dependent variable. The positive social change implications of this study include a better understanding of the development of ESI for holistic healthcare, which could lead to a greater potential for success, as well as being better able to contribute to the stability of their communities through meeting the needs of those seeking their services. In addition, determining the relationship between transformative theories of learning and ESI development may assist in creating courses better suited to increasing students&rsquo; ESI.</p>

<p> The secularization of the academy thesis refers to the phenomenon of Protestant colleges and universities starting out as identifiable religious institutions of education now being places hostile, not only to Christianity, but religion in general. This has raised much discussion among leaders, faculty members, and students of religious educational institutions as to what is and what constitutes the identity of their respective institutions. It is in this context that we witness the rise in the establishment of Islamic schools in the North America. This context has generated many questions from the various stakeholders on the question of what the term &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes in Islamic education and Islamic schools. There have been two general approaches to answering this question: a universalist approach, which seeks to identify the most basic element of what &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes in concepts such as sacredness and God&rsquo;s oneness, and a particularist approach, for which &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes whatever a particular school holds it to be. </p><p> This dissertation argues that both of these approaches do not adequately prevent that trajectory of secularization as evidenced in the increasing sociological emphasis in Islamic schools&rsquo; mission and vision statement. It is argued that education should be viewed as the practice self-cultivation. It is in the self an educational institution seeks to cultivate where its identity resides. The dissertation seeks to answer the question of what the term &lsquo;Islamic&rsquo; denotes by looking at the self Islamic education seeks to cultivate. To this end, the highest good of Islamic education is developed by examining the work <i> Tadhkirat al-s&amacr;mi&lsquo; wa-l-mutakallim f&imacr; &amacr;d&amacr;b l-&lsquo;&amacr;lim wa-l-muta&lsquo;&amacr;llim</i> (A Monograph for the Auditor and the Lecturer on the &amacr;d&amacr;b of the Teacher and the Student) by the Mamluk era educationalist, Badr al-D&imacr;n Ibn Jam&amacr;&lsquo;ah (d. 733/1333). It will be argued that according to Ibn Jam&amacr;&lsquo;ah, the highest good of Islamic education is to cultivate a soul that possesses adab.</p><p> Through identifying the self Ibn Jam&amacr;&lsquo;ah sees as the highest good of Islamic education, this study seeks to contribute to and extend the conversation of the identity of Islamic educational institutions in North America by retrieving the work of educationalist in the Islamic tradition. </p><p>

<p> Researchers have stressed the importance of addressing the social/emotional needs of early childhood (EC) children, including the development of resilience; however, some U.S. school personnel focus more on academics than on these needs. When young children possess these skills, they can handle social/emotional challenges later in life. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to explore school social workers&rsquo; (SWs) perspectives about resilience in EC settings. Research questions focused on knowledge of existing programs, participants&rsquo; perceptions of the successes and challenges of working with EC students, and their recommendations to improve EC students&rsquo; education. Bronfenbrenner&rsquo;s ecological systems theory and O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s and Gopnik&rsquo;s work on needs of young children informed this study. Five elementary school SWs with at least 6 years&rsquo; experience from 5 districts in the U.S. Midwest participated in 2 semistructured individual interviews. Interpretive phenomenological analysis, involving first-cycle, transition, and second cycle coding, was used to identify themes. SWs&rsquo; experiences indicated a need for a clear definition of resilience, and needs of young children, including EC programs that develop psychological resilience of children&rsquo;s thoughts and an increase in adults to promote resilience. Additional research may expand and enhance educators&rsquo; and families&rsquo; understanding of resilience and help develop research-based preventive programs and strategies to foster psychological resilience in young children. These endeavors may enhance positive social change by adding components of psychological resilience to EC programs for school personnel and students and in parent/family workshops, which may result in sound mental health practices that enable them to become productive members of society.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to understand teacher perceptions of learning community principles, practices, and processes at Highland High School, and to determine if teacher practices had changed due to the LC framework. The study also explored teacher perceptions towards creating a more engaging and effective LC that extends beyond current practices. This mixed-methods action research study blended quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis through a faculty survey, teacher interviews, and document collection at an Illinois high school. Study results conclude: (1) teachers perceived time, support, and vision as fundamental, (2) faculty worked together to teach, learn, and share, (3) faculty viewed the LC as a top-down initiative when driven by educational mandates and reforms, which restricts shared leadership, decision-making, and teacher autonomy, (4) student engaged learning is perceived as a focal point within the LC, (5) teachers perceived professional development opportunities as necessary, and (6) teachers perceived climate and culture as important in the LC. Most teachers felt the LC framework generally supported LC practices and principles that encouraged change and action, although some indicated a focus on mandates was problematic. Study implications suggest a LC framework may be more likely to improve teaching, learning, and professional practices when it contains time for faculty to work, a clearly defined vision, cross-curricular collaboration, tri-level engagement, and shared and distributed leadership practices that empower faculty to make decisions. </p>

<p> Using two case studies this dissertation project examined teacher perceptions of the six essential criteria required for an effective Professional Learning Community (PLC) model: shared vision and goals, collective responsibility, authentic assessment, self-directed reflection, stable setting, and strong school-level administrative support. Specifically, the following three questions were answered in these studies: </p><p> 1. How do teachers within the professional learning community perceive their community? 2. How effective do teachers perceive the professional learning community when all six of the Essential PLC Criteria are implemented? 3. Is there an increase in students passing their English-Language Arts and mathematics requirements? In graduating from high school ready for career or college? </p><p> Representative of two urban schools, these studies presented data from teacher surveys, observations, and interviews &ndash; as well as federal, state, and local education agency data &ndash; to explore how professional learning communities support student performance. The data showed increases in student achievement in English Language Arts and mathematics, and in graduation rates of high school students after the adoption of the Professional Leaning Community Model.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze the stories shared by superintendents in a Midwestern state about how they approached the work of developing more equitable learning environments for Black students. The study examined the dispositions of the superintendents, the actions taken by the superintendents in each school district, and the influence of the district environment on the superintendents&rsquo; ability to carry out their work. A qualitative, multiple case study approach was used to conduct interviews and gather public documents and data from eight superintendents working in academically high performing, suburban school districts. The findings revealed that the eight superintendents possessed dispositions in alignment with the teachers and leaders identified in the research and literature on Culturally Relevant Practices. The superintendents&rsquo; actions focused on increased engagement with Black families, challenging the status quo in the educational system, and educating teachers, students and community members on Culturally Relevant Practices. The political climate of the district and issues of White Privilege factored the superintendents&rsquo; ability to carry out the work of creating equitable learning environments for Black students. Future studies should consider the examination of superintendent preparation programs as it relates to the development of culturally relevant dispositions and actions and the interactions between superintendents leading work around equity and their relationships with their school board and community members.</p>

<p> This multi-modal dissertation examines the historical hegemonic making of U.S. education, and how compulsory schooling has framed acceptable notions of culture, language/literacy, and knowledge production. Through this criticism of colonization and education, theoretical and practical alternatives are explored for the opportunities outside mainstream schooling in the US. In examining the literary work on decolonizing education, these efforts can engage in unlearning of coloniality by finding examples from a time before colonization. In contemporary society, the practice of de/unschooling can hold the possibilities for decolonizing education. To demonstrate how families of color in the U.S. engage with unschooling, interview questions serve as the sharing of knowledge and experience so as to ground the research in lived reality. A brief survey of critical education and critical pedagogy broadens those already critical of schools and/or receptive to the criticism of schools and the un/deschooling alternative then places student and family/community as the center of learning and teaching.</p>