<p> This qualitative study was conducted to understand the use and impact of the Texas Principal Evaluation and Support System (T-PESS) as a leadership framework and determine if patterns in leadership activities and behaviors could be observed and identified. Observations and interviews were conducted with four principal evaluators and four principals in four Texas school districts. Using constant comparative data analysis, results from observations and interviews were aligned to the research questions to discover emerging themes. Themes from the data included the consistency in the use and implementation of the T-PESS process by participants as well as the influence of principal evaluator feedback to principals and how it shapes behaviors of principals. Principal evaluators and principals interviewed in this study were consistent in their responses regarding steps used in the T-PESS process and could clearly articulate how the system is being implemented. Evidence from this study also finds that principals place value on feedback from their principal evaluators and principals adapt behaviors when given face-to-face feedback. An implication of the study for school districts is the importance of professional development for both principal evaluators and principals and the need for continuous learning and collaboration.</p><p>

<p> Schools with similar demographics have varying school performance; these differences exist among schools across Western Pennsylvania. Questions remain as to why some schools perform at higher levels than other schools in similar regions. Some researchers posit that leadership practices in different schools may influence student learning and school performance. </p><p> The purpose of this study was to research the relationship between teachers&rsquo; and principals&rsquo; beliefs about the extent to which leadership practices influence school performance for high-, low-, and middle-level performing schools. This study examined how leadership practices are perceived by teachers and principals to influence school performance. </p><p> The beliefs of teachers and principals in regard to leadership behaviors were not assumed to reflect documented leadership behaviors within their schools. Teachers&rsquo; and principals&rsquo; perceptions about the extent to which they believe particular leadership practices influence school performance were collected and analyzed. Teachers and principals were asked to complete a survey to rate how much they believe certain leadership practices influence school performance. The results of the teachers&rsquo; and principals&rsquo; perceptions of leadership practices for how those leadership practices influence school performance were correlated to School Performance Profiles to see if relationships exist. Similarities as well as differences among higher, middle, and lower performing schools were also examined. </p><p> The results of this study do not determine causation, but the information gathered does reveal that differences and relationships exist between teachers and principals in terms of how much they believe certain leadership practices influence school performance. Principals tend to see challenging teachers&rsquo; past beliefs about their work and assumptions about students as a more influential leadership practice concerning school performance. <i>Treating teachers as individuals with unique needs and areas of expertise</i> is associated with higher performing schools, and <i>Communicating a shared vision with excitement about what can be accomplished through team work</i> is associated with lower performing schools. While both teachers and principals feel that Providing Individual Support is important, only principals believe that Building Vision is important. The results of this study lead to the conclusion that school leaders cannot focus on building vision alone if they wish to improve the school performance; they must provide teachers with the necessary support they need to gain confidence in their ability to reach the goals within the vision.</p><p>

<p> Cognitive variables have been the primary indicator of academic and professional success used to process degree applications in many admissions departments. Cognitive variables are numerically based markers such as grade point average and test scores. Although cognitive variables are essential in determining qualified candidates in graduate programs, noncognitive variables provide significant additional information about a candidate, such as motivation, strength of character, interpersonal skills, and field experience. This qualitative research study examines (a) the use of noncognitive variables in holistic admissions processes to predict academic and professional success of selected candidates in graduate teaching credential programs offered in private educational institutions in the state of California, and (b) the extent to which admissions administrators and decision-makers utilize holistic non-cognitive criteria to assess their applicants.</p><p>

<p> International Academy of South East Asia (IASEA) is a preschool - grade 12 independent, non- profit international school with the vision of being a world leader in education cultivating exceptional thinkers prepared for the future. The school has determined that personalized learning is a pathway to the achievement of the vision. A personalized approach results in more growth for each student, nurturing and challenging in order to maximize potential. Given that teacher actions are the most significant factor in student achievement, it is critical to examine professional learning for faculty with the same rationale. The purpose of this study was to conduct a gap analysis using the Clark And Estes (2008) model to examine the knowledge, motivation and organizational (KMO) influences that impact IASEA's ability to effectively implement personalized professional learning. An outcome of this study is a plan for how IASEA may best implement personalized learning for its faculty. The study explored barriers to achieving the goal of implementation and then proposed solutions. The methodological framework used was that of a qualitative case study with descriptive statistics. Data collection to inform the gaps was in the form of documentation analysis, focus group and individual interviews, and surveys. The study population consisted of representative faculty and administrators and the subsequent data analysis sought to validate assumed influences as knowledge, motivation and organization barriers and inform possible solutions. Proposed solutions for these barriers included strategic targeted deployment of instructional coaches, tools for the existing Professional Learning Community (PLC) teams to utilize to measure effectiveness, and the implementation of a schoolwide system of micro-credentials designed to support personalized professional learning.</p><p>

<p> There is a long history of calls to &ldquo;personalize&rdquo; education &ndash; (by which will be meant, in this study, to adaptively generate goals and plans for individual students, based on various kinds of information about those students). Calls for such personalization have perhaps increased with the rise of personalizing information technologies. However, planning and managing a schools&rsquo; worth of personalized learning plans is a demanding, novel task. As many scholars have pointed out, it is a task which requires changes to the very design of the school organization itself. Despite recognition of the need for innovative designs to support personalized education, there is little concrete design guidance for would-be designers of personalized educational programs. Indeed, the literature lacks detailed, descriptive examples of extant functioning designs in personalizing schools&mdash;much less any guidance about which types of designs work better than others. This qualitative multiple-case study investigates three high schools, each having several nontraditional processes and systems for creating and carrying out personalized plans for learning. With a conceptual framework informed by Sharp and McDermott&rsquo;s concept of an organizational process, and Alter&rsquo;s taxonomy of entities in organizational &ldquo;work systems,&rdquo; this study attempts to discover and describe patterns in nontraditional organizational designs in three American public high schools. These descriptions aim, ultimately, at establishing a basis for future productive comparison among such designs for personalizing education.</p><p>

<p> The study explored current site principals&rsquo; feedback practices that support or hinder teachers&rsquo; implementation of feedback, and identified site principal&rsquo;s practices that encourage or interfere with teacher&rsquo;s self-efficacy. Using qualitative interviews with site principals and teachers from two different districts and three different school sites, the study analyzed two major leadership practices: (a) an administrator&rsquo;s ability to communicate effectively with teachers before, during, and after the feedback process, and (b) an administrator&rsquo;s use of emotional intelligence when providing feedback. Data were separated into four feedback types (positive feedback, negative feedback, feedback and feedforward) and emotional intelligence traits (self-regulation, self-aware, empathy, social skills, and motivation). Comparative analyses were conducted amongst teachers at the same site to explore patterns and insights within and across sites. The results of this study indicated that site principals primarily provided positive feedback and positive feedforward and exuded some of the emotional intelligence traits when providing instructional feedback to teachers. Teachers also wanted their site principals in their classrooms giving instructional feedback more often and believed that the way in which their principal gave them feedback mattered. These findings suggest that collaborative opportunities with site principals on how to provide feedback to teachers more often is essential. Furthermore, principals should receive additional professional development opportunities targeting emotional intelligence and feedback types.</p><p>

<p> There is a high demand to incorporate technology into schools. Technology has infiltrated our society, and principals must learn to leverage technology to enhance learning while preparing students for a digital world. This case study examined principal leadership during a technology implementation in four public schools. The research was designed to investigate which specific actions principals take to promote technology in a school setting. McRel&rsquo;s change management process was used as a theoretical framework in which to view the leadership of the participants. Methodology for the study included qualitative interviews and observations. A quantitative survey was used to run a Principal Component Analysis. Findings indicate that principals who strategically create a vision, provide resources, develop strong lines of communication, and systematically manage the change process, develop supportive cultures that promote innovation, and student-centered learning. Factors that support technology included managing change and communicating with stakeholders. This study identified five leadership responsibilities which, when used in conjunction with McRel&rsquo;s second-order change process, enhanced a principal&rsquo;s effectiveness. Findings would indicate that strategic leadership, paired with a change management framework, can increase a principal&rsquo;s efficacy in implementing technology to promote a student-centered learning environment.</p><p>

<p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this case study was to determine the impact of utilizing predictive modeling to improve successful course completion rates for at-risk students at California community colleges. A secondary purpose of the study was to identify factors of predictive modeling that have the most importance for improving successful course completion rates for at-risk students as perceived by California community college administrators.</p><p> <b>Methodology:</b> This case study identified specific administrators at five community colleges within two California community college districts using predictive modeling to improve successful course completion rates. Participants were chosen based on specific criteria. The study was designed to collect data through interviews, documents and archival sources to answer the research questions.</p><p> <b>Findings:</b> These findings were identified as impacts: (1) no discernable improvement in course completion rates; (2) student contact, (3) timely intervention strategies; (4) identify and monitor students; (5) sufficient support services; (6) successful completions and retentions to achieve educational goal; and (7) institutional metrics and reporting. The findings identified as important factors were: (1) planning and strategy; (2) communication and training; (3) resources; (4) outcomes; and (5) inclusion. </p><p> <b>Conclusions:</b> It is too early to determine any impact on successful course completion rates by using predictive modeling software. A diverse population of stakeholders must jointly determine the outcomes desired from and identify the data needed to accurately analyze and model predictions. These data streams allow policy decisions to start with data. Predictive modeling software is a tool to identify students for timely and specific interventions. Increasing a student&rsquo;s sense of belonging, engagement, and awareness is important to successful course completions. Administrators need assistance with and exposure to data analytics and predictive modeling to establish a data-driven decision-making culture. A culture of continuous review and improvement of the predictive models should be established.</p><p> <b>Recommendations:</b> Provide administrators and other personnel with professional-development learning activities related to using data to inform policy and procedures that encourage student engagement, strategies for student success, and a cycle of continuous review and improvement. </p><p>

<p> The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a correlation exists between teacher dispositions, grounded in Perceptual Psychology, and student results on the Kentucky Student Voice Survey (KSVS), a 25-question survey adapted from Cambridge Education&rsquo;s Tripod survey. A correlation was found between teacher dispositions and KSVS question number 25 which states &ldquo;my teacher gives us time to explain our ideas.&rdquo; Except for this question, no correlation was found between teacher dispositions and KSVS results. </p><p>

<p> This three-article dissertation contains three approaches to the topic of professional learning communities and their impact on student achievement. Article I is a synthesis of the literature related to the purpose of professional learning communities. Implications in educational settings are also presented in this article. The context of the review acknowledges the role of constructivism as the theoretical basis for the participation of teachers in professional learning communities, and highlights the significance of the problem. Article II describes a qualitative case study which explores data collected from teachers (via survey, N=35) and administrators (via in-person interviews, N=3) about the implementation and impact of a professional learning community at an underperforming school. Article III provides a training manual that may be utilized to revise and expand a pilot model of professional learning communities in an elementary school.</p><p>