The problem of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the self-concept of two groups of ninth-grade students when one group received the services of junior and senior students in a Peer Assistance and Leadership class. The results of the Piers-Harris Children's—Self—Concept Scale were used to determine the difference between the mean self-concept scores of the two groups and also to determine if there was a relationship between the criterion variable of the total self-concept score and eight predictor variables as identified by House Bill 1010: Limited English proficiency, age, school attendance, achievement scores two or more years below grade level in reading and mathematics on a norm-referenced test, failure to master any portion of the Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills, failure in two or more subjects, grade retention, and eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. A total of 105 students, 50 in the experimental group and 55 in the control group, participated. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean self-concept scores of the two groups. The correlation revealed that there were significant differences between self-concept and the variables of mathematics achievement scores, failing grades, and eligibility for free lunch.

This study is participant observational research focused on the culture of one successful alternative education program. The survey of the literature showed that the problem of high school dropouts is one of numbers and persistence over time. Most research in the past attempted to list characteristics of high school dropouts or elements of successful alternative education programs. Researchers such as Wehlage (1986) and Catterall (1987) have begun to look at a different approach. Their work looks at schools as systems and suggests that educators should direct their attention to the interaction of the school environment with the characteristics of the students. This view fits into a body of work that looks at schools and classrooms as microcultures. The work presented here looks at an alternative education program as a microculture and asks "What appears to be the distinguishing microculture created by the participants of Tri City Alternative Program?" The researcher collected data from interviews, observations, student projects and work, staff meetings, and program materials and records. The data were analyzed and organized to find patterns of behavior and interactions and to determine the meaning the participants attached to their interactions. The elements that distinguish the microculture of the alternative education program were divided into the features of the context and the features of the interactions. The elements of the context were described by the physical setting, the daily instructional schedule, and the non-instructional daily schedule. The elements of the interaction were described by clearly stated expectations, staff and student attention to culture, sense of caring and defining competence, and sense of humor. The researcher concludes by proposing three future areas of work. One is to develop a model of synchronization between the context and interactions of educational programs. The second is to complete additional cultural studies of high school dropouts. The last recommendation is to train teachers and students to use participant observational techniques in their classrooms to build their understanding of their own microcultures.

The purpose of this research was twofold. Since e-mentoring is relatively new, there have been very few studies that have explored the impact of an e-mentoring program on both the academic and psychological outcomes of its participants. In addition, there is little research on the quality of implementing, or what we will call the working quality, of an e-mentoring model. This study addressed both. First, the study examined whether or not e-mentoring had an academic and psychological impact on 32 high school students who were at-risk of dropping out of school. The students were enrolled in a GED Exit Option program at two technical centers in a large urban school district in Florida. Each student was matched with a mentor who was a business partner and involved with one or both of the technical centers in an advisory capacity. The students and mentors were randomly matched and never met face-to-face during the program. All of their communication and mentoring was done online using a secure e-mail program. Second, the working quality of the e-mentoring model was addressed. By using the design experiment methodology during the course of the study and examining the quality of each component of the e-mentoring model as it was being implemented, revisions were made as problems were identified during each component of the e-mentoring program. The structured e-mentoring model used was based on a review of the literature and specifically on the research of Single and Muller (1999). The students, mentors, and instructors who participated were co-participants in the design and analysis and provided input using surveys and focus groups at several intervals throughout the e-mentoring program. The design experiment approach was intended to help researchers deal with and learn from events in classrooms where it is impossible to control many variables and where the objective of the research is to refine a system (e.g., an e-mentoring program) or a curriculum. Analysis of the data showed there were no significant differences between the participants and the non-participants in the program as it related to self-esteem, career indecision, attendance, and academic achievement. However, the rich dialogue that occurred throughout the program allowed the researcher to examine the working quality of the program in progress. The modifications and improvements made to the e-mentoring process will provide an excellent foundation for future e-mentoring programs.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine how leadership strategies and practices contribute to student retention and sustained improvement in student graduation rates. The issue of students' success and graduation is important because educational attainment is positively correlated with every single important life outcome, and high school completion is widely regarded as the minimum education qualification needed to be able to earn an adequate income in the labour market (Levin, 2006). The conceptual framework of the study was built on Leithwood's transformational leadership model: setting direction (visions, goals and higher expectations), developing people (individualized support, intellectual stimulation and modeling), and redesigning the organization (culture, structure, policy and community relationships). Nine principals, were interviewed from four zone six Alberta school jurisdictions with significantly larger than provincial average three and five-year completion data, to determine how these formal leaders relate or support leadership strategies and Leithwood's Leadership practices to positively effect retention and graduation. Although many of the factors that impact on educational outcomes lie entirely outside the scope and responsibility of the school system, school leaders can utilize Leithwood's transformational leadership practices to increase the commitment of teachers to boost graduation rates. Leaders can and should seek to engage the support of teachers for this vision for the school and to enhance their capacities to contribute to achieving this goal. In general, leaders need to recognize the multi-faceted nature of the concept of at-risk and its affect on retention and graduation rates, and need to develop broad, multi-faceted prevention strategies and practices. / x, 160 leaves ; 29 cm.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1993. / Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Frank Smith. Dissertation Committee: Ann Lieberman. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-221).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Leadership and Foundations. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Instructional Systems and Workforce Development. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Technology enhancements of the past two decades have not successfully overcome the problem of low motivation in Kindergarten through Grade 12 (K-12). Motivation and math achievement have been identified as major factors contributing to the high school dropout problem (30-50% in traditional/online programs). The impact of extrinsic rewards on achievement and the dropout problem, however, remains a subject of debate. This dissertation seeks first to address this debate, through an investigation of reward system effectiveness in the blended learning environment, on at-risk students with varied intrinsic motivation factor scores. Next, the dissertation explores the importance of fit between students' reward perceptions and reward values when motivating student progress. To this end, the author has developed a new 6-factor motivation orientation model for students in blended learning environments, and a learner-configurable progress-based reward system (PBR) for Learner Content Management Systems (LCMS) based on this model. The hypothesized model was tested for fit with a sample of 353 at-risk high school math students in Miami, Florida. The PBR was developed based upon the findings from interviews with subject matter experts and students, factor and regression analyses used to test hypotheses about learner motivation and predict learner progress. Conclusions from the study informed the design of an integrated PBR. A 6-factor motivation orientation model was found to explain more of the variance (74%) in student motivation than earlier models. Contrary to Deci et al. (1999), hypothesis test results did not confirm adversarial extrinsic rewards/intrinsic motivation relationships. Furthermore, consistent with person-environment fit theory, learners demonstrated superior progress and achievement when extrinsic reward perceptions and values were well aligned. With critical input from flexible learning theorists, teachers, and students, the emerging PBR design may ultimately be integrated through mobile learning applications and social media, within LCMS solutions such as Blackboard, and systems commonly used in K-12, such as Apex. Although beyond the scope of the dissertation, the emerging Web-based design promises to play an important role in engaging a K-12 Community of Practice (CoP), consisting of telecommunications partners, game developers, retailers, and education stakeholders sharing a significant interest in future innovations that address the dropout problem.

School districts are failing to educate all of America's children. Dropout statistics reveal that almost 7,000 students leave our nation's schools everyday. At this rate 1.2 million students will not graduate on time with their prospective classes. The majority of American male students of African descent are dropping out instead of completing high school. When compared to that of their white peers, the dropout rate of American male students of African descent is significantly higher and the graduation rate much lower. This research examines high school dropouts from the perspectives of school-based leaders in a high school located in a city in a large southern school district. Structured interviews, transcribed with member-checks, were conducted with eight school-based leaders. The data in this qualitative study were used to examine their perspectives of American male students of African descent dropping out of their high school. The researcher maintained a reflective research journal to enhance the data analysis. The study found that the perspectives of the eight school-based leaders were influenced by their past histories with these students; their personal and acquired knowledge of these students, their families, and their communities. They were largely uniformed of the dropout rate and their previous history with these students had an impact on their present level of support to these students.

Although school districts in Florida have reported a decrease in the overall dropout rate, the dropout rate among African American males remains higher than it does for any other ethnic group. Guided by Ogbu's oppositional culture theory, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the high dropout rate among African American males and determine some of the social, cultural, educational, and economic elements that may hinder African American males from completing high school. A purposive sample of 10 African American males who dropped out of high school and who were between the ages of 18 and 35 was selected to participate in this study. Thirty open-ended interviews were conducted, and the data were analyzed using an open coding system. Twelve themes emerged that provided evidence of the complex factors associated with dropping out. The major themes included lack of motivation from parents and teachers, disengagement from the educational institution, economic challenges related to poverty, and peer influence. It is recommended that programs and curricula be developed and implemented that would create opportunities to build positive relationships between African American male students and their teachers, parents, and peers. Positive social change could occur with an increase in the graduation rate of African American male students, which would offer a more educated work force for the community.