Pre-tests and post tests were used to assess the effectiveness of an engineering high school unit on experimental design and data driven design. The engineering data acquisition unit examined in this report used project based learning to teach the design of an engineering experiment and data driven design as part of the engineering design process. The project consists of the design of a building that can safely withstand an earthquake. Students construct, test and collect data on baseline buildings, with and without load using a shaker table and data acquisition. Students' then design experiments to evaluate design modifications that will meet the customer's needs. Overall, although the number of participants was limited, the survey instruments indicated that understanding of experimental design improved among high school students participating in the unit. Based on this pilot implementation of survey instruments, some of the survey questions were clarified. / text

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Students’ first year of high school can set them on a trajectory for future success or struggles. The transition experience is a significant part of the first year of high school. Environmental, academic and social issues can pose challenges for which students are not prepared. These hurdles can establish significant deficits early in high school from which it can be difficult to recover. The interventions proposed by current research provide concrete suggestions for current education practitioners that could ease the transition experience of students starting high school. / text

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The purpose of this study was to identify the educational stressors that are the predominant sources of teacher distress and burnout, discover and classify the common and persistent distressful situations in the educational environment, and illustrate a variety of coping strategies that can be practically implemented at the secondary school level. The analyses of data were accomplished through the statistical use of t-tests, one-way analysis of variance tests, and qualitative exposition. The sample consisted of 446 secondary school instructors, selected senior high school and junior high school respondents from five high schools and five junior high schools in the Tucson area. The examination of 54 educational stressors was conducted under the auspices of six research hypotheses which identified the variables on which senior high school teachers and junior high school teachers differed. The independent variables that were investigated were: sex (male and female teachers), teaching experience (0 to 4 years of completed teaching experience, 5 to 9 years of completed teaching experience, 10 to 16 years of completed teaching experience, and 17 to 38 years of completed teaching experience), age (21 go 30 years of age, 31 to 40 years of age, 41 to 50 years of age, and 51 to 67 years of age), marital status (married, single, widowed, divorced, and separated), and types of college degrees (bachelor's, bachelor's plus, master's, and master's plus or doctorate). An additional 63 educational stressors were named by the secondary school participants and listed in the study. For the purpose of this study the researcher developed the Teacher Stress Survey which was given to the 10 Tucson secondary school teaching faculties. The survey consisted of five parts: (1)15 demographic items, (2)54 educational stressors and their degrees of discomfort, (3)common and persistent distressful educational situations in the secondary school environment, (4)the coping strategies used to reduce or dispel the stress in the distressful educational situations and their levels of effectiveness, and (5)more appropriate or better coping strategies that might have been used. Over 70% of the secondary school instructors responded. The immediate crises' situations involving teaching materials and personnel seemed to be more distreeful to junior high teachers than high school teachers whose primary concerns were centered on the school's misuse of power and authority and the teacher's struggle with inadequate salary and unrealistic educational expectations. The 20 educational stressors identified by female teachers involved all areas of the educational spectrum--from paperwork to the future of education--while male teachers evinced concern with the lack of adequate salary and inconsistent educational methods and philosophies. The teachers with the least experience showed the most distress, particularly in the areas of school policy and populace. The teachers with the most experience were concerned about teacher representation, salary, and materials. The oldest teachers had the greatest distress in their lack of control over assignment, salary, and subject matter as well as their feelings of lack of self-esteem through professional stagnation. The marital status of the teachers did have a significant effect derived from their dissatisfaction with salary, the power of the school board and the superintendent, lack of teaching materials, lack of job security, the derogatory public view of education, and the paperwork overload. The teachers with the least amounts of educational preparation had the greatest distress in school policy formulation and ineffective parental support while the secondary school teachers with the advanced degrees were most distressed about the assignment of school duties.

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The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of conflict situations in secondary schools on the role of the secondary principals and the resulting impact the principals had on their own schools. The study examined and assessed changes of the role of the principal during or following periods of intensive student unrest. The research was planned to answer thirteen questions in four areas about the principal; and when the questions were tabulated or scored, they revealed the beliefs of those interviewed concerning the principal's attitude, his relationships, his self-image, his philosophy, his performance, and the nature of student conflict and its effect on the principal's role. Through personal interviews, the investigator collected data from the superintendent, the principal, three teachers, and three students from each of seven midwest secondary schools. The selected student population from each school consisted of an elected student government leader, an influential non-elected student leader who was a liberal or militant, and a non-militant regular high school student. The teacher population included a proadministration veteran; a relatively inexperienced teacher; and a militant, radical or liberal teacher who was anti-administration. From the perceptions of those interviewed about the effect of school conflict on the secondary principal's role, conclusions were drawn and recommendations were made to assist principals yet to face student unrest to better prepare themselves to prevent unrest or to be more effective in dealing with it when it occurs. Review of the data led to the following conclusions: Secondary principals are sincere and are committed to creating an educational climate whereby teachers can teach and students can learn; however, principals are frequently insensitive to signs of student unrest and are not appropriately prepared professionally or psychologically for student confrontation. They visualize their personal and professional relationships with students and teachers as far more effective than teachers and students judge them to be, and principals frequently are satisfied with a reduction in conflict while failing to stimulate and implement meaningful change to permanently reduce the chances for conflict to reoccur. Generally, teachers and principals have little understanding of the behavioral sciences and have had little opportunity for exposure to conflict from dissident students and parents prior to assuming their respective assignments. Further, they have not updated themselves in recent changes in the law and its applications to problems of student conflict. Student conflict has added to the complexity of the principal's responsibilities resulting in severe frustration to principals, teachers, and students due to the enormity of the problems and the principal's lack of skill in identifying solutions. Prior to conflict, students and teachers had viewed their principal as a respected school leader, but this high regard deteriorated as the school was subjected to conflict. Community resources rarely were used by schools to assist in solutions for unrest problems, and principals did not effectively involve staff and students in decision-making. Principals had had little access to recent or instant retrieval of information about their own student body and, thus, made decisions regarding grievances and conflict without having the facts. Principals were unsophisticated in the proper uses of repression to control unrest and were also unsophisticated in the necessary methods such as compromise, negotiation, and collaboration to avoid repression techniques. Principals recently have not viewed their role as an enjoyable one due to the additional responsibilities related to student unrest; they see the extra effort, additional pressures, and greater demand on their time as excessive and physically and emotionally exhausting.