<p> In an age of accountability, schools worked harder than ever to standardize and measure their curriculum, instruction, and assessment to improve student learning. Yet, despite all the efforts made to increase the rigor and the learning of students to compete in the workplaces of the twenty-first century; the gap of career readiness seems to have gotten wider (DeYoung, 1989). The problem is students graduating from high school today in America are not adequately prepared to enter the work force without additional training. This is a serious problem for employers, as well as, a challenge to hire competent employees to compete in a global economy.</p><p> The researchers read books, articles, and journals to identify what skills employers considered employability skills and deemed essential and critical for workplace success. The literature provided foundational knowledge of the types of skills educators deemed essential and important for work readiness. The researchers analyzed which skills employers needed graduates to possess and what was being done in Kansas City area high schools to ensure students graduate ready for employment; in particular, the acquisition of applied skills and academic skills. This was accomplished by surveying high school principals and conducting interviews with district leaders in the Kansas City area. Graduates need more skills, in particular, applied skills to be successful in the workplace and employers need more skilled employees to compete in a domestic and global economy; both entities look to the American high school for the pre-employment training needed to be successful in the 21st century. The research literature was clear: graduates need more applied skills: critical thinking, the ability to collaborate, and communication skills emerged as the most important. To this end it is recommended that: Schools should provide more the rigor and the relevance in the instructional opportunities students experience in school; establish a credible work readiness credential for high school graduates; provide more access to pre-career opportunities for more students to differentiate and customize an educational experience to meet their individual needs; increase career awareness and an individualized plan of study for each student; and adjust diploma requirements for high school graduation to require credits in applied skills.</p><p>

<p> Turnover in intercollegiate athletics leadership often results in an interim director of athletics appointment, which is a quick solution to fill a gap in leadership until a permanent successor can be named. Not only is interim leadership a convenient option for the institution, it can also provide an individual the opportunity to serve in a senior leadership position that may otherwise be difficult to obtain. Although there are many advantages to serving as an interim director of athletics, those who serve in the role are also faced with a number of challenges that have implications to the individual and institution during the temporary appointment. </p><p> This dissertation captured the experiences of interim National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) directors of athletics. Through the use of qualitative interviews, the dissertation explored and described the perceived benefits, challenges, and institutional support experienced by fifteen participants who had served and completed their appointment as an interim NCAA director of athletics. Bridges&rsquo; (2004) Transition Theory Model, and the Human Resource Frame of Bolman and Deal&rsquo;s (2013) Organizational Reframing Model provided the conceptual framework to analyze the data of this study. </p><p> The study found that participants experienced change that triggered their transition into the interim director of athletics role causing them to let go of an old identity with which they were familiar. Participants also experienced varying degrees of unfamiliarity as they adapted to new job tasks, experienced increased workloads, and managed new and old relationships. Ultimately, participants experienced acceptance of their role as interim by building the confidence and skills needed to be successful before they transitioned out of the interim director of athletics position into their next role. </p><p> Recommendations for policy include the need to develop NCAA and institutional guidelines to provide a go to guide in how to efficiently and effectively support an interim director of athletics. Practice recommendations include the implementation of procedures that encourage professional learning and growth opportunities. Finally, future research should examine employment trends and provide different perspectives on the experiences of interim NCAA directors of athletics, such as gender and race differences, family dynamics, and staff perception.</p>

Where cross-cultural encounters are often part of daily life in business and social contexts cultural intelligence has become a necessity for our times. This is especially true in a culturally diverse South Africa where it is expected of a leader to competently influence followers coming from a multicultural milieu through exercising multidimensional cultural intelligence capabilities. The purpose of this research is to create useful knowledge in the cultural intelligence discipline to be able to make recommendations to business in terms of training requirements and selection criteria for employment. This is achieved by identifying and comparing cultural intelligence differences between African black and white South African leaders. An online self-evaluation cultural intelligence survey was distributed to South Africans by utilising the snowball sampling methodology which resulted in a total of 420 fully completed questionnaire responses within the research boundaries. Statistical analysis of the data reveals a superior self-perceived cultural intelligence of black South African leaders. The knowledge gained from this research project, puts South Africa in a position to be a benchmark for other countries in future research that will contribute to indispensable knowledge creation in a world where globalisation is no longer a myth, but a stark reality. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

We are in the midst of a crisis of confidence in the leadership spearheading many of our domestic and global institutions. The global financial crisis, the credit crunch, mass retrenchments and worldwide recession have all contributed to a growing disenchantment with leadership in organisations and governments. Spiritual leadership seeks to create a new paradigm for leadership, one that is capable of addressing the daunting challenge ahead. This exploratory study applies the paradigm of qualitative inquiry and the long interview research method due to the relative ambiguity, mutual simultaneous shaping of factors and the imperative to understand the context of spirituality and leadership in corporate South Africa. The conclusion offers implications for practice and academia and suggests that spirituality and spiritual leadership already plays a vital if unacknowledged role in organisations the efficacy and value of which can be improved substantially if purposefully practiced and developed. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

A considerable number of small and medium sized businesses in South Africa do not make it past the growth phase of the business life cycle due to failure to adequately address the requirements of this demanding phase. Certain inappropriate leadership behaviours have been known to lead to business failure when not properly addressed. The purpose of this study was to determine the salient attributes required for effective leadership in the growth phase of small and medium-sized businesses. A qualitative research approach was carried out and data was sourced using indepth interviews conducted with ten small and medium sized business owners. The results confirm that in the growth phase of a small and medium-sized business there are several developmental characteristics that require specific leadership intervention. The results also reveal that there is a dominant leadership style and specific follower attributes that are desirable at the growth phase of SMEs which lead to effective leadership. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Organisation Behaviour))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

<p>Every year, tens of thousands of students transition from middle to high school or from one high school to another. Most of these student transitions are moving from one traditional school to another. This study sought to explore the experience of high school students as they transitioned to their new, very non-traditional, full-time virtual school. This study first profiles eight high school students that transitioned to their current full-time virtual high school during the 2016-2017 school year. Next, it summarizes their thoughts on what school-based practices helped them during their transition. Finally, it presents their recommendations for their school to make the transition easier for future students. This qualitative, phenomenological study utilized semi-structured interviews to gather data on their rich lived experience of transitioning into a full-time virtual school. The 8 full-time virtual high school students were selected because they entered a full-time virtual high school for the first time during the 2016-2017 school year and were willing to share their experiences. The interview questions were designed and validated to elicit sincere, authentic recollections of their experiences transitioning from their old school to their new one. One-on-one, personal interviews were conducted and recorded virtually using Adobe Connect and were coded and analyzed using Atlas.ti qualitative analysis software. This study resulted in four conclusions. First, students participated in orientation, but it was inadequate for the needs of student transitioning into a virtual setting due to the lack of social interaction. Second, communication between full-time virtual schools and its students is vital for transitioning virtual students. Thirdly, school personnel are an important factor in a student's transition from a traditional high school setting to a full-time virtual one. Fourth, parent/guardians need to be engaged more while their student transitions to their new school. In summary, this study might help full-time virtual schools design transitional programs that meet the needs of this unique group of students.

<p> This study explores the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions (PBIS) in an alternative school located in a large, urban, inner-city school district. It focused on determining the consistency of the implementation with the culture and climate of the staff and the school and the reduction of office discipline referrals and suspensions. </p><p> PBIS provides an operational framework for providing a system for improving student behavior outcomes to ensure that all students have access to the most effective implemented instructional and behavioral practices. Across the country, thousands of schools are implementing PBIS as a way to improve school culture, safety and climate. Sugai and Horner (2006), the architects of the PBIS framework, claimed that the framework consisted of four integral elements: </p><p> 1. Data for decision-making </p><p> 2. Measurable outcomes supported and evaluated by data </p><p> 3. Practices with evidence that these outcomes are achievable </p><p> 4. Systems that efficiently and effectively support implementation of these practices </p><p> The results of this mixed-methods study determined that there was a reduction in the number of office discipline referrals since the implementation of PBIS, and the culture and climate of the staff perceptions increased. However, PBIS is relatively new to this particular school in addition to the school district. It is still too early to determine the long-term effects of the implementation. </p><p>

<p> This dissertation describes the factors influencing teacher efficacy among teachers currently or recently working in a juvenile detention center education program in southeastern Pennsylvania. The single-case study examined the barriers and facilitators to high teacher efficacy in that school setting, since these factors were previously unknown. The research population for the study consisted of all teachers who are working or who have worked within the past five years at the juvenile detention center education program (n = 9). Research was conducted using the Teachers&rsquo; Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran &amp; Hoy, 2001), a questionnaire, and in-person interviews. The following were found to be barriers to high teacher efficacy at the juvenile detention center: student misbehavior, classroom distractions, student groupings of mixed ability levels, limited assessment options, negative student attitudes, and limited background information about students. The following were found to be facilitators of high teacher efficacy at the juvenile detention center: positive learning climate, presence of detention officers, classroom rules and expectations, differentiated instruction, relevant lessons, educational activities, and rapport with students.</p><p>

<p> ABSTRACT Given the federal thrust for educational reform and the growth of school choice options, parents are faced with increasing opportunities for educational placement options for their children including the recent composition of full-time online K-12 schools. Understanding parents&rsquo; perceived benefits, which inform their decision-making when choosing from a multitude of educational placement or school choice options, provides the educational community with information to better increase parent satisfaction. The potential increase in parent satisfaction has the ability to simultaneously increase student achievement. </p><p> The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine which perceived benefits parents held when choosing a full-time online educational placement for their child. This research study examined Middle Tennessee parents&rsquo; perceived benefits of full-time online education that led them to select this educational delivery model for their child. Additionally, this study utilized an online survey and interviews to obtain quantitative data and qualitative data in the form of descriptions of the participants&rsquo; shared experience with the phenomenon. Qualitative data were recorded and transcribed verbatim for each participant before the data was coded. This enabled data organization into significant statements for the development of essential structures of the parents&rsquo; experiences. Analytical and descriptive statistics were conducted prior to a synthesis of the quantitative and qualitative data, which rendered a comprehensive representation of the summary of both data sets. </p><p> Trends from the survey data were compared to five identified themes generated from examining significant statements in the qualitative data. The findings of the study indicated parents&rsquo; perceived benefits of full-time online education center on academic quality, a safe educational environment, and an individualized learning pace for their child. The findings of this research provide support for exploring parents in the role of &ldquo;consumers&rdquo; which will enlighten an educational community that now functions in the role of &ldquo;supplier.&rdquo;</p><p>