This multiple-case study examined the role and educator perceptions of the reading specialist (RS) in the five secondary schools of one school district in the western United States. The purposes of the study were to determine: (1) the actual roles and responsibilities of the secondary RS, (2) whether differences existed in the way RSs, teachers, and principals perceived the role of the RS, and (3) whether the perceptions of the role of the RS were congruent with what the RS actually did. Five RSs, five focus groups comprised of twenty-three teachers, and five principals were interviewed. A survey was also administered to the aforementioned groups as well as to all teachers in the five schools. Results indicated that the role and responsibilities of the RS never included instructing students directly but that RSs focused almost exclusively on teacher leadership. In addition, RSs carried out school-wide assessments, assumed two to three additional major as well as various minor responsibilities within the school, and taught four periods during the day. Perceptions of the RS among RSs, teachers, and principals differed. Teachers, as a whole, indicated RSs worked with students, mainly taught literacy skills, and did not perform administrative tasks unrelated to literacy. Principals also thought RSs did not perform administrative tasks unrelated to literacy. RSs disagreed with all these perceptions. Principals approved and were generally satisfied with the work of the RSs and felt they were making a difference. However, they were more positive about the RSs' influence than were the RSs. Focus group teachers made positive comments about the RSs but also consistently brought up the need to have literacy inservice fashioned specifically to meet their content-area needs. Discrepancies existed between the perceived roles and responsibilities of the RSs and the duties they actually assumed and carried out.

This study examined the beliefs, perceptions, actions, and congruency between beliefs and actions of participants completing an anonymous survey regarding if clients should be informed of the AAMFT organization, code of ethics, and grievance procedure. Two hundred thirty-one participants returned the survey, representing AAMFT clinical members, AAMFT state division officers, and the AAMFT national ethics committee board members. The findings include the respondents' beliefs, actions, and congruency between the two for informing clients about the organization, code of ethics, and grievance procedure. Most participants believe clients should be informed and the results indicate that the participants are mainly consistent with their actions, except for grievance procedures. The findings seem to indicate that as the perceived risk for the therapist increases, the amount of information shared decreases. The beliefs and actions regarding the grievance procedure seemed to be the most ambiguous. / Master of Science

The construction and opening of a new school adds a new dimension to the principal's role. The purpose of this study was to describe the duties and responsibilities of a principal opening a newly constructed school, during the year preceding the opening of the school, and during the first year of occupancy in that school. The study was enriched by interviews with seven principals that opened new schools in the Central Valley of California. Personal reflections during interviews with principals were recorded, transcribed, and along with documents offered by elementary and middle school principals, analyzed for themes. The results of this study found that the attributes and characteristics of a successful principal opening a new elementary or middle school were very similar to the attributes and qualities of a successful principal of an existing school or of successful leaders of any organization, in general. The need for strong interpersonal skills, a clear vision, strong organizational and problem solving skills, a broad professional knowledge, and flexibility were required for success. The difference in possessing these attributes and characteristics appeared to be the emphasis placed on each one when it was manifested. Five themes that emerged from this case study were parental issues, construction or site building issues, staffing issues, school organization issues, and time management issues. Each of these issues required certain skills or traits on the part of the principal in order to be successful in opening a new school. The results of this study may be of interest to principals named to open a new school, assist in the selection of principals of new schools, and offer guidance regarding the best time to hire principals of schools under construction.

No description available.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine middle and high school principal roles prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain a better understanding about how leadership responsibilities adapted or changed. Data collection strategies included one-on-one interviews with nine middle and high school principals in East Tennessee. To qualify for the study participants had to have experience in the principalship prior to the pandemic. The analysis of data was based on the theoretical frameworks of adaptive leadership (Heifetz et al., 2009) and change theory (Fullan, 2020). The results revealed five key themes that were consistent during the interviews both prior to and during the pandemic: (a) instructional leadership, (b) school culture and climate, (c) school management, (d) community partnerships, and (e) relationships. The following four emergent themes were specific to adaptive changes principals identified while leading during the pandemic: (a) social-emotional awareness, (b) digital teaching and learning, (c) communication, and (d) whole child.

It has been more than seven years since the events of the September 11 terrorist attacks have changed the way in which American citizens live on a daily basis. Some of us have become anxious while traveling, some more guarded in what we choose to discuss in public and with whom we associate, some more suspicious of other races and religions, some more suspicious of our own government. All American citizens-whether or not they were victims of racial profiling post September I I-have had to change the way in which they obtain information and understand their rights to privacy and knowledge. In my thesis, I explore how the enactment of the Patriot Act and the affiliated surveillance of American citizens (as well as foreign nationals) have not only violated our constitutional rights to free expression, but have also violated our intellectual and privacy rights. Specifically, I am concerned with the negative impact of the Patriot Act on the ability and willingness of American citizens to obtain information and to express their opinions about politically sensitive topics. This fear of being labeled a threat to national security or a potential terrorist has created a nation in which many citizens are increasingly complacent about violations of their intellectual rights, negligent about upholding their epistemic responsibilities, and increasingly ignorant about their own nation's policies, as well as global events In order to eradicate the negative influence of the Patriot Act on the epistemic rights and responsibilities of American citizens, I propose that the American public cultivate the epistemological virtues necessary to educate themselves on domestic as well as global matters. I suggest that this would enhance our national security, in addition to preserving our civil liberties and enlarging our intellectual understanding of global events and relationships.

Yes / Given the increasing challenges in academia since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial to understand how work demands, life demands, and job resources affect the mental health of academic researchers. In extending the job demands-resources theory, the present study investigates the relationships between job resources, research work demand, life demand (i.e. caring responsibility), stress, loneliness and mental health among doctoral students and academics. The results from a secondary dataset of 4,563 academic researchers (academics undertaking research and doctoral students) in the UK indicate that job resources are positively associated with mental health, while caring responsibility and loneliness are negatively impacted mental health. Stress is also found to partially mediate (explains) the relationships between job resources, research work demand, and mental health. Moreover, loneliness moderates the positive impact of job resources on mental health, particularly attenuating this relationship for academic researchers who experience higher levels of loneliness. Surprisingly, during Covid-19, the moderation effect of gender on the path from caring responsibility to stress is significantly stronger for males than for female colleagues. Feeling unprepared, male colleagues who were pressured to take on caring responsibilities experienced higher stress. We suggest strategic interventions to enhance job resources and support researchers who have caregiving responsibilities, while also alleviating stress and feelings of loneliness. Future research should engage alternative perspectives at both individual (e.g., age, familial wealth) and institutional (e.g., education system, discipline/field) levels.

Yes / The Management NVQs were (according to their proponents) designed to provide a new mechanism for certifying workplace competence. Centred on descriptions of practice in the workplace they offered a qualifications route that could be accessed by all. This article draws on an in-depth study of the implementation of NVQs in three private sector organisations. It argues that, in practice, this competence-based format is highly problematic. Candidates are required to work towards criteria that may not match their roles and responsibilities, developmental work is systemically discouraged and work is routinised. The article concludes by arguing that these flaws are structural ones which may be expected to continue as long as NVQs continue to attempt to distil the essence of occupations into `standards¿.

Yes / The article discusses how nurses are increasingly being valued as autonomous decision makers and co-ordinators of patient care. Topics include relating to the age of the dependent children, a woman's working hours and any successive career breaks, woman's career progression directly related to the school age of the dependent children, and children being inhibit and is driven in part by a determination to maintain traditional employment practices.

This diploma thesis deals with examining the economic literacy of a headmaster. The topic has been chosen because of the belief that a good financial management is important for the development of a school. Another reason for the choice is the fact that there is virtually no set of unambiguously defined responsibilities and no set of suggested knowledge in the economic area which would provide guidance for headmaster in his work. The aim of the theoretical part is to find the necessary information, to define the key terms and to place the economics of the school management into the legislative framework. The practical (research) part examines the actual state of knowledge and the activity of headmasters in the financial management of the school. The difficulty, the risk of financial management in relation to other managerial activities and the comparability of different types and sizes of schools are also examined here. The outcome of this thesis is to give the definition and the content of the economic and financial literacy of a headmaster. It is also to determine the level of the financial literacy of the interviewed headmasters. KEYWORDS: Headmaster, economic literacy, financial literacy, decision-making authority, responsibilities of the headmaster, delegation of responsibilities, financial...