Attempts to restructure public high schools by establishing separate school-within-a-school (SWS) models have not endured beyond 3 to 5 years. This qualitative case study examined a SWS that has thrived for more than 12 years. The study investigated how teachers at the school explained the success of the SWS, their experience of working at the SWS, and their resilience in addressing the challenges that led to the lack of success of other SWS schools. The theories and models of educational change developed by Fullan, Hargreaves, and Giles and Hord provided a conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through open-ended questions in individual interviews with 8 teacher participants who each had more than 5 years of experience at the SWS. According to study results, teachers experienced the challenges that led to the closing of other SWS high schools. However, at the inception of the SWS, the leadership established a commitment to the vision of the SWS, a tradition of collaboration among the SWS teachers, and a positive reputation among parents and alumni. The faculty of the SWS maintained its commitment through multiple leadership changes, changes in school/district policies, challenges to the vision, and changes to SWS teachers' workloads and classroom assignments. Sustaining educational change depends on the strength of implementation of the change: strong leadership, stakeholder commitment to the vision, and establishment of a collaborative professional community of teachers. These results provide guidance for educational leaders attempting to implement and sustain educational change, such as the implementation of a SWS.

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Due to accountability measures put in place by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), many schools identified as failing by the legislation are implementing reform efforts. This qualitative case study examined the initiatives one school put in place in order to remove themselves from the NCLB list of failing schools. Additionally, this case study sought to discover evidence of the components of capacity building in one elementary school, Cottonwood Elementary in East Tennessee. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the five components of capacity building as defined by Newman, King, and Youngs (2000). The five components defined by the authors are: teacher knowledge, skills, and dispositions; program coherence; professional community; technical resources; and leadership. Data were collected using interviews, observations and documents. The findings related to the first research question posed in this study were examined through four initiatives created by the administration in an attempt to remove the school from the NCLB list. The administrative team and faculty at Cottonwood Elementary chose to focus on: behavior and the structure of the building, attendance, literacy through professional development, and on data and accountability. Additionally, evidence of each component of capacity building as defined by Newman et al. (2000) can be found at Cottonwood Elementary. After the data were analyzed an additional component of capacity building, internal accountability as defined by Elmore (2007) was found to exist.

Efforts to affect changes in student achievement through altering the manners in which schools operate have been countless. However, there are few empirical studies on the relationship between these reform activities and student outcomes, especially outcomes for students with emotional disturbances from geographically diverse locations. The current study was a secondary analysis of data collected as part of the School and Community Study and the Urban School and Community Study conducted by the Research and Training Center for the Childrens Mental Health at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. Both studies examined the relationship between student exposure to school restructuring efforts and change in academic and behavioral functioning. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between student outcomes and school reform activities and to compare students attending suburban/rural schools and students attending urban schools on academic achievement, psychopathology, and mental health service utilization. Using baseline data from the School and Community Study to match students from the Urban School and Community Study on the variables gender, income, and age; 66 matches (i.e., 132 students) comprised the study sample. Differences between the suburban/rural students and the matched sample of urban students were statistically significant in reading achievement, math achievement, functional impairment, and mental health service utilization. There were no significant differences between students on the variable of level of behavior problems, all of the students scoring in the clinical range.

Abstract This study investigated perceptions of school work culture of instructional staff members (administrators and faculty) in public charter and public non-charter elementary schools in a large urban metropolitan county of Central Florida by assessing differences in perceptions of administrators and faculty related to school work culture, perceptions between school administrators and faculty, and the interaction between type of school. The School Work Culture Profile (SWCP), a paper-and-pencil survey, was designed in 1988 by Snyder to obtain a measure of a school's work culture. The SWCP uses a Likert scale to assess the overall perception and four sub-domains of planning, development, program development, school assessment, and staff development. One hundred sixty-one teachers and administrators from public charter and public non-charter elementary schools participated. Results of ANOVA tests indicated differences by job category: administrators scored significantly higher than faculty on the overall perception and three sub-domains of school work culture: planning development, program development, and school assessment. There was no difference on the staff development sub-domain. Administrators and faculty members do perceive certain aspects of school work culture differently. Program Development, Planning Development, and School Assessment are administrative functions, whereas Staff Development may be perceived to be more of a personal function. There was no difference between perceptions of instructional staff by type of school (public charter and public non-charter). In addition, there was no interaction between job category and school type. The perceptions of administrators and faculty members of both types of schools do not appear to be dependent upon whether or not they work in charter or non-charter public schools. Public charter and public non-charter school instructional staff responded to SWCP sub-domains similarly; therefore, the type of school the respondents worked in, albeit public charter or public non-charter, did not impact their perceptions. Differences existed in perceptions between school administrators and faculty members, regardless of type of school, with the exception of the sub-domain of staff development. The mean perception for administrators in both types of schools was higher in the other three domains. No interaction occurred between type of school and type of job category for any sub-domain or the overall perception. The conclusions from this study included (a) schools are equal regardless of the type of school, (b) the culture of administrators and faculty members remains the same regardless of the type of school, (c) the perceptions of administrators and faculty members are not determined by the type of school in which they work--administrators and faculty members do perceive certain aspects of school work culture differently. Implications derived from the study include (a) efforts to mainstream and encourage cross-institutional (public charter schools and public non-charter schools) collaboration might be helpful to improve the educational conditions for all students, (b) efforts need to be focused on increasing the collaborative conversations and involvement that connect the individuals in a school setting as related to planning development, program development, school assessment, and the overall perception of school work culture as well as developing inclusionary practices that increase faculty members' input in meeting schools' stated goals, (c) placing emphasis on the charter school movement as an alternative for the innovative ideas needed to address the state of the national education system could be increased in colleges of education and educational leadership programs, and (d) program development, planning development, and school assessment are administrative functions, whereas staff development may be perceived to be more of a personal function.

While teacher quality is recognized as a critical component in school reform, and the pursuit of new teacher evaluation systems has gained national attention, the question of whether proposed teacher assessment models meet the needs of special education teachers has gone largely unnoticed. Current efforts to design teacher evaluation processes that accurately distinguish between effective and ineffective teachers must take into account the difficulties of using new, innovative evaluation systems to appraise teachers who serve students with disabilities. Important differences in the roles, expertise, and circumstances in which special education teachers carry out their responsibilities result in challenges related to the use of observation protocols in evaluating instructional practices, obtaining valid measures of student progress, and understanding the relevance of teacher credentials (i.e., degrees earned and certification) in the special education setting. Through this qualitative research dissertation, the researcher sought to gain insight into the perceptions and experiences of special education teachers and administrators to better understand (a) the relationship between teacher evaluation and teacher effectiveness; (b) the ways in which educators approach the challenges of applying teacher evaluation systems for special education teachers; and (c) the ways in which teacher evaluation processes support the professional growth and development of special education teachers. / text

In 2003, the Florida legislature appropriated funds to finance pilot programs (1012.231, Florida Statutes) to prepare for the 2004-2005 school year in which pay for performance initiatives were to be implemented in each district. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine and describe the planning, processes, and implications of a pilot career ladder program that was implemented into a large Florida school district in the spring of 2004. During data collection, the program was terminated therefore creating a second purpose that sought to describe residual implications of a program when it is discontinued. Data collected for this study were used to respond to six specific research questions. The first inquired about the planning process prior to implementation. Archival documents were used to determine whether research-based strategies were involved. The second through the fifth questions rely heavily on survey and structured interview data collected by the district and the primary researcher respectively and seek to determine critical perspectives from teachers and administrators regarding the career ladder including knowledge, fairness, and implications for school and district. The sixth question asks whether residual effects remain in place after an initiative has been terminated. Particularly, as a major finding, time for implementation was a theme throughout the study as most respondents were concerned about the short timeline this program had to develop fully. Stakeholder buy-in and understanding of program roles emerged from the data. However, the notion of a mentor that was given the time and resources was frequently mentioned as a benefit to new teachers and the school overall. Furthermore, respondents saw the potential long-term benefit of staff development that would allow highly trained master teachers to coach new and struggling teachers during the day in a clinical setting. There was evidence that this program did have an initial negative impact on the culture of the schools in the district. One unplanned aspect of this case study was the fact that the program was terminated at the state level. This had implications for all stakeholders and could be a strong factor in later implementations; therefore, this would require further study.

In recent years, increasing numbers of Indigenous communities in the United States have embraced charter schools as an alternative to traditional federal, district and parochial schools. Often this has been part of an effort begun to further such goals as language and cultural preservation, improved educational programs, and community control of schooling. This study presents, through a single qualitative, ethnographic case study, a detailed portrait of one urban, Indigenous-serving charter school with primary focus on graduates' educational experiences and an exploration of its meaning for them. A portrait of the school is presented, including: the school's history; its mission, goals, objectives; its organizational framework; its curriculum and instructional practices; and its structure and support services. Demographic information about the school's graduates is included. Next the alumni experience is explored in depth. Findings include alumni perceptions of their relationships with staff, alumni perceptions of the curriculum and instruction at the school, and alumni perceptions of school climate. Finally, the characteristics of the schooling occurring at the case site are described in light of the theoretical framework of the study which is based on Jim Cummins' (1989, 1992, 2000) theory concerning empowerment of minority students and the concept of subtractive and additive schooling as described by Angela Valenzuela (1999). Lessons from the case site are also considered more broadly in terms of the challenges and possibilities of Indigenous-serving charter schools in the current educational context.

This study sought to understand the lived experience of disengagement from formal schooling of five young Aboriginal women in a mid-Northern community. Using the qualitative methodology of narrative inquiry, and through a series of guided open-ended interviews, this research explored each participant’s experiences as a learner; informally and in school. Analysis of the personal histories of learning shared by the participants enabled the identification of attributes of best-remembered learning experiences and also elements that contributed to marginalization and dis-continuing of school. Key elements for each learner clustered around relationship and connectedness. Contexts of optimal learning as revealed in the narratives can be characterized as authentic, situated, experiential, guided, and often culturally-relevant. Marginalization and dis-continuing of school were related to: a sense of emotional insecurity in the school, the need for community and a sense of belonging, disrespectful treatment and relational bullying by teachers and/or peers, administrative policy related to placement and psycho-social needs, and restrictive curricular decisions. The participants’ desire to learn and continuing pursuit of learning goals, although out of school, is expressed in the title of this thesis by Participant A as she speaks for all in saying, “I’m still learning” (PA#1, p. 3). Recommendations for formal schooling are made based on the needs and preferences expressed by the participants and by the institutional circumstances revealed in the narratives that affected engagement and dis-engagement. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2007-08-09 15:48:56.987

During the 1990s, standards-based reform became the predominant education reform inthe country. However, neither federal legislation nor state standards-based reform programshave focused much on addressing the needs of special groups. While, the explicit goal ofstandards-based reform was to raise academic achievement of all students, the implicit goal wasto change beliefs about specific groups of students, particularly students who traditionally havebeen perceived as "disadvantaged." This dissertation examines the implementation of standards-based reform policies withpopulations of limited English proficient (LEP) high school students to determine the strength of the Kentucky's policies to include LEP students and the capacity for those policies to influenceeducator beliefs about the abilities of LEP students. The study includes an analysis ofKentucky's reform policies and a case study of one high school English as a Second Languageprogram seen as a leader in implementing standards-based reforms. The case study approachprovided an opportunity to learn about the issues associated with educating LEP high schoolstudents in the context of standards-based reform from the point of view of those who arecharged with implementing these policies. The findings from this study suggest that it is notsufficient to include LEP students in state assessment and accountability systems. In order foraccountability systems to ensure strong student performance, they must also address inequities instudents' opportunities to learn to high standards. The success of Kentucky's policies, as well asother standards-based policies, depends on their ability to drive changes in educator beliefs aboutstudents' capabilities and to drive the creation of local conditions supportive of practicesconsistent with achieving the goals of the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

ABSTRACT Curriculum integration has become an important theme in discussions on school reform during the past ten to fifteen years (Bullough, 1999; Erickson, 2001). Martin-Kniep, Feige and Soodak (1995) maintain that integration can help students to understand and appreciate the complexity of the world that they are living in. In addition, Hargreaves and Moore (2000) claim that curriculum integration can inspire students to discover relevance in their education. Therefore, curriculum integration is perceived by many educators as the key to helping students prepare for the great changes that the developed nations are experiencing at this time (Meier, 1996; Tchudi & Lafer, 1996). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of integrating a unit in Physics 11 with history of science, language arts and social studies on the academic achievement, attendance and attitudes of high school students. A second purpose was to assess whether it is feasible to provide curriculum integration without restructuring the current high school organization and offering in-depth professional development for teachers. A mixed methods research design was used to examine the effectiveness of this strategy by comparing a treatment group with a comparison group. Significant gains were realized in student attendance, unit and test marks. There was a clear impact on achievement and attitudes of students through integration. Analysis of individual student writings and projects not only demonstrated that integration had occurred, but also gave interesting insights into student learning and perceptions of science content, understanding and relevance. Interview data with participating teachers and reflections by the action teacher revealed numerous benefits of teachers working together on integrated curriculum. Moreover, these data made it clear that a simple model of integration was viable in the current school structure. This study demonstrated the benefits of using curriculum integration in order to help prepare students more thoroughly for further studies and work in the real world. It also presented a practical and realistic method of curriculum integration without requiring restructuring, funding and formal professional development.