The purpose of this study was to explore whether school-based decision making (SBDM) impacts student achievement. Specifically, the study involved determining if the degree of teacher involvement in SBDM across eight decision dimensions differed between schools that demonstrated the most and schools that demonstrated the least district improvement in student achievement. The population consisted of elementary schools in a large urban school district with more than ten years of SBDM implementation. Student achievement scores from 1993 to 1995 were examined for all 68 elementary schools. Based on degree of improvement for fourth grade scores over the three years, 15 schools from the 25% most improved and 15 schools from the 25% least improved were selected for study. Schools from the two extreme-groups sample were matched on five demographic variables. The Teacher Involvement Participation Scale—TIPS-2 (Russell,1992), an instrument for measuring the degree of SBDM in eight different decision dimensions, was given to all certified personnel at each school. A return of 575 surveys represented 63% of the sample schools' staff. Two short questionnaires were administered to principals and SBDM teams to collect descriptive data. Findings, using MANOVA followed by univariate tests, indicated significant differences between groups in six of the eight SBDM decision dimensions. The most improved schools had a higher degree of participation (p < .01) in SBDM decisions in dimensions of: 1) goals/vision/mission, 2) curriculum/instruction, 3)standards, and 4) facilitating procedures/structures. Although neither group participated widely in decisions about staffing and operations, the most improved schools were more involved in those decisions than the least improved schools (p < .05). No significant difference was found between the two groups in the dimensions of budget and staff development. It is concluded that student achievement is positively impacted by greater participation in SBDM in at least six of eight SBDM dimensions, with "goals/vision/mission" and "curriculum/instruction" being the most critical factors. Although these findings indicate that SBDM contributes to improved student achievement, further research is needed to determine if this study's findings are supported.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Teresa Miller / The purpose of this research proposal was to investigate school-level factors identified by Marzano (2003) perceived to have contributed positively to student achievement in one charter school. The researcher noted the following issues related to charter schools and student achievement: The data on student achievement were mixed; limited research existed on student achievement using the school -level factors identified by Marzano (2003); limited case studies existed comparing school-level factors and student achievement for charter schools. Using the case study format, the researcher investigated perceptions regarding school-level factors perceived to have increased student achievement in one charter school in Kansas over a five-year period from 2005-2008. The case study was accomplished through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data from multiple sources to include researcher observations, key informant interviews, and analysis of archival documents. After conducting the research, it was determined that while there wasn’t a deliberate attempt to use the factors by Robert Marzano (2003), the school-level factors were used by Dartmouth Charter School did impact student achievement as evidenced by stakeholder interview, Kansas Reading Assessments, and archival data sources. A case study confirmed the presence of several aspects of the school-level factors of a guaranteed/viable curriculum, challenging goals and effective feedback, parental and community involvement, a safe and orderly environment, and collegiality and professionalism, which were perceived by stakeholders as contributing to increased student achievement over the five-year period of operation.

Educators and policymakers have demonstrated interest in finding ways to better equip mathematics teachers so they can help students achieve at a higher level. Academic coaching has been identified as an effective professional development activity for teachers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between students’ achievement levels before and after a mathematics initiative in a Northeast Tennessee school district. In this study I analyzed grades 3 – 6 students’ Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program or TCAP scores in the year prior to the hiring of a mathematics coach and their respective scores 2 years after the placement of the mathematics coach. All statistical analyses were analyzed at a .05 level of significance. All null hypotheses under both research questions were analyzed with a pairsampled t-test using repeated-measures design. The results indicate significant difference in students’ TCAP scores prior to and after specialist. Scores after specialist were significantly higher than scores before specialists. The difference was present for students who attended Title I schools as well as for students who attended non-Title I schools. School administrators and school district leaders can benefit from such a study because it presents academic coaching as a viable means to equip teachers so they can help students increase their achievement in mathematics.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the perceptions of Northeast Tennessee Educators regarding arts integration. Specifically this study was an examination of the perceptions of district and K-8 school level administrators, K-8 general classroom teachers of math, science, social studies, or literacy, and K-8 arts specialists of dance, drama, music, or visual arts. Nine school districts in Northeast Tennessee agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected through an online survey system, SurveyMonkey.com. Data from 179 participants were used in the study. Seventeen items from the survey were measured on a 5-point Likert scale. Those items included: perceived need, claims of implementation, responsibility of implementation, comfort level for implementation, and the perceived possession of adequate resources and reported professional development for arts integration practices. The results concluded K-8 arts specialists' perceived need for arts integration, claims of arts integration implementation, and perceived comfort level for arts integration implementation were significantly higher than K-8 general education teachers. Additionally, individuals with previous arts experience in high school or college had a significantly higher perceived comfort level for arts integration implementation that individuals with no previous arts experience in high school or college. However, there were no significant differences in perceived need for arts integration, claims of arts integration implementation, and perceived comfort level for arts integration implementation between district and school level administrators and K-8 general education teachers, and between district and school level administrators and K-8 arts specialists. Subsequently, there were no significant differences among district and school level administrators, K-8 general education teachers, and K-8 arts specialists in regards to perceived responsibility for arts integration implementation, perceived possession of adequate resources for arts integration, and reported offerings of professional development for arts integration.

The problem addressed in this study was the inability of certain schools in a rural school district in Florida to achieve adequate yearly progress (AYP) in comparison to a neighboring school district where students consistently made AYP. Research has shown a positive relationship between student achievement and principal leadership skills. The purpose of this study was to identify patterns in elementary teachers' perceptions of their principals' leadership skills related to student achievement and elementary principals' perceptions of their own leadership practices and compare those perceptions. The conceptual framework for this qualitative case study design was instructional leadership. Twelve teachers of Kindergarten to Grade 5 from 3 high-achieving elementary schools volunteered to participate and provided data through 2 focus groups with 6 primary grade teachers and 6 intermediate grade teachers respectively. Principals at the same 3 high-achieving elementary schools provided data through semistructured interviews. Open coding and thematic analysis yielded 4 themes from the principals' responses, including instructional leadership, hands-on leadership, communication and collaboration, and management by visibility. The teachers' responses resulted in the themes of high expectations for student achievement, a supportive learning environment, consistent collection and review of student achievement data, and an overall positive school climate to promote exemplary instructional practices and student success. A positive social change that can stem from this study is implementing principal leadership practices related to the findings in low-achieving schools. This may result in gains in student achievement, leading to increased academic and economic opportunities.

Students taking courses in developmental mathematics do so in one of three modalities - some take the classes face-to-face in a classroom with a professor who is physically present, others take the classes in what is known as a blended or hybrid mode in which the professor uses a combination of classroom and online time to teach the course, and another group takes the classes completely online. Increasingly, a growing number of students are taking these courses in a hybrid mode or completely online, and this phenomenon is causing educators to redesign their programs, offering more courses in these two modalities. However, some program leaders do so without any data about the achievement and course completion rates of students in the different modalities. This research 1) investigated the achievement rates of students taking an eight week developmental mathematics course, taught in three different modalities and 2) investigated the course completion rates of students taking an eight week developmental mathematics course, taught in three different modalities. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the achievement and course completion rates of students enrolled in an eight week developmental mathematics course, Elementary Algebra, based on the delivery modality. The study was conducted at a large multi-campus institution located in the southeast United States as the research site. The theories used to frame the research were the Information Processing Theory and Cognitive Load Theory.

Federal dollars are utilized to develop instructional programs for students not demonstrating mathematical proficiency on state standardized mathematics assessments, but there is a lack of empirical data on the effectiveness of two different approaches that were used in the local context. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, casual-comparative study was to determine if state achievement test scores of students in fourth grade who received instruction from a Mathematics Specialist (MS) during the 2007-2009 academic years demonstrated a statistically significant difference from the mathematics state achievement test scores of fourth grade students who received instruction from Grades 1-8 credentialed teachers supported by a Math Coach (MC) during the 2012-2014 academic years. The theoretical base includes two components: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards and Federal No Child Left Behind educational policy, which focus on standards-based education, curriculum, assessment, and instruction to meet students' mathematical needs. Data was collected from a census sample of 13,671 students' state scores from school years 2007-2008, 2008-2009 (MS) and 2012-2013, 2013-2014 (MC). The research question was whether there is a difference in MS and MC scores. An independent samples t test was used to compare the means of all the scores. The results show that the MS program produced statistically higher math scores than the MC. This supports the limited literature in favor of MS. Positive social change includes supporting increasing the use of the MS program in the local context to increase mathematics test scores and the potential for redistribution of federal funds to develop MS programs nationwide.

The central research question is the extent to which gifted programming affects student academic outcomes of gifted as compared to not-gifted students and how this differs by race/ethnicity and/or poverty status. Since the identification of elementary school students as gifted is not random, propensity score matching is used to remove this bias in the estimates of the effects. A matched sample of North Carolina middle school students based on individual level data of both gifted and not-gifted students of varied racial/ethnic groups and income levels is used for this analysis. This enables a comparison of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student achievement to determine the extent to which participating in gifted programming differentiates effects by race/ethnicity and poverty status. I show the additional test score gain, if any, from being in gifted programming compared to students not participating in gifted programs. Variations in gifted program effects across race/ethnicity and income are assessed. This research adds empirical evidence to the more qualitatively focused gifted debate by analyzing differences in student outcomes between gifted and not-gifted students in North Carolina. Since black and lower income students are less likely to participate in gifted programs, they disproportionately encounter less experienced teachers, lower expectations, and fewer resources. The extent to which these additional learning supports translate to differences in student outcomes are analyzed.

This dissertation explores public school superintendent self-efficacy influences on instructional and student achievement within three Texas public school districts. The purpose of this research study is to investigate superintendent self-efficacy and it’s perceived influence on instructional leadership in districts with persistent student achievement inequities for economically disadvantaged and students of color. This study specifically focused on three White male public school superintendents with varying numbers of student populations that have large percentages of economically disadvantaged students and students of color. Two research questions guided the inquiry process: 1. How do superintendents in school districts in which children of color and children from low-income homes persistently under-perform perceive their effectiveness in the area of instructional leadership? 2.What are superintendents’ perceptions about how their instructional leadership beliefs are influenced by the context of federal and state accountability in which they work? This study employed a qualitative method of investigation utilizing a case-study approach to examine the perceptions, beliefs, and views of participating superintendents. Two in-depth interviews with each school superintendent served as primary data collection sources, while field notes, personal observations, email, and phone conversations served as secondary and clarifying sources. Data were interpreted using a critical interpretivist lens. This inquiry contributes to the body of superintendent practice and limited research scholarship by assisting in the understanding of perceived superintendent self-efficacy influences on instructional leadership and student achievement. These understandings have additional implications for the intersection of power, privilege, and emancipatory critical constructs for superintendents with populations of economically disadvantaged students and students of color. Findings from this study serve to highlight needed calls to action and reforms in superintendent preparatory programs, research scholarship, professional organizations, and regional educational service centers.

The central research question is the extent to which gifted programming effects student academic outcomes of gifted as compared to not-gifted students and how this differs by race/ethnicity and/or poverty status. Since the identification of elementary school students as gifted is not random, propensity score matching is used to remove this bias in the estimates of the effects. A matched sample of North Carolina middle school students based on individual level data of both gifted and not-gifted students of varied racial/ethnic groups and income levels is used for this analysis. This enables a comparison of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student achievement to determine the extent to which participating in gifted programming differentiates effects by race/ethnicity and poverty status. I show the additional test score gain, if any, from being in gifted programming compared to students not participating in gifted programs. Variations in gifted program effects across race/ethnicity and income are assessed. This research adds empirical evidence to the more qualitatively focused gifted debate by analyzing differences in student outcomes between gifted and not-gifted students in North Carolina. Since black and lower income students are less likely to participate in gifted programs, they disproportionately encounter less experienced teachers, lower expectations, and fewer resources. The extent to which these additional learning supports translate to differences in student outcomes are analyzed.