Leading standards-based reform: examining the role of the principal in raising student achievement in a program improvement school, a case study 2004-2008

The role of the principal has changed in definition and perception over the last decade. today\u27s principal is deeply involved with instruction, curriculum, accountability as well as management of the school site. Given this change, there is a need to define critical skills essential to principal leadership, particularly of low performing schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the role of one principal in Los Angeles, California over a four year period as a school leader who implemented standards-based reform to raise student achievement in a Program Improvement school. The results of this case study will serve to inform the design and implementation of effective strategies for principals who lead schools in Program Improvement and may also inform other local districts with similar needs. This study was qualitative in approach and case study in design, utilizing literature review, survey, and personal interview methodology. The literature review investigated the role of the principal, the urgency of school reform, traits of effective schools and best instructional practices. Information from the review assisted with the development of a survey and interview questions. These methods allowed the study to examine both current research and perceptions from teachers and the principal of Sunnydale Elementary school. Findings revealed that there are specific attributes that are evident in a school exiting out of Program Improvement: building school capacity, accountability, high quality professional development, collaboration, common assessments, parent involvement, a clear mission and vision, and an effective instructional leader. More specifically, this case study examines the perceptions of teacher\u27s and how they view the role of the principal with building capacity and accountability to implement standards-based reform. This case study will also reveal the process this school went through with implementing common assessments, standards-based teaching, high quality professional development, and much more to implement grand scale reform. Finally, findings revealed that in order to sustain student achievement, this school would need to continue looking at data to inform instruction and provide high quality professional development to strengthen teacher knowledge on what the California State Standards are asking students to be able to master

Perceptions and Concerns of Novice Secondary Teachers in Louisiana: The Relationship of Novice Secondary Teacher Stress to Their Perception of Principal Leadership

The demand for highly qualified teachers is well documented, yet numerous stressors influence educators to leave their positions. The guiding question for this study was: Is there a relationship between perceived principal leadership behavior and the stress experienced by the novice secondary teacher? The target population was novice teachers in Louisiana. The purposive sample was delimited to novice secondary teachers having six semesters of teaching experience or less in grades 6 through 12. The ten largest parishes in Louisiana were selected to sample. Four of the ten parishes granted permission to survey novice secondary teachers. The Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire, Form XII (Stogdill, 1963) was used to determine the perception of principal leadership in two dimensions: consideration behavior and initiation of structure behavior. The Teacher Stress Inventory (Fimian, 1988) was used to collect demographic data on the participants and to determine a composite stress score from five sources of stress and five manifestations of stress. The statistical analyses included stepwise multiple regression and one-way ANOVA. Data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Science Version16.0 (SPSS). Time management, along with discipline and motivation, were the top two sources of stress for novice teachers. Fatigue manifestation and emotional manifestation were the most conspicuous manifestations of stress. These results reflect relevant issues facing the contemporary teacher. Professional investment, the diminished autonomy teachers experience when the locus of control is external to the classroom, was the single most reliable source of stress to predict both initiating structure and consideration leadership behavior. Emotional manifestation was the single most reliable manifestation of stress to predict initiating structure xiv and consideration leadership behavior. No significant relationship was found between the demographic and organizational variables and stress in the novice secondary teacher. Principal leadership is a potential predictor of teacher retention. Thus, the findings of this study have implications for three specific areas: programs of support for new teachers, preparation and training of principal leadership, and policies that are critical for the successful principal

Old Dominion University Department of Human Resources Customer Satisfaction Study

The problem of this study was to evaluate the level of customer satisfaction with the services provided by the Old Dominion University Department of Human Resources. The following goals provided direction to this study: 1) What are the Department of Human Resources\u27 baseline service levels? 2)How effectively does the Department of Human Resources meet its customer\u27s human needs? 3) What products and services can the Department of Human Resources improve to better meet its customers\u27 needs? 4) What is the overall level of customer satisfaction with the Department of Human Resources

Relationship Between the Empathy Levels of Dental Hygiene Students and Their Teachers

This investigation assessed empathy in first year, second year, and graduate dental hygiene students, and dental hygiene educators. Change in empathy levels of students and educators over one academic year was determined by taking repeated measures of the dependent variable, empathy, as measured by the Hogan Empathy Scale, A convenience sample of subjects from two universities was included in this study. Empathy scores were compared and analyzed by a three-way analysis of variance at the .05 level of significance and also three separate one-way analyses, Results established that graduate students and educators score significantly higher in empathy than first and second year students, and that empathy scores of students and educators do not significantly change over a one academic year period. Results also established that empathy scores do not significantly differ between the two universities, and that an interaction effect is associated with the second year students

Games and Gaming of the Stuart Aristocracy

Games and gaming provide insight into the lives of the people of the past. This thesis analyzes the games and gaming patterns of the aristocracy of Stuart England. This examination of gaming concentrates on the place of leisure games in the world of the elite. The study focuses on games suitable for inclement weather and includes both children\u27s and adult\u27s games from the period. This thesis addresses three basic questions: 1) who were the gamesters, 2) when and where did they game, and 3) what games did they play and how did they play them? Answers to these questions have provided clues to several aspects of seventeenth century gaming in England. Traditional and customary gaming, regulation of gaming, professionalism in gaming, and the expansion of gaming locales and the intensity and frequency of play are prominent patterns which are investigated in this thesis. The study also provides a catalogue of the most popular games during the Stuart era. The rules, notable players, and history of the games are delinated. Finally, the social context of Stuart England is examined as it relates to gaming. The political, economic, religious, and social turmoil of the era which includes the Civil Wars, the Restoration, and the Glorious Revolution, forms the background for an investigation of the gaming of the Stuart aristocracy. The conclusion is that leisure time use is directly keyed to the rapidly changing world of Stuart England

Osteopathic manipulative treatment for pandemic influenza: many questions, few answers

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Domestic violence and its link to child mental health issues

The purpose of this study was to identify mental health disorders in children with exposure to domestic violence within their family