This is the fifth report from an evaluation of the Principal Pipeline Initiative (PPI), in which six large urban school districts have received support for strengthening novice principals' capabilities through specific strategies. Data for the evaluation were collected from late 2011 through spring 2015, using interviews with district…

The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the role a School Community Council (SCC) played in encouraging community involvement in a kindergarten to grade 12 school. Via 35 interviews, thematic data reflected that the SCC's influence was limited. As analyzed through social capital theory, SCC members shared thin levels of trust,…

Issues in vocational development for disabled youth in Honduras, Central America, were the focus of an intensive short-term qualitative research effort. Among the research objectives were identifying promising employment opportunities and determining areas where modest investments of technical assistance or other resources would have maximum…

Helping school, district, and/or community leaders facilitate discussions with community members about improving schools, this guide discusses how to use informal focus groups to gather information about what is important to people in the school community. The guide helps users gather information in a systematic way, organize what they hear,…

This study explored how and why special education policy issues were treated as they were in the formulation of Pennsylvania's charter school law, Act 22 of 1997. The qualitative study utilized formal and informal interviews of state policymakers, review of documents, review of archival records, and participant observation. Findings indicated a…

Presents the case study of a second-year middle school science teacher's beliefs about science and science teaching, and the influence of these beliefs upon classroom instruction. Discusses the teacher's struggle to reconcile conflicting beliefs affecting strategies and outcomes, and the conflict between classroom needs and roles resulting from…

This guide is designed to encourage students, faculty, and policymakers to become more self-reflective in their inquiry. Placing the pursuit of ideas at the epicenter of research, K-12 and higher education scholars advance ideas for enhancing educational inquiry, relying extensively on narratives, vignettes, and examples of key episodes in…

Outlines the foundations of the qualitative and quantitative approaches to research and discusses the implications of these two completely different approaches in educational research. Points out they are not complementary as they are separate scientific paradigms.(MD)

In the past few years, political, economic, and social conditions in Ontario have changed rapidly. In some regions unexpected shifts in population have adversely affected school organization, and schools have had to be opened or closed in haste. This study has a twofold aim: to develop a methodology that will enable Ontario school boards to make…

Methodologies for evaluating/documenting partnership programs are analyzed and options for evaluating/documenting OERI's Educational Partnerships Program (EPP) are proposed. The EPP supports alliances between public schools and/or higher education and the private sector to encourage excellence in education. This paper reflects…

Explores some early findings from a sociological study of school governing bodies in two English local educational authorities (LEAs). Examines the extent to which sexism and racism arise during, and are reproduced by, school governing body meetings, and studies sex and race dynamics in the power relations of governing schools. (Author/AF)

This volume presents a comprehensive review of current research on the implementation of quality arts programs in U.S. schools, and an indicator of areas that need to be explored, with emphasis on community priorities and initiatives. The 49 quantitative and qualitative reports, articles, and dissertations are divided into five sections: (1) six…

A 5-year qualitative study of implementation of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) analyzes the effects on four rural school districts of large-scale changes in state policy. This annual report of the project focuses on five key KERA "strands." First, KERA mandates that grades K-3 be replaced with an ungraded primary program…

Teaching language-minority students to read and write well in English is an urgent challenge in the nation's K-12 schools. Literacy in English is essential to achievement in every academic subject-and to educational and economic opportunities beyond schooling. Compounding this challenge are increasing numbers and diversity of language-minority…