The time is now for integrating discussions of inclusive practice with professional development and school leadership, moving away from the normative view of inclusion as situated within special education and teacher preparation programmes. This study describes a triad professional development model that included an integrated professional…

Foster youth have attended schools for decades, but with the development of the local control funding formula (LCFF) and Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), they are now a group of students receiving the publicity and acknowledgment needed to improve their academic and social success. This study brings to light the importance of…

The number of Black males serving in the principal position drastically declined following the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, which led to the desegregation of public schools. This unexpected outcome of Brown v. Board of Education caused Black educators to lose their jobs after being deemed unqualified to serve as teachers and…

School leaders must navigate nonacademic barriers to learning. One type of affective, nonacademic reform is social-emotional learning (SEL), a quickly growing K-12 school initiative. Yet scant empirical literature exists on the actions, interactions, and beliefs of school principals charged with leading SEL reforms. The needs of diverse learners…

In the state of California, students with disabilities are excluded from the general education setting at a higher rate than the national average: 25% in California versus 17% nationally. School site administrators are integral to the inclusion of students with disabilities. They have the biggest impact on the culture and educational programs in…

Part of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) research series titled "Teachers' Time: Collaborating for Learning, Teaching, and Leading," this case study looks at Hillsdale High School, a large, comprehensive high school located in San Mateo, California, a high-tech enclave of Silicon Valley nestled 23 miles…

Among all in-school factors that impact student learning, teachers carry the most weight -- but school leaders are not far behind. Decades of research have proven the positive influence principals can have on student achievement, school climate and teaching quality. New evidence suggests that their impact may be even greater than previously…

Over the years, Sanger Unified School District (SUSD) has been engaged in rigorous efforts to improve student outcomes through instructional and organizational innovations--for example, Universal Design for Learning and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). While these efforts have facilitated important gains in student outcomes, schools…

Background/Context: Researchers have amassed considerable evidence on the use of student performance data (e.g., benchmark and standardized state tests) to inform educational improvement, but few have examined the use of nonacademic indicators (e.g., indicators of social and emotional well-being) available to educators, and whether the factors…

In recent years, the United States has seen an increased interest in Dual Language Education (DLE) Programs. These programs prepare students to compete in a global economy by providing an opportunity to develop high levels of bilingualism, biliteracy, and socio-cultural competence. Despite abundant research on DLE programs (Howard et al., 2018),…

Throughout the United States as well as in California, relatively few Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) serve in leadership positions in four-year universities. This research uses a qualitative phenomenological approach that examines the lived experiences of AAPI administrators in four-year public and private higher education…

In California, as in many other states across the nation, implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been a complex endeavor impacting every public school educator. Not surprisingly, California districts have encountered bumps along the way in their efforts to provide much-needed support to all K-12 teachers as they continue to learn…

School leadership is a key component of successful school environments and academic performance strategies. Among school-related factors, school leadership is second to teaching in its impact on student learning. In addition, research shows that strong leaders contribute significantly to successful school turnaround. To ensure that school leaders…

The purpose of this study is to discover the experiences and supports that influenced the development of teaching effectiveness at different career stages of National University alumni who were identified as County Teachers of the Year in California. National University is the second largest private, nonprofit institution of higher learning in…

In this paper, the authors present qualitative data -- vignettes -- that describe how the professional learning systems and structures have changed for some of California's educators in recent years: organization of teachers within schools as professional learning hubs, management by school principals of the instructional mission, navigation by…