Atomic weapons testing during the Cold War and accidents at nuclear power plants have resulted in the release of radioactive fallout over great distances. Little is known about levels of fallout deposited in Indiana. The reported study sampled soil in all 92 Indiana counties to determine the present level of cesium-137 from the 2 to 12 centimeter…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the instructional leadership practices that develop a growth mindset in teachers and to determine if the evaluation model will lead to enhanced pedagogical practices. Schools were separated into schools of affluence and poverty. Schools of affluence had less than a 35% free and reduced lunch…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the educator's perception of the optimal professional development experience. Research studies have concluded that the biggest indicator to predict student achievement is teacher effectiveness (Aaronson, Barrow, & Sander, 2007; Marzano, 2003; Sanders & Horn, 1998; Wong 2001). Guskey…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the use of social media among principals in the state of Indiana. Data from the national 2009 report, "A Survey of K-12 Educators on Social Networking and other Content Sharing Tools," were used to compare national results and data collected from Indiana. A survey was also created to…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the importance and priority of practices for directors of career and technical education in the state of Indiana. An analysis was prepared to determine the rankings and correlations of importance and priorities of 50 leadership practices as well as 11 categories of practices for the career…

To access interactive systems, blind and visually impaired users can leverage their auditory senses by using non-speech sounds. The current structure of non-speech sounds, however, is geared toward conveying user interface operations (e.g., opening a file) rather than large theme-based information (e.g., a history passage) and, thus, is ill-suited…

This qualitative case study examines teachers' perspectives on testing accommodations for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students taking Indiana's Graduation Qualifying Exam (GQE). The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) states that the purpose of testing accommodations is to "level the playing field" between LEP students and their…

The rural elementary principal has the ultimate responsibility for bringing all stakeholders together to focus and improve student achievement. In doing so, they must be able to provide knowledge of national, state, and local policies that influence achievement. Response to Intervention is a tiered framework for school's to provide…

This purpose of this research study was to investigate the role of effective principals and how that role relates to the improvement of adolescent reading skills. This research study identified three strategies that were utilized by principals in an effort to develop effective reading skills in adolescent students which are: (1) effective program…

Programs supported by the Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 are required to operate under the state or national content standards, and are expected to carry out evaluation procedures that address accountability. The Indiana high school course, "Advanced Life Science: Foods" ("ALS: Foods") operates under the auspices of the Perkins…