Every student receiving special education services in a school must have an Individualized Education Program describing all supports and services needed to support the student. An IEP is the avenue for students with disabilities to have access to education. Ensuring that special education teachers are competent in writing and implementing…

This dissertation examines the efficacy of a professional development program in developing data literate and culturally proficient community college instructors. Existing research suggests that there is a need for high-quality professional development in Cultural Proficiency and data literacy for community college instructors to make continuous…

This dissertation is a case study of a professional development effort in a large urban school district over the course of one school year. With their district identified for improvement under the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001, district leaders were under pressure take corrective action. As part of their plan…

This mixed methods study explored the nature of a benchmark assessment program and how well the benchmark assessments predicted End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) test scores in an American Indian school district. Five major themes were identified and used to develop a Dimensions of Benchmark Assessment Program Effectiveness model:…

The following document represents a Problem Based Learning Project (PBL) around the central theme of school improvement, the components of school improvement, and the importance of the presence and interaction of five central components of school improvement. Five central components, or constructs, identified and selected from a breadth of…

The following document represents a Problem Based Learning Project (PBL) around the central theme of school improvement, the components of school improvement, and the importance of the presence and interaction of five central components of school improvement. Five central components, or constructs, identified and selected from a breadth of…

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that influence the ability of teachers and administrators to use data obtained from a data warehouse to inform instruction. The mixed methods study was guided by the following questions: 1) What data warehouse application features affect the ability of an educator to effectively use the…

Professional learning communities and teacher efficacy are at the core of many of the current educational reform models. The intention of this dissertation was to identify the correlation between professional learning communities and collective teacher efficacy for math data teams in the six Kaua'i Complex Area secondary schools, as measured by…

Federal and state mandates to improve student achievement for all students necessitate change in the way schools operate and are run. The role of the principal has changed and requires different skills to succeed in the 21st century. However, there are few studies that focus on revealing the perspective of a principal who applied a change theory…

Few studies have examined the reasons for ineffective public school leadership. The study examined the factors associated with the involuntary departure of public school principals in the state of Texas and aimed to reveal the ineffective behaviors that erode the public school principal's leadership. The study also indirectly pointed out to…

Professional development within many school districts has become more closely linked to school or district achievement goals, daily practice and student assessment data. Both empirical research and experiential-based writing in the field have suggested that data-driven job-embedded professional development supports teacher learning and improved…

This study presents case studies of rural elementary schools in Hawaii that examine resource allocation strategies that promote student achievement. The combined frame work of the Evidence Based Model (Odden & Picus, 2008) and the 10 Strategies for Doubling Student Performance (Odden, 2009) were utilized to compare actual school resources and…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in how high and low performing elementary school districts use and analyze data to differentiate instruction, make changes to district/grade level curriculum, determine professional development needs, determine teacher effectiveness, and determine the use of school district…

The purpose of this study was to determine if professional development using school contextual data would provide deeper understanding and attention to the important issue of student bullying. This was primarily a quantitative study. Phase 1 involved using data from the pre-existing student and teacher needs assessments to create the school…

Federal legislation such as No Child Left Behind requires greater focus and attention on the part of schools and school districts not only to make school improvements, but also to meet rigorous accountability requirements such as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as determined by high student achievement guidelines. These requirements have compelled…