Professional learning communities (PLCs) as a means of raising the teaching profession are becoming more attractive in education systems seeking to improve school improvement processes and outcomes. The main intention is to increase the individual and collective capacity of teachers so as to support school-wide capacity for teaching and learning.…

Data-driven decision making is part of our everyday lives. For example, we examine our children's immunization charts in order to indicate what vaccinations they have received, as well as what vaccinations are missing and expired. We use information, like a chart, to make decisions about what to do and what not to do. Data-driven decision making…

This article describes the theoretical and conceptual framework upon which the Developmental Designs (DD) approach is based and four fundamental human needs especially compelling for adolescents. These are used as the foreground to explain and contextualize the Developmental Designs' 10 classroom practices and professional development…

The dissertation was designed to describe the relationship of collective teacher efficacy to the phases of professional learning communities (PLC) in a rural school district in the southern piedmont region of North Carolina. Limited research exists in the area of collective teacher efficacy and its relationship to professional learning…

We examined teacher supervision practices (supervision models, phases, and professional development guidelines) of in-school supervisors (principals, vice principals, and study program directors) in Uganda, the supervisors' efficacy perceptions regarding teacher supervision, and supervisor characteristics associated with the choice of supervisory…

The nation's K-12 schools are faced with critical challenges that are complex, complicated, and unprecedented (NCLB, 2001; Education Alliance, 2005; & Kowalski, 2009). The key challenges facing schools are elevating academic achievement; meeting No Child Left Behind (2001) standards (NCLB); South Carolina standards; the recruitment and…

Based on publicly available data, the study examined the relationship between adequate yearly progress status and teachers' perceptions of the quality of their professional development. The sample included responses of 5,558 teachers who completed the questionnaire in the 2005-2006 school year. Results of the statistical analysis show a…

The impact of the "No Child Left Behind Act" on the Achievement Level Index (ALI) of three elementary schools in the Mississippi Delta was explored. Achievement variation over five years (2003-2007) was examined through the perceptions of 58 teachers with regard to changes in their schools due to the Act. Using analysis of variance,…

This research study investigated the leadership behaviors and organizational frames utilized by two veteran superintendents of medium sized school districts in California to address issues of academic performance in their respective districts as perceived by the superintendents and their respective board members and principals. Current…

Although research has provided a substantial amount of information about key characteristics of effective school leaders, there is a growing need for continued improvement and reflective practice on the continuous development of instructional leaders. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent elementary principals perceive they are…

Most education reformers agree that effective teaching is defined by improving student learning, but they disagree on how to measure teacher effectiveness and how to use those measurements to improve teaching. In order to improve high school teaching, educators and policymakers must first invest in solid, objective ways to measure a teacher's…

This study investigated school administrators' perceptions of school improvement policies in a high-impact policy environment by measuring the impact of accountability, site-based management, professional development, and scheduling reform on the three dependent variables of a) academic outcomes, b) staff morale, and c) parent and community…

This document contains 11 papers on researching service learning through a multidisciplinary lens. The following papers are included: "Introduction" (Shelley H. Billig, Andrew Furco); "Stretching to Meet the Challenge: Improving the Quality of Research to Improve the Quality of Service-Learning" (Janet Eyler);…