Research indicates that leadership is an important element in student and school success (Darling-Hammond, et al.2007). This has been a factor in calls to implement extensive changes in how principals are recruited and prepared (Murphy, 2006). An essential element in this redesign is assessing the students that enter and graduate from it.…

Mentoring and induction support influence novice special education teachers' determination to remain in teaching. Those with high levels of support tend to report greater job manageability and success in teaching challenging students. They also tend to feel better about their preparedness to teach, knowledge of pedagogical content, and ability to…

Although school performance feedback is available in schools all over the world, there is a dearth of information about the use made of feedback and about the effects of its use. This paper presents case study research into the use of school performance feedback and its perceived effects. All schools used the feedback in writing school improvement…

The aim of this preliminary study was to describe parent views about implementing effective home programs to inform practice recommendations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 parents of children with cerebral palsy (2 fathers and 8 mothers) who had participated in a home program by using a partnership-based approach. Transcripts…

In West Africa, advisory services for family farms have been promoted to better address producers' needs. The paper aims to show that these services can be understood as a system whose functioning is strongly determined by the financing mechanisms, the governance mechanisms put in place, the quality of human resources delivering advice, and the…

In this article we take a closer look at a developing university-community engagement project being undertaken between California State University, Fresno, and the City of Fresno. A history of the project is provided, along with a review of the relevant literature and a summary of what pieces of the puzzle we feel should be in place for a…

This article calls into question recent research on induction and mentoring and illustrates the effects of comprehensive induction programs on new teacher motivation, satisfaction, and retention. This analysis contradicts recent research and suggests that comprehensive induction can positively influence the retention and development of new…

This is a review of evidence for contextualization, defined here as an instructional approach connecting foundational skills and college-level content. Two forms of contextualization are identified, "contextualized" and "integrated" instruction. Despite methodological limitations, the available studies suggest that contextualization has the…

Youth and adult partners participated in youth asset mapping, a form of action research, to assess community assets and youth involvement opportunities. Qualitative data were analyzed to examine youths' feelings of empowerment and experiences with adult partners. Asset mapping contributed to youth empowerment, especially when adults were engaging…

Though personal response "clicker" systems can enhance student engagement and learning, little research has examined characteristics which affect learning. In the current study, 151 students reported how their instructor used clickers, their experience of clicker-related hindrances, perceived benefits of using clickers, and their grades. Results…

This study examines factors affecting students' performances in an Introductory Sociology course over five semesters. Employing simple and ordered logit regression models, the author explains final grades by focusing on individual demographic and educational characteristics that students bring into the classroom. The results show that a student's…

Although much has been written about the complexity of educational change and reform elsewhere, the educational reform movement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a relatively recent phenomenon with little systematic documentation as yet; educators are still searching for a clear understanding of their roles. However, it is clear that the…

Postsecondary education has been linked to improved access to employment opportunities for individuals with and without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with increased employment outcomes for Vocational Rehabilitation consumers enrolled in community college short term occupational skill training programs.…

This study uses descriptive data from the U.S. Department of Education to examine the composition of the private school sector in localities with sizeable school choice programs. If existing school choice programs are attracting educational entrepreneurs and unlocking the potential of new school models, the authors should expect to see significant…

Two recent studies by Biancarosa et al. and by Saunders et al. have finally demonstrated that "job-embedded, sustained professional development" can significantly improve student achievement. But there's a catch. In both studies, effective professional development (PD) strategies were successful only under certain circumstances or only in some…