In this dissertation, I investigated the impact of the involvement of students with disabilities in the ASPIRE intervention program and examined the relationship between student involvement in the ASPIRE program and academic performance and growth. To do so, first, I outlined how I built my perspective for this study in the areas of transition,…

Change is a constant. At the same time, change can be hard for everyone involved. How do change leaders do it well? In this research study, I explored the planning and execution of state-level change initiatives within the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) strategic plan. I designed my study to identify and uncover the strategies change initiative…

It has been 15 years since the initial publication of the American Association of Community Colleges' competencies for community college leaders (AACC, 2005), which outlined six competencies community college leaders needed if they were to be successful: organizational strategy, resource management, communication, collaboration, community college…

In California, computers are needed for students to participate in the annual state assessments, the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Public school districts across the state of California are required to formulate Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) each year. This mixed-method study first conducted…

Tennessee's future will be determined by the number of post-secondary credentials of its residents to support economic development. Additionally, Tennesseans must earn living wages to support their livelihoods. Finally, the psychological development of Tennesseans must be supported, which allows individuals to reach their fullest potential. While…

Policies in education ensure that educators and educational leaders are receiving and implementing equitable and adequate educational services and opportunities to all students. Some of these policies are proactive and others are reactive. In 2018, Judge Singleton decided in the "Yazzie-Martinez v. NM" (2018) court case the State of NM…

The purpose of this study was to assess the significance of the Delaware P20 Council's achievement of creating a statewide definition of college and career readiness based on the awareness, perception, and believed impact of defining readiness held by high school (secondary) educators and first-year college students attending Wilmington…

The new era of school reform initiatives by federal and legislative mandates at the state level has ushered in a level of increased importance being placed on the evaluation of principals. Moreover, the federal government has requested that states develop their own systems for principal evaluations, and as a result, several states have implemented…

An effective state-level professional development system designed for Nebraska 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21 st CCLC) program leaders should consider both the unique characteristics of the program leaders themselves, as well as the rural communities where the afterschool programs are implemented. Some of these differentiating…

Students are not learning to read well in California public schools. This is particularly true for students in special education. If more of California's students in special education are to demonstrate literacy skills to state and national standards, it will require more of their teachers teaching those skills. With the plurality of California…

As part of its ongoing effort to fulfill the expectations of Massachusetts' Vision Project Agenda for its public colleges and universities, Northeast Community College collaborated with the non-profit organization, Complete College America, to develop the Academic Pathways. The Academic Pathways [or APs] are a pre-determined block of first…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the 2006 New Jersey Department of Education's initiative to improve mentoring supports for first-year new teachers throughout the state. As part of this initiative, every school district in the state was required to develop a comprehensive mentoring plan to support new teachers. Districts…

During the last two decades of the twentieth century, for-profit higher education in the United States grew at an extraordinary pace. By the close of the century, for-profit institutions accounted for a substantial proportion of degree-seeking students in the United States--an enrollment share that, until relatively recently, expanded at…

The purpose of this case study was to examine the schools in Indiana with students identified with disabilities who are performing successfully on the state achievement assessment, ISTEP+. The intent was not to focus on how to help this population of students pass the state assessment, rather it was to see what was happening to make this type of…

It is arguably the case that one of the most pressing issues in higher education finance is the increasing price of obtaining a college education, and, more specifically, rising tuition and fees. Because state support to public higher education and tuition and fees at publicly supported colleges and universities have been shown to share an inverse…