This study explores the level of "social presence" or connectedness, in two iterations of a 13-month, graduate-level certificate program designed to help K-12 school leaders integrate technology in their districts. Vygotsky's Social Development Theory serves as the theoretical lens for this programmatic research. The methods include a…

The practice of service-learning is growing. However, service-learning activities seldom involve high school students with moderate mental disabilities working with peers without disabilities. The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of personnel who work in partnership with students with disabilities and…

First-generation college students, students whose parents have not earned a four-year degree, are not new to higher education, but their increasing presence at private, four-year institutions requires careful attention from administration and faculty. The rising costs of higher education combined with the nation's recent economic decline have made…

The number of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) schools has increased rapidly in China in recent years. However, access to schools offering the IBDP remains restricted to a relatively elite minority of China's population due to enrolment barriers for Chinese nationals and relatively high school fees. An implication is that…

This qualitative case study was designed to explore students' perceptions of online learning at a small rural community college to understand what factors impacted their persistence in coursework. The research problem dealt with retention rates in online courses, which were lower than in face-to-face courses. Despite extensive quantitative…

This qualitative case study examines one faculty member's approach toward instilling culturally immersive experiences into graduate curriculum. Participants completed course assignments designed to enhance their multicultural understanding and competence. Course assignments culminated in an immersive experience where students embodied an…

This paper reports on a case study undertaken within a small, rural primary school in the UK to explore the extent to which it was possible to run a moral and spiritual programme as an intrinsic and inclusive part of the curriculum based on the children's acquisition of virtues. The pupils were encouraged to build on their own experience and…

Response-to-Intervention (RTI) strategies have been introduced across the country to assist students who demonstrate significant inabilities to achieve grade level competencies in major subject areas. However, despite its implementation in a southern California elementary school, 4th through 6th grade special education students with mild to…

The study's goal was to examine the metacognitive practices and problem solving by preservice secondary mathematics teachers within secondary core content areas. The effort to analyze and describe the processes led to qualitative methods, a multiple case study. Transcripts of problem solving sessions and interviews were coded for the presence of…

High-stakes testing has increased since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Many teachers are using teacher-centered activities with memorization and testing coach books instead of creating student-centered higher-order thinking activities. Some school districts are eliminating subjects that are not tested on state…

Retaining teachers is a pressing issue facing many urban middle schools in the southern US. Urban middle schools continually face increased teacher turnover rates in spite of state mandated induction and mentoring programs. Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, the purpose of the qualitative case study was to examine urban middle…

This case study examined learning experiences of three nontraditional online learners who were unsuccessful in an online course, Middle Level Education, and opted to repeat it in a face-to-face setting. Their unique experiences and perspective provided an opportunity to shed light on the nature of preservice teacher education for nontraditional…

Due to the high turnover of teaching staff in remote schools, the long-term sustainability of educational initiatives that enhance Indigenous student's learning is a major concern. This article presents a study of a remote Indigenous school (Ischool) situated in Queensland. Ischool has changed its approach to leadership, particularly the…

Since the implementation of NCLB initiatives, rural K-12 teachers in Middle Georgia have been working to gain highly qualified status in their area of certification. These educators have faced struggles that are characteristic of rural schools to include: limited resources, isolated geographic locations, and lack of funds. The In-field Gifted…

The purposes of this qualitative multiple case study were to determine the catalysts and pathways that caused principals to move from managers to effective leaders. Data were collected through a series of interviews with 4 principals who were selected through a purposeful sampling procedure. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and…