This dissertation is intended to complement the conversation in the social sciences about the challenging role of campus principals and the influence they have on teacher retention and job satisfaction. School principals are held accountable for creating positive change within the campus, therefore they supervise the operational and instructional…

This study examined the effects of meeting frequency, structured meeting times, annual agreements, and demographic variables on school counselor perceptions of their relationship with their building principal. Results of a regression analysis indicated that meeting frequency accounted for 26.7% of the variance in school counselor-reported…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are collaborative teacher groups that focus on learning and continual improvement. Establishing PLCs can be a challenging endeavor, especially in smaller schools. Smaller schools employ fewer staff members, limiting opportunities for collaboration. This dissertation examined the implementation of PLCs in…

The purpose of this study was to explore elementary second-stage teachers' (4-10 years experience) career decisions and the teaching and working conditions associated with those decisions. Retaining teachers is of extreme importance to public schools because chronic turnover is financially, organizationally, and instructionally costly. The study…

Social network analysis brings new perspectives to the study of social phenomena. Traditional sociological analysis is usually focused on the categorization of data. By contrast, social network analysis is focused on relations, aiming to describe the structure of relational ties. This case study will provide an example of the use of social network…

This study examined the supports needed by teachers who transition to the position of principal in the school where they were once a teacher (people who have become what the researcher has coined as "teacher-transitioned principals"). Despite the importance of succession plans in education and supporting new leaders who are part of these…

In this essay, Sarah Stitzlein and Amy Rector-Aranda, drawing on John Dewey's theoretical suggestions regarding how to best form publics capable of bringing about change through deliberation and action, offer teachers guidance on how to form and navigate spaces of political protest and become more effective advocates for school reform. Using Aaron…

Fostering and maintaining strong collaborative relationships are critically important for paraprofessionals and special education teachers working together to provide a high-quality education for students with severe disabilities. Through in-depth interviews with 22 teachers and paraprofessionals comprising nine educational teams, we examined…

Inter-professional teams are typical in health care, and inter-professional education has thus become more common. This empirical study explores the instruction-related challenges when students of dentistry and oral hygiene collaborate during their internship in caring for the oral health of patients. The conceptual framework of the study stems…

Data utilization is a key component of school improvement as data can be used to enhance student achievement both systematically and on an individual student level. Through systemically analyzing multiple sources of data, educators can make informed and knowledgeable school improvement decisions. In order to effectively make data-drive decisions…

This paper discusses researcher identity, positioning, and reflexivity as they relate to the experience of a researcher on an interprofessional research project. The project collected video recordings of students and healthcare professionals in university and clinical settings. During the process of data collection, 'conversations' emerged between…

The Minnesota Principals Academy (MPA) is an executive development program designed to enhance the performance of school leaders in order to improve educational outcomes for students. The Center for Applied Research and Education Improvement (CAREI) serves as the program evaluator with the intention of providing information on the extent to which…

Ethical considerations are integral to our professional lives when we are faced with difficult choices regarding services and supports for children and families. Often, the right choice in service delivery for young children with disabilities ages birth to 5 years is unclear due to a myriad of factors potentially creating ethical dilemmas. This…

In this article, Kara Finnigan and Alan Daly argue that studying churn among central office leaders and school principals can improve retention of high-quality leaders who can better support teachers. Constant churn often means that initiatives barely have the opportunity to get off the ground before a new central office administrator or principal…

Recent research has demonstrated that longitudinal integrated placements (LICs) are an alternative mode of clinical education to traditional placements. Extended student engagement in community settings provide the advantages of educational continuity as well as increased service provision in underserved areas. Developing and maintaining LICs…