This article examines the schoolwork environment and how to combat the major problem of teacher retention. Leaders within an organization have the important task of motivating their employees. Various organizations will spend extra money every year developing new programs to keep quality employees. Still, leaders are wondering why so many of their…

The Challenge is the definitive guide to the key ideas and resources behind Ready by 21. The Ready by 21 challenge aims to develop a solution for a common dilemma--too few young people are entering adulthood ready and our collective efforts to make a difference are far too fragmented to have a big impact. As part of the Forum's solution, leaders…

The process of change in any organization must begin at the top. Leadership experts describe successful organizations as those that are guided by a leader who exhibits appropriate behavior and vision for the organization and its employees. In other words, leaders must model the behavior and attitudes they want to see from staff members. Therefore,…

Teacher retention has become a national crisis. This case study describes one principal's efforts to support new teachers and reduce the turnover rate at her school. Recognizing the problem a few years ago, the principal took what she thought were a number of proactive, decisive steps to resolve the issue--she is doing all the right things.…

To be able to connect the school counseling program to standards-based reform, school counseling initiatives such as The Education Trust's Transforming the School Counseling Initiative and The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) have called for a paradigm shift in the understanding of the school counselor's role, from a service provider…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze how tribal colleges and Universities have transitioned from two-year associate degree granting institutions to offering four-year bachelor degree granting institutions. This case study includes three tribal colleges: Sitting Bull College, Salish Kootenai College and Turtle Mountain…

Educational leadership has been the focus of many studies; however, leadership does not occur in a vacuum. Understanding the context in which it occurs will in turn help to explain the phenomenon itself. Rural communities in the United States have many differences when compared to urban and suburban areas. Twenty-eight percent of schools in the…

This study selected a purposeful sample of eight high performing southern California elementary schools which achieved API scores above 900 over a three year period. A review of instructional strategies for each study school during the improvement process and resource allocation patterns was determined. Case studies of each school include…

The aim of the study was to understand how students' college choice decisions were associated with their subsequent satisfaction levels. This study utilized Hossler and Gallagher's college choice model and studies of college satisfaction. Data from 893 first-time enrolled freshman college students from three different college campuses in an urban…

How well do youth offending teams (YOT) work? In which areas of their work is their performance excellent and where is improvement needed? This research examined annual performance assessments of services for children and young people undertaken by Ofsted in 57 local authorities from January 2006 to April 2009, together with relevant data relating…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological multi-case study was to explore the leadership practices related to governance issues experienced by executive directors in selected Illinois special education cooperatives. These leadership practices were generally defined as responses to governance issues and challenges. The study examined five…

Across the United States, school districts are working to turnaround their lowest performing schools in order to meet the requirements of Adequate Yearly Progress mandated by the "No Child Left Behind Act" of 2001. These failing schools are facing district, state, and federal sanctions of closure, takeover, or restructuring. A new…

This report describes a policy analysis project examining principal evaluation instruments, policies and processes in the fifty United States, the state of Missouri, and 15 Kansas City, Missouri area school districts. Since current research demonstrates that the principal plays a critical role in the success or failure of improvement initiatives,…

How does an assistant principal complete the large number of managerial duties and, at the same time, serve as a credible instructional leader? This book provides practical recommendations for successfully filling the dual role as manager and instructional leader, building effective relationships, using power appropriately, and productively…

The amount of time allocated for learning and the way that time is used is one of the few variables that can be influenced rather directly by school leaders. Fortunately, it is also a variable that has shown consistent links to student performance. Now that schools are focused directly, and in some cases exclusively, on student achievement, there…