School leaders play an important role in creating a caring and supportive environment in which teachers can be successful. In this dissertation in practice (DiP), the scholar-practitioner examined an active learning environment that demonstrated how school leadership took strategic measures for improving student participation in a national…

Rural India is witnessing a surge in the number of low-cost, poor-friendly private schools that seemingly offer quality alternatives to government schools. Untangling stakeholders' viewpoints, this research explains how outcome and performance-focused learning, broadly known as neoliberal performativity in education, is enacted in these…

The transition from middle school to high school can be challenging for some students. Many school districts are implementing practices to ease the transition to high school. The current study examined one school district's practices and procedures for the development and implementation of a ninth-grade center. In this study, I examined the…

The administration of a high school made the decision to transition to a "school of the 21st century". This transition includes one-to-one mobile computing devices for all faculty and students, ubiquitous Internet access, and the use of open educational resources (OER) to replace textbooks. At the time of this phase in this longitudinal…

Newark's high schools play an essential role in building the next generation of young minds for college and career readiness. Yet, high achievement may be unattainable if students miss too much school. Reasons for student absence vary. In Newark Public Schools, 48 percent of high school students were "chronically absent" in the 2015-16…

Newark's high schools play an essential role in building the next generation of young minds for college and career readiness. Yet, high achievement may be unattainable if students miss too much school. "Chronic absenteeism" is generally defined as missing 10 percent or more of enrolled days for any reason. Research has shown that when…

This study is an evaluative analysis of 13 Music Education programs in Colombia that provide training for secondary school music teachers for 6th to 11th grade in the Colombian education system. The study utilized an analysis matrix from the International Research Project ALFA II-0448-A, which developed a similar study with Latin American and…

Principal preparation around the development of reflective practices has traditionally focused on the individual reflective practices of principals. Recently, reflective discourse between principals and students has facilitated principals' understanding of student perspectives regarding school policies and processes. We explore the use of digital…

Middle-to-high school transition activities improve retention and graduation rates, reduce academic challenges, and support student social development. The purpose of this study was to investigate ninth-grade algebra I and literature/composition end-of-course test performance, attendance, and discipline in relationship to transition strategies…

Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) has systematically made reading the center of instruction in the district's 10 high schools. Data-supported improvements have taken place in reading achievement in a short time through a two-pronged approach grounded in professional development. Through collaboration with the Florida Center for Reading…

This study describes the bullying behaviors reported by 136 grade 9 students in two high schools in the same Southern city. Nearly 75% of students reported observing some type of bullying at their school. Bullied students were most apt to tell their mother or a friend about their experience, but rarely told a teacher or an administrator. Findings…