Public education depends on the collaboration of adults to promote the success of the students who are served. Principal-teacher relationships are a necessary part of the overall learning environment established for students to grow and thrive. In an urban educational setting these relationships can be tested, especially in the transitional grades…

In this phenomenological study, seven K-8 school principals who have made measurable advances in achievement gap scores were interviewed to understand the lived experiences that informed their successful leadership practices. Annually, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) releases Ohio School Report Cards (n.d.), a statewide report that contains…

Limited research explores how school administrators learn the leadership skills, knowledge, and dispositions that will support young adolescents, particularly how administrators are prepared and credentialed to lead middle grades schools. The purpose of this research was to examine which states offered and/or required administrator credentials…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the extent to which instructional leaders providing principal feedback to teachers with five or more years of teaching experience influence student high value-added growth in urban Ohio middle schools, specifically in regard to their Black students. It examined statistical information between…

Research has affirmed the importance of principals and mentors in supporting novice teachers; however, little is known about how teacher leaders contribute to this work. We employed a mixed methods design to examine teacher leaders' contributions to induction by surveying principals, teachers, and other staff (n = 246) and interviewing teacher…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether or not a relationship existed between principals who demonstrate transformational leadership traits and six different quality practices in their special education program. Effective principals must know and understand special education laws, practices, and current issues, but evidence…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe middle level prepared teachers' perceptions of their practices after completing an Ohio Middle Childhood: Grades 4-9 teacher education program. Using the National Middle School Association/National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education Initial Level Teacher Preparation Standards (2001)…

The purpose of this action research study was to restructure and implement an effective middle school advisory model. This was conducted at a Middle School in Painesville Township, Ohio consisting of approximately 800 students. In order to meet Adequate Yearly Progress and adapt to the changes of the 21st century, a way to help the school progress…

The teaching of mathematics, which arguably is so abstract as to transcend place and community and even culture (according at least to a Platonic view of mathematics), will seem to some observers particularly ill-suited to instruction in place- or community- or culture-based approaches. Nevertheless, current thinking in mathematics education,…

This descriptive study investigated the attitudes of middle school building principals toward the desirability of preservice teacher preparation programs conducted wholly or almost wholly online. This project included middle schools in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio where random cluster sampling was utilized to select participants from…

Middle-level instructional teams promote feelings of belonging and enhance student academic and social growth, teacher job satisfaction, mission clarity, and instructional program strength. A survey of Ohio middle-school teachers and principals disclosed four components promoting successful team development: including all participants in teamwork…

Attitudes toward middle school certification in Ohio were studied. The study concerned teachers and principals of schools containing grades 6 through 8. Results, obtained through an attitudinal questionnaire, indicated that type of district and position had no effect on the participants' attitudes. However, educational level (elementary, middle,…

The concept of organizational justice is defined, and, based on a review of the literature, ten principles of organizational justice are elaborated. Similarly, the elements of faculty trust are conceptualized and discussed. Then, a model of organizational justice and trust is proposed and tested using path analysis. The results underscore the…