In this quantitative study, discipleship strategies of churches in the Christian and Missionary Alliance were surveyed, to determine if discipleship strategies were effective at fulfilling the mission of helping people connect with God and grow spiritually. Data were collected from 30 church attenders from Western Pennsylvania churches, 27 of…

This study explores the relationship between emotional labor (EL), in the form of surface acting and deep acting, emotional intelligence (EI), and the degree of experienced burnout in school principals. School principals in one Pennsylvania County were surveyed using an electronic instrument. The survey consisted or: (a) demographic questions, (b)…

The study of school readiness is multifaceted, encompassing an understanding of many developmental areas and skills. In the current educational culture of high-stakes testing, increased rigor, and high learning expectations, parents may be concerned about a child's readiness to begin kindergarten. With increased accountability, teachers may also…

Failure to identify gifted students is an important, yet under acknowledged problem facing our nation's schools (Miller, 2009; Webb, 2000). It is important for teachers to be aware of typical and atypical or, unexpected characteristics of gifted students. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify factors that influenced elementary…

Professional development is supposed to increase instructional capacity in teachers. It is well funded by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which also provides clear expectations for activities and programs that research suggests make it effective in improving student learning (Ball & Cohen, 1999; Banilower et al., 2006; Gersten et…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects of grade-span configuration on student achievement and sense of belonging. The quantitative data for this study was collected from Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), specifically the Future Ready PA Index site and Eidex. Additional quantitative data was collected through…

This study asked two primary questions: (1) to what extent do distance learners find value in student support services; and (2) is there a relationship between the value placed on student support services and students' sense of belonging in the university's learning community? Value was defined as the frequency of use, importance, and satisfaction…

Today's superintendents face increasingly non-routine and complex problems that are educational, managerial, and political in nature. This study investigated occupational stressors and job satisfaction of school superintendents in Pennsylvania. This was accomplished through self-report of superintendents and through the perspective of school board…

The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental correlational study was to investigate how professional development, specifically the PIL professional development initiative, influenced principals' and assistant principals' self-perceived leadership behaviors. A purposive sampling of public school principals and assistant principals located in…

This study was designed to identify factors that might influence Pennsylvania public school superintendents in the decision regarding the potential use of single-subject acceleration as a practice for meeting the needs of students in the elementary setting. The research targeted public school superintendents in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In…

Instructional supervision has been one of the most researched, and debated topics in education in the last several decades. It continues to be a topic of relevance, especially in Pennsylvania, where the 2013-2014 school year began with the introduction of the teacher supervision and evaluation framework, Act 82 of 2012 (PSBA, 2013). Instructional…

Colleges and universities are being increasingly recognized as key contributors to the well-being of the places in which they are located. However, in spite of the promise and potential of place-based engagement, there is little agreement about what place and place-building means or how these concepts can be operationalized in within the context…

The purpose of this study was to determine Pennsylvania principals' perceptions and understanding of the physical and psychosocial impact of childhood obesity, whether they believe schools should be addressing the issue, who they feel should be leading efforts within schools, what actions they believe are taking place to address the issue within…

The social studies data of the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) highlighted some alarming results. These results highlight a trend in the learning of social studies related content within today's secondary schools. Students are mastering and retaining less social studies knowledge while other content areas are slowly…

Title IX establishes in law equal opportunity for women in educational programs that receive financial support from the federal government. In higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the misapplication of Title IX in college athletics is believed to have caused the termination of college wrestling programs that were otherwise…