The assistant principal plays a key role in school success but research suggests there are differences between principals and assistant principals in their perceptions of their roles. The 2011 Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning Kentucky survey responses of educator perceptions were statistically analyzed for the statewide sample of…

Prior research on Troops to Teachers (TTT) affirms that TTTs are effective instructors likely to work in high-poverty, high-minority schools, teach high-demand subjects, use research-based instructional and classroom management practices linked with student achievement, and plan to stay in the profession. A nonexperimental, mixed method design…

The purpose of this study was to determine how K-12 public school teachers perceive the use of student performance data in teacher evaluations. The proprietary, utility, feasibility, and accuracy standards created by the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation served as a framework for the study. An online survey was deployed to a…

The purpose for this study was to ascertain the perceptions principals of public secondary schools in Minnesota have in relation to the evaluation of their job performance. Responding principals reported that past evaluations have been fair and consistent but have questioned their value with regard to professional growth. When asked if student…

There is a positive relationship between high levels of teacher efficacy and increased student achievement as well as a positive link between principal behavior and teacher efficacy. A diverse group of middle school teachers from a mid-Atlantic state were surveyed. Responses from 366 teachers were analyzed to determine whether various principal…

This mixed-methods study examines young adolescents' perceptions of strategies implemented before a state-mandated "high-stakes" test. Survey results for Grade 8 students (N = 215) are analyzed by sex, academic group, and preparation team. Letters to the principal are reviewed for convergence and additional themes. Although students were most…

Educational statistics and worldwide media have reported a gender gap in academic achievement, with boys falling behind girls with regard to grades, high school graduation, and college enrollment and retention. This mixed methods study involved interviews with educators and the examination of quantitative data to investigate this issue in a school…

A 2005 national study surveyed 2,103 Troops to Teachers (T3) program completers and their school administrators using 21 research-based instructional practices and four effective classroom management strategies associated with increased student achievement to determine whether T3s were more effective in the classroom than traditionally prepared…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the salience of collaborative cultures relative to student achievement. School culture data was collected from the faculties of 81 schools in Indiana during the spring semester of the 2002-03 school year using survey methodology. The data from these schools provided scores on six factors found in the…

This article presents major conclusions of several studies of teacher morale and points out the implications for school administrators. (Editor/CB)

Reviews current practices in middle schools. Includes a listing of 24 practices used in effective middle schools extrapolated from a survey of literature on effective schools. (MD)

Reports trends and implications of interdisciplinary teaming practices in middle schools, based on findings from a national survey. Noting that nearly 80 percent of schools currently implement teaming, challenges principals and teachers to move beyond simple formation of teams to the creation of an infrastructure that supports high-performing…

Administration of the Student Achievement Diagnostic Questionnaire for Administrators to 1,278 Georgia teachers verified the instrument's utility for measuring several factors affecting teacher motivation, including teachers' attitudes toward principals, toward the utility of improving performance, and toward the nature of and the possibility of…

Recent survey data show definite correlation between number of hours high school students work and their grade point averages (GPA). Students' GPA decreased when work hours increased but not dramatically. High school seniors are better equipped to work longer hours than are younger students. These results hold for male and female students, but…

Author reviews Student Use of Unscheduled Time,'' by Walter J. Foley, Gordon C. Harr, and Larry Smiley (Iowa Educational Information Center), and Comparing Block Scheduling and Traditional Scheduling on Student Achievement and Attitudes,'' by Adrian P. Van Mondrans, James L. Schott, and Denny G. French (paper presented at the convention of the…