Due to the nature of alternative preparation paths to classroom teaching and the unique challenges these teachers face, alternative certified teacher quality and retention are questionable. The purpose of this study was to investigate school leaders' knowledge of the challenges of these teachers, the support provided in light of that knowledge,…

School turnaround initiatives have prioritized the school principal as the change lever. Little overall consideration about the critical role district leadership plays. In this study, we analyze the turnaround launch and, improvement plans of school district leaders participating in a university, turnaround program. We find that district leaders…

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to principal engagement in the professional development process, and identify what resources or supports were needed to increase engagement. The 249 survey participants were drawn from 112 different school systems. From that group 20 principals were purposefully sampled for…

As secondary school leaders consider a shift toward standards-based grading (SBG) practices, they are no doubt weighing the odds of a successful implementation process. This research followed up on a study from 2014 to identify the challenges secondary school leaders experience when changing the currency of the classroom from points to learning.…

Despite the successful implementation of the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework in many elementary schools, there is little evidence of successful implementation in high school settings. Several themes emerged from the interviews of nine secondary principals, including a lack of knowledge and training for successful implementation, the…

The Every Student Succeeds Act encourages home, school, and community partnerships as a method for improving academic achievement. Districts who seek federal funding must provide outreach to all caregivers within the district, making meaningful efforts to attract those with the greatest barriers to engagement. This review provides a thematic…

Some school leaders have viewed programs such as Advanced Placement (AP) as an attractive option to resolve the ongoing achievement gap problem. However, the ongoing debate in the field about maintaining the ostensible purity of the AP program versus diluting it with program expansion has hindered the full utilization of AP classes to close the…

The increased number of students with learning disabilities in general education secondary school classrooms presents complex challenges for today's educators. This article describes how the Universal Design for Learning theoretical framework can be used with assistive technology to enhance educational opportunities for secondary students with…

Hall and Hord's (2005) concerns-based adoption model (CBAM) served as the framework to study a districtwide implementation of Rachel's Challenge in Rockwall, Texas. This article describes CBAM principles and strategies that were used to increase awareness of the change process during the first year of implementing the character education program.…