The purpose of this paper is to examine how social media influences the decision-making processes of high school principals. Specifically, this study will focus on principals' use of community and stakeholder social media content as data in the information collection step of the decision-making process. The study will evaluate the principals'…

Although an increasing proportion of researchers have addressed the issue of social and emotional competencies (SEC) and stress, only a few have focused on urban elementary public schools. With the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping as the theoretical framework, we gathered information from 199 elementary teachers (49.75% response rate) on…

The overall purpose of this study was to understand the influence of selected factors on the adoption of school gardens by Agricultural Science teachers in Alabama. This study looked at how the relationships between characteristics of teachers, characteristics of innovation, and barriers to adoption affected the diffusion of school gardens. A…

This study provided an assessment of the Alabama Workforce Investment Board structure by surveying board members of each of Alabama's three local workforce investment boards. The survey instrument was inspired by a similarly focused survey administered by a local workforce investment board in northwest Missouri, and focuses on a variety of topics…

There is a low enrollment of African American high school students in advanced mathematics. High school advanced mathematics are prerequisites to college calculus, one of the basic courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. African Americans earned only 7.6% of all bachelor's degrees in science, technology,…

Assessment and testing have become accepted practices in US schools today, to the point where teachers, parents, and students consider it excessive at the expense of instructional time in the classroom. Formative assessment programs have been implemented to improve academic performance for well over a decade. The problem that was examined by this…

With the ever changing and global economy, the demand for effective teachers is steadily increasing. Regrettably, the problem of attracting and retaining those effective teachers presents a formidable challenge, especially for those districts that serve students of color, high-needs and from poverty. Quality teachers are essential for the…

Decades of differing philosophies and conventions have placed the idea of change at the forefront of reform efforts (Rothkopf, 2009). With the implementation of the rigorous, complex Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, a deeper understanding of subject matter is required, and the complexities of these standards require specialized content…

April 27, 2011, will be remembered by many as a catastrophic day and event in Alabama, and specifically by K-12 educational leaders. Natural disasters like tornadoes have a significant impact on leaders, on their decision making and, obviously, on the survival of many of their victims. The possibility and threat of a major crisis caused by natural…

The purpose of the study was to examine hurricane emergency preparedness planning at institutions of higher learning of the Gulf South region following Hurricane Katrina. The problem addressed the impact of Hurricane Katrina on decision-making and policy planning processes. The focus was on individuals that administer the hurricane emergency…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to encourage learners to care for others and make a difference in the world through Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching and learning practice that promoted transformational education. Students were anticipated to take an active role in helping to develop the transformational educational curriculum.…

In the 2000s, changes in the external environment, including changing student demographics, increased competition, and declining government support, are affecting public higher education administrators. The growth in online enrollment is increasing at a rate higher than the total higher education enrollment, and the majority of university…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Alabama School Board Presidents about community engagement in school board decision making. An exploratory research design was used and data were collected by survey. The survey was mailed to 128 school board presidents representing the 128 school districts statewide (as of 2006). Sixty…