For nearly 30 years charter schools in California have been designed to be flexible and innovative educational laboratories. Just like traditional district schools, public-school charter schools offer tuition-free learning options for families in California. The flexibility in curriculum, school calendars, and learning themes are some of the ways…

The underrepresentation of female superintendents leading school districts today continues to be a persistent educational problem. There are many qualified women actively seeking the superintendency; however, gatekeepers such as school board members and search firm consultants control the gates and channels of the superintendent selection process…

Special education administrators in the state of California are responsible to ensure that high-quality education is delivered to 17,000 deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners each year. While all administrators must obtain specific types of credentials to prepare them for their role, it is unknown how much knowledge they have pertaining to DHH…

Students are not learning to read well in California public schools. This is particularly true for students in special education. If more of California's students in special education are to demonstrate literacy skills to state and national standards, it will require more of their teachers teaching those skills. With the plurality of California…

Adult learners often have difficulty reaching high proficiency levels in a foreign language, and curriculum experts are on a constant quest for innovative practices in foreign language learning. The problem addressed by this study was that even with the implementation of different pedagogical approaches, including immersion and technology…

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic research was to study the culture and experiences of elementary administrators who were coached in the blended coaching model. This study used a qualitative ethnographic design to explore the context and processes of the coaching experience of elementary administrators that enhanced transformational…

The population of California continues to become increasingly diverse, and graduate programs in counselor preparation are dedicating more focus to curriculum and instruction that provide an inclusive space to explore diverse experiences and develop multicultural competence. One specific group contributing to the diversity of the national landscape…

This two-phase sequential mixed methods exploratory study examined the perceived skill deficits of instructional deans at California community colleges to better understand the training and development needs that are necessary to support dean success and to prepare them for advancement in a timelier manner. This study is grounded in the…

Heavily utilizing both instructional technology and face-to-face instruction within a bricks-and-mortar school environment, blended learning charter schools are gaining attention as a cost-effective school design. As educators turn to these blended learning school models to improve both the operational efficiency and student outcomes of America's…

Factors such as a declining tax revenues and an underperforming economy have been justifying the need for additional external private funding to meet the increasing needs of a growing California higher education system and ethnically diverse student body. The purpose of this study was to examine ways in which California private higher education…

The purpose of the current quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship the qualifications of special education teachers and their preferred writing instruction method either formulaic or process writing. The study investigated the relationship between professional development in writing instruction, years of experience,…

Superintendents have vast demands placed upon them by their school boards and via the political pipeline. The purpose of the study was to identify strategies/behaviors that successful superintendents used to build strong relationships and trust with their school boards within their entry period. It is during the entry period that determines…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify school counselors' specific training needs in order to provide leadership and consultation for effective interventions for students with Asperger syndrome. The study examined school counselors' level of knowledge, skill, and training in working with students with Asperger syndrome and their…

There is a persistent and growing shortage in the supply of "highly qualified" future science and mathematics teachers in the nation's classrooms. As a consequence, as many as 53% science and 23% math students take classes from teachers who are teaching out-of-field. Currently, there are many established programs that provide incentives…

Recently, the federal government has pressured states to add student growth data as a part of the evaluation system. State legislatures in New York and Colorado have passed legislation to revamp teacher and principal evaluation to include student growth data. Numerous researchers acknowledged the critical impact of school principals on student…