Alumni demographics are rapidly changing, and alumni associations are looking for new ways to increase alumni engagement. Using Lewin's (1947) organizational change theory and Homans's (1958) social exchange theory, this study examines two Research 1 institutions in a comparative case study. By comparing the experiences of two institutions, alumni…

The purpose of this study was to understand faculty perspectives of institutional change. The context for the institutional change was a shift from a largely traditional student population with a focus on the liberal arts to a range of adult and non-traditional students seeking professional degrees. The three research questions which guided the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate Florida's extended reading time (ERT) policy as enacted during the 2016-2017 school year. This policy requires elementary schools ranking among the 300 lowest performing in the state, as measured by state assessments, to provide an additional hour of reading instruction beyond the regular school day.…

This study examined the role of K-12 science teachers' understandings and perceptions of the Next Generation Science Standards, implementation of the new standards in the classroom, and potential barriers to implementation as reform stakeholders had envisioned. Grounded in the relevant literature and working from the Teacher-Centered System Reform…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require a major shift in instructional practices among teachers. Such changes cause much uncertainty as teachers' roles and identities begin to change. Major school reform creates difficulty for school leaders who must develop teacher support and dedication to 'top-down' reform initiatives in their…

The purpose of the current study was to determine if three community colleges were serving developmental education students in an effective and cost-efficient manner, make observations about the developmental education demographics, and conclude if Senate Bill 162 (SB 162) increased the percentage of college ready students who participated in…

This study used a correlational design to examine the relationship between teacher efficacy and attitude toward change. The Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) and Inventory of Attitude Toward Change Scale (IATCS), both multi-dimensional survey instruments with an established reliability and validity, were used to survey elementary (K-6) general…

Efforts to improve student performance on high-stakes assessments in mathematics place teachers in the epicenter of multiple reform expectations. While studies have documented how teachers implement single reforms, very little is known about teachers' implementation processes when multiple expectations are imposed. With a focus on how…

The purpose of this study was to explore primary grade teachers' stages of concern and their implementation of an educational reform initiative called Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) in Indonesia. The Indonesian minister of education mandated primary grade teachers to implement ITI in 2006. Using a convenience sampling method, 150 Kanisius…

Many school districts are facing stagnant or reduced funding (input) concurrent with demands for improved student achievement (output). In other words, there is pressure for all schools, even those schools with student populations of low socioeconomic status, to improve academic results (accountability for output) without a directly proportionate…

Reform of public schooling has been at the forefront of the national debate over education for more than 25 years. One prominent reform initiative, school chartering, was selected for the study that examined whether a selected school district allocated comparable resources for charter and non-charter schools. The study used the Odden et al.…

In recent years, there have been sizeable shifts in higher education. These shifts include more diverse student populations, advancements in pedagogy, and research progress within discipline-specific knowledge (Austin, 2002; Braxton, 2006; Gibbs & Coffey, 2004; Sunal et al, 2001; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996). These changes along with student…

This exploratory investigation examined the relationship between states' educational standardization and voter turnout, using cultural and critical theory lenses. The study documented the problem of low voter participation and current education standardization policies. The study used a complementarity mixed-methods design with sequential…

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among environmental influences, changes in domain specific knowledge, and changes in tolerance of ambiguity as well as changes in creativity of individuals majoring in fashion design at four-year universities. This study was based on the confluence theoretical approach which holds that…

Research shows that the role of the K-12 principal is a significant factor in school improvement. Principal preparation programs have been criticized for inadequately preparing their graduates for the challenges they must face in K-12 schools. Since higher education faculty members directly impact the success of their programs (Bartlett, 2003),…