This collective case study explores the tensions between Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports enacted at the district level and antiracist pedagogy in a medium sized school district in upstate New York. Four self-described antiracist elementary teachers participated in individual interviews and two focus groups to discuss their experiences…

Many U.S. schools in poor communities are implementing restorative practices, which comes from the restorative justice model that has been implemented in many juvenile systems. Many schools are implementing restorative practice interventions to improve their drop out rates, graduation rates, and improve their relationships between students and…

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine, understand, and describe the elements of restorative justice programs (relationships, community building, accountability, empathy) that high school principals and teachers in public school districts located in San Bernardino County, California perceive as most beneficial for changing…

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore how perceptions of team strengths and weaknesses present in school district leadership teams, as conceptualized by Patrick Lencioni: a team's ability to 1) trust, 2) commit, 3) handle conflict, 4) be accountable, and 5) be attentive to results. Additionally, this study sought to identify…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate superintendents' perspectives of the value of formal training in collective bargaining negotiations. Dependent on their responses, one could propose negotiation skills training as a crucial area of need for superintendents. Social interdependence theory provides the theoretical framework…

The purpose of this study was to understand the ways in which three parents of students with disabilities and three public school campus administrators negotiated dilemmas through discourse during Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings in a South Texas public school district. The participants in this study included the stakeholders in ARD…

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence the actions taken by school boards that advance student achievement in high-achieving rural public school districts. Much of what is discussed in the literature on school improvement efforts is centered on the work carried out by school personnel at the school level. What is…

The purpose of this qualitative study, which utilized a case study approach, was to evaluate administrator's perceptions of the role of high school counselors. To evaluate those perceptions, the researcher analyzed data collected from two focus group interviews. The focus group interviews were conducted utilizing administrators employed at two…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) contains procedural safeguard provisions for parents [20 U.S.C. section 615]. Among these safeguards are (1) dispute resolution, (2) mediation, and (3) administrative hearing. Getty and Summy (2004) contend that some district litigation could be prevented if districts were…

The purpose of this study was to examine the educational services for students with autism in school districts (N = 115) in North Carolina to identify the characteristics and variables that contribute to positive student outcomes. This study used a secondary analysis of data from various resources across the state. Variables included number of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the degree to which trust-building variables exist between public school districts and parents of 3- to 8-year-old children with autism during the initial placement process in the perception of special education administration. Additional purposes of the study were to identify barriers and…

Parent-teacher conferences have been used by school districts across the country to report student progress since the 1930s. A review of the literature revealed that there are many benefits to be gained from conferences. Some of these benefits include: the sharing of information (by parents and teachers) to further the child's academic and social…

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the strategies Texas superintendents use to both prevent and resolve conflicts between the school board-superintendent leadership team and to examine the effects of gender, age, ethnicity, level of education, experience in education, tenure as a superintendent, leadership style, and type and…