A significant problem in Texas education is that many school districts need adequate educational facilities. The age and condition of the educational facilities affect student achievement. Bond referenda are generally the sole source for facility financing, thus making the passage of school bonds critical. The purpose of this study was to examine…

This dissertation contributes to the discussion of what contributes to school district rankings in the state of Ohio. It uses Latent Profile Analysis to explore different variables at the contextual and district level as they correspond to Ohio's Performance Index academic measure and Value-Added academic measure. Results show that contextual…

The purpose of this correlational study is to determine the nature of the relationship between school and demographic factors and student achievement using data from the individual schools reported by a school district in Northern Texas. Answers to the following questions were sought: Do the teacher demographic factors (years of experience,…

The purpose of this study was to assist learner and problem-centered education advocates and practitioners in increasing the number of these educational paradigms within US public schools. Lin's theoretical framework for social capital and a thematic review of school governance and curricular policies in the literature for each US educational…

This qualitative study is designed to further understanding of how suburban school superintendents impact a district with changing demographics. The purpose of this study will be to assess how superintendents interpret changing demographics in their school districts and the impact of changing student demographics based on inclusive policies and…

Graduating high school is an important key predictor of this nation's ability to remain globally competitive and a person's long-term financial and social success. At the macrolevel, graduation rates impact a nation's post-secondary education participation, which has been found to be a key indicator of its ability to compete in a global economy.…

Many school districts in the United States are facing growing concerns regarding the shortage of qualified candidates for teaching positions. This problem has existed for some time, and its deleterious effects are exacerbated in school districts that have significant teacher turnover. School districts with higher teacher retention can mitigate…

Despite historical patterns of racial homogeneity, the composition of suburban areas and their schools are changing throughout the United States. This fact presents major challenges to the suburban schools charged with educating all students, including those that do not fit a suburban stereotype. This study focuses on one suburban community in…

This correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study sought to determine the combination of community and family-level demographic variables found in the 2010 U.S. Census data that most accurately predicted a New Jersey school district's percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 NJ ASK 7 in Language Arts and…

The increased use of value-added measures is a result of policymakers viewing traditional measures of teacher effectiveness as obsolete and unrelated to student achievement. Additionally, literature lacks substantial findings examining the relationship between principal observation ratings and a teacher's value-added scores based on the…

As the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in our country, schools are looking for ways to better identify and to help those who need English as a Second Language (ESL) services (Mossaad, 2016). ELLs present a unique challenge to school districts as some perceive that the federal guidelines are vague, but require school…

This dissertation consists of three papers that explore the open enrollment process in a large urban school district that has a mandatory choice open enrollment policy. The first paper examines patterns of school selection in this district after the introduction of a "strategy-proof" deferred acceptance student assignment algorithm.…

The key focus of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was to improve public education for all students in the United States, with an emphasis on closing the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students (Kantor & Lowe, 2006; Linn, Baker & Betebenner, 2002). The notion behind NCLB, to close the achievement gap, was praised,…

In the field of district leadership, most studies focus only on the context and conditions existing in large urban districts in need of reform. This study examined whether district leadership practices have applicability to district leaders working within the suburban context. In addition, it determined whether district conditions (i.e., district…

The growing presence of educational technology in our nation's K-12 schools has had little effect on teacher practices to enhance student learning (Once, Delialioglu, & Brown, 2008). Sophisticated levels of educational technology use are believed to influence student learning (Hall, Loucks, Rutherford, & Newlove, 1975) yet research on…