The role of a school district superintendent demands a balance of professional leadership and political astuteness. Individuals in this role possess distinct skills, values, and beliefs essential for navigating its complexities. This mixed-method phenomenological study employs self-reported values, decision-making styles, and interviews to explore…

Students in our nation's largest school systems--a majority of whom are students of color from nondominant communities--are unlikely to attend schools with strong, consistent leadership. Those big-city school systems are increasingly adopting principal pipeline initiatives to address the quality and stability of their principal corps. Principal…

Collaboration is a bit amorphous, but research has highlighted important strategies and promising practices. Along with understanding the collaborative process, a deep understanding of school counseling and career and technical education (CTE) in each district is needed. For example, contemporary school counselors focus on the American School…

The ways in which high schools in rural U.S. communities allocate their staffing and assign roles related to career development impact the preparation of students with disabilities for future employment pursuits. This mixed methods study explored (a) the roles of 291 school staff and administrators in supporting the career development of students…

Public school leaders struggle to find teachers to fill the vacancies in America's classrooms. The teacher shortage crisis is a result of many overlapping causes which include the disparity in resources to attract potential teachers, a declining enrollment in teacher preparatory programs, a lack of teachers certified to teach critical shortage…

Paraeducators are considered to be a promising pool of future teachers who can help schools address the issues of teacher shortages, attrition and diversification. Paraeducators, known to be highly motivated and familiar with classroom environments, typically have work experience in fields where teacher shortages exist such as bilingual and…

The ways in which high schools allocate their staffing and assign individual roles related to career development are pertinent to students with and without disabilities accessing career preparation that equips them for employment following graduation. Rural school districts can especially benefit from strategic role allocation that addresses gaps…

Education has historically been dominated by women, while those in leadership positions are male. Women are acutely underrepresented in the top position in public school districts across the nation. There is consistent evidence supporting that women often encounter both explicit and implicit barriers hindering their trajectory and growth to a…

Self-perception constitutes an indispensable component of social life that might significantly contribute to one's leadership ability. This study examined the perceptions that women in educational leadership at the district offices in one of the provinces in South Africa have about themselves and their leadership roles. It formed part of…

Teachers at all educational levels and disciplines are leaving the profession at a rapid rate across the United States with numbers increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Retention tools and strategies are critical to the success of a school and school district. The purpose of this single case study was to explore urban high school principals'…

State and local education agencies have been provided $176.3 billion of funding through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER II and ESSER III), which is a one-time funding opportunity to strengthen and support the educator workforce so that educator shortages do not continue to plague our nation's schools. In a recent…

Local special education administrators (LSEAs) are integral in facilitating career development services for students with disabilities alongside their peers, particularly in rural school districts. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of 12 LSEAs regarding their contributions related to career development for students with disabilities…

The American Rescue Plan Act has made funds available to states and districts to speed up recovery from the effects of COVID-19, including addressing learning loss. The Wallace Foundation has distilled evidence from its work that may be helpful in informing choices about how to spend those funds, as well as how to implement key strategies.…

The COVID-related financial market decline and economic recession have raised new concerns regarding the financial sustainability of retirement plans for state and local government employees, the largest group of whom is public school teachers. Using data from the Public Plans Database and the National Income and Product Accounts, I analyze…

When the Wayne Township Adult Education team shifted from traditional to virtual learning, they made a commitment to continue delivering high quality education. The team created curriculum portals, online registration portals, web pages, and many other innovations to achieve a new level of performance never imagined prior to the pandemic. These…