This article shares the results from a quasi-experimental mixed-methods study of a promising transition-focused professional development approach. The 12-week team-based intervention resulted in positive outcomes among intervention group participants' knowledge and capacities. The intervention group exhibited statistically significant changes in…

In this Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP), I focus on how to create an elementary-level STEM program. Improving STEM education is a priority for the economic health of the United States. Preparing college and secondary students to enter advanced coursework falls on K-8 teachers to build foundational skills and interest in STEM fields. Yet,…

This Education Leadership Portfolio (ELP) examines the research linking superintendent leadership to student achievement, reviews the current superintendent evaluation practices in Delaware's public school districts as well as other states, and proposes a more standardized superintendent evaluation process in the state of Delaware. This ELP…

This mixed methods study was designed to examine the potential impactful relationship between personal goal setting and the quality of life satisfaction (built upon the Goal Setting Theory of motivation and performance). The study aimed to determine how influential the goal achievement process is (or is not) regarding personal fulfillment and…

This brief reviews state plans submitted to the U.S. Department of Education as of October 1, 2017. It focuses on three key topics for early learning in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): setting clear goals and policy priorities for early learning, integrating early learning into school improvement, and supporting early childhood educator…

Across the country, districts are choosing to #GoOpen and transitioning to the use of openly licensed educational resources to improve student learning in their schools. Openly licensed educational resources enable districts to reallocate significant funds currently spent on inflexible, static learning materials to resources and activities that…

Teachers hold the greatest potential impact on student achievement compared to every other in-school factor. Yet schools with the greatest needs, those with a high percentage of low-income students and students of color, face the greatest teacher and leader turnover. They also often have less experienced and less effective teachers, according to…

An analysis of current new counselor mentor programs reveals the need for such programs, but information regarding established programs is limited. A review of the literature addresses program characteristics and data obtained from existing mentor program participants. An overview of four programs explaining the framework outlined for mentoring…

During the 2010-2011 school year, schools throughout the Red Clay Consolidated School District were expected to implement Professional Learning Communities (PLCs); however, little to no guidance was provided to school-level administrators and teacher teams. Not surprisingly, many schools implemented team meetings that were not aligned with…

Early childhood teachers are rightly concerned with implementing a system that was, at least in the initial stages, designed with a different set of teachers in mind--teachers of older students who have standardized achievement data. In most states, policy, practices, and guidance for early childhood teachers are just now being developed or…

It was 8:45 a.m. on Monday, March 29, 2010, when Paul Herdman got the stunning news. Just two states had won first-round grants in the Race to the Top competition, the largest federal competition of its kind in American history, out of 40 state applicants. Herdman joined the Rodel Foundation of Delaware (Rodel) as President and CEO in 2004. The…

This latest brief updates education leaders on the key policies the 13 (Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia) Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states plan to implement under federal waivers to No Child Left Behind. It details,…

The deadline pressure states faced in submitting applications in the federal Race to the Top competition is now being felt at the local level, as school districts scurry to craft work plans that show how they will execute ambitious changes in education policy. Eleven states, plus the District of Columbia, have won a combined $4 billion this year…

The qualitative ethnographic study involved exploring the educational, background, and professional experiences of senior-level African American administrators in higher education. The following research question guided the exploration of the experiences and perceptions of African American administrators in higher education from the Mid-Atlantic…

The document identifies changes to the Delaware state plan for meeting Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) goals as set forth by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, including: (1) Analysis of the core academic subjects currently not being taught by highly qualified teachers, particularly addressing schools and districts not making adequate yearly…