Elementary Principals' Perceptions of a Leadership Development Training Program

Research indicates that school leaders are crucial to improving instruction and raising student achievement (Council of Chief State School Officers, 2008). As such, educational reforms such as the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and Race to the Top (2009) have sparked an accountability movement where principals are being held accountable for students' academic achievement and educational outcomes. The shift towards greater accountability has placed new attention on the ways principals are trained. Researchers have noted that organized professional development programs have not adequately prepared school principals to meet the priority demands of the 21st century (Hale & Moorman, 2003; Murphy, 1994). Murphy (1994) stated, "Traditional preparation programs - usually pre-service programs based in colleges or universities, that awarded certification and advanced degrees - rarely concentrated on the leadership challenges that principals actually face in real schools" (p. 4). As a result, many school districts are seeking ways to develop leadership development training programs that will prepare principals for their job responsibilities as a school leader. In spite of the additional training principals receive, researchers suggests that there is an obvious gap between the readiness of administrators to be instructional leaders and the demands for accountability that school administrators face (Hale & Moorman, 2003). This quantitative study examined elementary school principals' perceptions of their leadership development training program. Guided by four research questions, the study examined principals' perceptions of their overall training and how well their training prepared them to deal with school and classroom practices that contribute to student achievement; to work with teachers and others to design and implement a system for continuous student achievement; and to provide necessary support to carry out sound school, curriculum, and instructional practices. Data for this study was collected by way of survey responses from a total of 46 elementary school principals. The results from the study revealed that more than half (58.7%) of participants perceived their training as excellent. While principals' perceived that their training adequately prepared them to work collaboratively in teams, set clear visions and goals, and to use data to improve students achievement, many respondents reported a lack of training in being informed and focused on student achievement. Principals also suggested that they were not effectively trained in finding effective ways to obtain support from central office or community members.

LUNG CANCER IN NEPAL: THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND COMBUSTION RELATED HOUSEHOLD AIR POLLUTION

The burden of chronic diseases such as cancer is increasing in low and middle income countries around the globe. Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries, is no exception to this trend, with lung cancer as the leading causes of cancer deaths. Despite this, limited data is available on the environmental and behavioral risk factors that contribute to the lung cancer etiology in Nepal. The objectives of this dissertation are to: 1) investigate the ethnic differences in consumption of local tobacco products and their role in lung cancer risk in Nepal; 2) evaluate urinary metabolite of 1,3-butadiene as a biomarker of exposure to combustion related household air pollution (CRHAP); 3) investigate the association between CRHAP exposure and lung cancer risk using urinary metabolite of 1,3-butadiene as a biomarker of exposure; 4) investigate the association between CRHAP exposure and lung cancer risk using questionnaire based measure of exposure. Lung cancer cases (n=606) and frequency matched controls (N=606) were recruited from B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital. We obtained biological samples and information on lifestyles including cooking habits and type of fuels used. We used liquid chromatograph tandem mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) to quantify urinary metabolites of 1,3-butadiene in urine samples. We employed a combination of logistic and linear regression models to detect any exposure-disease associations while controlling for known confounding variables. Overall, we found that ethnic groups in Nepal use different tobacco products that have different differing cancer potency -we observed the highest odds ratios for the traditional tobacco products. The biomarker analysis showed strong evidence that monohydroxybutyl mercapturic acid is associated with biomass fuel use among participants. However, we did not find significant association between urinary MHMBA and lung cancer risk. When we used questionnaire based measure of exposure to household air pollution, we observed significant, dose-response associations between CRHAP exposure and lung cancer risk, particularly among never-smokers. Our results show that important role of local tobacco products in lung cancer risk in Nepal. Furthermore, we demonstrate that CRHAP exposure is a risk factor for lung cancer risk, independent of tobacco smoking.

Principal Effectiveness: Middle School Leaders' Perceptions Of Principal Practices To Improve Middle School Reading Achievement

ABSTRACT Title of Document: PRINCIPAL EFFECTIVENESS: MIDDLE SCHOOL LEADERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PRINCIPAL PRACTICES TO IMPROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL READING ACHIEVEMENT Kathleen R. Brady, Doctor of Education, 2016 Directed By: Dr. John Norris, Department of Education The purpose of this exploratory and descriptive study was to examine school leaders’ perceptions of leadership practices that contribute to principal effectiveness in improving reading achievement in middle schools in a large public school district. The data was gathered through the use of a Web-based survey that was emailed to 97 school based leaders including 20 principals, 40 assistant principals, 17 reading department chairpersons, and 20 professional development lead teachers in middle schools with grade 6-8 and 7-8 configurations. Data were collected and analyzed in order to make inferences about principal practices at middle school. The findings of this study indicated few differences between middle school principals’, assistant principals’, reading department chairpersons’, and professional development lead teachers’ perceptions of principal leadership practices that are most important to and have the greatest impact on student reading achievement success. Furthermore, the findings indicated that participants’ three top ranked resources needed to increase the effectiveness of principals in order to improve reading achievement at middle schools include implementing a collaborative planning protocol to support literacy instruction, adding a reading coach to the middle school staff, and providing professional development activities focused on literacy instruction across the content areas. The results were used to make recommendations that may contribute to middle school principal effectiveness.

High School Choral Students' Perceptions of Choral Music Experience

The purpose of this study is to explore high school students' perceptions of their choral experiences, providing an understanding of students' ongoing perspectives of choral experience. Specifically, how have these experiences influenced the formation of their musical identities as members of a choral ensemble? The researcher collected data from the three participants during a full school year. The participants were current students in the researcher's advanced choral ensemble. Through axial coding, three themes emerged: musical interpretation, attitude, and group efficacy. The study revealed that experienced choral students have well-informed musical perspectives that influence their choral experiences. Implications for music education include using students' perspectives for creating rehearsal strategies, planning and programming performances, and fostering a nurturing learning atmosphere. Suggestions for further research include comparing experienced students to non-experienced students, comparing ensembles with student-chosen repertoire to those with director-chosen repertoire, and further examining the impact of choral experience on musical identity.