CPS, educational leadership

The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to discover how community college students from first-generation immigrant backgrounds made sense of their experiences as the first in their family to go to college. The need for this study is highlighted by research that finds that almost one-quarter of college students come from immigrant backgrounds, and this number is projected to rise for some time into the future. The tenants of academic resilience theory and critical race theory were applied to gather insight into how students made sense of experiences in education systems. This study serves to move beyond a descriptive model that categorizes students to a prescriptive strength-based approach based on the particularities of individual linguistic and cultural background experience.

Abstract
        This case study investigated the perceptions of elementary classroom teachers engaged in a Response to Intervention (RTI) model of instruction.  In the fifth year of a small school district's utilization of an RTI approach, it was necessary to gauge the teacher perceptions of the model and its outcomes relating to student literacy proficiency (Bowie & Bronte-Tinkew, 2008). This study utilized a descriptive, critical instance case study method, to interview and survey elementary classroom teachers.  Narratives and additional data were used to determine teacher views on RTI program outcomes (Yin, 2012).  Supplementary student data was presented to inform this study's focus.
Three questions guided this research:
1. What are general classroom teachers' perceptions of an RTI model of instructional interventions in the area of reading and early literacy at the elementary level?
2. How do classroom teachers perceive their role in an RTI model of assessment and instruction?
3. What are general classroom teachers' perceptions of proficiency level changes evidenced by those students who receive instructional interventions under the RTI model and to what degree do they attribute such changes to the RTI model employed by the district, and based on what evidence?
        This qualitative study gathered responses from elementary school teachers through focus group discussions and online survey questions. Fifteen general classroom teachers participated in an online survey. The same number participated in focus groups discussions.  The major results evident indicated that teachers recognized both academic and social impacts of the RTI model of instructional interventions on students' success in the general classroom. Teachers also noted that the RTI model assisted their classroom practice, and led to increased collaboration among educators utilizing the RTI model of assessment and instruction.
Study findings, implications for practice, and indications for further research are discussed in the concluding section of this paper.
Keywords: teacher perception, RTI, case study, descriptive, literacy

Adolescence is a developmental stage during which American students are typically disengaged (Pianta, Hamre, & Allen, 2012), yet learning depends upon engagement (Finn & Zimmer, 2012; Reschly & Christenson, 2012). For middle school students who struggle to read, school-based reading support represents a last chance to help them succeed in high school and in the 21 st-century economy (Gomez & Gomez, 2007). This qualitative study was conducted to explore the experiences of middle school students as they engage in a reading support program with services in and out of the literacy classroom. The study considered the experiences of six middle school students enrolled in either push-in or pull-out reading support program. Students" experiences were considered through a theoretical framework incorporating engagement theory and stage-environment fit theory. The study was conducted as an interpretative phenomenological analysis focusing on students" lived experiences with agency and teacherrelationships, malleable elements of the learning environment with import for adolescents. Student participants revealed that students" voices are not often included in the decision-making process surrounding their own support. Findings suggest that by discussing support options with students, incorporating opportunities for them to set goals within the intervention program, and devising mechanisms to support reflection and evaluation, students will have more agency within their intervention experience. Findings also suggest that promoting conversations anchored around support among school staff, parents, and students, while providing professional development for teachers, will help promote more seamless school experiences for students and increase their sense of belonging within the school community.

Research pertaining to institutions of public education reveals that curricular structures often function to produce and reproduce systemic inequalities. The following personal statement outlines a middle school teacher’s attempt to address social reproduction in public education. By situating issues of inequity within a local context of socio-cultural reproduction, the author demonstrates parallels between written works of seminal, critical theorists demonstrating how socially reproductive structures persist under current standardized “high-stakes” educational reform agendas. The review highlights the transformative power of intersectionality, critical discourse, and personal narrative, along with the use of 21st century online platforms to connect students from privileged and disadvantaged communities as curricular structures with the power to interrogate dominant culture norms within public learning environments. Ultimately, the statement concludes with a call for the implementat...

The purpose of this study is to understand how women perceived their knowledge acquisition experiences in their professional journey in a federal agency. This study was focused on the lived experiences and meaning-making of eight women in GS 14 and GS 15 positions in one federal agency. It explored the participants' lived experiences, and meanings ascribed to these experiences to make sense of them. Formal class room settings may not address immediate knowledge or information needs of women in the federal government. Understanding how women increase knowledge is an important aspect of the career development journey. The main objective of this study was to help identify how women gain knowledge from the personal experiences of others through caring, empathy, and relationships and through the impersonal experience of critical thinking and inquisition. This study found that women gained knowledge through (a) essential relationships (b) critical thinking and inquiry (c) professional inclusion and, (d) learning through professional experiences. The study also found that women experienced barriers to participation in learning.

The phrase 'a woman's place' has been used to assert there are roles or locations socially acceptable for women to occupy, inferring there are places or positions where they do not belong. While it could be dismissed as an outdated expression, a saying that reflects oldfashioned views no longer held, women who aspire to leadership in government organizations still experience the alienating effects of the phrase that implies they do not belong. This study sought to understand the lived experiences of nine women who successfully navigated a path to executive leadership in Utah state government. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to understand their first-person lived experience of being a leader in an environment where a dominant majority of leadership positions are held by men. By using social role theory and role congruity theory as the theoretical framework, data analysis showed that through their experiences, the women relied upon persistence and resilience to pursue a career path where leadership developmental opportunities echoed the labyrinth metaphor rather than the traditional metaphor of a career ladder. Embedded in these experiences was a struggle for visibility and voice, where the women were confronted with being socially excluded. Listening to the stories of these women showed how their grit and determination helped them succeed as a leader. Recommendations for practice and future research were grounded in their narratives and in the research literature, with the goal of moving to a point where the phrase 'a woman's place' will no longer haunt the experience of women leaders within government organizations.

The Status of Women Leaders in Government -Utah Cities and Towns Research shows that communities and organizations increasingly thrive when men and women work together in leadership roles. 1 Gender inclusivity benefits not only businesses, churches, schools, and state legislatures, but also state and local governments. American democracy is grounded in the idea of representation. 2 "Representative bureaucracy" is the term for government entities employing a workforce that shares the demographic characteristics of the communities they serve, 3 and the combined experiences and perspectives of that workforce represent and benefit all residents within its purview. 4 This includes the thousands of government professionals who run the daily functions of municipalities within the State of Utah. Many decisions that have the greatest impact on the everyday lives of Utah residents do not happen in Washington DC or even in Utah's State Capitol. They occur in the chambers of city councils and town meeting halls, where community members have much more access to their local elected government leaders than those at the state and national levels. And, Gallup recently found that 72% of Americans have a "great deal or a fair amount of trust in their local government," 5 which is strikingly different from trust in state and national governments. Yet, for local governments to run efficiently, the oversight of day-to-day operations is most often delegated to administrative professionals. Through the years, Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) researchers have collected data on the representation of women in many different settings (e.g., business, politics, nonprofit, schools and colleges, and boards and commissions). Yet, until 2020, there has been no understanding of the status of women leaders in government at the state and local levels in Utah. This brief is the third in a series that quantifies women leaders who work in Utah's public sector. Previous briefs in this series documented women in leadership positions in the State of Utah government and within Utah's 29 counties.

Recent events underscore the need for government—and democratic governance processes in general—to embrace diversity at all levels. Organizations with diverse leadership teams, including both women and men, have proven to be more innovative and resilient, make better strategic decisions, and have an increased capacity for problem solving. The benefits of gender equity can be found in any organization, including government structures such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies

Recent events underscore the need for government—and democratic governance processes in general—to embrace diversity at all levels. Organizations with diverse leadership teams, including both women and men, have proven to be more innovative and resilient, make better strategic decisions, and have an increased capacity for problem solving. The benefits of gender equity can be found in any organization, including government structures such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies

The Status of Women Leaders in Government-State of Utah Setting the Stage Organizations increasingly thrive when both men and women hold leadership roles and work together. Gender inclusivity in leadership benefits not only Utah's businesses, but also its government organizations, such as state legislatures, city councils, and state and local bureaucracies. 1 Recent events underscore the need for government-and democratic governance processes in general-to demand diversity at all levels. American democracy is based on the concept of representation. 2 Governments mirror this idea by encouraging agencies to employ a workforce that shares the demographic characteristics of the community it serves. 3 This is known as representative bureaucracy. 4 It is based on the idea that people are shaped by their social experiences and that, as a result, the social experiences of the government's workforce matter. 5 In fact, the presence of a diverse public workforce "implies equal access to government positions promoting empowerment and connection with government in diverse communities, [and] can also signal the inclusion of group interests, attitudes, and experiences in government decision making and build government legitimacy." 6 This is true at all levels of government in Utah, including the municipal, county, and state levels.

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to understand how co-teachers at Apple Valley Elementary School described their activities and experiences with the instructional strategy known as co-teaching. Participants of this study included three co-teaching teams. Each co-teaching team consisted of one regular education and one special education teacher at the elementary school level. Both observations and interviews were utilized to gather data about the participants' experiences and activities related to co-teaching. Pattern and In Vivo Coding was then utilized to analyze the data. After careful analyzation, the following five major findings emerged: 1) Strong relationships between co-teachers, colleagues, administration, and parents are essential. 2) Ongoing communication between co-teaching partners, administrators, parents, and colleagues is imperative for supporting co-teaching practices. 3) More professional development should be provided for co-teachers. 4) Administrators and teachers should consider the students and their abilities when deciding their placement in a co-taught classroom. 5) A clear definition of what co-teaching is and looks like at Apple Valley Elementary School should be established. This study may be helpful to administrators and teachers who are seeking to improve co-teaching at their school.

The purpose of this study was to understand the value of technical theater from the perspective of high-school students involved behind the scenes, focusing on the way students narrate, characterize, and make sense of their social, emotional, and cognitive experiences in their participation on the stage crew. Technical theater is a term that encompasses the lighting, set, sound, and costume design, stagecraft, stage management, and all related tasks essential to a theatrical production. Scholars have concluded that involvement in high-school theater positively impacts students' personal growth and development, their sense of collaboration, and their empathy towards others (Catterall et al., 1999; Brown & Urice, 2003; McCammon & Østerlind, 2011; McCammon et al., 2012). Secondary educators and theater practitioners have insufficient data and supporting literature to provide insight and understanding of the high-school technicaltheater experience, its educational value, and its impact on adolescent personal growth. Conducted within the theoretical framework of Weick's sensemaking theory, with additional analysis using Saldaña's dramaturgical coding, and a deductive analysis using the Wisconsin Standards for Theatre 2019, this study gave a voice to the silent technicians working behind the scenes by hearing and learning from the narrative voices of high-school student technicians relating their own stories. This study uncovered three main themes: confidence, communication, and camaraderie and the participants confirmed the themes themselves. In addition to the three major themes, some other notable commonalities emerged from the shared stories, including the value of the material culture to the crewmembers, the importance of shared food and drinks, and the significance of flexibility and adaptability for the stage crew members.

Community colleges serve as entryways to higher education and a sustainable future for tens of thousands of students in the United States each year and are designed to provide affordable access to education, particularly for lower-income individuals. Within the United States, postsecondary student completion is a significant issue in academia, and it presents problems of greater societal consequence. Community college students face numerous inherent risk factors, and barriers and institutions provide student support services and intervening programs to help students overcome barriers to persistence. Therefore, the purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (APA) study was to understand the experiences of successful lowincome community college students at one of the 58 two-year, public community colleges in North Carolina. This study was a guided by this research question: How do low-income community college students who are within six months of completing their degrees make sense of and explain their academic success? By helping colleges understand which services and interventions are effective at strengthening the success of lower-income students, this study informs the provision of support systems in place for low-income community college students and helps student services practitioners create and enhance programs that will help low-income students stay in school and graduate. This study shows that the imprint of growing up lowincome ultimately impacts students' postsecondary choices and their reactions to barriers jeopardizing their ability to persist. This study also affirms the importance of supportive relationships and the impact of positive institutional support systems.

Community colleges serve as entryways to higher education and a sustainable future for tens of thousands of students in the United States each year and are designed to provide affordable access to education, particularly for lower-income individuals. Within the United States, postsecondary student completion is a significant issue in academia, and it presents problems of greater societal consequence. Community college students face numerous inherent risk factors, and barriers and institutions provide student support services and intervening programs to help students overcome barriers to persistence. Therefore, the purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (APA) study was to understand the experiences of successful lowincome community college students at one of the 58 two-year, public community colleges in North Carolina. This study was a guided by this research question: How do low-income community college students who are within six months of completing their degrees make sense of and explain their academic success? By helping colleges understand which services and interventions are effective at strengthening the success of lower-income students, this study informs the provision of support systems in place for low-income community college students and helps student services practitioners create and enhance programs that will help low-income students stay in school and graduate. This study shows that the imprint of growing up lowincome ultimately impacts students' postsecondary choices and their reactions to barriers jeopardizing their ability to persist. This study also affirms the importance of supportive relationships and the impact of positive institutional support systems.

This report discusses the establishment of the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST), a collaborative effort between Carteret Community College (CCC) (North Carolina) and North Carolina State University (NCSU). The CMAST project began as a concept in 1992, when NCSU officials and science faculty saw the need for a coastal facility to enable more extensive marine and environmental research. Construction began in 1998, and the facility was completed in the summer of 2000. NCSU faculty and staff are housed on the first two floors and a portion of the third, and CCC occupies the fourth floor, which includes a video-conference classroom, labs for biology, physics, and Internet technologies, and faculty offices. Goals of the NCSU-CCC partnership include: (1) to improve the success of community college students in science and math courses; (2) to increase the articulation of students into core science, mathematics, engineering, and mathematics/science teacher education programs at NCSU; (3) to ensure that graduates will be well prepared for the workforce; and (4) to provide comprehensive professional development activities for community college and NCSU science and math faculty. State and local officials expect that CMAST will provide outstanding opportunities for economic, educational, scientific advancements in eastern North Carolina. (JA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

Community colleges serve as entryways to higher education and a sustainable future for tens of thousands of students in the United States each year and are designed to provide affordable access to education, particularly for lower-income individuals. Within the United States, postsecondary student completion is a significant issue in academia, and it presents problems of greater societal consequence. Community college students face numerous inherent risk factors, and barriers and institutions provide student support services and intervening programs to help students overcome barriers to persistence. Therefore, the purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (APA) study was to understand the experiences of successful lowincome community college students at one of the 58 two-year, public community colleges in North Carolina. This study was a guided by this research question: How do low-income community college students who are within six months of completing their degrees make sense of and explain their academic success? By helping colleges understand which services and interventions are effective at strengthening the success of lower-income students, this study informs the provision of support systems in place for low-income community college students and helps student services practitioners create and enhance programs that will help low-income students stay in school and graduate. This study shows that the imprint of growing up lowincome ultimately impacts students' postsecondary choices and their reactions to barriers jeopardizing their ability to persist. This study also affirms the importance of supportive relationships and the impact of positive institutional support systems.