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This nonexperimental survey research investigated whether enrollment, location, expenditures, percentage of free and reduced lunch and percentage of minority students influenced Georgia's superintendent and board chairperson satisfaction. In addition, this study investigated whether respondents' satisfaction could predict student achievement. Finally, this study investigated whether superintendents valued professional standards differently than board chairpersons. Findings revealed a great deal of satisfaction held and agreement between superintendents and board chairpersons, but no significant difference in satisfaction levels based on district enrollment, percentage of minority students, or district location. Board chairpersons of districts with higher percentages of students receiving free and reduced lunch were significantly less satisfied than board chairpersons of districts with lower percentages of students receiving free and reduced lunch. Board chairperson satisfaction significantly predicted student achievement and graduation rate. Finally, results illustrated superintendents ranked the importance of ethics significantly higher than board chairpersons.

The purpose of this study was to determine if principal tenure, principal stability, and principal educational experience in public education along with school-level variables predicted elementary school student achievement. A second purpose was to examine whether there was a significant difference between (a) levels of principal tenure and levels of principal educational experience on elementary school student achievement and (b) levels of principal stability and levels of principal educational experience on elementary school student achievement. The findings revealed that the school-level variables were stronger predictors of student achievement than principal-level variables. However, for both grade 3 and grade 5, principal tenure was a significant predictor across subject areas tested. As the length of a principal's tenure at a school increased, the schools mean scale scores increased. Findings also revealed that schools with greater principal stability had higher school mean scale scores. In addition, principal educational experience had less of an impact on student achievement than principal tenure or principal stability. (Contains 8 tables.)

Category: Ankle; Trauma Introduction/Purpose: Torsional injury to the foot and ankle may result in high fibular fracture with disruption of the syndesmotic ligaments, interosseous membrane, and other associated injuries to medial, posterior structures of the ankle. High Fibular Fracture at the fibular neck is referred as Maisonneuve Fracture of Fibula (MFF). These injuries are often missed or misdiagnosed as ankle sprains. Most of the current classification consider MFF a variant of ankle fracture with disruption of syndesmosis and high fibular fracture {Lauge Hansen PER, AO C3, Weber type C}. Only a few articles have described associated injuries and surgical treatment outcomes. The study's primary aim is to evaluate the associated injuries of MFF and the outcomes of our treatment approach. Methods: All patients undergoing syndesmotic fixation (CPT 27829) at a large tertiary academic center from 2012-2020 were identified. In these 748 patients, patient radiographs were reviewed to identify patients with Maisonneuve fractures (AO-44C3). Medical records were reviewed for patient characteristics, energy information of original injury, operative variables, and complications. Radiographic reduction was assessed on standard radiograph with assessment of the tibiofibular clear space and tibiofibular overlap on AP and mortise views, talocrural angle, the medial clear space, shenton line, and fibular station. An abnormality in one of these parameters was considered an abnormal reduction. Patients were contact to complete PROMIS Physical function and Pain Interference postoperatively. A total of 24 patients with Maisonneuve fractures were identified and included in analysis. Eleven patients completed PROMIS outcomes measures for a response rate of 55%, as four patients were deceased or incarcerated at the time of survey. Results: The average age was 45.3 (16 SD) with a mean BMI of 31.3 (10.4 SD). Nineteen patients were male (79.2%) with only 5 females (20.8). The mechanism of injury was low energy in 16/24 patients (66.7%) leaving 8 (33.3%) patients with high energy mechanisms. In addition to the high fibular fracture, a total of 13 patients (54.2%) had a posterior malleolar fracture, 11 (45.8%) had a medial malleolar fracture, and 8 (33.3%) had a deltoid ligament injury. Seven patients (29.2%) received screw fixation compared to 14 patients (58.3%) with tightrope fixation. Three patients (12.5%) received both tightropes and screws. No patient developed wound complications, and two patients underwent reoperation. Abnormal reduction occurred in 5/24 patients (20.8%) at final clinical follow up. At a median of 20 months (25 IQR) postoperatively, the median PROMIS physical function and pain interference scores were 41.2 (13.0 IQR) and 52.8 (4.8 IQR), respectively. Conclusion: Maisonneuve fractures are an extremely rare ankle fracture variant with a diverse subset of injury patterns. Our results show the clinical outcomes of Maisonneuve fractures are largely satisfactory in terms of wound complications and intermediate term outcomes. While 21% of patients were determined to have abnormal reduction postoperatively, we are limited by the inherent difficulties of assessing syndesmosis on plain radiographs rather than advanced imaging. PROMIS outcome scores demonstrate Maisonneuve fractures patients are more impacted by loss of function than pain, but both are within a standard deviation of the population mean.

This quantitative research study was designed to examine the relationship between system resource allocation patterns and student achievement, as measured by eighth grade Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) mathematics, eighth grade CRCT reading, eleventh grade Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) mathematics, eleventh grade and GHSGT English/language arts. Financial expenditure predictor variables considered were the following: teacher salaries and benefits, instruction, pupil services, improvement of instructional services, media services, technology, and other. This research investigated whether any of these seven predictor variables could be included in an equation for predicting student achievement. Data from all 180 Georgia school systems were included in this study for fiscal years 2006 and 2007. Forward multiple regressions were utilized as the common method of analysis for each dependent variable to determine if student achievement could be predicted based on system level expenditures. While one independent variable, improvement of instructional services, had a significant negative effect on every student achievement variable, teacher salaries and benefits had a significant positive effect on three student achievement variables. Other independent variables, pupil services, technology, and other spending, negatively influenced one or two student achievement variables, and two independent variables, media services and instruction, did not have a significant effect on any of the student achievement variables. (Contains 1 footnote.)

This study attempted to determine the perceptions of beginning principals regarding their need for induction experiences and the relationship of principal responsibilities to those perceived induction needs. Beginning principals were denied as principals in their first through third years as a principal in a school. The study further examined whether or not there was a difference in the perceived induction needs among elementary, middle, and high school beginning principals. The population consisted of beginning principals in the public schools in Alabama. Of the participants, 27% were elementary principals, 34% were middle school principals, and 39% were high school principals. The methodology was a mixed methods approach. To gather qualitative data, a survey was mailed to 286 beginning principals in Alabama. The first section of the survey included 19 suggested induction needs from the literature which were scored using a five-point Likert scale. The second section asked the respondents to rate the importance of 10 areas of responsibility for principals found to be prevalent in the literature. The third section solicited demographic information about the respondents. To gather qualitative data principals, two from the elementary, two from the middle, and two from the high school level were selected for interviews. The purpose of these was to substantiate the data gathered from the surveys and provide a deeper insight into the perception of beginning principals regarding induction needs. The findings indicated on average, the various groups viewed principal induction needs similarly. Results from the data suggest beginning principals desire a well planned induction program to meet the demands of a very difficult job.

In a time of growing interest in accountability, sharing school governance with parents, teachers, the community, and business leaders has become a norm. School councils or advisory groups have become a requirement for schools in many states. This research examined school council members' perceptions of issues addressed by the councils and council effectiveness in rural Georgia. Additionally, this research examined the relationship between council members' perceptions of school council effectiveness among council member constituent groups and the difference between council members' perceptions of issues addressed and actual issues addressed. The research identified factors school council members believed to be important for school council effectiveness. The data were gathered through a survey of school council members in the forty-one county Valdosta State University service area. Actual issues addressed were obtained through a content analysis of school council minutes. Implications for educational practice in rural schools included a process of involving of a variety of constituents in policy making at the school level in an attempt to improve student academic performance and principals hold the key to council effectiveness.

This study sought to provide educational researchers, policy-makers, and professionals with quantitative data on the status of RTI implementation, as well as on which leadership behaviors have been associated with successful implementation. School psychologists and other RTI professionals rated their schools on RTI implementation using the RTI Essential Components Integrity Rubric and rated their school principals on leadership style using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X. Descriptive data indicate that while schools have made progress, they have fallen far short of having fully implemented the RTI model. Multiple regression analysis identified transformational leadership as the predictive factor for RTI implementation, highlighting the importance of effective school leadership for this model.

The usefulness of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) and the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) in the classification of patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) was investigated. Twenty-two female inpatients diagnosed as having BPD and 22 female student control participants participated in the study. Those who scored 70 or above on the Borderline Features (BOR) scale of the PAI were classified as BPD. For the MMPI-2, participants with profile configurations of 8-4-2, 8-2-4, 8-4-7, or 8-2-7 were classified as BPD. Eighty-two percent of the patients and 77% of the students were classified correctly using the PAI, whereas 9% of the patients and 95% of the students were classified correctly based on the MMPI-2. The discriminant function for the selected scales of the PAI classified 86% of the participants correctly, and the discriminant function for the selected scales of the MMPI-2 classified 84% of the participants correctly. This suggests that both tests include items that discriminate between two groups. Overall, the classification of participants based on the BOR scale of the PAI was more accurate than the classification of participants using the profile configurations of the MMPI-2. Implications for the assessment of BPD are discussed. (Author)