A program evaluation of the NCA -UNL school improvement specialist program

The purpose of this study was to investigate school improvement specialists' perceptions of the effectiveness of the NCA-UNL School Improvement Specialist Program based upon their professional development and their ability to lead a school improvement process successfully. This program was developed through a partnership between the College of Education and Human Sciences of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI)A sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted. An online survey questionnaire was conducted that was based on the eight program outcomes of the program---needs of the 21st century students; change; mission and belief statements; total school improvement process; data; interventions and strategies; communication skills; and leadership skills.;Using both quantitative and qualitative designs, this researcher studied the perceptions of the school improvement specialists who had graduated and were certified as school improvement specialists. The online quantitative survey questionnaire captured the overall perceptions of the participants with the follow up qualitative interviews enriching and extending the results of the survey.;Data from the survey indicated strong support for the program with all mean scores rating above a 4 on the Likert scale range of 1 to 5 with 1 being "not at all" and 5 being "A great deal." The nine qualitative interviews supported the analyses of the quantitative online questionnaire.