Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Adolescent Dating Violence: How Should Schools Respond?, Jeanne L. Surface, David Stader, Thomas Graca, Jerry Lowe

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Educational leaders have a substantial degree of control over students and generally have a tremendous influence on the decisions that they make. District administrators are already involved in comprehensive efforts to stem sexual harassment, teen violence and bullying; therefore, they may be well positioned to identify and address the problem of teen dating violence. Unfortunately, school district failure to take action is far too common, despite the statutory duty to ensure the safety of all students during school hours and at school sponsored events. School districts can be held liable for student dating violence under Title IX, under 42 U.S.C. …

Critically Reflective Leadership, Christine L. Cunningham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Critical Reflective Practice (CRP) has a proven reputation as a method for teacher-researchers in K-12 classrooms, but there have been few published examples of this method being used to document school leaders’ work-based practice. This article outlines adaptations made by the author from an original CRP method to a Critically Reflective Leadership (CRL) method that she developed to document her own lived experiences as a principal and then director of an American International School in South America. The method described in this paper may be useful for school leaders who wish to become practitioner-researchers in their own work places. The …

Prism #62, April 2012, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Principals' Leadership Behaviors And The Development Of Professional Learning Communities In Schools With Teacher Study Groups, Casey D. Shorter

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Sex Education In Our Schools, Kelley Conti

Honors Projects

This research project involved interviewing 42 parents with children between the ages of 12 to 18-years-old regarding their views and opinions on sex education for today’s youth. All 42 parents agreed they wanted a more informative sex education for their children than what they were exposed to as children. This included those with formal sex education as well as those that learned from peers, siblings or in their neighborhood. Another aspect all parents agreed on was the need for a more comprehensive sex education. Thirty-eight parents thought abstinence should be included as an option in sex education classes but not …

Career Academies And Conflicting Agendas: An Analysis Of Career And Technical Education In Hartford In The Context Of Broader School Policies, Mary K. Morr

Senior Theses and Projects

This thesis is an analysis of Career and Technical Education as a response to the low quality of public education in Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford Public Schools recently adopted the Career Academy model of CTE to restructure its failing high schools. This model is an improvement upon traditional forms of CTE, and graduation rates and test scores have increased since Hartford’s Academies opened in 2008. Still, whether Career Academies are an appropriate solution to the chronic underperformance of the city’s schools will depend upon their compatibility with the broader educational policies being implemented by the district and the State. The two …

A Quantitative Examination Of The Educational Technology Characteristics Of Ohio Schools And Their Blue Ribbon Status, Dean Goon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze data from Ohio schools and the frequency of use of educational technology, a teacher's comfort level using technology, and a teacher's beliefs about the effect of educational technology on teaching and learning based upon the school's Blue Ribbon award status. The study used an ex-post facto, quantitative comparative research design. The variables examined originated from an archival data set: the Ohio Biennial Educational Technology Assessment: 2011 (BETA 10-11). The research questions examined the differences between Blue Ribbon and Non-Blue Ribbon schools based on educational technology use, a teachers' comfort level with technology, …

Relationships Between Educators' Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction, And Administrators' Gender, Stephanie Potter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to examine the differences between teachers' mean job satisfaction scores based on the administrators' gender and examine the relationship between the administrators' gender and teachers' organizational commitment plans in Tennessee middle schools. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment was measured by the Tennessee Teaching, Empowering, Leading and Learning (TELL) Survey that was administered online and completed by Tennessee teachers voluntarily and anonymously. A stratified random selection of schools based on the administrator's gender (female, n = 85; male, n = 85) was selected (N = 170) from those achieving the predetermined response criteria …

The Relationship Between Principal Turnover And Student Achievement In Reading/English Language Arts And Math Grades Six Through Eight, Darren Berrong

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the relationship between principal turnover rate, percentage of minority students, percentage of students with disabilities, and percentage of students who are economically disadvantaged and student achievement in reading/English language arts and math measured by Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT). Eighty-six public middle schools (grades 6-8) comprised the sample for the study; all of these schools were located in Region 1 on the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) School Improvement Map. Data was collected from (AYP) reports publicly accessed on the Georgia Department of Education website. CRCT pass percentages were used …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teacher And Administrator Experiences In The Analysis And Interpretation Of Student Assessment Data, Matthew Ross

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative empirical phenomenological study was to examine the experience of analyzing and interpreting student assessment data from the perspective of both teachers and administrators in order to identify: (a) those aspects of the experiences which are similar or dissimilar among the two groups, (b) the priorities and influences which affect those experiences, and (c) the most critical issues expressed by the participants. Ten teachers and five administrators participated in three in-depth individual interviews, online reflective journaling, and follow-on focus group interviews. This study revealed that the experiences of teachers and administrators can be characterized and described …

A Cautionary Tale Of Collective Bargaining In Public Education: A Teacher's Right Or Tail Wagging The Dog?, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Beyond terms and conditions of employment, topics such as salaries and fringe benefits, issues that, again, were central in Wisconsin and Ohio, courts agree that an array of topics are subject to mandatory negotiations. ...

Put another way, Wisconsin led the way as the first state to mandate negotiations for public sector employees, including teachers, while also being the initial jurisdiction to enact reforms aimed at limiting the scope of unions and collective bargaining. ...

The fact that the attempted recall of Walker failed aside, such a strategy raises a question about the power of unions who represent a minority …

Perceptions Of Personnel At Selected Texas Community Colleges Regarding The Impact Of Technology On Their Libraries, Sharon K. Kenan

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Technological innovations have transformed all areas of community college libraries. Automated library systems, office software, and Internet access have altered work processes for library personnel and have changed research methodologies for students and faculty. The purpose of this bounded multiple case study was to explore how the adoption of technology has changed important areas of four community college libraries in Texas. Using purposeful sampling to select community colleges with high technology libraries, the study explored how the adoption of technology by the case college libraries changed the libraries and the roles of people employed within the libraries by examining the …

First Year Student Development: Sophomore Students' Perceptions Of Growth And Contributing Factors, Catherine B. Holbrook

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The first year of college is critically important to student success, often shaping the amount and nature of growth and learning over the entire collegiate career in complex and profound ways. For this reason, higher education experts have called for colleges and universities to establish integrated, intentional programs for new students with identified outcomes which are regularly assessed to evaluate effectiveness. The purpose of this concurrent nested study was to investigate how college sophomores perceived their personal development during the first year of college against 10 specific competencies and to understand what types of first year experiences contributed to any …

The Family Educational Rights And Privacy Act And Permissive Disclosure: What Information Are Post-Secondary Institutions Disclosing And Why?, Christine Glah Greer

Dissertations

This study focuses on the response of universities to the permissive disclosure clauses of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA has been amended nine times; some of these amendments permit universities to disclose personally identifiable information without the permission of students.

The purpose of this study is to determine how prevalent disclosure is under the permissive disclosure clauses of FERPA and if universities use the concept of risk management to make decisions regarding disclosure. This will inform administrators of trends in disclosure and provide data universities can use when formulating or revising policy.

This is a relational …

An Investigation Into Building Level Leadership That Promotes Professional Learning Communities, James Michael Pohl

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The extent to which principals in suburban elementary and secondary schools lead schools to be ready to transform into professional learning committees was investigated. Data were collected through the use of the Professional Learning Communities Assessment – Revised (PLCA-R) questionnaire administered to principals, assistant principals and lead teachers as identified by their principals. Findings from the PLCA-R determined a ranked order for the 45 schools that completed the questionnaire. Following the questionnaire, one-on-one face-to-face interviews were conducted with the six principals from the three highest ranked elementary schools and the three highest ranked secondary schools. Six lead teachers, one from …

The Experiences Of Women In A U.S. Department Of Education School Leadership Preparation Cohort Program: A Case Study, Darra Katrina Belle

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study allows the voices of nine educational practitioners participating in a school leadership preparation cohort to be heard. The main unit of analysis was a closed cohort within a university's educational leadership program conducted in partnership with a local school district.

The purpose of this case study was to explore the experiences of women currently and previously enrolled in a school leadership preparation cohort program. This study was conducted with the intent that experiences of the participants will provide insight for other women who aspire to leadership positions who are enrolled in school leadership principal preparation cohorts. The goal …

Negotiating Within A Shared Governance Format, Suzanne C. Wagner, C. Henrik Borgstrom

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

The act of unionization creates a sense of unity among faculty, however, it also creates an adversarial relationship with administration. Although both the administration and the faculty believe they have the university’s best interests in mind, contract negotiations are typically contentious and divisive. A unique process for negotiations is presented illustrating how working within a shared governance format can enable faculty and administration to work together in preparation, research and analysis, problem solving and mutual gains bargaining that results in success for both parties and, ultimately, the university.

Examining The Decline In Bargaining Power In Faculty Labor Unions In The United States: The Effects Of Reduced Monopoly Power In Providing Public Higher Education, Lynn A. Smith, Robert S. Balough

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This study examines the decline in the economic power of faculty labor unions in public higher education in the United States in recent years. The authors assume the labor union is a utility maximizing entity and that income accrues to the “union family.” The union family attempts to maximize this income. By analyzing collective bargaining agreements and hiring practices between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, the authors construct bargaining indices. Because this study is focused on the change in bargaining power of labor unions in public higher education …

Collective Bargaining In United Kingdom Higher Education, Helen Fairfoul, Laurence Hopkins, Geoff White

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article provides an overview of the collective bargaining system in United Kingdom (UK) higher education and considers some of the current challenges. The arrangements for determining the pay of staff in UK higher education reflect both the historical context of the UK funding system and the unique nature of UK industrial relations law. From World War II, the funding of UK higher education has predominantly come from central government spending with a strong central framework of policy and governance. Since the 1960s, the higher education sector has grown dramatically, both in terms of student numbers and the number of …

Universities Must Continue To Bargain, Thomas J. Kriger

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

Faculty with collective bargaining rights across the nation will—and should—agree with Daniel Julius’s conclusion that “College and university leaders should continue to honor collectively negotiated agreements maintaining relationships with faculty unions.” When implemented correctly, these agreements, as Julius points out, serve the interests of both faculty and administrators. Such agreements codify and protect due process rights for both sides. They also provide both faculty and administrators with a level of predictability and stability in labor relations that are necessary on today’s complex and hectic campuses. While I agree with almost everything Julius has written here, there are a number of …