Improving The Professional Capacity Of Campus Administrators At A Multi-Campus College, Jennifer E. Strickland

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The institutional knowledge gap for campus administrators (CAs) across a multi-campus college is the Problem of Practice (PoP) to be addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP). A multi-campus college has initiated a new professional development review (PDR) for CAs to improve professional excellence across the organization. The PDR launched to identify professional development needs for college managers, to improve operational efficiency, and to help the college achieve its strategic goals. CAs shoulder the responsibility for the campus-level implementation of college policies and procedures which necessitates a firm understanding of college operations and effective leadership and management skills. When there …

The Role Of The Principal In Supporting Learning For Students In High-Poverty Elementary Schools, Rose Anne Kuiper

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Students enter the school systems with a variety of needs and experiences, each unique to themselves. Unfortunately, many students and their families experience the effects of poverty, and these circumstances shape those school students’ unique needs. As the current times become more challenging, principals and teachers are faced with great demands to meet the needs of the students they serve. High-poverty schools need the expertise of successful principals who are aware of and acknowledge the impact of poverty on student learning; and are able to assist teachers to not only understand the impact poverty has on students’ social and academic …

The Cultivation Of Systemness For Enhanced Equity, Diversity And Inclusivity At A Mid-Sized District School Board In The Province Of Ontario, Pino Buffone

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The cultivation of systemness for enhanced equity, diversity and inclusivity at a mid-sized district school board in the province of Ontario is addressed. The development of shared mindsets regarding a small number of ambitious goals (system coherence) and the implementation of administrative processes such as policies, procedures, practices and protocols (system alignment) that support the optimization of the multi-year strategic plan may, at times, prove difficult to achieve, especially as it relates to bias awareness and critical consciousness, as well as ameliorated fairness and impartiality throughout the organization. Viewed constructively as an opportunity for organizational improvement towards enhanced equity, diversity …

Leadership Of Diversity In The Ontario Fire Service, Carol-Lynn Chambers

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to interrogate the problem of leadership and change management as related to addressing the problem of gender diversification in Ontario’s municipal fire departments. The goal is to identify appropriate leadership approaches and attributes that are helpful in cultivating a high-performing, respectful, and collegial environment in which qualified females can be accepted and successful in working alongside male firefighters. The current situation is fraught with complaints, premature resignations, illness, and highly publicized experiences of women encountering negative experiences while working in municipal fire departments. My Problem of Practice is focused on the …

Addressing Issues Of Trust And Power Gap By Empowering Middle Leaders In An Asian International School, David R. Butler

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan explores trust, leadership, and power at True North Academy (a pseudonym), a Canadian-themed international school in Asia. The Problem of Practice (PoP) recognizes a gap between the school’s current collaborative practices and its aspirations being a cutting-edge learning organization. Recent events, especially the global pandemic, have highlighted the school’s reliance on traditional hierarchies and top-down decision-making. Unpopular decisions made without staff input have damaged teacher trust in the leadership, raised concerns of a staff exodus, and stalled ongoing improvement of school programmes. Within a theoretical framework of social constructivism, a plan is proposed to address the …

An Equitable Approach To Academic Progression Advising: To Use An Automated Tool Or Not?, Frances H. Billingsley

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is concerned with the problem of inequitable access to an automated degree audit tool at a large metropolitan university in central Canada, which is affecting year-to-year progression and timely graduation. Despite the implementation of this tool 17 years ago, it has not been fully adopted, leaving the campus community to navigate degree progression inconsistently and in isolation, with nearly half the students underserved; of particular concern are first-generation students. Stakeholder theory underpins the organizational change management plan, which espouses authentic, transformational, and shared leadership approaches. Following internal and external analyses, it was determined that the …

Improving Educational Opportunities By Weaving Indigenous Knowledge Into The Academy From An Indigenous Perspective, Kayla R. R. Murphy

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

To address the atrocities that Indigenous people have endured and provide guidance to support reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released its 94 Calls to Action (TRC, 2015). Educational reform is one of the key areas identified as necessary for reconciliation. Educational institutions such as River College (a pseudonym) are working towards the integration of Indigenous knowledge into current educational strategies and practices to achieve the acceptance and inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies, thereby acknowledging that Indigenous peoples are significant to the formation of current day Canada. The colonized approach to education at River College lacks cultural connection …

Enhancing Racialized Staff Mental Health And Well-Being From An Equity-Focused Lens, Natacha Castor

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The Des Grands Lac school board is facing an ongoing dearth of qualified teachers that warrants a critical examination in order to underscore the impact of low staffing on staff mental health. Among these factors, the damaging impacts of racism in all its forms on racialized educators’ mental health has remained unexamined and unaddressed. As racism is deeply entrenched within the fabric of educational policies and practices, this discrimination is, too often, normalized. Consequently, owing to the racism, several racialized staff have reported experiences of anxiety, depression, and trauma, leaving them feeling alienated and undervalued. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) …

Building School Leaders' Capacity To Challenge Anti-Black Racism In Schools, Susie Lee-Fernandes

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) was developed based on a problem of practice (PoP) in the Green District School Board (GDSB) related to equity leadership, and building the capacity and efficacy of school leaders to address anti-Black racism in K-12 schools. Despite efforts to create more equitable and inclusive classrooms, Ontario schools continue to display achievement gaps and negative outcomes for Black students, including streaming into courses below their abilities, harsher discipline, and higher push out and suspension rates compared to that of their peers. Feeling of isolation, lack of engagement and teacher connection further exacerbate the racial trauma and …

Transformation Through Trust And Authenticity: Improving And Aligning Service Learning In An International Baccalaureate School, Christopher Wallace

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme places service learning at the core of its curriculum. Yet, challenges with implementing it successfully are omnipresent in international schools. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to support teachers with the implementation of service learning projects at a private, non-profit international school in Western Europe. It is guided and framed by a Problem of Practice (POP) that addresses the current state of service learning at Mountain Range School (MRS) where curriculum and independent service projects are inconsistently designed, implemented and supported. It includes an evaluation of school policies, curriculum, teacher capacity, resources and systems. …

Fostering An Evaluative Culture By Addressing A Breakdown In The Policy Development Cycle, Michelle Anderson-Draper

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address the problem of practice (PoP) of a breakdown in the policy development cycle. The breakdown has resulted in a lack of evaluative feedback on the extent to which policies have been implemented as intended and are effective in achieving their intended outcomes. The PoP challenges elected trustees, in a large and diverse K–12 school division in Western Canada, to carry out their governance role. To address the PoP, the OIP offers a comprehensive change implementation plan, guided by a four-step change path model, actions, and continuous improvement cycle, supported by communication strategies …

Beyond Persistence: Increasing The Representation Of Women Faculty And Leaders In Academic Surgery, Dinah M. Frank

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In demanding tripartite roles, faculty at Academic Health Sciences Centres provide surgeon training and patient care, while seeking discovery through research and innovation. The persistent imbalance of women in academic surgery has been empirically evident and an intense topic of discussion for decades, yet solutions remain elusive. There has been increasing analysis and scrutiny of the factors affecting women in this domain, while highlighting the disconnect between the current state and our affirmed belief in gender equity in both education and medicine. My Organizational Improvement Plan is focussed on the recognition and resolution of barriers and biases impeding the appointment …

Strategies To Create Equity-Focused Psychologically Safe Climates, Kirsten K.L. Redmond

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines strategies to create equity-focused psychologically safe climates within post-secondary institutions. Organizational environments that are marked by high stress, professional hierarchies, and pressure to provide high-quality service, such as those within post-secondary institutions, benefit the most from strategic psychological safety interventions. Yet, many organizations are unsuccessful in creating psychologically safe environments because they have not applied an equity lens (Foley at al., 2002; Singh et al., 2013). A one-size-fits-all approach to psychological safety often exacerbates systemic inequities and barriers which have disproportionate negative impacts on marginalized students and employees (Singh et al., 2013). This OIP …

Enduring Indigeneity: Community Consultation As A Process For Indigenizing Curriculum At A College In Ontario, Camille C. Di Iulio

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its report which included 94 Calls to Action to address the legacy impacts of the Indian Residential School System in Canada. With education at the forefront of reconciliation, Call to Action #62 calls on post-secondary educators to integrate First Nations, Métis and Inuit content into their curriculum, to Indigenize teaching and learning within an education system built on Eurocolonial worldviews. A post-secondary institution located in southern Ontario (referred to by the pseudonym SCAAT) is making decolonization an institutional priority, especially as it is aligned with their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) …

Improving Sexual Violence Reporting In Higher Education Institutions, Karen D. Kennedy Ms

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) addresses the lack of sexual violence (SV) reporting at an undergraduate university (Coastal U; a pseudonym) where values of equity, diversity, and inclusion are espoused. Nonetheless, students from diverse cultures at Coastal U report a lack of visibility, unclear pathways for reporting, poor student and staff education, and numerous reporting fears, culminating in a lack of SV reporting. A critical and intersectional feminist lens frames this issue as one of social injustice, wherein inequity and lack of inclusion are problematic. Institutional context, capacity, and readiness, together with consideration of external factors, led to three …

Moving Beyond The Status Quo: Building An Intersectional Student-Centred Culture In A Registrar’S Office, Darran A. Fernandez

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

With an increasing number of students with diverse and complex identities attending colleges and universities, higher education institutions (HEIs) need to adapt to better serve their intersectional lives. At the centre of service delivery at most HEIs is the registrar’s office (RO), often offering services from before a student’s arrival right through to graduation. This Organizational Improvement Plan (plan) explores building a student-centred service delivery model in an RO at a large comprehensive university in Ontario. Organizational structures in HEIs are commonly vertically based on the specialty of work of the staff member rather than the horizontal crosscutting needs of …

Building A Culture Of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion And Social Justice At A Community College, Teresa M. Kisilevich

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Over the past number of years, it has become apparent that Canada is facing a significant skilled labour shortage. As the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, the pressure to train and hire skilled trades workers has only increased; in order to fill the growing labour gap, intentional measures are needed to attract and retain a more diverse group of students. This organizational improvement plan aims to capitalize on a recent strategic plan and its central commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. Through a case study focused on balanced enrolment by gender in trades training, this document considers …