Education Commons^™

Experiences Of Suburban And Rural High School Principals Who Have Attained Longevity In The Position: A Qualitative Study, Peggy A. Mathis

Dissertations

Today’s school leaders face many challenges. There is a renewed need to look at principal’s job satisfaction and longevity given recent trends in burnout, increased accountability, and a shortage of qualified candidates. There are conflicting demands on high school principals’ time and capacity. These leaders still have the traditional responsibilities of ensuring a safe environment, managing a budget, and maintaining discipline. Higher expectations for student success have brought with them an increase in school program expectations (DiPaola & Tschannen-Moran, 2003).

The job of the principal has changed throughout the years (DiPaola & Tschannen-Moran, 2003; White-Smith & White, 2009). The shift …

From Crisis To Stability: A Case Study Of Presidential Leadership At A Christian College, Jeffrey Gill

Dissertations

Despite healthy growth in past decades, in a time of national and global economic instability small, private Christian colleges now find themselves in a precarious position. Leading effectively in such colleges and universities in a time of external and/or internal crisis is a great challenge.

This research is about a small, Christian college with documented evidence of having survived two significant enrollment and financial crises (early 1990s and 2008-09), and is now stable, all under the leadership of a president who served during the 19 year time period of crisis and stability. The purpose of this study is to investigate …

The Leadership Orientations And Effectiveness Of College And University Career Services Directors, Jacob A. Livengood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Career service directors lead the third most common division within student affairs departments, but the leadership of a collegiate career services office has not been represented in higher education research. Obtaining a "good job" has consistently been noted as a main reason to attend college (Pryor, Hurtado, Saenz, Santos & Korn, 2007). The rising costs of higher education have also yielded the question, "What can college do for me?" financially and with future career opportunities (Baum & Payea, 2005; Moretti, 2004; Pryor, Hurtado, Saenz, Santos & Korn, 2007; Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 2009). The functions of career services …

A Case Study Using Principal-Agent Theory To Explore How A Public, Four Year University Interacts With A System Office, Annie Macias

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The focus of this research was to examine the funding relationship between a single public institution of higher education and its accompanying system office. Such a study is important in order to obtain insight into the relationship between a System Office and an institution, and thus how institutions carry out their fiscal responsibilities, not directly to the state but to the System Office they serve. The study provides insight into how the System Office communicates and transacts with an institution regarding financial allocations. Also important is whether that institution receives effective communication and whether the institution's perceived expectations are as …

Comparing Division Ia Scholarship And Non-Scholarship Student-Athletes: A Discriminant Analysis Of Academic Performance, Lisa Melanie Rubin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many research studies have examined the academic performance and graduation rates of college student-athletes. The limited focus on scholarship student-athletes has overlooked the majority of NCAA student-athletes, those participating in collegiate athletic programs without athletic scholarships. Therefore, this study contributes to a gap in the literature about non-scholarship student-athletes. The following dissertation examined the academic performance, time-to-degree, and demographic and profile characteristics of Division IA scholarship and non-scholarship student-athletes. The theoretical framework for this study was work motivation viewing athletic scholarships as extrinsic rewards. The researcher applied descriptive discriminant analysis utilizing secondary data to compare scholarship and non-scholarship student-athletes across …

Superintendent Leadership And School Governance Performance, Ronald Drzewicki

Masters Theses

This action research project examined the link between school board governance and effective school district operation. In particular, the link between superintendent leadership, board of education professional development, and community support was studied. The three-year project focused on positive board-superintendent relations and effective board governance. The goals of the project were to establish roles, responsibilities, and procedures for board relations, improve the public image of the school district, improve evaluation systems of school programs, and develop and communicate a district mission and vision. The project documented improvement in community support in multiple areas.

Being A (Good) Student: Conceptions Of Identity Of Adult Basic Education Participants Transitioning To College, Mina Reddy

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of identity of a category of students that has rarely been studied in the context of higher education. These are adults who have participated in GED preparation or English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses in Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs. A college education is increasingly necessary for individual economic success and a higher quality of life, and a college-educated workforce is a major element in national economic competitiveness. Rates of college enrollment and persistence of ABE students, however, are low. The study seeks to determine how ABE students and graduates conceive of their …

Closing Up Shop: Meditations On The Departmental/Programmatic Elimination Experience, Susan Beth Donoff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Departmental and programmatic eliminations represent a new paradigm in the history of American higher education. Hastened by a national economic recession and competing state funding priorities, public post-secondary institutions have turned to academic attrition as a solution to continuous budgetary shortfalls. As a means of addressing the lived experience of faculty members and department chairs, the following qualitative case study explores perceptions of implementing departmental and/or programmatic eliminations.

Utilizing uncertainty reduction theory as a conceptual framework, interviewed faculty in saved units experienced considerable strategic uncertainty, failing to understand why they had been selected for elimination. Guided by a college-wide strategic …

Arts And Education: An Investigation Into The Impact Of The Arts Academy On High School Students, Nigel Sangster

Theses and Dissertations

The broad topical area of my research study involved an investigation of the impact of the arts academy on the students of Cooper Ruth Performing and Fine Arts Middle-High School (pseudonym), using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Being a proponent of the arts, one of the premises of my research was to bring about a greater sense of awareness in my school and school district, that the arts were not "frills" in the educational processes of children (Perrin, 1994). Focus was given to various strands of the arts disciplines in my efforts to substantiate the significance of the overarching question …

Diamond To Coal: An Educational Leadership Doctoral Program's Evolution And Devolution, Eva Ross

Theses and Dissertations

Extant research on educational leadership preparation programs (ELPPs) is cross-organizational and quantitative in nature. This descriptive sequential explanatory mixed-method study provides contextual depth by looking at the evolution (and devolution) of an on-campus doctoral-level ELPP model. This study examined contextual influences and programmatic effectiveness over time, as well as its uniqueness, integrity and import, from various key stakeholder standpoints. Data collection methods included a primarily quantitative alumni survey and follow-up interviews, as well as core faculty and program developer interviews. Qualitative data analysis methods included grounded theory analytic techniques; quantitative analysis methods used descriptive statistics. Findings and results indicated contextual …

Registration, Attendance, And Reality: African-Americans Engaged In Sat Preparation, Don Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

There is limited research into the persistence, participation, and efforts of African American students in their preparation for college admission exams (SAT, ACT). Registration, attendance, and the experienced reality of African American students who voluntarily enrolled in an SAT prep program as well as perceptions of African American instructors were the foci of this mixed methods action research. This study examined the development of a Saturday SAT preparation program over an 18 month period. Theoretical frameworks of Stereotype Threat (STT) (Steele, 1992; Steele & Aronson, 1995) and schooling effects (Diamond, 2007; Kao & Thompson, 2003; Ladson-Billings 1995, 1997; Starratt, 2003; …

An Autoethnographic Analysis Of School Leadership In An Alternative Education Environment, Leroi Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This research represents an extremely personalized account of the complicated field of educational leadership and analysis of my journey through two very different alternative education environments. I documented my leadership experience for this self study to further understand how my leadership impacted two alternative educational settings. Through the vantage point of my lens, I documented and recorded my experiences through artifacts, a digital journal, and personal documentation as an administrator using the qualitative method of autoethnography. This type of qualitative research brings the reader inside of my personal experiences as an administrator. Every school district has its own climate and …

Nature Versus Nurture: Campus Involvement’S Effect On Student Leadership Development, Stephanie Souvenir

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to find if leadership skills are developed from co-curricular involvement. Research would determine whether natural-born leaders were drawn to student involvement opportunities, or whether involvement develops the average students’ leadership skills. To arrive at a conclusion, research asked the question “Does involvement on a college campus develop leadership skills?” Research was answered by quantitative research. Fifty undergraduate students from a private Midwestern university were surveyed. Each participant was given two assessments. One was a leadership self-assessment and another was a campus involvement assessment. The campus involvement assessment was created for the purpose of this …

The National School Lunch Program: Local Implementation Of Federal Reform, Shannon Cagney

Professional Projects

This research study examined the National School Lunch Program and local implementation of federal reform in public and private schools in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The survey participants were selected by the way of purposeful sampling; interviews were conducted over the telephone; and a 90-minute focus group was held. Major themes from the study consist of the need for well-balanced meals in schools, concern regarding childhood obesity, and barriers of local implementation of federal guidelines. Many advocates expressed their concern regarding the calorie restrictions, specifically to the 850 kcal maximum for physically active students. This study provides insight on how the …

The Prevalence And Correlates Of Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, And Burnout Among Teachers Working In High-Poverty Urban Public Schools, Shannon Abraham-Cook

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

The Influence Of Ability Grouping On Math Achievement In A Rural Middle School, Robert R. Pritchard

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Leadership Responsibilities Associated With The Academic Achievement Of At-Risk Students: A Study Of The Perspectives Of National Distinguished Elementary School Principals In An Era Of Ubiquitous Educational Accountability, Mirvetk Tonuzi

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.

Principals' Concerns Regarding The Implementation Of Change, Theresa Diana Pelfrey

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Stages of Concern (SoC) that school principals have toward change and then report participants' behavior relevant to their Level of Use (LoU) of an innovation. An understanding of principals' concerns regarding change suggested a variety of factors that impede educational leaders' implementation of innovations and change within the school environment.

The researcher studied principals' perspectives regarding change implementation in the course of their daily administrative activities. Although many principals are aware and knowledgeable of the current standards for school leadership, difficulties arise when innovations and change are implemented. This study was …

Speaking Of Rivers: Demystifying Foreign-Born Blacks Through A Secondary Esl Context, C. D. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Linguistic imperialism and societal assumptions can become dominant issues that lessen the significance of the identity, language, culture, and communication of minorities in English as a second language (ESL) settings, which may hinder the possibilities of acceptance and success (Amin, 1997; Ibrahim, 1999; Morgan, 1997; Ogbu, 1992a). Students from Africa and West Indies, foreign-born Blacks, represent English language learners (ELLs) who have distinct cultural and linguistic mores that often go unnoticed. Foreign-born Blacks possess uncommon mother tongues and cultural behaviors that present struggles with salient entrenched racialization in ESL because the historical aspects of English are associated with Whiteness, dominance, …

The External And Internal Educational Factors That Contribute To Student Achievement And Self-Perceptions Of Urban Middle School Title I Students, Ja'shanna Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in order to explore the depths of internal and external factors within the urban school community that effect student self-perceptions and academic achievement, so that programs/interventions are developed to meet the needs of urban students. The internal and external factors identified for the purpose of this study were parental achievement, parental and community involvement, school morale, teacher quality, students peer groups, and resources among internal and external educational factors. The researcher examined test scores and survey data of the entire middle school in the first phase of the study. During the second phase of the study, …

No Nursing Student Left Behind: Non-Cognitive Screening, Letty Piper

Theses and Dissertations

With the growing shortage of nurses, the continuing flow of an adequate number of nursing students is important to the healthcare system. In an attempt to identify the noncognitive factors, which influence attrition, a mixed-method, cross-sectional study was conducted. Students who had dropped out of a BSN program and those still enrolled were given a survey containing scales of self-efficacy, nursing professional alignment and Margin in Life. The students then participated in focus groups. The attritional students were found to have a significantly lower Margin-in Life score than those who had succeeded, and there was a correlation between the Margin …

Using Reflective Practice To Study School Leadership, Cheryl Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this investigation were to critically examine my principal leadership and to use reflective practice to improve my leadership practice and create positive change in the practices of teachers in the school. While scrutinizing critical incidents of practice, I utilized four reflective practice cycles to develop new action theories and new paradigms of leadership behavior. Reflective practice Cycle I focused on me as an individual. Revisiting who I was conceptually opened reflection about my identity, prompting me to think differently about my leadership. My partnering with another principal consisted of reflective practice Cycle II. Our emphasis was on …

Advisory Programs: Evaluation Of The Planning For Implementation In An Urban High School, Laura Martin

Theses and Dissertations

A major component of high school reform has been to support small, more personalized school structures, along with other complimentary strategies that enhance teaching and learning as being more likely to produce beneficial results. The major purpose of the small schools movement is to convert failing, comprehensive high schools, into smaller, personalized settings in order to increase positive school relationships, student engagement, and higher student achievement. The addition of advisory programs in high schools is at the heart of small schools' efforts to develop more personalization within small schools; especially those that contain small learning communities. Advisory programs are intended …

Establishing A Community Of Professional Learners: Leadership Strategies That Promote Teacher Efficacy, Marie Simone

Theses and Dissertations

During my tenure in several school districts as an educational administrator, I was dismayed to learn that a common theme among bright, energetic, caring, and creative teachers was that morale was low and that teachers rarely felt recognized for their efforts or accomplishments. I was curious to see if recognition and respect offered by educational leaders would help to improve a sense of personal and professional efficacy among teachers, thereby improving school morale and retention of teachers in the profession. Morale is defined by Mendel (1987) as a feeling, state of mind, mental and emotional attitude. Washington, et al (1981) …

The Problem Of The Penumbra: Elementary School Principals' Exercise Of Discretion In Student Disciplinary Issues, Nora M. Findlay

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Maintaining order and discipline is one of the most challenging aspects of the school-based administrator’s role. School officials make disciplinary decisions within a context that is established, in part, by case law, legislation and regulations, school board policies and social, organizational and individual values. The exercise of administrative discretion is vital to the decision-making process. It offers school leaders creativity and flexibility. The interpretation and implementation of school discipline policies by in-school administrators can provide insight into their discretionary decision-making. The purpose of this study was to determine how principals in an urban school division in Western Canada negotiated within …

Transforming Regular Classroom Instruction To Differentiate For Gifted And Highly Capable Learners, Stephanie Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research study documented the transformation of a small suburban school district from an educational culture focused on minimal levels of achievement reflective of No Child Left Behind to one valuing the continuous progress of all levels of learners. The participant-researcher led teachers in third through seventh grades with instructional program changes in social studies and science that implemented advanced differentiation using a curriculum compacting model. The two-fold purpose of the study explored how teacher engagement in an effective professional development program impacted their practice and disposition toward meeting the needs of gifted learners, while seeking information regarding …

Job Satisfaction, Organizational Health, And Accountability In Selected Tennessee Middle Schools, James Lon Fox

Doctoral Dissertations

This quantitative study explored teacher perceptions of job satisfaction and school organizational health and whether significant differences existed between these perceptions and school performance. Empirical data were gathered by surveying a stratified, purposive, cluster sample of 177 teachers in selected middle schools across Tennessee; instruments used included the Organizational Health Index-Middle ([OHI-M]; Hoy, 2003) and the Job Satisfaction Survey ([JSS]; Spector, 1997). Secondary data on school performance—school achievement based on standardized test scores and valueadded scores derived from Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS)—were extracted from the Tennessee Department of Education Report Card (2010). These were used to create the accountability …

Tennessee Public High School Principals’ Leadership Behaviors And Teachers’ Job Satisfaction, Amie Broughton Rumph

Doctoral Dissertations

The attrition rate of teachers is alarming (Darling-Hammond, 2002; Keigher, 2010; Marvel, Lyter, Peltola, Strizek, & Morton, 2006). Factor of the attrition include teachers leaving the profession due to lack of job satisfaction or lack of administrative support (Angelle, 2002; Littrell, 1994; Schlichte, Yssel, & Merbler, 2005). Frameworked by Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory (Herzberg, Mausner, & Snyderman, 1959), this web-based, quantitative, descriptive study explored the connections between job satisfaction and perceived leadership behaviors. Participants included 302 teachers from public secondary schools in Central and East Tennessee. Instruments used were the Job Satisfaction Survey ([JSS], Spector, 1994), the Study of School Leadership …

Place-Free And Place-Based Educational Preferences Among Rural High School Principals, Joshua Pfiester

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Rural schooling and rural communities are interdependent to a degree not seen in suburban and urban contexts. Thus, the threat to the sustainability of one inevitably affects the other. One of the variables in their sustainability may be educational practices (Haas & Nachtigal, 1998; White & Reid, 2008) that influence the likelihood of rural high school graduate outmigration (Corbett, 2007; Huang, Cohen, Weng, & Zhang, 1996). Considering the body of literature that testifies to the strong influence school administrators have in schools (Hallinger & Heck, 1996; Leithwood & Jantzi, 2000; Prestine & Nelson, 2005), understanding the preferences in educational practices …

Onward And Upward: Characteristics Of African American Senior Student Affairs Officers, Marteze Deon Hammonds

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The journey of African American student affairs professionals has evolved throughout the history of higher education and student affairs. This study examined the career profiles of ten African American Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) at predominately White institutions (PWIs) throughout the United States. By using the curriculum vitae and a survey, this research found that the career profile of African American SSAOs at PWI's were African Americans who had earned a terminal degree, averaged eight career moves over 18 years and were involved in national associations where they published and presented. These SSAOs were active in their communities and willing …