Education Commons^™

Special Education Leadership Practices That Support Postsecondary Transition Service Delivery For Students With Severe Disabilities, Laurel A. Peltier

Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT SPECIAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT POSTSECONDARY AND TRANSITION SERVICE DELIVERY FOR STUDENTS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES SEPTEMBER 2015 LAUREL A. PELTIER, B.A., GORDON COLLEGE, WENHAM M.A., UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND, KINGSTON C.A.G.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Ed.D. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by Dr. Mary Lynn Boscardin In the past decade, researchers have made new forays into understanding educational leadership and the connections between leadership practices and outcomes for students. While evidence-based leadership practices at the building and district level are critical to the success of students in general and special education settings as a whole, the need for …

Enrollment Management: Structure And Decision Participation, Lauren Haddad Friedman

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Once a novel strategy adopted by a limited number of private colleges, enrollment management (EM) is now a standard practice for most institutions in American higher education. The units engaged in EM and strategic enrollment management (SEM) serve as change agents in support of student recruitment, retention and graduation. Over time, the units supporting EM have expanded from admissions to include financial aid, advising, the registrar and institutional research. As a result of this expansion, structural models developed in the 1980s provide little insight into the team organization that EM has become. Using data collected in a survey instrument administered …

Perceptions Of Impediments To The Advancement Of Women Leaders In Community Colleges, Teresa Alley Yearout

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

As community college presidents, chief operating officers (CEOs), and other senior level administrators plan to retire, the critical demand for qualified leaders brings greater focus on previous trends and current statistics in community colleges leadership. These findings provide evidence of the continuing underrepresentation of women in senior level leadership positions. Further investigation examines women leaders’ perceptions of the barriers or impediments to their advancement into these leadership positions. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of impediments of women community college leaders in a variety of institutional settings (rural, suburban, urban).

The literature provided an inventory …

Investigating The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Tpack) And Technology Leadership Capacities Of K-12 Public School Principals, Randall Depew

Dissertations

It is understood that principals play a key role the integration of computer technology their schools, however there have been limited studies exploring the level of technology knowledge and technology leadership skills possessed by school principals and how these measures relate to each other. Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) is a popular framework for understanding the teacher knowledge required for effective technology integration. This framework has been used to study a number of different populations including pre-service and in-service teachers in a variety of grade levels, subject areas, and pedagogical contexts. This is the first time this framework has been …

Executive Coaching As A Model Of Professional Development For School Superintendents, Timothy Brian Arnold Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a utilization-focused program evaluation that describes the impact of an executive coaching model on the professional learning of superintendents who participated in the IASA School for Advanced Leadership (ISAL). This program evaluation is a knowledge-focused, or lessons learned-oriented, formative evaluation of the ISAL cohort program. A qualitative approach is used to describe the lived experiences of superintendents who participated in the coaching model provided through the ISAL cohort program. The results were intended to inform general practice and to provide recommendations on the use of a coaching model in the professional development of superintendents for the ISAL …

Perceptions Of Millennial Teachers' Commitment To Teaching As A Career, Deana Lyn Layton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Just like the childhood game of Hide and Seek, “Ready or not, here they come,” numbering 92 million strong, the Millennial Generation is the largest generational cohort in history. By 2025, it is predicted they will comprise 75% of the workforce. Millennials are highly educated, willing to learn, technologically advanced, and Socially conscious—all traits important for the making of a great teacher. The purpose of my study is to understand the mindset of six beginning Millennial teachers regarding teaching as their career of choice and how this mindset impacts their decision to remain committed to teaching. This study attempts to …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Professional Development And The Impact On Elementary Principals Instructional Leadership, Isa Dearmas

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological investigation is to identify and describe professional development components that elementary school principals in the Santa Clarita Valley perceive as having the greatest impact on their instructional leadership related to building teachers’ capacity for improving classroom instruction.

Methodology: To investigate the professional development of elementary school principals in the Santa Clarita Valley and the impact on instructional leadership, the study will follow a phenomenological research design that includes a series of interviews. This research design will focus and describe professional development components and the perspectives of elementary school principals with regard to professional development …

A Narrative Study Of Latinas' Experiences With The Leadership Pipeline In Higher Education, Ana Cecilia Marrero-Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to report the stories of Latina’s experiences with the leadership pipeline in higher education, and determine what venues within that pipeline facilitate or impede access to executive level administrative positions. The practical significance of this study would include expanding the quantity of academic research on Latinas’ interest and inclusion in obtaining executive leadership positions in higher education, where little has been recorded of their presence or successes (Lopez-Mulnix, Wolverton & Zaki, 2011). In addition, though many studies have been conducted on racial and ethnic minority faculty (Eddy, 2009; Moses, 2009; Green & …

The Triage Principal: An Autoethnographic Tale Of Leadership In A Catholic Turnaround School, Corena Marasco

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools are in need of innovative change. The problem lies in how to construct the elements of change to create viability for a school in the face of rapid declining enrollment. Responding to this type of environment as an educational leader requires qualities and characteristics similar to those of first responders in a medical emergency, a term I coined as the triage principal. This autoethnographic research study was designed to answer three research questions:

1. As a new principal at Michael, the Archangel School (MAS), a Catholic school in danger of closing, what challenges did I experience?

2. As …

Illinois Teacher Evaluation Student Growth Component: A Predecision-Making Policy Analysis, Joshua Robert Olsen

Theses and Dissertations

ILLINOIS TEACHER EVALUATION STUDENT GROWTH COMPONENT:

A PREDECISION-MAKING POLICY ANALYSIS

Joshua R. Olsen

122 Pages May 2015

Public school districts in Illinois are going to face massive changes to their evaluation systems in the coming years. Thanks to the adoption of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010 and Senate Bill 7 of 2011, teacher evaluation must contain student growth as a significant factor, beginning with the 2016-2017 school year. Not only must student performance on tests become part of the evaluation of teachers, but, moreover, teacher evaluation will play a greater role in the hiring, retention, and release of …

Career Outcomes For Participants In A Leadership Development Program, Cheryl Louise Meheden

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In an attempt to raise the level of leadership competence and to increase the number of qualified candidates for leadership positions within post-secondary institutions, many colleges are supporting leadership development training for faculty and staff. This qualitative case study explores whether participating in a leadership development program resulted in career advancements that can fill leadership gaps. The study's framework, expectancy theory, suggests that individuals who participate in leadership development expect to become leaders. This exploratory case study sought to learn whether, upon completion of a comprehensive leadership development program, participants applied for, and assumed, leadership positions. The leadership program under …

Teachers' Perspectives On Implementing Social-Emotional Learning Standards, Sheila Youngblood

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem this study addresses is the extent to which social-emotional learning programming is effectively implemented. Since social-emotional learning programming has emerged as a significant aspect of U.S. education, man states have included social-emotional standards and programming as an essential part of the curriculum. Researchers have found that effective reform includes not only emphasis on academic and standardized test scores, but also on social-emotional influences. As a school reform initiative, a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program is being implemented at a Midwestern high school. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive interview study was to explore the perceived effectiveness of the …

Principal Leadership Behaviors And Teacher Efficacy, Patricia Ellen Gallante

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The attrition rate of teachers in an urban/suburban school district in a northeastern state caused schools to fail to attain annual yearly progress. To reverse this problem, administrators must understand the importance of their leadership and teacher efficacy and the need to nurture teachers to increase student performance. The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to determine whether a relationship existed between leadership and efficacy. Total-population sampling was used to obtain 19 elementary and middle teachers who completed two surveys to examine the relationship between principals' behaviors (human relations, trust/decision making, instructional leadership, control, and conflict) and teacher efficacy …

The 21st Century University President: Building Blocks For Effective Rural Leadership, David Thomas Mcfaddin

Online Theses and Dissertations

This paper was written to examine the fundamental areas of influence that can help to shape effective leadership for the 21st century college or university president in a rural setting. In the last few years, centuries of long held traditions, behaviors and expectations inside and outside of the university community have quickly and radically changed. The new and evolving knowledge-based economy of America has created an exceedingly competitive marketplace for higher education that has forever changed the social and financial contract between higher education and the American public. This new world features extremely complex and competitive organizations that must exist …

Engaged Scholarship Activities Among Tenure-Track And Tenured Faculty Members, Michelle Christine Watkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Institutions of higher education are widely known to be places that help solve the problems of society; however, few college professors seem to practice engaged scholarship after receiving tenure. In a time of decreased funding for public higher education institutions and increased competition for students with private institutions, public higher education institutions would do well to maintain their images as community partners. In this regard, public institutions need to know whether engaged scholarship among the professoriate has decreased, why this may be occurring, and how to inspire professors to create positive social change. This qualitative case study applied Frederick Herzberg's …

A Grounded Theory Of Women's Leadership Experiences In Higher Education: Navigating From The Director Level, Laura Ann Maki

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In higher education leadership, the proportion of women in senior-level positions has grown very modestly. This stagnation is present in representation in leadership as well as in wage equality. Although institutions and organizations have policies and practices aimed at improving diversity and equity, ongoing underrepresentation indicates that barriers, lack of interest, or other unidentified factors influence women's opportunities for achieving senior-level leadership positions. To help address the ongoing underrepresentation of women in senior-level leadership in higher education, I have focused this dissertation on women's experiences in mid-level leadership positions. In this study, I use grounded theory to examine women's leadership …

Early Career Principal Development: A Qualitative Case Study Of Principals' Perceptions Of Participation In The Institute Of Engaged Principal Leadership, Teri Marie Preisler

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This dissertation examines the perceptions of the participants in the Institute of Engaged Principal Leadership at the start and conclusion of their first year of sessions. The study used a single case study qualitative research approach incorporating semi-structured interviews questions, researcher observations, and review of documents throughout the 2012-2013 initial year of the Institute. The results indicate themes of growth within the participants' beliefs, confidence, focus on equity and student-centered school climate, and a need for networking within the educational leadership roles. Based upon these results, recommendations are provided for future Institutes as well as preparation programs for teachers and …

Damned If You Do--Damned If You Don't: A Queer Woman Of Color's Journey Of Trauma, Agency, And Leadership, Windy Paz-Amor

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Navigating systems of leadership in Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) in higher education as a Queer Woman of Color can be a challenging and complex process--one that integrates identity, experience, expertise, knowledge, patience, and most importantly the ability to risk; while remaining authentic and professional. It is a balance, which in my own experience and expertise requires constant reflection, evaluation, and adaptation. A negotiation of owning that one has power and agency, while realizing that the many intersecting identities that one holds influences how dominant culture perceives that power and agency. To reach authentic reflection and evaluation in leadership it …

The Landwarnet School, The Army Learning Model, And Appreciative Inquiry: How Is A Centralized Training Organization Improved By Introducing Decentralization?, Lisa Jayne Stamper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory, qualitative case study describes how a centralized training organization (LandWarNet School) was improved by introducing decentralization (Army Learning Model) toward “the best competitive position” or "sweet spot," defined by Brafman and Beckstrom (2006) as “enough decentralization for creativity, but sufficient structure and controls to ensure consistency” (pp. 189, 191). Any presence of the six chaordic elements of a decentralized organization, as described by Hock (1999), was also considered.

LandWarNet School (LWNS) trains approximately 6000 US Army Soldiers annually and is centrally organized. The new Army Learning Model (ALM) is a vision for a more decentralized training approach where …

The Cost Of Workplace Bullying In Irish Universities, Patrick Pearse Rockett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Employees who demean and degrade coworkers cost organizations billions of dollars every year. Workplace bullying is a business problem that affects up to 15% of employees, and little empirical research is available to establish the extent of bullying in academia. Bullies flourish in decentralized structures, and universities can be particularly susceptible to bullying behavior because of their decentralized structures of teaching and research that promote the growth of microclimates in segregated silos, from laboratories to small departments. The purpose of this multiple-case, census sample study was to explore the cost-reduction strategies that university human resource (HR) leaders use to manage …

Elementary School Teacher Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Teacher Morale, Dyna M Chambers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 28th annual MetLife survey of 1,001 American teachers in the United States indicated that low teacher morale is a common problem faced by many public schools. In one public elementary school located in a Southern state, the teacher attrition rate increased from 30% to 40% within 2 years. The purpose of this mixed method study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of morale and their perceived factors that influence low morale at the school. Maslow's theory of motivation was used to understand the impact of teacher satisfaction on teachers' morale and self-motivation for leading change. The research questions were focused …

Secondary Principals Who Are Mothers: Balancing Home And Career, Turina Parker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Working mothers who are school leaders face challenges as they attempt to manage competing time demands and personal and professional responsibilities. A need exists for existing school leaders, as well as women aspiring to school leadership, to understand the coping strategies used by mothers who are also school principals. To that end, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of mothers who are school principals. Strategies used to navigate multiple roles were examined through a role conflict lens. Three overarching research questions guided this study to focus on how female principals with children accommodate their dual …