Education Commons^™

An Explanation Of The Supervisory Model Used By Elementary Principal Supervisors In The State Of Missouri, David J. Hvidston, Bret Range, J Anderson, Brady Quirk

School Leadership Review

The goal for this paper was to discuss the efforts a school district has taken to utilize elementary principal supervisors to build and develop principals’ leadership capacities. The question considered was: (1) How are principals supervised and evaluated in one district? Attempting to answer this question is an important step in operationalizing guiding principles that can be shared with principal supervisors. The discussion included the importance of standards, the modeling of instructional supervision by principal supervisors, the reliance of guiding questions and potential data sources. Additional critical factors included coaching with two-way communication based on a trusting, reflective relationship. As …

K-12 School Administrator Candidates’ Perceptions Of Their Roles In Supporting Teachers To Address Adverse Childhood Experiences, Adam I. Attwood, Benita G. Bruster, John R. Mcconnell, Iii, Laura D. Barnett, Christi M. Maldonado

School Leadership Review

This study of a K-12 administrator preparation program adds to the research literature on trauma-informed education by addressing a gap in the literature on K-12 administrator candidates’ knowledge of the meaning of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and what their roles are in supporting teachers who have students with ACEs. K-12 school administrator candidates (N = 102) completed a survey designed by these researchers on this topic. The concept of ACEs is addressed as part of trauma-informed education from the K-12 administrator candidates’ point of view using a concurrent mixed methods case study approach at one administrator preparation program. Implications …

2023 Tcpea Outstanding Dissertation Of The Year Research Summary, Maegan Collins, Kaye Shelton Dissertation Chair

School Leadership Review

This phenomenological study explored perceived first-generation college student retention at a Texas four-year higher education institution post-vertical transfer. The participants in this study consisted of 12 full-time and part- time students who identified as first-generation college students and had vertically transferred from a two-year higher education institution. In addition, participants transferred between 35 and 120 academic credit hours from a two-year higher education institution and had been enrolled for at least one academic semester at their four-year higher education institution. On-campus and virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed, which resulted in major themes. This study revealed academic and social …

Closing The Gap: The Relationship Between School Climate And Student Achievement In The Middle School Sector, Brad Boykin, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Richard E. Cleveland, Suzanne B. Miller, Mary Josephine Carney

School Leadership Review

School leaders must make decisions and implement strategies to improve a school climate and student achievement, and it benefits them to understand which areas of school climate have the greatest impact on student achievement. The State of Georgia measures school climate and student achievement with its school accountability measure, the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI). This study employed a quantitative research design using archival data that was publicly available from CCRPI data for a two year span to examine the relationship between school climate and student achievement statewide in the middle grade sector. Findings revealed that all four …

Comparison Of Dual Enrollment Student Grades In Introductory Biology College Dual-Enrollment Courses Taken In Texas High Schools Or Colleges For School Leaders, Cynthia A. Gallardo

School Leadership Review

Dual Enrollment (DE) or Dual Credit (DC) programs have become increasingly prevalent at both the high school and college settings. These programs enable students to earn both high school and college credit and get a head start on their college education. Additionally, students in these programs must take university core curriculum courses to fulfill their college education requirements. A course that several students take is Introductory to Biology, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) course. This course is an introductory science course and may present a challenge for students in that there is a large quantity of material discussed. …

Igniting Resilience During Critical Times: Reflections Of Women Superintendents, Janice L. Taylor, Sharon Ross, Kathryn Washington, Kelly A. Brown

School Leadership Review

This qualitative study sought to explore the perceptions of women school superintendents in K -12 public schools in Texas about the challenges they face as leaders and how they endure these impactful challenges, particularly during critical times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Polidore’s Resilience Theory (2004) as the theoretical framework, the study sought to determine which of the nine resilience qualities, either innately possessed or through acquisition over time, helped to sustain the women superintendents during adverse situations associated with the highest level of leadership in a school district. The nine qualities of resilience include: religion, flexible locus of …

Educator Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy And Preparedness To Work In High Poverty Schools, Kristen Carroll, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Marlynn Griffin, Taylor Norman, Summer Pannell, Mary Josephine Carney

School Leadership Review

This study examined the perceptions of educators to determine if they felt that they were adequately prepared to teach in a high poverty school setting. The participants, educators from four school districts, completed a survey based on their perceptions of their own level of self-efficacy and preparedness to work in high poverty schools. The analyses indicated that, overall, educators felt well-prepared with limited supporting evidence to work in high poverty schools in the areas of student learning and engagement, which included curriculum and pedagogy, differentiation, and assessment. Findings further indicated a need for professional learning so educators can best support …

Ineffective School Leadership: Teachers Weigh-In, Jerry Burkett, Sonya D. Hayes

School Leadership Review

Effective school leaders are essential to the success of the school environment. Teachers have left schools due to poor and ineffective campus leadership, but often do not report the reasons why they left or do not have a safe mechanism in place to support their claims and drive campus change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the perceptions of teachers who work in elementary, middle, and high schools in Texas on the qualities of ineffective principals and how these qualities affect teacher retention. Respondents in an open-ended survey reported that ineffective principals lacked character, professionalism, and ethics; …

"I Just Feel Worn Out”: Constraints To Teacher Agency Throughout Covid-19, Andrew Kipp, Spencer Clark, Carl Fahrenwald, Gustavo Perez

School Leadership Review

COVID-19 created serious and long-lasting difficulties within educational systems resulting in higher rates of teacher attrition in the U.S. Teacher agency, which is the teacher’s capacity to act professionally, is a predictor of teacher attrition. The school environment, through policies and practices, can inhibit teacher agency, and the constraint of agency promotes teacher attrition. As school structures shift to address new post-pandemic needs, there is an increased need to understand how school structures throughout the pandemic inhibited teacher agency and drove teacher attrition. We examine how school systems constrained the agency of three veteran high school teachers from March 2020 …

Educator Experiences In The Reshaping Of Schools During Challenging Times: "The New Normal Or Is It?", Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Pamela Wells

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this photovoice study was to better understand how the recent COVID-19 global health pandemic has professionally and emotionally impacted current school leadership. Educators faced varied challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from in-class to online or hybrid learning and often back and forth between both. The findings identified three overarching themes as major challenges faced by school leaders and professional school counselors during this pandemic: problem solving, emotional brutality, and exhaustion. The findings inform education stakeholders and policymakers about the experiences of educators in times of crisis, specifically during the recent global health pandemic. …

Preparing Aspiring Leaders To Address Special Education Needs In An Embedded Principal Residency Program: A Content Analysis, Dusty L. Palmer, Linnie Greenless, Fernando Valle, Cathy Palmer

School Leadership Review

This content analysis aims to investigate the effectiveness of a job-embedded principal residency program in addressing special education needs within schools. By analyzing various sources such as action plans, participant reflections, and student outcomes, this research seeks to provide insights into the impact of the program on improving special education practices, fostering inclusive environments, and enhancing overall student achievement. The findings of this study have the potential to inform principal preparation programs, school administrators, and educators about the benefits and challenges of implementing best practices to support support students with special education students.

Partnering Educational Leadership And Preservice Teacher Candidates To Conduct Virtual Classroom Observations Via A Practitioner-Based Mentor-Teacher Candidate Model, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Regina Rahimi

School Leadership Review

This research proposes a new model for Educational Leadership and Teacher Preparation Programs through a “Practitioner-Based Mentor-Teacher Candidate Model”, which is intended to be beneficial to both the aspiring school leader as the evaluator and mentor and the preservice teacher as the recipient of the feedback. With the shift to virtual and hybrid learning during the recent global health pandemic, methods to classroom observational-based supervision were challenged to adapt appropriately. Through a partnership of leadership and teacher preparation programs, the implementation of virtual classroom observations, including post-conferencing to encourage authentic and reflective feedback is proposed to provide evidence-based strategies for …

The Unique Challenges And Best Practices For Rural School Principals: Attracting And Retaining Skilled Teachers In Small Communities, Ray Barbosa Jr., Betty Coneway

School Leadership Review

The study aimed to address rural school principals with unique challenges and responsibilities who have the critical task of attracting and retaining skilled teachers. These schools often face challenges in hiring and keeping quality teachers due to their remote locations, low salaries, and additional workloads. The research focused on identifying effective leadership practice strategies that can significantly impact teacher recruitment, hiring, and retention in such schools. Given the growing shortage of teachers across the state and country, there is an urgent need to find systemic solutions for rural school leaders. The study's objective was to identify innovative practices in attracting …

The Role Of Stakeholders: Implications For Continuous Improvement In Principal Preparation, Ethel M. Arzu, Tia Agan, Gary J. Miller, Kevin Badgett

School Leadership Review

Research conducted in partnership with the Wallace Foundation and the Education Development Center revealed the importance of school principals on the success of student achievement and attendance, as well as on teacher efficacy and retention. The implications of this research reveal the importance of stronger and more focused principal preparation programs. Therefore, the Wallace Foundation established a continuous improvement process that engages teams of program faculty and stakeholders in conducting evidence-based assessments of program quality. In this article, three programs document their experiences with the self-study process. Readers will gain a deeper appreciation for the collaborative role that stakeholders play …

Potential For Shared Vision: What Gt Middle School Teachers Say They Need In Times Of Transition, Michelle L. Leverette

School Leadership Review

"Potential for shared vision: What GT middle school teachers say they need in times of transition" aims to provide relevant data that speaks to current campus needs in a time of pandemic-affected era transitional learning in PK-12 public education. As current educational leaders seek to address the academic and behavioral needs of students, the findings from this research study taken during Covid protocols express three areas of need: (a) a need for open lines of communication between teachers and parents of GT students, (b) a need for clarification of the definition of GT middle school student “success”, and (c) a …

2022 Tcpea Outstanding Dissertation Of The Year Research Summary, Ijeoma Anugweje Ed.D., Jennifer Grace Dissertation Advisor

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of administrative support on teachers in Title I schools during the Coronavirus pandemic. This study added to the knowledge base by providing information on teachers' work experiences in Title I schools during the Coronavirus pandemic. This study included a review of data collected from interviews of elementary teachers in a Title 1 district. A purposeful sample of 12 teachers who worked in Title 1 elementary schools during the Coronavirus pandemic were interviewed. The interviews provided an in-depth understanding of the teachers’ perceptions on administrative support during the pandemic in Title …

School Leaders’ Supports Of Dual Language Science Teachers, Monica E. Manning, Casey Graham Brown

School Leadership Review

English learners account for 21.7% of the Texas public school system (Texas Education Agency, 2022). This qualitative study was conducted to examine how teachers of English learners in a dual language program perceived the educational supports they received affected student achievement in science. Teacher participants were asked about their experiences with administrative supports and how those supports affected their teaching and student performance. Two administrators were also interviewed for the study.

The teacher participants identified administrative supports they perceived to be beneficial to student learning and to the functioning of the EL program and science classroom. The administrative supports identified …

More Than A Test Score: Toward A More Balanced School Accountability System, Joel A. Leader, Barbara L. Pazey

School Leadership Review

Using a zone of mediation framework, we explore how one school district designed a community-based accountability system (CBAS) reflecting community stakeholders’ values, priorities, and goals. We collected rich data sets from a document analysis, focus group, and individual interviews. Our findings indicated a strong dissatisfaction with test-based accountability that led the district to engage its stakeholders in designing a CBAS using multiple achievement measures to report on district success. The importance of collaboration with other districts and leaders at the local, regional, and state levels also emerged. This study highlights the importance of stakeholder involvement, leadership, and collaboration when making …

Book Review Of Beyond Provincialism: Promoting Global Competencies In Teacher And Educator Preparation, David Sandles

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

With an increased emphasis on intercultural and global competence, teacher preparation programs around the world are stridently searching for growth opportunities for students in these areas. An important resource to this discussion is Beyond Provincialism: Promoting Global Competencies in Teacher and Educator Preparation, which supplies readers with scholarly, pragmatic approaches to developing students’ knowledge quotients with salient ideas that revolve around food insecurity, school improvement, communities of practice, mathematics education, internationalization of the curriculum, place-based education, and distance learning. Expertly linking these global issues to the United Nation’s Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs), the authors seek to educate educator preparation …

Exploration Of The Relationships Between Principal Preparation Program Admission Requirements And Program Performance, Summer Pannell

School Leadership Review

Admission criteria for principal preparation programs vary from state to state and even amongst universities within the same state. Despite the recommendation nearly two decades ago to connect admission criteria to leadership standards, little research has been done to help develop such criteria. This study examined principal preparation program admissions requirements at one southern university to determine if a relationship existed between admission criteria, academic program performance, and performance on educational leadership licensure assessments. The Pearson product-moment correlation found a statistically significant correlation between, both, the GRE and GRE Writing assessments and the School Leadership Licensure Assessment for educational administrator …

Characteristics Of Public School Principals: Analysis Of The National Teacher And Principal Survey, Jessica True, Misty Wilburn

Graduate Research Conference

Gender and racial diversity in the principalship, or the lack thereof, has been a topic for research for several years. While the concerns about general disparity are widely discussed, it is equally important to consider where underrepresented groups are typically hired, such as urban schools with high-poverty levels. Discrepancies in hiring have implications for promotion into superintendent and other educational leadership positions, as well as for overall financial compensation, where minority groups such as females and races other than White are forced to take lower-level jobs or jobs at the same level for less pay than their White male counterparts. …

Educational Accountability And Equity: Superintendent Perspectives, John Decman, Jennier Grace, Felix Simieou Iii, Queinnise Miller

School Leadership Review

Educational equity is understood as the recognition of a school system to ensure resources to safeguard that all students have equitable access, opportunity, and outcomes (Galloway & Ishimaru, 2015). Yet inequity persists in the American educational system. School accountability remains at the forefront of education policy to ensure equitable achievement between students from all backgrounds regardless of race, ethnicity, family income, linguistic background, and ability (Krejsler, 2018; Skrla, 2001). This article reflects a qualitative approach to understanding public school superintendent voices regarding experiences, feelings, and beliefs related to our ongoing era of accountability in a changing social environment.

This study …

#Teacherquittok: A Content Analysis Of How Current And Former Teachers Navigate Attrition On Tiktok, Forrest J. Kaiser

School Leadership Review

No abstract provided.

"The Road Less Traveled: Why Black Males Choose Alternative Routes That Lead To Education", Felix Simieou Iii, Queinnise Miller, Jennier Grace, John Decman

School Leadership Review

This study uses critical race theory and qualitative interviews to understand the perspectives of 10 Black males that have entered the field of education through non-traditional routes. It seeks to highlight the rationale for not choosing education as a first option, what eventually led them into the field, and finally how educational leaders might better recruit. As the field continues to evolve with demographics still heavily favoring women, decision makers in school districts, universities, and alternative certification programs need to understand the best methods to recruit and retain Black males in education. The findings of this research will benefit these …

My Muse Of Fire Is Ubuntu: My Black Lives Matter Re-Awakening Of Purpose, Gwendolyn C. Webb

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Poetry, as a genre, allows one to express emotion as a tool to stimulate thought and action. This piece shares the importance of culturally responsive leadership and teaching from the perspective of a university professor seeking to strengthen her critical consciousness. The muse of thought as a precursor to action was motivated by personal and professional development as it relates to truly embracing Black Lives Matter during the pandemic. This muse shares a transformation in the development of proactive and strength-based perspectives in leading and teaching African American learners.

Producing College, Career, And Military Ready Graduates: A Study Of Efficiency In Texas Public School Districts, James J. Barton, Kaye Shelton, Kenneth Young

School Leadership Review

Public school districts in Texas and policymakers need studies of efficiency in the production of College, Career, and Military Ready graduates to maximize resources in the House Bill 3 funding formula and improve ratings in the Texas public school accountability system. A replication of efficiency studies by Carter (2012) and Thompson (2017), the purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to determine what discretionary and non-discretionary factors influence the efficiency of Texas public school districts’ production of College, Career, and Military Ready graduates. With financial and student performance data for 1054 school districts from the 2017-2018 school year, Data Envelopment …

Educational Leaders’ Attempts At Holding The Fort: A Transformative Endeavor In Lebanon, Layla Y. Itani, Nemr Freiha

School Leadership Review

Despite its small size, Lebanon has had its fair share of nationwide turbulences that further instigated conflict and instability among the Lebanese population. The crises have weighed heavily on the educational system in Lebanon and has impeded its operations on many fronts. However, educational leaders have attempted to adopt transformative practices in addressing the anticipated and unanticipated challenges. Educational leaders in Lebanon have learned to perceive that ‘the only constant is change,’ and have come to realize and acknowledge that their goals of enhancing educational experiences remain the same but the paths to achieve these goals are nonlinear.

Parent Perspectives Of Digital Learning Experiences: A Phenomenological Study, Keiyana Wilson, Kathryn Washington, Kelly Brown, Quentin Bellard, Tilisa Thibodeaux

School Leadership Review

Digital learning is a rising method of enhancing education for learners in the K-12 sector of learning. The growing approach to instruction has created a pathway for various backgrounds of learners to conveniently explore content from home. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine parent perspectives of K-12 digital learning programs in southeast Texas. More so, the study explored how parents’ perspectives of digital learning in relation to academic success influenced the selected mode of instruction for their child. Using a phenomenological approach, research questions were answered regarding parent perspectives of digital learning, as related to the …

Curated Conferences To Strengthen Equity Leadership Capacity: A Case Study Of Aspiring School Leaders, Heidi Von Dohlen, Jessica Weiler, Emily E. Virtue, Catherine Andrews

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine whether a Curated Conference Learning Experience (CCLE) could stimulate new learning or deepen existing learning around leadership for equity by engaging four andragogical theories: critical theory and praxis, new learning, guided learning, and reflective learning within a community of practice. Faculty members selected sessions focused on equity, provided journal prompts, and conducted focus groups for 13 students enrolled in a Masters of School Administration program at national educational leadership conference. Findings indicate new and strengthened learning in the areas of (1) relationship building; (2) understanding identity and co-constructing leadership for …

Social Media Practices Of School Administrators: The Time Is Now, Heather Bowman, Michelle Giles, Amy Orange, John Decman, Jana M. Willis

School Leadership Review

The educational disruption caused by COVID-19 increased awareness of the value of organizational resiliency/sustainability and the critical need for administrators to provide timely communication among all stakeholders. If preparation programs are to provide administrators with the skills and knowledge to effectively use social media as a communication tool, we must explore the practices and perceptions of school administrators’ use of social media to communicate with stakeholders and to identify their recommended social media communication practices. The Social Media as a Tool to Effectively Communicate with Stakeholders Survey and interviews were used for data collection. Findings are focused on comfort levels, …