Education Commons^™

Book Challenges Popping Up All Over: What Do School Principals Need To Know?, Samantha Laine Hull, Sue Kimmel

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This chapter provides practical advice and reasons for school leaders to support students' intellectual freedom through their support of school libraries and school librarians. The chapter begins with a short but critical literature review that includes case law on the topic of censorship in schools. The concerns of teachers and librarians from a recent study are summarized and help build the foundation for practical and ready to use advice for any school leaders to uphold the intellectual freedom of all students.

A Call For Protection And Planning: A Case Study Of Vulnerable Populations And School Shootings, Jason E. Covarrubias

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

School shooting prevention has become a priority for educational leadership for nearly twenty years. The brutality and significant loss of life distinguish the attacks at Columbine High School and Sandy Hook Elementary School (Jonson, 2017). However, lawmakers encounter difficulty with the wide range of behaviors, program initiatives, and risk management efforts involved to ensure the safety of all children (Cowell & McDonald, 2018). Coincidentally, a national model for school-based emergency plans has not been identified, which leaves many school districts inadequately fit to keep the student population safe in the event a school shooting were to occur on a campus …

The Relationships Among Organizational Support, Teacher Well-Being, And Teacher Resilience In Secondary School Teachers, Lisa Journell

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships among perceived organizational support, teacher well-being, and teacher resilience in secondary school teachers in Ohio public schools. An explanatory sequential mixed methods research design was employed. In phase one, survey data were collected from Ohio public school teachers (n = 254, grades 6-12), and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the structure of the relationships between the variables of interest. In phase two, using a phenomenological approach, follow-up interviews were conducted with a subset of participants (n = 10) to examine the lived experience of teachers with high and low levels of teacher resilience. …

Perspectives On Teacher Leadership: Implications For Practice And Teacher Leadership Development, Jennifer Thomason, Karen L. Sanzo, Jay Paredes Scribner

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Teacher leaders are valuable members of the school community. However, there is little existing research that explores how teacher leaders shape and enact their roles. In this article we explore how teacher leaders come to understand their role, as well as how principals and other school colleagues interact with teacher leaders and the ways in which those interactions support teacher leader role development. These findings have significant implications in helping us understand how to help teacher leaders develop in their role and the ways in which leaders can foster teacher leadership growth.

The Relationships Among Organizational Support, Teacher Well-Being, And Teacher Resilience In Secondary School Teachers, Lisa Journell

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships among perceived organizational support, teacher well-being, and teacher resilience in secondary school teachers in Ohio public schools. An explanatory sequential mixed methods research design was employed. In phase one, survey data were collected from Ohio public school teachers (n = 254, grades 6-12), and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the structure of the relationships between the variables of interest. In phase two, using a phenomenological approach, follow-up interviews were conducted with a subset of participants (n = 10) to examine the lived experience of teachers with high and low levels of teacher resilience. …

Secondary Health Education Teachers Perspectives Of Professional Development And Learning In Central Virginia, Katherine L. Bowman

Faculty Publications

Secondary health education teachers (SHETs) have noted deficiencies in opportunities for professional development and learning (PDL) in their content area. The purpose of the study was to explore SHETs’ perspectives of PDL in Central Virginia. Thirteen middle (n=7) and high school (n=6) SHETs volunteered for this research. A qualitative case study was framed by social constructionism and data collection included interviews, focus groups, and document analysis. The data was analyzed through an inductive and thematic analysis process. SHETs identified opportunities and constraints for school wide and outside PDL. This study also offers recommendations for school administration and PDL providers in …

The Effects Of Leading With Empathy On Faculty Morale In A Montessori Setting, Andrea O'Brian

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

"The purpose of this action research was to study whether a change of actions in school leadership, specifically leading with empathy, would effect faculty morale in a Montessori school. There is a common understanding that actions of school leadership are critical to creating a positive work environment. From the literature reviewed, while there are many factors that influence the morale of faculty, the actions of school leadership had the most significant impact and were also the simplest to implement in terms of cost and resources. The theory of servant leadership provided a framework for this research because it supports my …

The Relationship Between Administrative Transparency And Achievement Motivation For Teachers In Sohar City Schools, Dr. Mohammed Talib Alkiyumi, Marhouna Hamed Almaqbali

International Journal for Research in Education

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between practicing administrative transparency by the principals and achievement motivation among the Sohar teachers. The random sample which selected by simple random sample technique consisted of 365 teachers. The study’s tools were administrative transparency ( Rawlins, 2008) and motivation for achievement inventory (Balis, 1993). The results showed that level of teachers practicing administrative transparency was low, and motivation for achievement among teachers was also low. In addition, there was a low and positive relationship between administrative transparency and motivation for achievement r=0.32. This result supported the study’s model. Moreover, the results showed there …

Performance Assessment Of Aspiring School Leaders Grounded In An Epistemology Of Practice: A Case Study, Jessica E. Charles, Rebecca Cheung, Kristin Rosekrans

All Faculty and Staff Papers and Presentations

There is increasing interest in the field of leadership preparation about the opportunities that robust performance assessments may provide to capture and evaluate the complexity of school administrators’ work. Heretofore, the conversation about administrator performance assessment in leadership preparation has mainly centered on the development and impact of large statewide assessments that grow out of a Cartesian epistemology of individual knowledge possession, in which individuals must demonstrate mastery of a set of static knowledge and skills. We analyzed the characteristics of a performance assessment system that deliberately accounts for the organizational complexity of practice and knowledge generation in its design. …

A Qualitative Study On Teacher Perceptions Of Self-Contained And Departmentalized Classrooms At The Elementary Level, Dana R. Wiggins

Theses and Dissertations

Classroom organizational structure and the impact on student achievement has been a major concern for decades for elementary teachers and administrators (McGrath & Rust, 2002). At the elementary level, the expectation is teachers are experts in all curriculum areas, and for elementary teachers these areas are English, language arts, writing, science, social studies, and math. Most elementary teachers believe they are generalists and are unable to be experts in every subject area. This concern has significantly influenced school administrators’ decisions about best practices and classroom organization to maximize student learning. One way administrators are addressing this problem is by departmentalizing …

Karmel Oration: Leading Schools And School Systems In Times Of Change: A Paradox And A Quest, Toby Greany

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The ‘paradox’ in this title refers to a set of contradictions that sit at the heart of education policy in many school systems. Policymakers in these systems want things that, if not inherently at odds, are nevertheless in tension— such as a tightly defined set of national standards and a broad and balanced curriculum; academic stretch for the most able and a closing of the gap between high and low performers; choice and diversity and equity; and so on. The ‘quest’ is for leaders and leadership to resolve these tensions in practice. School autonomy policies have placed huge power in …

A Phenomenological Study On The Motivating Factors Influencing Participation In Tennessee’S Governor’S Academy For School Leadership, Amy B. Horton Mrs.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Educational administration is such a demanding field, so it is important to understand why an aspiring principal would self-select to commit to an optional yearlong, intensive professional development activity with very little compensation and no promotion. Motivation may prove to be a key component of the recruitment and sustainability of professional development activities. By discovering the factors affecting both personal and professional motivation of beginning administrators to participate in a professional development led by the collaboration among the Tennessee Department of Education, Vanderbilt University, and Governor Bill Haslam, the researcher hopes to gain an understanding that may apply to future …

Professional Ethics For Educators: Perspectives Of Christian University Students On Proethica, Harvey L. Klamm, Samuel J. Smith, Stacey Bose

Samuel James Smith

School Administrators As Instructional Coaches: Teachers’ Trust And Perceptions Of Administrators’ Capacity, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dr. Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz examines the role of school administrators as instructional coaches. In this quantitative study, which is part of larger study, she analyzed the perceptions of 198 teachers about their administrators’ capacity to be instructional coaches as well as the level of trust teachers have on their administrators to serve as evaluators and instructional coaches.

Preparing Administrators To Lead 21st Century Learning, Jennifer S. Jones, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Leading 21^st century learning in schools looks radically different than it did 25 years ago. The rapidly changing demographics of culturally, ethnically, linguistically, racially and economically diverse students brings a complicated mix of challenges for administrators who must respond to the varied interests and needs of the school community. It is essential for school districts and principal preparation programs to collaborate in the development of the 21^st century school leaders through authentic, relevant internship opportunities. By collaborating with higher education, school districts can do their part in the development of school administrators with the instructional expertise and the …

Faculty Consensus Leads To Creative Solutions, Kathryn Brooks

Kathryn Brooks

The answers to many of the problems facing schools today "are in the minds of the teachers. Half our solutions are in their minds but they have to come out through open dialogue," says Gary Kruse, principal of Evans Middle School in Ottumwa, Iowa. When faced with leading a middle school that had a history of low reading scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Mr. Kruse turned to the people who knew the students and the school climate best--the teachers...

The Impact Of High Stakes Testing On School Leadership, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dr. Oliveras-Ortiz describes principals' view of changing classroom environments because of the state of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests. Further, she shares instructional leadership viewpoints of campus principals and proponents and opponents of high-stakes testing. This mixed method study surveyed and interviewed principals from four large school districts in Texas to understand their perceptions of changes in their leadership practices working under accountability practices.

School Administrators' And Teachers' Perceptions Of Single-Gender Classrooms In Coeducational Public Middle Schools Within South Carolina, Shemmicca M. Moore

Education Dissertations and Projects

The academic achievement gap between male and female students set in motion a flurry of initiatives to help address male underachievement. The amendments made to Title IX allowed single-gender education to become a viable option for addressing those gaps in achievement. After the adjustments made to Title IX, South Carolina led the nation in the implementation of single-gender classrooms. In fact, South Carolina was the only state to have an office dedicated to ensuring the successful implementation of single-gender programs. This quantitative study examined the perceptions of school administrators and teachers concerning the effectiveness of single-gender education. The study surveyed …

Principal Dispositions Regarding The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System, Theodore J. Kowalski, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) was first implemented during the 2013-14 school term. This study examined principals’ dispositions at the end of this school term. Findings revealed several major concerns. The most prominent were (a) not having sufficient time to implement the program properly, (b) basing a teacher’s performance heavily on student value-added data, and (c) being required to assist teachers in developing their annual improvement plans. Three independent variables, teaching experience, administrative experience, and level of school assignment, were found to have only a low level of association with principal dispositions. With respect to teacher evaluation generally, findings …

The Relationship Between Teacher Absenteeism And Fourth-Grade Student Mathematical Achievement, Charles Michael Brouillette

Doctoral Dissertations

Within public schools throughout the United States, an emphasis has been placed on improving education for all students. In turn, this has resulted in legislators and policymakers placing an emphasis on assessing student learning and holding the education community accountable. In this study, the researcher examined one variable in the accountability effort: teacher absenteeism. The major purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher absenteeism and fourth-grade student mathematical achievement.

Data for this study were generated from nine school districts located in northern Louisiana. Data consisted of attendance records of fourth-grade teachers and student performance on the …

Implementation Of Initiatives To Reform The Quality Of Education In Rural Ghanaian Junior High Schools, Agatha Inkoom

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Despite Ghana's record investment in education, in 2008, only 40% of students passed the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) at the end of junior high school and gained admission into senior high school. Urban schools continue to outperform rural schools and the gap between Ghana‟s best and worst performing schools continues to widen. This study investigated the effectiveness of education policy implementation and how this has impacted on education reform in one rural district of Ghana‟s Upper West Region. The research investigated the status of education in Junior High Schools, the impact of Reform 2007 and the factors that influenced …

Program Evaluation: The Effects Of A District-Led Leadership Preparation Program On Aspiring School Leaders, Tammra Bethune Reel

Education Dissertations and Projects

The researcher of the dissertation evaluated a district-led school leadership preparation program using Stufflebeam's (2003) Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) model for program evaluation. The study had a management-oriented approach to program evaluation because it will enable effective decision making regarding the program's design. In addition, the program evaluation took a formative approach as program characteristics were analyzed and collaboration with program participants occurred in order to determine which aspects of the Administrative Mentoring Program (AMP) were most beneficial to those directly involved.

Data for the study were obtained through the processes of a researcher-created participant survey and personal …

Field Force Dynamics, Policy Adoption, And Educational Change: Formulating A Heuristic Model, Timothy E. Jordan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research investigated factors that influence secondary teacher decisions on policy adoption. Adoption, as used in this study, is defined to include both the decision to adopt a policy and the action of implementing the policy, a process that requires changes in teacher behavior as well as classroom and school culture. One of the major difficulties with policy implementation is the failure to achieve effective behavioral changes in school sites and actual classrooms. It is anticipated that the results of this research will be useful to teachers as well as developers and administrators of future policies. The theoretical foundation for …

The Effects Of The No Child Left Behind Act Of 2001 On The Current Educational System, Morahima Villanueva

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This research study presents a historical view of the United States Federal Government's initial involvement in the country's educational systems and the motives behind these educational reforms. It explores the impact these reforms have had in the country's schools and how the implementations lead to the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) under President George W. Bush. It discusses the role of the four pillars under NCLB and the changes that it has brought about in the current educational system. This study also focuses on the impact that NCLB has had on a small rural …

The Perceived Competency Of Hispanic Teachers In Teaching Classes Of Diversity Is A Function Of Demographic And Personality Traits, Melissa C. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

For the past three decades, multicultural education has remained a focal point in the culture wars that United States education has encountered. Multicultural education is an educational reform movement that continues to evolve as ethnic minorities make their educational concerns and needs known. The forces driving the reform effort extend beyond linguistic and cultural diversity to include issues of academic diversity, gender, social class and sexual orientation (Wilhelm, 1998). How do educators address these needs, and how does the interaction among these diverse groups impact students and society?

The purpose of this paper is to determine the perceived competency of …

Do Principals Make A Difference? An Analysis Of Leadership Behaviors Of Elementary Principals In Effective Schools, Rosemarie Gomez Maciel

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Studies have shown principal instructional leadership behaviors to be a factor in student achievement. There has been little research on principal leadership instructional behavior in schools where the principal and student body are predominately Mexican-American.

This causal-comparative study examined the relationships among the school, the achievement scores of third grade students as measured by the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) and leadership behaviors of elementary school principals. A key variation in this study is that the sample is entirely comprised of Mexican-American leaders of schools that have undergone (within three years after the naming of …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Hearing Examiner Legislation In Texas Teacher Dismissal Cases, Sofia Annette Adams-Valdez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

As of January 1996 a new process has been implemented in teacher dismissal cases in Texas public schools. In the new process a hearing examiner is assigned by the Texas Education Agency to oversee fact-finding duties in mid-contract teacher dismissals, thereby circumventing the previously exclusive adjudicative role of school board members in dismissal cases.

This study explores the implementation of the 1995 legislation that resulted in major changes to the teacher dismissal process in Texas, an important component of the larger and broader educational reform mandates that have been gradually introduced by the Texas legislature over the last decade.

Qualitative …

Faculty Consensus Leads To Creative Solutions, Kathryn Brooks

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

The answers to many of the problems facing schools today "are in the minds of the teachers. Half our solutions are in their minds but they have to come out through open dialogue," says Gary Kruse, principal of Evans Middle School in Ottumwa, Iowa. When faced with leading a middle school that had a history of low reading scores on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), Mr. Kruse turned to the people who knew the students and the school climate best--the teachers...

Comparison Of The Transformational Leadership Practices Of Principals Of Charter Schools And Principals Of Traditional Public Schools In Louisiana, Charles W. Patterson

Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the transformational leadership practices of principals of charter schools and traditional public schools in Louisiana. A causal-comparative research design was utilized. All charter schools were asked to participate in the study, and a matched sample of public schools was selected for the comparison group.

Key findings suggest that charter school and traditional public school principals possess transformational leadership skills. However, there was no difference between the groups in the extent to which they practiced these behaviors. Teachers' perceptions did not differ from principals' self-reported practices. Personal and professional characteristics did not …

The Effects Of Consideration And Initiating Structure Exhibited By Principals On Teacher Morale In Selected Louisiana Secondary Schools, Robert Wayne Webber

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine whether a statistically significant relationship exists between the leadership styles of principals and teacher morale in the public secondary schools of north Louisiana, as perceived by teachers. The Ohio State studies and Getzels and Guba's Social Systems Model for educational organizations provided the theoretical framework for this study. Selected demographic variables of gender of the teacher, years of teaching experience, and race of the teacher were considered in this study. Information on teacher morale was collected from teachers in 14 randomly selected schools of north Louisiana. Data were obtained concerning teacher morale using the …