Breaking Through: A Study Of Educators In All-Male Classrooms And The Instructional Decisions They Use To Bridge The Gender Academic Achievement Gap, Kelly M. Clark

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In reviewing academic achievement gaps across United States school districts, educational research samples show deviations between males and females with males statistically outperforming females in math while females typically outperform males in reading and language arts. With strict American educational policies set in place to promote equality and equity in the classroom, research and long-term results on the impact and possible benefits of male, single-sex classrooms in the American educational system are limited. This study seeks to explore educators’ best practices for teaching male students and effective strategies to cater to their different needs. By qualitatively studying the experiences of …

Principal Perceptions Of District Supported Job-Embedded Professional Development, Kelly Ledet Burlette

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In a 2021 Wallace Foundation study, researchers concluded that effective school leaders may have a greater impact on student achievement than any single classroom teacher, primarily because of the principal’s scope of influence. Therefore, district leaders may consider how to support school leaders and build their capacity to effectively lead schools and school improvement initiatives. Job-embedded professional development has demonstrated promise in providing principals with opportunities to deepen their instructional leadership practice within an authentic school setting. Even though the current research on job-embedded support for school leaders is limited, this study builds on existing research to focus on the …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Roles In Blended Learning Environments, Sabrina E. Pence

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Schools are widely implementing blended learning, defined as a combination of face to face instruction and computer-assisted instruction, to increase student achievement. Given that the computer is taking on a component of instruction, there is some evidence that the role of the teacher is changing. The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptions of primary teachers about their role and possible role change in a blended learning environment. A qualitative study using transcendental phenomenology was conducted among a group of primary teachers who teach reading and math in grades K-4. Role theory was applied to illuminate whether the …

Essential Instructional Leadership Behaviors In High Performing, Economically Disadvantaged Schools: Potential Content For Site-Based Leaders’ Professional Development, Karen Brooks Favorite

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Professional development of site-based leadership has become a growing area of focus to effect change in schools (Houle, 2006; Barnes, Camburn, Sanders, & Sebastian, 2010; Spanneut, Tobin, & Ayers, 2012; Price, 2012; Prytula, Noonan, & Hellsten, 2013; Ganon-Shilon, & Schechter, 2017). Defining what to present in site-based leaders' professional development remains a concern (Oliver, 2005; Da'as, Schechter, & Qadach, 2018). The conceptual framework and subsequent three research questions of the study grew from the need for clarity of content for site-based leaders' professional development. Hallinger's (1982, 1990), Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) three dimensions, and its ten …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of A Social Emotional Learning Program On Transient Students’ Competencies And Perceptions Of School Climate, Kevin W. Nanney

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

With the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (2016), schools are now expected to assess more than just the academic achievement of their student body. While states can choose how they meet this expectation, many choose to focus on school climate. This change is important because, while crime in schools has gone down, feelings of being unsafe or bullied have gone up. To support schools in both assessing and improving their student’s perception of safety, schools have the opportunity to use social and emotional learning to improve measures of school climate, which provides indicators of student perceptions of the …

A Phenomenological Study On The Mentoring Experiences Of Teachers Of Color In New Orleans, Ingrid Alvarado Nichols

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has been used for centuries as a way for a person to pass on knowledge, skills, or support to a less experienced person. Mentoring in the workplace, however, was not studied until the early 1980s, and then more than a decade later, mentoring was studied in the context of the K-12 teacher workforce. Mentoring has improved teacher effectiveness (Yuan, 2015; Koedel, 2009; Campbell and Malkus, 2011); increased teachers’ self-efficacy (Ingersoll & May, 2011; Saffold, 2005; Louis, 2016); and contributed to teacher retention (Ingersoll & Kralik, 2004; Cohen & Fuller, 2006). Most mentoring studies and theories, however, have been developed …

Life In Balance: The Work-Life Balance Stories Of Black Female School Leaders, Jaime Mecholle Johnson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the work-life balance experiences of Black females school leaders. Due to the inherent intersectionality of race and gender that is experienced by Black females, a study of their unique experiences with work-life balance is valuable to the field of educational leadership. The responsibilities associated with school leadership positions are extensive and those school leaders who also have spouses and children must figure out a way to fulfill responsibilities associated with each role. Work-life balance is important to understand for school leaders whose career responsibilities may interact with those associated with their personal …

Promoting Positive Student Development: A Qualitative Case Study Of School-Wide Social And Emotional Learning In An Elementary School, Kathleen Theodore

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Many schools have adopted social and emotional learning programs, but few schools have achieved significant impacts on student outcomes because of challenges with implementation quality. Although there is guidance on selecting evidence-based social and emotional learning programs for classroom use, schools need guidance on how best to integrate social and emotional learning in context. This study examines how an elementary school integrated school-wide social and emotional learning into its daily practices, using a qualitative single case study grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. The study, which was conducted during an eight-week period, identifies promising practices that could be beneficial for …

“More Challenging Than I Expected But More Satisfying”: Exploring The Experiences Of New Heads Of Independent Schools And The Leadership Skills They Employ, Andrew O'Brien

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study examines leader behavior in an independent school setting. Specifically, this qualitative phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of new heads of schools in independent schools located in Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma and their conceptualization of the skills required for the headship. The study explores the knowledge and skills new heads say they use as leaders, how the knowledge and skills they developed in their careers prepared them for leadership, and the ways in which they feel they might have been better prepared for leadership. The study uses the skills-based model of leadership as its theoretical framework, and its …

An Examination Of The Perceptions Of Educational Leaders On The Ensuring Literacy For All Initiative’S Impact On Student Reading Achievement In Louisiana, Khanh Kim Nguyen-Dufour

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of Louisiana’s Ensuring Literacy For All (ELFA) initiative from the perspective of

educational administrators in order to identify: (a) the factors within ELFA that contributed to student reading performance; (b) the effects of the perceptions of ELFA administrators on student achievement; and (c) the components of effective leadership that attributed to the success of ELFA implementation. Bandura‘s (1993) socio-psychological theory of self efficacy was used to frame this study, which included six ELFA administrators from the state, district, and school level. The five findings of this study revealed …

Examining The Relationship Between Louisiana Principals' Self-Efficacy Beliefs And Student Achievement, Jonathan C. Williams

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Louisiana Principals’ self-efficacy beliefs and student achievement. This study was grounded in the research of Bandura’s model of triadic reciprocal causation and more recent research on principals’ self-efficacy beliefs. Using the Principals’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (PSES) (Tschannen-Moran & Gareis, 2004) measures of principals’ self-efficacy were collected and analyzed for (1) instructional leadership, (2) management, and (3) moral leadership.

Principals across the state of Louisiana were emailed a link to the PSES and were asked to provide the names of their schools and asked for the number of …

The Impact Of Staff Development Practices On Implementation Of Middle School Components, Denise Charbonnet

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Middle schools serve young adolescents who require a separate schooling experience from both elementary and high school students. The Middle School Movement has been around since the 1960s, yet middle schools have not been fully implemented in this country. Middle schools are still in the early stage of reform.

Staff development activities are necessary to prepare school personnel to implement best middle school practices. Because few states require certification at the middle school level, most school personnel are poorly prepared to implement best middle school practices. Thus, Carnegie (1989) recommendations are not fully incorporated in most middle schools.

In this …