Education Commons^™

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session Conference Call December 9, 2009, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees Conference Call December 9, 2009 include:

• Sabbaticals awarded

Correlates Of Teachers' Job Satisfaction: A Hierarchical Linear Model Study Using 2003-2004 Schools And Staffing Survey, Jeffrey M. Leslie

Dissertations

This study examines the correlates of teachers' job satisfaction. Based on the literature, it proposes that teacher satisfaction is a function of, among others, the following school process variables: (a) school influence, (b) classroom control, (c) student behavior, (d) parental support, (e) staff collegiality, (f) career/working conditions, (g) administrative communication, and (h) administrative support. The research first decomposed the amount of variance attributable to the teacher level and the school level. Since there was a significant amount of variance at the school level, the next step was to determine if and how the above school process variables were associated with …

Child Care Centers On Higher Education Campuses: Director Perceptions Of Internal And External Roles And Director Leadership, Kerisa A. Myers

Dissertations

An increasing focus on early childhood education and brain research offers a prime opportunity for higher education institutions to research and formulate thought concerning quality child care. Currently, there is limited research examining the impact and roles of child care centers on university campuses. To add to the base of knowledge, this nationally-focused study examined the following broad question: "what value do campus child care centers offer to a given higher education institution and its surrounding community, especially from a center director's perspective?"

An on-line survey was sent to over 400 campus child care directors at two- and four-year public …

Prism #42, November 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Prism #41, October 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session September 17, 2009, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees September 17, 2009 meeting include:

• Audit Committee Charter
• State Capital Outlay - Priority List
• Building Project Priority List 2009/10
• Personnel Report
• Gift Report
• Grant Report

Prism #40, September 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session July 2, 2009, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees July 2, 2009 meeting include:

• Recommendation re 2009/10 Tuition & Required Fees
• Estimated Beginning Board Budget
• Personnel Report

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session June 4, 2009, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees June 4, 2009 meeting include:

• Personnel Report

Prism #39, May 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session April 24, 2009, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees April 24, 2009 meeting.

Creating An Alternative Route To Teaching Certification And Adding Teaching Endorsements For Community Members, Marcia Fetters

Academic Leadership Academy

This project was to develop an alternative route for community members who wish to come to WMU to earn secondary teaching certification. The first focus will be for science and mathematics teachers, since this is an area of national shortage. The goal will be to expand to other disciplines in the future.

English Department Faculty Development Forum, Beth Bradburn

Academic Leadership Academy

This project consisted of the first ever English department retreat, where different disciplines in the field (Linguistics, Rhetoric and Writing, Literature, English Education, and Creative Writing) came together and shared their insights to the English language. This forum was called “What is a Difficult Text?”, and was followed by another forum, called “Authority.”

A Portrait Of Change: Student Engagement At Western Michigan University, Suzan F. Ayers

Academic Leadership Academy

The NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement) is a national survey that asks first-year (FY) and senior (SR) students about their college experience, how much time they spend studying, and the types of interactions they have with faculty. The results are used in a variety of ways, including assessment, institutional improvement, and prompting discussion on teaching and learning initiatives. This survey was conducted at WMU.

Micro Enterprise – Macro Impact In Liberia (Memi), Susan Weinger

Academic Leadership Academy

The aim of this project was to support the start-up of a few small businesses by collecting quality used and new wedding dresses and sending them to Liberia, West Africa. The project began by helping a 30-year old mother, who just graduated from college in Liberia, in starting a bridal gown rental business.

Creating An Interdisciplinary Game Development Minor, Karlis Kaugars

Academic Leadership Academy

This project suggests a new minor to the Academic Catalogue- Game Development. Game Production is multidisciplinary in nature. A minor in game development would consist of six to eight introductory courses, each from a different department, emphasizing core concepts of the discipline with a focus on how discipline topics relate to game design.

American-Chinese Connections Via Mathematics: International Conference On Representation Theory (Icrt) V, Terrel Hodge

Academic Leadership Academy

Representation theory is a mathematical means for capturing and studying symmetries within all sorts of systems. Starting a decade ago, a triennial conference surrounding representation theory was initiated by a small group of Chinese and American mathematicians. This conference is conducted to introduce Chinese and American mathematicians to cutting-edge research in various subfields of representation theory.

The Business Learning Community: A New Option For Freshman Business Students Starting In Fall 2009, Nancy Schullery

Academic Leadership Academy

In Fall 2009, entering freshmen will have the option of living in a community with other students who are interested in Business. The Business community residence will emphasize peer support, and foster a positive environment for academic and social success amongst those with similar career interests. This community will reside at LeFevre Hall on WMU's campus.

Systemic And Personal Change: A Retrospective Case Study Of Balanced Literacy Implementation As Perceived By Those Involved, Donna J. Anderson

Dissertations

This retrospective critical case study was conducted to learn more about teacher perceptions of deep, systemic change experiences. This study examined the successful implementation of a balanced literacy program at one Title I elementary school several years after completion of the implementation period. Participants were teachers who reflected on their experiences with the balanced literacy initiative implementation and discussed personal change associated with their experiences. Analysis isolated elements of teachers' recollected experience and compared those elements with factors that previous research has associated with successful change. Additionally, this study explored the lasting effects the experience of being a part of …

Middle School Teacher And Parent Perceptions Of Parental Involvement, Brandon Graham

Dissertations

The purpose of this case study research was to examine the perceptions of teachers and parents towards current parental involvement factors in a suburban junior high school located in the Midwest United States. Such perceptions were compiled by means of surveys based on Dr. Joyce Epstein's Framework of the Six Dimensions of Parental Involvement: (a) parenting, (b) communication, (c) volunteering, (d) learning at home, (e) decision-making, (f) and collaborating with the community (Epstein, 1995). The subjects were N=36 seventh and eighth grade teachers, and N=344 parents of students. The descriptive statistical analysis did show a difference between teachers and parents …

A Look At The Beginning: Strengths, Weaknesses, And The Support Structures For New Teachers From The Perspectives Of Elementary School Principals, Scott Merkel

Dissertations

This research examined the perceptions of elementary school principals regarding their beliefs of the strengths and weaknesses of new teachers. The overall research goal was to examine ways that principals evaluate new teachers, their beliefs of strengths and weaknesses related to effective instruction and the effectiveness of structures established to support new teachers. Participants for this study came from 12 different school districts, four from each of the defined and identified categories of rural, urban, and suburban districts. As a secondary focus, a comparison was examined between each of these categories.

A phenomenological approach was used to guide this qualitative …

Climate In Catholic Schools: A Comparative Study Of Three Types Of Organizational Structures, Andra Zommers

Dissertations

This study inquired into American Catholic schools' organizational structures and their relationship with school climate through use of the national data from Schools and Staffing Survey 2003-04 by the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. The study focused on the statistical assessment of Catholic school teachers' perceptions of climate within three organizational structures. Another aspect of the research was the principals' perception of climate within each of the organizational structures. Last, the study investigated whether teachers' and principals' perceptions of climate differed.

A weighted one-way ANOVA was run to investigate whether the type of Catholic school could …

Exploring The Ultimate Role Of Central Office In The Design, Implementation, And Evaluation Of Professional Development: A Comparative Case Study, Sarah Elizabeth Johnson

Dissertations

Much research has been done on the contributions made by teachers and principals to the field of education (Darling-Hammond, 1998; Glickman, 2001; Hirsch, 1993; Marzano, 2003; Muir, 2001). The role of central office workers in these efforts have, however, been given little recognition or discussion. This study has explored the ways in which central office administrators foster underlying systems that support their districts' professional development processes and structures.

Grove (2002) compares the central office role in professional development to the skeleton of the human body, in which the skeleton is integral to the function of the body and provides the …

Prism #38, April 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Prism #37, March 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Annual Session February 4, 2009, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees February 4, 2009 meeting.

Prism #36, February 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Prism #35, January 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.