Education Commons^™

A Review Of Truancy Programs At The Elementary Level In West Virginia: Perceptions Of Attendance Directors On The Effectiveness Of Strategies To Improve Student Attendance, Shellie Belcher Simpson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainability of truancy programs used in all 55 counties of West Virginia since 2014. The study compared attendance rates at the elementary school level over the last five years and applied survey and interview data to determine whether changes to programs promoted changes to attendance rates. While there are numerous studies that review and discuss truancy programs, there were no studies found that measure the programs and perceptions in elementary programs in all 55 counties of West Virginia. In this study data were collected from the West Virginia Department of Education …

Consequences For Public School Truancy And Whether They Affect Student Attendance In West Virginia Counties: A Comprehensive Study, Matthew Jacob Messer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Compulsory attendance for school-aged children began in Massachusetts in 1852 and spread to every state in America by 1918. More than 100 years later, educators and other stakeholders continue to struggle to get many students to attend school on a consistent basis and at the desired rate. Failure to do so has significant short- and long-term effects for those students, their schools, their communities, and their future families. There are two types of problematic student attendance: truancy and chronic absenteeism. Truancy counts only unexcused absences and focuses on judicial implications; chronic absenteeism, on the other hand, counts all absences and …

School Administrator Perceptions And Actions Toward Reducing Mental Health Factors To Learning, Andrew Charles Teti

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Approximately one in five children have a mental health need that impacts their academic functioning (World Health Organization, 2004). This study investigated what actions school administrators who oversee kindergarten through eighth grade, and how their perceptions of mental health have impacted those decisions. Both a survey and an interview were conducted with current school administrators in three counties in Western Pennsylvania. Findings suggested that administrators take mental health factors to learning very seriously and place a significant amount of pressure on themselves to address this barrier. Additionally, school administrators utilize a team approach to focus on mental health in the …

Staying Informed: Superintendents And Their Experience With Evidence-Based Research In The West Virginia Public School System, Gabriel Dwayne King

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the sources used by West Virginia public school superintendents to stay informed; how useful they find evidence-based research; the perceptions they have regarding the overall usefulness/credibility of evidence-based research; the barriers that exist to the use of evidence-based research; and whether there are relationships between selected demographic variables and superintendents’ consumption of evidence-based research. Data were collected using a 10-question researcher adapted survey administered to 59 superintendents in West Virginia. This study continues the work of Treadway (2015) and Hoylman (2017) in the local public education arena. The most relied upon source …

A Study Of Administrator Training For School Security Events, Maria V. Eshenaur

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this research study was to determine if West Virginia (WV) PK-12 public school principals and assistant/vice principals perceive they are receiving suitable professional development to provide a secure school environment. This mixed methods study utilized non-experimental survey research to determine which professional development training school principals report participating in; to determine principals’ perceptions of the suitability of their own training; and to determine the influence of demographics on principal perceptions of training related to specific security events listed within the WV Schools Crisis Prevention and Response Plan. Data were collected by a researcher created, online survey consisting …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Selected Superintendent Attributes And Instructional Leadership Practices, Leatha G. Williams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this descriptive, quantitative, survey-based study was to examine the relationship between selected superintendent attributes and their overall instructional leadership practices score calculated from the participants’ responses on the Instructional Leadership Practices Survey. The study used t-Tests, Chi-Square and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to analyze the relationship between the dependent variable of superintendent leadership practices score and the predictive variables of superintendents’ length of tenure in their current district, superintendents’ total tenure as a superintendent, superintendents’ total experience in education, whether the superintendent was hired from within or from outside of the district, superintendents’ instructional leadership perceptions and …

Principal Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Wvbe Policy 5800: Standards Of Professional Practice For West Virginia Superintendents, Principals And Teacher Leaders, Allen Ray Laugh Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Since the late 1980s, standards for students and teachers began to be the focus of education, creating demands and pressures on school leaders to become more than managers of a school. This change of focus expanded to include principals and required school leaders to possess instructional leadership qualities beyond managerial skills. In 2010, the West Virginia Board of Education enacted the Standards of Professional Practice for West Virginia Superintendents, Principals and Teacher Leaders (WVBE Policy 5800) to guide West Virginia educational leaders toward instructional leadership. The purpose of this study was to gain West Virginia principals’ perceptions at all grade …

Principals' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Jrotc Program, Patty Jean Blake

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this national study was to investigate the perceptions of public high school principals regarding the effectiveness of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program. The study examined the perceived influence of the program regarding the social development of the cadet, the behavior of the cadet, and the overall school environment. Data for this study was collected through an anonymous online survey emailed to current principals in public high schools across the United States where JROTC is offered as a course selection. Of the 3,062 schools identified as the population, 491 usable surveys provided participant information for …

Supportive Leadership: The Principal's Role In Beginning Teacher Retention, Kelli Leann Epling

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

School districts in West Virginia and across the nation have been experiencing a mass exodus of teachers over the last two decades, creating a widespread shortage of certified educators in the classroom. In the United States approximately a half-million teachers leave their schools every year, and only 16% of those exits can be attributed to retirement. The rest is due to movement between schools and to teachers leaving the profession. While a great deal of research has been completed in order to ascertain why teachers are leaving the profession most focuses on the individual teacher’s perspective – and that perspective …

Superintendent And Board Of Education Member Perceptions Regarding Preferred Leadership Behaviors For Superintendents In West Virginia, Keith A. Butcher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of West Virginia school superintendents and West Virginia district school board of education members regarding the preferred leadership behaviors for superintendents in West Virginia. A review of the literature provided a list of 11 leadership behaviors: (a) leadership for vision and organizational culture; (b) leadership for policy and governance; (c) leadership for organizational management; (d) leadership for the instructional program; (e) leadership for system improvement; (f) leadership for budgeting and finance; (g) leadership for recruiting, developing and motivating personnel; (h) leadership that demonstrates effective communication; (i) leadership for improving community …

Teacher Beliefs Regarding Grade Retention In An Urban Elementary School, Toni Gilmore Hook

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to a research-based presentation on grade retention, including the academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes, would yield a change in teacher beliefs regarding retention as an intervention strategy. Teachers from a small urban school district were asked to complete a presurvey, view a research-based online presentation on grade retention and complete a postsurvey. Results from this research revealed that teachers' beliefs regarding grade retention significantly changed after viewing a research-based online presentation on topic. Results also indicated that, not only was there a change of overall participants, but there was a …

The Effectiveness Of Principal Preparation Program Type For Administrative Work, Ernest Adkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As result of the disparity in the academic literature about principal preparation, this studywas designed to investigate the perceived effectiveness of principal preparation program type foradministrative work. The literature provided four categories for program type includinguniversity-based, district-based, third-party professional development organizations, andpartnership programs. The following facets of educational leadership were examined todetermine if working administrators felt prepared by their preparation program for administrativework: vision, culture, management, collaboration, integrity, and context.

The survey study asked a sample (n=600) of administrators (N=30,230) 93 questions on theSchool Administrator Preparedness Survey. The data were analyzed using ANOVA to determineif differences exist in the means …

The Status Of Violence Prevention In West Virginia Elementary Schools : A Case Study, Kristal Gayle Pentasuglia-Filipek

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

While there is no absolute deterrent of school violence, West Virginia has taken definitive steps to try to ensure safety in our public schools. Since the launch of the Safe School initiative in 1995, training for principals, teachers and school personnel on crisis intervention and management plans have been ongoing. Students have undergone training in programs such as Peer Mediation, Natural Helpers, Life Skills, Bullying Prevention, Positive Behavior Support (PBS), and Respect to Protect. In addition, encouragement, mandating and providing funds for school safety and violence/crime prevention and intervention programs have been enacted legislatively. With the school security hardware, safety …

Middle School Principals’ Perception Of The Effect Of Technology On Job Effectiveness, James M. Blackwell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The use of computers and computer-based applications is prevalent in schools, from the classroom to the principal’s office. This study of middle school principals in Virginia and West Virginia addressed the following eight questions: (a) What computer technology applications are available to middle school principals? (b) What are the perceived levels of abilities of the middle school principal in regard to computer and keyboarding skills? (c) To what extent do differences exist in the skill levels of principals in demographic groupings? (d) To what extent are applications and programs used by middle school principals? (e) Is there a difference in …

Results Of The Accreditation Process To Guide Postsecondary Certificate-Granting Institution Improvement, Sherri E. Nash

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Research gaps exist in knowledge about postsecondary certificate-granting institutions, as well as results of accreditation processes. This qualitative study focuses on national accreditation results that can: 1) define strengths and improvement areas in these institutions; 2) determine why action is taken or not taken on accreditation recommendations; and 3) identify results, strengths, and challenges of accreditation. This research base can guide improvements in these institutions and the North Central Association – Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) process. The population was 125 accredited schools in ten states, representing 96% of all NCA CASI accredited public, postsecondary institutions. Methods …

The Principalship: A Study Of The Principal's Time On Task From 1960 To The Twenty-First Century, Jacqueline A. Mcpeake

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine legislative and societal developments in the United States in relation to changes in educational administration and determine the existence of bifurcation points of change. The effects of legislative and societal changes on the tasks on which administrators focus their time were evaluated. The administrators were surveyed to determine if changes in time on task have occurred to meet the demands of current legislative priorities and if any demographic relationships existed. The study’s population consisted of 1950 (N=1950) administrators in public elementary, middle and high schools in the Southern Regional Educational Board 16 …

The Utilization Of Gender, Retention, Ses And Steep Scores To Predict Reading Mastery, Lisa Lee Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores to predict reading mastery. Second grade students’ records were reviewed to obtain demographic information. SAT 9 scores were used to measure students' reading mastery. SES was measured and defined by approved applications for free or reduced lunch for the 2004-2005 school year. Retention was defined as the number of students previously retained. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictive validity of gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores dependent on SAT 9 reading mastery. Gender, retention, SES and STEEP scores were entered as …

The Relationship Between Levels Of Moral Reasoning And Transformational Leadership Behaviors Of West Virginia Public School Administrators, Cynthia L. Daniel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between levels of moral reasoning and the use of transformational leadership behaviors of public school administrators in West Virginia. The Defining Issues Test-2 was used to measure levels of moral reasoning. Transformational leadership behaviors were measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5x. The population for the study consisted of 55 superintendents; 62 deputy, assistant, or associate superintendents and 250 randomly selected principals. A total of 103 administrators participated in the study. A one-shot case study design was used. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation, T-Test for independent samples, and one-way analysis …

Filling A Need: Administrative Practices In Mason County, Wv One-Room Schools From 1935-1950, Douglas A. Sturgeon

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how administrative practices were carried out in Mason County, West Virginia’s one-room schools from 1935-1950. These practices were examined using Gulick and Urwick’s (1936) seven functions of the administrator and school-community relations as the framework. Twelve persons were interviewed for this study over the span of three months. Eleven of these persons were former one-room school teachers in Mason County. Of these eleven former teachers, two became central office administrators overseeing one-room schools. The twelfth person was a community leader in Mason County who attended a one-room school. The results of …

Compliance Patterns And Teacher Personalities In Private And Public School Organizations In West Virginia, Raymond Augustine Dunleavy

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore administrator compliance orientation and teacher personality relationships and differences between Catholic private and public school organizations in West Virginia. The Personality Research Form, Form E (Jackson, 1974) was administered to 41 teachers of a Catholic private school organization and to 38 teachers of a public school organization. Statistical analysis of the Personality Research Form, Form E (PRF-E) data using an ANOVA method revealed significant differences between the school organizational groups for 5 of the 22 personality traits measured. The results indicated public school teachers were higher achievers, more that aggressive, more concerned …

Enrichment And Reorganization Of The Kellogg School Library, Kenneth Adkins

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

For several decades it had been recognized that the American school had been changing from a classical school with a select student body and a narrow curriculum, into a large public school with varying abilities, interests and offerings. It had been recognized that the need for children's literature had become more acute than ever before. Kellogg School is structuring and carrying out a long-range plan for a better education for boys and girls, had established a philosophy of teaching and learning and had set out general and specific goals. In order that the teaching and learning be congenial with the …

Factors Affecting The Enrollments At Douglass High School From 1932-1951, Joseph Autumn Slash

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The nation's leading educators have been asking for help in the education of the youth of this great country of ours. They have asked that more teachers be trained for this great task. Larger buildings are needed to take care of the larger enrollments. Leading magazines and newspapers have taken up this cry for help. Magazines tell of cities where pupils must attend school for only a half day. The enrollments are distributed so that half of the students attend school in the morning and the other half in the evening. Education is being brought to many more millions of …