Education Commons^™

Leading Through A Trauma-Informed Lens, Taylor Van Clay

Graduate Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper examined research on what is necessary for leaders to lead and create a school culture that supports students through a trauma-informed lens. This research looked for findings from multiple quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies which examined the importance of effective leadership, the necessity of professional development for educators, and the implementation of trauma-informed practices that will lead to student success. The research revealed specific factors that lead to beneficial leadership outcomes along with interconnectedness of purposeful and ongoing professional development and implementation of trauma-informed practice due to the fact that response to student behaviors is not intuitive. …

Cultivating Workplace Creativity: A Qualitative Case Study Of Leader Perceptions And Practices, Karen Davis Platt

Doctorate in Education

Creativity is vital to corporate success in a global economy and contributes to employee work satisfaction. Grounded in constructivism, this dissertation advances arguments regarding how organizational policies and leader practices can support workplace creativity. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gather insights into leaders’ perceptions of how creativity is fostered in the workplace and develop recommendations to support knowledge industry leaders in cultivating creativity. Findings are based on 10 semi-structured interviews from leaders in one large, knowledge industry corporation headquartered in the United States' mid-Atlantic region. Leaders shared their beliefs and experiences related to creativity in the …

What Is The Role Of An Athletic Director At The High School And College Levels?, Richard O'Donnell

Master of Science in Kinesiology

What is the role of an athletic director? Athletic directors work in both high school and college level settings. Not all athletic directors run their programs the same way. This proposed study involves a survey of high school athletic directors and college athletic directors. The survey would gather data on leadership style, delegation tactics, daily tasks, annual planning, and fundraising. If conducted, this study will provide information on how high school and college athletic directors are similar, as well as how they are different. This study would benefit those already in the profession and those who are aspiring to become …

Parental Incarceration And The Costly Effects On Their Children, Briana Rae Zocher

Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Leadership

The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to the silent victims associated with parental incarceration – their children. Throughout this project, the focus will be aimed towards promoting the education of the effects of parental incarceration and the impact it has on their children in a variety of compacities and how those settings influence incarceration amongst children of incarcerated parents. In addition, this paper will discuss parental incarceration in three different lens views: administrative, ethical, and legal. First, the administrative lens pertaining to leadership and evolution to successful leadership, especially the critical component of crisis communication strategy. Second, …

Coequal Responsibility For Feedback And Trust In Teacher Professional Development, Stefanie Whitney

Doctorate in Education

Instructional feedback offers a critical contribution to teacher professional development aimed at improving student learning outcomes. The most influential feedback comes from principals who have developed strong collegial relationships with teachers through observation-based understanding of their instructional practices, intentional interpersonal connection, and collaboration on shared goals. In essence, collegial relationships between principals and teachers nurture the development of trust, an essential element in the process of giving and receiving feedback. Unfortunately, instructional feedback has historically been delivered through teacher evaluations, which attempt to serve two contradictory purposes: To evaluate for retention and to nurture professional development. These dual purposes have …

Novice Teacher Attrition In Title I Schools: A Case Study, Beverley Cornish

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Novice teacher attrition is an international K–12 problem. This dilemma is most prevalent in low-performing schools that are also classified as hard-to-staff. In this qualitative case study, data were collected through a confidential online survey, a one-on-one interview, and a conference call focus group. Five teachers who taught at low-performing Title I middle schools during their first three years teaching were selected to participate in the study. The inquiry was viewed through a conceptual framework that combined social constructivism, human capital theory, path-goal theory, and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In this study, the factors found to contribute most to novice …

An Exploration On Why Parents Choose Catholic Schools, Sara Giza

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

“Though Many We Are One” is one of the mottos of a Catholic school system and is the foundational statement to what Catholic school stand for in the Diocese of the Midwest (pseudonym). My dissertation explores why parents choose alternative education in a Catholic schools. Catholic schools provide the student with the guidance and the ability to grow academically, spiritually, and emotionally. I analyzed the viewpoints of parents, administrators, and pastors within selected Catholic schools in the diocese to determine if there are similar foundational statements among multiple Catholic schools or if each school stands for something entirely different. Interviews …

A Correlational Study: Understanding The Relationship Between Leadership And Morale Within Law Enforcement Agencies, Michael C. Minto

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Law enforcement agencies employ officers who are driven to serving and protecting their communities. However, officers are not only tasked with serving and protecting, but also with dealing with issues of low morale within their law enforcement agencies. The issue of low morale resulting in high turnover rates, and issues with law enforcement agencies struggling with retention rates, is not new, nor is the issue of low morale within law enforcement agencies. This study emphasizes the relationship between leadership and morale, rather than the common factors of stress, pay, benefits, and hours. The study explored 3 factors among law enforcement …

Leadership Influence In The Adoption Of Innovation By Critical Care Nurses, Michael Mceachern

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Innovation is critical to the survival and continued success of hospitals. Public and political criticism coalesces around costs, quality, and access. This qualitative research study was conducted to discover strategies that may be useful to nurse managers in supporting innovation adoption. The research design of this case study is useful in understanding how managers and nurses experience innovation in critical care settings. Data collection was carried out on the campus of a university-affiliated research hospital located in the southeastern U.S. A semistructured, protocol-driven, interview process, was used to collect data from 12 participants including nurse leaders and staff nurses. Emphasis …

Black Women's Journey To Executive Leadership, Belinda Higgs Hyppolite

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of the journey of Black women into executive leadership positions at predominately White institutions of higher education within the United States. One research question guided this study: What are the experiences of Black women at predominately White institutions (PWIs) of higher education serving in executive leadership positions? Participants were a purposeful sample of 10 Black women executives who currently serve in executive leadership at various institutions across the country. The data collection instruments were structured interviews, member checking interviews, and a personal reflective narrative. The typological analysis approach …

Firefighters’ Perception Of Leadership Behaviors On Their Psychological Well-Being: A Case Study, Craig E. Damien

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The psychological well-being of firefighters is an important aspect of fire service, along with the increased awareness of the psychological effects of fire service on firefighters. This study is necessary due to the lack of research exploring how firefighters perceive such influence on their psychological well-being. Understanding leadership’s influence on their psychological well-being is important, since a low level of well-being can lead to depression, anxiety, and suicides. This qualitative, exploratory, case study explores how firefighters in Florida perceive the influence of leader behaviors on their psychological well-being. Data was gathered through a qualitative questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and the Ryff …

Intercampus Tension At Multi-Campus Institituions: A Phenomenological Study Of Higher Education Administrators, Steven Erickson

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

While institutions spend more resources addressing affordability, access, and accountability measures, they face the added pressures of retirements in upcoming years. Consolidating administrative structures by forming multi-campus institutions is one potential solution that purports to save money and preserves access for students. Unfortunately, multi-campus institutions face intercampus tension that may reduce the expected gains in efficiency. In this phenomenological study, 11 experienced multi-campus administrators were interviewed regarding intercampus tension and leadership at multi-campus institutions. Analysis of the interview transcripts utilized Moustakas’ modification of van Kaam’s method and resulted in identifying competition for resources, differences in campus culture, local demands on …

A Grounded Theory Study: How A Virtual Organizational Leadership Program Impacts Employee Leadership Development, Charlene Banta

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Leadership development programs prepare candidates for roles, equipping them with the skills and competencies to lead in organizations. In this study, I explored the effectiveness of a virtual organizational leadership development program. A grounded theory research design was chosen as a method of analysis to systematically obtain and analyze data for research and generate theory from the data. The servant leadership model served as the framework for the research. The purpose of this study was to explain how a virtual leadership development program impacted employee leadership efficacy. The research questions addressed how the program affected participant promotions, how the program …

Affects Of Mental Health Limitations, Leadership Interactions, And Generational Diversity On The Morale Of Paramedics In Public And Private Emergency Medical Services, Mari Hadas

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) employees are the individuals first on scene to care for people who are having the worst day of their lives. But, while they do that job and the hours after leaving that job are the meaningful moments that affect EMS employees. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative case study was to educate EMS senior leaders on the needs of their employees. The research question that guided this study was: How do mental health limitations, leadership interactions, and generational diversity affect the morale of paramedics in public and private emergency medical services? The sample consisted of 16 …

Interprofessional Education: How Curriculum Influences And Develops Future Healthcare Professionals, Karen Keune

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The value of higher education is a topic of great consideration and discussion, not only for current and future students, but also for legislators, educators, and employers. A college degree is more than a pathway toward advanced knowledge in a given subject; it is a component of a larger outcome beyond a diploma, it's a job. While the scale of employment opportunities appears to rise for those with a college degree, it is not enough to guarantee security for new graduates, no matter their topic of study. More than a competency in the field of study is required to prove …

Understanding The Liberal Arts Experience: Developing Leadership Skills From Classical Education, Christina Kloch

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This descriptive case study seeks to determine how public high school students perceive the value of participating in liberal arts activities and how they believe these activities influence their academic success and future choices after their high school graduation. Participants were selected from students who participated in both a liberal arts and leadership activity at the research site during the 2018 spring semester. The eight selected participants were asked to complete an initial interview and a member checking interview. The researcher also observed each participant’s leadership activities twice. Themes emerging from the collected data included participant’s access to leadership development …

Women Entrepreneur Experiences With Leadership And Success: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Nicolya Grigsby-Williams

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Former research regarding leadership focused mainly on gender comparisons with limited research exploring women leaders independently. The purpose of this study was to understand how women entrepreneurs describe and interpret their leadership experiences as entrepreneurs, to understand how women entrepreneurs describe success, and to further understand what perceived impact leadership styles have on women’s entrepreneurial success. The study answered three questions regarding how women entrepreneurs describe and interpret their experiences as leaders, how women entrepreneurs describe their success as entrepreneurs and what perceived impact leadership style has on their success. Transformational, organizational, and servant leadership theories guided this study’s framework. …

A Phenomenological Study On Leading Transformational Change And Building School Culture In Elementary Schools, Tamera Jones

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This study followed a phenomenological qualitative approach to understand the complexity surrounding the experiences of the elementary school principals, build understanding around how they describe their daily life of school, and how they lead transformational change and build school culture. I sought to understand the associated skills, knowledge, and behaviors that elementary school principals employed and how the relational and collegial theories of transformational, instructional, and servant leadership were applied by elementary principals in leading transformational change and building school culture. Five key themes provided insight into the experiences of these elementary principals, the associated skills, knowledge, and behaviors that …

Improving Students' Interpersonal Communications, Leadership, And Decision-Making Skills Through Integration Of Cockpit Resource Management: A Grounded Theory Study Of K-8 Educators' Perspectives, Tammy Scholder

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The dissertation in education administration represents innovative and relative research that provides administrators with a process that students may use to enhance their academic, social, and emotional development. This study gathered the perspective and experiences of recruited educators from a K-8 school who had recently engaged and interacted with kindergarten through second-grade students. The primary goal of this study was to generate theory based on the participating educators’ perspectives on expanding an aviation training model, Cockpit Resource Management (CRM), into education to improve students’ interpersonal communication, leadership, and decision-making skills. This study is a contribution to the study of education …

A Descriptive Case Study Of The Impact Of Leadership Style On Teacher Retention In A Title I School Campus In Texas, Twanna L. Mead

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This dissertation is intended to complement the conversation in the social sciences about the challenging role of campus principals and the influence they have on teacher retention and job satisfaction. School principals are held accountable for creating positive change within the campus, therefore they supervise the operational and instructional supervision of the faculty and staff.

This study explores the distinct role of principal leadership and its requirements. Leadership in a Title I school, involves demands that related to the school’s success. Leadership style has the power to arouse or impede teacher success. School leaders must know how to operate the …

A Case Study Of The Relationship Between Professional Learning Communities And Teacher Efficacy, Rebecca Carter

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Traditionally, professional development opportunities to improve teaching and learning have been practiced through isolated events that do not allow learning to happen within the context of the school. Research showed schools are beginning to implement professional learning communities. This descriptive single case study addressed the questions: (a) What are teachers’ perceptions regarding the relationship between a professional learning community and teacher efficacy? and (b) From teachers’ perspectives, in what ways, if any, do professional learning communities impact teacher efficacy? The case study examined the relationship between professional learning communities and teacher efficacy as well as the impact of professional learning …

Understanding The Public Education Gender Gap Amid Secondary And Central Office Administrators, Danielle L. Taylor

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Despite advances in political movements and societal awareness, there is still an obvious gender discrepancy among U.S. public education secondary school and superintendent positions plaguing our nation. Data indicates that most middle and high school classroom teaching positions are filled by women and yet more campuses and districts are led by men. The literature review uncovered two main categories that lead to this gap: external and internal factors. Societal bias, stereotypes, and hiring practices are among the external causations of this margin. Likewise, work life balance and self-desire to combat old organizational structure impact women internally from assuming advanced leadership …

Passion And Purpose In Advocacy: Portraits Of Educational Leaders, Maureen D. Brown

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

As the public education system becomes more diverse, voices of advocates who positively support students and optimize student outcomes are essential. This qualitative multicase case study focused on the perspectives of five educational leaders who advocated in a public school district in Texas. A brief overview of historic voices in education advocacy gave way to the advocacy-based voices heard from educators, school counselors, and principals. Answering the central research question of how educational leaders maintain their passion for advocacy while overcoming obstacles related to change, each participant shared the personal experiences that paved the way for a passion in advocacy. …

Emotional Intelligence And Organizational Context In Educational Leadership, Matthew R. Horne

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative, multiple case study investigated how educational leaders used and manifested Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills and abilities in unique organizational contexts. The study was conducted with five principals in a large, urban school district. The principals were selected to participate based on the organizational context of their schools. Each site was profiled and subsequently categorized based on the unique dynamics of the school including, but not limited to cultural, social, political, environmental, economic, and temporal factors. The principals were interviewed using a common, open-ended interview protocol. The interviews contained questions about the school’s organizational context, the principal’s relationships with …

School Culture And Leadership Of Professional Learning Communities, Daniel Carpenter

CUP Faculty Research

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore supportive and shared leadership structures at schools as a function of school culture policies and procedures.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted at three secondary schools in the Midwestern USA. Administrators and teachers were interviewed, professional learning communities observed and artifacts collected to explore school culture policies, procedures and leadership in the implementation of professional learning community practice.

Findings
This study concludes that school leaders must provide supportive and shared leadership structures for teachers in order to ensure a positive school culture and effective professional learning communities that impact school improvement. …