Education Commons^™

Best Practices For Inclusion Of Special Education Students In Elementary Classrooms, Stephanie Leedahl

Graduate Teacher Education

Inclusion in elementary education has been gaining momentum in research and implementation over the past two to three decades. Best practices are becoming more well documented and research is mounting surrounding the benefits of inclusionary practices in elementary classrooms. Several themes surrounding inclusion have become evident as necessary for understanding inclusion such as classroom community, nonexamples of inclusion, relationships, student choice, and teacher training. In order to best support young students with a wide range of abilities and backgrounds, educators must first understand what inclusion is and is not. Then teachers can better implement inclusionary practices in their classrooms to …

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 …

An Examination Of Enterprise Social Media And Its Impact On Employees In A Global Corporate Organization, Howard Poppel

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions on the impact enterprise social media has on employees in a global corporate organization with a geographically diverse workforce. The 15 study participants were part of three select groups of a global corporate organization, each with differing levels of geographic distribution. There were three instruments used in this study to maximize the acquisition of information from the study participants: a written survey, one-on-one interviews with each study participant, and a focus group where multiple study participants were permitted to share their perceptions on the use and effectiveness of enterprise …

The Collaborative Role Of Parents And Teachers: Fostering A Growth Mindset In An Alternative Learning Environment, Sarah Cortes

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The objective of this study was to explore how parents and teachers collaborate with one another during monthly consultations in regard to fostering a growth mindset among students within their respective learning environments. The study was conducted at an alternative learning environment in the Pacific Northwest of the United States over a 12-week period, using a sample consisting of five parents and five teachers teaching in the elementary grades―from kindergarten up to the sixth grade. Dweck’s (2006) mindset theory was the conceptual framework for this study and served as the foundation for data analysis. Data were collected via preprofessional development …

Perceptions Of Educators Teaching Inclusion Classes In An Urban Secondary Environment, Nicole Bellomo

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

School systems across the United States have integrated students with disabilities into the general education classroom creating an inclusive environment where general and special education students can learn side by side. Within the inclusion classroom, general education and special education teachers collaborate to design and implement instruction for all student learners. Therefore, it is critical to understand the attitudes of general and special education teachers and reveal the factors that influence the beliefs they hold regarding the inclusion classroom. The beliefs held by inclusion teachers are a crucial factor to the success of students with disabilities in the inclusion setting …

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 …

Principal Actions That Foster Positive School Climate, Courtney Mccormick

Graduate Teacher Education

School climate has become a focus of the work of educational leaders due to the potential positive influence on student achievement. The overall climate of a school is ultimately the responsibility of the principal and requires knowledge of effective strategies to employ to support staff to ensure that student learning is maximized. This review of research synthesized current research to determine what specific actions and strategies a principal can employ to foster a positive school climate that supports student achievement. Three themes emerged in the current research to guide a principal’s actions to impact school climate: shared-leadership, collaboration, and trust. …

Collaborative Partnerships Between Community Colleges And High Schools, Cordelia Godfrey

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

A key concern in education today is the overwhelming number of students who leave high school unprepared for college in the core courses of English and Math. As a result of student unpreparedness, more and more students are entering college having to take developmental courses. A high number of those students are students in the state of Mississippi. The purpose ofthis qualitative case study was to explore how educational stakeholders perceive the need for implementation of college preparedness and developmental education courses for students with developmental deficiencies in urban high schools in Mississippi. In the study, the researcher used Tinto’s …

Reducing Runway Incursions: The Role Of Collaboration, Education, And Training, Billy Metallinos

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Runway incursions are a major threat to aviation safety and can cause major delays and collisions that have significant human and financial implications for airlines. This study investigated how training, education, and collaboration may be improved to reduce the occurrence of runway incursions at airports. Data collection involved interviews, a focus group, and document analysis to explore the participants’ perceptions. The interviews and focus group involved a purposive sample of 12 pilots, air traffic controllers, airport administrators, and ground personnel. The interviews and focus group transcripts were chunked, coded, and patterns sought to form five key themes addressing the research …

An Action Research Investigation Into An Early Childhood Digital, Storytelling-Based Solution, Jessica Smith

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The development of literacy skills prior to the classroom has been established as essential for future school and life successes. However, the present achievement gap between lower-socioeconomic neighborhoods and their higher-income counterparts illustrate vast dissimilarities in early childhood provisions for quality reading materials and instructional aides. In an effort to bridge the educational breach, a collaborative, storytelling-based program entitled Kid Forward was introduced to five nationwide families as a means of assistance for early childhood literacy development. Through the use of demographic surveys, interviews completed before and after the program implementation, and exit surveys, the action research study examined early …

Leadership Styles In An Online Higher Education Setting: A Phenomenological Study Of Online Professional Learning Communities, Cathy Busay

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The world of online higher education is still in its infancy. This provides the opportunity for universities to create environments where online adjunct faculty acknowledges a sense of belonging and collaboration working with leaders who inspire, support, and mentor. Leaders, who truly listen, are open and honest. Support will inspire online adjunct faculty to deliver a high caliber of instruction to students. In this study, leadership styles and working in collaboration within a virtual environment were investigated using a qualitative, phenomenological study design. Adult learners in leadership capacities in online higher education described their lived experiences in working with online …

Tools For Effective Implementation Of Response To Intervention In The Elementary Classroom, Tonia Y. Manning

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Abstract

Response to Intervention is a regular education initiative composed multiple tiers of service designed to deliver scientifically based instruction and intervention. The Response to Intervention Model monitors student growth over time and enables schools to provide support to students identified as at risk through curriculum-based measurements. The reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (2004) allowed states to use Response to Intervention to identify and provide intervention to students at risk of developing a reading disability. The purpose of this qualitative collective case study was to examine the tools used by teachers experienced in providing instruction and intervention …