Education Commons^™

Instructional Coaches' Perceptions Of The Extent To Which Varied Professional Learning Experiences Impact Their Efficacy, Magdalena Steytler

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the limited body of research on the factors that impact the ability of instructional coaches to be highly effective in their multi-faceted roles. Specifically, the study examined the perceptions of instructional coaches regarding the effectiveness of varied professional learning experiences in addressing their own professional development needs and how instructional coaches interpreted their role and function as well as the knowledge and skills they deemed essential in performing their duties.

This mixed- methods study was conducted in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, it involved three data collection instruments: a survey …

Counselors And Principals: Collaborating To Improve Instructional Equity, Carl A. Lashley, Jaimie Stickl

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

School districts are held accountable for the performance of all students. This increased responsibility has caused principals and their faculties to become increasingly concerned about using performance data to improve achievement, attendance, promotion and graduation rates, dropout rates and at-risk student performance, and other indicators of school quality. An often overlooked resource in the school’s efforts is the school counselor.

School counselors are well-prepared to assist principals with data utilization and making recommendations for individual student, classroom, and school-wide improvement. Collaborative relationships between principals and school counselors can contribute significantly to school improvement efforts and to professional learning and capacity …

Crossing The Suspension Bridge: Navigating The Road From School Suspension To College Success – How Some Students Have Overcome The Negative Implications Of School Suspension To Bridge The Road To College, Chris J. Kirkman, Heather Mcnees, Jaimie Stickl, Justin H. Banner, Kimberly K. Hewitt

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Out-of-school suspensions for middle and high school students can have negative, long-lasting consequences. Researchers have documented that suspensions have a negative impact on academic development, increase likelihood of dropping out of school, and are associated with a stronger likelihood that students will be involved in the legal system. However, there are students who overcome these negative statistics and matriculate to post-secondary education successfully. This study examines the lived experiences and personal attributes in students’ lives that enabled them to overcome a history of suspension to enter and succeed in higher education. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, the study’s researchers interviewed individuals …

The Influence Of Balance Within The Competing Values Framework And School Academic Success On Teacher Retention, Charisse Gulosino, Louis Franceschini Iii, Portia Hardman

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The primary aim of this study is to use the survey items from the TELL Tennessee Survey (2013) using the Competing Values Framework (CVF) to determine whether teachers' observations about a set of topically organized school climate dimensions and school performance levels are associated with their immediate professional plans. Using a three-by-two-level Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), we find that the effect of CVF “balance” and school performance level explain much of the variation in the percent of teachers who intend to stay at their current school, independent of the school’s student demographic characteristics. Specifically, the effect of having a balanced …

Letter From The Editor, Steven Bingham

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Greetings from Gardner-Webb University to wherever in the world you may be reading this letter. The growth of readership over the last year has been nothing short of astounding. More than anything else, we think the outpour of attention speaks to the dearth of opportunity to learn from practitioners who, applying the principles of disciplined inquiry, are solving one local problem at a time.

Looking to the future, we hope soon to receive contributions from emerging practitioner scholars in Organizational Leadership, those in our program here at Gardner-Webb University and those in similar programs worldwide. Another goal is to issue …

A Case Study Of Turnaround Principal Identification And Selection In One Urban School District, Kondra T. Rattley

Education Dissertations and Projects

Through a case study approach, this qualitative study examined public school district leaders’ perspectives on turnaround principal competencies and actions. Furthermore, this study explored the strategies for identifying and selecting turnaround principals among district leaders in one district and their perceptions of the challenges associated with turnaround principal shortages. Participant responses were compared to existing, research-based turnaround principal competencies and led to direct reflections of the existing competencies. The research findings indicated that participant perspectives of the competencies associated with turnaround principals reflect existing, research-based competencies. The results also indicated that the participants placed more emphasis on certain competencies than …

Hit The Floor Running: Assistant Principal Mentoring And Perceptions Of Impact For Mentors And Proteges, Tony Stewart

Education Dissertations and Projects

This research study analyzed the assistant principal mentoring programs directed by two school districts located in the southeastern United States. Digital questionnaires as well as face-to-face focus groups and interviews were used to obtain the perception of impact for protégés and mentors engaged in formal mentoring relationships. Mixed methodology was utilized to collect data. The study found significant impact regarding mentoring interactions for protégés. Feeling encouraged and supported by their mentor, protégés also trusted the anonymity of their relationship. Other findings include strong value for protégés in the areas of leadership skills, acclimation, and confidence. Additionally, the research study identified …

Book Review—Leading Ethically In Schools And Other Organizations, Mary Gardiner

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

No abstract provided.

Comparing The Effect Of Two Internship Structures On Supervision Experience And Learning, Robin D. Winslow, Meghan Eliason, Keith W. Thiede

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study examined whether two different internship structures affected educational leadership students’ supervision experience, beliefs about supervision, and learning of a clinical supervision model. Some students supervised pre-service teachers placed at their schools, while others supervised in-service teachers employed at their schools (a more traditional internship). Students who supervised pre-service teachers reported using the various supervision components to a greater extent than did students who supervised in-service teachers. Although beliefs about the importance of different supervision components did not differ across groups, learning of the clinical supervision model was greater for students who supervised pre-service teachers than for those who …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Traditional And Alternative Principal Preparation Programs, Summer Pannell Ph.D., Bernnell M. Peltier-Glaze Ed.D., Ingrid Haynes Ph.D., Delilah Davis Ph.D., Carrie Skelton Ph.D.

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This study sought to determine the effectiveness on increasing student achievement of principals trained in a traditional principal preparation program and those trained in an alternate route principal preparation program within the same Mississippi university. Sixty-six Mississippi principals and assistant principals participated in the study. Of the 66 participants, 41 competed a traditional principal preparation program, and 25 completed an alternate route principal preparation program at the same university. The data included the type of principal preparation the participant received, the number of consecutive years served as a principal or assistant principal, and student achievement data for their assigned schools. …

A Grounded Theory Exploration Of The North Carolina Educator Evaluation System And Its Effects On Teaching Practices And Teacher Leadership, Daniel A. Wydo

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the effects of the recently implemented North Carolina Educator Evaluator System (NCEES) on teaching practices and teacher leadership in a mostly rural county in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. NCEES is designed to improve teaching practices and teacher leadership through performance-based standards. This mixed-methodology study began using grounded theory to form categories from qualitative data collected from piloted focus groups and interviews. Categories derived from the grounded theory analysis were refined in a secondary research method guided by a historical analysis of the processes related to teacher evaluation systems across many decades. The refined categories were …

Plc Participation: Roadblocks, Speed Bumps, And Detours, Lindsay Lee, Audrey Moore, Angela Szakasits, Cynthia Wortham

Center for Innovative Leadership Development Summer Seminar Presentations

Educators have a tendency to downplay their own awesomeness; this session will remind us of how great we are and what we can do to meet all of the Teacher Leader Model Standards. We are all leaders in some way by nature of what we do in our individual classrooms. In this session, participants will understand how they can become or already are teacher leaders in their schools and districts. Teachers may be organic leaders (the “doers”- the people everyone assumes will lead the committee because that’s just what you do). This session will introduce the idea of how to …