Education Commons^™

The Moral Imperative To Include More Women In Leadership Within Institutions Of Higher Education, Kathryn Mattingly Flynn

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

In higher education, women’s trajectory into leadership positions is not equitable to men’s. The concerns with the scarcity of women in leadership positions, specifically deans, provosts, presidents, and board members, involve varying levels of gender biases, norms, and stereotypes, as well as expectations of representation. Gender biases and stereotypes remain ingrained in American societal structures and result in immoral consequences, injustice for colleges and universities, and diminished happiness of the participants within them. I will use philosophical inquiry to argue that greater representation of women in the leadership of higher education would lead to morally better outcomes for institutions and …

Improving Self-Efficacy Of Teams Supporting Administrators And Teachers Through Communities Of Practice, Boyd Gudgel

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The purpose of this study was to enhance the capacity of high school team staff members to support high school-level administrators and teachers providing services to students with disabilities in Jefferson County Public Schools. This task was accomplished by increasing their Individual Education Program (IEP) knowledge and skill acquisition through the implementation of a Community of Practice (CoP) as an intervention. Increasing staffs knowledge and skill in properly implementing a student’s IEP, may make them more efficacious in supporting high school level administrators and teachers.

The study used a mixed-methods action research design to collect and analyze data to inform …

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Teacher Grit, Technology Self-Efficacy, And Technology Integration, Joshua Jeremiah Shiloh Marsh

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The use of educational technology applications has grown tremendously in the last decade. Instructors are now equipped with hardware and software applications previously unavailable, such as mobile and interactive technologies. These tools can have tremendous impact on students’ learning and teacher practices. Teachers can improve their assessment capabilities through technology integration, provide better learning opportunities for students with learning disabilities, and promote deeper learning practices. Due to these benefits, budgets at the federal, state, and local levels of the United States now have specific allocations regarding technology-related purchases. Nevertheless, barriers remain regarding the effective integration of technologies in public schools. …

Strategic Educational Leadership Within The Policy-Making Arena: The Promulgation, Passage, And Practice Of Tennessee's High Performing School Districts Flexibility Act Of 2013, Robert Lawrence Hullett Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

In 2010, Tennessee’s 106th General Assembly passed the First to the Top Act (2010), a companion legislation for the federal Race to the Top Act (2009) program launched by the Obama Administration. A provision of this state law required that half of teacher and principal evaluations be based upon student achievement, which included a component of required continuous academic growth. For school districts whose students scored at the highest academic performance levels, the continuous growth component would negatively impact their teachers’ and principals’ annual evaluations. In 2012, the Williamson County Schools (WCS) superintendent requested mitigation for relieve from the Tennessee …

Leadership Storytelling Of Rural School Superintendents Engaged In Change And Innovation, Tony Barrett

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation examined the leadership storytelling uses and practices by rural, public school superintendents in North Georgia who are engaged in change and innovation through agreements with the state in exchange for flexibility waivers from Title 20 of the Georgia Code. This study was the result of the participation of five rural, Appalachian superintendents in semi-structured interviews. Two of the districts were Strategic Waivers School Systems (SWSS) and three of them were Charter Systems. The context of this study was framed by Georgia’s broad flexibility waivers which encourage school districts to promote and pursue innovative approaches in K-12 education. The …

Main And Regional Campus Assessments Of Applicants To A Rural Physician Leadership Program: A Generalizability Analysis, Terry D. Stratton, Clarence Kreiter, Carol L. Elam

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

While the selection of qualified applicants often relies, in part, on scores generated from a medical school pre-admission interview (MSPI), the growth of regional medical campuses (RMCs) – many with specialized rural tracks, programs, or missions – has challenged schools to accommodate a wider range of stakeholder input. This study examines the reliabilities of main (urban) and regional (rural) campus interviewers’ assessments of applicants to a Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP) located in the southeastern United States.

Data from RPLP applicants completing MSPIs on two campuses from 2009-2017 (n = 232) were examined in a generalizability analysis. In two separate …

Complexity Leadership: The Role Of Teaching And Learning Center Leaders In Online Learning At Small, Private Colleges, Tyler D. Watts

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

As online learning continues to grow and became an integral component of many higher education institutions (Allen & Seaman, 2017), the role of leadership in guiding those online learning initiatives differs from institution to institution. At small, private colleges and universities, where online learning is seeing greater enrollment and growth (Clinefelter & Magda, 2013), teaching and learning centers (TLC) often have involvement in guiding and shaping online learning initiatives. This study investigated the role of TLC leaders in leading online learning initiatives. The value of this study is an examination of leadership during a period of transformation and change that …

Superintendents And The Micropolitics Of Innovation In Rural School Districts, Catherine Nunn Lawless

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Research shows that public school districts that follow traditional means of instruction and assessment are insufficiently preparing students for success in the today’s global world. As a result, students are entering into higher education institutions and the workforce without the necessary skills to succeed in these 21^st century environments. Extant literature suggest that there is a broad consensus on this perspective in public and private sectors nationally and globally. Evidence shows that some school district superintendents and their respective school boards continue to focus on improving the current practices and student academic performance and assessment. Other instructional leaders recognize …

Future And Value: The Library As Strategic Partner, Antje Mays

Library Presentations

Broader economic trends spawn budget pressures for education and libraries, prompting a plethora of studies on the value and relevance of libraries. Numerous reports on economic decline in libraries and studies with mixed pronouncements on the value of libraries have led to a negative self-image within the library profession. Yet libraries' leadership in connecting learners to knowledge is at the heart of producing many of the key skills sorely needed in robust societies and economies. Librarianship has many untapped opportunities for positioning itself as a prominent strategic partner. This paper outlines current research on the economic and societal context for …

Leadership Styles Of State Extension Specialists, K. Amy Lawyer

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Cooperative extension is one of three components, along with teaching and research that form the mission of land grant universities. The focus of extension work is to take knowledge gained through research conducted at the university, and disseminate the information, in a practical manner to the end user. In most instances, extension work revolves around agriculture. Within the extension system are personnel that help to foster this program of educating clientele who work in the agricultural industry. County level agents are in place to teach and address the needs of local constituents, specialists are generally housed at the university campus …

The Superintendent’S Feed: An Analysis Of Superintendents’ Engagement In Political Discourse On Twitter, Todd M. Hurst

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The modern school superintendent fulfills a unique role in the American public education system. He or she is structurally empowered as the de facto head of the local educational system, thereby granted with a certain amount of trust and authority regarding educational issues. At the same time, the superintendent is, in most cases, an employee of a politically appointed school board. This construction creates a dynamic wherein the superintendent is both the leader of a highly structured, bureaucratic system, while at the same time an employee of a largely lay, often elected, group of citizens.

The position of the superintendent …

Traditional Liberal Arts Colleges' Consideration And Adoption Of Online Education: A Presidential Perspective, Ericka T. Hollis

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

National research studies have indicated that students are enrolling in more online courses annually (Allen & Seaman, 2010, 2014, 2015); yet, not all higher education institutions are adopting online education. In order to understand more about adoption of online education in higher education and presidents’ perceptions of online education, this study investigated the adoption of online education by traditional liberal arts colleges(TLACs). These institutions and their presidents currently face numerous challenges and threats as TLACs try to remain relevant in the 21st century while maintaining their liberal arts mission. The importance of this study lies in the realization that many …

Change Is Conflict: Exploring Relationships Between Preferred Cognitive Styles And Conflict Management Styles Of University Administrators At A Large Flagship University, Sandra L. Gillilan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

As pressures continue for colleges and universities to find new ways of doing business, the calls for change heighten and the potential for conflict ensues. The purpose of the research study was to explore change as conflict via an exploration of organizational change related to preferred cognitive style, as measured by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation (KAI) instrument, and conflict management style, as measured by the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II) instrument. The two instruments were administered to 72 university administrators at a large flagship university. The results indicate that the preferred cognitive style of university administrators is not significantly different from …

Factors Community College Faculty Consider Important To Academic Leadership, Juston C. Pate, Lance R. Angell

Kentucky Journal of Higher Education Policy and Practice

Although many of the pressures leaders face come from external sources, the expertise of the faculty should not be ignored when preparing community college leaders. The current study analyzed survey data from community college faculty across the state of Kentucky to determine which attributes they considered important to academic leadership. The faculty members who responded to an online survey regarded most highly factors pertaining to communication, character, decision-making, teamwork, work ethic, and personal relationships.

The Regional Accreditation Process At Community Colleges: A Case Study Of Effectiveness, Alissa L. Young

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This companion dissertation reports the findings of applied case study research on four community college organizational units that consistently meet or exceed standard performance measures. In addition, prior ample evidence confirms that performance extended significantly beyond what might be explained by available tangible resources alone. The case study contexts are common in higher education in general: a) an external partnership, (b) an ad hoc team, (c) a traditional, cross-divisional service unit, and (d) a grant-funded student service unit.

Emerging positive organizational theory and research shows promise for revealing performance-influencing phenomena and behaviors that are not adequately represented in standard measures. …

Measuring Transformational Leadership In Athletic Training: A Comparative Analysis, Kristan M. Yates

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The purpose of this study was to measure the construct of transformational leadership among athletic training academicians and clinicians. Additionally, this study sought to determine whether perspectives regarding transformational leadership were the same or different based on full-time vocational roles. Finally, this study introduced a methodology for survey data analysis relatively unknown in athletic training research circles. Participants included athletic training education program directors as well as individuals in leadership roles at the state, district, and national level.

Strategies Under Stress: How Senior Student Affairs Officers Are Managing In The Midst Of Institutional Retrenchment, Christopher Thuringer

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

Higher education had been one of the highest funding priorities in most states, however, in recent years, governors and state legislators have focused their efforts in higher education on cutting budgets to deal with historic gaps in revenue. As a result, university administrators have been challenged to modify their institutions’ academic programs, administrative units, and student affairs operations to contain costs and increase revenue. This study examined the extent of financial challenges faced in student affairs divisions at four-year, state-supported institutions during the period between 2008 and 2012 and the strategies utilized by senior student affairs officers to manage them. …

The Influence Of Corporate Leadership And Management Practices On A Public School District, Randall Paul Napier Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The purpose of this case study is to understand how management and leadership ideas that were present in Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky influenced management and leadership practices adopted by Scott County Public Schools during 2002-2011. Data for the study were collected during the summer of 2011, using individual and focus group interviews including teachers, administrators, community and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky employees; on-site participant observations, and documents.

This study examined Scott County Public Schools implementation of the Quest for Useful Employment Skills for Tomorrow, the formation of The Center for Quality People and Organizations, changes in Science Technology Engineering Math …

Changing The Way We Do Things Around Here: Strategies Presidents Use For Creating Organizational Change In Higher Education, Jared N. Tippets

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

As society changes, so must higher education. Therefore, colleges and universities and the presidents leading them must adapt to survive in today’s highly competitive marketplace. What must an institution do to stay abreast of the changes? Once the necessary changes are identified, what processes are used by a president of a college or university to go about deliberately creating change on campus? By understanding how to create planned change, leaders within higher education will be able to better ensure that their institutions remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing environment. For many colleges and universities, their ultimate survival may depend on …

Public Health Performance, F. Douglas Scutchfield Md

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Presentations

No abstract provided.