Education Commons^™

Applying Organizational Learning Theories To Continuous Improvement Practices Through Self-Study Methodology To Better Reflect Upon And Understand Factors That Influence School Improvement Efforts, Morgan Daniel Gallagher

Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study is to better understand and address the factors that influence continuous improvement efforts led by the researcher/practitioner. To this end, this study applies Bolman and Deal’s 4-frame model of organizational learning lenses to school improvement indicators on the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. Through taking Bolman and Deal’s Online 4-frame Self-assessment, I am able to identify the organizational learning lens least integrated into my own leadership worldview. The organizational learning lenses that comprise Bolman and Deal’s 4-frame model are the structural, symbolic, human resource, and political lenses. I then apply core tenets of my least integrated lens …

None Of Us Are Safe: How Leaders Sustain Culturally Responsive Elementary And Middle School Improvement Planning, Jerry B. Michel

Dissertations

In the spring of 2020, school leaders, school boards, and teachers faced challenges beyond the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, finding themselves under attack for the perceived applications of critical race theory in school curriculum. These conditions made active engagement in equity-focused school improvement planning more challenging. School leaders and leadership teams may benefit from using an established framework to identify strengths and areas for growth around culturally responsive pedagogy for effective school improvement planning. This article explores the use of Hammond’s (2015) Ready for Rigor Framework as a tool for identifying prioritizing which conditions for culturally responsive pedagogy …

Black Minds Matter: A Book Review, Johnnie L. Campbell Jr., M.Ed

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

The experiences of Black boys and men in education have sustained increased attention from various communities and throughout education. This increased attention is birthed from systemic issues that have remained pervasive throughout society. As a direct call to action of these issues, Black Minds Matter introduces us to pivotal and thought-provoking ways in which educators can best support and care for this population. This review expounds upon ways in which education might reimagine how we advocate and care for Black boys and men in the classroom. This review highlights the ways in which education has employed deficit-informed practices, harming Black …

The Role Of Lived Experiences In Culturally Responsive School Leaders’ Administrations: A Phenomenological Case Study, Angela Dolezal

Dissertations

This phenomenological case study explored how the lived experiences of three self-identifiedculturally responsive high school leaders impacted the systemic decisions they made for their school and their students. The study also investigated how these lived experiences informed the leaders’ responses to their stakeholders’ reactions to the systemic decisions. The three school leaders participated in a three-part interview series to answer these three questions (1) What are the personal and educational life histories of three self-identified culturally responsive school leaders in a predominantly White school? (2) How do the life experiences described in the self-identified culturally responsive school leaders’ life histories …

A Phenomenological Study Of Catholic Priests Working And Headteachers In Government - Funded Catholic Secondary Schools, Joseph Kaye

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to explore the skills, behaviors and lived experience of priests who are headteachers in government-funded Catholic secondary schools in Butare Catholic diocese. This study might help the bishop and diocesan policy makers in identifying the type of formation, skills and behaviors priests need to be effective headteachers in Catholic schools. To achieve the purpose of this study, I used a phenomenological methodology to collect and analyze the data. The participants in this study are priests who are headteachers in government-funded Catholic secondary schools of Butare Catholic diocese. The major goals of …

Equity In Secondary Schools: Building A Strong Sense Of Belonging For Students Of Color As A Foundation For Academic Success, Joaquin Stephenson

Dissertations

The problem of practice I am investigating are students who identify as Black and Latinx who are experiencing a statistically significant low sense of belonging at Riverview High School in comparison to their White and Asian counterparts, based on survey data for the past two years. Research has shown that students’ sense of belonging stem from four major factors (1) friendship nominations, (2) time on extracurricular activities, (3) bonding with teacher, and (4) perceived discrimination. By focusing on targeted programming, this study aims to determine the two solutions that can target low sense of belonging for Black and Latinx students. …

Moving Beyond Recruitment And Hiring: Including And Actualizing The Voices Of Teachers Of Color In A Suburban School District, Jennifer Ann Rowe

Dissertations

Loyola University Chicago MOVING BEYOND RECRUITMENT AND HIRING: INCLUDING AND ACTUALIZING THE VOICES OF TEACHERS OF COLOR IN A SUBURBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT This capstone identifies, as a problem of educational practice in American secondary schools, the failure of our school systems to equally value and validate Black and brown educators as compared with their white counterparts, consequently preventing the cultivation of an environment that would encourage these educators to flourish in the profession rather than presenting barriers to their success. Calling upon the prevailing research, Ms. Rowe evaluates approaches that school districts can take to overcome these roadblocks and foster …

Using Critical Race Theory To Redefine The Standards Of Professional Practice For Chief Diversity Officers, Brandon C M Allen, Alberto J. Rodriguez, Levon T. Esters,

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

To meet the needs of the evolving student demographics that has seen a 300% increase in URM college going rates, higher education institutions began developing the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) position to govern and lead their mission as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. More than 60 colleges have created a CDO position over the last 20 yeas with many more heading in that direction. However, because CDOs are relatively novel in the higher education space, the leading authority of diversity officer research, the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), developed a set of guidelines to …

The Extent Professional And Moral Authorities Are Evident In Federal Inclusive Education Policies, Lucille Marie Melchert

Dissertations

The EXTENT PROFESSIONAL and MORAL AUTHORITIES ARE EVIDENT in FEDERAL INCLUSIVE EDUCATIon POLICIES This study was conducted to investigate landmark federal inclusive policies in relation to leadership styles, specifically characteristics related to Sergiovanni's (1992) professional and moral leadership authorities. Research is markedly limited regarding what federal inclusive education policies say about school and district leadership. This enlightenment concerning the lack of guidance in the field of educational leadership practice, federal education policy, and inclusive learning methods is significant. Current literature supports the examination of federal education policies in relation to educational leadership. There is currently a gap in research involving …

The Impact Of Positive School Culture On School Success: A Principal's Self-Study Of Transformational Leadership, Sean Mcnichols

Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study was to examine how I, as a school principal and transformational leader, was able to support the development of positive relationships that impacted school culture and sustained student achievement. Reculturing a school involves the examination of beliefs, expectations, and assumptions for the purpose of school change that can facilitate a collective sense of purpose (DuFour & Burnette, 2002: Fullan, 2005). to do this, I focused on social and emotional learning while incorporating opportunities for school staff, parents, community members and student's voices to be heard through group meetings and forums. the analysis of this study …

A Self-Study Of The Relationships Between My Leadership And The Promotion Of A Supportive School Environment, Cory Overstreet

Dissertations

A SELF-STUDY of the RELATIONSHIPS between MY LEADERSHIP and the PROMOTIon of a SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT There has been a recent focus in education on Social Emotional Learning, Restorative Justice, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). All of these areas are tied to creating a Supportive School Environment that will help students be successful. Chicago Public Schools created a Supportive School Certification process in 2017 and works closely with schools to help them achieve certification (Mathewson, 2017). as the fifth principal in the past ten years at J. P. Miller School, there has been a significant change in leadership styles, …

Best Leadership Practices And Actions For Leading A Transition In Curriculum Framework In Secondary Schools, Jennifer Lynn Tyrrell

Dissertations

Instructional leadership is one of the primary responsibilities of administrators within secondary schools. as administrators assume the role of instructional leaders, it is important to note that having the ability to guide a school or district through the process of organizational change is critical. Specifically, within the area of curriculum, change is constantly occurring. This qualitative research study was designed to identify a list of best leadership practices/actions for instructional leaders to use when leading a school or district through the process of changing its framework for curriculum development. the researcher replicated the research of Alexander Carter (2016) who studied …

Teacher And Principal Perceptions Of Principal Leadership Practices Having The Strongest Relationship To Student Achievement, Michael C. Conran

Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined the perceptions of high performing elementary, middle and high school teachers and principals, as evidenced by their students' high achievement levels, relative to the principal leadership practices having the strongest relationship to student achievement. The Marzano Focused School Leader Evaluation Model, which contains six domains and 21 elements identifying comprehensively researched and evidence-based principal leadership practices, was used as a conceptual framework. The identification of the specific principal leadership practices having the strongest relationship to student achievement hinged on the delineation of the perceptions of the teacher and principal study participants relative to the principal …

Educational Leadership Model: An Historical Analysis Of Arne Duncan (2001-2015) As Chief Executive Officer Of The Chicago Public Schools And As Secretary Of Education Of The United States Of America, And Impact Of His Leadership Style On Implementation Of Educational Initiatives, Jodilyn Maria Pinkerton

Dissertations

This research is a historical examination of Arne Duncan's leadership styles as Chief Education Officer of the Chicago Public Schools and as U.S. Secretary of Education. This analysis highlights the correlation between Ronald Heifetz's Adaptive Leadership (2009) and Arne Duncan's leadership style as he implements initiatives to expand educational opportunities for students in the Chicago Public Schools and his national reform initiatives to improve college readiness among high school graduates. This research also presents Arne Duncan's challenges and successes in the implementation of the Renaissance 2010 program that closed 70 schools, Chicago Public Schools exit from the Consent Decree, the …

Strengths So White: Interrogating Strengthsquest Education Through A Critical Whiteness Lens, Nicholas Tapia-Fuselier, Lauren Irwin

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

Many college student leadership programs utilize StrengthsQuest as a tool for individual and group development. Although StrengthsQuest is touted as a universal tool to help all individuals leverage their strengths in varied settings, the authors are critical of both the tool itself and the ways educators utilize StrengthsQuest. This paper employs tenets of critical whiteness theory, including color evasiveness, normalization, and solipsism, to deconstruct StrengthsQuest within the context of leadership education. Additionally, the authors offer possibilities for reimagining StrengthsQuest education in ways that center inclusion and justice. Finally, strategies for critical leadership educators are discussed.

Normal Schools Revisited: A Theoretical Reinterpretation Of The Historiography Of Normal Schools, Garrett H. Gowen, Ezekiel Kimball

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

This article provides a theory-driven account of the emergence, development, and ultimate disappearance of the normal school as a unique institutional form within higher education. To that end, this article engages new institutionalism in order to construct a composite narrative from the historiography of teacher education which counters the cursory treatment of normal schools in popular and widely-used synthetic histories of higher education. This article also responds to the challenge of better integrating normal schools into the historiography of higher education and suggests future avenues for theory-driven history.

Resisting The “Do More With Less” Culture In Higher Education And Student Affairs, Oiyan Poon, Delia Cheung Hom

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

This paper explores how student affairs practitioners may engage in critical cultural praxis through participatory action research (PAR). As authors, both researchers and practitioners, we partnered with one another to conduct a needs assessment of Asian American students through PAR methods at a university in the northeast United States. Unfortunately, the PAR project as initially designed did not come to fruition. We used autoethnography to understand the many barriers that prevented the completion of the project, such as lengthy and unclear IRB processes, lack of organizational stability, and limited institutional support. Finally, we offer insight into how scholar-practitioners and institutions …

A Self Study Of My Leadership As Principal To Improve Student Achievement In Literacy In The Middle Grades, Latrese Tonya Mathis

Dissertations

This self-study examined my leadership practices as a principal and researcher. Herr and Anderson (2005) define self-study as "a focus on one's own personal and professional self." Through reflective analysis of my leadership practices, the Instructional Leadership and Grade Level Teams were supported with protocols and leadership methods to improve literacy instruction at middle grades. Upon reflection, concerns existed regarding inadequate and inconsistent student growth through the lens of school wide assessments. The examination of student data, root cause identification, and the development and monitoring of action items assisted to investigate my analysis of this concern. The significance of this …

My Role As An Administrator In Supporting The Implementation Of Mtss (Multi-Tiered Systems Of Supports) Tier 3 Students: A Self-Study In A Public School System, Terrycita Delight Perry

Dissertations

For approximately three years, the Chicago Public School (CPS) district has been undergoing a process of creating protocols, structures, and tools that will assist schools with the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). An on-going area of development for the district as well as for my school is developing teachers' abilities to support all students in the leveled tiers, particularly Tier 3. The purpose of this self-study is to understand, document, and analyze my actions (as the principal) while implementing MTSS Tier 3 (K-3) supports at my school. A self-study is a form of research educators use to understand …

Addressing The School-To-Prison Pipeline Through Critical Self Reflection: A Self-Study Of Courageous And Transformative Leadership, Ernest D. Williams

Dissertations

Research reveals that zero-tolerance policies lead to school suspensions of a disproportionate number of African American students in urban areas (Center for Civil [CCRR], 2015). Suspensions increase student failure rates and dropout likelihood and reduce the ability to graduate on time (Skiba, Arrendondo, & Williams, 2014). Studies have also shown that African American students are suspended three times more than their White American peers and two times more than their Latino American peers (CCRR, 2015). This has impelled federal and local government agencies, community organizations, and educators to question the effectiveness of punitive discipline policies that have marginalized black and …

Feminism And School Leadership: A Qualitative Study Utilizing Effective Women Principals' Self-Perceptions To Determine What Makes Them Successful, Christina Maria Sylvester

Dissertations

Women are underrepresented in a variety of fields, including educational leadership. Upon assuming leadership roles, women often struggle to effectively lead due to a pervasive context of sexism and genderism in the workplace. Schools are not immune to this phenomenon. Since women comprise approximately 50% of the population, it seems logical that they should assume a comparable percentage of leadership roles in education, but this is not the case. Beyond parity, it is important that there are not only more women leaders in educational administration but also that those women in leadership roles are supported within a context that enables …

Colonized And Racist Indigenous Campus Tour, Robin Starr Minthorn, Christine A. Nelson

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

This article explores the macro-structural aspects of college campuses and environments to understand how higher education institutions have created, maintained, and justified hostile campus climates against Indigenous students. It uncovers the embedded racist and genocidal values that are often cherished through dominant campus tours. This includes addressing how an incomplete understanding of history leads to centering oppressive values that disenfranchise Indigenous students in higher education. Offered is an abbreviated interpretation of the concept of Power and Place (Deloria & Wildcat, 2001), centering critical Indigenous values in the assessment. The case study articulates the historical and contemporary aspects of space and …

Applied Critical Leadership: Centering Racial Justice And Decolonization In Professional Associations, Rachel E. Aho, Stephen John Quaye

Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs

With a history steeped in exclusion, segregation, political unrest, and glacial-paced progress, it is no surprise that higher education professionals continue to experience and illuminate issues, such as racism, colonization, and identity-based harm, particularly under the divisiveness of today’s presidential administration. Knowing this, leaders within higher education must prepare to meet these realities. To prepare students for navigating these challenges, educators often rely on the direction, guidance, and thought leadership produced via professional associations. As such, those involved in professional associations play a critical role in determining the priorities of the field. Given the tumultuous national climate, these priorities, now …

Administrator Support Of Social-Emotional And Academic Needs Of Students At A Selective Enrollment High School, Therese Elizabeth Plunkett

Dissertations

As an administrator at a selective enrollment high school in an urban district, I experienced firsthand the lack of differentiation for students experiencing social-emotional learning (SEL) issues, which in turn affects academic learning. This self-study examines what strategies and interventions assist administrators in targeting the social-emotional and academic needs of students. School leadership is obligated to facilitate increasing and implementing supports that address the SEL and diverse-learning needs of all students. One way in which leadership can promote addressing differentiated learning is through ensuring Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) are implemented with fidelity. MTSS formerly known as response to intervention …

Intercultural Proficiency Of Principals Leading Ib Schools In Urban America, Ahlam Bazzi Moughania

Dissertations

This study, based on the qualitatively rendered experiences and perceptions of racially or ethnically diverse school principals leading International Baccalaureate (IB) public schools in the urban America, argues that intercultural proficiency development and intersectionality of race/ethnicity and gender identity influence school leadership practice. To make this point, I draw on the intercultural competence theoretical framework, intersectionality, and culturally responsive school leadership. Through a qualitative methodology, a comparative three-case study is identified from a larger sample of IB schools reported to be favorably employing the Learner Profile, a learner framework fostering the development intercultural understanding. Interview with school principal and visuals …

Spanish Guided Reading And Phonics Instruction In Primary Dual Language Classrooms: A Self-Study Examining A Principal's Leadership And Actions To Improve Student Outcomes In A Neighborhood Urban School, Antonio Acevedo

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine a principal's leadership actions while attempting to improve primary student outcomes in reading in a Dual Language (English/Spanish) neighborhood school by supporting teachers in implementing a balanced literacy approach to teaching reading in Spanish. The principal as researcher noticed at the end of the 2014-15 year that primary reading assessment data in Spanish revealed low percentages of Spanish-speaking English Language Learner (ELL) students reading at grade level in Spanish with kindergarten, first, and second grade students' results respectively at 24, 34, and 37 percent. Research in the field of Dual Language Education …

Emotional Intelligence (Eq), Generational Status And The Successful Implementation Of The Common Core State Standards, Michael Allen

Dissertations

As education in the United States becomes more complex to provide for increasingly diverse students, it is extremely challenging to develop, recruit, and hire administrators to effectively lead 21st century schools. Many school districts all over the country are counting on their principals to successfully transition their schools to full implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The purpose of the research was to explore whether there was a correlation between emotional intelligence (EQ), generational status and principals' leadership abilities for the successful implementation of the CCSS.

Participants of this study included ten principals (two from the Baby Boom …

Effective Leadership For The Implementation Of The Common Core State Standards: Principal Behaviors That Develop Professional Capital To Create Conditions For Positve Change, Eileen Beth Brett

Dissertations

Identifying specific leadership behaviors of elementary school principals that create conditions for positive change is critical to implementing educational reform. The purpose of this research is to identify specific leadership behaviors of principals that have positively impacted the implementation of the Common Core State Standards through the development of professional capital.

The Common Core Standards represent a recent movement to create national standards, founded on the belief that schools have an obligation to ensure that all students are college and career ready (McLaughlin & Overturf, 2012; Conley; 2014a). Implementing the Common Core has challenged principals to develop leadership skills to …

Innovation And Change In Jesuit Education: Horizon 2020, A Case Study In The Jesuit School Network In Catalonia, Spain, Hugo Nelson Gomez-Sevilla

Dissertations

Innovation has taken place in education as a necessity to respond to a rapidly

changing world. In their commitment to contribute to the creative and healing mission of the

Society of Jesus, the Jesuit School Network of Catalonia created HORIZON 2020 to

envision a new school to effectively educate in the 21st Century and adapt the Ignatian

tradition to the present day.

Understanding the case and extracting the main lessons from it were best

accomplished by using a qualitative research approach. Particularly, this study used

descriptive single-case design with embedded units. The project Horizon 2020 of the

Jesuit Education Foundation …

Leading Effective Change In Schools Of The 21st Century: The Attributes, Behaviors, And Practices Of Effective School Principals, Jennifer Lynne Ferrari

Dissertations

In a period of tremendous change, as the educational landscape shifts to ensure our students are well prepared for new and unknown futures, the role of school principal is more essential than ever. The principal, as primary driver of change, sits at the helm of school improvement. He/she is charged with leading the complex orchestration of school efforts to develop and nurture the next generation of thinkers, problem-solvers, and innovators.

This study explored the attributes, behavior, and practices of effective K-12 principals through a mixed method design. Nine principals from the suburbs of Chicago participated in this study. Using 5Essential …