Education Commons^™

Comparison Of Dual Enrollment Student Grades In Introductory Biology College Dual-Enrollment Courses Taken In Texas High Schools Or Colleges For School Leaders, Cynthia A. Gallardo

School Leadership Review

Dual Enrollment (DE) or Dual Credit (DC) programs have become increasingly prevalent at both the high school and college settings. These programs enable students to earn both high school and college credit and get a head start on their college education. Additionally, students in these programs must take university core curriculum courses to fulfill their college education requirements. A course that several students take is Introductory to Biology, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) course. This course is an introductory science course and may present a challenge for students in that there is a large quantity of material discussed. …

Igniting Resilience During Critical Times: Reflections Of Women Superintendents, Janice L. Taylor, Sharon Ross, Kathryn Washington, Kelly A. Brown

School Leadership Review

This qualitative study sought to explore the perceptions of women school superintendents in K -12 public schools in Texas about the challenges they face as leaders and how they endure these impactful challenges, particularly during critical times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Polidore’s Resilience Theory (2004) as the theoretical framework, the study sought to determine which of the nine resilience qualities, either innately possessed or through acquisition over time, helped to sustain the women superintendents during adverse situations associated with the highest level of leadership in a school district. The nine qualities of resilience include: religion, flexible locus of …

Ineffective School Leadership: Teachers Weigh-In, Jerry Burkett, Sonya D. Hayes

School Leadership Review

Effective school leaders are essential to the success of the school environment. Teachers have left schools due to poor and ineffective campus leadership, but often do not report the reasons why they left or do not have a safe mechanism in place to support their claims and drive campus change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the perceptions of teachers who work in elementary, middle, and high schools in Texas on the qualities of ineffective principals and how these qualities affect teacher retention. Respondents in an open-ended survey reported that ineffective principals lacked character, professionalism, and ethics; …

More Than A Test Score: Toward A More Balanced School Accountability System, Joel A. Leader, Barbara L. Pazey

School Leadership Review

Using a zone of mediation framework, we explore how one school district designed a community-based accountability system (CBAS) reflecting community stakeholders’ values, priorities, and goals. We collected rich data sets from a document analysis, focus group, and individual interviews. Our findings indicated a strong dissatisfaction with test-based accountability that led the district to engage its stakeholders in designing a CBAS using multiple achievement measures to report on district success. The importance of collaboration with other districts and leaders at the local, regional, and state levels also emerged. This study highlights the importance of stakeholder involvement, leadership, and collaboration when making …

Exploration Of The Relationships Between Principal Preparation Program Admission Requirements And Program Performance, Summer Pannell

School Leadership Review

Admission criteria for principal preparation programs vary from state to state and even amongst universities within the same state. Despite the recommendation nearly two decades ago to connect admission criteria to leadership standards, little research has been done to help develop such criteria. This study examined principal preparation program admissions requirements at one southern university to determine if a relationship existed between admission criteria, academic program performance, and performance on educational leadership licensure assessments. The Pearson product-moment correlation found a statistically significant correlation between, both, the GRE and GRE Writing assessments and the School Leadership Licensure Assessment for educational administrator …

My Muse Of Fire Is Ubuntu: My Black Lives Matter Re-Awakening Of Purpose, Gwendolyn C. Webb

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

Poetry, as a genre, allows one to express emotion as a tool to stimulate thought and action. This piece shares the importance of culturally responsive leadership and teaching from the perspective of a university professor seeking to strengthen her critical consciousness. The muse of thought as a precursor to action was motivated by personal and professional development as it relates to truly embracing Black Lives Matter during the pandemic. This muse shares a transformation in the development of proactive and strength-based perspectives in leading and teaching African American learners.

Producing College, Career, And Military Ready Graduates: A Study Of Efficiency In Texas Public School Districts, James J. Barton, Kaye Shelton, Kenneth Young

School Leadership Review

Public school districts in Texas and policymakers need studies of efficiency in the production of College, Career, and Military Ready graduates to maximize resources in the House Bill 3 funding formula and improve ratings in the Texas public school accountability system. A replication of efficiency studies by Carter (2012) and Thompson (2017), the purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to determine what discretionary and non-discretionary factors influence the efficiency of Texas public school districts’ production of College, Career, and Military Ready graduates. With financial and student performance data for 1054 school districts from the 2017-2018 school year, Data Envelopment …

Curated Conferences To Strengthen Equity Leadership Capacity: A Case Study Of Aspiring School Leaders, Heidi Von Dohlen, Jessica Weiler, Emily E. Virtue, Catherine Andrews

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine whether a Curated Conference Learning Experience (CCLE) could stimulate new learning or deepen existing learning around leadership for equity by engaging four andragogical theories: critical theory and praxis, new learning, guided learning, and reflective learning within a community of practice. Faculty members selected sessions focused on equity, provided journal prompts, and conducted focus groups for 13 students enrolled in a Masters of School Administration program at national educational leadership conference. Findings indicate new and strengthened learning in the areas of (1) relationship building; (2) understanding identity and co-constructing leadership for …

School Leadership Assessment Of Teachers’ Work-Life Balance: Perceptions And Professional Learning Needs During A Global Health Pandemic, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Alissa Sasser, Katherine Fallon, Katarina Evans

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand the work-life balance of educators teaching students during the Covid-19 health pandemic. Teachers face a multitude of challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from traditional face-to-face class to online learning resulting in a cyclical phenomenon for many teachers as schools have shifted back and forth between virtual and in-person settings in response to constantly changing coronavirus messaging. The findings identified three overarching themes related to teachers’ needs including Boundaries with Time and Commitments, Mentally Processing Daily Stressors, and Healthy Lifestyle. Implications for practice denote that …

Secondary Principal Leadership And The Impact On Engaging Hands-On Learning Strategies, Sarah Morrison, Ray Thompson

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study was to understand how secondary campus principals build capacity in teachers to actively engage students in the processes of meaningful learning. Secondary campus principals should continuously work with teachers in a team setting in order to implement best practices. In recent years, “researchers in educational leadership have called for a new sustainable model for the future” and one must rethink how engagement aligns for student success. Hands-on learning can be instrumental in increasing student engagement, which, in turn, builds student capacity, students who do not feel challenged often become bored in the educational …

Interpreting Social-Emotional Learning: How School Leaders Make Sense Of Sel Skills For Themselves And Others, James Bailey, Randy Weiner

School Leadership Review

The need for social-emotional learning for adults has emerged due to accountability stressors and the Covid-19 pandemic. While many school leaders believe in SEL for adults, major disconnects exist between their understanding and belief in SEL and their plans to implement it. The main problem this research sought to address integrated two ideas in the affective world of school leaders: First, research literature today does not describe what competencies from the most commonly used framework for SEL, CASEL, mean concerning school leadership. Second, research literature today does not describe how school leaders explicitly develop SEL skills and operationalize these competencies …

School Leadership Support: Understanding The Experiences Of Elementary-Level Teachers During A Global Health Pandemic, Kathleen M. Crawford, Pamela Wells, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Kristen N. Dickens, Katherine Fallon

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand how the current COVID-19 global health pandemic has professionally and emotionally impacted elementary-level teachers. Teachers experienced diverse challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from in-person to online learning. Two overarching themes emerged based on participant experiences: abandoning best practices and increased stress and emotional pain. Implications for practice included the need for school leaders to evaluate the current level of support being provided to teachers and assess areas of need to support professional and emotional growth with the backdrop of the pandemic. We encourage future research with all …

The Effect Of School Tasks On Principals' And Assistant Principals’ Leadership Self-Efficacy, Torri Jackson, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Summer Pannell, Richard E. Cleveland, Suzanne B. Miller, Katherine Fallon

School Leadership Review

The pressure to lead schools effectively while fulfilling instructional leadership and school management tasks could impact school administrators’ perceptions of their leadership capabilities. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to identify the relationship between the varied tasks of school administrators as related to their leadership self-efficacy. Data were collected from 73 school administrators to ascertain leadership self-efficacy of principals and assistant principals based upon the completion of instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks. The major findings of the study indicated a positive, linear relationship between leadership self-efficacy and the instructional leadership tasks and school management tasks of …

University-Based Principal Preparation Programs In Texas In 2019: Where Is Special Education?, Ann Hoa Lê, Julie Peterson Combs

School Leadership Review

Most principal training programs in the United States focus very little on preparing aspiring instructional leaders to lead programs for students with disabilities. An examination of principal preparation programs and their SPED components is necessary at a time when standards have been revised and new certification exams have been constructed in Texas. To explore the presence of SPED topics in principal certification courses, we used a classical content analysis with a group of university-based principal preparation programs. Almost half of the universities in our study required 18 semester hours or fewer for principal certification, and none of these had course …

On Calling In And Becoming: Our Microaggression Story, Ashley N. Gibson, Brooke Blevins

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

This paper is a joint account of an experience with a microaggression between a doctoral candidate, Ashley, and her doctoral advisor Dr. Blevins in Baylor’s EdD Learning and Organizational Change program ( EdD LOC). The microaggression took place in a virtual learning setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. This story recounts the moment of the offense, how the harm was repaired, and what each felt and learned from the exchange. Ashley and Dr. Blevins partnered to share their perspectives, and both authors hope this paper will shed light on the topic of microaggressions, by raising awareness, cultivating dialogue on the topics …

Building A Strength-Based Support Program For College Students With Autism, Deann Lechtenberger, Wesley H. Dotson, Eriko Fukuda, Rebecca Beights, Jennifer Hamrick, James Williams, Barry Lovelace

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Abstract

Instructional Leadership Practices And School Leaders' Self-Efficacy, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer 4785659, Carter Akins, Antonio Gutierrez De Blume, Richard Cleveland, Summer Pannell

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate instructional leadership practices and the degree to which these practices predict the leadership self-efficacy of school leaders while controlling for years of experience as a school leader. With educational reform focused on school accountability, principals must attend to tasks that lead to school improvement. Identifying such tasks as instructional leadership practices and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of instructional leadership practices through leadership self-efficacy may contribute to school improvement. The methodology utilized a survey and the participants were 100 principals and assistant principals of public schools in the southeastern United States, …

Implementing Discipline Reform: One District’S Experience With Pbis, Catherine Robert Ed.D.

School Leadership Review

This study examines the case of one large urban school district’s implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to review competing needs and challenges encountered over a four-year period. There are encouraging results supporting the finding of a successful PBIS implementation and plans for continued implementation of Tier I practices and expand Tier II supports. Reducing the continuing disparity between the percentages of African American and White students receiving disciplinary consequences remains a challenge for Middleton ISD. In addition, work remains to reduce the disproportionate number of students receiving special education services who receive higher levels of disciplinary consequences.

Graduate Student Perceptions Of Cohort Delivery And Problem-Based Learning In Online Principal Certification Courses, Pam Winn Ed. D., James Gentry Ed. D., An Nguyen Ed. D.

School Leadership Review

This qualitative study examined graduate/post-graduate student perceptions regarding the use of a cohort model and Project-Based Learning (PBL) in a completely online principal certification preparation classes. As part of a TEA funded grant, two districts (a cohort of 17 students) completed 24-semester hours of principal certification courses. All classes were online and emphasized PBL to engage the students in higher-level thinking skills. Participants responded to an open-ended survey regarding their perceptions of cohort and PBL experiences. Findings indicate graduate/post-graduate student perceptions were positive concerning both the cohort model and the PBL learning experiences. However, participants provided valuable feedback for improvements …

Educational Leaders Can Lead The Way For Increased Academic Achievement For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Stephanie C. Holmes, Jennifer Butcher

School Leadership Review

The problem that drove this study was the increasing number of students with autism entering the school system, and the barriers often encountered for both academic and social inclusion for students on the autism spectrum. Autism Spectrum Disorder, as defined by diagnostic criteria, includes deficits in social-relational communication; social-communication deficits can lead to educational impacts and limit opportunities upon transitioning from the public-school system. The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to inclusion, from the perspectives of key stakeholders to include Local Education Agency (LEA) representatives, general and special education teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, speech-language pathologists …

Lessons From Principals Of High-Performing Ethnically Diverse High-Poverty Schools, Elizabeth T. Murakami, W Sean Kearney

School Leadership Review

This study examines practices of principals working in high-performing, high-poverty schools with a high representation of students of color in south central Texas. This study explores how leaders build individual and organizational capacity in high-needs schools. Using a criterion sample, and a conceptual framework focused on leadership for learning, three principals were included in this study. Their schools each had 85% representation of students of color, 85% or more of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, and at least 85% of students demonstrating mastery on state assessments. Principals demonstrated that while it is paramount to set organizational structures and policies conducive …

Talk Or Walk: School Principals And Shared Instructional Leadership, Sheila Baker, John Decman, Jana M. Willis

School Leadership Review

Beginning in March of 2020, public school educators at all levels were thrown into a situation in which they were required to drastically alter pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. The move from classroom-based instruction to a virtual platform, whether synchronous or not, was too often done on-the-fly and with mixed results. With the realization and acceptance, albeit grudgingly, that web-based, internet-based, and/or virtual platforms need to be greatly expanded to the population and may become the norm for public education, there clearly exists a need for an expanded definition of instructional leadership.

The purpose of this study is to …

Pandemic Policy Preparedness: Unintentional Student Discrimination In The Wake Of Covid-19, Jerry Burkett, Danielle Reynolds

School Leadership Review

Educational leadership requires a set of skills and practices that are shaped by professional ethics. Professional ethics are the dynamics of both personal and professional ethics and requires educational leaders to understand how these ethical codes drive interactions and decisions especially in difficult situations (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). Anderson (2014) argues that educational leaders may not have the deeper understanding of social justice necessary to “better scholarship, but also to better practice” (pp. x) due to the current expectations of leaders including increasing test scores and accountability ratings and addressing social and emotional learning.

Adding to the current expectations of …

Using Data To Inform An Educational Staff Training Manual: Pilot Study, Jillian Dawes, John Lum, Jennifer Silber Carr, Nathan Lambright, Stephanie Child

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Evidence-based staff training in education is limited in the research literature. While several targeted components of staff training exist, no prior research has combined evidence-based procedures into a multi-component staff training manual. The purpose of the current pilot study was to improve training for new staff in a special education setting. A needs assessment indicated social validity in developing and implementing programs for behavior support plan training and phasing-in staff during training. Based on this data, a manual was developed to include comprehensive training procedures. While the amount of data was limited, results indicate some initial support for the manualized …

Leveraging University Partnerships To Build Capacity In Rural Schools: A Case Study, Wesley D. Hickey, Ross Sherman, Cody Mize, Michael Donley

School Leadership Review

University partnerships provide an avenue to increase capacity within K-12 schools. This case study reviews and successful partnership and the steps taken to make it work.

Principals As Instructional Leaders: An Embedded Descriptive Case Study Of One Rural School's Effort To Improve Student Outcomes Through Reading Plus, Joshua W. Tremont, Nathan R. Templeton

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this descriptive embedded case study is to address a reading literacy problem at a rural school district through a principal’s instructional leadership and to determine whether student outcomes improved. Campus principals are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring every student receives high-quality instruction that aligns with research-driven best practices by implementing current interim assessment cycles to track classroom trends and determine appropriate interventions (Texas Administrative Code [TAC §149.2001.]). However, the manner in which the principal influences student achievement varies based on leader capacity and school setting. While leadership in rural settings is as diverse as the community …

Fostering Inclusive Culture Through Partnerships With Nonprofits, Kevin Badgett, John Decman

School Leadership Review

NELP Standards place a particular emphasis on “the leaders’ responsibility for the well-being of students and staff as well as their role in working with others to create supportive and inclusive district and school cultures” (Preparing for the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Program Review: A Companion Guide, 14). This concept, that of working with others to create inclusive district and school cultures, necessarily means that school leaders are required to look at organizations and leaders in the community to foster positive growth. Because of this, there is a fertile ground upon which to investigate the benefits of partnerships with …

An Examination Of Adult Bullying In The K-12 Workplace: Implications For School Leaders, Cynthia J. Kleinheksel, Richard T. Geisel

School Leadership Review

The issue of bullying in K-12 schools usually brings images of students to mind, but a recent quantitative study of a sample from K-12 school personnel in Michigan showed that 27.8% of adults in the K-12 workplace consider themselves the target of an adult bully. This study calls for school leadership to recognize and proactively address the issue of workplace bullying in K-12 schools through policy, procedures, training, prevention, enforcement, and positive resolution to provide a safe, non-threatening environment in which to work and learn.

Community Context: Influence And Implications For School Leadership Preparation, Tamara Lipke, Holly Manaseri

School Leadership Review

Effective K-12 leaders remain a central concern for schools and communities of all types. The purpose of this research is to examine critically the literature on issues facing leaders in rural and urban settings and present a synthesis of cross-cutting themes. The authors reviewed the theoretical and empirical literature on K-12 leadership issues in rural settings and in urban settings published between 2013-2018 in ten journals. An examination of the similarities and differences facing leaders in these settings in the United States and a discussion of the implications for leadership preparation programs is provided. Future research directions to guide the …

The Perceptions Of Teacher Evaluation By Teachers And Campus Administrators In A Suburban Texas District, George P. Willey

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this research is to examine the perceptions of campus administrators and teachers of the new Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) in a suburban Texas school district. Historically, teacher evaluation systems have failed to reach the intended outcome of serving as a tool to improve teaching practices. When campus administrators and teachers perceive teacher evaluation as primarily a tool to document poor performers, the growth aspect of the evaluation process is not maximized. This research seeks to identify the perceptions of both campus administrators and teachers on the evaluation system. District leaders will be able to …