Education Commons^™

Student Affairs Approaches To Religion And Spirituality In U.S. Public Higher Education, Kayla J. Stafford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The field of student affairs addresses diversity and inclusion for all students; however, the student affairs profession may not provide support and resources for all developmental identities. There are a small number of public institutions that provide resources to help address and support students’ religious and spiritual development. It is known that private colleges are able to provide spiritual and religious resources for students, but the current study investigates the opportunities that lie within public universities. Literature has provided evidence of the importance of religious and spiritual discussions and resources for holistic student development, and the significance of this study …

A Qualitative Study Of The Perceptions Of Public School Teachers And Administrators On The Teachers' Association And The Collective Bargaining Process In An Iowa Urban School Setting, Eric J. Gjerde

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous studies have looked at collective bargaining and teachers’ associations and their impact on student achievement, but the results are mixed. Absent from the literature are studies that analyze data gathered after the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The focus of this study was to explore urban Iowa public school administrators’ and teachers’ current perceptions of the relationship between teacher associations and collective bargaining. It is the intent of this research to understand what the administrators and teachers in this study perceive about teacher associations and collective bargaining and why they maintain these perceptions. …

Using One-To-One Computing For Differentiated Instruction In Iowa: An Investigation Of The Impact Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching And Learning, Jodi A. Bermel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The 1983 seminal work entitled A Nation at Risk recommended that all high school graduates be proficient in the Five New Basics: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer science. To address the No Child Left Behind mandates, educators and administrators are evaluating the theory and practice of Differentiated Instruction (DI). One-to-one computer initiatives became an element of DI strategy due to the well-documented advantages in the use of technology to address individual learning needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of using one-to-one computing to differentiate instruction and to identify potential …

The Effect Of Participating On Service Trips On Community Engagement And Student Development, Kristofer M. Czerwiec

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Service-learning is important in the development of the individual and of the community: it enriches student learning, teaches civic responsibility, and strengthens and enhances the community. Service trips allow students to share this enrichment with communities outside their own, giving them an opportunity to experience a diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and community needs. Equally important, student exposure to diverse cultures and individuals will increase personal and social development among participants. In the current study, individuals indicating higher levels of personal and social development resulting from service trips will demonstrate the importance service trips have on the development of the participants. …

The Early Implementation Of A Teacher Leadership And Compensation System In A Select Iowa Public School As Codified By House File 215, Anthony Dale Voss

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Thirty-one years ago, in 1983, the report “A Nation at Risk” (Denning, 1983) declared that teacher preparation systems were ill equipped to provide teachers the deep content knowledge they would need in order to be successful, that salaries were much too low, and that we needed to do a better job of recruiting young people into the profession. The 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) is a call to action, one in which we are reminded that student achievement is stagnant or slipping around the country. In Iowa, attention to the topic of …

Doorways And Walls: Peer Coaching As A Means To Change Instructional Practice, Chad Garber

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Joyce and Showers (1980) described the impact that a peer coaching relationship can have on teachers as they work to transfer learning that occurs during professional learning opportunities to the classroom. Theory, demonstration, practice, and feedback are critical elements of professional development, yet, according to some research, only when the support of a peer coaching practice is provided, will significant numbers of teachers (as many as 90%) implement new strategies into the classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine if the presence of a peer coaching relationship impacts the instructional practice of high school English teachers. This qualitative …

An Analysis Of The Effect Of A 21st-Century-Designed Middle School On Student Achievement, Gary David Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Considering the billions of dollars invested in school buildings and the accountability for improving student achievement, there has been the lingering question about how the physical learning environment impacts student achievement. This study explored the impact of a new 21st-century-designed middle school facility on student academic achievement in mathematics and science. This case study used a mixed methods approach to examine the student achievement of 158 middle school students and the perceptions from 13 teachers and two administrators about the impact of the new facility on teaching and student learning. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect …

Leading Through Change: A Study Of The Role Of Central Office Leadership In The Process Of Secondary Change, Dirk A. Halupnik

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to more fully understand the actions of district level leaders in a major change effort and their effects on the change process. Furthermore this study aimed to provide additional information about the factors that school district central office administrators confront when making the decision to add another high school and the actions taken by these administrators to lead the district through this process so that other school districts and leaders may learn from this. The methodology for this study was a qualitative case study approach in which central office leaders in a district that …

Leadership Distinctions : The Impact Of Leadership On Teachers Of Second Chance Reading, Rebecca Sue Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Second Chance Reading (SCR), an instructional framework that targets and supports struggling adolescent readers and determined to be a sound and viably researched framework, can assist teachers in building and supporting proficient and lifelong learners when implemented as intended. This study examined educators from five unique communities who recently implemented the program. Four key questions guided the research and became the focus during semi-structured purposive interviews. (1) What was the relationship between Second Chance Reading teachers and principal leadership? (2) What leadership qualities were necessary to support Second Chance Reading teachers? (3) What barriers were preventing teachers from accomplishing their …

Instructional Coaching : A Look At Teaching Practices And Impact On Student Achievement, Sharon Sue Ingebrand

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The traditional one-shot teacher trainings aimed at telling teachers what they need to do to get better are not only frustrating to teachers, but are ineffective for improving classroom practices or student learning. Experts have advocated for effective professional learning to be job-embedded and intensively focused on the goal of meeting the learning needs of teachers and students. As the body of evidence around intense, ongoing, job-embedded professional learning grows, more school districts are placing instructional coaches in schools in hope of improving teachers' practices and student learning.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to: ( 1) determine …

A Case Study Of The Perceptions Of Stakeholders From A School District In Iowa On The Impact Of No Child Left Behind On The Comprehensive High School, Brian Coppess

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The American comprehensive high school was designed for a diverse society (Wraga, 1998, p. 1 ). The concept originated in the 1920s as a result of a report entitled The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education (Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education [CRSE], 1918). Since the adoption of The Cardinal Principles, the institution of the comprehensive high school has withstood years of continued review and reform efforts. Despite the many attempts to change it, the comprehensive high school has remained a constant of secondary education in America. The nation's most recent educational reform effort-the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, …

A Case Study Of A Rural Iowa School Preparing To Meet New State Guidelines For School Libraries [Dissertation], Karla Steege Krueger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The national school library guidelines place the greatest emphasis upon the teaching and learning component of school library programs led by professional school librarians. Despite findings linking school library programming, including instruction by professional school librarians, to increased student achievement on standardized tests and improved content learning through student inquiry using library resources, the importance of the instructional role of the school librarian remains largely unrecognized by administrators and teachers.

A qualitative case study of one rural Iowa elementary school provided insight into the issue of small schools without library programs as they are preparing to meet the Iowa reinstatement …

Reframed Teacher Leadership: A Narrative Inquiry, Cynthia L. Kenyon

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teacher leadership has been in schools from the time teachers rang the school bells. Three waves of teacher leadership have been examined. The first wave focused on formal managerial positions such as department chairs, the second wave focused on curriculum and staff development, and the third wave focused on daily acts of collaboration to solve problems and provide professional development activities for staffs. This study explored the third wave practice of teacher leaders in a qualitative study focusing on the narratives of 11 teacher leaders.

A narrative of lives format was used to study leadership experiences. A pilot study was …

Namibia Principals' Knowledge And Attitudes Towards Hiv/Aids And Their Compliance With The Ministry's National Policy, Shamani-Jeffrey Shikwambi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is infecting school-age children at an alarming rate. Effective education is the only prevention at this time. School principals can serve as a vital component in the prevention of HIV/AIDS in school-age children. The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and the attitudes of school principals in Namibia towards HIV/AIDS. The study also examined the extent of Namibian school principals' awareness level and implementation practices of the Namibian HIV/AIDS National Policy.

One hundred and forty-three school principals completed the HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Attitudes Scales for Teachers (Koch …

The Impact Of The No Child Left Behind (Nclb) Legislation On School Leadership Of Two School Buildings Designated In Need Of Improvement: An Agency Theory Perspective, Susan Pecinovsky

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of conducting this study was to describe and analyze how NCLB has influenced school leaders in school buildings designated in need of assistance (SINA) and to the sanctions that accompany that label. Included in this study is the examination of the principal-agent interactions proposed in agency theory through the relationship of Iowa school leadership and the Iowa Department of Education.

From the 11 school buildings presently designated schools in need of assistance according to the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 2001 or No Child Left Behind, the school leadership of two school buildings participated in …

Administrative Strategies That Foster Self-Reflective Practice In Iowa Educators As Perceived By Middle Level Principals And Teachers, Jane Brandt Lindaman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

With the onset of the Iowa Quality Teacher Legislation, the Iowa Teaching Standards are mandated for use by all school districts in Iowa. These standards call for administrators to assist teachers in becoming self-reflective practitioners. The purpose of this study was to investigate administrative strategies employed by principals to assist teachers in becoming self-reflective toward the Iowa Teaching Standards. A secondary purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which teachers are currently utilizing self-reflection as a method of improving their instructional effectiveness, as perceived by middle level teachers and principals in Iowa.

Four research questions were examined …

Perceptions Of High School Principals On Instructional Leadership And Implications For Practice And Professional Development, Dianna K. Engelbrecht

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was: (a) to determine how Iowa high school principals perceive their instructional leadership practice as defined by ISSL/ISLLC Standard 2 and the knowledge, dispositions, and performance descriptors; (b) to determine which Standard 2 indicators are most essential for the high school principal's instructional leadership practice; (c) to determine if the practices of high school principals as instructional leaders align with the identified essential indicators of Standard 2; (d) to define and describe how Iowa high school principals define instructional leadership; (e) to determine if demographics impact the instructional leadership practices of Iowa's high school principals; …

A Study Of The Multiple Perspective Approach To Leadership Used By Elementary And Secondary Public School Principals In Urban Iowa, Tracy E. Johns

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Based on the writings and research of Dr. L. G. Bolman and Dr. T. E. Deal, this study sought to assess the leadership practices, preferences, preparedness, and performance of public school principals in urban Iowa. Specifically, were the principals in Iowa's eight largest districts making use of a multiple perspective approach to leadership? In what areas did they appear to feel most competent? And, in what areas did the principals in this study appear to feel most inadequate?

Bolman and Deal's Leadership Orientations ( Self ) Survey (1990) was distributed to 240 elementary and secondary principals working within the Urban …

Perceptions Of Iowa High School Principals On The Relationship Of Leadership, School Size, And Socioeconomic Level To School Culture, Kevin Wayne Fiene

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

American society is changing. Consequently, public schools are being called to change as well. Previous reform efforts have failed to bring about substantive change and improvement. Current reform efforts are calling for the changing of school culture. What factors influence school culture? What role does leadership, school size, and socioeconomic levels play in developing school culture?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of leadership, school size, and socioeconomic level to school culture utilizing the Competing Values Framework. The Competing Values Framework provided four ideal culture types and eight leadership roles. Culture types included group, developmental, rational …

Passages: A Case Study Of An Iowa Female Secondary Principal, Victoria L. Robinson

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to identify and describe one female Iowa secondary principal's career path to the principalship in an Iowa public high school. Several factors were considered in the selection of the participant including: demographics, administrative experience, and her willingness to spend time in the interview process. To provide semi-structure to the interviews and in turn suggest the conceptual frame for analyzing the data, the following questions were formulated:

1. What were the experiences which served as perceived barriers in the career path to the high school principalship for one Iowa female high school principal? …

The Relationship Of Leadership, Socioeconomic Status, And School Size In Developing School Culture: A Study Of Elementary School Principals, Janice Marie Ott

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Schools are being called upon to restructure, to make fundamental systemic changes which require a change in the culture of schooling. Little is known about how school culture develops. What role do leaders play in shaping culture? What influences do building size and the socioeconomic status of the students have on the culture?

The purpose of this study was to explore these relationships and to cluster and describe the culture profiles among Iowa elementary schools. A survey of a random sample of 250 Iowa elementary principals provided perceptual data from 214 respondents.

Based on the Competing Values theoretical model, four …

The Characteristics Of Elementary Teachers Perceived And Identified As Curricular Leaders, Celia R. Burger

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of elementary teachers who were perceived and identified as being influential in curricular change by peers, principals, and district administrators. The study described characteristics which appeared to be shared by 16 elementary teachers selected from 20 elementary schools in one major school district in a Midwestern state.

Subjects were identified from responses by peers, building administrators, and district administrators to the Instructional Leadership Survey prepared by the researcher. Twenty teachers, identified as influential by all three of the surveyed groups, were considered teacher leaders in this study. Sixteen of the …