Education Commons^™

Understanding Catholic School Attrition: Catholic Elementary School Students’ And Parents’ Perceptions And Matriculation Decisions, Thomas Gasper

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study shed light on the issue of attrition within Catholic education and points to opportunities for leaders to improve the effectiveness of elementary and secondary schools as well as identify barriers impacting access to poor and vulnerable populations. The purpose was to: describe factors eighth-grade Catholic school students and their parents consider in choosing a high school; determine correlations between degree of satisfaction with Catholic elementary schools and perceptions of programs in Catholic high schools; and understand the extent students’ and parents’ identified attributes corresponded to their high school selection.

Quantitative data was generated from surveys of …

The Local-Executive Governance Model In Catholic Parochial Elementary Schools: Understanding Pastors’ Perspectives, Armando Luiz Carvalho

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Catholic parochial elementary schools in the United states are normally governed by the pastor of the local parish and under a local-executive governance model. Despite pastors’ paramount role in the governance of Catholic parochial elementary schools they often lack the training, interest, or time to fulfill their roles. This qualitative study explored pastors’ perspectives on the local-executive governance model, where governance of the school is local and the pastor is the sole executive of the school. This dissertation included interviews with nine pastors in a diocese on the west coast of the United States. The study explored how pastors’ view …

Phenomenal Women: Experiences Of Women In Executive Catholic Educational Leadership In The United States, Fatima Ann Samson Nicdao

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Though women are overrepresented in education as classroom teachers, they continue to be underrepresented in decision-making leadership positions in education administration (Bynum, 2016; Coleman, 2003; Fuller, 2013; Grogan & Shakeshaft, 2011; Moorosi, 2018; Robinson et al., 2017; Torrance et al., 2017). The cause of the low representation of women in decision making has been attributed to a wide range of reasons spanning from ingrained patriarchal mindsets, societal biases, lack of professional networks, misconceptions of women in leadership, and the lack of leadership opportunities.

Other causes of gender inequality in educational leadership are linked to a lack of a systematic mentorship …

A Qualitative Study Of Three Urban Catholic High Schools: Investigating Parent And Principal Expectations And Realizations Of Parental Involvement And The Parent-School Relationship, Karen Elayne Holyk-Casey

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated parents’ and principals’ expectations of their roles in the parent-school relationship and how they defined, encouraged, and realized parental involvement within an urban Catholic high school setting. Through pattern analysis and axial coding of the data collected from parents and principal interviews, documents, and observations at parent-school meetings and events, four patterns emerged: (a) the underlying child-centered mission, (b) the parents’ role in supporting the student, (c) the parent-school relationship created to support the student, and (d) the principals’ role in creating a trusting environment that promotes parental involvement. Further analysis was guided by the parental …

A Case Study Of Student Leadership And Service In A Catholic Female Single-Sex High School, Jill Patricia Bickett

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research student perspectives about, and participation in, leadership and service at Catholic female single-sex high schools. This study draws data from a Catholic female single-sex high school in a metropolitan area of the United States. Data collection included school document review, site observation, and interviews of current students (n=10), young alumnae (n=5), mature alumnae (n=5), and current faculty and staff (n=6). The data was analyzed using an adapted theoretical framework of Wenger's (1998) social theory of learning, informed by Lave and Wenger's (1991) concept of communities of practice. This study addresses how the …