Education Commons^™

Through A Prism: A Reflection Of The Culture Of Leadership, Catherine A. Beaton Ms

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Leadership in education presents from both an informal and formal change agent perspective. An exploration of how an informal leader from a constructivist leadership stance could effect change through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in a hierarchical organization was undertaken. Using Bolman and Deal’s (2013) theoretical frames to develop an understanding of the lens through which people view the workings within an educational institute, I chose to use Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingles’ (2016) Change Path Model to develop an organizational change plan. The plan is to attempt to effect change through Professional Learning Communities. Using the Provincial Education Program of Studies, …

An Examination Of The Factors That Influence The Transfer Of Learning Among K-12 Educators Participating In Professional Learning Communities, Charcelor C. Mccullum

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify the factors that either support or inhibit learning transfer among educators within K-12 professional learning communities (PLCs) as well as to obtain a better understanding of how adult education principles relate to teacher learning and job satisfaction within this environment. Although research regarding professional learning for educators within the K-12 setting is available, much of this research is not focused directly on adult education principles and often fails to examine learning transfer. The present study addresses both areas using a two-phase exploratory sequential mixed methods approach to obtain both qualitative …

The Impact Of Teacher Perception Of Professional Learning Communities On Student Algebraic Achievement, Tyrone John

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this study, I investigate the impact of teachers’ perceptions of professional learning communities on student algebraic achievement. Furthermore, I also investigate whether these relationships manifest differently for males compared to females. Research indicates that teacher quality and professionalism are considered the most critical factors affecting academic achievement. In this dissertation, I interrogate this issue by employing multivariate analyses using data retrieved from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09) and 2012 follow-up. HSLS:09 used a nationally representative sample of over 21,000 ninth-grade students, which incorporated teacher, parent, school administrator, and school counselor input to create a context for …

Building Leadership Capacities Through Course Development Planning At A Conventional University, Tina R. Goertz

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) looks at reducing the resistance found when faculty members are asked to use a systematic plan for online course development. The course development plan is a framework that is built around the concept of “backwards design” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Backwards design makes all items congruent—the assessments to the activities, activities to the instructions, and instructions to topics and learning outcomes. The literature review within the context of this OIP, found that course development planning lacks flexibility, creates anxieties with faculty members, is time consuming, and organizational faculty development support is limited and/or inadequate. To …

Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities On The Instructional Climate At Flintville Elementary School In Lincoln County, Tn, David Golden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore teacher perceptions of Professional Learning Communities on the instructional climate at Flintville Elementary School in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Participants in the study included five teachers, the evaluation supervisor, and one parent from Flintville Elementary School. Through the analysis of interviews and a review of documents collected from Professional Learning Communities (PLC) meetings in grades Pre-K through 8, the investigator was able to extract meaning and code the data into categories that led to an understanding of the perceptions being researched.

Professional Learning Communities at Flintville Elementary School have changed the instructional climate concerning …

Leadership Practices That Create A Sustainable Collaborative Community, Regina Tillman

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the principal leadership practices perceived as supporting the development of professional learning communities and a sustainable collaborative culture. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to examine principal leadership practices school teachers in Antelope Valley School Districts perceive as important to creating a sustainable professional learning community. This study contributed to the literature to understand the important leadership practices that support the implementation and sustainability of professional learning communities. The participants in the present study were elementary principals and teachers implementing professional learning communities in Antelope Valley elementary school …

Toward Assessment Leadership: Study Of Assessment Practices Among School And Classroom Leaders, Carrie Elizabeth Eubank Morris

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Traditionally, models of instructional leadership espouse data-informed decision making in response to student assessment outcomes as one of the core school leader behaviors. In recent years, rising expectations from accountability policies and related assessment practices have myriad implications for school districts, specifically in the areas of standards-driven reform, student assessment systems, and professional development models. As a result, demands on schools to collect and use student assessment data to inform curricular and instructional decisions has expanded. While principals are typically held responsible for school improvement efforts, more contemporary models of instructional leadership incorporate teachers as classroom-based leaders of assessment practices …

How High School Teachers Perceive The Quality Of Professional Development, Leslie Puente-Ervin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

New Jersey is 1 of 46 states to enroll in President Obama's Race-to-the-Top Initiative. Participating states must adopt national standards, revise teacher evaluation procedures, and administer new state assessments. States are prioritizing quality professional development (PD) to prepare teachers for these rapid shifts. The overall problem studied was how high school teachers perceive the quality of PD in a high school in New Jersey. While substandard PD alone is not enough to lose tenure, it has recently become one of the evaluative measures for teacher performance according to a new tenure law signed in 2012 by Governor Chris Christie. Such …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities And Their Impact On School Culture, Jerry Paul Kociuruba Jr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are a group of educators working collaboratively to improve student achievement and expand the pedagogy of the individual as well as the group. Studies on PLCs, grounded by the social constructivism theory of Vygotsky, Bandura, and Wenger, have found that collaboration and collegiality foster a positive school climate. This case study explored the perspectives of PLC participants at a suburban high school on the impact of their PLC on the school's culture. Ten teacher participants with at least 2 years of experience at the research site were individually interviewed, and 5 observations of content PLC meetings …