Education Commons^™

Elementary Teacher Perspectives Regarding Leadership Practices That Supported Creation Of A Dual Language Public School, Angelica Ozuna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increase in the enrollment of elementary school students who do not speak English as their first language has led to initiatives to provide effective instruction for these students which require effective leadership. The problem is that leadership practices have been unsuccessful in supporting dual language elementary school teachers, and minimal research has explored teachers’ perspectives of leadership in this area. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore perspectives of rural public school teachers regarding leadership practices they found effective and ineffective in creation of a new dual language elementary school. Eleven participants answered 10 semistructured interview …

Supporting Novice Department Leaders, Bryan Sarandrea

Selected Full Text Dissertations, 2011-

The purpose of this study was to understand the extent to which novice department leaders believe they have been supported in their roles. Previous research has suggested that department leaders have unique needs due to the lack of clarity in their roles and responsibilities. The literature further reflected the inconsistent support provided to novice administrators, and focused primarily on principals. To examine novice department leaders’ perception of informal and formal supports, The Experiences of Novice Department Leaders questionnaire was distributed to K-12 department leaders and building department chairpersons on Long Island (N = 83), with no more than 4 years …

The Facade Of Instructional Leadership – The Patterns And Priorities Of Principals In Guiding And Driving Effective Classroom Instructional Practices, Jerad Hyden

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Façade of Instructional Leadership: The Patterns and Priorities of High School Principals in Guiding and Driving Effective Classroom Instructional Practices

Abstract

By Jerad Hyden

University of the Pacific 2023

Classroom walkthroughs are the consistent and systematic observation of instruction in the classroom, and despite research indicating classroom walkthroughs drive student achievement and promote learning, high school principals fail to implement effective classroom walkthroughs on a consistent basis, resulting in teachers not receiving enough guidance and support to improve instruction for student learners. The purpose of this study was to assist and empower high school principals as instructional leaders through …

Where Are All The African-American Women Superintendents In California, Oregon, And Washington State?, Toniesha D. Webb

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There are many African American women in leadership positions such as Assistant Superintendents, Network Superintendents, Directors, Principals, Assistant Principals, and Coaches. There is a disconnect for African American women in leadership and the highest position of authority in a school district. This leads to the question, what are the barriers, if any, that are limiting the amount of African American Women in the far western states to transition into Superintendent positions? In the reverse, what supports did the women who are superintendents have in their leadership ascension? Finally, what structures need to be developed and formalized in order to facilitate …

Student Engagement, Experience, & Support Among Pre-Pharmacy Students, James J. Stack

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study was guided by Astin’s Student Involvement theory which explored student’s needs in a demanding program amongst 12 pre-pharmacy students at the University of the Pacific. This qualitative study looked to uncover the engagement, experiences, and support of pre-pharmacy students in order to learn what students want from their learning experiences; to aid in student success and retention. Qualitative interviews provided detailed stories to their pre-pharmacy experiences. Through a thorough analysis of the data seven themes emerged: (a) peer support (b) time management (c) exam structure (d) increased faculty support (e) housing placement (f) coping with stress (g) core …

Administrators’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities As Replacements For Traditional Professional Development, Antwonette Woodlon

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Professional learning communities (PLCs) positively influence students’ and teachers’ success. Yet, traditional professional development, involving passive learning, is still widely used. The problem addressed in this qualitative case study is little is known about administrators’ perceptions about PLCs as replacements for traditional forms of professional development (PD). Administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of PLCs should be explored to learn more about why PLCs are underutilized in schools, despite their proven effectiveness. The primary conceptual framework used for this study was Knowles’ adult learning theory supported by Contextual learning theory. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit eight participants – four administrators and …

Impact Of A Student-Athlete Career Preparation Program On Athlete Alumni Affinity, Heather L. Hunter

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has indicated the majority of athlete alumni do not give charitable donations to their alma mater or athletics department. With over 4 million former National Collegiate Athletic Association student-athletes, these athlete alumni should have an inherent affinity for their athletics department. The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between a student-athlete career preparation program (“Career Program”) and athlete alumni affinity for the athletics department. This study uses the theoretical framework of Social Exchange Theory to examine if an athlete alumni’s affinity for their athletics department increases when they receive support for their career launch. …

The Evaluation Of Schools To College And Career (S2c) Readiness Program For Middle School Student, Sima D. Gandhi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is a lack of research on what it means to be college and career ready at the middle school level, and this creates confusion for students when they enter high school and must select courses that are aligned with their college and career goals. This study sought to understand how the Schools to College and Career (S2C) Readiness Program impacts middle school students at the charter school. In order to understand this impact, the study looked at how the S2C Readiness Program relates to students’ understanding and awareness of CCR at the school.

Using a quantitative approach this study …

Using Community Cultural Wealth Narratives Of Low-Income High School Students In A Rural Northern California Community, Rene Rodriguez Malamed

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the experiences of white, low-income high school students completing their senior year in a rural community and earning their diplomas. The purpose of the study was to examine participants’ stories during high school using a community cultural wealth framework and narrative methodological approach. Results showed that students utilized capitals such as social, moral, familial and resistant in their small communities. Multiple capitals interacted and influenced each other as rural youth draw on these for support.

Strategies Exemplary Female Superintendents Use To Work With The Political Styles Of School Board Members, Leisa Winston

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory mixed-methods study was to identify the political styles of female superintendents and their school board members as perceived by superintendents. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to identify and explain the political strategies female superintendents use to work with the different political styles of board members.

Methodology: This study employed a sequential, explanatory mixed-methods design. The quantitative data were collected through surveys to identify the political styles of superintendents and their board members. The qualitative interview data explored the political strategies used by each superintendent with the different political styles of …

Distributed Leadership And The Development Of A Collaborative School Culture, John Barnes Stubblefield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Demands for increased school accountability created by No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds legislation has resulted in the implementation of professional development programs in which educators are observers rather than collaborative participants. The problem at a secondary independent charter school in Central Ohio was the lack of a collaborative culture in which teachers and administrators were committed to professional development and accepted collective responsibility for the achievement of all learners. The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of teachers and administrators about the practice of distributed leadership and how it contributed to the …

Educational Success Of Low-Income And First Generation College Students In Private Colleges Of China, Yinghui Chen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In China, low-income and first generation college students in private institutions are faced with adversities which undermine their educational outcome. Since the previous researches are mainly deficit-focused, the researcher conducted an investigation which put emphasis on the students’ successful educational outcome in order to round out the knowledge of this problem. The researcher employed a qualitative multiple case study to explore how three students accomplished educational resilience despite their hardships. The researcher findings suggested that: 1) Internal locus of control, career and academic planning, financial aids, job-related experience, and rational occupational aspiration contribute to students’ educational success; 2) The primary …

Disrupting The Prison-To-Prison Pipeline: Doing Restorative Identity Work With Offender-Labeled Youth, Jahmon Londre Gibbs

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic study was to addresses how the existence of counterspaces influences the psychological well-being of offender-labeled youth transitioning back into society. A counterspace has been defined as a social setting where two or more individuals come together to challenge deficit notions. No longer is recidivism solely being placed on offender-labeled youth that reside within juvenile correctional facilities, therefore the need for innovative programs that help develop resistance narratives and promote reengagement with the educational system are needed. In this 12-week qualitative ethnographic study the two concepts of restorative practices and narrative identity work are blended …

Adjunct Faculty: The Silent Majority, Erin M. Hillstead Walton

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The increase in use of part-time faculty, commonly referred to as “adjunct,” has shifted the academic workforce. Utilization of this populace has increased steadily over the past several years and is anticipated to continue this growth as colleges and universities seek cost-cutting measures in balancing their annual budgets. With this increase, however, comes unexpected consequences for the educators who fill these roles; often they are underpaid, overworked, and employed tenuously from term-to-term with no security in employment. This dissertation examines the adjunct faculty role; including what adjunct faculty need to be successful, versus what they have been provided to succeed …

Toward An Emerging Theory Of Leadership Competencies For Early Care And Education Systems Leaders, Julianne Zvalo-Martyn

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the competencies that early care and education systems leaders should possess as perceived by a panel of early childhood systems leadership experts. This study also identified which leadership competencies experts perceive will have the most impact on transformation of the field into an organized system of practice.

Methodology: This study used a mixed-methods Delphi approach consisting of three electronic surveys to identify competencies needed by early care and education systems leaders as perceived by a panel of national experts. Round 1 consisted of open-ended questions. Round 2 asked the panelists …

The Road Less Traveled: How Asian Cultural Values Impact The Career Choice Tendencies Of Asian American K-12 Principals, Melissa Chan-Nauli

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this constructivist inquiry study was to identify and describe the perceptions of Asian American principals of how cultural values impacted their career choice tendencies in the K-12 educational setting.

Methodology: For the purposes of providing the most authentic and genuine lived experiences and perceptions of these Asian American principal participants, the researcher engaged in three primary methods of collecting data, which included demographic questionnaire, interviews, and artifacts. The study participants were 15 current Asian American full-time principals who work in school districts located in Los Angeles and Orange County, California.

Findings. A thorough examination of study …

Co-Teaching: Loss Of Professional Space From The Perspective Of Special Education And General Education Teachers, Cordelia Azumi Yates

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the perspectives of special and general education teachers on the loss of their professional space because of the co-teaching program. This was accomplished through the qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, by in-depth semi-structured face-to-face interviews that were recorded using an electronic device and note taking. The interviews were conducted individually with six high school teachers from public schools, of which four were special education teachers and two were general education teachers. These interviews revealed that teachers defined professional space as personal identity and felt that the loss of their professional space emotionally impacted them. The …

Testimonio Of A Migrant English Language Learner (Ell), Steven Thomas Hoy

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This story explored the educational experience of a 20 year-old man who came to California from Michoacán, Mexico with his parents and siblings when he was 10 years old. Using qualitative research methodology and testimonio, he and his parents were interviewed to hear and document their stories of his academic journey from the early years in Michoacán to completion of twelfth grade in California. His testimonio, as a migrant English Language Learner (ELL) special education student, who experienced the K-12 Public Education system, provides an in depth view to consider when making educational placement decisions. The ELL student population continues …

High School Seniors' Educational Experience Lnfluencing The Decision To Pursue A Career In Nursing, Ryan L. Rowe

Dissertations

Many high school students interested in nursing as an occupation choose to engage in a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program and subsequently progress through the exploration stage of Super’s Career Development Theory in a succinct, deliberate, and intentional manner. While CTE continues to serve as an educational option for many high school students interested in nursing, its value as a means for students to crystallize, specify, and implement the choice to pursue the high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand career of nursing is not understood to the extent possible. CTE is regularly overlooked as a viable educational option by high school …

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Navigating Through Year One Of The Principalship, Angela Marie Reyna

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Given the intense pressures, expectations, and public scrutiny, school principals now undertake even greater roles and responsibilities than their predecessors (DuFour & Mattos, 2013; Kellough & Hill, 2014; Hale & Moorman, 2003; Fullan, 2003; Deal & Peterson, 2010; Koozes & Posner, 2012). New, or neophyte, principals are expected to step in and maintain or increase test scores while navigating intricacies of the new position and school. The socialization experience into a new work environment, which can be magnified for neophyte principals, is a large indicator of principal success (Shaver, 2007). Developing trustworthy relationships with the school community has direct impact …

The Impact Of Mentorship On Women Superintendents In Minnesota, Amy Denneson

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Problem

Mentorship [was] commonly cited in the research as one of the most effective supports available to women in attaining the superintendency. Research has shown that women more actively use mentoring systems than men in their career paths, but the effectiveness of their mentoring practices is unclear.

Purpose

The purpose of this study [was] to gather information from practicing female superintendents in Minnesota about the extent to which they were mentored and the mentor qualities they perceived as most effective. This study was quantitative in nature and designed to answer four research questions: (1) How extensive is mentoring among women …

Dynamics Of Efficacy For Teachers In Formal Leadership Roles: A Case Study, Kelly M. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective leadership has a positive impact upon schools and student achievement. Teacher inclusion in leadership efforts has grown during a time of school reform. In order to sustain and define teacher leader responsibilities, efficacious teachers need to be supported by school and district administrators. A case study was used to understand the dynamics of self-efficacy as it pertains to teacher leaders in the Oak Ridge School District in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Purposive sampling was used to select 5 teacher leaders and 2 district administrators for the case study. Interviews along with observations of meetings facilitated by teacher leaders allowed for …

Pioneering Women Of Southern Education: A Comparative Study Of Northern And Southern School Founders, Sharon Ferguson Beasley

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined school founding practices of Northern and Southern women educators who initiated primary schools for blacks during the Civil War, reconstruction, and progressive eras. Case study and historical methodologies contrasted two Northern white and two Southern black school founders in the areas of backgrounds, religious affiliations, educational philosophies, political astuteness, and resourcefulness. This study relied on in-depth reviews, content analyses, and cluster analyses of archives, biographies, personal diaries, newspapers, newsletters, and secondary literature to answer the research questions. Strikingly, Rachel Crane Mather and Mary McLeod Bethune’s missionary zeal emerged from their evangelical duty of converting lives to the …

Strategic Community Engagement As Perceived By Five Superintendents, Judith A. Dymond

Dissertations

In these challenging times with school districts facing mandates for accountability, they can only accomplish these ambitious long-term mandates by engaging the greater community. Thus, any superintendent who is planning on improving student academic achievement and being employed in the district long-term will find it imperative to engage the community and develop community partnerships. This study utilized interviewing, a qualitative methodology, to gain insight into how five superintendents effectively engaged their communities. Findings revealed five effective strategies and actions for success: embracing community values, partnering with community organizations, building trust internally and externally, developing a systems approach to communication, and …

A Correlation Study Of Leadership Indicators And Literacy Outcomes: Examining A State Adopted Leadership Assessment Model, Abigail Deann Woods

Theses and Dissertations

In an attempt to shed light on the possible impact certain leadership practices might have on student outcomes in literacy, this research considers the relationship of selected effective leadership traits and their impact on the implementation of a literacy intervention program. If it is true that all schools' have as their primary goal to prepare students for the rigorous learning, reading and analyzing required that is expected to be successful in the future, then examining the role that leadership might have on that goal remains important. Further, it is the hope that this analysis might further educators' understanding on the …

An Assessment Of Diversity Competence Among College Seniors: An Exploratory Study, Lung-Chiuan Chiang

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In our increasingly diverse global workforce, both employers and institutions of higher learning want to know if colleges and universities equip their students with adequate cultural competence skills. Reliable instruments to measure cultural competence levels for a general student body are not widely available, however. In this report, a self-developed 33-item instrument was designed to assess college seniors’ cultural competence levels, including sub-scales for cultural awareness and cultural knowledge. An expert panel was selected to establish content validity. A pilot study was conducted to improve the design of survey format. The Cronbach’s alpha was .770 according to the reliability test. …

Relationship Between Principal Change And Influence Styles: Is There An Impact On Teacher Retention?, Leslie J. Howder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between principal leadership styles, specifically change and influence styles, and teacher retention in the Low-Country region of South Carolina. Utilizing the Change Style Indicator and Influence Style Indicator, the researcher surveyed 25 principals from Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester 2 School Districts. The results were analyzed and compared to teacher retention rates from South Carolina State School Report Cards. Three relationships were analyzed: 1) correlation between change styles and influence styles, 2) correlation between change styles and teacher retention and 3) correlation between influence styles and teacher retention. …

Bowen Family Systems Theory And Its Relationship To Teachers: Does Differentiation Of Self Predict Teacher Job Satisfaction?, Noal Baxter Cochran

Dissertations

Educational leaders are charged with maintaining the academic success of students, the faith of stakeholders in the educational process, and the growth of the educational profession. These objectives have become difficult during a time of noticeable discontent among the stakeholders of educational systems. The discontent is noted strongly among the ranks of teachers who continue to cite decreased job satisfaction as they face increased internal and external accountability pressures, declining resource availability, and reduced familial support. The resulting teacher job dissatisfaction has led to an increased need among the leadership of educational systems to develop an understanding of the issues …

Women And The High School Principalship: Metropolitan Detroit Principals' And Superintendents' Perceptions Regarding Barriers And Facilitators For Job Attainment, Heidi Schnabel Kattula

Wayne State University Dissertations

WOMEN AND THE HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPALSHIP:

METROPOLITAN DETROIT PRINCIPALS' AND SUPERINTENDENTS' PERCEPTIONS REGARDING BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS

FOR JOB ATTAINMENT

by

HEIDI SCHNABEL KATTULA

2011

Advisor: Dr. Michael Addonizio

Major: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Degree: Doctor of Education

Through multivariate analysis, this study determined if there was a significant difference between the perceptions of men and women high school principals and superintendents in Metropolitan Detroit regarding barriers and facilitators for women who aspire to gain a position as a public high school principal in Michigan. Gender and other variables that may influence perceptions of high schools principals within Michigan's Oakland, …

Conditions Affecting The Decision To Seek Or Not Seek A Position As A School Assistant Principal/Principal, Gerald M. Beach

Student Work

Education officials and policymakers across the United States have come to a staggering conclusion – the shortage of school administrators to lead the nation’s schools is real and is reaching crisis proportion (Quinn, 2002). Teacher shortages have been forecasted for many years, but recognition of a shortage of principals specifically, and school administrators in general, is a developing phenomenon (Coulter, Gates, Jugant, Pye, & Stanton, 2007).