Education Commons^™

Job Satisfaction Of Female And Male Superintendents: The Influence Of Job Facets And Contextual Variables As Potential Predictors, Ila Phillip Young, Theodore J. Kowalski, Robert S. Mccord, George J. Petersen

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A descriptive multiple regression approach was used to assess the job satisfaction of female and male public school superintendents taking part in a decennial survey conducted by AASA. Self-reported job satisfaction of public school superintendents was regressed on their affective reactions to specific job facets (supervision, co-workers, and compensation) and to contextual variables (type of school district, legislative mandates, and funding sources) purported to influence their job satisfaction. Results indicate that female and male superintendents were found to be similarly satisfied with their current job assignment but for different reasons as revealed by interaction terms addressed in the regression analyses.

Are Alternative School Leader Preparation Programs Really Needed To Prepare Next-Generation School Leaders?, Thomas J. Lasley, Emmy L. Partin, Jamie Davies O'Leary, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The essays in this chapter focus on the issue of how best to recruit the very best administrative talent to leadership positions in schools. For years, the accepted practice has been for school leaders to be prepared through traditional school administration programs with higher education institutions. These programs, almost exclusively housed within colleges and schools of education, consisted of a range of courses from school law to school finance, often with associated and embedded field and clinical components. The focus on school leader preparation has emerged in partial response to the No Child Left Behind legislation. Clearly, there are expanded …

Reutter’S The Law Of Public Education, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This textbook-casebook incorporates recent developments in education law into its conceptual framework by offering updated analysis of major topics in education law. With new material in all of its sixteen chapters, the book includes significant updates on church-state relations, employee rights, and student rights.

Can Students Be Disciplined For Off-Campus Cyberspeech: The Reach Of The First Amendment In The Age Of Technology, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The widespread use of technology in today's schools has ushered in a host of legal issues that educators and parents could not have contemplated just a few years ago. Within the past decade, students have had the unprecedented ability to send text messages and instant messages, create websites, post blogs, construct Internet profiles, and post messages on burgeoning social networking sites, most notably Facebook. Even when students engage in such speech-related activity off campus using their personal computers, their actions and posts on such social networking sites as MySpace and Facebook can have carryover effects into school and classroom environments. …

Improving Performance: Examining The Link Between Self-Efficacy And Support For Secondary Female Math Teachers, Veronique Demetria Zimmerman-Brown

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible relationship between teacher self-efficacy among secondary math teachers in Alabama and administrative support, teacher/colleague support, and support through resources. The study also examined whether gender or race related to teachers' sense of self-efficacy. Examining self-efficacy for secondary math teachers is an important step in the strategic support of these individuals and improving student achievement in mathematics. Indeed, a closer look at district and school level support factors related to the self-efficacy of teachers is warranted, given continuing concerns over student math performance. A quantitative study of 105 Alabama secondary math …

Disciplining Students With Disabilities: An American Perspective, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

A significant interconnectedness exists between and among schools, parents, students with disabilities, and local communities. A topic of great interest in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and beyond, educators, working in conjunction with their attorneys, struggle with meeting their legal duty to meet the needs of students with disabilities, not only when they are in school but also when they leave formal educational settings since they must then sustain themselves for the rest of their lives. As educators seek to meet the educational needs of students with disabilities, an area that often presents a major controversy is discipline, particularly …

Regulating The Boundaries Between The Public And Private Lives Of Teachers In Changing Cultural Contexts: An American Perspective, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Regardless of whether they wish to be regarded as such, there can be little doubt that most teachers and parents in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States agree that teachers are role models for students regardless of whether educators act in or out of schools. Yet, during this time of changing cultural contexts, the boundaries between the private and professional lives of teachers are blurred such that teachers may face liability for what they say or post in a more contemporary application of free speech, via the internet.

In light of ongoing changes, this paper examines how shifts ranging …

Formative Assessment And Benchmark Testing: Phase 2, Lisa Abrams, Divya Varier, James H. Mcmillan

MERC Publications

As school districts respond to test-based accountability requirements the emphasis on using data to drive decision making has most recently focused on using interim or benchmark assessment results. The use of these assessments to monitor student progress and inform instruction with the aim to improve learning is widespread. When considered in a continuum of assessments based on the proximity to instruction, benchmark assessments are located between teachers’ minute-by-minute and daily formative assessment practices that are used to direct instruction to support learning, and the summative unit assessments, or tests administered after instruction has occurred to measure learning. As such, the …

A Repeated Measures Quantitative Prospective Inquiry Into The Change In Medical Student Self-Reported Empathy In Clinical Rotations, Kristina T C Panizzi Woodley

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation study examined whether or not there were quantitative changes in medical student self-reported empathy scores over time and across gender within third- and fourth-year cohorts enrolled in an integrated curriculum at a Southeastern U.S. medical school. The dependent variable was quantitative empathy scores at time 1 and time 2 using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE, medical student S-Version). Primary independent variables were cohort year and gender. Variables of clinical campus site, rotation orientation category, and specialty interest orientation category were also explored. The study found that empathy increased for the third-year complete cohort but decreased for the …

Background Or Experience? Using Logistic Regression To Predict College Retention, Tracee M. Synco

All ETDs from UAB

Tinto, Astin and countless others have researched the retention and attrition of students from college for more than thirty years. However, the six year graduation rate for all first-time full-time freshmen for the 2002 cohort was 57%. This study sought to determine the retention variables that predicted continued enrollment of entering freshmen at a large urban, four-year, public institution. Logistic regression was utilized to analyze the data collected over a four-year period. The population studied was 1,346 first-time full-time freshmen entering fall 2007. The variables chosen for analysis were ACT composite, cumulative GPA and high school GPA, ethnicity, gender, Pell …

Becoming Scholars: Examining The Link Between Moral Problem-Solving And Academic Authorship Practices In Future Educational Leaders In One Southern State, Jennifer L. Greer

All ETDs from UAB

The public expects its educational leaders - from instructional leaders and principals to college administrators and deans - to be moral exemplars. Nowhere is moral behavior more central to the central mission of teaching and learning than in the realm of academic integrity, where decisions are made daily about grading, testing, promotion, admissions, placement, and awards. Moral problem solving, one essential and teachable component of moral behavior, has been studied in teachers and, to a lesser extent, principals. Yet little empirical research has been conducted on moral problem solving, or reasoning, among educational leadership graduate students in training for positions …

International Pen Pals Engaging In A Transformational Early Childhood Project, Marcie Hill

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to utilize an international pen pal project to enact transformation education by enabling students to gain a stronger respect for cultural diversity and changing students' perceptions of a diverse culture. A total of 39 sixth grade students, 16 second grade students, and two teachers participated in this study. One sixth grade teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia and one second grade teacher in north Alabama were participants and served as collaborative member checkers. Limited literature exists on the topic of pen pal writing between children who live in different nations with the goal …

How Older Adults With Age-Related Macular Degeneration Living In A Southeastern Metropolitan Area Develop Physical Activity Self-Efficacy, A Grounded Theory Study, Elizabeth Anne Barstow

All ETDs from UAB

HOW OLDER ADULTS WITH AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION LIVING IN A SOUTHEASTERN METROPOLITAN AREA DEVELOP PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SELF-EFFICACY, A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY ABSTRACT This qualitative grounded theory study explored the process of Physical Activity Self-Efficacy development among older adults with age-related macular degeneration in a southeastern metropolitan area. According to the United States Administration on Aging, the population of individuals over 65 will be 88.5 million by the year 2050, doubling its 2010 estimates. As our population ages, so does the prevalence of chronic conditions. One of these chronic conditions, age-related macular degeneration, is the leading cause of vision loss in …

A Case Study Of Second-Grade Teachers' Comprehension Instruction, Rebecca Burdette Mckay

All ETDs from UAB

A CASE STUDY OF SECOND-GRADE TEACHERS' COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION REBECCA BURDETTE MCKAY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The dilemma of reconciling developmentally appropriate, constructivist reading instruction with mandated high-stakes tests was confronted by four second-grade teachers through their selection of two active professional development methods. To continue and deepen their use of an interactive model of reading focused on comprehension, the teachers worked as a professional community to renegotiate and reconstruct their professional knowledge and adapt their pedagogy to the school context. The goal of this research was to investigate how the teachers described their comprehension instruction as well as how they …

"They Are Here To Stay:" How Rural Northeast Alabama Public Elementary Schools Create An Environment Inclusive Of Hispanic Students, Leah Keith

All ETDs from UAB

Alabama has experienced a marked increase in the number of Hispanic students who have enrolled in its public schools. The Alabama State Department of Education's website shows that during the 2000-2001 school year, there were 9,541 Hispanic students enrolled in Alabama public schools in kindergarten through twelfth grades. By the 2010-2011 school year, that number had expanded to 33,260 Hispanic students enrolled in Alabama public schools. This increase reflects a 349 percent increase over a nine-year period. A lack of knowledge of how to work with Hispanic students often leads to barriers in the full inclusion of Hispanic students and …

Academic Realignment: An Investigation Of Change Within A New Academic Unit At A Research University, Abbygail Tull Langham

All ETDs from UAB

Even in normal times, limited resources require U.S. universities to be more open to change. In late 2007, however, a global recession, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, intensified constraints on higher education. To achieve intended outcomes, leaders at colleges and universities often reorganize or realign their organizations during challenging times. Indeed, one public doctorate-granting research university with very high research activity in the southeastern United States has responded to the economic crisis by realigning four academic schools into one large college. Scholarly inquiry was needed to understand the impact of this realignment. The purpose of this …

Difference In Health Literacy Level Between Older Adults With And Without Low Vision, Mary L. Warren

All ETDs from UAB

Functional health literacy is the ability to understand and apply health information from printed documents and is dependent on reading. Few studies have examined functional health literacy levels in visual impaired older adults despite the fact low vision is common among older adults and impairs reading performance. This study investigated whether community dwelling older adults with moderate visual impairment from age-related macular degeneration had lower health literacy levels compared to older adults without low vision. The Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults (TOFHLA) was administered to 50 adults aged 65- 94 years with AMD and 50 normally sighted adults …

Staying Power: A Multiple Case Study Of Spirituality As A Factor Of Resiliencey In Female Public School Superintendents In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Kimberly Williams

All ETDs from UAB

This qualitative multiple case study explored female superintendents' experiences with spirituality as a factor of resiliency. A wide gap exists between the number of females and the number of males leading public school systems in America, and a high turnover rate exists for those leaders filling the superintendency. In an effort to increase the number of female superintendents and to equip them with the resources needed to have sustained leadership, focus needs to be placed on factors contributing to resiliency in leadership. Research has revealed spirituality as one factor impacting resilience in leadership. This study explored three female superintendents' perceptions …

Dialogic Conversations In An Embedded Literacy Assessment Field Experience, Lucy Spence, Amy Donnally, Amy Johnson Lachuk, Marcie Ellerbe

Faculty Publications

Preservice teachers often come into teacher education programs with a positivist view of assessment, which may have developed during their own schooling experiences. For this reason, purposefully constructed course work and field experiences must be offered to enable them reframe their conceptions of literacy assessment and to complicate the assessment practices that have become most familiar to them. This paper examines a course in which, the aim is to intentionally counter the positivist testing culture and invest in helping preservice teachers understand assessment as a multi-faceted, dynamic process of inquiry.

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Elementary Classroom Teachers Use Of Physical Education Time For Planning, David Barney

Faculty Publications

An elementary classroom teacher (ECT) has a busy day. The teachers teach their class, prepare class materials, and may supervise the lunchroom or the playground at recess time (Daily Physical Activity in School, 2005), attend meetings with parents and perform a number of other responsibilities. For this reason planning time is a very important component for the ECT. Planning time for the ECT is usually taken when students are in elementary physical education. This study investigated how elementary physical education can assist the ECT in their planning time. In this study 219 ECT from three states and 18 different schools …

Academic Optimism Of Schools And Student Achievement, Pamela J. Mckinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pressure to perform well on high stakes testing may have caused many educational leaders to shift their focus away from developing a healthy organization that may enhance and possibly even predict student achievement to simply focusing on test scores. Hoy, Tarter and Hoy (2006) suggested that high levels of Academic OptimismAO (including collective teacher efficacy-CTE, faculty trust in parents and students-FT, and academic emphasis-AE), when controlling for SES, is a strong force in predicting academic achievement. This study attempted to support previous research findings and to provide educational administrators with a framework for improving school organizational health for the …

More Efficient High Schools In Maine: Emerging Student‐Centered Learning Communities, David L. Silvernail Phd, Erika K. Stump Phd, Richard E. Barnes, Kenneth E. Kunin, Sarah E. Wintle

School Improvement

The Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation at the University of Southern Maine conducted a study in 2010-2011 of a sample of Maine high schools. Funded in part by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the study examined the degree to which these More Efficient high schools were also student-centered.

This report describes the methodology used to identify Maine schools that were outperforming expectations and reports the results from conducting case studies of a representative sample of these and other Maine schools. Through these case studies, we were able to uncover what the schools were doing that set them …

Early Observations Of High School Deployment Of One-To-One Technology: A Qualitative Look At One-To-One Computing In Maine High Schools, Leanne C. Walker, Amy F. Johnson Phd, David L. Silvernail Phd

Education Technology

This research compared the experiences of one-to-one deployment of a small group of MLTI high schools with those of a small group of netbook high schools in the following areas:

General observations: What have been the benefits and challenges of launching a 1:1 program in high school? Has the type of device affected the experiences of schools (netbooks vs. MLTI MacBooks)?

Usage of 1:1 Devices: How do the experiences of the students and teachers compare in the two different programs? Are the less expensive netbook devices adequate for use in the classroom? Does the level of technology integration vary by …

The Impact Of Online Professional Development On Online Teaching In Higher Education, William John Ganza

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the impact a professional development program (Online Professor Certificate Program, OPCP) had on teaching online in higher education— specifically, the impact on faculty members’ teaching presence. The conceptual and theoretical model utilized the community of inquiry framework and both critical theory and transformational learning theory. This case study used data from various sources, including questionnaires, content analysis, and interviews. The overall results indicate that the OPCP had some impact on teaching presence, but not as much as anticipated. The study found that faculty who completed the OPCP were more engaged in their online classes than those who …

Impact Of Read 180 On Adolescent Struggling Readers, Kathy Joiner Smith

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The foundation for the present study was based on the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, 2001), Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) 2004, and Florida Response to Intervention (RTI) (Florida RTI, 2009). In line with the NCLB Act, Florida requires students to pass the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) on grade level in order to graduate (FL-DOE, 2001). In alignment with the RTI framework, READ 180 is presently being implemented as a Tier 2 intervention with adolescent struggling readers across the nation. The methodology for this research was a retrospective research design, with the …

Reel Deans : The Portrayal Of Higher-Education Administrators In American Films, Jeffrey Todd Hess

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leadership theory routinely focuses on the relationships of leaders within the context of the work environment; however, culture and, specifically, films are a pervasive influence on both individuals and work environments. The literature review revealed that the relationships between higher-education faculty and administrators are strained. A conceptual framework known as the dark side phenomenon identified three dynamics affecting the work between faculty and administration: working relationships, supervisory roles, and the cultural impact. This lead to the research question: How are higher-education administrators portrayed as characters in popular American films? Data collection began with the selection of American films to study …

The Leadership Of Catholic Sisters Who Have Served As College Presidents : The Impact Of Gender And Religion On Leadership Efficacy, Karen M. Scolforo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over a century, Catholic Sisters have assumed leadership roles in higher education. They have impacted the lives of future leaders and empowered women to explore options to domesticity. Despite their profound contribution to higher education leadership, their history is missing from textbooks and library shelves. The purpose of this qualitative and phenomenological research study was to examine the lived experiences of Catholic Sisters who have served as college president; to gain an understanding of their perceptions and perspectives as they relate to leadership and leadership efficacy; to identify the role, if any, that gender and religion have played in …

University Of Southern Maine Undergraduate Catalog 2012-2013, University Of Southern Maine

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

University Of Southern Maine Graduate Catalog 2012-2013, University Of Southern Maine

Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Development And Trial Of A Report Card On Children’S Physical Activity In Western Australia, Maria Doolan

Theses

Current levels of physical activity in Western Australian children and adolescents do not meet national physical activity recommendations. Insufficient physical activity and increasing levels of sedentary behaviours endanger the physical, mental and social health of young Western Australians. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a Report Card to monitor Western Australia’s status in delivering the 10 Key Rights (identified and articulated in the

Charter for Active Kids and developed by the Children’s Physical Activity Coalition) which aim to guide current and future physical activity interventions for Western Australian children and adolescents. The Report Card targeted multiple …