Educational Leadership Commons^™

Exploring Principals’ Experiences With Social Justice Issues In Their Work As School Leaders, Djimtibaye Otalbaye

Dissertations

Social justice has taken on a special importance in education today, although it is not a new concept in terms of human history. Social justice is not a local issue, but exists in all parts of the world (Jean Marie et al., 2014). Differentiation among social environments of schools and increasing elements of diversity and roles of schools to create a socially just structure can be seen as main reasons for these issues (Turhan, 2010). Schools are therefore challenged to address the social conditions and hardships of students by responding to their needs (Avant, 2014).

The purpose of this basic …

The Voices Of Single-Headed Household African American Mothers Concerning The High School Completion Of Their Daughters, Lametria A. Johnson_Eaddy

Dissertations

African American female students in urban schools are not graduating from high school at the same rate as females of other ethnic groups (Bucknor, 2015; Martin & Halperin, 2006; Stillwell & Sable, 2013). This study sought to investigate the voices and lived experiences of single-headed households of African American mothers whose daughters graduated from high school within the traditional four-year schedule. Through the voices and lived-experiences of these African American mothers, this study sought to capture the impact certain internal and external support systems from within both the home and school environments had on their daughters’ persistence in graduating from …

Work Stress: A Review, Analysis, And Extension Of The Job Demands-Control (-Support) Model, Marcus J. Fila

Dissertations

Occupational stress and health literature is devoted to understanding and predicting the phenomenon of stress in the workplace, given its costly implications to individual and organizational health and well-being. The job demands-control (-support) (JDC(S)) model has been highly influential in occupational stress and health literature for over 37 years, and has been the theoretical foundation of more empirical studies than any other work stress model. To date, over three-hundred published studies have examined relationships between various forms of demands, control over work, and support on numerous physical and psychological strains. However, several issues concerning the model have yet to be …

Examining The Existence And Importance Of Ten Skills For Successful School Leaders From Saudi Principals’ Perspectives, Khalifah Albalawi

Dissertations

In 2011, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Saudi Arabia began reform of its educational system to improve school performance, especially student achievement. The MOE has realized the importance of developing school leadership to lead the process of change, focusing on principals as change agents. The new MOE vision, therefore, places principals at the center of education reform initiatives. As a result, principals are expected to enact different roles, and must improve their leadership capacities to successfully lead reform efforts. Specifically, the new expectations for principals include:

• Building a vision concentrated on student education and learning,
• Developing the process of …

Mothers Who Choose Traditional Public Education In Times Of Economic Stress, Criticism, And District Reform, Brian W. Davis

Dissertations

As districts attempt to achieve higher accountability for student results while making complex decisions to balance budgets, it has become increasingly more common to restructure or reorganize educational delivery systems in ways that affect children and their families. Understanding how families and, in particular, mothers translate their experiences with structural and other changes enacted by the schools serving their children can assist in defining a new strategic direction of renewal, growth, and revitalization.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of 18 mothers, and their children, who were participants in multiple school reform initiatives in an …

Learning Organization Principles: The Impact On A Midwest State Government As Perceived By Its Employees, Rosalee Billingslea Rush

Dissertations

This study sought to determine the extent to which learning organization constructs influence performance in state government. The overarching purpose was to examine the relationship between Peter Senge’s five learning disciplines and organizational performance.

The study utilized an ex post facto survey design. The sample population was composed of supervisors and professional and administrative staff within the 19 agencies of a Midwestern state government. Participants were administered an instrument that asked them to rate their perception of the organization and its performance along seven dimensions of learning. Of the randomly selected 381 participants, 110 (or 28.9%) returned the survey instrument. …

A National Study Of Parental Involvement: Its Trends, Status And Effects On School Success, Alandra Washington

Dissertations

Parental involvement has been emphasized as a mechanism for improving our public schools. In this study the author inquired into (a) the trend and status of parental involvement and (b) whether parental involvement is associated with schools meeting accountability measures. Secondary analyses were conducted on multiple waves of nationally representative data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) School and Staffing Surveys (SASS). Descriptive statistics, discriminant function analysis, logistic regression, among others, were used for the study.

The analyses on the trend and status of parental involvement indicated that there was a statistically significant increase in parental involvement …

Opt Out: Women With Children Leaving Mid-Level Student Affairs Positions, Dana Hebreard

Dissertations

This phenomenological study is about the decision-making process of women with young children at the mid-level student affairs position who decide to opt out of their career for a minimum of one year, and for some, return to higher education. The study is based on interviews with 17 mid-level college administrators and mothers of young children, infant to pre-teen, who chose to opt out of their careers rather than continuing to balance family and career. Though the individuals interviewed were each unique in their socioeconomic status, education, and career path, their issues and concerns were similar. They openly revealed the …

Persistence And Success: A Study Of Cognitive, Social, And Institutional Factors Related To Retention Of Kalamazoo Promise Recipients At Western Michigan University, Michelle Ann Bakerson

Dissertations

The Kalamazoo Promise, a universal scholarship program announced in November 2005 provides four years of tuition and fees at any of Michigan's two- or fouryear public colleges or universities for students who have attended Kalamazoo Public Schools. This investment in the community is being replicated elsewhere across the nation, including Denver and Pittsburgh. The scholarship program lowers the cost of postsecondary education, thereby increasing incentives for high school graduation, college enrollment, and college completion. Of the 307 Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship recipients who have attended Western Michigan University since its inception, 16% have been academically dismissed.

The main objectives of this …

A Qualitative Study Of School Lockdown Procedures And Teachers' Ability To Conduct And Implement Them At The Classroom Level, Bethney Bergh

Dissertations

In response to the well publicized crisis situations that have occurred in the nation's schools, the development and implementation of school safety plans has become a priority of states and school districts across America. One element of these policies is the school lockdown procedure designed for securing a school building. The State of Michigan currently requires that all schools perform a minimum of two lockdown drills each school year.

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to explore the experiences of teachers in order create an awareness of how teachers assess their ability to conduct lockdowns effectively, to examine …

Examination Of The Skills And Dispositions Needed For Assistant Principals To Be Effective Disciplinarians, Sherie Lynn Williams

Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to identify the set of key skills and dispositions needed by secondary school assistant principals to function as effective disciplinarians. A secondary purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of males and females concerning this topic. This was accomplished by exploring the perceptions of experts and practitioners, both male and female, concerning their ideas on the skills and dispositions needed by assistant principals at the secondary level to be successful disciplinarians.

This study used two methods of data collection, the Delphi Method of collecting information and focus groups. A panel of …

A Study Of The Leadership Preparedness Of U.S. Public University Chief Business Officers, Daniel J. Hurley

Dissertations

Despite the enormous role that Chief Business Officers (CBOs) play in administering the business and financial affairs of American public universities, little research has been conducted on their leadership preparedness. The primary objectives of this study were to assess the self-perceived preparedness of U.S. public university CBOs at the time they assumed their first position in the role, and to determine if specific factors could be associated with their overall preparedness.

With support from the National Association of College and University Business Officers, a survey was developed and mailed to the entire population of CBOs at four-year public universities in …

The Organizational Culture In Community Foundations, Nanette Marie Reiser

Dissertations

Because of the current and future critical roles community foundations play in their geographical areas, the limited research to inform the community foundation field, and the importance o f studying organizational culture, there was a need to study the organizational culture of community foundations. A questionnaire was sent to 179 community foundation staff members in one state in the Midwest. Responses were received from 98 of the 179 staff members.

It was found that the actual organizational culture of the community foundation “industry” was differentiated across all variables (staff overall, paid staff size, asset size, and age of foundation). Organizations …

The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And The Practice Of Program Evaluation In Human Service Organizations, Lorraine Marais

Dissertations

There are many obstacles for human service organizations in evaluating programs. Some of these barriers are the difficulty in defining human behavior and the change that needs to be evaluated, human service programs that take a long time to show results, agency capacity to do evaluation, and cost (Young, Hollister, Hodgkinson, & Associates, 1993). Another subtle yet powerful influence on the practice of evaluation in nonprofit organizations may be organizational culture (Schein, 1990). If an organization is going to employ self-evaluation, an organizational culture may be needed that will support such efforts. This study was designed to assess the relationship …

Decision Making And The Felony Offender: A Cognitive Approach, Marlene O’Hara

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the theory of cognitive self-change as it applies to increasing the successful completion rate of felony offenders sentenced to a probation half-way house. Subjects used were young, males who had been convicted of non-violent crimes and who were ordered to complete the Alternative Directors Residential Probation program as part of their probation order.

The group of residents who entered Alternative Directions in October, 1994 was given an intensive ten hour course using cognitive decision making techniques during their first two weeks in residence. The groups of residents entering the …

Maranao Muslim Women Educational Administrators: An Initial Study Of The Emerging Muslim Women Leaders In The Philippines, Carmelita S. Lacar

Dissertations

Long deprived of consequential participation in socioeconomic exchanges outside the home, Filipino Muslim women are now breaking out of their traditional mold. Increasingly, they are acquiring higher education and are assuming vocational and leadership roles which, in years past, were inaccessible to them. Focused on Maranao Muslim women educational administrators, this survey sought to: (a) describe their salient characteristics, career development experiences, goals, and visions that distinguish them from their Muslim women subordinates; (b) describe factors influencing their career; (c) describe their leadership behaviors; and (d) deduce some policy and practical implications of the findings. Primary data on 75 variables …

A Comparison Of Youth Living Environment In Small And Large Communities Of Michigan, Huilan Yang

Dissertations

This study compares youth living environment in small and large communities in Michigan. The comparison includes three areas of youth living environment: community environment, financial environment, and educational environment. Community in this study is defined as school district. Data are extracted from an existing database developed by the National Center for Educational Statistics titled School District Data Book (SDDB). Out of 560 Michigan school districts included in SDDB, 370 are used in the data analysis, excluding the Detroit City School District and 189 medium-sized districts. Fifteen variables are selected for comparison, categorized under the three areas of youth environment. The …

A Descriptive Study Of Michigan Auto Workers' (Uaw) Physical And Psychological Responses To 1987 Plant Closures, Lorraine Marie Oginsky

Dissertations

A descriptive study ( 1991-1992) examined 166 closing and nonclosing UAW auto workers in two General Motors settings, as to how they cope mentally and physically with unemployment and displacement 5 years after plant closure and mass layoffs. Workers were asked the question, "Is job loss a threat, a loss, or a challenge?"

Lazarus and Folkman' s ( 1984) Stress, Appraisal and Coping and the Stress Coping Model (Lazarus, 1980) provided the theoretical basis for this study. Measures included the investigator designed Plant Closing Questionnaire, Revised Ways of Coping (Folkman & Lazarus, undated), Hassles and Uplifts Scale (Lazarus & Folkman, …

Successful Women: A Racial Comparison Of Variables Contributing To Socialization And Leadership Development, J. Baraka Love

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify variables that have contributed to the growth and development of successful women and to explore whether those variables were the same for Black and White women by comparing the perceptions and backgrounds of women who have reached top level positions in the fields of education, business, human services, and government.

Data were collected by questionnaires from 547 women respondents out of a sample of 1,500 identified in Who's Who in America (43rd ed., 1985) and Who's Who Among Black Americans (4th ed., 1985). The response rate was 38.4%; 298 (19.9%) were Black …