Educational Leadership Commons^™

More Than Just Checking A Box: Teachers' Experiences Of Transformation In Equity-Focused Professional Learning, Melissa E. Moxley

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Pennsylvania has the largest disparity between student and faculty demographics. In fact, over half of Pennsylvania schools employ zero teachers of color. As student demographics change and teacher demographics remain the same, there is an ever-increasing need to train in-service teachers on diversity, equity, and inclusion tenets. Training teachers to be culturally competent requires them to alter their understandings in a transformational way. Often, cash-strapped districts attempt to produce training sessions in-house, developed by administrators who may have little training in the area themselves. This leads to professional learning that is left in the conference room once teachers leave. Research …

The Lived Experiences Of Women In Higher Education Administrator Roles Through The Salary Negotiation Process At The Time Of Hire: A Phenomenological Study, Nancy Kay Hernandez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of salary negotiation at the time of hire for women in full-time administrator positions at Texas institutions of higher education. Eagly’s social role theory guided this study to explain gender roles and negotiation. A qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of women in higher education administrator roles during the salary negotiation process. Institutions within the south-central regions of Texas, including public and private colleges and universities, served as the site for this study. Participants were 12 women in full-time administrator positions at …

Equity Requires Action: Principals’ Use And Value Of Culturally Proficient Educational Practice, Jaime E. Welborn Ph.D., Peter Flores Iii, Ed.D.

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

This quantitative, descriptive study investigated K-12 public school principals' perceptions regarding the degree to which they use and value practices related to cultural competence in their roles as school leaders. While an abundance of literature regarding leadership in education, disparities in educational outcomes, and school change exists, inequities in policy and practice perpetuate academic and social setbacks for some of our nation's youth Using the lens of the Cultural Proficiency Framework, specifically the Essential Elements, this study aimed to address the research questions and add to the literature by examining (1) the school principals' value in using culturally competent practices; …

Leveling The Playing Field: Covid-19’S Impact On Interscholastic Athletic Participation In New York State Public Schools: An Ex Post Facto Analysis Of District Demographics And Sport, Justin T. Cobis

Theses and Dissertations

Each year in New York state, tens of thousands of student-athletes participate in interscholastic athletics on over 15,000 public school teams. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interscholastic athletic participation rates in New York state public schools and their relationship to school districts’ demographics, including percentage of non-White students, percentage of economically disadvantaged students, total enrollment, and graduation rates. The sample consisted of 218 public school districts located throughout New York state, with approximately 20 participant districts from each of the 11 New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s governing …

Becoming Transfer Friendly: Evaluating Four-Year Higher Education Institution Strategies To Support Community College Transfer Student Success, Aarti V. Dhupelia

Dissertations

Four-year higher education institutions (HEIs) nationwide must become more transfer friendly so that more community college transfer (CCT) students persist and complete their bachelor’s degrees, as a path to more students’ economic mobility and to equity across communities. This study aims to provide learnings to support achievement of this imperative. The research question studied here is: What is the relationship between community college transfer (CCT) student support strategies at a four-year higher education institution (HEI) and the first-to-second-year retention of CCT students at their four-year HEI? Through quantitative analysis of a broad set of variables’ ability to predict student retention …

An Exploration Of Teacher Perception And Practices Of Using Assessment Data To Improve Achievement Of Equity Student Groups, Laurie Mazelin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

While utilizing assessment data has been a pervasive practice in educational reform for decades, and teachers are expected to use assessment data to improve instruction, little is known about how the practice of requiring teachers to review test data affects their perception of effectiveness in addressing the learning gaps of student groups. This qualitative phenomenological research study used open-ended, semi-structured interviews to help better understand how the expectations of teachers analyzing and integrating assessment data translates into teacher instructional practice and self-efficacy. This study aimed to explore the shared experience of teachers required to participate in collaborative planning centered on …

Campus Leaders’ Support Of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Strategies: Single Exploratory Case Study, Charmon L. Barksdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study addressed the growing concern regarding the disproportionate suspension rates experienced by African American students. The problem addressed in this study was the variation in leadership support for teachers implementing culturally responsive classroom management strategies to manage culturally diverse student behaviors. This is important to African American students' educational experiences within the learning environment. This exploratory single case study examined school leaders' and teachers' perspectives on the use of culturally responsive strategies to answer the research questions regarding the definition and descriptions of culturally responsive practices, participants' perspectives on the benefits and challenges of these practices, and the …

A Distributed Leadership Perspective For Critical Consciousness In Middle Grades, Kenneth M. Bond, Daniel P. Tulino

Middle Grades Review

In middle-grades settings, students are cultivating critical consciousness to apply general knowledge of equity to their local context(s) (Nojan, 2020). As educators work to foster environments that allow middle-grade students to cultivate critical consciousness, expectations have shifted in the area of leading for equity. We have outlined a leadership framework we believe will advance the collective critical consciousness with examples for middle-grade contexts. Our focus is working toward equitable outcomes through one’s sociopolitical development and creating ways to further the collective critical consciousness of the entire school community through a distributed leadership perspective. Through this lens, our hope is to …

Inclusive Education For All: Identifying Teacher Beliefs About Working With Students With Disabilities, Chelsea Sharek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs K-12 teachers have when working with students with disabilities in a rural Pennsylvania school district. This study aimed to identify if teachers’ personal beliefs created biases about their students and school systems; thus, forming barriers and preventing an inclusive education when working with disabled students. Instrumentation for this quantitative study is the Multidimensional Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) survey. Findings suggest that some teachers at Sunnyside School District (pseudonym) hold personal beliefs that could create biases about their students and school system that may form barriers when working with …

The Challenges Of Minoritized Contingent Faculty In Higher Education, Edna Chun, Alvin Evans

Navigating Careers in Higher Education Series

The Challenges of Minoritized Contingent Faculty in Higher Education offers a probing and unvarnished look at the employment challenges of these faculty members in four-year institutions. With dramatic shifts in the faculty workforce and nearly three-quarters of instructional positions in United States institutions now off the tenure track, contingent faculty have become the essential, frontline workers of higher education. Remarkably little research attention has focused on the experiences of minoritized contingent faculty in this new academic underclass. Based on in-depth interviews coupled with extensive research, the book highlights the double marginalization that can occur due to secondary employment status in …

School Superintendents’ Perspectives Regarding Subordinates Developing, Utilizing, And Implementing Gifted Identification Equity, Vincent T. Landrum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study’s focus was the lived experiences of school superintendents about inconsistencies in gifted and talented education policy and ensuring the superintendents’ direct subordinates develop, utilize, and implement equitable gifted identification policies and practices, specifically for culturally, linguistically, and economically disadvantaged (CLED) students. Specifically, the researcher investigated the following: (a) the superintendents’ involvement in ensuring direct subordinates develop, utilize, and implement equitable gifted identification policies and practices for CLED students; (b) the superintendents’ involvement in ensuring their direct subordinates develop, utilize, and implement equitable gifted identification policies and practices for CLED students through professional development for those subordinates; and (c) …

Fostering The Multicultural Efficacy Of Principal Candidates, Karen D. Jones

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

This mixed methods study was completed with principal preparation candidates. Data was collected using the Multicultural Efficacy Scale (MES) and focus group interviews. Principal candidates’ multicultural efficacy was measured before and after participating in monthly diversity seminars and reflections. The diversity seminars provided first-person storytelling from diverse members of school communities including individuals from different LGBTQ, race, religion, socio-economic status, and language backgrounds. The study found principal candidates had improved multicultural efficacy at the end of the year-long diversity series. Research shows this could lead to supportive behaviors as social justice-oriented school leaders.

A Case Study Of Diverse Faculty Recruitment In A Graduate Higher Education Institution, Miguel Valenzuela

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to describe higher education faculty’s experience with recruitment and retention through the university hiring process and to discover the equity standards of the phenomenon for higher education institutions. The importance of recruitment and retention of diverse faculty within higher education institutions is imperative for the health of the institution and will assist in furthering diversity initiatives for faculty recruitment that will enable better student experiences. The theory guiding this study was critical race theory (CRT) that was initially intended to be used in the legal field. However, CRT has been used in …

Equity Among Equity Workers: Public Service Motivation In An Educational Nonprofit Organization, Russell C. West Jr

Theses and Dissertations

What opportunities and challenges arise when an equity-focused educational organization aims to support employee’s individual equity practices while simultaneously developing the organization’s equity practice? In this study, employees of a non-profit educational organization were asked what rationales and expectations played a role in their decision to volunteer in an equity working group. Their responses were used to understand whether Perry’s (2000) process theory of Public Service Motivation helped describe their decision. In a second round of interviews, employees were asked what outcomes they perceived came from their participation. These responses were used to understand whether the outcomes aligned with those …

Steps Toward Healing A Colonial System While Improving Equitable Experiences For Indigenous Learners K-12 In A Bc Rural School District, Gail Higginbottom

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The Canadian K–12 education system is built on the policy and practices of genocide at Indian residential schools and on ongoing Indigenous-specific racism. With a history of assimilation, it is imperative to address settler colonialism in education today. Through the agency of a Secwépemc district principal, Secwépemc ways of knowing and being, decolonial leadership, and critical and transformative theories emerge as tools for a fraught education system. As a problem of practice, the tension between Indigenous student success and systemic understandings of Indigenous ways of knowing highlights the imperative to address colonial system conditions while improving equitable experiences of Indigenous …

The Amplification Of “At-Promise” Middle School Student Voice To Foster School Success, Nathan J. Ngieng

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Transformative actions towards the collective vision of the educated citizen have been central to the change efforts of educational leaders in British Columbia. Through a challenge to the status quo, utilizing a critical and post-structuralist lens, this paper charts a path towards revisioning middle school student success nested in listening stances and reflective practices. At the heart of this Problem of Practice is the disengagement and lack of voice that middle school students are experiencing, viewed through the context of a large and diverse suburban school district in the lower mainland of British Columbia. Theories of social learning, adult learning, …

Systemic Abuse Of Black Educational Leaders In K-12 Schools, Bianca Parris

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Anti-Black racism (ABR) is race-based discrimination experienced by Black educational leaders in the Ontario education system. Since the police officers murdered George Floyd, it has ignited the global Black Lives Matters movement. This has translated into K-12 Ontario schools with a more pronounced emphasis on addressing ABR and systemic racism to provide an environment that is rooted in equity. Despite this global action and ministry requirement, ABR continues to prevail and affects Black educational leaders’ ability to lead effectively. Black educational leaders are navigating a system that is unjust and rooted in colonialism which puts them at a disadvantage. Critical …

Queering Education: Creating Inclusive And Affirming Learning Environments For Sexually Diverse Students, Phillip M. Spalierno

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This inquiry draws upon a variety of theoretical perspectives and leadership approaches, including critical and queer theories, and the transformative leadership approach, for the purposes of identifying an appropriate solution to creating inclusive and identity affirming learning environments for sexually diverse students. This inquiry provides insight that will help to further understand the experiences of sexually diverse students in the education system, while exploring strategies for creating learning environments that affords these students value, dignity, and respect. It is proposed that a transformative leadership approach, as it is grounded in social justice efforts, may serve to stimulate the conversation amongst …

Weaving The Story Of Self Into Transformative Leadership, Nicole R. Davey

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Indigenous students are not achieving the same levels of success as non-Indigenous students according to British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Education annual reports on academic achievement, secondary transitions, and sense of belonging. School-based leaders oversee implementation of the BC curriculum in their schools and can influence the mindset and practices of educators in their buildings; however, they need supports and structures to better understand how to address the opportunity and achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) asserts that school-based leaders can disrupt oppressive behaviours in the K–12 education system through social justice practices. Transformative …

The Know Better, Do Better Plan For Self And System Transformation, Deena Kotak Buckley

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Educational leadership has roots in neocolonial epistemologies and a functionalist paradigm. While Atman Jnana School Board (a pseudonym) has made a commitment to equity by recognizing the need for communities of belonging, leaders unconsciously lean toward the individual over the collective as imparted by these epistemologies and paradigm. Therefore, the problem of practice under investigation is the development of educational leaders’ capacity to create communities of belonging and purpose. As principals and vice-principals are pivotal to transforming school culture, this organizational improvement plan proposes addressing the problem of practice by creating a community of belonging with school leaders who want …

Anti-Exclusionary Leadership: Increasing The Achievement Of Marginalized And Minoritized Students In An Ontario High School, Nicholas J. Woolley

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to address the underachievement of marginalized and minoritized students at an Ontario secondary school. Using critical theory, the OIP recognizes that systemic barriers, the pervasive neoliberal performativity agenda, and educator biases and practices combine to reinforce stubborn inequities that negatively impact students who are racialized, poor, and/or identified as having special educational needs. The term anti-exclusion is used to propose an activist stance that challenges inclusion’s connotations of assimilation into a dominant culture. Addressing inequities in a publicly funded, top-down school district context requires adaptive leadership to foster collaborative professionalism while interrogating the status …

The Significance Of A Minority Professional Development Internship Program: A Case Study Evaluation On African American/Black Males Career Trajectory At A Predominately White Institution, Marla Bradford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to investigate the significance of the Minority Professional Development Internship Program at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) of higher learning in southwestern Pennsylvania. The program was developed because many PWIs struggle to attract, recruit, and retain African Americans/Black and historically marginalized community members to lead their institutions in curriculum development, mentoring, recruitment, and governance (Reyes & Rios, 2005). Other research studies on African American/Black administrators’ lack of representation at PWIs attributed systemic barriers impeding their recruitment and advancement (Jones, 2007; Perna et al., 2007). Furthermore, Levin et al. (2013) suggest minimal progress in hiring African American/Black …

Hidden In Plain Sight: Finding A Balance Between Assessment And Learning In Competency-Based Education In Canadian Health Care, Scott Murray

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Due to its emphasis on skill development and alignment with workforce demands, competency-based education (CBE) has garnered considerable attention in recent years. My organizational improvement plan (OIP) focuses on the potential benefits of incorporating learners’ voices into CBE in Canadian medical education and proposes a corresponding implementation framework. The traditional CBE model often lacks a critical component: the learner’s voice. My OIP reviews the literature and outlines its theoretical underpinnings (e.g., systems theory, adult education theory) within the scope of authentic leadership. The findings suggest incorporating learners’ voices into CBE to boost engagement, motivation, and agency. In response to such …

Beyond First Thoughts: Understanding The Essence Of Equitable Decision-Making, A Phenomenological Study, White Practitioners As Equitable Educational Decision-Makers, Zinnia Un

Dissertations and Theses

This interpretive phenomenological study aims to understand the lived experience of White educational decision-makers (EDMs) as they make equitable decisions for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse (RCLD) students. Six decades after the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, the landscape of American education changed. Many scholars theorized the impact of colorblindness in decision-making and the connection to disproportionate outcomes for RCLD students.

The Student Success Act (2019) brings an additional $1 billion in investment to schools in Oregon annually. This allocation of school resources required an initial and ongoing community engagement process to ensure funding supports well-rounded education …

Vamos A Pláticar: The Sense-Making Process Of Career Services Practitioners At California Community Colleges In A Guided Pathways Epoch, Claudia Estrada-Howell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The California Community College system and its vision for success, which includes a focus on increasing students' degree and certificate completion, as well as increasing the percentage of existing Career and Technical Education students who report being employed in their field of study is highlighted. To help support these goals, the California Community College System has adopted the Guided Pathways framework. This framework requires all campuses to fundamentally redesign their programs and support services to ensure they are clear, more educationally coherent pathways to credentials that in turn prepare students for success in the workforce and further education. To do …

Addressing The Elephant In The Room: An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Principals’ Perceptions Of Opportunity Gaps, Their Leadership Practices And Access To Advanced Placement Courses For Marginalized Students, Parker Morse Andreoli

All Dissertations

Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, achievement gaps have guided education reform work. The focus on these gaps in student outcomes has been standardized and has lacked consideration of the inputs that create the academic achievement disparities between demographic groups of students. These gaps are often tied to the segregation of learning opportunities, both across and within schools, and perpetuate racist and classist stereotypes of students. A critical need to shift attention from gaps in achievement to a more appropriate measure, opportunity gaps between racially minoritized students and their White peers, is needed. In this …

Equity And Inclusion For Leaders In The School District: Exploring Gender, Michele Radomski

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

There are increasing expectations that educational leaders attend to social justice. However, little attention is paid to their own experience of equity and inclusion, and there is an ongoing omission of gender from organizational discourse. This problem of practice identifies the lack of attention to the experience and implications of gender for leaders in a school district. The organizational improvement plan aims to prioritize gender on the organization’s agenda, bridge the gap between representation and equity and inclusion, and create a gender-inclusive leadership climate. Feminist frames for change establish the underlying change strategy and Lewin’s change model structures the change …

Building Collaborative Systems To Support Elementary School Principals In Ensuring All Students Flourish, Kristen Brach Ms.

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan addresses the problem of practice of how a district leader can support elementary school leaders in a small, rural school district to work towards improving their schools to become more culturally responsive and meet the needs of all students. Historically, there have been many students, particularly those who have been underserved, who have not had a positive school experience that considers their identity and learning needs. Schools have been unsuccessful at being places that accept all learners and strive to ensure that they are able to grow and flourish. Although there are some classrooms that are …

Cultivating Compassion: School Discipline Through A Lens Of Equity, Wellbeing, And Decolonization, Kristi L. Blakeway

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Punitive and exclusionary discipline practices cause harm to elementary aged students weakening their connection to school. Such practices are reactive in nature and fail to understand the needs of students who demonstrate challenging behaviour. This organizational improvement plan provides a framework to reimagine school discipline through a lens of equity, wellbeing, and decolonization. It is an invitation to look under the surface to better understand students who struggle with behaviour in elementary classrooms. The school discussed is a large, suburban public school in British Columbia serving students in kindergarten through to grade seven. A conceptual change model, the transformative wheel, …

Equity During The Pandemic: Exploring Rural Women Superintendents Perceptions Of Equity Leadership, Kelly Brown, Kathryn Washington

Tapestry: Journal of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Education

While the percentage of women in the superintendency has grown in the last 30 years, most superintendents (87%) are male compared to 13.2 percent female (Glass, 2021). The participants of this study were female superintendents leading rural school districts. Rural schools educate approximately 25% of the students in our country. Superintendents of rural schools face many additional challenges such as limited resources, declining student enrollments, high teacher turnover or chronic instability due to geographic isolation, a lack of professional development opportunities are just a few of the challenges these school districts face (Azano & Stewart, 2015; Baker et al.; 2014; …