Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Exploring Grit In Exemplary School Superintendents, Denise Jaramillo

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe how exemplary superintendents use five principles associated with grit (courage, conscientiousness, long-term goals, resilience, and excellence versus perfection) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative study was part of a larger thematic study conducted by nine doctoral candidates under the supervision of three University of Massachusetts Global faculty. The study used a phenomenological design to identify and describe how exemplary superintendents use five principles associated with grit to accomplish extraordinary results. Data were gathered through a combination of eight semistructured interviews, related observations, and a …

The Relational Exchange Model For Academic Partnerships (Remap): A Transition From Transactional To Transformational Relationships Between Pk-12 School Districts And Institutions Of Higher Education, Kaleb G. Patrick Ed.D., Gregg Dionne Ph.D.

Journal of Contemporary Research in Education

Education is in an incredible time of transition. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was mounting importance on the need for professional development to meet the ever-increasing demands of students, families, and communities along with ongoing accountability and improvement measures. This increased need of professional development for educators in PK-12 school districts has only accelerated in the wake of COVID-19. Considering this need, a new model for sustainable, mutually beneficial, relationships between PK-12 school districts and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) is critical. A movement from the currently existing, singularly beneficial, transactional finite relationships to a sustained, mutually beneficial, …

School District Demographic Change Through The Lens Of High School Students: A Phenomenological Case Study, Isaac S. Solano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two to three decades, inner-ring suburban school districts in certain areas around the United States have experienced significant demographic change. These shifts influence who lives in these communities, as well as who attends schools in these K–12 school districts. In a metropolitan area, in the Rocky Mountain West Region of the United States, numerous school districts are experiencing such shifts. Although past empirical research has examined shifts through the lens of school leaders and teachers, few studies have explored how students experience this change.

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological case study examines how high school students experience these …

Building A Mathematics Intervention Program: One District’S Journey, Karise Mace, Karen Austin, Jodi Kirstein

Education Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

The Impacts Of Tracking In Middle School Mathematics, With Particular Emphasis On Small Private Schools, Jared Hanson

Teaching and Learning (MA) Theses

Most studies of the efficacy and equity of tracking in middle school mathematics focus on programs implemented in large public schools or entire school districts. They do not consider the impacts of how tracking might affect middle school students at a small private school. This study therefore seeks to determine how the theories, findings, and conclusions in the existing research may be applied in the context of a small private school. It begins with an extensive review of the literature that discusses the history and impacts of tracking, focusing on academic achievement, self-esteem and self-concept, and discrimination along racial and …

Innovating Education Through Design Thinking: A Case Study Of Problem-Solving Educators, Matthew Pimental

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This study aimed to identify methodologies and practices that enable innovation to thrive in the public education system. Design thinking (DT) was selected for examination given its demonstrated ability to: (a) make people and teams more innovative , (b) change institutional cultures to be more creative and solution-oriented, and (c) create conditions necessary for innovation to thrive within established organizational structures. This intrinsic case study explored the experiences of a group of educators who used design thinking to innovate solutions to the intractable problems they faced. Participants in this study were teachers and administrators who received training in DT, and …

Adolescent Thc Usage In Virginia: Post-Legalization Challenges And Strategies For Schools, David Naff, Meg Sheriff, Jill Flynn, Marzia Farhana, Kris Herakovich-Curtis, Gerron Scott, Fred Gatty, Priyadarshini Pattath, Diane Williams, Kiana Bradford, Reena Desai, Lauren Powell, Lisa Gwyn

MERC Publications

Recreational marijuana was legalized for anyone over the age of 21 in Virginia in 2021. This research and policy brief explores evidence of the impact of such legalization on Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) usage in PK-12 aged youth, including smoking, vaping, edibles, and dabbing. It addresses the following questions: 1) What are the recent trends in marijuana usage among PK-12 aged youth? 2) What are the impacts of THC usage in schools, particularly after legalization? 3) How can schools and school systems effectively respond to THC usage? 4) What are relevant federal, state, and school division policies that guide responses to youth …

Streaming With Butterflies: A Whole School Stream Project, Carey L. Averill, Janet M. Herrelko

Journal of Catholic Education

This study explores the commitment of a school faculty to use the pedagogical practices needed to employ a project-based unit of Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STREAM). The unit of study concentrated on environmental sustainability of butterflies through project-based learning (PBL). Teacher interviews were analyzed to reveal the similarities and differences, strengths and weaknesses in the teachers’ reactions to implementing a cross-curricula content unit designed for a pre-kindergarten (PK) to eighth grade school. Analysis of teacher data and classroom artifacts provided evidence of: content mastery at the student levels; implementation of scaffolding for developmental levels; and the need …

School Improvement Tool: A Summary Of The Underpinning Research, Christina Rogers, Fabienne Van Der Kleij, Pauline Taylor-Guy

School and system improvement

In 2023, ACER published the School Improvement Tool (SIT), the second iteration of the National School Improvement Tool (NSIT). A comprehensive review of international research was undertaken to inform the development of the SIT which consists of nine inter-related domains that describe the practices of highly effective schools and leaders. This document provides a summary of research evidence that underpins each of the nine domains of the SIT. Acknowledging interdependencies between domains, it presents a narrative of key evidence and research-based considerations for each domain. Further detail about the evidence for each domain can be found in the School Improvement …

Relationship Between Social-Emotional Learning And Post-Secondary Job Satisfaction, Sean Demaree

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to respond to two challenges. The first is a gap in literature and research around the impact of social-emotional learning (SEL) beyond graduation from high school. While many studies have been conducted on the impact of SEL in schools, few examine how the use of SEL schools supports students in their post-secondary success. The second challenge centers on the current job market crisis in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, specifically with job satisfaction and retention of employees. This study invited employees at five large companies in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area to respond to a two-part survey. …

A Contextual Analysis Of The Self-Care Practices Of School Principals In A Rural District, Jennifer R. Croymans

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate current self-care practices used by school principals and the correlation between school principal self-care practices and their alignment with the seven pillars of self-care. This study sought to bring awareness as to the barriers and motivations of current school principals and the impact of those barriers and motivations on effective implementation of principal self-care. In addition, this study provides the district of study and other rural school districts with potential recommendations in order to support current school principals in the proper implementation of self-care practices. A mixed methods approach was used to …

Making The Grade: Do Teacher-Created Grading Systems Result In Disparate Outcomes For High School Students?, Laura L. Mayberry

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The lack of formal grading policies within individual schools and school districts results in differential grading across classrooms. In many secondary schools, an individual course may be taught by multiple teachers. This study aimed to determine if the existence of differential grading results in disparate outcomes for students based on their assigned teacher. Data about students (demographics, teacher-issued grades, and standardized test scores) was collected from four core content classes at one high school. Regression analysis was used to isolate the impact of students’ assigned teacher on their course grade after controlling for demographics and academic performance as measured by …

An Exploration Of Effective District Practices For Enculturating And Retaining Kentucky's Newest Teachers In The Profession, Cari Lea Boyd

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The teaching profession within P-12 education has more beginners in the field than ever before, growing the profession by 48%, which outpaces the 19% growth in student enrollment. The most common teacher among all practicing in America’s schools is someone in her or his first year of teaching. The decreasing levels of experience in the profession has led to increased rates of attrition because beginners have the highest attrition rates with up to 50% leaving the field within the first five years. Research conducted on teacher retention has focused on why teachers leave the field; hence, a major gap in …

Administrators' Capacity For Supporting Reform-Oriented Science Instruction: An Urban School District Case Study, Venicia Ferrell, Joanna K. Garner

Center for Educational Partnerships Publications

Secondary school administrators play a vital role as instructional leaders, but little is known about their knowledge of science practices and perceptions of strategies for supporting reform-oriented science instruction. This multiphase, mixed-methods Q-Methodology study explored administrators' perceptions of instructional leadership and, in particular, high-quality science instruction. After a concourse of 40 items was developed through a review of literature and an expert panel, n = 22 administrators from one urban school district completed a Q-sort and a post-sort questionnaire in which they commented on a lesson excerpt. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was used to assimilate the participants into …

Marketization Without Marginalization? Approaches To Integration In A Dual Enrollment Magnet School, Shannon Mumolo

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the well-documented benefits of integration and Southern California’s racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic diversity, California and U.S. efforts to promote integrated magnet schools have been minimal and primarily driven by local districts. Attempts to evaluate magnet programs primarily focus on student outcomes, yet surprisingly few studies examine approaches used by school leaders to establish and achieve program outcomes. This study contributes to the knowledge and practice of magnet implementation by exploring one California high school’s efforts to establish a dual enrollment magnet program. An explanatory mixed methods case study design was used to understand how school leaders promoted student integration …

A Brighter Future For Sms: Cultivating School Coherence Through A Shared Vision, Nicole K. Herndon, Heather Holcomb, Audra Krupp

Doctor of Education Capstones

Staunton City Public Schools submitted an RFA (Request for Assistance) to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to address concerns at Shelburne Middle School related to teacher satisfaction, student discipline, and student achievement. Document and data analysis, a site visit, and partner interviews surfaced issues of organizational fragmentation; the capstone team identified the need for a collaboratively constructed and implemented vision to better cohere the school. Through document analysis and stakeholder surveys, our mixed methods study aimed to understand stakeholder views on three aspects to support the work of the leadership team at SMS. First, the capstone team identified the needs in …

Magnetic Hallway Huddles: Attract And Retain High-Quality Professionals, David Wolff, Carissa Gober, Donna Zerr

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

This presentation was conducted for a national conference about mentoring. The authors discussed Tinto’s Model of Institutional Departure and Schlossberg’s Model for Analyzing Human Adaptation to Transition as theoretical frameworks to explain the transition and retention of university professors. The focus on the study was the three authors who transitioned to the same university during the 2022-2023 academic year. Authors discussed their experiences of the transition and found themes related to the mentoring process that that acclimated them to the institution and influenced their retention.

New Principals: Experiences That Influence The Role, Marianne P. Simon

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenology-informed study is to examine the lived experiences of new principals and to understand the experiences that have influenced their role as principal. Phenomenological research is “interested in an analytical and descriptive experience of phenomena by individuals in their everyday world” (Eddles-Hirsch, 2015). This framework is what drove the research study into the lived experiences of new principals and the experiences that have influenced their role. The study is qualitative in nature using three in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five new principals in a Northeast Florida school district for a total of 15 interviews. The research …

Strategies For Addressing Chronic Absenteeism In The Post-Pandemic Era, David Naff, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Morgan Meadowes, Kim Dupre, Zehra Sahin Ilkorkor, Jill Flynn, Jean Samuel, Christina Tillery, Meg Sheriff

MERC Publications

Although chronic absenteeism has been an enduring concern in PK-12 schools, it has doubled since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore strategies for addressing this issue, this MERC research and policy brief answers five questions: 1) What are trends in chronic absenteeism pre and post-pandemic?, 2) What factors contribute to chronic absenteeism and which student groups are particularly vulnerable? 3) What are the connections between chronic absenteeism and other student outcomes? 4) What strategies are effective in reducing chronic absenteeism?, and 5) What are policies at the state and school board level intended to help address chronic absenteeism? …

Addressing School Bullying Since The Onset Of Covid-19: A Merc Research And Policy Brief, David Naff, Morgan Meadowes, Kim Dupre, Alicia Gaston, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Christina Tillery, Makeba Lindsay D'Abreu, Lauren Powell, Deanna Fierro

MERC Publications

Among the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is a shift in the nature and intensity of school bullying, perhaps symptomatic of the rapid changes and stressors that PK-12 students have endured since 2020. In this MERC research and policy brief, we explore how school bullying has changed since the onset of COVID-19 as well as research-based strategies for how educators and division leaders can best respond to it. The brief answers the following questions: 1) What is the nature of school bullying since the onset of COVID-19? 2) Which students have been particularly impacted by bullying since the pandemic? …