Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

The Augmentation Of Bilingual/Bicultural Courses In Educational Administration Core Requirements, Ava J. Munoz

School Leadership Review

"Cultural competence should be a fundamental aspect of school principals' preparation and practice" (Hernandez & Kose, 2012, p. 513). However, educational leadership programs have been remiss, and somewhat lackadaisical, in exploring and including bilingual/bicultural curricular content in their principal leadership programs (Hernandez & Kose, 2012). Presently, few or minute advances in increasing bilingual/bicultural knowledge in the curricular content of educational leadership course requirements is the norm. Moreover, "when these topics are introduced, they are often special topics courses or seminars that are not part of the core curriculum of leadership preparation" (L6pez, 2003, p. 70).

The Impact Of High Stakes Testing On School Leadership, Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz

School Leadership Review

As I observed and recorded a classroom teacher at the beginning of the spring semester, I remembered how much I enjoyed working with teachers to help them grow and become master teachers. While reflecting on this master teacher's lesson, I pondered how drastically things have changed since I became a school administrator in 2001. I was amazed when the advanced academics teacher mentioned the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) need a source for ST AAR on a number of occasions throughout her lesson. The intent of her comments was to bring awareness to these young learners about …

Superintendent Transitioning: When Is The Right Time To Make A Move?, Karon Radford, Kerry L. Roberts, Pauline M. Sampson, Wesley Vinson, Ralph Marshall

School Leadership Review

Leadership preparation programs prepare superintendents every year to enter the profession. One aspect that needs to be incorporated into this learning is the understanding of when it's the right time to leave as many superintendents leave their current position every year for one reason or another. These reasons can range from being fired to career advancements to leaving the profession. Leaving at the right time is crucial for your career and the district. Lashway (2002) posited that almost a quarter of the superintendents serve less than three years, there are many superintendents leaving positions.

Changes In Principal Evaluation Standards: A Case Study Of North Dakota Principals, Tsooane Molapo, Laura Parson, Cheryl Hunter, Janathan Butz

School Leadership Review

In recent years, increased demands and political scrutiny have been placed upon schools to improve student achievement. With these demands, a principal's role is paramount (Dufour & Marzano, 2011; Reeves, 2009). School principals are second only to classroom teachers in influencing student achievement (Grissom & Loeb 2011; Louis, Leithwood, Wahlstrom, & Anderson, 2010). Likewise, Fenton, Kelemen, et al., (2010) and Marzano, Waters, & McNulty (2005) conclude that principal quality accounts for nearly 25% of a school's total impact on student achievement.

Examining How Campus Contextual Factors Correlate To Teacher Morale In A Secondary Setting, Scott Bailey, Allison Marz

School Leadership Review

Far too often in education the term "burnout" is used to describe a teacher who has been disenchanted with education and seems to be waiting till the day retirement becomes available. A teacher suffering from burnout exhibits signs of low morale for teaching, involvement with staff and involvement in the school and community. There is no specific clue or symptom that leads to burnout, and there isn't a specific amount of years leading to teacher burnout. Interestingly enough, new teachers suffer burnout in aggressive numbers similar to experienced teachers. Alliance for Excellent Education (2005) found that 14% of new teachers …

Barriers To Pursuing Stem-Related Careers: Perceptions Of Hispanic Girls Enrolled In Advanced High School Stem Courses, Veronica Vijil, Julie P. Combs, Rebecca M. Bustamante

School Leadership Review

Researchers indicate that the United States has fallen behind other nations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2010, 2012). A declining interest in the field of engineering as demonstrated by students who pursue degrees in STEM fields also threatens the U.S. competitive edge (National Science Foundation, 2013; Schneider, Judy, & Mazuca, 2012). Although some students perform successfully in STEM courses, an achievement gap between school-aged boys and girls is well-documented in the literature (e.g., College Board, 2007). Moreover, Hispanic students are underrepresented in science-related courses and careers (Hanley & Noblit, …

Improving School Leadership: The Connection Of Transformational Leadership And Psychological Well-Being Of The Followers, Pamela Bryant, Jennifer T. Butcher, Johnny O'Connor

School Leadership Review

In this current era of public school accountability in the United States, the passage of No Child Left Behind resulted in dramatic changes for public school districts (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). Although the recent reauthorization, entitled Every Student Succeeds Act, allowed greater flexibility on the state and local levels, effective school leadership still remained a critical factor when establishing and maintaining high standards of student learning (Executive Office of the President, 2015). Onorato (2013) noted the federal and state accountability mandates have forced public school administrators to transform the educational environment while serving as instructional leaders for teachers and …

Who Is Preparing School Leaders To Transition Into The Job Of Urban School Principal? Analyzing The Impact Of A Regional Principal Readiness Education Program On Principal Self-Efficacy, W. Sean Kearney, Nathern Okilwa, Jeff Goldhorn

School Leadership Review

Preparing junior administrators to step into the role of school principal is a challenge many urban school districts face. Typically a large school district will leverage an existing pool of experienced assistant principals and vice principals to fill principal positions. At a minimum this ensures the candidates are familiar with internal structures, district culture, policies and procedures, and the community which the school district serves. However, unless addressed in a strategic manner, the assistant and vice principal role lacks many of the critical components which are required of the principal position. While the majority of these individuals will have completed …

Supporting New School Leaders Through Mentoring, Lisa A. Bertrand, David Stader, Sherry Copeland

School Leadership Review

Mentoring may best be defined as “a process where one person provides individual support and challenge to another professional (Bush, 2009, p.379). The importance of mentoring new teachers and administrators has long been recognized. For example, since 2000 more than half of the states have passed laws requiring mentoring of new principals (Daresh, 2004; Spiro, Mattis, & Mitgang 2007). Most of these laws have required mentoring in the first two years of practice. Grissom & Harrington (2010) found under the mentorship model, a more experienced principal mentor provides the support, guidance, advice and sounding board as the new principal becomes …

Examining Superintendent Turnover Intent: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Relationship Between Exchange Commitment And The Turnover Intent Of Public School Superintendents In Texas, Johnny R. O’Connor, Jr., Vance Vaughn

School Leadership Review

Quality leadership in a school district is critical to school improvement (Dunlap, Li, & Kladifko, 2015; Kersten, 2009; Leithwood, Seashore, Anderson, & Wahlstom, 2004). School leaders must be capable of providing vision, focus, and support to their staff, in order to facilitate a positive working culture, and achieve sustainable academic success. Given the competitive nature and complexities of building a quality workforce, when a quality leader is hired, it is typically in the best interest of an organization to retain this talent. However, planning for employee retention requires a detailed understanding as to why an individual desires to leave their …

Perceptions Of Beginning Teachers And Mentor Teachers: Case Study Of A Campus Mentor Program, Deborah F. Spoon, Ray Thompson, Paul Tapper

School Leadership Review

Attrition of teachers is a concern for leaders in education; teacher turnover is higher in education compared to many other occupations and professions, especially in the first years on the job (Ingersoll 2003; Ingersoll & Perda, 2010). Nearly half a million teachers leave the education field every year (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2014) while the recruitment and training of teachers is costing the United States about $2 billion each year (Rizga, 2015). The high turnover places a financial burden on districts resulting in decreased resources for books, materials, and staff development of teachers; additionally, replacing teachers can disrupt the instructional …

Principles And Principals: Leveraging K-12 Principal Training And Evaluation Standards To Support Environmental, Ecological, And Sustainability Education, Rodolfo Rincones-Delgado, Anthony D. Feig

School Leadership Review

Ecoliteracy is the pedagogical grouping of environmental science, ecology and sustainability studies. This paper is a policy analysis of how principal training and evaluation standards may support a principal’s building-level efforts to establish and sustain an ecoliteracy mission and curriculum in US public K-12 schools. A comparative case study of leadership standards in Texas and Michigan was conducted to support the argument that school administrator training and evaluation standards in both states can lend formal, codified support to a sufficiently determined school leader’s efforts to center the school’s mission on ecoliteracy. The limitations of this support are also discussed.

The Early Promise Of Tbri Implementation In Schools, Mark J. Reid, Angela M. Proctor, Thomas R. Brooks

School Leadership Review

The program known as Trust Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) began as an exploration into the detrimental behaviors of foster and adopted children placed in homes with unsuspecting caregivers who assumed their living environment would result in positive results rather than fear based emotions and behaviors. The researchers at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) at Texas Christian University held summer camps for adopted children and through that work developed an intervention to meet the needs of children who had experienced trauma. KPICD identifies these young people as “children from hard places” (Purvis & Cross, 2005). Copeland et al …

Full Issue Summer 2018 Volume 13, Issue 2

School Leadership Review

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Towards Inclusion Of All Learners Through Science Teacher Education, Greg Stefanich

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

It is a pleasure to receive an invitation to submit a review for the book titled Towards Inclusion of All Learners through Science Teacher Education. The contributors include four wellknown leaders in inclusive science education complemented by a spectrum of authors American and international, in pre-service and graduate science education, pre-service and graduate special education, science research, special education practitioners, classroom teachers, graduate students, and students through case studies and interviews.

The book presents an excellent overview of current practices in schools, descriptions of individual and team efforts to improve practice, and emerging innovations such as the application of Universal …

The Critical Need For Mental Health Education To Be Mandated In New Mexico's Public Schools, Bonnie L. Murphy

Shared Knowledge Conference

Based on a review of research and best practices in mental health awareness and skills, this inquiry project argues for state legislative policies that would require mental health awareness and skills in the K-12 curriculum. Mental health affects individual accomplishments in every stage of people’s lives beginning in early childhood and throughout the life cycle. Prevention and treatment of mental illness plays a key role in the ability of an individual to cope with loss and develop resiliency and perseverance in challenging times and to make better decisions that improve the individual’s life and the lives of those around them. …

Grade Span Configuration And Academic Performance For Students In Poverty: A Texas Multiyear Analysis, M. Chad Jones, John R. Slate, George W. Moore, Cynthia Martinez-Garcia

School Leadership Review

Grade-span configuration refers to the range of grades within a school (Coladarci & Hancock, 2002). The debate over the benefits of one grade span configuration over the other has ensued for decades (Howley, 2002). Specific questions in this debate are (a) Which grade span configuration is most cost effective?; (b) Which grade span configuration yields the best academic achievement?; and (c) Which grade span configuration best meets the social and emotional needs of middle level children? (Howley, 2002).

Rural Superintendents' Experiences In The Application Of Principle-Centered Leadership At The Personal And Interpersonal Levels, Shelby Davidson, Jennifer T. Butcher

School Leadership Review

Covey ( 1990) suggested that to achieve success in leadership, one must identify core values and principles and ensure that managerial and organizational systems are aligned with these values and principles. These values explained by Covey in principle-centered leadership are built upon the foundation principles of trustworthiness at the personal level and trust at the interpersonal level, which allows for empowerment at the managerial level and alignment at the organizational level. Covey explained that trust or the lack of trust is the foundation of success or failure both in relationships as well as business, industry, education, and government. Combs, Edmonson, …

Leading Through Following: Understanding The Intersection Of Followership, Leadership And Collaboration, Jonte' C. Taylor, Doris Hill

School Leadership Review

There is a popular saying around education that, "a bad principal can convince a teacher to leave a good school; while a good principal can convince a teacher to stay at a bad school." In a blog post titled Teachers Quit Principals, Not Schools, Barnes (2017) writes about teacher and administrator interactions and how those relationships effect personal decision-making and school climate. Both the popular educational saying and Barnes's writing, while not directly, speak to the relationship between leaders and followers and how that dynamic sometimes plays out in educational settings. Broadly speaking, the dynamic between leadership and followership is …

Metacognitive Awareness And Mindset In Current And Future Principals, Tara L. Beziat, Yvette Bynum, Erin F. Klash

School Leadership Review

Metacognition is a key component in education, yet little is known about whether or not instructional leaders are metacognitively aware. Metacognition is described as thoughts about one's knowledge and control over their own cognitive processes (Flavell, 1979). Kuhn (2000) indicated that metacognition develops from an early age, and asserted that the more explicit metacognitive thinking is, the more effective one would be able to engage in metacognitive thinking and control of their cognitive processes. Some examples of metacognitive strategies include planning, monitoring, and evaluating, and can be used by educators or students (Fathima, Sasikuman, & Roja, 2014). Metacognitive strategies should …