Educational Leadership Commons^™

Sense Of Belonging Among Undergraduate Students At The American University In Cairo: Demographic Trends, Barriers And Facilitators, Lamiaa M. Mohamed

Theses and Dissertations

A sense of belonging is widely recognized as a key determinant of undergraduate students’ academic success, well-being, and persistence in higher education. However, existing research is largely grounded in Western contexts and often emphasizes institution-level measures, with limited attention to how belonging is experienced and constructed by students in non-Western settings. This study examines undergraduate students’ sense of belonging at the American University in Cairo, focusing on factors that shape belonging and institutional practices that may strengthen it. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, the study examined 87 responses from a quantitative survey adapted from the University Belonging Questionnaire, followed by …

How Disability Inclusion Shapes Student Experiences In Egyptian Public Universities, Ramez Maher

Theses and Dissertations

The inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education is a critical aspect of equity, social justice, and human rights, particularly in Egypt, where systemic barriers continue to hinder access to education for this demographic. Despite the enrollment of approximately 19.4 million students in 2018, only 38,135 students with disabilities were admitted, highlighting the significant challenges they face in accessing higher education.   Through a qualitative approach employing reflexive thematic analysis, this study explores the interplay of institutional policies, cultural attitudes, and accessibility challenges that affect the educational experiences of students with disabilities in Egyptian public universities. The analysis of 21 …

From Principal To Behavioral Health Ceo: Lessons Schools Must Learn About Student Mental Health, Anthony S. Felder

Essays in Education

Schools across the United States are increasingly functioning as front-line mental health systems, often without adequate preparation, staffing, or clinical training. This essay draws on the author's lived experience as a former school principal, doctoral scholar in educational leadership, licensed clinical social worker, and current behavioral health chief executive officer to examine the intersection of K-12 education and youth mental health. Grounded in trauma-informed care, restorative practice, and family-centered systems of support, the essay presents five evidence-based lessons that school leaders must consider to meet students' evolving social-emotional needs. These lessons address the limitations of punitive discipline, the urgent need …

Data Governance Maturity, Ai Integration, And Equity In Colorado K-12 Public Schools, John R. Curtin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colorado's 179 K-12 public school districts operate as autonomous governance units, each responsible for securing and managing student data assets that span health, financial, residential, and academic records. The accelerating integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools into administrative workflows, productivity software, and instructional platforms has fundamentally altered the risk landscape for student data, yet governance frameworks at the state, district, and school levels have not kept pace. This dissertation investigates whether Colorado's decentralized educational governance structure is institutionally capable of producing equitable, secure, and sustainable data governance outcomes in the AI era.

Drawing on Institutional Theory …

School Leader Implementation Of Transformative Social And Emotional Learning Professional Development, Alana Raybon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the wide use of social and emotional learning (SEL) in schools, and some evidence of SEL positively impacting students of color, racially and ethnically marginalized students experience inequitable educational outcomes. Transformative SEL (tSEL), a justice-focused framework from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), provides students with the liberatory tools to dismantle systemic inequity through collaborative problem solving. More research is needed on the professional development of staff implementing justice-focused SEL in diverse school settings. This revelatory, qualitative, single case study examined how a school leader implemented tSEL professional development in a school setting that served racially …

Induction Programming For Novice Special Education Directors: The Significance Of Informal Supports In The Absence Of Formal Structures, Julie E. Rottier-Lukens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role and responsibilities of a special education director are unique and highly complex when compared to other district-level leadership roles. Since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed in 1975, states gradually increased requirements for certification of these administrative roles, more clearly defining the criteria and standards to incorporate within preparation programs. Despite improvements in preparation programs for special education directors, there continues to be variation in preparation and certification requirements across states and persistent challenges with shortages of special education directors. After completing a preparation program, what support exists for novice special education directors to help them …

Disproportionality And Possibilities: State-Level Policy Recommendations For Special Education Oversight In A Shifting Federal Landscape, Amanda B. Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design to explore how U.S. states identify and respond to disproportionality in special education within a shifting federal policy landscape. As uncertainty surrounds the future role of the U.S. Department of Education, questions have emerged about states’ capacity to safeguard educational equity. Without federal oversight, states would assume responsibility for maintaining protections for students with special needs, making it critical to strengthen safeguards for marginalized and underresourced populations.

This study analyzed the current special education governance structures nationwide to inform equity-oriented policy and practice recommendations. Quantitative data were collected from Individuals with Disabilities …

The Organizational Experience Of Next Gen Learning Through Portrait Of A Graduate, Kathleen J. Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative single-case study investigates the organizational journey of navigating the complexities of systemic transformation. In 2021, Silver Peak School District (SPSD; a pseudonym), a rural educational organization in the western United States, implemented a graduate competency framework known as Portrait of a Graduate. This study analyzed the experiences of teachers, instructional coaches, and principals with the explicit Portrait policies, practices, and resource flows of five learning structures—graduate competencies (in SPSD, this is analogous to Portrait), deeper learning, agency, performance assessment, and teaching culture—in a district in the messy middle of Portrait adoption. By focusing on a district situated in …

A Case Study Of Principal Preparation In A Social Justice-Informed Principal Preparation Program, Katie Golieb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how a social justice-informed principal preparation program fostered the development of socially just school leaders and how graduates perceived their capacity for resilience as educational leaders in the contemporary PK–12 context. The Mountain Range Principal Preparation Program (MRP3), a university–district partnership designed to prepare educational leaders to be transformative leaders equipped to improve student achievement and address challenges in low-performing schools, served as the site of inquiry. The study explored how principals made meaning of their preparation experiences and how those experiences shaped their enactment of equity-focused leadership and their ability to sustain such work. …

Exploring The Impact Of Leadership Development On The Sense Of Belonging Among Collegiate Black Men, Todd Lamont Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study used Strayhorn’s Sense of Belonging Model (2018) to examine how collegiate Black men experienced affirmation, connection, and mattering through participation in Leaders of the Free World (LFW), a culturally grounded program integrating mentoring, leadership development, and short term study abroad. Through semi structured interviews, a focus group, and document analysis, five themes emerged: (1) Global Exposure and Cultural Heritage, (2) Identity Development, (3) Academic Realignment, (4) Mentoring and Relationship Growth, and (5) Leadership Capacity Building. Findings show that LFW fostered the core belonging conditions Strayhorn (2018) identifies: psychological safety, meaningful relationships, validation, and institutional navigation support. …

Called To Accuracy, Brick By Brick: Recordkeeping And Reporting Amid Cultural Pressures And Training Gaps, Amber L. Wilson, Sarah J. Boettger, Janet K. Brown, Kjell Fenn, Jessica E. Kuehne, David L. Ream

Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This research investigates how faculty at Christian higher education interpret the impact of expected recordkeeping and reporting. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions and expectations of recordkeeping and reporting that impact job satisfaction. By examining recordkeeping and reporting and the influence of culture as key factors affecting job satisfaction in Christian higher education, insights were gathered through six faculty member interviews. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews, journals, and discussion board posts. This transcendental phenomenological study sought to explore the lived experiences of six faculty members at a large private Christian university in the southeastern …

2026-06-03 Revisal To Uar 907.03, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Proposed revisal to UAR 907.03 submitted to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate on June 3, 2026.

Perceptions Of Public High School Dance Teachers About Implementing Virtual Teaching, Rosana Gonzalez Anaya

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

A Cross-Sectional Study Of First-Generation College Students' Sense Of Belonging Across Diverse Institutional Contexts, Nirmal Chandra Gope

Doctoral Dissertations

First-generation college students comprise a significant growth demographic in U.S. higher education. Even with lower enrollment rates, more than one-third of U.S. postsecondary school students are first-generation students (Cataldi et al., 2018; Redford & Mulvaney Hoyer, 2017; Ward et al., 2012; Whitley et al., 2018). However, their retention and graduation rates are significantly lower than those of their continuing peers (Choy, 2001; Engle, 2007, 2008; Ishitani, 2006; Longwell-Grice & Longwell-Grice, 2021). Various factors play a significant role in creating this disparity (Longwell-Grice & Longwell-Grice, 2021; Tinto, 1993). Research identifies belonging as a crucial factor influencing student persistence, academic achievement, mental …

Centering Well-Being And Wholeness: Exploring Racial Battle Fatigue Among Black 3-K To Twelfth-Grade Teachers, Olubunmi Fashusi

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study, with some descriptive statistics, examined Black 3-K through 12th- grade teachers’ experiences with racial battle fatigue (RBF), the psychological and behavioral stress responses they perceived most accurately convey how RBF manifests for them, and the strategies they used to disrupt RBF’s impact. Participants experienced compounded RBF due to advocating for students (i.e., speaking out, supporting, or intervening). Participants’ most perceived psychological stress response to RBF was racism awareness, and most perceived behavioral stress response was spirituality or religion. Participants disrupted the impact of RBF through intrinsic care (i.e., purpose or why, managing emotions, and self-care) and …

June 2026 Bulldog Alumni & Friends News, Kari Jones, Garrett King

Bulldog Alumni & Friends News

June 5-6 SWOSU Football Championship Weekend

June 18 SWOSU Near You: OKC

July 30 SWOSU Near You: Eischen’s

July 27 - August 7 Online SWOSU Athletic Auction

August 7 SWOSU Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet

August 8 SWOSU Athletic Auction and Dinner

The Perception Of Students Toward Post-Pandemic Online Graduate Programs At A Historically Black College & University (Hbcu) In The South, April Ivery

Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of online graduate students regarding the accessibility and usefulness of support services (Online Academic Advising, Online Technical Support, Online Counseling Services, Online Library Resources, and Online Career Services) at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the southern United States. The study aimed to examine the attitudes of online students towards these support systems and to determine whether these attitudes played a role in their learning process. The primary research question was: What is the relationship between the accessibility of support systems and students' perceptions of those support systems in online graduate programs at …

Leadership Practices Contributing To Academic Success In High-Performing Elementary Title I Schools In Texas, Jowie Walker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Black Language Matters: Capitalizing On Black English For Educational Success Through Linguistic And Cultural Competence Training, Fritz Lauriston

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This dissertation explores the impact of culturally responsive professional development on K–12 educators’ perceptions and understanding of Black English, also known as African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The study responds to the longstanding marginalization of Black English in educational environments and its implications for academic equity, cultural identity, and student performance—particularly among African American learners. The central intervention, titled “Do You Understand Me? Linguistic and Cultural Competence Black English Professional Development,” was designed to increase teachers’ linguistic awareness, dismantle deficit perspectives, and promote inclusive instructional practices that validate students’ home language.

Using a mixed-method design, 59 certified educators participated in …

Leading With Emotional Intelligence: Strengthening Leadership Effectiveness In Early Childhood Education, Christy L. Martin

Dissertations

This study examined the role of emotional intelligence (EI) in leadership effectiveness within early childhood education settings. Leadership in these contexts involves navigating complex relationships, staff stress, and organizational demands, yet leadership preparation often emphasizes technical skills over emotional competencies. The study explored how EI influences leadership effectiveness and how reflective practices support leadership development. Guided by the question How does emotional intelligence impact leadership effectiveness?, the study used a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected through an EI Inventory of Practices self-assessment measuring four EI domains, and qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest emotionally intelligent …