Educational Leadership Commons^™

A Mixed Methods Program Evaluation Of Chronic Absenteeism Interventions At Caroline High School, Amanda M. Harper, Dana L.G. Chen, Melissa A. Bugaj, William J. Pettus, Patrick H. Simmons

Doctor of Education Capstones

This mixed methods program evaluation examines interventions targeting chronic absenteeism at Caroline High School, where being absent for 10% or more of the school year impacts student success. Combining student surveys, parent interviews, and a staff focus group, the study identifies absenteeism trends and evaluates interventions related to student attendance attitudes and behaviors. Findings indicate these interventions have significantly reduced chronic absenteeism, with emphasis on positive reinforcements. The research illustrates absenteeism's complexities, which then in turn require diverse strategies that address both individual student and systemic factors. This Capstone offers insights and recommendations for tackling chronic absenteeism and aims to …

Bottling The “Secret Sauce”: Capturing The Heart Of The East End At Peter Paul Development Center, Melissa E. Abban, Melissa Buckley, Marie Garrenton, Latonja Y. Wright

Doctor of Education Capstones

Peter Paul Development Center (Peter Paul) submitted a Request for Assistance (RFA) to obtain support from a Virginia Commonwealth University Doctorate of Educational Leadership (EdD) Capstone team with documenting programming and principles and evaluating them consistently. To address this request, the team analyzed the context and problem of practice through document review, empathy interviews, partner discussions and site visits. The literature review helped the team design and conduct research, fieldwork, and data analysis to support Peter Paul in standardizing procedures and programs, fostering a culture of institutional knowledge, and effectively communicating impact to stakeholders. The team used a Convergent Parallel …

Performance Management Through Service Quality Perspective, Tanaporn Supanichrattana

Faculty Publications - College of Education

This research report examines performance management in educational facilities through a service quality framework. Drawing on the SERVQUAL model, it conceptualizes service quality across five dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. The report identifies performance measures associated with each dimension and demonstrates how these measures can inform the assessment of facilities operations and service delivery. The research emphasizes the strategic selection of performance measures that align with organizational priorities and goals rather than the adoption of standardized measures across institutional contexts. Through this framework, the research positions service quality as a foundational lens for data-informed decision-making, continuous improvement, and …

Navigating Unknown Complexities: School Superintendent Perspectives Of Leading During Covid, Jamie Mikelle Pearson Iannone

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges for educational leaders, particularly superintendents, who have been tasked with navigating the complexities of leading during a global crisis. In this study I explored the perspectives of superintendents on leading during COVID-19 and examined the application of Complexity Leadership Theory in educational settings. Through semi-structured interviews with superintendents from diverse districts, I investigated the strategies and approaches employed by educational leaders to address the multifaceted challenges posed by the pandemic. I also examined the impact of Complexity Leadership Theory on educational practices and outcomes during the pandemic. The findings suggest that superintendents have …

The Perceptions Of Black Women In Principalships On Navigating And Negotiating The Racial Contexts Of Their Equity-Focused Leadership: A Q Methodology Study, Easter M. Brown

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One consequence of the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling regarding desegregation of American public schools has been the destabilization of Black educators’ legacy of school leadership (Tillman, 2004). The effects of these failures continues to be problematic in US public education. Students of color account for over half of all P-12 enrollments, in contrast to the disproportionate lack of diversity among its teaching and leadership rosters (Frankenberg, et al., 2019; NCES, 2018, 2022). The stagnant rate at which American schools have diversified principal leadership since Brown v. Board (1954) begs the question of how equipped schools are to …

The Impact Of Online Course Enrollment Of First-Year Student Engagement And Campus Life, Ruth Y. Lopez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the impact online classes have on first-year student engagement and campus life at the University of North Florida. By using Alexander Astin’s theory of student involvement, this study examines the pattern of student engagement over time for first-year students enrolled in four quartiles of online classes. The study will focus on the level of engagement around (1) the utilization of five selected on-campus facilities and (2) student participation in six selected on-campus signature events and activities. The study also explores the meaningful ways these four student groups enrolled in online classes …

Rhetorical (Re)Inscription Practices Among Black Intercollegiate Football Participants In The Era Of Name, Image And Likeness, Mikayla Beaudrie

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When intercollegiate athletic participants were permitted the right to profit off of their name, image and likeness (NIL), the landscape of college sports was fundamentally changed. This qualitative explanatory case study investigated one consequence of that change: the discourse of amateurism. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has historically identified participants in the athletic programs it oversees with the word “student-athlete.” In the years since the word was first introduced, its meaning has generally been static. In short, the linguistic sign “student-athlete” has been signified in and by the discourse to reflect the amateur status of collegiate sport participants, emphasizing …

A New Perspective On Teacher Attrition And Retention: What Can Be Learned From Teachers That Continue In The Profession, The Stayers?, Haley M. Vogel

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological research study focuses on closing the divide between ongoing teacher shortages created by labor market cycles and teacher attrition with retention practices that keep qualified teachers in K-12 public schools. The literature review of this study identified a gap in research related to teacher shortages. Significant research exists around why teachers leave the profession, however, research related to why teachers stay is limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences (Moustakas, 1994, van Manen, 2023, Creswell & Poth, 2018) of K-12 secondary public-school teachers continued decision to remain in the profession. The …

Florida Queer K12 Teachers Perceptions Of School Climate Under “Don’T Say Gay”, Katherine E. Foley

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Florida's newest legislation leaves many Florida queer teachers feeling marginalized and unprotected in the classroom (Block, 2022). The “Parental Rights in Education” Bill (FL HB 1557 and FL HB 1069), infamously renamed “Don’t Say Gay”, was created ostensibly to help protect parental rights and choices in education. The new law prohibits the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through twelfth grade classrooms. “Don’t Say Gay” provides vague guidelines for queer teachers on approaching topics like sexual orientation and gender identity. Despite the evidence that queer teachers who are open and honest about their identity often find themselves …

Unmasking Challenges Of African American Women At Predominantly White Institutions (Pwis) Unveiling Phenomenological Realities And Prioritizing Well-Being, Alicia C. Perry

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses African American women's intricate challenges at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), exploring the outcomes of navigating a sense of belonging which eventually affects one's well-being within this professional context. The study employs a qualitative approach to delve into the experiences of those who work or have worked in the environment. By capturing the personal narratives of African American women in various roles at PWIs, the research aims to understand the intersectionality of race and gender dynamics impacting their professional lives. The literature review contextualizes the study by discussing the challenges identified in existing research, including the marginalization experiences …

An Examination Of High School Principals And The Influences That Supported Their Leadership Capacity, Jodiann Beeson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that high school principals play a crucial role in a school’s success by shaping its culture, influencing teacher retention, and impacting student attendance and academic performance. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to explore the phenomenon of the lived experiences of high school principals, understand their perceptions of the influences that supported developing their leadership capacity, and identify the barriers that prevented them from developing their capacity to lead. This study investigated the experiences of eight high school principals in California to understand their perceptions of the influences that factored into developing and sustaining their leadership …

Close To The Pain: Alternative Education And The Unheard Voices Of Young Adults’ Transformative Learning Experiences, Vicki Lynn Lock

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on amplifying the voices of marginalized students in alternative education, with an emphasis on the positive impact of resilience on their outcomes. The study addresses the challenges these students face, particularly those from BIPOC communities, in navigating educational systems that have historically marginalized them. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the experiences of BIPOC students in a Central Valley alternative education program, highlighting how nurturing relationships, resilience, and the fulfillment of basic needs contribute to their academic success and personal growth. Utilizing a framework that incorporates theories of resilience, educational equity, and transformative leadership, …

A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Administrators’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Teacher Leadership, Jori S. Beck, Kaavonia Hinton, Peter D. Wiens, Brandon Butler

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Teacher leadership has received attention for empirical and practical reasons. However, despite the evolution of the concept over the last several decades, there is still dissonance regarding the concept of teacher leadership. This study was grounded in the theory of professional identity to understand how administrators and teachers conceptualize teacher leadership. We studied the perceptions of administrators and teachers about teacher leadership using a survey and interviews. While there was some overlap in how administrators and teachers perceived teacher leadership, administrators viewed teacher leadership as occurring outside of the classroom while teachers located it inside of the classroom. Teachers also …

A Custom Mixed-Reality Simulation Design: Minimizing Teacher Biases In Mathematical Discussion Practices, Melihan Ünlü, Signe Kastberg, Sezai Kocabas, Melva Grant

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

[First paragraph] Mixed-reality simulations (MRSs), blending real and virtual environments, provide a low-risk environment (Dieker et al., 2014; Piro & O'Callaghan, 2019) to rehearse core teaching practices (Jacobs & Spangler, 2017). Grant and Ferguson (2021) designed a MursionTM custom simulation to support pre-service teachers' (PTs) mathematics discussion practice. PTs had opportunities to facilitate a discussion of provided student solutions (e.g., drawing, repeated subtraction, creating table) to a mathematics task: "Harry the Dog Problem" (Grant & Ferguson, 2021), where Harry the dog is waiting in a line of 23 dogs to be washed. When a dog is washed, Harry sneaks ahead …

2024 Merc Annual Report, David Naff, Jesse Senechal, Paula L. Ogston-Nobile

MERC Publications

This is the annual report of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University for the 2023-2024 academic year. It includes vignettes depicting MERC activities in the past year that align with each of its five principles: research, relevance, rigor, multiple perspectives, and impact. It concludes with a discussion of MERC's commitment moving forward.

Trends, Challenges, And Evidence-Based Strategies For School Dropout Prevention In Virginia, David B. Naff, Thea Racelis, Regina Frazier, Meleah Ellison, Christina Tillery, Andy Bristow, Audra P. Lancaster, Sabrina Evans, Leah Wiedenhoft, Dina Abdul Rahman, Sharrie Merritte, Karli Johansen, Sooyeon Moon, Jean Samuel, Tara Davison

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy brief explores school dropout prevention by focusing on recent trends and research. It addresses the following questions:

1) What are recent trends in school dropout?
2) What factors contribute to school dropout?
3) What are the consequences and implications of school dropout?
4) What are evidence-based strategies for school dropout prevention?
5) What are federal, state, and division-level policies related to school dropout prevention in the MERC region?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations.

Department Chairs’ Impact On The Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Of Their Departments, Nicholas R. Garcia Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Department chairs serve not only as the leaders of their departments but also as middle managers in their schools, colleges, and universities. While many department chairs see their role as having little authority, they still play an integral role in day-to-day campus operations (Hunt & Jones, 2015). As leaders of their departments, chairs can directly influence the department’s organizational culture (Schein, 2010), including the culture of diversity and inclusiveness. Departments nationwide are being held responsible for increasing the diversity of the faculty and responding to students' calls for diversity. Departmental organizational culture and the role of the chairperson are essential …

Stereotypes Of A Black Man Misunderstood: The Experiences And Development Of Black Men With Bipolar Disorder On College Campuses, Gerron Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Black men graduate from universities at a lower rate compared to other groups. Students with disabilities also graduate at a lower rate. When the two groups intersect, the results can be disastrous. Black men with bipolar disorder face a host of problems on college campuses. From a lack of sense of belonging to trouble in class, they struggle to stay afloat in college. The purpose of this study was to document the experiences and development of Black men with bipolar disorder on college campuses. A grounded theory approach was used in this study. Grounded theory was chosen because it leads …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Esser Relief Funds On Illinois High Schools, Douglas J. Wildes

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

During and in the immediate years after the global COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has given school districts across the United States millions of dollars through a series of three final grants called the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant to help improve education, decrease student learning losses suffered during the shutdown, and make educational facilities safer for students and staff. This study examines ESSER Grant dollars and academic achievement data from 57 Chicagoland high school districts and assesses whether a correlation exists between how these funds were allocated and student achievement performance. A Pearson correlation coefficient was …

Strategic Planning In Higher Education: Perceptions Of Faculty And Administrators At Public Institutions., Brent Graves, Fritz J. Erickson

Journal Articles

Over the past several decades, strategic planning has become ubiquitous in higher education. Yet, there are varying perceptions of its overall value. Perceptions of value are critically important as they can influence the effectiveness and breadth of participation in the strategic planning process, and such participation is widely held to be critical for success. We investigated these issues using an on-line survey distributed to faculty, chairs, and deans at public colleges and universities in the United States. We found that, compared to both faculty and chairs, deans had a more positive assessment of whether the benefits of the process were …