Educational Leadership Commons^™

Charter School Closing Inequities: Do Automatic Closure Laws Target Black Charter Entrepreneurs And Black Students?, Ian Kingbury, Martha Bradley-Dorsey, Robert Maranto

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Charter schools can have their charters rescinded if they fail to meet performance metrics, which are often specified in the charter. In some states, however, charters must meet inflexible, standardized performance standards to survive. Through the lens of public choice theory, we hypothesize that charters that were established by African Americans and those which serve more African American students are more likely to close, and that state-imposed standardized closure rules exacerbate these inequities. Analyses using charter petitions (n=925) and National Center for Education Statistics data since 2010 (n=5,548), tend to confirm hypotheses: The percentage of African American students and having …

Dual Enrollment Programs: Advising Policies And Practices For High School Students In Post-Secondary Institutions, Devin V. Cribb

All Theses And Dissertations

This study focused on the role of academic advising within dual enrollment programs, those programs that allow secondary students to enroll in college credit bearing courses while still in high school. Research questions were as follows: (1) What advising policies and practices are in place for those that advise high school students at post-secondary institutions that host dual enrollment programs? (2) How do those that manage and advise dual enrollment students perceive these policies and how their job roles and responsibilities relate to these policies? (3) How do those that manage and advise dual enrollment students enact current policies to …

Professional Advisor Practices For Student Identity Development, Brittany Potter

All Theses And Dissertations

Due to COVID-19, the state of higher education has been transformed, including the way student services like advising are offered on college campuses. More importantly, current literature on Generation Z students articulated that they need advisors who will build trust by implementing practices that go beyond prescriptive approaches. Therefore, it was imperative that this research examined how current undergraduate professional advisors work with Generation Z students and the practices that they use. Previous advising literature indicates there is a lack of scholarship surrounding the practices of professional advisors. With little information on professional advising practices and approaches, higher education leaders …

How African American College Graduates Who Attended An Early College Describe The Benefits, Reginald L. Towns

All Theses And Dissertations

The study documented how first-generation African American college graduates who attended an Early College program in North Carolina describe the benefits of this educational experience. There are many different types and structures of the Early College Program concept, that is, programs where high school students earn college credits. Students taking courses at a community college may leave with an associate’s degree while students attending a college or university will graduate from high school with transferable college credit. Students that attend high schools with Early College programs may finish their last two years of high school on a college campus and …

Urban Teachers Program: Culturally Responsive Middle School Teachers Describe Their Competencies, Kristina Sterling

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document ways that Urban Teachers’ candidates enact culturally responsive teaching practices in an effort to combat the opportunity gaps in education and increase students’ achievement rate. This study focused on documenting responses to the questions: How do Urban Teachers enact culturally responsive teaching practices in their classrooms? How do teachers in the Urban Teachers program describe overcoming perceived barriers to implementing culturally responsive teaching in an urban school district? The problem of the study was a lack of evaluation of culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices of those Urban Teachers once they entered the …

Experiences Of Successful African American And Hispanic Non-Traditional Single Mothers At An Urban Community College, Gerald Maitre

All Theses And Dissertations

Single parents who are public welfare recipients and seek to complete a college degree face many obstacles to persist and stay enrolled. Factors such as (a) being custodial parents of a child(ren), (b) juggling a job and family responsibilities, and (c) dealing with financial strains, to name a few, can create role overload which can be daunting (Weber & Tribe, 2019). Because these barriers are present, it is essential to know the motivational orientation of the single parent who has persisted and stay enrolled. Besides documenting the research on programming and policies, the present study explored what motivation students needed …

The Influence Of Authentic Leadership On Venture Philanthropy In Christian, K-12 Schools, Renee G. Cervantes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This multiple case study explored the influence that authentic leadership has on venture philanthropy in five, Christian, K-12, non-profit schools in the United States. The research was conducted using a multiple case study method through qualitative interviews with the venture philanthropists of each Christian school. In this study, venture philanthropy at a Christian school was defined as the provision of a collective gift total of $1 million or more in cash assets, the provision of strategic assistance through a close funder-fundee relationship, serving on the school’s board of trustees or in an advisory role, and the implementation of social and …

A Phenomenological Study On Novice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Instructional Coaching Support, Shameka J. Brown

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Experiencing instructional supportive structures that help teachers to overcome barriers to meeting the diverse needs of their students is vital to the success of novice teachers (Kraft et al., 2018). The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions novice teachers developed while experiencing instructional coaching support. Five novice teachers in elementary Title I schools participated in the study. Two themes emerged from the data analysis and indicated that novice teachers perceived first year success as a result of the instructional coaching support they received. Novice teachers perceived that a collaborative work environment with instructional coaches and …

A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Retention In Project-Based Learning Schools, Elizabeth C. Bielling

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing teacher retention in project-based learning (PBL) schools. Ascertaining these factors and devising a list of best practices could aid both PBL and non-PBL schools in bolstering their schools’ teacher retention rates. School administrators could examine the research to extrapolate specific practices that would benefit the unique culture of their schools. This mixed-methods study utilized a survey and interviews to address the two research questions. Themes that emerged from interviews with current PBL teachers were colleague interactions, administrative support, student interactions, autonomy, and motivation. Themes emerging from interviews with PBL school …

A Case Study Of Pedagogical Practices That Boost Chinese Students’ Oral English Self-Confidence, Michael D. Knapp

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Practice is necessary for developing oral English proficiency, but many Chinese learners of English lack the self-confidence to practice oral English; furthermore, students’ self-confidence deficiency is perpetuated by insufficient oral English proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover pedagogical practices that break the cycle of the reciprocal effect of deficiencies in oral English and in self-confidence in Chinese adult PhD non-English major students. Six participants who raised their oral English proficiency and self-confidence during their PhD studies described their English learning journeys by responding to interview questions. Analyzation of data from interview responses developed into two …

Readiness Of The Administrative Team To Respond To An Active Shooter On A Campus, Erin K. Newberry

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Philanthropic efforts and community responses to mass school shootings have generated an evolutionary change to the legislation surrounding school safety. An in-depth review of major school-related active-shooter incidents indicated a prioritized need for change across school campuses. Recent laws in the state of Florida created the eminent responsibility of site-based administrative teams in collaboration with the local sheriff’s office, to effectively implement and participate in synergistic crisis planning. While school safety has been at the pinnacle of community leaders’ political platforms for over 20 years, researchers have almost exclusively concentrated on identifying the role of the School Resource Officer (SRO) …

Evaluation Of The Alignment Of Student Perceptions Of Parental Expectations Regarding Academic Success In Private College-Prep High Schools, Ryan C. Dupee

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The stresses of high school students, and the variables that add to their stress, have been researched for decades in numerous formats, but many of these studies do not survey the students’ perceptions on various levels. The purpose of this study was to gain data that would give further insight into the stressors and variables about perceptions of academic success from the context of a private high school student. Eighty-two juniors and seniors in private, college-prep high schools were surveyed concerning their perceptions of parents’ views of academic success. The researcher created a quantitative survey that was completed digitally by …

Second Language Learning In Elementary Years: Cognitive And Social-Emotional Benefits, Brooke Elenbaas

Masters Projects

All through the world bilingualism is a normal part of school, work, and culture creating cognitive and social-emotional benefits (Fan, 2016; Marian & Shook, 2012). The United States is a unique educational system, distinctly geared towards monolinguals, specifically English, especially in the elementary schools. The absence of second language learning at the elementary grades is a gap districts should seek to fill as research shows brain development positively effecting cognitive and social-emotional learning during this early stage of development (Abutalebi et al., 2011). This project is an in-service designed for elementary school districts pursuing a better understanding of why second …

The Benefits And Barriers To Arts Integration: Arts Accessibility In Public Montessori, Heather Teems

All Theses And Dissertations

This mixed-method exploratory case study investigates the research question: To what extent do pre-K through eighth-grade public Montessori school teachers perceive that their professional knowledge and abilities, experiences, and resources impact their capacity to integrate arts into their general classroom curriculum? Public Montessori teachers from five public-choice Montessori schools in a school district of the suburban and urban areas of southeastern South Carolina were invited to participate. The teachers in these public Montessori schools have varied levels of education and professional development experience with the arts in education. Some participants were general education teachers prior to becoming Montessori teachers due …

Measuring Faculty Motivation And Engagement Through An Institutionally Supported Faculty Development Program At An Academic Healthcare Center, Elizabeth S. Rose

All Theses And Dissertations

Trends in the literature suggest that institutional support, defined as provisions for balancing work demands, schedule, and protected time, is a critical factor consistent with institutional academic success and an increase in faculty satisfaction. Competing factors including societal scrutiny, cost containment the safety and effectiveness of academic healthcare institutions, faculty recruitment and retention, increasing expectations for faculty, and pressures for high-functioning productivity can lead to feelings of ineffectiveness for faculty.

This summative program evaluation focused on the success of the Scholars Program, an institutionally supported faculty development program. The researcher sought to identify and describe faculty perceptions of the program’s …

People Manager Mindset Perceptional Influence On Culture At A Large Technology Company, Robert Patterson

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of a growth mindset, meaning an innate desire to learn, persist in the face of setbacks, value failure as essential to learning and regularly seeks feedback to improve by eight people managers in a large technology company (e.g., Microsoft, Alphabet’s Google, Facebook, and Amazon). Utilizing LinkedIn.com, eight people managers were identified and asked to describe their roles in communicating their organization’s culture to their direct reports and the tools supplied by their respective Company to influence their process (e.g., trainings, internal communications, etc.). Additionally, the study documented examples of how …

Rural Elementary Teachers And The Impact Of Professional Development On Mathematics Instruction, Heather Rockwell

All Theses And Dissertations

Rural elementary math teachers often lack a background in mathematics and even those with a strong mathematics background can sometimes struggle to model elementary math concepts (Holm & Kajander, 2019). Professional development (PD) provides teachers with an opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills while in the field. Although there are clear guidelines of what constitutes high-quality PD, not all PD achieves the same outcomes for teachers and students. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to understand PD experiences from the viewpoint of the rural elementary teachers, specifically the ways the PD experiences impact teacher efficacy and …

Computer-Mediated Communication Of History Museums In The Midwestern United States: A Web Content Analysis, Heather Lynn Dialfredi

All Theses And Dissertations

Adult museumgoers have come to expect increased access to museum information and resources through computer-mediated communication (CMC). Current research suggests that museum websites can increase the desire to visit the museum physically. The purpose of this study is to investigate how small, medium, and large history museums in the midwestern United States communicate the value of digital experiences to adult museumgoers. This qualitative content analysis follows Pauwels’ (2012) Multimodal Framework for Analyzing Websites as Cultural Expressions. The data was collected from 16 history museum websites, then analyzed using MAXQDA. The data collected provides insight into the methods and language museums …

Attachment And Identity In Higher Education: Lived Experiences Of Korean Adoptees, Janeice A. Garrard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

South Korea has been the largest sending country of adoptees since the Korean War. Many of the adoptees were placed in predominantly White communities in the Midwest United States. In the existing literature, researchers revealed that Korean adoptees expressed feelings related to loss of ethnic identity, birth culture, and place of belonging. It has not been fully understood how attachment and identity influence Korean adoptees in their pursuit of a higher education. Therefore, this study sought to examine the impacts of attachment to birth culture, adoptive culture, and adoptive family combined with issues of ethnic identity in the lived …

2021-04-01 Faculty Senate Regent Report, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Report made by the Faculty Regent to the Faculty Senate on April 1, 2021.