Educational Leadership Commons^™

Cultivating A 'Community Of Practice' In An Educational Leadership Preparation Program: Experiences And Roles Of Adjunct Faculty, Karen Swann, Karen L. Sanzo, Jay Paredes Scribner, Michael Cromartie

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Educational leadership preparation programs increasingly rely on adjunct faculty to teach aspiring leaders. Although the percentage of adjunct faculty serving as instructors continues to grow relative to full-time, tenured faculty, the role of part-time instructors/K-12 practitioners remains confined to instruction. This study explored how one educational leadership preparation program attempted to include adjunct faculty in roles beyond teaching to include course and curriculum development, program redesign, and recruitment and marketing. Informed by the communities of practice literature, this study illustrates ways that programs can foster meaningful professional community among full- and part-time faculty in ways that contribute to program quality. …

Covid-19 Impact Research Brief: Virtual Exchanges At Community Colleges, Kimberley Cossey, Heidi Fischer

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected higher education worldwide. Two NAFSA member leaders, Kimberley Cossey, MA, (2021 registrar for Region VIII) and Heidi Fischer, PhD (2021 chair for Region VIII), have coauthored a research brief detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted virtual exchange program development and delivery at community colleges in the United States. The research brief summarizes key takeaways from mixed-methods research (i.e., survey and interviews) with practitioners from U.S. community colleges, requesting information about:

The pandemic's impact on existing virtual exchange programs (VEPs), The impact on developing new VEPs, and New (virtual) models for international education. Key takeaways include …

Belonging In College: Engagement And Retention At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Alana Joy Olschwang

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine retention for first-year students who attended a large, public Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). The study examined the extent that belonging influenced involvement and engagement, and the relationship to retention. This was in the context of COVID with the pandemic, social and political unrest, and an emergency remote format for teaching impacting student experiences. The conceptual framework was influenced by theories including validation, belonging, mattering, sociocultural engagement, natural growth, and community cultural wealth. The study included secondary data analysis from the Fall 2019 National Survey of Student Engagement and institutional data for grade …

The Middle To High School Transition: An Applied Research Study To Improve And Support High School Readiness In High-Poverty Schools, Robert Davis Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The applied research study aimed to improve high school readiness for eighth-grade students transitioning to ninth-grade in high-poverty schools. Middle school educators are struggling to prepare students for ninth-grade without the proper transition support programs. This applied research study's framework was based on improving student performance, preventing academic achievement loss, addressing social-emotional learning, and informing students of operational procedures to prepare them for the high school environment. An action plan was developed and implemented in three phases to address each element of concern intentionally. Phase one consisted of Saturday Academy tutoring to improve student performance in reading and math. Implementation …

Traumatic Life Experiences And Their Impact On Factors Pertinent To Leadership Effectiveness In School Principals, Derrick D. Hardaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many schools across the nation are not making adequate achievement or growth goals from year-to-year. This leads to high principal turnover rates and instability in the learning environment which profoundly impacts student achievement. Currently, most efforts in schools are aimed at raising student achievement, implementing equitable practices, and limiting barriers. While these are critical actions for closing the achievement gap, the principal’s role in this process is vitally important. Therefore, this quantitative study explored how trauma affects factors that are pertinent to leader success in school principals. To determine the impact trauma has on leadership qualities, this study examined the …

Decreasing Discipline Disparities Among African-American Males: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Developing Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Among Teachers And Equipping Students With Added Supports, Reginald Maurice Herrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools and school leaders are charged to provide equitable educational opportunities and ensure the success for all students no matter their scholastic ability giving students access to an education that is culturally responsive. Despite this charge, African-American male students receive exclusionary punishment at disparaging rates which contributes to the widening achievement gap between white and black students. The purpose of this applied research study was to decrease the rate at which African-American males are referred to the office. This study analyzes the implementation of two elements: engaging teachers in a book study on culturally responsive teaching strategies and targeted counseling …

Increasing Reading Achievement: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Implementing An Independent Reading Time At Lester Elementary School, Sherna Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading proficiency is an important skill and demonstrated proficiency is required by the Mississippi’s Literacy Based Promotion Act of 2013 for third graders to be promoted to fourth grade. Reading proficiency at third grade also has serious implications for lifelong outcomes. The purpose of this applied research project was to increase reading achievement for the second and third grade students of Lester Elementary, specifically by exploring the effects of increased time spent reading, access and self-selection of books, and motivation to read on reading proficiency. The analysis of pre- and post- STAR data was used to determine if proficiency rates …

Academic Support Systems And College Readiness For Black Male Student Athletes, Derek Lovell King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High school athletics is a major aspect of today’s educational landscape. Sports generate revenue, galvanize communities, and provide opportunities for widespread exposure. For the black athlete, sports generally represent an opportunity to go to college. With the pressure of academic accountability, increased athletic competitiveness, and the impact of future prospects, high schools have to be innovative in order to optimize the academic experience, particularly for Black male athletes.

The impact of high school academic support systems, particularly their capacity to increase the college readiness of Black male athletes, has not been adequately examined. College GPA, college persistence rate, and college …

Building Teacher Capacity As A Pathway To Equity For First-Grade Spanish-Speaking English Learners: An Applied Research Study, Mary Greenlee Moak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The teaching of English Learners, one of the fastest-growing subgroups in American Public schools, is a task American classroom teachers are ill-equipped to handle. As students from a variety of language backgrounds move from metropolitan areas of the country to more rural locales educational leaders must equip teachers to integrate language acquisition with content instruction. Failure to do so will result in compounding learning gaps among English Learners as the language barrier prevents them from gaining content knowledge. Based in a Mississippi school with a growing population of English Learners comprising over a quarter of the school’s population, this …

Student Government: A Phenomenological Study Of Student Government Leaders, K. Bonnieblue Rodríguez-Valentín

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This phenomenological study investigated the transition process of student government leaders in a university setting. The study consisted of interviewing a total of 17 participants from Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches, as well as the Election Commission. This study focused on finding the types of transitions student leaders experience while serving in student government, the meaning obtained from such transitions, and the impact succession planning and university personnel had on those transitions. Themes that emerged from the study included stress, conflict, advocacy, resiliency, and boundaries. Recommendations and future applications of the research findings were made to help guide higher education …

An Exploration Of The Political Factors That Influence States' Appropriations For Higher Education, Wesley Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of the current empirical study was to investigate the relationship between a United States governor's education agenda, the growth of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the state promise programs on allocations for higher education within the 50 states for the Fiscal Year 2018. Guided by Tandberg's (2010a, 2010b) fiscal policy framework, this quantitative inquiry seeks to investigate the association between a governor's education agenda, statewide promise programs, and Medicaid's share of state general fund expenditures on the states' higher education allocation per US $1,000 of personal income using an analysis of covariance fixed-term model and …

Transforming Campus Climate For Diversity: Accreditation Liaison Officer Perceptions And Beliefs Regarding The Impact Of Regional Accreditation On Institutional Change, David H. Sundby

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Despite attention given to the increasing diversity in higher education, greater barriers to college access and degree attainment exist for many minoritized groups in comparison to dominant groups. Research illustrates that campus climate for diversity, a systemic concept, plays a critical role in the success of minoritized groups. Additionally, institutional accreditation is a critical process, and it may be a catalyst for systemic change. However, there is little research on the relationship between the regional accreditation process and institutional change, with even less research on the impact of accreditation on campus climate for diversity.

To address this gap in literature, …

The Use Of Culturally Proficient Professional Development To Enhance Learning Transfer, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The National Staff Development Council recommends that principals devote 10% of the school budget and 25% of teacher time to professional development (PD). While PD requires time, it is crucial that the time be organized, carefully structured, and purposefully led to avoid the waste of human and financial resources. Despite the millions of dollars spent on professional development nationally, student learning outcomes continue to stagnate or dwindle, discipline issues continue to skyrocket, and teacher moral plummets. This may be due, in part, to leaders paying little attention to learning transfer. Culture plays a key role in one’s ability to learn …

Building Emotionally Resilient Schools And Educators During Crises, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations in the U.S (Gallup, 2014). Stress affects teachers’ health and well-being, job satisfaction, job turnover, and student outcomes (Greenberg et al., 2016). Possessing and using social and emotional skills is necessary to regulate stress, maintain healthy personal and professional lives, and thrive as teachers and leaders (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009; Jennings, 2015). Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is key to human development because it is “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective …

Creating Intentionally Inviting School Cultures During Crisis, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This qualitative study used Purkey and Novack’s (1988) Invitational Education as a conceptual framework to understand how 30 educational leaders in Ohio’s urban and suburban districts created intentionally inviting school cultures during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Findings indicated that leaders altered their leadership styles to focus on people rather than programs and policies in order to be more inviting. Challenges pertained to insufficient funding to provide professional development for teachers and parents and the need for more mobile devices and connectivity. This study is significant because it expands the invitational education framework to show how leaders are being intentionally inviting …

Covid-19 Crisis Management Strategies And Challenges Of Educational Leaders In America, Corinne Brion, Bilgen Kiral

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This research was conducted to understand how 30 American school leaders managed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study used a case study approach. The researchers utilized a convenience and snowball sampling to conduct Zoom interviews in May 2020. The research findings revealed that leaders encountered numerous difficulties related to having to lead during two crises (a global pandemic and social-racial issues). Findings also indicated that leaders altered their style and used many strategies to lead in times of crises: They emphasized communication, became stress managers and cheer leaders, focused on developing a sense of belonging among teachers and students …

Marianist Educational Associates: Advancing And Promoting The Mission Of Catholic And Marianist Universities, Corinne Brion, Allison P. Leigh

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Preparing employees to become stewards of the Marianist values and charisms has become a priority at a Marianist institution because employees impact the institution’s environment and faculty and staff directly impact student learning. To date, there is a lack of research conducted among employees of a Marianist institution on how new understandings of institutional mission get transferred to their jobs. Additionally, there is a lack of empirical studies that examine what enhances and hinders the transfer of such understanding. Using the Multidimensional Model of Learning Transfer as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the …

Changing Cultural Norms Through Educational Leadership: Voices From Ghanaian Women Principals, Corinne Brion, A. Ampah-Mensah

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this phenomenology study was to understand the experiences of women principals located in Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) district of the Central Region of Ghana, a patriarchal and traditional society. Specifically, this study examined how cultural factors positively or negatively influenced women access to the principal role and influenced their leadership experiences. Using Hofstede et al.’s (2010) six dimensions of national culture as a conceptual framework, this study elucidates the experiences of 12 women school leaders. Findings revealed that these women navigated cultural norms and beliefs in order to exercise their own leadership style and pursue their …

Trauma-Informed Leadership, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

According to recent data, over 34 million students have experienced at least one or more types of serious childhood trauma. As a result, current and prospective school leaders urgently need to develop trauma-driven skills and abilities in order to create safe schools for all students and raise academic outcomes. This teaching case study raises issues related to trauma experienced among students and its impact on students and school improvement. The author discusses one case in a fictitious district that is representative of the kind of traumas many other American schools face. I also provide additional resources for practitioners.

Leading In Times Of Crisis, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Defining what a crisis is can be challenging because the definition may vary based on information such as who the person defining it is and the context in which this person resides or learns. Educators and community members may argue that their educational organizations have always been in crisis depending on where their schools are located, their schools’ resources, and their students’ learning outcomes and well-being. Thus, for these communities it may be difficult to pinpoint how and when a crisis hits.

In this case study, the author defines crisis as, any situation that disrupts the education and training process …