Educational Leadership Commons^™

What Are The Perspectives Of School District Staff On The Barriers & Benefits Of Implementing The Second Step Curriculum Within A School District?, Debra A. Olson

Leadership Education Capstones

This qualitative research set out to explore district staff members’ ideals of implementing a social-emotional learning curriculum in their district. Interviews of individual staff members was the source of data for this study. Participants noted that the addition of the SEL program has had positive impacts on current students. Participants also indicated that, although, the addition of this program is necessary, it is also necessary that all staff have some type of training to better support the student population. Also mentioned by the participants was the need for teaching the program with fidelity and including the teaching throughout the day, …

Shifting Parents From Respondents To Partners: New Paths To School Involvement, Andrew S. Pierskalla

Leadership Education Capstones

Consensus among researchers is that parent involvement strengthens student grades (Ross, 2016). The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore new strategies between parents and schools to foster continued parent involvement. Through qualitative design of surveys, focus-groups, and document review, this study explores strategies utilized of parent involvement at the high school level. The setting for this study is a suburb community in Minnesota. The high school has a student population that exceeds 2,300 (Minnesota Department of Education, 2019). The sample for this study will consist of parents that have at least one current student at the high school. …

Professional Development For The 21st Century Teacher: Supporting Teachers In A 1:1 9-12 Classroom, Steven Gilbertson

Leadership Education Capstones

Abstract

Winona Area Public Schools, specifically Winona Senior High School, is in need of a systematic change in the use of technology and the implementation of professional development regarding technology integration. This project aims to research, survey, and create a plan moving forward to better assist the school in creating a vibrant, organic way of professional development and technology usage in the classroom. Information was gathered through an anonymous survey from staff in the high school to gain insight and assess current usage, comfortability, and needs. The research showed a strong usage of technology in the classroom and a willingness …

Adult Literacy In The United States: Comparative Study Of Immigrant And American-Born Adults, Adam Keith Stein

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Despite its status as a wealthy, developed nation, the United States is plagued by widespread deficiencies in adult literacy. The problem is quite severe among individuals who were born in country, yet the situation for the nation’s immigrant population is nothing short of alarming. Using the U.S. portion of the data set for the international 2012/2014 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the study explores the impact of everyday practice on the development of literacy skills among adults aged 16 to 74. Where other studies typically focus on the literacy crisis among America’s school-age children, the present …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports And Its Influence On Effective Implementation, Tiffany J. Baskin-Downs

Theses and Dissertations

The use of a multi-tiered system of supports framework has been of growing interest in addressing issues related to disruptive behaviors and school suspensions. The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential, explanatory study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions (behavioral expectations defined, behavioral expectations taught, and an ongoing system for rewarding behavioral expectations) of their efforts toward implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports with fidelity in two middle schools within an urban school district located in Georgia. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, homogeneity of variance Levene’s test, t-tests, factorial analysis, a one-way analysis of variance, post-hoc tests, frequencies and …

An Examination Of Continuous Improvement In An Educational Organization, Billy Jacques Gira, Jennifer Malanga Martinez

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Continuous improvement (CI) is used across organizations to solve problems. Since the 2010s, CI practices have gained popularity in education. When comparing business organizations’ applications of CI practices to those in education, a gap is evident. Educational organizations create strategic plans, set long-term goals, implement initiatives, and measure overall outcomes in terms of student achievement. However, when attempting to build a high-performing culture and improve customer service between district departments and school centers, frequent and routine monitoring of customer experiences must occur.

This study examines current CI practices in a large, urban school district as they relate to improving the …

The Influence Of Student Discipline On Teacher Job Satisfaction When Controlling For Workplace Characteristics, Personal Attributes, Human Capital Elements, And Principal Leadership, Joshua Pittman

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the empirical literature related to the influence of student discipline on teacher job satisfaction. Further, this research aimed to explore the correlation between student discipline and teacher job satisfaction while controlling for the contributing factors of job satisfaction (i.e., workplace characteristics, personal attributes, human capital elements, and principal leadership). In addition, the results of this research study were interpreted through the lens of the Affective Events Theory indicating a person’s emotions and behaviors for the workplace may influence their job satisfaction. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to see whether there …

Unhinging The Machismo Binary Through A Third Space Lens: Reframing Latinx Males Postsecondary Academic Decision-Making, Matthew A. Witenstein, Alejandro Cervantes

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This critical and conceptual analysis problematizes the machismo binary and situates it in a third space framework. It explores Latinx males’ higher education experiences and how machismo influences academic decision-making. Situating Latinx males’ college-going in the third space provides a more nuanced portrayal of their academic decision-making across diverse postsecondary settings. In doing so, the Latinx Gender Identity Development Model for Latinx Males in the Third Space is proposed and connects machismo with other domains such as marianismo, caballerismo and familismo. The proposed framework is illustrated by applying it to Latinx males across critical dimensions that impact their decision-making in …

Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations To English Learners: Leadership Perceptions On Key Issues, Pamela R. Schwallier

Dissertations

English Learners (ELs), who now represent nearly 10% of all K-12 public school students, 4.8 million of who speak over 400 different languages and dialects, continue to lack equitable educational opportunities as demonstrated through gaps in achievement outcomes, poor graduation rates, and identified systemic barriers related to the intersectionality of language, culture, race, and racism (Crump, 2014; DeMatthews & Izquierdo, 2017; Menken & Solorza, 2015; Morita-Mullaney, 2018; National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition [NCELA], 2015, 2018). This quantitative study captured over 800 K-12 educational leaders’ perspectives, via an anonymous electronic survey, on key issues regarding equitable programs for ELs that …

The Intelligent Risk Equation: When Opportunities Outweigh Threats, Daryl Watkins, Valarie Denney

Publications

The Baldrige Excellence Framework contains several references to pursuing intelligent risks (Bailey, 2016). Nevertheless, many organizations do not systematically identify, assess, and pursue intelligent risks. The Intelligent Risk Equation: When Opportunities Outweigh Threats by Daryl V. Watkins and Valerie P. Denney examines the concept of positive risk as opportunity through a case study of a hypothetical university. The article maps the examples presented in the case study to key Baldrige terms to illustrate the systems nature of intelligent risk management.

Mixed Methods Study Of Special Education Training In Educational Leadership Preparation Programs In Rural Georgia, Robert Lewis-Vice

Theses and Dissertations

This research study addressed the problem that school leaders may not be adequately prepared to address the needs of an increasing population of students with special needs. The purpose of the study was to examine the difference between beliefs and perceptions of middle and high school leaders and special education teachers about the knowledge and skills necessary to implement special education programs effectively. The conceptual framework of this study focused on the preparation of principals and assistant principals at the university level through certification programs and district level programs. For this causal-comparative research design study, the quantitative and qualitative data …

A Phenomenographic Study Of Teachers’ Perceptions Of A School Leader’S Role In Teacher Retention In A Failing Title I Elementary School, Alex Davis

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This study examines teachers’ perceptions of their administrator’s role in retaining teachers in one failing Title I Elementary School. As attrition rates among teachers increase in the United States, more investigation is needed to fully understand what role, if any, school administrators play in teachers’ retention efforts. Through the use of phenomenography, this study explores various factors connected to school administrators that can contribute to teacher retention. Interviews and a focus group were used to gather data in this study to provide insight into teachers’ perceptions of their administrator's role in contributing to their decisions to leave or remain in …

An Evaluation Of One School District Standards Assessment Program, Derrick King

Dissertations

This project focuses on how one school district uses quarterly assessments to identify standards students have not mastered. This project identifies how some schools utilize quarterly assessment data with varying results. One problem I have identified is a lack of a consistent expectation from district leadership, regarding the expectation for how schools should use the assessment program. In my research, I examine two schools that use the assessment program differently. The literature I present reveals how the program can help improve student achievement. The research reveals what is working well, and what is not. In closing, I recommend implementing a …

Gender And Change Over Time On Reading Achievement For English Learners In Grades 3-4 In Northwest Arkansas, Molly Wingfield

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effects by change over time between males versus females on reading achievement measured by the NWEA MAP Growth Reading 2-5 AR 2016 for ELPA21 Beginning and ELPA21 Intermediate levels for third- and fourth-grade students from a school district in Northwest Arkansas. This study is important because serving English learners, which is the fastest growing population of students, will help close the achievement gap and eliminate gender bias. This study is rooted in the five main hypotheses of Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition (Krashen, 1981, 1982, 2002). To address each of …

The Role Of Culture In The Transfer Of Training, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Organizations interested in raising their performance and results spend large sums of money on training their employees, but unless the resultant learning is transferred to the work situation, that investment will not yield a return. This study's initial premise is that national cultures may play a part in the transfer process. The study’s purpose is to identify national cultural factors which may influence training and learning transfer. Leadership trainings among school leaders in Ghana and Burkina Faso, West Africa were observed and recorded using Hofstede, Hofstede, and Minkov’s (2010) Six Cultural Dimensions model as a framework of analysis. Some cultural …

An Examination Of Two-Year College Student-Athletes’ Perceived Engagement In Academic Advising, Supplemental Instruction, And Academic Alert Systems, Michael Kiefer

Theses and Dissertations

Institutions of higher education face challenges to improve the student success measures of retention, progression, and graduation, which are metrics used to evaluate colleges and universities. One way in which many institutions have sought to increase accessibility to higher education and student engagement is through athletics; however, limited research exists regarding the lack of academic success of student-athletes at two-year colleges. Drawing upon a student engagement theoretical framework presented by Coates, the purpose of the causal-comparative research study was to examine the differences in perceived usage and impact of academic support services by two-year college student-athletes in Florida. The data …

Participation In Visual And Performing Arts Courses And High School Graduation Rates In New Jersey Public High Schools, Richard L. Celebre

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Emerging issues, including limited financial resources, funding from public sources, and the increasing demand for academic excellence and achievement, are forcing high schools to reassess how current resources are allocated within their institutions. Public schools continue to look to become more efficient and strategic in the allocation of their available resources for promoting academically focused and successful students. The value of programs that are not directly connected to the standardized testing system currently in place, such as arts education, are often overlooked when school districts make their financial decisions. This is problematic because the benefits afforded to students through the …

The Language Of Parental Involvement: A Document Analysis Of Parent Involvement Plans (Pip’S) Of Title I Elementary Schools, Jacqueleen M. Bido

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research indicates that parent involvement increases student achievement. This qualitative research examined 30 elementary Title I schools’ Parent Involvement Plans (PIPs), seeking roles parents played in urban settings. This document analysis reviewed the descriptive language presented in each school’s plan and examined for fidelity. Using Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement and the Sample Practice, the researcher coded the Plans. Data displayed compliance with the mandated requirements of the Plans. Still, they indicated incongruencies with fidelity and alignment to proven best-practices research.

High School Education Professionals' Explanations Of The Impacts Of Military Stress On Military Dependent Students' Development, William John Buchleitner Iv

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this explanatory case study is to understand how the military culture and inherent stress affect the development of military dependent high school children as explained by high school professionals. For this research, military stressors were identified as combat deployments, permanent change of stations, and living within a military household. The conceptual framework that influenced this research was the social cognitive theory as developed by Albert Bandura and Ronald Akers’ social learning theory, both of which explain how children learn from observing individuals and their environments. This study sought to answer the central research question: How do high …

Educational Leadership, Leader-Member Exchange And Teacher Self-Efficacy, Gabriela Flores, Denver J. Fowler, Richard A. Posthuma

Journal of Global Education and Research

The purpose of this article is to examine social cognitive theory and social comparison theory, and how they are integrated to propose that self-efficacy mediates the relationship between leader-member exchange social comparison (LMXSC) and performance. Furthermore, the article supports the need for development and examination of the effects of educational leadership and teacher self-efficacy. That is, to determine if school leadership has an effect on teacher self-efficacy, and if teacher self-efficacy has an effect on student achievement. The preliminary conceptual model developed within the article includes insightful research questions to be considered for impending future studies. The authors hope this …