Educational Leadership Commons^™

Parent Involvement In Contested Times: A Brief Analysis Of The Effects Of Anti-Immigrant Policies On Latinx Immigrant Parent Involvement, Maria Isabel Morales

CGU Theses & Dissertations

How do perceived community and school cultural values affect Latinx immigrant parents’ decisions to engage with their children’s schools? What lessons might their experiences have for our understanding of parent involvement beyond the parameters of traditional models of parent involvement? Engaging parents as advocates for school success in the home is particularly important for English Language Learners (ELs). Tapping into the experiences of EL parents is a resource educators can use to increase parental involvement and, consequently, student academic achievement.

This qualitative case study grounded in Critical Inquiry and Cultural Historic Activity Theory examined the perceptions and experiences of 5 …

Indiana Social-Emotional Learning Competencies, Brandie Oliver, Lori Desautels

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

No abstract provided.

The Professionalization And Socialization Of Adjunct Instructors In A Southern California Community College, Nancy Roemi Ramirez

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the professionalization and socialization of adjunct faculty into the culture of a community college campus in Southern California. Because adjunct faculty are the majority faculty at most colleges, it is vital to orient and support them for maximum effectiveness. A review of literature revealed that well-socialized employees are more committed to organizational well-being; however, few studies examine community college English Department part-time faculty in this light. This qualitative case study does so, using the model of organizational socialization (Tierney & Bensimon, 1996) as its framework, and focusing on this research question: How are part-time English Department faculty …

Improving The Quality Of Teaching: An Applied Research Study On Improving The Quality Of Teaching In Third-Grade Reading At Tigerville Elementary School, Valeree Ellis-Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This applied research study sought to improve the quality of teaching in third-grade reading at Tigerville Elementary School (TES). The need to improve the quality of teaching in third-grade reading was identified through Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR. 2017-2018) reading data and Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP 2017-2018) test data. This study used three elements providing instructional support for teachers building teaching capacity and improving student achievement to address the central issue of improving the quality of teaching in third-grade reading. The program utilized an action plan and a program evaluation design to address improving the …

Increasing Teacher Retention: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Mentoring And Culture In The Abc County School District, Jimmy Holland Weeks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Self Study Of My Leadership As Principal To Improve Student Achievement In Literacy In The Middle Grades, Latrese Tonya Mathis

Dissertations

This self-study examined my leadership practices as a principal and researcher. Herr and Anderson (2005) define self-study as "a focus on one's own personal and professional self." Through reflective analysis of my leadership practices, the Instructional Leadership and Grade Level Teams were supported with protocols and leadership methods to improve literacy instruction at middle grades. Upon reflection, concerns existed regarding inadequate and inconsistent student growth through the lens of school wide assessments. The examination of student data, root cause identification, and the development and monitoring of action items assisted to investigate my analysis of this concern. The significance of this …

Creating Scholar Athletes: Investigating The Academic Support Provided To High School Student Athletes In Southern California High Schools, Melinda Love

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study used semi-structured interviews of athletic directors to present a descriptive narrative of academic support provided to student athletes in five Southern California high schools. These interviews highlighted what supports were provided as well as structures that would better support student athletes. The impetus of this study was the mixed findings regarding the academic performance of student athletes in comparison to their non-athlete peers. While high school students must satisfy academic requirements to remain eligible to participate, California high schools are not required to provide academic support to their student athletes (California Interscholastic Federation, 2017). Without an obligation to …

Implications Of The Digital Divide For Technology Integration In Schools: A White Paper, Suzanne K. Becking, Marilyn Grady

Contemporary Issues in Educational Leadership

The implications of the Digital Divide in 2019 vary slightly from the onset of Internet use. Max Weber’s (1922, 1978) theory of stratification provides a foundation for understanding why the growth is slow. Defining the Digital Divide is difficult. In reality, it has moved from a situation of access to acquiring sufficient skills to use it effectively. We examines the issue from the perspective of the need for technology literate leaders in schools. Technology literate leaders not only embrace technology: they model it. The leaders provide teachers with access and training to implement the best pedagogically sound teaching strategies so …

Silicon Valley Immersion Program, Austin Phillips

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper explores how learning immersion experiences can improve the cache of the student experience at The University of Akron. Then the planning and coordination of northeast Ohio's first university-led silicon valley learning immersion trip, Zips in the Valley, are detailed.

Examining The Interaction Of Academic Optimism, Enabling School Structures, Middle Level Practices, And Academic Achievement, Vikki Wandmacher

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study focused on young adolescent development, middle grades education, and the underlying supporting structures that assist students in achieving academically. Results were examined through the lens of Bandura’s social cognitive theory, and a big picture view of the interplay of beliefs, behavior, and environmental influences emerged. The study examined three ideas: (a) the level of academic optimism (AO), enabled school structure (ESS), middle level strategy implementation, and academic achievement; (b) how the implementation of middle level strategies and School to Watch (STW) status affected the level of AO, and ESS; and (c) how the factors of AO, ESS, STW …

“It’S Like A Big Freaking Fake Circus”: An Exploration Of Intersectionality And Women’S Experiences In Higher Education Fundraising, Daniel Mathis Spadafore

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Women in higher education fundraising navigate the broad forces of sexism and racism in society and their profession, a profession in which they are being paid less than their male counterparts and are under-represented in leadership roles, despite being the majority of fundraising professionals. This study provided a platform for women in higher education fundraising to tell their stories and to explain, in their own words, how they navigated a traditionally White patriarchal system of philanthropy, interacted with fundraising prospects and donors, and experienced the fundraising profession. The research questions included:

• What do women say are their lived experiences …

Speaking Their Truth: Black Women's Perspectives On Executive-Level Administration In Higher Education, Tanja N. Bibbs

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

While Black women have etched a place for themselves as leaders within colleges and universities, few have advanced to the most senior levels of postsecondary administration and they remain underrepresented in those type of roles (Gamble & Turner, 2015; Jackson & Harris, 2007; West, 2015). Scholarly research has explored Black women’s experiences as institutional leaders (Davis & Maldonado, 2015; Smith & Crawford, 2007; Waring, 2003); yet the phenomenon of executive-level higher education administration, specifically as it relates to Black women’s perspectives, is not well known (Enke, 2014; Jean-Marie, Williams, & Sherman, 2009). Moreover, research that directs attention to Black women’s …

Complexity Leadership: The Role Of Teaching And Learning Center Leaders In Online Learning At Small, Private Colleges, Tyler D. Watts

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

As online learning continues to grow and became an integral component of many higher education institutions (Allen & Seaman, 2017), the role of leadership in guiding those online learning initiatives differs from institution to institution. At small, private colleges and universities, where online learning is seeing greater enrollment and growth (Clinefelter & Magda, 2013), teaching and learning centers (TLC) often have involvement in guiding and shaping online learning initiatives. This study investigated the role of TLC leaders in leading online learning initiatives. The value of this study is an examination of leadership during a period of transformation and change that …

Superintendents And The Micropolitics Of Innovation In Rural School Districts, Catherine Nunn Lawless

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Research shows that public school districts that follow traditional means of instruction and assessment are insufficiently preparing students for success in the today’s global world. As a result, students are entering into higher education institutions and the workforce without the necessary skills to succeed in these 21^st century environments. Extant literature suggest that there is a broad consensus on this perspective in public and private sectors nationally and globally. Evidence shows that some school district superintendents and their respective school boards continue to focus on improving the current practices and student academic performance and assessment. Other instructional leaders recognize …

The Relationship Between The Supportive Principal Behavior Dimension And Teachers’ Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy In Rural Schools, Elizabeth Lackey

Ed.D. Dissertations

Abstract

The researcher focused on the principal behavior dimensions that principals exhibited in interactions with staff members and the relationship those behaviors had on teachers’ sense of self-efficacy in rural schools. In this study, the researcher surveyed 96 rural elementary school teachers in a southeastern state to examine the relationship between the principal behavior dimensions using the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire-Revised for Elementary Schools and teachers’ sense of self-efficacy using the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale. The researcher used a Pearson r to analyze the results of three research questions related to the relationship between the supportive principal behavior dimensions …

Boredom Proneness And Character Strengths Related To Academic Achievement In Adolescence, Bonnie Iannaccone

Ed.D. Dissertations

Abstract

Susceptibility to boredom can interfere with students’ ability to achieve their academic potential, with enduring negative consequences. In the present study, the researcher investigated differences in boredom proneness and character strengths in adolescent high school students and the ability of boredom proneness scores and character strengths to predict academic achievement. Results indicated that 9 of 10 students were moderately or highly prone to boredom. Students’ whose top character strength was humility were more highly prone to boredom than students’ whose top-ranked character strengths were bravery, prudence, or curiosity. From boredom proneness and character strengths data the researcher concluded that …

The Effect Of Advanced Stem Certification On Elementary Achievement, Christopher Stotts

Ed.D. Dissertations

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education has become a panacea for many woes in our country’s educational and economic systems. Each year schools struggle with judiciously allocating their limited funds to various STEM programs in hopes that they may reap academic returns. This study examined the effect of a STEM certification from the AdvancED educational accreditation organization on elementary student achievement. The researcher analyzed extant student achievement data from twenty Georgia elementary schools that earned the AdvancED STEM certification to investigate any statistically significant difference between pre-certification and post-certification scores. The researcher analyzed scores from four content areas: English …

Exploration Of Growth Mindset Application In Communication Sciences And Disorders, Kelly Jean Rutherford

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As early as 1988, Carol Dweck began a line of research connecting motivation and intelligence that later became known as mindset theory (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). This study explored the feasibility of applying Dweck’s growth mindset model to challenges in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorder (CSD). Interviews were conducted with higher education administrators who are directly affected by requirements of program standards using a phenomenological design. Findings suggested that growth mindset beliefs and practices are used in many ways across faculty, curriculum, and student domains; however, participants identified growth mindset concepts of willingness to embrace change, learning from …

Mathematics For Whom: Reframing And Humanizing Mathematics, Cathery Yeh, Brande M. Otis

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"In this paper, we share a process in which we, as mathematics teacher educators and education researchers, have worked in collaboration with K–6 teachers and students to analyze the purported neutrality of mathematics textbook word problems and to consider ways to use mathematics to analyze social inequities in the world. In the sections that follow, we describe the framework that grounds our development of justice-oriented mathematics curriculum and share an example of how textbook analysis can serve as an entryway to investigations that raise students’ awareness of social issues while developing their power as mathematics thinkers and doers. Drawing from …

Teaching Against The Grain: A Conversation Between The Editors Of The Griffith Journal Of Law & Human Dignity And Peter Mclaren On The Importance Of Critical Pedagogy In Law School, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This article is a dialogue between the Editors of the Griffith Journal of Law & Human Dignity and leading scholar Peter McLaren, speaking to the importance of critical pedagogy within education and law.