Educational Leadership Commons^™

Superintendent’S Perception Of Their Use Of Authentic Leadership Skills, Melissa Mendoza-Thompson

All Capstone Projects

School superintendents are challenged with many complexities of the position. They must balance the needs of their School Board, who act as their direct supervisors and sometimes have agendas of their own. They must balance the needs of their administrative team, and often serve as a buffer between these administrators, their staff, the community, parents, and the Union. They must balance the many different needs of the community, and often serve as the “face” of the school district. Most importantly, these many needs often are in direct and indirect competition with the students, the very reason that schools exist. Of …

Assessing Student Success: Predictive Validity Of The Act Science Subscore, Meāgan Nichole Treadway

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The number of applications to postsecondary institutions continues to increase year over year, and in most cases, the number of applications exceeds the number of students admitted. The use of standardized tests continues to grow to help in these admissions decisions. Due to both high usage rates and the changing demographics of our nation’s student population, the study of test bias is still a relevant conversation today. Aside from larger issues of equity and access, particularly in STEM courses, this has implications for leaders in higher education because universities have a stake in ensuring students are academically fit for the …

The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Who Earned Doctorates, Boris D. Turner

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation described the lived experiences of Black males who earned doctorates. Using an anti-deficit framework, this study explored the post-college experience and doctoral completion. Past research about Black males utilize a deficit perspective indicating how negative experiences, at times, prevent academic achievement. This study used an interpretive approach with one-on-one face-to-face interviews with seven participants. The interviews were conducted in the geographic area of the Midwest, Southeastern, and Northwest regions of the United States. The narratives, rich and thick in descriptions, provided seven themes. The themes included (a) race, and how participants overcame stereotypes and certain challenges, (b) how …

Case Study Of Parents’ Experiences As Their Children With Hidden Disabilities Navigate The K-12 System To High School Completion, Tamiko Garrett

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The experiences of parents navigating through the K-12 school system as their children with invisible disabilities move toward graduation from secondary education are multifaceted. This qualitative study examined the experiences parents are having or not having at Kalamazoo Central High School (KCHS), a traditional high school within the Kalamazoo Public School (KPS) district. The research questions revealed the experiences of parents navigating their children with invisible disabilities. Conceptually, this study was guided by the ecologies of parental engagement (EPE) framework. The teachings of Pierre Bourdieu and his perspective on social capital were also utilized. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, …

A Model For Cultivating Global Engagement Beyond Academic Tourism, Victor D. Carmona, Tizziana Carmona

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

The message to environmental scholars in Pope Francis’ Encyclical “Laudato Si” is clear: contributions from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) must serve to inform both local and international conversations as well as connect learning communities in developed and developing nations. In the hope of fostering international opportunities that challenge U.S. students to link their academic degrees with social justice elements that calibrate them to the historical reality the overwhelming majority of the world experiences, we outline a teacher-scholar model that serves as a tool for the advancement of social and environmental justice issues in developing countries.

Fostering A Culture Of Innovation: A Case Study Of Elementary School Principals In Costa Rica, Miguel M. Gonzales, Richard Sorti

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

To help promote a culture of innovation, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Telecommunication of Costa Rica established a national executive decree requiring all public schools in the country participate in the National Program of Science and Technology Fairs (NPSTF). This case study examines the role of five elementary school principals in Costa Rica in implementing and preparing their schools for the NPSTF initiative. Principals played three significant roles: the motivator of teachers and students; acquirer of NPSTF resources; and the organizer of NPSTF committees and coalitions to help train and finance the initiative. It …

Qualitative Content Analysis Of Policy As An Expression Of Educational Theory On Special Education Preschool Placement Options, Jennifer M. Dineen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized a qualitative content analysis approach where the researcher collected policies and theories to analyze and interpret and to examine the relationship between developmental theories and Georgia preschool policies as they relate to inclusion using archived state policies found on the Georgia Department of Education and Department of Early Learning website. The theories of Vygotsky (1978), Piaget (1936), and Bronfenbrenner (1979) were examined, along with the public policies on Georgia preschool. These policies included Georgia Early Learning Development Standards, Bright from the Start operating guidelines, and Work Sampling System. The researcher found common themes and/or phrases in the …

Increasing Instructional Leadership: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Developing Principals As Instructional Leaders In The Magnolia County School District, Leigh Anne Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study seeks to improve principal capacity as instructional leaders. The need for principals to increase their instructional leadership capacity became evident with the ever-changing requirements of state accountability and student achievement. Using four elements in this study, cohort-based professional development for principals, principal PLCs, data meetings, and consultant and district administrator campus visits, the program sought to develop and grow principal leadership. Surveys, focus groups, and interviews were used in the study. The findings reveal improvement in instructional leadership capacity in the district and can provide educators with information, including an action plan, to implement instructional leadership …

Early Care And Education Testimonios At The Borderlands, Jennifer Torres Siders

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Latinas represent a large proportion of the United States early care and education workforce, and thus have the potential to wield significant influence over the growth and development of millions of American children. However, the voices of Latina early childhood professionals often are missing in both research and mass media. Instead, social, political, and academic frames cast Latinas as foreign regardless of nationality, uneducated notwithstanding expertise, and passive despite action and influence. This testimonio analysis draws on Chicana feminist epistemology to re-center the perspectives of Latina child care providers and reveal more authentic insights on how they understand and perform …

The Chief Executive Officer Of Charter Management Organizations And Their Perspective On Instructional Leadership To Improve Student Achievement, Bryce Alan Geigle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between academic emphasis and executive leadership from the perspective of a California charter management organization (CMO) chief executive officer (CEO). Executive leaders in California CMOs have a unique perspective that needs investigated. They experience educational leadership differently depending upon their individual backgrounds, educational experiences, and the families they serve. This study seeks to understand the experiences of a specific group of executive leaders and how they define academic emphasis in their CMO. The theoretical framework used to interpret the research findings was instructional leadership. The framework effectively built a lens …

Feminism And School Leadership: A Qualitative Study Utilizing Effective Women Principals' Self-Perceptions To Determine What Makes Them Successful, Christina Maria Sylvester

Dissertations

Women are underrepresented in a variety of fields, including educational leadership. Upon assuming leadership roles, women often struggle to effectively lead due to a pervasive context of sexism and genderism in the workplace. Schools are not immune to this phenomenon. Since women comprise approximately 50% of the population, it seems logical that they should assume a comparable percentage of leadership roles in education, but this is not the case. Beyond parity, it is important that there are not only more women leaders in educational administration but also that those women in leadership roles are supported within a context that enables …

Measuring Leader-Level Engagement: Addressing The Gap In Employee Engagement Research, Colleen Marie Hayden

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 2000s, employee engagement has become a growing point of interest for scholars, organizations, and consultants alike due to its association with a variety of organizational outcomes such as job satisfaction, burnout, and turnover intent. Though there is much focus surrounding the measurement of employee engagement within the literature (Saks, 2019; Saks & Gruman, 2014), there is a notable absence in the literature related to a leader’s own level of engagement. This study aimed to address this gap, utilizing the Employee Engagement Scale (EES; Shuck, Adelson, & Reio, 2017), which was developed in response to the lack of …

Amplifying 'Whispered Interventions' Into Loud And Forceful Cries, Joelina Robinson Machera

Theses and Dissertations

An equitable educational environment includes the voices of the individuals and the power of their stories. For marginalized people, particularly women of color, surviving school means existing in oppressive environments which require the stealing of knowledge while struggling to obtain an education (Collins, 2002). It is imperative that institutions acknowledge the specific complexities women of color face in the academy (Crenshaw, 2017). This study is designed to make meaning of the journey of Black women doctoral students using counterstories and composite stories to capture and learn from their lived experiences. Through the (re)covery and (re)telling of the stories of Black …

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

This applied research study sought to improve the retention rate of beginning teachers through a teacher mentoring program. The need for the teacher retention rate to improve became evident as student achievement fell, new teacher training costs increased, and fewer new teachers entered the teaching profession. Using four elements in this study, mentoring, job-embedded coaching, individual growth plan, and culture development, the program sought to better support new teachers during the first few years of their careers. Surveys, evaluations, collaboration logs, and professional growth plans were used in the study. The findings revealed improvement in the teacher retention rate in …

Innovation Through Instructional Renovation: An Applied Research Study On Building Capacity Of Mathematics Teachers In Bark County Schools’ Excel Department, Lashonda Quina Ross-Ivory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied research study was to build the capacity of middle school mathematics teachers to increase student achievement. The need to build the capacity of middle school mathematics teachers arose from the trend of low content and pedagogical knowledge exhibited by teachers throughout the department. This applied research study uses four elements individual collective and collaborative professional development as well as student achievement to build the capacity of middle school mathematics teachers and measure student achievement growth. A national screener surveys learning walk/focus group and interviews were used in the study. Using of the aforementioned elements and …

School Board Members' Perceptions In Relation To Selected District Demographic Variables, Lisa Truemper Scott

Education Dissertations

The study presented in this dissertation explored the relationship between school board members’ perceptions and selected district demographic variables. Chi-square tests for independence were employed to analyze school board members’ categorical perceptual data and district enrollment size, district urban-centric locale, and district socio-economic status. The findings suggested a significant relationship existed between district enrollment size and district socio-economic status, both with regard to school board members’ prioritization of educational issues and perceptions of reasons that adversely affected the board’s ability to increase student achievement. The implications of these findings for school board members and superintendents are also discussed.

Interorganizational Collaboration In Education For Community Change: An Exploratory Case Study, Stacy Marie Mehlberg

Education Dissertations

In the fields of business and healthcare, researchers have found that organizations are more successful at serving their clients when they collaboratively share knowledge, resources, and time using a multidisciplinary approach. There is less empirical evidence supporting these interorganizational collaborations (IOCs) in education. In 2013, the Cold Spring School District (CSSD) established an initiative to improve student and community outcomes. To do this, the district created an IOC to guide their work. The purpose of this current study was the exploration of this IOC to better understand how the IOC was developed, supported, and sustained. Through analysis of interviews, surveys, …

Thrive: Success Strategies For The Modern-Day Faculty Member, Linda M. Love, Audrey E. Nelson, Lea Pounds, Tammy Webster, Sarah B. Mcbrien, Sara E. Bills, University Of Nebraska Medical Center Faculty Development, Heidi Keeler, Melissa Diers, Tiann Colwell, Beth Culross, Kirsten Curtis, Missy Ofe Fleck, Susan Wilhelm, Gregory Bennett, Analisa Mcmillan, Kristen Cook, Jessica Downes, Faye L. Haggar, Geoffrey Talmon, Tanya M. Custer, Russell Buzalko, Judy Neville, Ron Shope, Kelly Swoboda, Suhasini Kotcherlakota, Jennifer Larsen, Abbey Fingeret, Sheila Ellis, Chad Branecki, Jasmine Riviere Marcelin, Martina A. Clarke, Teresa L. Hartman, Michael Kozak, Steven P. Wengel, Yun Saksena, Jeffrey P. Gold, Rowen K. Zetterman, Kim Michael, Kate Wampler, Elizabeth Beam, Victoria Kennel, Sasha K. Shillcutt, H. Dele Davies, Kari Simonsen, Katherine Bravo, Jennifer K. Kallio, T.J. Welniak, Stacy Werner, Betsy J. Becker

Books: Faculty Development

The THRIVE collection is intended to help faculty thrive in their roles as educators, scholars, researchers, and clinicians. Each section contains a variety of thought-provoking topics that are designed to be easily digested, guide personal reflection, and put into action. Please use the THRIVE collection to help:

• Individuals study topics on their own, whenever and wherever they want
• Peer-mentoring or other learning communities study topics in small groups
• Leaders and planners strategically insert faculty development into existing meetings
• Faculty identify campus experts for additional learning, grand rounds, etc.

If you have questions or want additional information on a topic, simply …

“Not My Issue!!!”: Teaching The Interpersonal Conflict Course, Nancy Brule, Jessica J. Eckstein

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Students who enroll in communication courses to improve their conflict management abilities should be provided with both an understanding of, and skills pertaining to, interpersonal conflict across diverse contexts. In this article, we offer pedagogical guidance for teaching the Interpersonal Conflict course. With an emphasis on building communication skills usable in a variety of real-life situations and settings, this article includes discussion of necessary foundational concepts and applied content areas, sample application assignments, and relevant considerations for those teaching the course.

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2019

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.