Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Sustained Impact Of Prekindergarten Participation On Third Grade Academic Performance, Marissa Melin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the researcher investigated whether the impact of participating in a prekindergarten program on academic achievement persists through third grade. The study compared three groups of students: students who participated in voluntary prekindergarten, private prekindergarten, and students who did not participate in any prekindergarten program. Using a series of two-factor multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs), this investigation found no interaction effects among prekindergarten participation and race, gender, socioeconomic status, presence of a discipline referral, or chronic absenteeism on academic achievement in the third grade. However, there was a main effect for the type of prekindergarten program on academic …

An Investigation Of The Appropriateness Of The English Language Learner Accountability Mark Established By The Every Student Succeeds Act Of 2015, Francisco Rivera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study sought to disclose and describe differences in academic performance between English language learners (ELLs) and non-English language learners (non-ELLs) in grades sixth, seventh, and eighth during the two-year period of 2016 – 2018. A two-year period was utilized because of the two-year ELL accountability mark established by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The study used i-Ready diagnostic data, in both mathematics and reading, as the performance measures, and used ACCESS for ELLs (WIDA) tier scores (i.e., WIDA Tier A, WIDA Tier B, and WIDA Tier C) to identify the level of English language acquisition …

Electing Or Appointing School District Superintendents In The State Of Florida: A Comparison Of Characteristics And Performance Of Districts Led By Elected Superintendents Versus Districts Led By Appointed Superintendents, Timothy Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida and Alabama are the only two states in the United States of America with school districts led by either elected superintendents or appointed superintendents. The other 48 states only have appointed superintendent-led school districts. The current study was conducted to examine the impact of the superintendent governance structure on student learning by analyzing differences in student achievement between Florida school districts led by elected superintendents and Florida school districts led by appointed superintendents. The conceptual framework of the study was the tension between democratic localism and professionalism. Dynamics associated with the conceptual framework are relevant to the current debate. …

Analyzing Faculty Attitudes And Actions Surrounding Distance Education Accommodations And Inclusiveness Based On Udl Principles, Catherine Cash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As distance education continues to increase, it is vital that postsecondary institutions contribute time and resources towards upholding inclusive teaching practices that decrease barriers and increase opportunities for diverse student populations. This study examined faculty attitudes and actions surrounding online accommodations and inclusive teaching practices that were based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles using the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory (ITSI), which was adapted into the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Distance Education (ITSI-DE) to focus on faculty teaching fully online courses. The ITSI-DE measured the following seven constructs: (a) Accommodations, (b) Accessible Course Materials, (c) Course Modifications, (d) Inclusive Lecture …

Understanding Racial Inequity In School Discipline Across The Richmond Region, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Adai Tefera, David Naff, Ashlee Lester, Jesse Senechal, Rachel Levy, Virginia Palencia, Mitchell Parry, Morgan Debusk-Lane

MERC Publications

This report comes from the MERC Achieving Racial Equity in School Disciplinary Policies and Practices study. Launched in the spring of 2015, the purpose of this mixed- method study was to understand the factors related to disproportionate school discipline outcomes in MERC division schools. The study had two phases. Phase one (quantitative) used primary and secondary data to explore racial disparities in school discipline in the MERC region as well as discipline programs schools use to address them. Phase two (qualitative) explored the implementation of discipline programs in three MERC region schools, as well as educator and student perceptions …

Elementary Principals' Support Of Beginning Teachers And Their Use Of Transformational Leadership In A State-Approved Induction Program, Patrick Enright

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This case study investigated how elementary principals use transformational leadership and the Illinois Induction Program Continuum (IIPC) when supporting beginning teachers. The elementary principals who participated in the study (n=6) worked in the same school district that used a state approved new teacher induction program. Data collection methods included pre-written reflection questions, three formal interviews and a review of all induction program documents. The data analysis was initial and focused coding.

The most important finding from this study was how principals provided support for beginning teachers through dialogue, collaborative school context, professional development, and student behavior. The research findings also …

Principals' Perceptions Of Professional Development And Caring Communities For English Learners, Sunny Sue Chang Jonas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A growing population of English Learners (ELs) have unique challenges when navigating the American educational system. In fact, there is an achievement gap such that EL students lag behind their native English peers in school outcomes. Accordingly, there is increased demand for professional development (PD) lead by principals to address the needs of the changing population of ELs. To support effective PD aimed at improved achievement for ELs, principals need embrace transformative thinking in their work. Although PD has the potential to be the driving force of change, traditional approaches to PD have limited impact on academic success of ELs. …

The Role Of Administrative Observation, Evaluative Evidence And Procedural Due Process In Illinois, Before And After The Passage Of The Performance Evaluation Reform Act (Pera) And Senate Bill 7 (Sb7)., Christopher J. Adkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and Senate Bill 7 (SB7) on evaluative practices utilized with tenured educators within Illinois. Given the sense of urgency brought to bear on teacher quality from laws such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race To The Top (RTTT), revisions to the law that include streamlined processes, uniform evidence gathering and interpretation, and student growth measures are mainstays of legislation like PERA and SB7. Akin to many states, Illinois schools are working to institutionalize these concepts into everyday practices.

In reviewing the changes made to the Illinois …

The Evolution Of Educational Rights Of School Officials And Parents Of Disabled Students: A Review Of Related Litigation, Laura C. Pawlak

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study attempts to examine the evolution of the rights of parents of students with disabilities. For more than 40 years since President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, into law, the ability for parents to advocate for their child with a disability continues to evolve. At the same time, school officials continue to care for all students in loco parentis, advocating to have the educational needs of children met.

Often, when parents and school officials meet around the table to plan an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for a student with a disability, …

Support From Above The Glass Ceiling: Narratives Of Women As University Student Leaders, Rebecca Schwartz

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology. the researcher examined motivations, social support networks, and challenges college women face in student leadership positions. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted at a midsized university in the Midwest with college women in various positions of organizational leadership. The researcher identified motivational factors for women to apply for leadership positions as well as described the social support network that exists for college women in positions of leadership. Challenges college women face in achieving higher leadership positions were also identified. Lastly, recommendations were made for student affairs professionals and women in leadership based on the research findings.

From Distance Education To Online Education: A Review Of The Literature, Michael Dean Agostinelli Jr.

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Distance learning has come a long way over the past 150 years. From the initial days of text based correspondence courses by mail to the immediate learning powered by the internet and online courses, distance learning is a much more interactive and engaging learning experience in 2019. The third generation of distance education, online learning, has delivered powerful learning models and frameworks, like Community of Inquiry and Adolescent Community of Engagement. These models and frameworks help educators create meaningful teacher to student interactions. Additionally they provide researched based approaches to designing powerful authentic learning opportunities where student to student discussion …

An Autoethnographic Study: An Identity Lost And A Passage Discovered, Simone Shonte Martinez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The professional careers of teachers with a chronic illness can sometimes be devastating. This study addresses the insufficient understanding of the identity crisis a teacher goes through when one is suddenly diagnosed with a chronic illness. While researching different types of theories, identity theory best fit this topic and my interest. Within identity theory, there are four perspectives to view identity. The four perspectives are Nature, Institution, Discourse, and Affinity identities. In order to understand identity, one must understand how identity is formed. Chronic illness identity is a change from all other identities that have been constructed. This study uses …

Improving Teacher Retention By Addressing Teachers' Compassion Fatigue, Jacquelyn Ollison

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

California is experiencing a massive teacher shortage, and urban schools are disproportionately affected by it negatively. Retention efforts to date have not included strategies to address Compassion Fatigue (burnout and secondary trauma) teachers experience when working with traumatized students at urban schools. This dissertation explores whether Compassion Fatigue is an unaddressed reason for teacher attrition at urban schools. A mixed method practical action research approach using the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version Five (ProQOL 5) and qualitative interviews, portions of which were turned into illustrative vignettes drove the exploration. Approximately 114 teachers completed the ProQOL 5. Statistical analysis of …

Developing Collective Teacher Efficacy In One Urban Low-Income Elementary School: A Case Study, Lori Ann Morgan

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, research has shown links between collective teacher efficacy and student achievement. While the benefits of high levels of collective teacher efficacy have been documented, research focused on how it is developed in school serving socio-economically disadvantaged students and the role of principal leadership in that development is lacking, specifically from a qualitative case-study approach This qualitative case-study explored how collective teacher efficacy was developed in an urban neighborhood elementary school serving socio-economically disadvantaged students and how the principal’s leadership influenced that development. This was accomplished through in-depth individual interviews with teachers, support staff, and the …

How A Small Business Negotiates Digital Inclusion Of People With Disabilities: A Case Study, Belo Miguel Cipriani

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Technology has provided more people access products and services, yet some individuals who would benefit the most from digital access to resources are frequently excluded from participation. One group that is largely neglected is the disability community. Despite federal regulations intended to ensure that people with physical/mental disabilities are included in public digital platforms, organizations continuously design websites, applications, and interfaces without people with disabilities in mind. This is particularly the case with small businesses, which are most commonly reported as having inaccessible digital platforms.

Digital inclusion attempts to ensure equity in digital properties by providing a model to operationalize …

Intrinsic Attributes That Successful African American Men Who Grew Up With Adverse Childhood Experiences Attributed To Their Success, Philip J. Mobley Sr.

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This Q methodology study focused on those intrinsic attributes that successful African American men who had adverse childhood experiences attributed to their success. Using the purposeful and snowball sampling recruitment process, forty-two successful African American men participated in this research project. Five distinct factors were identified and labeled as, Factor 1: The Godly Working Men, Factor 2: The Competitive Men, Factor 3: The Charismatic Men, Factor 4: The Expectation Driven Men, and Factor 5: The Proud African American Men.

The main findings were that respectful African American boys who are taught to understand who they are spiritually, be proud of …

Intentional Leadership For More Just Experiences: Supporting Black Males On College Campuses, John D. Egan

Journal of Higher Education & Student Affairs

This essay explores the unjust experiences of Black males and minority faculty on college campuses that perpetuate inequality in higher education. The literature shows Black male undergraduates experienced both overt racism and more subtle insults on some college campuses, which serve as a barrier to integration into the college system. This essay also connects the underrepresentation of minority faculty as a contributing factor to the climate that inhibits the integration of Black male students into the college system. Through intentional leadership, educators should create or support existing Black male initiative programs on their campuses as this evidence-based practice contributes to …

School Principal's Leadership Style And Teacher's Self-Efficacy In High And Low Achieving Schools In Chikankata, Zambia, Pardon Mwansa

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

Much research has been done in past years on the topic of student achievement, with most of those studies focusing on factors that contribute to student achievement. Little, or no research has been done, especially in the country of Zambia, that has focused on the relationship between leadership style, teacher self-efficacy, and the extent to which these constructs impact student achievement. This study explored the school principals' leadership style, teacher self-efficacy, and the extent to which these factors contribute to student achievement in Chikankata District, Zambia. The Ministry of Education in Zambia and other educators, especially those …

Journeys Through Rough Country: An Ethnographic Study Of Blind Adults Successfully Employed In American Corporations, Kirk Adams

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Blind and visually impaired people in the United States face a dire employment situation within professional careers and corporate employment. The purpose of this research study was to gain insights into the phenomenon of employment of blind people through analyzing the lived experience of successfully employed blind adults through ethnographic interviews. Previous research has shown that seven out of ten blind adults are not in the workforce, that a large percentage of those who are employed consider themselves underemployed, and that these numbers have not improved over time. Missing from previous research were insights into the conditions leading to successful …

My Role As An Administrator In Supporting The Implementation Of Mtss (Multi-Tiered Systems Of Supports) Tier 3 Students: A Self-Study In A Public School System, Terrycita Delight Perry

Dissertations

For approximately three years, the Chicago Public School (CPS) district has been undergoing a process of creating protocols, structures, and tools that will assist schools with the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). An on-going area of development for the district as well as for my school is developing teachers' abilities to support all students in the leveled tiers, particularly Tier 3. The purpose of this self-study is to understand, document, and analyze my actions (as the principal) while implementing MTSS Tier 3 (K-3) supports at my school. A self-study is a form of research educators use to understand …