Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Branch Campus Contribution To The Mission Of The Main Campus In Kentucky, Caroline L. Atkins

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of branch campuses on the mission of their main campuses in Kentucky. An online survey and key informant interviews were conducted with administrators. Both research methods identified strategies to minimize the impact of institutional, situational, and dispositional barriers (Cross, 1981) that impede the successful academic and social integration (Tinto, 1975; 1993) of nontraditional students who frequent these campuses. In addition, institutional research offices provided student enrollment and credit-hour production data for analysis by site. The study classified demographic information on administrators, including gender, full- or part-time capacity, administrative title, and …

Principal Learning-Centered Leadership And Faculty Trust In The Principal, Shane Justin Farnsworth

Theses and Dissertations

Principals are increasingly held accountable for student achievement outcomes. Existing research has found principal leadership indirectly affects student achievement (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004). Principals face a problem when they are accountable for achievement outcomes and are dependent upon others and other variables to achieve those outcomes. Consequently, principals will benefit from a richer understanding of how their leadership indirectly affects student achievement. Using the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) measurement of principal learning-centered leadership (Goldring, Porter, Murphy, Elliot, & Cravens, 2009) and the Omnibus T-Scale measurement of faculty trust in the principal (Hoy & Tschannen-Moran, 2003), …

Administrators' Perceptions Of Stem Education And Their Influence On Classroom Practices In Louisiana Schools, Misty Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine administrators' understandings and perceptions of STEM education and their influence on classroom practices. Due to the well-documented need throughout decades of literature for quality STEM programming in the nation's schools, the knowledge gained in this study was valuable because of the potential impact administrators' perceptions and understandings can have on program implementation. This study focused on the implementation of Project Lead the Way (PLTW) STEM programs.

In this mixed-methods investigation, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through the use of surveys and interviews. The study participants were administrators of schools utilizing at …

The Impact Of High Stakes Testing On School Leadership, Yanira Oliveras Ortiz

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dr. Oliveras-Ortiz describes principals' view of changing classroom environments because of the state of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness tests. Further, she shares instructional leadership viewpoints of campus principals and proponents and opponents of high-stakes testing. This mixed method study surveyed and interviewed principals from four large school districts in Texas to understand their perceptions of changes in their leadership practices working under accountability practices.

A Fuzzy Logic Approach To Teacher Performance Measured By Principal Evaluations, Ashley Johnson Moran

Theses and Dissertations

While principals and current methods used to evaluate teacher performance have been found to accurately identify the teachers with students who have the largest and smallest achievement gains in their schools, they are less able to distinguish among teachers in between these extremes. A majority of states have implemented new reform in teacher evaluation strategies in order to diagnose and improve teacher performance, but unfortunately, have not incorporated a method capable of accurately representing qualitative factors and the relationships between them. The main objective of this study was to examine to what degree a fuzzy logic expert system could elicit …

Student Participation In The Arkansas Better Chance Preschool Program Versus No Participation On Academic Achievement, Netlla Cureton

College of Education Dissertations

Education is the key to success and is vital for participation in a global society. With access to the internet, students in the United States are competing with students around the world. Providing excellence in education, pre-kindergarten through graduation, is vital to the success of America. To achieve excellence in education, students must have a solid educational foundation. In building this educational foundation, the groundwork must begin with rich early learning experiences in preschool settings.

In 1991, the Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) preschool program was created to help Arkansas students succeed academically by providing them with access to early childhood …

Perceived Barriers And Solutions: Engineering Design Implementation, Ken L. Turner

Dissertations

Engineering Design, part of the practices dimension of the Next Generation Science Standards, NGSS, is widely recognized as the most challenging piece for teachers to implement. It involves practices that teachers are unfamiliar with, have not taught before, have not been taught, and have not experienced as a student. This manuscript documents a mixed-methods survey of over 200 K-12 teachers on their perceptions of both the greatest barriers to implementation of Engineering Design, and those items that will be of most value as a solution to those barriers. A systems approach to understanding Engineering Design was utilized; with data collection …

Ohio School Psychologists' Involvement With Concussion Cases, Susan C. Davies

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Concussions can result in a constellation of physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related symptoms that affect students' wellness and performance at school. This study examined the number of concussion cases consulted on by a sample of Ohio school psychologists across two years.

Results indicated very little involvement with students who sustained concussions, with the majority of school psychologist respondents indicating that they consulted on zero cases. Suggestions for increasing school psychologists' involvement with concussion cases are provided, including serving as concussion team leaders, tracking students' symptoms and accommodations, and training others in their school community about concussion recognition and response.

Prospective First-Generation College Racial Minority Students: Mediating Factors That Facilitate Positive Educational Characteristics For College Admission, Lisa Michiko Parkinson

Theses and Dissertations

First-generation college (FGC) students represent a small portion of the population of students on college campuses across the nation. Racial minority students are also highly underrepresented at four-year institutions. When one combines FGC students who are also racial minorities, they comprise an even smaller subgroup of students attending four-year college campuses. Research conducted to evaluate how FGC students perform their first year in college is prevalent. Additionally, research has been completed on factors that help predict a high school student's admission into and performance in college. However, very little research exists about factors identified in high school that may help …

Professional Learning Committee Team Functionality And Team Trust, Chris S. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

In response to increasing demands placed on public education, professional learning communities (PLC) have emerged as a means of providing teachers with opportunities to collaborate together. Collaboration has been shown to improve teaching practices and lead to better student outcomes. Many collaborative teams, however, struggle to reach their collaborative potential. Trust has been shown to be an important factor contributing to the success of collaborative efforts. Few studies exist that empirically assess the relationship between team functionality and team trust. This study examines the relationship between these two constructs. A measurement tool was developed by the author to measure PLC …

The Role Of Physical Fitness And Physical Activity On Academic Achievement Among Eighth Grade Students In Alabama, Jessica Baker O'Neal

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the extent of the relationship between physical fitness, body composition, physical activity, and academic achievement. School leaders have justified the reduced time for physical activity and physical education as they take away from classroom instruction time; yet, national assessment outcomes have indicated the condition of education in America has failed to measurably improve student achievement. An additional public health concern, increased sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy-weight conditions have significantly increased in the past 30 years among American children and adolescents.

The researcher incorporated a quantitative design to examine these relationships in an …

Examining Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions Of Clinical Faculty Mentoring Characteristics Influencing Students’ Decision To Pursue A Pharmacy Residency, Kin S. Ly

All Theses And Dissertations

The field of pharmacy is changing from a drug-distribution-centered model to a patient-centered integrated model whereby pharmacists are actively involved in patient care as part of an interdisciplinary team. To address the estimated pharmacy leadership crisis in the future and to prepare pharmacists to work in the changing healthcare landscape, national pharmacy organizations such as the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) have stated that postgraduate pharmacy residency should be mandatory by 2020. Past pharmacy research literature has shown that while many factors influence students to pursue a pharmacy residency, there is …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of Pastoral Crisis Intervention As A Crisis Debriefing Strategy Among Resident Directors At Select Catholic Colleges And Universities, Laura Jean Phaneuf Bertonazzi

All Theses And Dissertations

This dissertation examined the postcrisis intervention preferences of a purposeful sample of 23 Resident Directors from 17 Catholic colleges and universities in New England. Using survey and interview data, this study explored whether Resident Directors at the sample institution had preferences regarding services they needed following exposure to a student death and whether these support preferences were aligned with the Catholic identities of their institutions. The research questions that guided this study were: (a) How do Resident Directors at Catholic colleges and universities describe their roles as first responders during a campus crisis?, (b) How do Resident Directors at Catholic …

The Acclimation Processes For New, First-Time Presidents At Public, Master’S-Level Comprehensive Institutions: Lessons Learned, Mark Allan Kinders

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to learn the acclimation practices of new, first-time presidents at regional, public comprehensive institutions. An original survey conducted from January through March, 2015, was completed by 61 new CEOs for a 59% response rate. They reported numerous activities that were helpful to learn their organization so as to become sufficiently comfortable in their understanding of campus culture, governance processes, operational practices, regional partners, and state policy climate to lead their organizations forward. With experience they learned that acclimation took longer than they expected. The study found higher rates of female or minority CEOs, and …

Identifying Leadership Perceptions Of Desired Competencies Of Agricultural Sales Students And Agricultural Sales Industry Professionals, Sarah Beann Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The two articles presented in this thesis used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to evaluate competencies among agricultural business students and agricultural sales professionals respectively. In the first study, students enrolled in the Fall 2014 agribusiness sales course at [State] University (n = 97), participated in a pre and post evaluation comprised of leadership assessments to determine the change in introversion and extroversion, task-oriented and relationship-oriented, and finally strength characteristics over the time period of an academic semester. Students presented to be from a variety of leadership backgrounds. Posttest results reported students being both high task (62.89%) and high …

Relationship Between State Educational Fiscal Effort And State Juvenile Incarceration Rates, Jessica Mcgrath Ellison

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The issue surrounding the effect of education funding using state per pupil index spending has been the subject of research studies in connection with various student outcomes since the advent of the Coleman report in 1966. Education is indeed an investment as it alleviates a myriad of social issues, but it needs to be made wisely. Included among social concerns is incarceration. Adults in prison show a disproportionate amount of illiteracy and most lack a high school education. An analysis of each state's educational fiscal effort, viewed as a ratio of gross per capita state product and per pupil index …

Principals' Perceptions Of Technology Implementation In High Schools And Their Effects On Leadership, Mary Valerie Perkins-Jacobs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School administrators who are able to implement technology in their schools must see themselves as technology leaders; they are enthusiastic when it comes to using technology in professional development. This research study investigated how high school principals’ attitudes and perceptions of effectively organizing, utilizing, and implementing technology in order to support the mission and vision of the school by using the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) and Performance Indicators for Administrators (ISTE/NETS-A). For school administrators to provide effective leadership in their schools in the 21st century, they must possess knowledge and understanding of the issues and the capabilities …

Perceptions Of Millennial Teachers' Commitment To Teaching As A Career, Deana Lyn Layton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Just like the childhood game of Hide and Seek, “Ready or not, here they come,” numbering 92 million strong, the Millennial Generation is the largest generational cohort in history. By 2025, it is predicted they will comprise 75% of the workforce. Millennials are highly educated, willing to learn, technologically advanced, and Socially conscious—all traits important for the making of a great teacher. The purpose of my study is to understand the mindset of six beginning Millennial teachers regarding teaching as their career of choice and how this mindset impacts their decision to remain committed to teaching. This study attempts to …

Teacher Perceptions Of Factors Influencing Their Self-Efficacy With Using One-To-One Technology During Literacy Instruction, Michael Todd Methvin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teacher perceptions of factors that influence their own self-efficacy with using one-to-one technology during literacy instruction were examined through a multi-site, multi-subject case study. An initial survey was administered to determine the self-efficacy level of a group of participants from a school district that was implementing a one-to-one technology initiative. From this initial data set, four participants with varying levels of self-efficacy were invited to participate in the second, qualitative, phase of the data collection process to better understand factors they perceived to influence these levels. Results revealed that teachers perceived their self-efficacy of one-to-one technology use during literacy instruction …

No Excuses Charter Schools: A Meta-Analysis Of The Experimental Evidence On Student Achievement, Albert Cheng, Collin Hitt, Brian Kisida, Jonathan N. Mills

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

While charter schools differ widely in philosophy and pedagogical views, the United States’s most famous urban charter schools typically use the No Excuses approach. Enrolling mainly poor and minority students, these schools feature high academic standards, strict disciplinary codes, extended instructional time, and targeted supports for low-performing students. The strenuous and regimented style is controversial amongst some scholars, but others contend that the No Excuses approach is needed to rapidly close the achievement gap. We conduct the first meta-analysis of the achievement impacts of No Excuses charter schools. Focusing on experimental studies, we find that No Excuses charter schools significantly …