Educational Leadership Commons^™

Missed Opportunities: Preparing Aspiring School Leaders For Bold Social Justice School Leadership Needed For 21st Century Schools, Kriss Kemp-Graham

Faculty Publications

How and when are current and aspiring school leaders provided with opportunities to engage in sense making and reflection as it relates to race, oppression, and equal access to a quality education for all students while simultaneously making sense of the implications of their roles as school leaders in negotiating the sociopolitical and sociocultural challenges present in their schools?  Given the diversity of the student population in the state of Texas and the importance that has been assigned to social justice leadership for diverse student populations, this research sought to explore the readiness of recent graduates of Principal Preparation Program …

Obtaining Cultural Competency Skills: Perceptions From Supervisors In Higher Education, Veronica Gomez Vilchis

All Master's Theses

A program evaluation was done on the supervisor training at Central Washington University to obtain the perceptions of supervisors on cultural competency. Eighteen supervisors were interviewed. The results demonstrated supervisors’ support of incorporating cultural competency as part of their professional development. However, supervisors indicated the current supervisor training does not give them tools to interact effectively with diverse populations. Implications for including cultural competency skills for supervisors in higher education are discussed.

Complete Issue, Christopher W. Tremblay, Ed.D, Patrick J. O'Connor Phd

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Kentucky State-Supported Postsecondary Education In Creating A Healthier Citizenship, Julia K. Buchanan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Citizens within the United States of America (USA) and the Commonwealth of Kentucky exhibit indicators of lessened health status in a variety of areas. Many chronic diseases and conditions are due to individual lifestyle behaviors, which can be modified through the implementation of dedicated health and wellness programming. Such programs, often housed within institutions of higher education, have the ability to impact many individuals including students, faculty, staff, and community members. This dissertation is a report of a mixed-methods study that begins to explore how state-supported postsecondary institutions may be able to impact individual behavior and thus, resulting health outcomes. …

How To Launch An Interdisciplinary Leadership Program, Barbara L. Brock, Isabelle D. Cherney, James R. Martin, Jennifer Moss Breen, Gretchen Oltman

Education Faculty Publications

Building a doctoral program in leadership is never an easy task, and building an interdisciplinary doctoral program is even more difficult. Yet, it is the interdisciplinary approach that differentiates typical leadership programs from others and offers learners an integrated view of leadership theories and practices. This special report presents an example of designing and implementing an interdisciplinary doctoral program that promotes social justice leadership. Drawing from firsthand experiences of program faculty, staff, and administration, we share lessons learned and the logic behind adopting an interdisciplinary approach for those creating programs that seeks to promote social justice. We found that by …

A Place For Dialogue, Scott Kelley

Mission and Ministry Publications

Pope Francis, through his recent encyclical on the environment and his upcoming remarks to the United Nations, offers Catholic higher education the opportunity to reflect on its mission. - See more at: http://www.accunet.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3800#sthash.95ltCmnu.dpuf

The Influence Of Collective Instructional Leadership On Teacher Efficacy, Kyle A. Lee

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

In understanding leadership to be the single most important factor in shaping a school’s performance, and second highest factor influencing student achievement, it is a necessity for investigations to focus on what successful leaders do to have excelling schools. Research has alluded to the understanding that the principal can no longer serve as the sole instructional leader of a school. This need for collaboration within the organization places a weight on principals to incorporate others within the school decision-making process.

This study examined how collective instructional leadership is currently influencing teacher efficacy in high performing central Kentucky elementary schools. Data …

A Study Of Teacher And Principal Perceptions Of Professional Learning Communities, Jeffrey C. Stamper

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Throughout the post-modern or post-professional age (2000-present), high stakes testing and accountability of public schools forced educational organizations to improve their professional practices to work collaboratively (Little, 2003). As a result, professional learning communities (PLCs) have been found to improve student learning among educational organizations (DuFour, 2007; Hord, 2004). During the past 20 years, a significant amount of research has been conducted, which describes PLCs in the educational settings (Vescio, Ross, & Adams, 2008) Researchers note a lack of empirical research which focuses on teacher and principal perceptions of PLCs (Hord & Sommers, 2008).

The central focus of this study …

A Grateful Recollecting: A Qualitative Study Of The Long-Term Impact Of Service-Learning On Graduates, Ann Fullerton, Vicki L. Reitenauer, Seanna Kerrigan

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Service-learning practitioners design community engagement activities to affect students in powerful and even transformative ways. This qualitative study explores the long-term impacts (3-16 years after graduation) of participation in a senior-level service-learning course. Through interviews with 20 randomly selected participants, the researchers explored whether and in what ways graduates continued to experience impacts from the course, including those that have become interwoven with other life experiences or have catalyzed altered perspectives and/or actions. Graduates were first asked to identify their most significant learning experiences in college in order to gauge the relative importance, if any, of the service-learning course in …

To This Day: College Graduates On The Lasting Significance Of Relationality And Experiential Learning, Ann Fullerton, Vicki L. Reitenauer

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past twenty years, much research has been conducted into the effects of community-based learning and service-learning on students, but studies into the long-term impacts that persist after graduation have been fewer in number. In this article, the authors share perspectives from Portland State University alumni on the lasting significance of their participation in a community-based learning course that has been operating continuously for more than two decades and the key features of significant learning experiences more generally.

Exploring Principal Leadership In Improving Elementary Schools, Brian A. Porter Phd

All Student Scholarship

As schools in Maine, and across the nation, are increasingly held to greater standards of accountability in terms of insuring higher levels of student academic growth and achievement, some schools are improving and some are not. Even beyond the constraints of tightening financial impositions and increasing accountability mandates, some are "defying the odds" and producing positive results. This research study sought to explore and understand the characteristics of principal leadership in improving elementary schools in Maine.

The Path To Library Leadership: The Importance Of A Leadership Plan, Trevor A Dawes

WashU Libraries Publications

Preparing leaders in the library profession is by no means a new phenomenon. However, as one looks at the number of leadership training and development programs, institutes, workshops, and conferences, you might begin to ask the question, “where are all the people who participated in these programs?” Top Takeaways in this Chapter •Develop a personal mission statement and refer to it often •Build relationships with mentors—formal and informal •Know your limitations •Continue to learn and grow

Falling Short On The Promise To English Learners: A Report On Year One Lcaps, Elvira G. Armas Ed.D, Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D., Laurie Olsen Ph.D.

Reports

California’s Local Control Funding Formula was signed into law in California in 2013 and allowed districts the flexibility to meet their student needs in locally appropriate manners. One year after its implementation, a panel of 26 reviewers, including educators, English Learner (EL) advocates, and legal services staff reviewed the Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) to understand how districts employ this flexibility to address the needs of ELs. The report uses the English Learner Research-Aligned LCAP Rubrics with 10 focus areas, and reviews sample LCAPs from 29 districts, including districts with the highest numbers/percentages of English Learners in the state, …

The Transfer Student Experience: Challenges And Institutional Support Systems For Undergraduate Transfer Students At A Public Four-Year University, Olivia Vanessa Matthews

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The transfer student population is rising on college campuses in the United States. Institutions of higher education should better understand how to support this growing, diverse population. This qualitative study of transfer students investigates what transitional challenges these students face, how they utilize institutional support services to assist them with these challenges, and if they feel appreciated, welcomed, and supported in their new environment. Focus group sessions and a demographic questionnaire were used to obtain data in this study. Participants invited to participate were second term transfer students who began at their current institution during the fall of 2014. Transfer …

Non-Cognitive Factors Affecting Undergraduate Student Success In Core Composition Courses, Samantha J. Spitak

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The intention of this study was to determine what, if any, non-cognitive factors affect student performance in core composition courses. "Non-cognitive factor" is a term referring to non-academic and non-intellectual characteristics of a student's experience. These factors may be emotional, environmental, psychosocial, etc. Some prior research has been conducted on non-cognitive factors relating to admission of minority populations, but this research is likely to be outdated. Six potential non-cognitive factors were proposed for this study: Confidence, Motivation, Socioeconomic Class, Emotional Support, Campus Climate, and Living Situation. The results of this study indicated that non-cognitive factors do influence student performance in …

Educational Pathways Of Teachers And The Effects On Students' Performance On High-Stakes Testing In Texas, Patrizia Antoinette Grigsby

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Meeting the needs of placing "highly-qualified teachers" in the classroom is becoming more challenging every year. One option that many states are using involves certifying potential teaching candidates through alternative pathways, which differs from traditional certification programs. In this study, teacher certification routes were examined to determine if there is a difference in student performance on state standardized tests based on the teacher certification routes. This study compared student test scores of traditionally-certified teachers with test scores from students of alternatively-certified teachers on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) during the 2011-2012 administration of the test. The …

Leadership Development Of Faculty In Academia - The Impacts Of The Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Michael S. Carriger

Presidential Seminar on the Catholic Intellectual Tradition

A fairly recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education (April 12, 2013), by Barden and Curry asked the question, “Faculty members Can Lead, but Will They?” Barden and Curry suggest that, “every professor has the intellectual capacity to understand and embrace the elements of modem leadership necessary to guide institutions in today’s higher-education marketplace.” But... is there a dearth of leadership and leadership development opportunities among faculty in the academy? The current research used a survey approach to look at the landscape of leadership development in academia among Catholic, Lutheran, and Secular institutions. The general hypothesis was that Catholic …

African-American Males, African-American Female Principals, & The Opportunity Gap, Jennifer N. Dunbar

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Over the past decade, research has been devoted to bridging the gap in academics and opportunity among African-American males. Missing from the dialogue however, are the voices of African-American female leaders. This voice will not only play an instrumental part in mediating cultural misunderstandings that occur in the classroom, but it will also facilitate a much needed conversation in understanding gender and race by displaying different views on educational leadership. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of the opportunity gap among African-American female principals in Title I schools to raise the presence of their voice …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of A Truancy Reduction Program For Middle And High School Students, Jan R. Parrish

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a mixed methods design. The study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase of the study, a secondary data analysis of data were collected from a sample (n = 390) of middle and high school students who participated in a truancy pilot program launched during the 2012-2013 school year with follow-up services provided through June 2014. The sample was divided into two groups (treatment and control). The treatment group was diverted from court referral and participated in an intervention consisting of in-home counseling and case management services. The control group was referred to …

An Examination Of The Perception Of School Administrators On The Effectiveness Of Freshman Academies On The Academic Achievement Of African American Males, Willie Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

The significant impact of transitioning to ninth grade has necessitated the need to examine the effects of the secondary school structure on African American males. These students were often assumed to be capable of functioning and maintaining personal accountability within their new, less structured environment, as opposed to the structured setting they encountered in middle school (Ellerbrock & Kiefer, 2013). As a result, these adolescents encountered increased challenges often resulting in greater challenges and lack of motivation that does not cater to their learning and developmental needs (Ellerbrock & Kiefer).

Bethel (2012) indicated that environmental characteristics of the school setting …