Educational Leadership Commons^™

2014-12-04 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes for December 4, 2014.

The Effect Of Stress And Perceived Social Support On Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Between U.S Born And Foreign-Born Faculty, Lisa Owen

Dissertations

Research indicates that academic work-stress is a significant and growing problem for faculty members. General work-stress studies suggest that social support may buffer the negative impact of stress on faculty job satisfaction. To date, little research has been conducted in this area. Even fewer studies have examined the potential differences between U.S.-born and foreign-born faculty members regarding these variables. This quantitative, non-experimental multivariate study utilized a survey to assess academic stressors, perceived departmental social support, and job satisfaction at a large U.S. university. The surveyed institution consisted of 807 full-time faculty members. The three-week survey yielded a response rate of …

Timizing Springboard: Teaching Creativity To Adults Creatively Using The Torrance Incubation Model, Kristen L. Peterson

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project describes the ways in which the Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) was used to enhance the Springboard into Creative Problem Solving (CPS) course. Springboard is the introductory course that has been taught at the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) for over sixty years. The finished project includes development of a turnkey Springboard program that includes instructional design, course materials, and a communication campaign that overlays the Torrance Incubation Model (TIM) on how the Springboard program was taught and delivered at the CPSI 2014 Conference.

A Movement Tool Kit For The Divergent And Convergent Cps Guidelines: Instruction Cards And Activity Floor Mats, Adela Vangelisti

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

A Movement Tool Kit for the Divergent and Convergent CPS Guidelines:

Instruction Cards and Activity Floor Mats

Movement is as natural to humans as breathing is, and, yet, passivity starts early in schools. We are taught to sit still and in silence for long periods of time. By the time we reach adulthood and enter the workforce, we have almost forgotten our sense of embodiment. This lack of movement is counter-productive, not only to learning but to the development of creativity as well. For this project, I designed a tool to recapture the joy and playfulness of movement. Furthermore, the …

Differences In Mathematics And Literacy Achievement Between African American Males And Other 11th-Grade Students, Jeffery Flanigan

College of Education Dissertations

The gap in school performance between African American students and students of other subpopulations has shown up in a range of academic success measures including course grades, test scores, course selection, and college graduation rates (Johnston & Viadero 2000); college and high school grade point averages [GPAs] (Banks & Banks, 2004); and dropout rates (Gordon, 1999; Green, 2001; Irvine & Armento, 2001; Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Kober, 2001; Lee, 2002). These indicators all point to a disturbing pattern in the educational system and beg the question: What is going on with the education of African American males in the United …

Educational Leadership Newsletter December 2014, Educational Leadership Department, University Of Southern Maine

Educational Leadership Newsletters

Inside the issue:

• From the Chair
• Special Education Law for School Leaders: EDU 659
• Thinking About Internship?
• Southern Maine Partnership Update

Impact Of Collaborative Specialization On 5th Grade Student Achievement In A Title I School: Program Evaluation Proposal, Nicole Villaverde

Dissertations

This paper details a complete program evaluation of an elementary school's transition from having mainstream classes to a collaborative specialization model of instruction. My study examines how this model of instruction impacts students' achievement levels and student behavior in a title 1 school. I created the model and in the process of doing my study was required to change it into a model I then defined as Collaborative Specialization. I concluded from my research that this model of instruction was indeed a success because it increased the number of students making learning gains and decreased disciplinary problems.

Understanding The Pursuit Of Higher Education Among Active-Duty Military Personnel In The Face Of Deployment, Using The Lens Of Schlossberg’S Transition Theory, Marcia Brown

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this research study was to identify gaps in understanding of the specialized educational needs of active-duty military service members enrolled in higher education and to develop new insights that may be helpful to colleges and universities in designing initiatives, strategic plans, and resources to address these needs most effectively. In addition to the many recent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and support missions and operations abroad, U.S. involvement in peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in significantly increased deployments of active-duty students. In existing literature, the impacts of deployment—specifically, effects of war-zone experiences such as post-traumatic stress …

A Place For Scholarship In Campus Activities Practice: A Collective Case Study, Cindy Kane

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the integration of forms of scholarship in campus activities practice at four institutions in the Northeast. Using a collective case study approach, interviews were conducted with a total of 23 campus activities staff members and six senior student affairs officers at four institutions achieving comprehensive recognition for excellence in campus activities programs from one professional association. Administrators explored Boyer’s (1990) frames of scholarship and shared experiences with the engagement with the four frames of scholarship in their daily work. Findings presented highlight a strong identification between participants and the scholarship of teaching, moderate engagement with application and …

Read180 Computer Software By Gender And Ethnicity On Reading Achievement For Identified Special Education Students, Sherrie Bayles

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an independent study to determine the effectiveness of the READ 180 reading intervention program when implemented with middle and junior high school students with disabilities. To address the first and third hypotheses, gender (male versus female) and change over time (fall, mid-year, and at the end of the school year) served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with disabilities, respectively. For the second and fourth hypotheses, ethnicity (White versus all non-White students) and change over time served as the independent variables for sixth/seventh and eighth/ninth grade students with …

Honors Program As A Predictor Of College Readiness Of Private School Students In Arkansas, Jonathan G. Jones

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the research available related to college readiness. Each of the four hypotheses were constructed to determine the predictive effects of academic program type (honors or regular) over and above the predictive effects of gender, Plan test scores, number of times the ACT was taken by individuals, and longevity in years on mathematics, English, science, and reading performance measured by ACT scores for 12th grade students in a private Christian school in Arkansas. A review of the literature identified the various aspects of college readiness, the characteristics of effective programs for college …

A Proposed Change Leadership Plan For Bimmer Elementary School, Nicole Villaverde

Dissertations

My paper details a Change Leadership Plan (CLP) for a school with the fictious name of Bimmer Elementary School (BME). My study's purpose is to enhance student learning by collaborating with staff to explore ways to maximize time-on-task (TOT) for all subjects. Currently BME has a reading achievement problem and is using pull-out programs for 4th and 5th grade students that take needed instructional time from core academic programs. I used Wagner's As-Is and To-Be charts (see Appendix A) for BME to identify and present the current status and future desired state of the school's culture, context, conditions, and competencies. …

Teacher And Evaluator Perspectives On The Teacher Evaluation Process For Teachers Of English Language Learners: A Change Leadership Plan, Nancy Martinez

Dissertations

This paper examines the need to add indicators to the current teacher evaluation system that are specific to English Language Learners (ELLs). Florida teacher evaluation protocols do not specify ELL-specific instructional strategies. This study explores perceptions of ELL teachers and school administrators on the fairness of current evaluative practices for ELL teachers. I considered research that supported the need for differentiated instruction for ELLs. I used the diagnostic framework by Wagner et al. (2006) to identify “arenas” of change: culture, context, conditions, and competencies. I used these arenas to present the existing situation in a school district. I then presented …

A Support Framework For Virtual Learners: A Policy Advocacy Document, Donna Davis Nicolodi

Dissertations

The goals of my three-year doctoral program are imbedded in my professional and personal desire to offer students the best possible options for learning. Professionally, I endeavored to improve and advance the quality of online education in my school district. Personally, my goal was to learn about recent advancements in the educational modality I have so passionately embraced for the past nine years. My vision was that my research would directly impact the expansion and improvement process of the virtual education program locally and add to the body of research referencing online and blended learning. Professionally, I have witnessed the …

A Balanced Approach: Advocating For Middle School Improvement That Levels The Playing Field, Derrik Craun

Dissertations

With a large disparity in the rate of suspension incidents received between African American and White students, it is evident why there still exists a gap in academic achievement. Too often we rely heavily on out of school suspensions as a consequence for student misbehavior. This approach leads to students falling behind academically and feeling less connected to their learning environment. My study takes a close look into establishing district policy to help each middle school offer a balanced approach to addressing student discipline in order to improve behavior and increase the amount of instructional time that African American middle …

A Policy Advocacy Dissertation To Increase Transparency And Accountability Through Social Return On Investment Analysis, David F. Lewis

Dissertations

The connection between the funding of public schools and student achievement is complex. Facing dwindling revenue streams, schools and the communities they serve must begin to assess how effectively and efficiently school systems are utilizing federal, state, and local taxpayer resources. As seen in the previous program evaluation and change leadership projects, the Social Return On Investment (SROI) methodology provides a framework that yields a statistically reliable vehicle for doing so that garners trust through transparency. Toward this end, this document advocates for school districts and their boards of education to incorporate the SROI analysis as an essential element of …

Teacher And Evaluator Perspectives On The Teacher Evaluation Process For Teachers Of English Language Learners: A Policy Advocacy Document, Nancy Martinez

Dissertations

The focus of this study is on teacher evaluation systems. I examine the various teacher evaluation system currently implemented in Florida. These teacher evaluation frameworks approved by the Race to the Top initiative use protocols that do not provide opportunities for differentiating instructional practices specific to English Language Learners. The results from this analysis in combination with the wealth of research available on instructional practices for ELLs suggest a need for a change. This paper supports the need for a revision of the current teacher evaluation frameworks to include differentiation of ELL-specific indicators in the current teacher evaluation system that …

Appreciative Inquiry: A Path To Change In Education, Pamela L. Buchanan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) introduces a new approach to educational change. Most state and federal initiatives for educational change grow out of a deficit model of what is wrong with schools and what is needed to fix them. Implementation of new reforms has historically been mandated by administrators with little impact. The emphasis of AI is upon what is right with the organization and forms the basis for new initiatives and further change. This model proposes a cycle of inquiry used by leaders who distribute leadership across their constituents. Organizational learning is a process of individual and collective inquiry that modifies …

Focus On Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of The Shared Ideas And Agreements That Change Teachers' Instructional Practice, Renee C. Middleton

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This descriptive study examines principal and teacher perceptions of the shared ideas and agreements that change teachers’ instructional practice. This study was conducted during the school year 2013-2014, drawing on teacher and principal sample representatives selected from 10 high schools, middle schools and elementary schools in one Southern California public school district. The study utilizes qualitative and quantitative methodologies to create survey questionnaires and semi-structured phone interviews to examine the research questions focused on teacher and principal perceptions which were coded and analyzed. The primary data collection was based on the tallies, statistical analysis of the respondents’ survey questionnaire responses, …

Impact Of Character Development And Empowerment Program On Grit And Resilience Growth In Early And Middle Adolescents, Mimi Gamel

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

The results from the study have shown that the 7 Mindsets: Ultimate Life Summit program has a positive impact on the perception of students’ growth in both grit and resilience. Participants’ growth was shown through the use of the Grit Scale and the Resilience Scale of Children and Adolescents (RSCA) scale. This study is purposeful and timely. It examines the non-cognitive side of education – grit and resilience development in adolescents in an era when adolescents are struggling emotionally at school and at home. The study included forty-five students between the ages of ten and eighteen from ten different countries. …