Educational Leadership Commons^™

Alternative Education Completers: A Phenomenological Study, Becky Lynne Murray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Billy is a bright, wide-eyed, little boy with bounding enthusiasm and wonder as he enters the doors of school on his first day of kindergarten. When the school doors open in Billy's sixth grade year the wide eyes and bounding enthusiasm have diminished only to leave behind dread and dismay at the thought of confronting yet another abysmal nine months of failure. How can we, as educators, better serve the needs of at-risk students like Billy? Shouldn't we ask them? What elements of the alternative education experience were significant to successful completion of the alternative education program? The phenomenological paradigm …

The Perceived Influence Of Divergent Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Student Abilities On Students And The Establishment Of Effective Family-School Partnerships, Kara Ann Lasater

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge; of particular importance was the perceived influence of these divergent accounts on students and the establishment of effective family-school partnerships. This purpose was achieved through a qualitative investigation of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge. Analysis of data collected from 10 in-depth interviews with students, parents, and teachers revealed five themes and one subtheme related to discrepant parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities. These themes …

Everything Rises And Falls On Leadership: An Assessment Of Undergraduate Leadership Development Programs At The University Of Arkansas - Fayetteville, Louis Anthony Love

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today's students are the leaders of tomorrow, and their ability to lead in the 21st century will be critical to the sustainability of life, and the nation's ability to prosper will depend on the quality of leadership demonstrated at all levels of society. Student leadership development in institutions of higher education has never been more vital than it is today. In order to provide society with excellent and effective leadership that will be capable of handling unprecedented domestic and global economic and medical crises, as well as properly managing technological advancements, institutions of higher education must invest in the development …

The Impact Of State Characteristics On College Graduation Rates At Land-Grant Institutions, Melissa Bridges

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As our nation's economy has become increasingly knowledge-based, an educated citizenry is paramount to maintaining a competitive edge in a global marketplace. Thus, college participation and completion have emerged as the gateway to survival and growth for individuals, states, and the nation, making college completion rates a top priority. Stakeholders have begun to equate graduation rates with institutional quality and performance and often use such data to make judgments, create policies, and allocate funding. However, graduation rates are not fully understood and numerous scholars urge caution when interpreting and utilizing single outcome measures. The purpose of this cross-sectional ecological study …

Predictive Effects Of Absence, Gender, And Lunch Status On Math And Literacy Achievement, Megan Witonski

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if any predictive effects exist between absence, gender, lunch status, and math and literacy achievement on exams. While research supported the predictive effects of absence, gender, and lunch status on achievement there was inadequate data to determine which predictor played a more significant role.

A quantitative, regression strategy was used to analyze data from students in a rural school in northwest Arkansas. All students in this rural district who had taken the Arkansas Augmented Assessment in math and literacy required under the Arkansas accountability requirements comprised the sample for this study. The …

Superintendent Ratings Of Academic Preparation, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Groups seeking to rescind or weaken state licensing requirements to be a superintendent have disparaged academic studies in administration as an inconsequential requirement. Their claim has rarely been supported by empirical evidence. Findings from the last three AASA-sponsored decennial studies (1992, 2000, and 2011) of the superintendency suggest policymakers and members of the profession should be cautious about radically altering licensing requirements. A high percentage (ranging from 74 percent in 1992 to 79 percent in 2011) rated their universitybased academic preparation as being excellent or good.

What To Do For Anxious Kids? Applications Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Cbt) In Schools, Elana R. Bernstein

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents (Ollendick & Pincus, 2008). Epidemiological studies since 1986 have reported that, as a group, anxiety disorders are present in approximately 10% of the population of children ages 6-17 (McLoone, Hudson, & Rapee, 2006). Anxiety disorders have a high prevalence rate, an early onset, significant long-term consequences (Le., school drop-out, psychopathology in adulthood, difficulties with social relationships, lower self-esteem, etc.), and a chronic course if left untreated (Ramirez, Feeney-Kettler, Flores-Torres, Kratochwill, & Morris, 2006). However, youth suffering from anxiety disorders are not always adequately identified and provided …

Is Your School Prepared For A Sexting Crisis?, Morgan J. Aldridge, Susan C. Davies, Kelli Jo Arndt

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Sexting is a growing challenge. Results from a survey indicated that 20% of adolescents ages 13–19 have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves; 71% of adolescent females and 67% of adolescent males who have sexted sent the content to a boyfriend or girlfriend; and 38% of adolescent females and 39% of adolescent males report having seen messages originally intended for someone else (National Campaign, 2008).

Those messages can spread at a rapid rate, causing both legal and emotional ramifications for all students involved. Principals can help prevent sexting and mitigate its negative consequences by making staff members …

Characteristics Of The Effective Online Teaching Faculty: Perspectives Of Online University Administrators, Dina Samora

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this explorative qualitative case study was to identify the characteristics online administrators reveal as existing in their most effective, and ineffective online teaching faculty (OTF). By identifying the characteristics of effective OTF, online administrators can develop practices to reduce and avoid the negative effects associated with ineffective OTF. Negative effects include increased transactional distance and student attrition. Analyzed were personal interviews of ten online administrators from eight different universities, a year of student surveys from six courses, and faculty handbooks. Interview questions sought the best approach to online facilitation, recommendations for retention of students, factors related to …

Immigrant Mexican Born Women And Intergenerational Dialogue In The United States, Rosa Maria Ramos

Master's Projects and Capstones

Keeping intergenerational dialogue alive in Mexican immigrated families promotes cultural pride. Oral histories of elderly women in the family offer stories that foster culture and values as mothers and youth navigate their lives in the United States. Through the process of an intergenerational dialogue workshop developed in a Half Moon Bay community, common ideas and goals were shared to develop a manual. The focus of the workshop was to gather details about the knowledge that our elders, and mothers bring forth to share with their families. Community leaders participated in offering a safe space for women to foster confianza, …

China's 80后 And 90后: The Next Generation Of Leaders In The World's Next Superpower, A Students-Teaching-Students Course, Patrick Slavin

Senior Honors Projects

In light of China’s recent reemergence as a global superpower, it is becoming increasingly important for westerners to understand its history and culture. For current college students, the culture of China’s youth is particularly pertinent.

In this project, a course, HPR 107: Chinese Youth Culture, was designed and taught through the Students-Teaching-Students program, which provides senior Honor’s Program students the opportunity to design and teach their own Honor’s Program course. The HPR 107 course focuses on China’s 80后 and 90后 generations, those born in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.

This multi-faceted project includes: subject matter research, course development, pedagogy development, …

Due Process And Employee Performance, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

As school boards face financial challenges due to a faltering nation economy and increasing calls for accountability, school business officials and other education leaders need to develop plans for effective documentation of staff performance to justify employment decisions and to avoid unnecessary litigation.

All states require education leaders to provide varying levels of due process when dealing with teachers and other staff members with tenure or continuing contracts who are subject to discipline or dismissal, but the laws often leave practical details unanswered.

Teacher Professional Learning Communities For Sustainability: Supporting Stem In Learning Gardens In Low-Income Schools, Sybil S. Kelley, Dilafruz R. Williams

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

In order to address the ecological and social problems of sustainability in our modern times, citizens need to be empowered with an understanding of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts and practices. Furthermore, STEM must be democratized and taught in life-giving and life-sustaining ways that include all students instead of the small fraction of "high achievers" and limited to the "potential" scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. At present, K-12 students and their teachers rarely have the opportunity to learn beyond their concrete school walls and to reconnect with nature, exacerbating their disconnection of STEM from real life and hence sustainability. …

Successful Leaders Beating The Odds: Leveraging Instructional Rounds With Professional Development In School-University Partnerships, Amy Daggett Petti

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

How do we prepare and support better teachers during financial crisis? A newly formed university-district partnership, utilizing Professional Development School (PDS) research leveraged instructional rounds as a professional development strategy for mutual benefit. This article synthesizes two successful schools' journeys toward innovative and transparent improvement of teachers' practices, for both tenured and preservice teachers. Analysis of each school's video documentation of instructional rounds, observations, interviews, focus groups, and artifacts of the partnership yielded increased leadership capacity, improved culture, and continuous professional learning, even within a context of staff reduction and budget crisis. These schools' stories have critical application to teacher …

Advisement Satisfaction Among Community College Students In Mississippi, Latoya Tamiko Jones-Reed

Dissertations

Mississippi lacks a formal unified method for evaluating academic advising programs, and it is unclear whether advisement practices are satisfactory and aiding in student success. This study attempted to assess advisement satisfaction among students attending community colleges in Mississippi. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of satisfaction among Mississippi community college students with advisement. An additional aim of this study was to determine if advisement satisfaction is influenced by race, gender, non-traditional student status, first-generation student status, or on/off campus housing across Mississippi community college student populations. Students from each of the 15 community colleges in …

Teacher Perception Of School Culture And School Climate In The Leader In Me Schools And Non Leader In Me Schools, Brian Patrick Barkley

Dissertations

In 1989 Dr. Stephen Covey wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which revealed seven habits that people should integrate into their lives that would help them on the two levels of relationships. First, it would help people to establish a better relationship personally. Secondly, it would help people to improve their relationships with other people. The book was originally written for adults; later Sean Covey, son of Dr. Covey, wrote a version of The Seven Habits that was geared toward teenagers. But the question of whether these adult lessons can be taught to five year olds was taken …

Teacher Attitudes Of Inclusion And Academic Performance Of Students With Disabilities, Jonathan Earl Sutton

Dissertations

Since the integration of the inclusion model, supported by the IDEA (1997), within public schools, teacher resistance and frustration has risen (Hardy, 1999). The climate of general education teachers’ classrooms furthermore, has not been the same (Liu & Meyer, 2005). Key elements ensuring success of inclusion and the implementation of inclusive education are the views, perspectives, and attitudes of the personnel who have the responsibility for implementing it; the teachers (Shade & Stewart, 2001). Avramidis and Norwich (2002) argued that successful implementation of any inclusive policy or programming is extremely dependent upon the educators being receptive and positive. Hines (2011) …

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

Case Study Of A District's Implementation Of Culturally Relevant Social Studies Curriculum, Dagoberto Eli Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Texas districts approved Update 93 from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) in spring 2012. The policy update called for use of culturally relevant materials in school districts’ implementation of their instructional program. The policy uses seventeen words to describe resources necessary to deliver, support, enrich, and assist in implementing the district’s educational program: materials that “represent many ethnic, religious, and cultural groups and their contributions to the national heritage and world community”. Using a qualitative case study approach in a Texas school district, this University of Texas-Pan American Educational Leadership Doctorate Degree research project investigated how and to …

Efficacy Beliefs Of Beginning Hispanic Teachers And The Organizational Health Of Schools In A South Texas School District, Gisela S. Saenz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers’ sense of efficacy and school organizational health. Teachers’ sense of efficacy was measured using three dimensions of teacher efficacy: efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management. Organizational health was measured using dimensions of school health for elementary, middle, and high school including: academic emphasis, institutional integrity, collegial leadership, resource influence, teacher affiliation, morale, principal influence, resource support, consideration, and initiating structure. The sample consisted of 498 beginning Hispanic teachers with one to five years of teaching experience. The sample included, 255 elementary, 126 middle school, and …