Educational Leadership Commons^™

University Update - September 6, 2013, Academic Affairs

University Updates & Communications from the University President

Included in this update are:

• Institutional Priorities
• Investment in Human Resources
• Financial Strength
• Strengthening Student Success
• Strengthening Academic Excellence
• Hunger Action Month

University Update - December 10, 2013, Academic Affairs

University Updates & Communications from the University President

Included in this update are:

• Vice President/Provost Search Update
• HR Director Search Update
• Holiday Open House Reminder
• Spirit Fridays Announced
• Advancement End of Year News
• Join the Conversation Announcement

Mentoring School Leaders: Perspectives And Practices Of Mentors And Their Protégés, Dana Sue Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mentoring has the potential to be a powerful tool to help prepare future school leaders in the context of leading a school. The purpose of this study was to identify perspectives and practices employed in mentoring relationships within a principal preparation program. Through interviews, observations, and the analysis of artifacts, this study identified how these mentors supported their protégés in the development of theoretical understanding, technical skills, and reflective practice.

This study took a multiple case study approach to analyze data about leadership mentoring obtained within three-cases of a mentor and the mentoring relationship with his or her protégé. Each …

Age Entering The Field, Theodore J. Kowalski

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Over time, the typical career span of superintendents (in that position only) has been about 15 to 20 years. In large measure, this relatively short period is explained by the fact most superintendents enter the position in mid-career. Data collected and analyzed by AASA in 2010 revealed nearly two-thirds of superintendents (62 percent) first entered the position when they were 41 to 55 years old. Outside this age range, novices were twice as likely to be younger than 41 than older than 55. Only 8 percent of superintendents first entered the position after age 55.

Post-Oppositional Culture Theory: Counter Narratives Of African American Preservice Teachers, Sonya Victoria Scott

Theses Digitization Project

This study seeks to counter the social narrative that African Americans resist schooling by examining African American post baccalaureate college students that have developed a passion for learning as demonstrated in their persistence and motivations to enter the teaching profession. Racially correlated disparities prevalent in standardized test scores, high school dropout rates and college eligibility remain one of the most pervasive educational dilemmas facing public schools across the nation. African Americans are identified as significantly under performing when compared to the average performance of white students.

Planting, Learning, Growing: Utilizing Service-Learning In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Among Urban Middle School Students, Carly Jessica Chavez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is meant to work as a descriptive analysis of service-learning pedagogy and outcomes, through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning opportunities. One of the many challenges facing public education is how to actively incorporate elements of STEM into the classroom curriculum and school-wide.

Sexting: You Found The Sext, What To Do Next? How School Psychologists Can Assist With Policy, Prevention, And Intervention, Morgan J. Aldridge, Kelli Jo Arndt, Susan C. Davies

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

Early Monday morning, it is brought to the school psychologist’s attention that Katie, a 15-year-old student, engaged in “sexting” over the weekend; she sent a naked picture of herself to her boyfriend. The boyfriend immediately forwarded the picture to a group of his friends. At school on Monday, many students were talking about the picture, and Katie was humiliated. The school is unaware of how many students this sext message has reached. What can the school psychologist do to intervene with the female student, her boyfriend, and his friends? What, if anything, can be done to prevent this message from …

Understanding The Hidden Curriculum: Connecting Teachers To Themselves, Their Students, And The Earth, Michelle Sager

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

Education is a powerful venue for transmitting culture, and cultures exist with a common set of beliefs, assumptions, and ways of understanding the world. Children learn not only the prescribes lesson plans, but also important lessons about how to use language, how to interact with others and with natural places, and how to view the world - simply by following the guidance of adults, and especially teachers. These hidden messages are often sent unintentionally and without awareness of their implications, and in a modernized, Western world, they come with problematic, unquestioned, and underlying assumptions about how we view ourselves, others, …

A Critical Review Of Reflectivity, Andragogy, And Confucianism, John Henschke, Victor Wang, Karen Fay

Adult Education Faculty Works

The link between Confucian humanism, Mezirow' theory of reflectivity, and the convergence of a worldwide concept of andragogy (the art and science of helping adults learn) articulated by Savicevle, Knowles, Mezirow's theory has increasingly developed to integrate inner reflection expressed through transformed perspectives and decision and action, and andragogy has focused on facilitation of collaborative interaction and self-direction in learning involving the whole person. To appreciate the basis of these three schools of theory, this chapter presents a discussion of these originating theorists. As an introductory thought, the following quotations illustrate how Confucius' thought has long been valued and aspired …

Super Andragogy, John Henschke

Adult Education Faculty Works

This presentation looks at the History, Philosophy and Major Themes of Andragogy that have emerged in the author’s research and practice. It explores those aspects of andragogy within the context of the theme of this Conference – Lifelong Learning for All in 2013 – and indicates how the expanding scope of this investigation offers a frame for carrying forward an inspirational concept to the great benefit of lifelong learning constituencies around the globe.

Keeping Good Teachers Teaching: A Study Of The Retirement Of Baby Boom Teachers, Dean Erickson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Baby boom teachers, born between 1946-1964, are in the midst of making retirement decisions. Some choose to remain teaching as long as they physically and mentally can handle the demands of the job, while others look for the first opportunity to exit. The large number of teachers in this cohort and the fact that 50% of teachers are also leaving in their first 5 years of teaching is causing the teacher “pipeline” to leak at both ends. This dissertation looks at baby boom teacher retirement and factors that cause some to retire early while others continue teaching and what can …

Educational Experiences Of Pregnant And Parenting Adolescents In Pregnant Minor Education Program, Tabitha Ndinda Muteti

Theses Digitization Project

The objective of this study was to inquire into the educational experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents enrolled in a pregnant minor program and represent their voices by documenting this inquiry. This is a qualitative study that utilized phenomenological perspective and included a series of three in-depth interviews with six pregnant and parenting students. The focus and aim of the study was to represent the participant's voices on their educational experiences. The participants were pregnant teenagers attending a program in Southern California in the United States of America.

Instructional Disability: Voices Of The Resource Specialists On The Design Of The Resource Support Program, Christy Vasquez Martinez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the various contextual factors that influence the instructional decisions made by the resource specialist and how that guides planning for instruction. In 1990 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted to protect students with disabilities. The law mandated learning disabled students receive Free Appropriate Public Education (F.A.P.E.). Various types of special education settings have been established in public schools, based on student need in order to support an appropriate education.

Exploring The Essence Of Trust Through The Lived Experiences Of Jazz Educators, John Newell Canfield

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to contribute to the body of knowledge on trust, educational leadership, and jazz by exploring the lived experiences of jazz educators with regard to the phenomenon of trust in the educational environment.

Conceptual Change Theory In Education: Using Dinner-Home Visits To Reshape Teacher Perceptions Of Students, Audrey Consuelo Hovannesian

Theses Digitization Project

This study was designed to determine a method to identify barriers which inhibit and items which foster levels of School Connectedness based on teacher perceptions of School Climate. When barriers related to School Connectedness are identified, the application of a protocol to reshape teacher perceptions may be necessary. Identifying teacher perceptions of School Climate related to students, the school environment, and themselves, is often an indicator of how connected the various elements of a school are since teachers and staff members greatly assist in the formation of a school climate. The 100 Dinners Project was a mixed methods study designed …

Perceptions Surrounding The Implementation Of Colorado Senate Bill 10-191'S New Teacher Evaluations, Sarah Melvoin Bridich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2013, many public education reform efforts in the United States of America center on testing and accountability. Recent data revealed that teachers have the single greatest in-school impact on student learning; however, the methods to assess teacher effectiveness are widely criticized for not holding teachers accountable and, consequently, are experiencing significant legislative attention. In 2010, Colorado passed Senate Bill 10-191: The Great Teachers and Leaders Act to improve student learning by revising teacher and principal evaluations, including linking them to student learning data, and eradicating tenure.

Teachers, administrators, and policymakers hold critical roles in the implementation of this bill, …

Transformative Leadership: An Asset-Based Approach To Leadership For Diverse Schools And Learners, Marilyn Sudsberry, Brooke Kandel-Cisco

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Traditionally, school leadership has been viewed as emanating from a sole source, the school administrator. This top-down perspective suggests that school leadership lives and dies by the leader's specific skills, mind-set, and preferred activities. This perspective ultimately oversimplifies the difficult work that school administrators must navigate in order to ensure the success of all learners. While there is no doubt that many individual school administrators are empathetic and compassionate educators, unilateral decision-making means that the cultural, linguistic and social lenses utilized to inform decision-making are limited to the perspective of the administrator.

In this chapter we propose that school leadership …

Statewide Study Of School Public Relations Personnel: Roles, Responsibilities, Relationships, And Budget Vote Outcomes, Catherine Knight

Education Student Dissertations

This two-part quantitative study expanded our understanding of school PR personnel in public school districts, particularly those who worked during the 2009-2012 budget years. Four cultural changes have redefined the paradigm of public education and served as a springboard for this study: technology-enhanced communications/ information retrieval, transparency in school district operations, accountability tied to student testing, and the Great Recession. The first section presented key facts, drawn from public information available from New York State, about school PR employment, including the number of school districts that employed PR personnel, the types of school districts most likely to employ them, and …

Urban Underrepresented Minority Students In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math: An Analysis Of The Differences Between Developmental Assets And Academic Achievement, Jovan Grant Wells

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the developmental assets and academic achievement of urban underrepresented minority male and female students in a specialized science, technology, engineering, and math program, and the developmental assets and academic achievement of urban underrepresented minority male and female students in traditional comprehensive high school programs. The findings of the study provide information regarding the influence of gender, school setting, and developmental assets that may help impact student achievement for underrepresented minorities in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. The study findings also contribute to developmental assets theory and …

The Effect Of Tonality And Rhythm On Memory Recall In Elementary General Education Classrooms: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Matthew R. Varnell

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of rhythm and tonality on an academic memory task by comparing three different treatment conditions: a poem, a rhythmic chant (or rap), and a melodic rhythm (or song). A quasi-experimental experiment was designed and implemented, specifically a pretest-posttest-posttest control-group design. This study took place in the North Texas area in an urban school district on four campuses that were minimally 50 percent economically disadvantaged.The study included 139 second-grade students who gave consent and fully participated in the research study. Data were obtained through pretesting students" knowledge of the countries of …