Educational Leadership Commons^™

Graduate Bulletin, 2013-2014, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Graduate Bulletins (Catalogs)

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Role Of The Principal In Elementary Teacher Retention And Migration As Perceived By Elementary Teachers In Rural School Districts Of North-Central Pennsylvania, Diana L. Barnes

Dissertations

Problem. Teacher migration and attrition are costly to educational institutions and negatively impact students' education. Teachers migrate to other positions and/or leave the profession for different reasons. Research of literature indicated that one influence on the teacher's decision to migrate to another position or to leave the profession is lack of principal support. This sequential mixed-methodology study explores elementary teachers' perception of the relationship between principal support and teacher retention and migration in the rural elementary schools of north-central Pennsylvania.

Method. To explore the role of the principal, this sequentially mixed-methodological study used a focus group to identify elementary teachers' …

A Study Of The Master Of Education In Educational Leadership Program At The University Of Central Florida: Standards Alignment And Student Perceptions, Vickie Santostefano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the University of Central Florida’s Master’s Program in Educational Leadership. This study was a mixed mode study which used archival data, survey data, interviews, and Florida Educational Leadership Examination results. Research questions were developed to address how course content in the University of Central Florida’s Master of Education in Educational Leadership Program aligned with the following standards and competencies: (a) the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE/Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC), (b) the Interstate School Leader Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), (c) the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPS), (d) the …

The Moral Reasoning And Moral Decision Making Of Urban High-Poverty Elementary School Principals In A Large Urban Southeastern School District, Robert Strenth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to identify the moral reasoning and moral judgment of elementary school principals who serve in high-poverty schools. The study was undertaken at the request of the client public school district who was attempting to identify characteristics of current elementary principals serving in high-poverty schools. Two research questions guided this study concerning the moral operational level of the principals. The theoretical framework of the study was based on the work of Lawrence Kohlberg and his stages of moral development. Participating principals were administered the Defining Issues Test-2 (DIT-2), a pencil-paper questionnaire that presented five moral …

A Study Of A Third Grade Summer Reading Camp: Its Promotion Of Student Achievement And Its Cost Effectiveness, Krista Bixler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the immediate and long term impact of participation in the 2009 Third Grade Summer Reading Camp, as well as determine the cost-effectiveness of providing this program in comparison to the cost-effectiveness of other reading interventions as identified by Yeh (2010). All students in this study scored an achievement level one on the 2009 FCAT Reading assessment and either attended the summer reading camp or received a good cause exemption for promotion to the next grade level. Data was not available to determine immediate impact of summer school. To determine long term impact …

Deconstructing Differences In Effectiveness Of Teachers Of Tenth Grade Non-Proficient Readers In One Florida School District, Mary Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite an intense focus and considerable financial commitment to remediate nonproficient readers in high school, the large suburban school district that was the target of this study had been unable to consistently improve student achievement in the lowest 25% of students as measured by outcomes on the FCAT Reading. Scholarly literature on high school reading had focused mostly on evaluation of curriculum rather than on teacher practices. A clear understanding of these differences in practice will inform future decisions related to staffing, scheduling, and professional learning. This study sought to identify the underlying professional and instructional differences between the most …

The Relationship Between Curriculum-Based Measures In Oral Reading Fluency And High-Stakes Tests For Seventh Grade Students, Sawyer Hunley, Susan C. Davies, Christina R. Miller

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between oral reading fluency and performance on a statewide reading achievement test for middle grades students. Participants in this study were 75 seventh-grade students. One month before the students were administered the state test, each student read three probes from their current basal reader to determine an oral reading fluency rate. The Ohio Grade 7 Reading Test scores were correlated with oral reading fluency rates to determine the extent of the relationship between the results. Results support the use of oral reading fluency assessment as a valid tool for identifying …

An Analysis Of Generational Differences And Their Effects On Schools And Student Performance, Lisa Paniale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of generational differences on student achievement of students in Brevard Public Schools, Brevard County, Florida. The independent variable was the generational cohorts (Traditionalist, Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennials). The dependent variable was the factors of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work motivation. A second dependent variable was Value-Added Measure (VAM) scores calculated by the Department of Education for the state of Florida for each teacher of grades K-12. These VAM scores were derived from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Reading and Math Developmental Scale scores to show a teacher’s effect on student achievement. …

An Analysis Of Student Achievement Outcomes Of Teachers Who Have Earned The Reading Endorsement Offered Through Brevard Public Schools Compared To Those Who Earned The Reading Endorsement Through Other Means, And Those Who Have Not Earned A Reading Endorsement, Carrie Chancellor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine relationships between the independent variables of teaching years of experience and participation in Reading Endorsement professional development offered through Brevard Public Schools and the dependent variables of student outcome measures, as determined through teacher aggregated reading Value Added Model (VAM) scores. The significance of the study was that it will add to the literature by being the first study of its kind for the Brevard Public School District. This study will also provide information as to the reading instruction preparation effectiveness examined through student performance outcomes. This study used multiple statistical procedures to analyze the …

A Study Of The Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model And Student Achievement At 24 Elementary Schools In A Large Suburban School District In Central Florida, Amy Flowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to examine the initial year of implementation of the Marzano Teacher Evaluation Model and iObservation®tool (Learning Sciences International, 2012) as it related to student achievement in the School District of Osceola County, Florida and to determine if the Marzano model improved the ability to determine teacher effectiveness with more accuracy than previous models of teacher evaluation used in the school district. Twelve research questions guided this study concerning the relationship and predictability between the variables of teacher instructional practice scores, number of observations reported in the iObservation®tool, and student achievement in Grades 3-5 using …

The Relationship Of Participation In A Summer Transition Program For At-Risk Ninth Grade Students And Their Progress Towards On-Time Graduation, Joseph Harper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics and relationships of participants and non-participants of the summer academic program in a local school district. The summer program also includes a component providing support to students as they progress through four years of high school. The study used 5,369 student records to conduct the study of the first cohort of students who entered their ninth grade in the 2009-2010 academic year.

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Equals Mathematics Curriculum And Teacher Perceptions Of And Attitudes About The Curriculum, Jennifer Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of the Equals mathematics curriculum had any statistically significant impact on the 2012 Florida Alternate Assessment mathematics scores of students with disabilities in six Florida school districts when comparing the scores of those who received mathematics instruction via the curriculum to the scores of students with disabilities in six other Florida school districts who did not receive mathematics instruction via the curriculum. This study further examined the perceptions of and attitudes about the Equals mathematics curriculum that exist among Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teachers who teach mathematics to students …

The Impact Of Moving From Sacs Level I To Level Ii Status On Faculty Employment In The Florida College System, Christine Broeker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The State of Florida legislatively authorizes Florida community colleges to confer workforce-oriented bachelor’s degrees. As part of the legislation, community colleges are required to achieve Level II (baccalaureate-granting) status through Florida’s regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). When moving from SACS Level I to II, former community colleges need to meet the SACS CS 3.7.1 (Qualified Faculty), which requires that faculty who teach baccalaureate courses hold the minimum of a master’s degree in field. Further complicating matters, as baccalaureate granting institutions, colleges must also comply with CS 3.5.4, requiring 25% of course hours in …

An Analysis Of A Large Urban School District's Eighth-Grade Summer Reading Camp Curriculum And Student Performance Knowledge Voids, Eric Sochocki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine if the 2012 Eighth Grade Summer Reading Camp curriculum was aligned with the students’ needs. To determine if curriculum alignment existed, the researcher completed a qualitative and quantitative study. The qualitative study consisted of interviewing the school district program development team to ascertain how the curriculum was designed. The quantitative segment involved running descriptive statistics for student performance on the Pre-program Benchmark Examination. The determined student knowledge voids were compared to the amount of instructional time spent taught teaching those individual benchmarks to ascertain if the curriculum was aligned with student need. The curriculum was …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Actions To Achieve Equity And Access To Excellence In A Large School District, Sidney Moss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-method, descriptive study was to determine the teachers' perceptions who were employed in the target school district from 2003 to 2011, regarding school district second-order change leadership decisions, events, and challenges, and the extent to which equity and access to excellence for all students were achieved. Also investigated was the relationship, if any, that existed in achieving equity and access to excellence based on school district second-order change leadership from 2003 to 2011. Teacher perception data were analyzed from a survey presented to teachers in over 16 schools who had been consecutively employed in the target …

The Relationship Of Participation In A Summer Transition Program For At-Risk Ninth Grade Students And Their Performance In Algebra I, Jose Sanchez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the Summer Transition Program in a large suburban school district. One of the common concerns of education leaders is the number of students who choose to dropout of high school. The eighth to ninth grade Summer Transition Program has been implemented to address the high school dropout issue and was the focus of this study. The researcher examined if participation in the Summer Transition Program could be predicted by student subgroup, to what extent, if any, participation in the Summer Transition Program had on the academic success in Algebra I, and if there is a relationship with …

Improving On-Time Graduation For At-Risk Students: Perceptions Of Interventions To Improve On-Time Graduation In One Florida School District., Walter Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to identify primary interventions that participants in the study perceived to have influenced them to persist to remain in high school. This was accomplished by analyzing data gathered in a survey administered to 901 program completers who were rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders who completed the Eighth-toNinth-Grade Summer Transition Program in 2009, 2010, and 2011 in one Florida School District.

Supervising Principals' Perceptions Of Preparing New Principal Program Completers: Meeting The 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards, Wesley Trimble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine to what extend completers of School District A’s Preparing New Principals Program (PNPP) are prepared to meet the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards (FPLS). Major questions addressed (a) the perception of principals regarding how well prepared completers of School District A’s principal preparation program were to meet the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards, (b) if the perceived importance of the 2011 Florida Leadership Standards varied by leadership level, (c) if the perceived importance of the 2011 Florida Leadership Standards varied by a school’s free/reduced lunch percentage, and (d) the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards perceived …

Senior-Level School District Administrators' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of A Florida Preparing New Principals Program, Eddie Ruiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and measure Preparing New Principals Program completers and their readiness to meet the 2011 Florida Principal Leadership Standards. This study was also conducted to identify the Florida Principal Leadership Standards that senior-level school district administrators identified as the most beneficial to future principals in improving student achievement despite increased accountability within the state. A group of 40 senior-level school district administrators who served on the superintendent’s cabinet between 2008 and 2011 were sent a perceptual survey regarding the Preparing New Principals Program and the Florida Principal Leadership Standards. Survey participants had the …

Respresentation Of Hispanic Students In High Incidence Categories In Exceptional Student Education Programs And Educational Environments In K-12 Schools Across The State Of Florida, Douglas Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was first passed in 1975 and requires states to have policies in place to prevent misidentification and overrepresentation, and to monitor disproportionate representation by race/ethnicity and disability category. The fundamental premise of this legislation is to ensure that students with disabilities are afforded a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Even with the passage of IDEA, the disproportionate representation of minority students continues to be a national issue. The disproportionate placement of minority students in Exceptional Student Education (ESE) began to receive attention prior to IDEA and has …