Educational Leadership Commons^™

Superintendent Second-Order Change Leadership To Achieve Equity And Access To Excellence In A Large Florida School District, Paul Wilhite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of 244 school- and district-based administrators who were employed in a Florida school district from 2003- 2011 regarding superintendent second-order change leadership decisions and events to achieve equity and access to excellence for all students in the school district. Interviews were also conducted with 11 active and retired school-based and district-based administrators to specifically address any factors that led to equity and access to excellence as well as any challenges the school district faced when implementing those actions and decisions. Quantitative data were used for a historical comparison of the …

Understanding Faculty Donors: Giving At Historically Black Colleges And Universities In The Southern Region Of The United States, Curtis Proctor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate the motivational factors that lead to faculty giving to their employing institutions. Giving practices in relation to the life experiences and independent influences of faculty members who were employed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) were examined. In addition this study contributes to the limited amount of literature provided on HBCUs institutional advancement offices as well as the effectiveness of their solicitation efforts as perceived by faculty members employed at the colleges and universities. Three research questions were considered in this study. First, what life experiences contribute to the …

Behind The Scenes: Understanding Teacher Perspectives On Technology Integration In A Suburban District Technology Initiative: A Dissertation, John Woolard

Educational Studies Dissertations

Efforts to prepare students with skills necessary to compete in a 21st Century global, digital economy require technological literacy, but many teachers are inhibited by antiquated models of education and epistemological beliefs that leave them reluctant to integrate educational technologies in their content instruction (Dunn & Rakes, 2010; Mouza & Wong, 2009). At the most basic level, apart from time constraints influenced by contradictory school improvement plans, elementary school teachers must contend with the barriers known to hinder the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) including: access, familiarity, training and support (Collins & Halverson, 2009, Levin & Wadmany, 2008). …

The Role Of The School Principal In Technology Integration : A Literature Review, Lance Lennon

Graduate Research Papers

The effective integration of technology into a school's curriculum is strongly influenced by the role played by a school principal. This literature review aims to examine a principal as a school leader, a principal as a technology leader, and specifically what a principal needs to be an effective leader of technology integration. This paper reviews peer-reviewed journal articles, research studies, and doctoral theses focused on the role of a principal in technology integration. Research indicates principals and other school leaders are crucial to the success of school initiatives, and that administrators need more training opportunities to have the positive impact …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Women In Leadership And Community At Old Dominion University From 1970 To 1990, Ann E. Wendle Barnes

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

During the 1970s college campuses in the United States were often the venue through which change occurred. Female faculty and students were assertive in their efforts to influence equality between men and women across the country (Morris, 1984). This historical phenomenological study examined the oral history of several women who advocated for women's rights at Old Dominion University (ODU) by establishing the Women's Caucus, Women's Studies Program, and Women's Center during the late 1970s through the 1990s.

Participants selected for this study took part in semi-structured interviews, and the results of the interviews were triangulated with archived documents available at …

Alternative Models Of Funding Higher Education: Past And Present Trends, Gus Gregorutti

Faculty Publications

The present study is built around the following general research question: why is Adventist higher education in a tight budget? This is approached using a comparative time frame analysis of past and present needs and characteristics affecting funding tertiary education. The main idea throughout this paper is that the different funding systems are setting up models of Adventist higher education that aren’t always the best fit for the institutional ideology and organization. Possible alternatives to shift into a more suitable funding system are provided and discusses as well. 

First-Generation Student Success After Academic Warning: An Exploratory Analysis Of Academic Integration, Personal Adjustment, Family And Social Adjustment And Psychological Factors, Gabrielle Shoshana Zeisman

Dissertations and Theses

As many as a quarter of undergraduate college students are placed on academic probation at least once during their college career. In addition, first-generation college students are even more at-risk for stopping out or dropping out due to being less academically prepared than their non-first-generation peers. In order to examine factors that influence first generation student academic risk and success, this exploratory study examined the intersection of academic standing and four primary conceptual contributors: academic integration, personal adjustment, family and social adjustment, and psychological factors. Survey data were collected from first generation undergraduate students at an urban research university who …

Engaging Community Food Systems Through Learning Garden Programs: Oregon Food Bank's Seed To Supper Program, Denissia Elizabeth Withers

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper program which situates garden-based learning in food insecure communities. Through a mixed-methods community-based research process, this study found that community building, learner empowerment and sustainability leadership in place-based learning garden programs increased access to locally grown foods for food insecure populations. When food insecure populations participated in these learning garden programs they often engaged in practices described in the literature as the "web of …

Empowering Sustainability Leaders: Developing An Authentic Leadership Identity, Heather Diamond

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

This project focuses on how we are not preparing students to step into much-needed leadership roles. Leadership, when it is taught at all, is typically taught in a traditional and linear way – as a set of skills, a particular role to be filled, or as a hierarchy of one person above others. This type of leadership is not effective in solving today's problems. First, it is fragmented and specialized while the world's problems are complex and interconnected. Second, it is exclusive and disempowering. By defining leadership as a specific role or skill set, fewer people are likely to see …

Everybody Loves Ray: President 1998–2010, Chancellor 2010–2011, Nova Southeastern University

NSU 50th Anniversary, 1964-2014

Ray Ferrero Jr., J.D.

Ray became the Chancellor of Nova Southeastern University in January 2010.

Prior to that, he served as the fifth president of Nova Southeastern University from January 1998 to December 2009. He is recognized as being a visionary leader who is strongly committed to the growth and improvement of the university and the community it serves.

Ray is a distinguished lecturer, a tireless civic activist, a prominent trial attorney, and a man devoted to his family: wife Raquel, daughter Denise with husband Dan and their twin sons Patrick and Henry, and son Raymond and his wife Lisa.

The Leadership Of Catholic Sisters Who Have Served As College Presidents : The Impact Of Gender And Religion On Leadership Efficacy, Karen M. Scolforo

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

For over a century, Catholic Sisters have assumed leadership roles in higher education. They have impacted the lives of future leaders and empowered women to explore options to domesticity. Despite their profound contribution to higher education leadership, their history is missing from textbooks and library shelves. The purpose of this qualitative and phenomenological research study was to examine the lived experiences of Catholic Sisters who have served as college president; to gain an understanding of their perceptions and perspectives as they relate to leadership and leadership efficacy; to identify the role, if any, that gender and religion have played in …

The Impact Of Teacher Licensure Programs On Minority Student Achievement, Rose S. Duke

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This research examined the impact of teacher licensure routes, particularly those identified as either traditional or alternative on student achievement by comparing Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) end of year scores in math and reading for minority students in grades six through eight during the period from 2005 through 2009. To compare the achievement of students taught by either traditionally or alternatively prepared teachers, the Standards of Learning (SOL) scores were calculated for students and then aggregated for types of teacher preparation. The mean values were compared for statistically significant differences as a function of subject, teacher ethnicity, teacher gender, …

Students With Felony Convictions In Higher Education: An Examination Of The Effects Of Special Admissions Policies On Applicants And On Campus Communities, Bradley Dean Custer

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

There is limited research documenting the outcomes of college admission policies that screen applicants with prior felony convictions. Without this data, there is no evidence to support that these policies make college campuses safer. Additionally, there is no information available on the effects of special admissions policies on the applicants or on academic performance of students with prior felony convictions. This mixed-method study examined the applications of 54 undergraduate applicants with prior felony convictions at a mid-sized, public institution in the Midwest to reveal demographic trends among the population, to reveal themes from written narratives, and to examine the academic …

A Study Of Public School Employees' Adoption Behavior Regarding Technological Innovations, Kimberly S. Snyder

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Within with the five technological innovation adopter categories, there are potential technology users who resist adoption (Joseph, 2010). Using Survey Monkey™, during the 2011-12 school year non-certified public school employees in urban, suburban, and rural Midwestern areas were surveyed about their adoption patterns and their use of technology in the workplace. This non-experimental, descriptive study determined the distribution of 44 non-certified public school employees among adopter categories regarding technological innovation designed to improve workplace efficiency. This study also examined responses to determine differences among characteristics of those in each of the adoption categories. Respondents self-identified as members of only three …

The College Experiences Of Transgender Students: Creating A Welcoming Environment On Campus, Roxanna Jessica-Dyan Patton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The number of transgender students on college campuses has been increasing throughout the United States (Schneider,2010). Transgender students face unique concerns in nearly every aspect of campus life. The purpose of this research was to examine the college experiences of transgender students and recommend best practices for making college campuses more welcoming for transgender students. This phenomenological study was conducted using open ended interview questions to collect qualitative data from three transgender students at a large four year public institution in the Midwest. Respondents identified unwelcoming messages in the following areas of campus life: student activities, health services, and through …

Academic Engagement Of College Student Leaders, Galen R. Crawford

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Academic engagement of college student leaders may be affected due to the amount of time and energy that is needed to lead a student organization. This affect is tested through a mixed method research design where self-generated questions in conjunction with portions of the National Survey of Student Engagement and Cooperative Institutional Research Program are used to gain a deeper understanding of academic engagement of college student leaders. Results of the study indicate that student leaders have a relatively high level of academic engagement. Student Affairs professionals can use this research to gain an understanding of the complexity of academic …

The Relationship Between Authentic Leadership And Employee Retention: Measuring The Perceived Level Of Authentic Leadership And The Effect On Employee Retention, Deborah Morton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Authentic Leadership is an emerging leadership approach that is still in the formative stages of development. There has been noteworthy research on strategies to develop or enhance authentic leadership behaviors (Northhouse 2010) that can lead to high employee retention, however there has been only a small amount of research examining the relationship between authentic leadership and employee retention. This descriptive study examined the perceived level of authentic leadership on the four scales of the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire by retained and non-retained employees in one organization to determine if there is a relationship between authentic leadership and employee retention.

Instructional Coaching : A Look At Teaching Practices And Impact On Student Achievement, Sharon Sue Ingebrand

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The traditional one-shot teacher trainings aimed at telling teachers what they need to do to get better are not only frustrating to teachers, but are ineffective for improving classroom practices or student learning. Experts have advocated for effective professional learning to be job-embedded and intensively focused on the goal of meeting the learning needs of teachers and students. As the body of evidence around intense, ongoing, job-embedded professional learning grows, more school districts are placing instructional coaches in schools in hope of improving teachers' practices and student learning.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to: ( 1) determine …

Strengths Of Secondary School Principals In One Large Florida School District, And Achievement Of Adequate Yearly Progress In 2010-2011, Kelly Noel Paduano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increased accountability has led to increased pressure on administrators to meet AYP. By identifying strengths that are present in successful administrators, superintendents will be better equipped to make well-informed selections and administrators can target specific areas for professional growth. This study used a self-assessment created from the Clifton StrengthsFinder Assessment to analyze the strengths of principals and the commonalities in those strengths based on (a) percentage of adequate yearly progress (AYP) achieved, (b) grade levels served (middle school or high school) and (c) community served (urban or suburban). It is important to note that community served is not meant to …

Career Decision-Making Patterns Of Undecided African-American Male Transfer Students: A Qualitative Approach, Lavious Felix Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The career development and career decision-making needs of African-American males have generated much inquiry. Two year colleges currently serve as the predominant point of entry for many African-American male students seeking baccalaureate degrees. However, the transition to and eventual success at the four-year institution is often met with challenges. The inability to choose a major that may lead to a desired career has the potential to serve as a barrier for some students. From the lens of social cognitive career theory, this qualitative study was conducted to examine the experiences of undecided, African-American male transfer students at a large, four-year …