Digital Commons Network^™

Targeted Professional Learning To Implement A Biliteracy Model: A Change Leadership Plan, Nicole M. Robinson

Dissertations

With the achievement gap for students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and their non-LEP peers widening rather than closing in Brighton School District 32 (pseudonyms are used throughout this change plan), it became clear that a change of the bilingual program model was necessary. This change plan examines the need for change in the current traditional Transitional Bilingual Education program to an extended Developmental Bilingual Education model with an emphasis on teaching for biliteracy. Because altering the bilingual program model requires a significant change in teaching practices and beliefs, this plan focuses on implementing a targeted professional learning plan to …

Assessing A District's Culture Through An Annual School Culture Audit: A Policy Advocacy Document, Robert Tomic

Dissertations

Healthy school cultures play a significant role in improving a student’s educational experience as well as creating a professional environment for staff. Sustaining a positive school culture throughout a K-8 district allows for similar experiences for students and provides stability at the staff level throughout the district. The recommended policy for Yorktown School District would require each school to complete an annual school culture audit to ensure the presence of a strong foundation for all stakeholders. Utilizing the School Culture Triage Survey on an annual basis to determine strengths and areas to focus on will provide a school and district …

Leadership Development For School Principals: An Adult Learning Perspective, Hyun-Jun Joo, Taeyeon Kim

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Although research has increasingly recognized the importance of principal leadership development for school reform, both the content and delivery system continues to be open to debate. In this paper, we review school principal leadership development and provide a conceptual framework for developing school principal leadership based on adult learning theories. We conceptualize school principals as adult educators and adult learners based on key assumptions of adult learning theories. School principals are understood as both adult educators and adult learners in that they need to develop their leadership as well as support teachers’ learning in the context of professional development. Relying …

Three Empirical Investigations Into The Logic Of Evaluation And Valuing Practices, Satoshi Ozeki

Dissertations

This three-paper dissertation investigates the logic of evaluation proposed by Michael Scriven using two different methods of inquiry: content analysis and a survey method. Scriven’s logic of evaluation is one of the central concepts in evaluation, but has not been empirically investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this three-paper dissertation is to accumulate empirical knowledge on Scriven’s logic of evaluation to investigate the extent to which evaluators follow his logic and their perceptions of and familiarity with his logic. Furthermore, this dissertation aims to explore valuing practices in terms of Scriven’s logic of evaluation. Scriven’s logic of evaluation is important because …

Implementing Standards-Based Grading In A Suburban Middle School: A Change Leadership Plan, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

The purpose of the Change Leadership Plan was to describe a current issue facing a school district, creating a vision of change to end that obstacle. In the case of this particular change plan, the problem is the traditional grading system at a suburban middle school. The plan advocates for a change to a standards-based grading system. Several steps describing change are examined: describing the current situation, conducting research to support change, and designing a vision of what success will look like after standards-based grading is established. The research conducted was done through both surveys and group interviews. Research participants …

The Case For Cultural Proficiency For Teachers Of Students Of Color Who Live In Poverty: A Policy Advocacy Document, Perry A. Finch

Dissertations

This document explores how expanding educators’ cultural proficiency leads to increased learning opportunities for students of color who live in poverty. Through the development of culturally responsive curriculum and instruction, teachers might increase their abilities to meet the needs of previously disenfranchised students. A connection exists between differentiated instruction and culturally responsive instruction, as both require a heightened understanding of students’ schema, interests, and culture. This policy argues that increasing educators’ cultural proficiency should not be done simply to increase teacher effectiveness with instruction but rather because it is a moral obligation of schools.

Understanding The Effects Of Summer School, Technology, And 21st Century Skills On Student Academics, Jennifer Camilleri

Dissertations

District XYZ has hosted traditional summer school for more than 20 years to assist students not quite ready to advance to the next grade. The district has become more diverse, and many students end the school year without solid mastery of that grade’s objectives. Therefore, summer school is a pivotal time for these students who have not mastered the grade-level content to gain a solid foundation before moving on to the next grade. Because of both the changing needs of the district’s student population and the relatively short amount of time in which summer school occurs, technological tools that can …

K-12 Christian School Sustainability: Leadership Practices, Neal Capone

Education Doctoral

K-12 Christian schools in the United States are experiencing decreases in enrollment and an increasing number of closures. This qualitative phenomenological study used semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of the leadership practices of K-12 Christian school leaders in the United States. Six K-12 Christian schools located in the United States were identified as sustainable and their school leaders were interviewed. The leadership practices involved in managing their respective schools were studied and analyzed using three phases: in vivo coding, pattern coding, and code weaving. Findings showed that the school leaders worked within a supportive board governance structure in which …

Redefining A Special Education Alternative High School Program To Make Students College And Career Ready: A Change Leadership Plan, Janine E. Gruhn

Dissertations

The change leadership plan examines redefining college and career readiness for students in alternative programs. We know from research that all students need to have the necessary skills to be ready for post-secondary employment or to attend colleges; however, students attending a special education alternative program were not successfully transitioning back to their high school and tended to stay in the district’s program until graduation (Gruhn, 2016). Therefore, this change leadership plan used Wagner’s (2006) 4 C’s framework to examine the areas of context, culture, conditions and competencies. Focusing on 10 practices of college of career and college readiness (Brand …

Modifying Board Policy On Attendance For Alternative High School Students: A Policy Advocacy Document, Janine E. Gruhn

Dissertations

This proposed policy advocates for students in alternative high school programs to have flexible school day schedules according to Illinois State Board of Education compulsory attendance laws. Students in alternative high school programs are often referred for chronic truancy. Most school board policies state that all students need to attend school for the entire 300 minutes of the instructional day because when students do not attend for a full day or a half-day (150 minutes) the district is penalized in the amount of general state aid. This is all too often the case with students enrolled in a district’s high …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Demonstration Classroom Professional Learning Experience, Nicole M. Robinson

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of the Demonstration Classroom professional development opportunity in meeting its stated goals:

• To increase teacher efficacy
• To share best practice instruction
• To increase collaborative culture
• To positively impact student performance
• To ensure that professional learning is applied and consistently implemented
• To give support to teachers in implementing new initiatives in the district.

The Demonstration Classroom experience allows teachers to observe others in practice and includes an application piece for observers to demonstrate their understanding of the new learning. To capture the perceptions of teachers involved in the Demonstration Classroom process, …

Personalized Professional Learning For Elementary Bilingual Educators: A Policy Advocacy Document, Nicole M. Robinson

Dissertations

This policy advocacy document advocates a policy to strengthen an existing elementary bilingual program through personalized professional development. Twin goals of the proposed policy are to (1) increase student achievement and (2) increase bilingual teacher retention. District 32’s bilingual program recently shifted from a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) model to a Developmental Bilingual Education (DBE) model, which emphasized biliteracy. As a small suburban school district with a rapidly rising Hispanic and low-income student population, this shift raised awareness among district administrators of the need for a new professional development model geared toward its mostly inexperienced bilingual teachers. To be immediately …

Advocating For Standards-Based Grading In A Suburban School District: A Policy Advocacy Document, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

This document focuses on a vision for “what ought to be,” in this case, a new grading system in a suburban district. The document takes the reader through numerous aspects of advocating for district-wide policy change. The vision for a new grading system is evaluated from several perspectives, such as: educational, economic, social, political, and moral, and ethical. Using publications and research from numerous practitioners, it was determined that a change to standards-based grading is the right decision for this district. This policy advocacy document shows the reader how to work through policy change from the beginning to the end, …

Perceptions Of The Effects Of Homework On Student Achievement At A Suburban Middle School: A Program Evaluation, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

The purpose of this program evaluation was to gain a clear understanding of how homework supports or deters the achievement of students, specifically the overall grade a student attains. This document details how students and teachers at a suburban Middle School perceive homework and its effect on student learning. The findings were that many students received failing grades in classes, primarily due to missing homework. The program evaluation used mixed methodology. Using survey and focus group results in conjunction with current literature, the conclusion revealed a need for homework policies that would support student learning without punishing students’ grades. Students …

The Impact Of After-School Tutoring On Elementary Student Achievement: A Program Evaluation, Robert Tomic

Dissertations

The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate an after-school elementary tutoring program to determine the impact it has on student achievement. The study is a mixed-method approach with both quantitative and qualitative data that include the following: teacher surveys, teacher interviews, pre- and post-student achievement data, student attendance, and a reflective journal based off observations. Findings and recommendations for tutoring programs include the following: establish a skill focus in math or reading to help remediate core skills, group students in each grade level according to skill deficiencies, conduct pre- and post-assessment to confirm growth and or additional supports, …

Teacher-Created Student Growth Assessments Used For Teacher Evaluation And The Effects On Teacher Efficacy, Perry A. Finch

Dissertations

The landscape surrounding teacher evaluation is changing as teacher accountability becomes more prevalent in this process. This study looks at how teacher-created student growth assessments (SGAs) for teacher evaluation affects teacher efficacy with respect to instructional practice. Survey data were collected from 110 kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers; additional data were gathered from three interviews. A majority of these teachers reported the work in creating SGAs benefitted their instructional practice. Teachers reported increased knowledge in learning standards, curriculum development, and assessment literacy as a result of creating their own SGAs. Qualitative findings suggest that when teachers are provided an opportunity to …

A School District's Change To Standards-Based Grading: A Conduit To Student Learning, Perry A. Finch

Dissertations

Nothing can be more important in a student’s learning process than feedback. This study looks at what is needed to effectively guide an elementary school district from a traditional letter grade system to a standards-based grading system. Survey data were collected from 91 teachers across the district in order to measure their understanding of standards-based grading. A standards-based grading pilot was conducted with six teachers from the elementary and middle school level. Four of these six teachers participated in a group interview to share perceptions of this pilot. Survey data were collected from the 54 students involved in the pilot. …

Blended Learning And Educational Technology: Using An Online-Digital Curriculum To Support Student Learning, Jennifer Camilleri

Dissertations

XYZ District has recently invested in a one-to-one technology initiative, providing each student in grades three through eight with an iPad. However, consistent integration of this new technology with classroom teaching strategy has been lacking, even though teachers were provided with a digital curriculum and guidance in blendedlearning pedagogy through the XYZ Internal University. This may be due, in part, to the evolving culture in many schools, as well as teacher competencies and self-efficacy in using the technology. Given the potential for significant student learning gains through the proper implementation of this technology, two representative teachers were surveyed to gather …

Effective School Discipline Policy And Practice: Supporting Student Learning Through Restorative Practices And Social Emotional Learning Skills, Jennifer Camilleri

Dissertations

School discipline is an ongoing area of concern, as keeping children in school and engaged in learning is required not only for their well-being, but also for that of society. In response to the failure of zero-tolerance policies and to the passing of Illinois Senate Bill 100, which restricts disciplinary action that remove students from school, XYZ Middle School is adopting a restorative justice model of school discipline. This model, based on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), is projected to reduce suspensions and address the racial disparity existing in disciplinary practices at the school. Combining SEL and restorative justice practices will …

Transforming A School's Culture Through Collaboration, Relationships, And Shared Values: A Change Leadership Plan, Robert Tomic

Dissertations

The change leadership paper centers around transforming a school culture with the focus being on collaboration, relationships, and shared values among its stakeholders.Building trust among staff and administration while making daily decisions based on the same value system is necessary to enact an effective transformation. Tools used to collect data included the School Culture Triage Survey and the Teacher Belief Survey. The staff completed the School Culture Triage Survey to establish baseline data and then completed the survey a second time with the results confirming growth in the three main categories: professional collaboration, collegial relationships, and self-determination. Correlating and comparing …

Leveling The Playing Field: Teacher Perception Of Integrated Stem, Engineering, And Engineering Practices, Bridgette Fincher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and approaches of 14 third-through-fifth grade Arkansan elementary teachers towards integrative engineering and engineering practices during 80 hours of integrated STEM professional development training in the summer and fall of 2014. This training was known as Project Flight. The purpose of the professional development was to learn integrated STEM content related to aviation and to write grade level curriculum units using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design curriculum framework. The current study builds upon on the original research.

Using a mixed method exploratory, embedded QUAL[quan] case study design and a …

Stem Education Discrepancy In The United States And Singapore, Elizabeth K. Worsham, Aaron Clevenger, Kelly A. Whealan-George

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

One of the hottest topics over the past several years has been science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The United States is lagging behind in the STEM education rankings as compared to its counterparts in Europe and Asia, including Singapore, ranked second overall in math and science based on the Program of International Student Assessment. Even as such a small country, Singapore has one of the best education systems in the world, one of the busiest ports, and is a leader in the science and technology market. One factor of this is the family life and the culture that …

Journal Of Research, Assessment, And Practice In Higher Education (Volume 1, Issue 1)

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Full Issue (34 pages, 0.74 MB)

Utilization Of Change Theory To Implement An Appreciative Advising Model, Matthew A. Cooney, Joseph Pernick, Kelsey Rice, Emily A. Monago

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

It is important that student affairs professionals lead organizational changes to provide the best service to students in light of outside factors. Utilizing a theoretical model for participating in organizational change can enhance the ability for a change to meet its intended outcomes.

This article details how the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Bowling Green State University utilized John Kotter's eight step change model to implement an appreciative advising model. Information on appreciative advising, the eight-step change model, and the implementation is provided.

Psychiatric Clinicians’ Perspectives On Continuing Education (Ce) Programming In Rural Maine, Charles Michael Wakeling

All Theses And Dissertations

There are a variety of barriers that psychiatric clinicians face when attempting to attend continuing education programming. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to explore continuing education practices within the health care industry, specifically mental health care, with a focus on psychiatric clinicians’ perspectives on continuing education programming in rural Maine. For the purposes of this research study, mental health care was inclusive of behavioral health care and substance abuse treatment. This study defined the term “psychiatric clinician” to be inclusive of social workers, counselors, and therapists. The participant pool was comprised of 37 psychiatric clinicians employed …

University Update - November 2016, Academic Affairs

University Updates & Communications from the University President

Included in this Update:

• Where We Stand Update
• Recent Media Highlights

Developing Leadership Capacity In New Rural School District Leaders: The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute, Donna Augustine-Shaw

The Rural Educator

Understanding the context of rural school settings is critical to beginning school district leaders. Rural communities present multifaceted challenges that leaders must embrace as diverse community expectations unfold. The majority of Kansas school districts are in rural settings. Mentoring and induction shapes the experiences encountered during the first year of practice. The Kansas Educational Leadership Institute provides high quality mentoring and induction for new superintendents and principals in Kansas. Mentoring and induction provided by veteran superintendents familiar with leadership complexities in rural communities is offered through on-site visits. In addition, new superintendents participate in activities focused on building capacity through …

November Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

2016 November 7 - Faculty Senate Agenda And Minutes, Faculty Senate, East Tennessee State University

Faculty Senate Agendas and Minutes

No abstract provided.