Examination Of Cleveland State Community College's Employee Professional Development Program: Leveraging Employee Learning And Relationship Building Amidst Significant Institutional Change, Ashley T. Raburn

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Within the last decade, Cleveland State Community College has gone through many changes, including transitioning between five different administrations from 2021 to 2025. With this change in administration, there have been many different philosophies of how professional development should be handled at the college. The priority of professional development has shifted between very high and very low, and the ownership of active initiatives was unclear. Recently, college administrators have implemented a program intended to allow PD at the college to have more structure and visibility within the employee community. Literature in both Higher education and other industries discusses the importance …

Divergent Geographies Of Disadvantage: Multidimensional Poverty And Teacher-Deployment Priority Across Ghana's 261 Districts, Bismark B. Fermah, Cai Lianyu

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Ghana relies on two district-level rankings of disadvantage to guide equity policy: a census-based multidimensional poverty index and a teacher-deployment priority list. Because the deployment flag conditions on classroom overcrowding, the inverse care law predicts the two should diverge, yet policy treats them as interchangeable. This study examined whether the two rankings identify the same districts. This descriptive ecological cross-sectional study linked the 2021 Census multidimensional poverty statistics to the 2026 Teachers for All: Ghana classification across all 261 districts and 16 regions, applying Welch's t test, two one-sided tests of equivalence against pre-specified margins of 10.0 and 4.8 percentage …

Retention Rates: A Qualitative Study Exploring Teachers’ Perspectives Of Teaching In Northeast Florida, Dawn J. Kell

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative phenomenological study explored workplace experiences and motivational factors influencing teacher retention among Northeast Florida charter school educators. With nearly half a million teachers leaving the classroom annually and approximately 41% leaving within their first five years, understanding why educators remain in the profession is imperative for sustaining student success and educational quality. The purpose of this study was to explore motivational factors that lead teachers to remain in the profession despite current challenges. Using a purposeful sampling method, 12 certified Northeast Florida charter school teachers participated in 30-minute semi-structured interviews conducted via Zoom. Each 30-minute interview was recorded, …

Education Agent Management As Part Of Responsible Internationalization: Insights From Finland, Pii-Tuulia Nikula, Henna Juusola

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Access In Teaching Stem Subjects To The Blind, Ashley E. Neybert

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

There are still many gaps in the literature regarding the difficulties faced by instructors of students who are blind and low vision and who teach Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects. We surveyed 26 K-12 STEM teachers about accessible materials they are aware of versus which accessible materials they use in their classrooms, their thoughts on how common challenges identified in the extent literature affect them in their teaching, and their perspective on how much extra time may be required for blind and low vision students (if any) to effectively learn STEM subjects.

Cultivating A Culture Of Belonging: Elementary Principal Practices, Sara Macneil

Educational Studies Dissertations

A sense of belonging is a fundamental human need that influences students’ experiences, relationships, and engagement within their school context. It is shaped through intentional actions and everyday experiences. Understanding how school leaders intentionally shape conditions that foster students’ sense of belonging requires further exploration. This study focused on an elementary school principal and sought to identify specific leadership practices that strengthen the sense of belonging for elementary students. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through a sense of belonging survey and small group interviews. The survey data provided a measure of students’ sense of belonging and were used …

Wmu Board Of Trustee Board Meeting, Thursday, September 10, 2026, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Acceptance of the Agenda

Approval of the Minutes (June 25, 2026)

Remarks by the Chair of the Board

Remarks by the President

Updates by the Faculty Senate President

Updates by the Western Student Association President

Updates by the Graduate Student Association President

AFSCME Adopt-A-Highway Project and Food Drive

WMU Particle Accelerator Lab, Physics Department

Western Michigan University Employee Graduates

Public Comments Regarding Action Items

Action Items

American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Labor Agreement

Honorary Degree Recommendation for David Dombrowski

Consent Items

• Donation of Real Estate to the City of Kalamazoo
• Personnel Report
• Curriculum Proposals
• Annuity and Life Income Funds …

Reclaiming Instructional Leadership: Using Evidence-Based Tools And Conversations To Change Classroom Practice, Lyndsay Britt, Matthew Militello

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

Instructional leadership is the most influential lever principals and supervisors have to improve teaching and learning, yet managerial demands often limit sustained classroom engagement. This qualitative participatory action research study explores how leaders can reclaim instructional leadership by embedding focused observation tools and instructional conversations into routine supervision without adding time burdens. 

Using Community Learning Exchange methodology, four teachers and a principal engaged in a 14-month community of practice at a rural Title I early college high school. Through three inquiry cycles, the study examined how evidence-based tools and data-informed dialogue shaped teaching and leadership practices.

Findings revealed two outcomes …

Teacher Mentoring As A National Imperative: A Multi-Paper Dissertation, Ramiro Pesina

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

This multi-paper dissertation investigates teacher mentoring as a critical intervention in human resource development designed to address the complex challenges facing the teaching profession, including high attrition rates and the need for sustained professional support. The study is organized into three connected studies: an integrative literature review on technology enhanced mentoring, a longitudinal qualitative study that devises a comprehensive mentoring model covering cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects, and a phenomenological case study in which a formally structured mentoring program in a North Texas school district is analyzed in terms of execution and outcome. Critically important findings indicate that well-crafted mentoring …

Solving For X: Centering Black Girls’ Experiences In Mathematics Education, Natasha A. Fortes

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Black girls can grow up, attend school, and move through their math classes without ever feeling seen as capable mathematical thinkers. Their teachers may not affirm their brilliance. Their voices may even go unheard. Math classes may not be a space where they can imagine themselves belonging. These experiences do not reflect ability. Instead, they reflect on the conditions in which they are expected to learn. This study centers the voices of Black girls and asks what they deserve from their mathematics education and instructors to develop a mathematics identity. The study is grounded in Black feminist traditions and draws …

Between Care And Competence: Rethinking Alternative Provision., Helen V. Mulligan

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

This opinion piece argues that Alternative Provision (AP) in England is failing to meet the needs of vulnerable young people due to inconsistent staffing, inadequate specialist training, and the normalisation of low educational expectations. Although some AP settings demonstrate high aspirations and committed practice, the sector as a whole remains marked by variability and a lack of coherent pedagogical structure. Drawing on research into educational inequality, emotional labour, ethics of care, and professional identity, the paper contends that systemic reform is urgently required. Recommended actions include mandatory specialist training for AP staff, national standards for curriculum and pedagogy, stronger accountability …

Exploring The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence Tools On Special Education Teachers’ Workload And Burnout In Colorado: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Rawa Suhail Abu Alsamah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, special education (SPED) teachers face complex workloads, high caseloads, and extensive documentation responsibilities, contributing significantly to burnout and retention issues. The recent integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational settings presents promising opportunities to alleviate teachers' instructional and administrative demands. To better understand the impact of AI on SPED teachers, this phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experiences of licensed K–12 SPED teachers in Colorado who use AI tools in their professional practice. This study also examined how AI tools supported workload management, as well as their perceived impacts on burnout and intentions to remain in …

Critical Policy Analysis Of Student School Board Members: From Symbolic Seats To Shared Power, Reina M. Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to critically examine student voice in school boards, specifically how student representation is enacted, negotiated, or constrained in public school board meetings across multiple states. This study used a critical political analysis, multi-site, multi-year case study, as I wanted to showcase the different forms of student board memberships and the enactment of policy. In total, three school years of public regular board meetings were observed across three different school districts. The study employed a critical policy analysis to examine state statutes, district bylaws, board policies, meeting recordings, agendas, minutes, and transcripts.

I examined variations …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Black Students In Criminal Justice Programs And Its Implications On Social Justice, Demetrius C. Dacres

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined the experiences of Black students who graduated with degrees in criminal justice within the last five years, as well as professors serving criminal justice programs. In this study, Black students are defined as those who identify as Black or African American, and the research focused on a criminal justice higher education institution’s educational program in the Northeast. This qualitative phenomenological study drew on Lent’s Social Cognitive Career Theory and Tinto’s Student Integration Model to investigate how Black students experienced criminal justice programs and the resources and strategies they utilized to navigate and adapt. The study addressed a …

Examining The Impact Of Social-Emotional Learning On Academic Achievement In African American Middle School Girls, Rebekah Solomon

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Examining the Impact of Social-Emotional Learning on Academic Achievement in African American Middle School Girls

Rebekah Solomon Ed.S

African American girls enrolled in middle school today face an education system that is impacted by overlapping factors such as their race, sex, teacher discipline systems, and insufficient encouragement of Black culture (Crenshaw, Ocen, & Nanda, 2015; Couvson, 2016). While numerous studies show that implementing Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) can increase academic performance and support emotional self-regulation, much of the research does not examine data from subgroups of learners, such as African American females. There is also considerable evidence to support that …

Understanding Superintendent Retention In Ohio Public School Districts: Motivational Influences On Superintendents' Decisions To Remain Or Depart., Thomas P. Perkins

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

Superintendent turnover continues to challenge school districts across the United States.  Frequent leadership changes can disrupt district initiatives, create uncertainty within organizations, and affect long-term improvement efforts.  While previous research has focused primarily on external conditions associated with superintendent turnover, less attention has been given to the interaction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations influencing superintendent retention.

The purpose of this study was to examine how intrinsic and extrinsic motivations influence Ohio public school superintendents’ decisions to remain in or leave their current positions.  Guided by Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory and Self-Determination Theory, the study explored the relationship between internal factors …

Reimagining Global Dei Through Adaptive Leadership: A Framework For Advancing Racial Equity In International Higher Education Partnerships, Briana C. Edwards

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Abstract

As internationalization in higher education expands through transnational research, global curricula, humanitarian training programs, and faculty mobility, discourses on diversity often remain Western-centered and detached from lived realities of structural inequity. This paper argues that adaptive leadership, grounded in mobilizing communities to confront systemic challenges in complex and uncertain environments, provides a useful pathway for rebuilding global DEI with racial equity at the center (Heifetz et al., 2009). Drawing from practice-based insight in global health, humanitarian workforce systems, HBCU models of global engagement, and higher education HR structures, the paper interrogates how colonial legacies, racial hierarchies, anti-DEI political climates, …

A Poetic Call For And A Reflection And Commentary On Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, And Compassion, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Finding a published poem I had written as a teenager, titled “The Heavens Weep.” this article uses that poem as the basis for a commentary that reflects on the state of the world today (2026),  As a commentary, the article uses the poetic and metaphoric words in the poem as a relevant "reality check" for what is still going on today.  In essence, the commentary is about a call for Clarity, Understanding, Hope, Courage, and Compassion, or what I call Archetypal Energies, Higher Vibrational Energies that operate deep within our individual and collective psyches to creatively urge us to "see" …

Aligned But Disengaged: Self-Estrangement Weakens Citizenship Behavior In Higher Education, Andrew Krouse, Rob E. Carpenter

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Higher education depends on discretionary employee contributions that sustain coordination, service continuity, and institutional functioning. Yet contemporary governance and accountability pressures can reconfigure higher education work in ways that erode autonomy, line-of-sight, and intrinsic reward, elevating the risk of work alienation, weakening the discretionary behaviors institutions rely on. This study tests whether person–organization fit (POF) predicts organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and whether multidimensional work alienation mediates this relationship through powerlessness, meaninglessness, and self-estrangement. Using survey data from 325 employees across four U.S. higher education institutions, we applied confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling with bias-corrected bootstrapping. Model comparisons were …

Teachers’, Teacher Assistants’, And Classroom Aides’ Perception, Knowledge, And Implementation Of Orton-Gillingham, Doreen Sisolak

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study examined teachers’, teacher assistants’, and classroom aides’ perceptions, knowledge, and implementation of the Orton–Gillingham approach to reading instruction. A mixed-methods design was employed, incorporating quantitative survey data (N = 37) and qualitative interview data (N = 9). Descriptive statistics indicated generally low levels of perception, knowledge, and implementation among participants. One-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to examine differences based on instructional setting, years of experience, and level of Orton-Gillingham training. Results revealed statistically significant differences in knowledge and implementation by training level and years of experience, whereas no significant differences were found in perceptions across groups. …

Bridging Borders: Community College Dual Credit Policy And Latinx Student Success In The Southwest Borderland, Daniel Guerra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Early College High School (ECHS) programs have expanded access to college coursework and accelerated degree pathways; however, less is known about how Latinx students experience the transition from these programs into four-year institutions. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of eight Latinx students who completed ECHS and matriculated to a four-year university between 2022 and 2024 in a Southwest borderland. The location is geographically isolated along the U.S.-Mexico border with a predominantly Hispanic population. Framed through Community Cultural Wealth and Rational Choice Theory, the study examined how students relied on cultural assets and evaluated educational opportunities while navigating secondary …

Disruption, Recovery, And Divergence: How Prepandemic Achievement Levels Shaped Learning Loss, Recovery, And Spending Efficiency In Tennessee Public High Schools, Wilson Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant and uneven learning loss in Tennessee public high schools. The statewide ACT composite average fell from 20.2 in 2019 to 19.1 in 2021. By 2024-2025, it recovered only to 19.3. During the same period, Tennessee received approximately $3.86 billion in additional federal funds and $1.15 billion in new state funding. This ex post facto quantitative study examined whether prepandemic achievement levels predicted learning loss severity and recovery patterns of a census of 322 Tennessee public high schools from 2018-2019 through 2024-2025.

The study used two theoretical frameworks. Baumol's cost disease theory predicted that structural productivity …

Teacher Autonomy In Accountability-Driven Contexts: A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Mathematics Teachers In East Tennessee, Hollyann Perdue

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore East Tennessee middle school mathematics teachers’ experiences of professional autonomy and how those experiences relate to institutional decision making within the accountability-driven educational environment. This study utilized the Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017) as a framework to examine how teachers perceived their ability to make instructional decisions while navigating district expectations, pacing requirements, mandated curriculum, and state testing pressures. Data were collected through one-on-one semi-structured Zoom interviews with 12 East Tennessee middle school mathematics teachers representing varying levels of teaching experience, effectiveness ratings, and instructional settings, including both general …

Unlocking The Behavior Code: How Function-Based Behavior Skills Coaching Empowers Teachers And Reduces Tier Iii Referrals In Mtss, Erin C. Smith-Harrah

All Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of behavior skills coaching on the percentage of students receiving Tier 3 intervention at an elementary school in South Carolina using a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework. The research site for this study has experienced a significant increase in students referred for and receiving Tier 3 instruction. Whereas Tier 3 instruction typically accounts for 5% of a student population, data indicate that the percentage of students who received Tier 3 instruction at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year at this campus was 39%, with 14% identified as students …

Teacher Self-Efficacy And Student Engagement In Rural Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Magnet Schools: A Correlational Study Within An Improvement Science Context, Deirdre L. Appleby

All Dissertations

Teacher self-efficacy in magnet-themed integration represents a critical, district-influenceable condition shaping instructional experiences in rural Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) magnet programs. Persistent under-enrollment of Black, Latinx, and economically disadvantaged students in these settings highlights ongoing inequities in access and participation that may be influenced by upstream instructional conditions. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and situated within an improvement science framework, this study examines teacher self-efficacy as a key system-level factor associated with student engagement.

This study employs a correlational research design within an improvement science context to examine the relationship between changes in teacher self-efficacy and changes …

Evidence In Action: Community Schools, Volume 1, Ucf Center For Community Schools

Community Schools Research

No abstract provided.

University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Catalog, 2025-2026, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Mija, Yes You Can: Faith And Motherhood In The Making Of A Scholar, Alejandra Salgado-Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This autoethnographic study examines how motherhood, faith, and borderlands identity shaped persistence throughout my journey as a Chicana mother-scholar in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Grounded in Borderlands Theory and Chicana Feminist Epistemology, the study centers lived experience, testimonio, spirituality, emotion, and embodied knowledge as legitimate forms of inquiry. Data included reflective journals, personal memory work, and selected family contributions. Through iterative narrative and thematic analysis, I organized experiences chronologically, coded recurring patterns and critical incidents, tested candidate themes across sources, and interpreted the resulting themes through the study's theoretical and scholarly literature. Four interconnected themes emerged: living in nepantla through borderlands …

The Stories Of College Faculty Navigating Student Trauma Disclosures: A Narrative Inquiry, Samantha Daluz

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand how faculty who navigate student trauma disclosures construct stories about themselves as educators and how those stories shape their understanding of teaching and learning. Although the literature has increasingly focused on trauma-informed approaches to teaching and learning, little research has explored how faculty navigate student trauma disclosures or how those experiences shape their understanding of teaching and learning. This study sought to better understand those experiences and provide institutional leaders with insight into how faculty experience student trauma disclosures within higher education. Narrative inquiry was employed using Mahayana Buddhism as the …

Professional Learning Communities In Virtual K-12 Schools: Survey Evidence From Texas, Charles L. Tracy Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have been viewed as a tool for improving teacher practices and student outcomes in schools for more than thirty years. Much of the existing research on their effectiveness has focused on the traditional school setting. With the explosion of virtual K-12 schools, less is known about how PLCs function in the fully online environment and how teachers perceive their overall effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of teachers working in a full-time virtual school with regard to their participation in Professional Learning Communities. A review of the literature examined the importance …