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The Implementation Of A New Teacher Evaluation Model: A Qualitative Case Study Of How Teachers Make Sense Of The Marzano Evaluation Model, Brian P. Donahue

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers understood and changed their instructional practice in response to imposed teacher evaluation requirements. The strategy of inquiry was a single case study, representative of a large suburban high school adapting to the changes required under the provisions of Achieve NJ, the policy mandating new teacher evaluation (Yin, 2009). The theoretical framework of sensemaking and sensegiving guided the analysis of how teachers processed the changes to their evaluation system and the role the context played in the implementation of the MTEM (Weick, 1995, Gioia & Chittipeddi, 1991). Data was …

Exploring My Leadership Practice In Connection To The Support System For Second- To Fourth-Year Non-Tenured Teachers, Joseph Patrick Vespignani

Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnography study offers a personalized story of an elementary school principal's leadership growth and application to practice as a result of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program at Rowan University. Specifically, this study explored leading change to support second- to fourth-year non-tenured teachers. It is connected to the larger issue of new teacher attrition that continues to plague public schools across the nation. It is also aligned with the recent mandate of AchieveNJ that every public school in New Jersey must establish a School Improvement Panel (ScIP). Through reflective practice, I conducted a self-analysis of my leadership …

The Coaching Principal: Building Teacher Capacity Through The Texas Teacher Evaluation And Support System (T-Tess), Nathan R. Templeton, Kent Willis, Lavelle Hendricks

Education Doctorate Faculty Works

In response to mandates from the United State Department of Education, Texas revamped its educator evaluation systems to better support teacher professional growth. This best practice research informs practitioners of strategies to build teacher capacity through the leadership coaching attributes necessary for effective implementation of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS).

Citation: Templeton, N., Willis, K., & Hendricks, L. (2016). The Coaching Principal: Building Teacher Capacity Through the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 8(4).

Embracing A Culture Of Evidence: A Phenomenological Study Of Faculty Experience Within A Transitioning Assessment Culture, Jennifer A. Galipeau

All Theses And Dissertations

This phenomenological study sought to give voice to the lived experiences of faculty within a transitioning assessment culture at an institution of higher education accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Schools (NEASC). Current literature concerning outcomes assessment (OA) in higher education is highly focused on the need for campuses to foster a robust and pervasive culture around assessment, often termed a culture of evidence. The study site provided a unique opportunity to examine this phenomenon as it was at the mid-point of a multi-year initiative focused on transforming institutional assessment culture. During the study, full-time faculty at …

Principals’ Experiences Adapting To A New State-Mandated Administrator Evaluation Process: A Phenomenological Study, Kathleen Ann Teed Ramirez

Dissertations

In the early stages of Michigan’s enactment of new educator evaluation statutory requirements, there is an opportunity to examine the readiness of Michigan’s principals to adapt to the new evaluation models and processes by engaging a sample of administrators who are in the process of adapting to both new teacher and new administrator evaluations. We can potentially get out in front of emerging patterns of impeding factors and reinforce enabling factors that impact the adaptation and transition process and impinge upon the potential for enactment of new educator evaluation models and processes to actually result in acceleration of the growth …

The Role Of The School Leader In Collaboration Between Regular And Special Education Teachers, Jospeh Raymond Sciullo

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

In 2004, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) aligned to language found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA 2004). This reauthorization required students with disabilities to have access to the same curriculum as their non-disabled peers. This languages means that practices in instruction and assessment for students with disabilities must be aligned to the academic content standards established in each state (Parrish & Stodden, 2009). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of school leadership within the context of teacher collaboration and the factors that contribute to their level of …

Improving Student Achievement Of Private School Students Receiving Title Services: A Positional And Dispositional Change Plan, Dr Shandowlyon L. Hendricks-Williams

Dissertations

This change plan examined the current competencies, conditions, culture and context of a for-profit education corporation which resulted in low student achievement, “As Is”. As a means of developing strategies and actions for change, the competencies, conditions, culture and context necessary to increase student achievement was explored “To Be”. A change plan was developed and implemented. The change plan addressed my personal immunities to change as well as strategies and actions needed to improve student achievement. Private school students receiving title services were assessed using the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test in May of 2014. The results of that …

The Triage Principal: An Autoethnographic Tale Of Leadership In A Catholic Turnaround School, Corena Marasco

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools are in need of innovative change. The problem lies in how to construct the elements of change to create viability for a school in the face of rapid declining enrollment. Responding to this type of environment as an educational leader requires qualities and characteristics similar to those of first responders in a medical emergency, a term I coined as the triage principal. This autoethnographic research study was designed to answer three research questions:

1. As a new principal at Michael, the Archangel School (MAS), a Catholic school in danger of closing, what challenges did I experience?

2. As …

February Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda

Transcending We/They: A Qualitative Formative Evaluation Of The Transformative Potential Of An In-District Leadership Development Program, Jennifer Anne Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative formative evaluation study revealed how teacher participation in an in-district leadership academy at a New Jersey school district engaged participants in preparing for future leadership roles. A program evaluation using qualitative methods can provide feedback on initiatives so that informed decisions can be made about program improvements (Patton, 2002b; Powell, 2006). Using a series of focus group discussions and interviews to gather such feedback, the study has informed decisions about one program’s evolving structure. Themes that emerged from the data provided by 13 participants were viewed through a constructivist framework, and using Mezirow’s (1981; 1985; 1994; 1997) theory …

Professional Development Data: A Review Of Action Research And Data Analysis And Its Implications For Special Education, Jennifer Lee Suppo

Journal of Research Initiatives

In today’s world of accountability and budgeting constraints, schools are examining how they get the most “bang for their buck” in the area of professional development experiences. Professional development has traditionally been used to keep teachers and administrators abreast of current teaching strategies. In using the traditional model of professional development, typically the school or district would have a speaker, who was knowledgeable on a random topic of education, come in and conduct a one-day seminar. More often than not, there was little accountability to this traditional model; little if any data was taken to see if the knowledge obtained …

Implementation And Perceived Effectiveness Of Distributed Leadership In Resa 1 Schools In Southern West Virginia, Ingrida Barker

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The study explored the implementation and effectiveness of distributed leadership as perceived by school administrators in selected schools in southern West Virginia. The data for the study were collected via survey and semi-structured interviews. Ninety-three building level administrators responded to the survey and eleven central office administrators were interviewed.

Generally, building level administrators described the level of implementation of distributed leadership components as partial or above partial. They also described effectiveness levels of distributed leadership components to positively influence student learning as some of the time to most of the time. Statistically significant differences were found for a limited number …

Examining The Relationship Between Principal Leadership And School Climate, Eric Stephen Lane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between transformative school principal leadership and school climate. The population of this study consisted of two middle schools with grades ranging from six through eight and one high school with grades ranging from nine through twelve. These schools are within the state of Texas. Quantitative data were obtained by using two instruments, the Principal Leadership Questionnaire (Jantzi & Leithwood, 1996) and the School Climate Assessment Instrument (Alliance for the Study of School Climate, 2014), and evaluated to determine if (a) correlations exist between the factors of transformational leadership and …

Strategies For Organizational Sustainability In Higher Education, Angela D. Reese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The defunding of higher education at the state and national level following the 2008 recession created the need for administrators of public higher education institutions to develop and implement funding strategies to maintain organizational sustainability. State government administrators reduced spending approximately 26% per student across the nation, leaving higher education administrators challenged with adjusting organizational budgets to compensate for the reduction in state monetary support. A multiple case study design was used to explore funding strategies that community college business leaders used to support budget decisions that maintain organizational sustainability. Four leaders from 3 community colleges in Central Texas participated …

Identifying Leadership Development Needs Of Catholic Secondary Educators, Neil M. Theisen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current administrators at a Northeast metropolitan area Catholic school have not formally identified the needs that support leadership development for their future and novice administrators. Compounding this problem, an increasing number of Catholic school lay administrators are taking on leadership roles traditionally held by members of religious communities whose membership is steadily declining within the United States. This case study examined the experiences of current administrators to identify leadership development needs for novice and future administrators at a Catholic secondary school. The study's framework was derived from the concepts of leadership succession planning and mentoring. A purposeful sample of 10 …

Honors Teachers And Academic Identity: What To Look For When Recruiting Honors Faculty, Rocky Dailey

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

The word “honors” naturally carries distinction. To be a collegiate honors student implies a higher level of academic achievement than other students as well as the more challenging academic experience that comes with smaller class sizes. Collegiate honors teachers have a distinction of their own. Being an honors teacher implies a high level of teaching achievement, and it requires special traits that honors directors need to look for in recruiting faculty. Guidance in determining what traits best characterize excellence in honors teaching is a useful tool for honors administrators who are trying to create an identity for their honors faculty.

Improv(Ing) The Academy: Applied Improvisation As A Strategy For Educational Development, Jonathan P. Rossing, Krista Hoffmann Longtin

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Improvisational theater training (or “improv”) is a strategy employed by many business leaders and educators to cultivate creativity and collaboration amid change. Drawing on improv principles such as “Yes, And…” and “Make your scene partners look good,” we explore the ways in which educational developers might apply principles of improv in 3 contexts: teaching and building classroom community, organizational development, and research collaboration. Faculty developers who successfully engage the principles of improv have the potential to help colleges and universities respond more effectively to complex problems and to manage the uncertainty of the future. By highlighting successful applications of improvisation …

Change Is Conflict: Exploring Relationships Between Preferred Cognitive Styles And Conflict Management Styles Of University Administrators At A Large Flagship University, Sandra L. Gillilan

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

As pressures continue for colleges and universities to find new ways of doing business, the calls for change heighten and the potential for conflict ensues. The purpose of the research study was to explore change as conflict via an exploration of organizational change related to preferred cognitive style, as measured by the Kirton Adaption-Innovation (KAI) instrument, and conflict management style, as measured by the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II) instrument. The two instruments were administered to 72 university administrators at a large flagship university. The results indicate that the preferred cognitive style of university administrators is not significantly different from …

Traditional Liberal Arts Colleges' Consideration And Adoption Of Online Education: A Presidential Perspective, Ericka T. Hollis

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

National research studies have indicated that students are enrolling in more online courses annually (Allen & Seaman, 2010, 2014, 2015); yet, not all higher education institutions are adopting online education. In order to understand more about adoption of online education in higher education and presidents’ perceptions of online education, this study investigated the adoption of online education by traditional liberal arts colleges(TLACs). These institutions and their presidents currently face numerous challenges and threats as TLACs try to remain relevant in the 21st century while maintaining their liberal arts mission. The importance of this study lies in the realization that many …

A Principal Leadership Framework For Enhancing Teacher Practice Through Coaching With Emotional Intelligence, Nate R. Templeton, Richard Hammett, Gary Low, Melissa Arrambide, Kent Willis

Education Doctorate Faculty Works

Beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has mandated school principals begin appraising teachers the new Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). Central to this new instrument is the necessity for principals and other appraisers to improve professional practice through the reciprocal interaction, open dialogue, and continuous learning inherent to coaching. While the T-TESS rubric provides a structured process for the TEA’s vision of what coaching should look like, that vision lacks the inclusion of the soft skills we know are needed for effective success coaching and healthy school environments. In this article, we fill the …

Exploring The Connection Between Christian Colleges' Mission And Finance, Farrah Rachele Senn

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Two main issues currently threatening Christian colleges include mission conflict and financial viability, and research suggests that there is a relationship between these two. However, current literature about the relationship between mission and finance is mostly qualitative in nature, either being case studies or observations of practice. This research set out to establish the nature of the relationship between mission fidelity and financial health using quantitative methodology. A survey instrument was used to quantify mission fidelity for 81 colleges in the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), a national organization of Christian colleges, using Benne’s (2001) Typology of Christian …

Evaluative Feedback: How K-12 Teachers Respond, Deetta Lorick Andersen

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This sequential mixed methods study addressed the need for research that both described and explained how teachers of varying experience respond to administrative evaluative feedback. Formative evaluation theory of Scriven and professional growth models of Steffy and Fessler served as theoretical models for data analysis. An online survey asking teachers how they changed their practices and what accounted for their response was received from 270 teachers in 1 Midwestern state. Of these, 9 teachers of varying experience were interviewed. The quantitative data showed that most teachers do not change practices on the 8 state teaching standards in response to feedback. …

Exploring Managerial Solutions For Faculty Satisfaction At Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Bridget Pinckney Dewees

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

American higher education in general, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in particular, have experienced a 30-year decline in faculty satisfaction, which has had a negative impact on overall institutional effectiveness. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to explore managerial solutions for faculty satisfaction by applying Herzberg's 2-factor theory to the insights and experiences of 12 tenure-track faculty members at an HBCU in the southeastern United States. Data were collected through semistructured interviews. The results were sorted, coded, and organized using content analysis software into key Herzberg factors that influenced faculty satisfaction at the study site. Work …

Exploring The Influence Of Context On Resistance To Organizational Change Within A Virtual Faculty Workforce, David Starnes Starnes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Managers must know how to operationalize change, as well as manage the attitudes and emotions associated with transforming the organization. Managing the culture involved with organizational change is a challenge in any environment, and perhaps even more so when managing a virtual workforce. The problem addressed in this study was that while there is considerable research on organizational change, there is little research concerning the influence of trust in leadership, frequency of change, and history of change on virtual faculty resistance to change in higher education. As a result, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding regarding how context …

Best Practices For Leading A Transition To Standards-Based Grading In Secondary Schools, Alexander Bruce Carter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Educational policy researchers have concluded that if U.S. schools transition from the traditional model of grading and reporting to a uniform standards-based grading and reporting model, students would benefit academically. However, very few middle and high schools in the United States have made the transition to standards-based grading. This qualitative research study was designed address the role of leadership in change by identifying a set of best leadership practices to guide school principals in leading such a transition. The conceptual framework was Kotter's change model. A national sample of 7 middle and 5 high school principals from 8 states who …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Leadership Practices In Urban Charter Middle Schools, Cherise Cupidore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have noted that educational manager and instructional leadership roles are vital to achieving sustainable student achievement. Ineffective leadership practices may decrease students' academic success and are a continuous concern for educators, especially for those of urban charter schools. The purpose of this study was to explore practices that leaders of urban charter middle schools have implemented to advance their schools from a priority school to a focus school designation. This multiple case study sought to identify and clarify leadership practices of successful leaders in urban charter middle schools. Leithwood and Riehl's core leadership practices model served as the basis …

Early History Of The Fields Of Practice Of Training And Development And Organization Development, Richard J. Torraco

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

The Problem: While the time and place of the birth of the Academy of Human Resource Development are documented, the field of human resource development (HRD) has historical roots that began decades earlier with the emergence of training and development and organization development as fields of practice.

The Solution: This article addresses the early history of training and development and organization development, and begins with the influence of World War II on work-related education and training and ends in the mid-1990s. It traces the origins of the field up to, but not including, the founding of the Academy of Human …

Left Unsaid: The Role Of Work Expectations And Psychological Contracts In Faculty Careers And Departure, Kerryann O’Meara, Jessica Chalk Bennett, Elizabeth Niehaus

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Faculty leave higher education institutions for many reasons, including higher salaries, more prestigious departments, lack of collegiality, a better geographic location, and to be closer to family (O'Meara, Lounder, & Campbell, 2014; Rosser, 2004; Smart, 1990; Xu, 2008). At the same time, research suggests that factors such as a higher salary and a more prestigious department are not really "pull" factors if faculty members are satisfied and thriving within their institution (Matier, 1990; O'Meara, 2014). Rather, faculty become predisposed to leave by virtue of dissatisfaction with certain aspects of their work environment (Daly & Dee, 2006; Johnsrud & Rosser, 2002; …

Transitioning To Performance-Based State Funding: Concerns, Commitment, And Cautious Optimism, Lindsay K. Wayt, Barbara Lacost

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

The introduction of performance-based state funding of higher education can be traced to the the late 1970s (Bogue and Hall 2003; Dougherty and Natow 2015; Dougherty, Natow, Hare, and Vega 2010; Dougherty and Reddy 2013; Long 2010; McKeown-Moak 2013). Early forms, referred to as Performance Funding 1.0, provided higher education institutions with bonuses, in addition to regular state funding, when they met certain state-defined outcomes.1 More recent forms, referred to as Performance Funding 2.0, have eliminated bonuses, and regular state funding has been replaced, in part or completely, with funding tied to achievement of state-defined performance goals, which often include …

Examining The Impact Of Leadership Styles On The Motivation Of U.S. Teachers, Katrina Franklin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teachers face daily challenges in their work, which affect their ability to remain motivated and effective educators. The problem is that there is a lack of adequate research on how administrative leadership styles affect the motivation of United States teachers working within the U.S. and internationally. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study was to examine teachers' preferences regarding school administrators' leadership styles and gauge whether differences exist among U.S. teachers working in the United States and internationally. Herzberg's two-factor theory as well as full range leadership theory were used to quantitatively explore the relationship between leadership styles and …