Digital Commons Network^™

Internship Experiences For Aspiring Principals: Student Perceptions And Effectiveness., Ginger R. Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate East Tennessee State University graduate student perceptions on the effectiveness of internship experiences as students explored the implementation of ISLLC Standards and the role of mentor support as they prepared for the principalship. The participating university for this study is located in Johnson City, Tennessee. Participants obtained their administrative license from 2005-2010 and worked in one of 19 northeast Tennessee, North Carolina, and southwest Virginia school districts. Specifically, this research assessed the perceived value of the 540 hour internship experience, implementation of ISLLC Standards, and the perceived value of the site …

Online Courses At A Community College: A Study Of Student Characteristics, Nancy Kegelman

Theses and Dissertations

Over five and a half million students in higher education were taking online classes in fall 2009. The annual growth rate (21%) in online enrollments from 2002 to 2009 far exceeded the enrollment growth (2%) in higher education for that seven year period (Allen & Seaman, 2010). Continued rapid growth in online enrollments is predicted despite students' significantly lower success rate in online classes than in face-to-face classes. This action research study was conducted to correlate student characteristics with online success in one community college. The researcher also examined the researcher's leadership growth and style through the design, development, and …

The Professional Learning Community: An Educational Construct To Improve Student Learning Through Effective Teacher Collaboration, Lynn Barberi

Theses and Dissertations

This limited practical action research study was designed to address a problem of practice at one Pre-K - third grade school located in a suburban community on the east coast of the United States, wherein teachers work the majority of the time in isolation from their peers and where collaboration is the exception, not the rule. Teachers have few opportunities to share teaching strategies and build on the strengths of their peers to improve the learning outcomes of their students as they practice the art of teaching in the classroom. The goal of this study was for the school principal …

Teachers, Teamwork, And Technology: An Introspective Look At Leadership And Change, Robert Rossi

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher convictions and doubts about the process of integrating technology into instruction have a major influence on the degree to which the teacher applies technology in the classroom. Teacher paradigms, in addition to federal, state, and local policies, can create barriers that inhibit the incorporation of technology-based initiatives. The purpose of this action research study was to create/design a process of technology integration that takes into account the needs of all stakeholders by identifying the pedagogical beliefs of elementary school teachers with regard to the implementation of technology in their classrooms. The research was conducted using a qualitative methodology approach …

Good To Great: A Framework For Improving Instruction In A Ninth Grade Academy, Donna Marable

Theses and Dissertations

This participatory action research project explores the leadership of a female African American high school principal in an urban district who applies the principles in Jim Collins' Good to Great (2001, 2005) to improve academic performance in a ninth grade academy. Participatory Action Research (PAR) is defined as planning, acting, observing, reflecting, and repeating each cycle in a spiral of self-reflective cycles. The data was captured through qualitative and quantitative data collection strategies. The study is written as an autoethnographic self-narrative and is a self-reflective study of my leadership. The findings of this study suggest that applying the principles in …

An Exploratory Assessment Of A Graduate Early Childhood Special Education Dual Certification Program, Claudia Mejia

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this action research study was to assess an urban university's graduate Early Childhood Special Education dual certification program and find ways to improve the program in order to facilitate growth and success for all of the students. The research design included both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, which were in the forms of a questionnaire and interviews. Other colleges' and universities' graduate programs in Early Childhood Special Education dual certification were also analyzed to determine if they were similar to the urban university and met the students' needs and standards. Data collected from the questionnaire …

Professional Development Reform: A Shift From Traditional Practices To A New Paradigm, Janine Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study investigated a shift in professional development program delivery that incorporated adult learning theory and PLCs. The study included opportunities for collaboration, self-reflection, and empowerment of teachers, intended to improve attitudes and increase classroom quality. The research questions tested these outcomes along with the impact of the researcher's leadership. The participants were a sample of preschool teachers in a large urban school district. The data were collected through quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The data resulted in favorable attitudes towards the program model and increased classroom quality was reported. Finally, the participants indicated the leadership style contributed …

Building Instructional Leadership Capacity Of School Leaders Through Technology Integration, Joy Carey

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggested that the acquisition of technology instructional leadership skills develops principals' abilities to become agents of change. "A firm foundation in technology knowledge, skills relative to the instructional process, and leadership and managerial skills in technology are required" (Geer, 2002, p. 57). It was critical for principals to enhance their technological communication skills, managerial applications, knowledge on information processing, and promote technology instruction methods in order to increase student learning (Daresh, 2006). The purpose of this action research project was to provide six school district principals with technology professional development, which enabled them to become effective instructional leaders for …

Changing Times: Engaging Faculty In Online Education, Steven Farney

Theses and Dissertations

The Internet has become a popular vehicle for the delivery of programs and courses among institutions of higher education. Nevertheless, it appears that many faculty members are still resistant to engage in online delivery based on biases and preconceptions rather than facts. The purpose of this action research project was to learn positive and negative views of faculty at Rowan University regarding online delivery of courses in an attempt to increase their participation in this mode of delivery. Additionally the researcher sought to explore if faculty concerns about online education could be addressed, clarified, or dispelled. The research was conducted …

The Merit Of Intensive Leadership Development Programs On Building-Level Administrators' Sustainability, Sonja Jean Robertson

Dissertations

With recent research identifying the propensity and ability of principals to lead as a key culprit of school and district failure, it would seem that one of the most reasonable steps should be to better determine how effective specially designed leadership development programs in the area of educational leadership are at not only equipping principals and school-based leaders, but at creating a foundation and a prevailing culture for longevity or sustainability in those positions. If the development of principals and other school-based leaders is vital to the improvement of schools, the effectiveness of the measures implemented to bring about that …

The Relationship Between Situational Leadership And Student Achievement, Hope Owens Beaver

Dissertations

The study of leadership has been one of great interest for many years and many leadership theories have since surfaced. Bolman and Deal’s (1991) situational leadership theory places leadership styles into four unique frames and suggests that the most effective leaders are able to utilize the most appropriate leadership frame that a situation might require. This study investigates these situational leadership frames which are structural, political, human resource, and symbolic and the relationship they may have with student achievement based on school performance labels given by the Mississippi State Department of Education.

The study was conducted in two months and …

Perceptions Of Senior And Mid-Level Leaders Involved In The Mergers Of Vocational Technical Institutes And Institutions Of Higher Education In Arkansas Since 2003, Michael Keith Mcclanahan

Student Theses and Dissertations

The expansion of educational opportunities in Arkansas has led to many educational changes since the inception of public postsecondary institutions in 1862. Most recently, Act 1244 of 1991(Acts of Arkansas, 1991) authorized the vocational-technical schools created through ACT 328 of 1957(Acts of Arkansas, 1957) to become stand-alone technical colleges or to merge with existing community colleges. This study investigated the perceptions concerning the impact of the education institution organizational changes brought about by ACT 1244 of 1991 as held by senior and mid-level leaders of those merging institutions. The study obtained the perceptions of these organizational leaders through the focus …

Cogent Leadership: Transitioning To Professional Learning Communities, Donna Markiewicz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between traditional professional development and the implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) in one suburban middle school in New Jersey. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather data. Quantitative and qualitative results were gathered from surveys from teachers (N=59) that attended the in-house professional development workshops. Twenty interviews were also used to gather data on the teacher perspective. Most of the teachers appreciated the paradigm shift from traditional professional development to a more collaborative model. They appreciated the time to work in their professional learning communities to develop common goals …

Building Organizational Capacity For Enrollment Performance Measurement: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Lynda Ruth Wallace-Hulecki

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The use of enrollment performance measurement systems can enable the provision of intelligence information to inform strategic decision-making and the effective management of enrollment. A review of the literature indicated that the development of enrollment intelligence systems was a nascent area in which only a select few institutions had successfully developed applications. In addition, no published models or guidelines were found for assessing an organization’s capacity for success in developing advanced enrollment performance measurement capabilities linked to enrollment performance improvement.

The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to identify the culture value orientations and organizational capacity conditions that existed …

The Effect Of Leadership Orientations On Student Achievement, Rhonda Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between and impact of principals' leadership styles on student achievement as determined by school performance scores (SPS). Bolman and Deal's (1984; 2003) four leadership frames model (structural, human, political, and symbolic) were utilized to identify principals' leadership styles. The sample for this study consisted of 15 principals from low socioeconomic status (SES) schools and 17 principals from high SES schools located in north and middle Louisiana.

Schools were chosen by searching the Louisiana School Directory, which is based on grade configuration, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All schools in selected parishes …

An Examination Of Selected Organizational Constructs That May Influence A Tri-District Model For Shared Services, Bernard T. Baggs

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

It all began in June 2000. The school districts of Newton Public, Andover Regional, and Green Township, New Jersey contracted Guidelines, Inc., Huntington, Long Island, New York to conduct a Grades K-12 Regionallshared Services Feasibility Study. The study was funed via a New Jersey state grant from the Regional Efficiency Development Incentive Program (REDI) Grant Program. The study's executive summary included the objective: "To provide information to aid school board members, school officials, and other interested parties in determining whether a K- 12 regional pattern appears feasible and desirable and the extent to which a K- 12 Regionalization Regional Study …

Appreciative Accreditation: A Mixed Methods Explanatory Study Of Appreciative Inquiry-Based Institutional Effectiveness Results In Higher Education, John Thibodeau

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examined the effects of using Appreciative Inquiry in accreditation and related institutional effectiveness activities within higher education.  Using an explanatory participant-selection mixed methods approach, qualitative data from a series of interviews were used to explain the experiences of individuals identified from quantitative survey results.  Appreciative Inquiry is a theoretical framework for action research, organizational development, and evaluation that emphasizes the positive aspects of human systems.  In recent years, Appreciative Inquiry has been applied specifically to improvement activities associated with regional accreditation, such as the Vital Focus self-assessment that precedes the transition to the Higher Learning Commission's AQIP process. …

University In Transition: Faculty Sense-Making And Responses, Leslie D. Gonzales, Rodolfo Rincones

Administrative Issues Journal

Across the institutional spectrum, universities are attempting to reposition themselves as more research dominant institutions, a pattern referred to as “mission creep.” Such changes in university missions have several critical implications for faculty members and their work. In this qualitative study, we interviewed ten tenure-track faculty members to explore how they make sense of and respond to Sun University’s creeping university mission. Through qualitative data analysis, we found that faculty use organizational scripts to construct and make sense of their role, yet they do so towards different ends. Some faculty members own the transition and attempt to contribute to its …

The District-Wide Sustainability Of A Professionallearning Community During Leadership Changesat The Superintendency Level, Chuey Abrego, Anita Pankake

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this mixed methods follow-up single case study was two-fold: to determine if a school district was able to sustain a professional learning community (PLC) and to identify factors that enhanced, inhibited, or promoted the sustainability of a PLC from a district-wide perspective, with particular focus on how a change in leadership, i.e. a new superintendent, affected the sustainability of PLC attributes. In addition, the role of trust in influencing the sustainability of a professional learning community will be discussed in this paper.

Change Agents’ Orientations To Change: Experience From Pakistan, Mir Afzal Tajik

Professional Development Centre, Chitral

In this article, I report on a qualitative study conducted in the rural, mountain district of Chitral, Pakistan. The study examined 5 Teacher Educators (TEs’) specific actions and methods (strategies) and their underlying assumptions and core values (orientations) of change in schools. These TEs work as change agents in the schools established by the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan (AKES,P) in partnership with local communities. The TEs’ mandate from AKES,P insists that educational change and community development must go hand-in-hand. They therefore play a unique role as both educational reformers and community developers, stimulating change in schools on the one …

Air Force Institute Of Technology Strategic Plan 2011-2014, Air Force Institute Of Technology, Walter D. Givhan

AFIT Documents

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A P-20 Educational Campus: A Case Study On Innovation, Richard R. Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tyack & Tobin (1994, p. 454) describe that the “grammar of schooling,” like the shape of classrooms, has remained remarkably stable over the decades. This has frustrated generations of reformers who have fought to change standardized organizational traditions. Typically school reform has taken the form of innovations in education. Unfortunately, educational innovations don't usually last long or they were never truly innovations in the first place but rather a repackaging or reintroduction of age-old customary practices.

The “Eos Public Schools” set out on a mission to integrate P-20 educational reform into its overall school system as a way to confront …

Pod Network News, Winter 2011

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: POD Network News

No abstract provided.

Ready Or Not? An International Study Of The Preparation Of Educational Developers, Nancy Van Note Chism

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

This report of an international survey of educational developers describes their entry-level background knowledge and skills for the work of educational development, how they obtained them, and their recommendations on helping prepare new entrants to the profession. Respondents reported that their experiences rendered them moderately prepared for some tasks and less prepared for others, notably consultation. The results can inform increased professionalization of educational development through more systematic preparation of future educational developers.

Emergent Shifts In Faculty Development: A Reflective Review, Shelda Debowski

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

Faculty development has largely focused on supporting the development of early-career academic skills in teaching and learning. Even recent discussions of how facuity developers might infl.uence leaders and entire organizations have remained largely focused on teaching and learning issues. This chapter suggests the need to review and reform the role of faculty development to focus more holistically on the full nature of academic work and the evolving developmental needs of academics. It argues that the faculty developer,s portfolio will need to expand to include support for academic research, career management, and leadership roles, as well as organizational development strategies to …

Daily Practices Elementary Principals Utilize To Increase Student Readingachievement: A Case Study Of Successful Michigan Elementary Schools, Susan L. Johnson

Dissertations

This case study examined three K-5 schools, one 3-5 school, and two K-2 Analysis of the data provided six dominant themes related to the research questions: Behavior/Positive Behavior Support, Visibility, Professional Development, Team/Distributed Leadership, Data, and Deliberate/Focused. The dominant themes were cross tabbed with the theoretical frameworks from Marzano et al. (2005) and Fullan (2008a). Connections were made to both Marzano et al.'s Seven Responsibilities of the School Leader for Second-order Change and 21 Responsibilities of the School Leader as well as to four of Fullan's Six Secrets of Change. This study supports previous research and adds to the literature …

School Size And Instructional Leadership Of Elementary School Principals, Daniel E. Packard

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Elementary school principals face a balancing act between managerial responsibilities and instructional leadership. With increasing accountability and responsibility, many principals find themselves overwhelmed, lacking the time, resources and support to be instructional leaders. In relation to school size, little has been written regarding the elementary principal and instructional leadership. This paper examines the effects of school size on instructional leadership of principals in ten elementary schools. Three of the case study sites were small schools (350 or fewer students), while the other sites were large schools (500 or more students). Serving as the unit of analysis, each principal was interviewed …

Exploring The Applicability Of A Lean Six Sigma Framework For Performance Excellence To K--12 Education In New York State : A Soft Systems Approach, Thomas Daniel Buccino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Based on current legislation, existing accountability systems, and organizational practice reflected by present data trends, the level of academic proficiency mandated for all students enrolled in New York State public schools by 2014 will not be achieved. Coincident with demands for higher performance, schools are experiencing unprecedented financial pressures. There is an urgent need for breakthrough change in performance associated with the public educational system. This requires a change in thinking, a change in culture, and a change in practice. As a proven transformational strategy, Six Sigma combined with Lean methods have demonstrated sustained success in achieving high levels of …

Enrollment Management Strategies: Effectiveness And Usage At Member Institutions Of The Council For Christian Colleges And Universities, Bethany J. Schuttinga

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This exploratory study investigated the relationships between enrollment management strategies and enrollment growth or decline between 2005 and 2009 within member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The study employed a quantitative survey research design that identified usage of strategies in the areas of admissions, retention, curricular changes, marketing, external stakeholders, academic quality, commitment to mission, and strength of organizational leadership.

The research focused on four questions:

1. What are the demographic characteristics among respondents within the sample?

2. What enrollment models are currently in place at CCCU member institutions?

3. What strategies and programs are …

An Assessment Of The Readiness Of King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia, In Adopting Effective Online Staff Development Programs, Adnan Dhafer Alwadie

Wayne State University Dissertations

Internet access has grown in Saudi Arabia between 2000 and 2005 by more than 1000% and many governmental organizations are starting to provide part of their services using the internet. In addition, the Ministry of Higher Education has provided funding to all governmental universities to start developing strategies and guidelines for online education. Healthcare services in Saudi Arabia are funded by the government and are provided to all citizens free of charge. In addition, the majority of healthcare workers are expatriates. King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) is a tertiary healthcare organization that provides specialized medical care. To assure quality of …