Digital Commons Network^™

Culturally Responsive School Leadership: How Principals Use Culturally Responsive Leadership Strategies To Develop Engaging And Inclusive School Environments For All Students, Cherilynne Hollowell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic investigation was to identify and describe culturally responsive leadership practices and strategies principals of Title I high schools, in suburban contexts, of the Inland Empire in Southern California use to develop schools that engage and include all students.

Methodology: This qualitative study identified and described the practices and strategies of 15 Inland Empire principals of Title I comprehensive high schools in Southern California, used to develop schools that engage and include all students, particularly students that have been historically and traditionally marginalized. Participants were purposively chosen based on specific criteria. The researcher collected data …

Organizational Learning In Libraries At For-Profit Colleges And Universities: A Mixed-Methods Analysis, Julie Evener

Other Topics

Despite successful application of organizational learning to enhance services in academic libraries, little is known about organizational learning in libraries of for-profit colleges and universities (FPCUs). A quantitative online survey, followed by qualitative interviews, served to assess and explore the use of organizational learning in libraries at FPCUs. Data reflected medium to high levels of organizational learning in the libraries studied, as well as a negative relationship between organizational learning and number of students enrolled. Common themes in the interview responses included external pressures from the FPCUs making it more difficult to implement organizational learning, and the importance of communication.

New Faculty Hire Transition: The Impact Of The Extent Of The Learning Organization Traits Of Higher Education Institutions, Sik Yin Chan

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which implementation of learning organization processes in higher education institutions (HEI) affects new faculty hires’ perception of their transitioning success. In this quantitative, ex post facto, comparative study, the researcher also investigated various factors, including academic disciplines, gender and ethnicity, and personality type, to determine if any of these factors would contribute an interaction effect on the relationship between the HEI exhibiting learning organization traits (LOT) and the new faculty hires’ perceived transition success. The researcher collected a convenience sample of 310 full-time professors employed by 33 4-year, private, …

The Impact Of Principals’ Communication Practices On School Success Environment: An Intrinsic Case Study, Sherron Gordon-Phan

All Theses And Dissertations

Communication is the foundation for conveying the overall expectations of staff by a principal and is required for educational leadership. Leaders must communicate precisely what is expected for staff members, students, and parents to do in the educational environment may be an essential element in the progression of the school environment as a whole. Traits that are associated with a leader and people who have those traits are commonly found in leadership roles (Marion & Gonzales, 2014). Principals who communicate the importance of school sustainability, attendance, retention, or graduation success may produce a connecting element when supporting the goal of …

Perceptions Of A Traditional High School Bell Schedule In The 21st Century, Shelley Gates

Dissertations

The daily bell schedule in a comprehensive high school has a significant impact on teaching and learning, school climate, and the well-being of students and staff. An increasing emphasis on the need for students to have strong critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and creativity skills provides an impetus for questioning the length of traditional class periods. This change leadership plan focuses on one school’s effort to examine their current school day schedule to determine what, if any, changes should be made to insure alignment between the daily bell schedule and the school’s mission and goals. Based on the work of …

A Comparison Of Cooperative Learning And Collaboration In High School Geometry Classes Including Geometry In Construction, Shelley Gates

Dissertations

Currently offered at over 450 high schools in the United States, Geometry in Construction is an interdisciplinary course that provides students with the opportunity to learn Geometry content through the process of constructing a single-family home. Highly functioning cooperative groups are a critical element of the Geometry in Construction program. Cooperative learning is an effective instructional strategy that increases student achievement (Slavin, 2011) and also provides opportunities for students to develop collaboration and teamwork skills. Collaboration and teamwork are critical 21st century skills that are highly valued by employers and therefore worthy of consideration as foundational skills to be taught …

Advocating For The Adoption Of A Comprehensive Work-Based Learning System, Shelley Gates

Dissertations

Work-Based Learning (WBL) is an instructional strategy that has the potential to help students make powerful connections to the world of work leading to the development of viable post-secondary plans and successful careers. This study advocates for the implementation of a structured continuum of WBL experiences for all students at a large suburban high school. The benefits of WBL for students, the school, the community, and employers are examined. The impact of WBL is analyzed through the lenses of educational, economic, social, political, and ethical perspectives. The negative aspects of the prevailing culture of college for all is discussed. The …

Board Of Trustees Meeting Minutes, February 21-22, 2019

Board of Trustees Minutes

Minutes from the Wright State University Board of Trustees Meeting held on February 21-22, 2019.

Stress And Coping Among Public School Principals In A Midwest Metropolitan Sample, Jason A. Kaufman

Educational Leadership Department Publications

The present study sought to investigate perceptions of stress and coping among public school principals. School principals are daily called upon to make decisions regarding a range of unscripted events. The position can be stressful, and stress is known to interfere with sound decision making. It was predicted that present samples of school principals would report a mean level of elevated stress. Contrary to expectations, school principals did not report an elevated level of stress. They instead reported an ostensibly effective reliance on problem-focused and emotion-focused coping skills. It remains unclear how the school principals developed such adaptive means for …

Developing A Community Of Academic Success Through A Teacher Preparation Initiative, Elizabeth T. Murakami, Ann Marie Smith

Diversity, Social Justice, and the Educational Leader

This study reflects the experiences of professors of education at a 4-year Hispanic-Serving institution in a pilot program to collaboratively develop a curriculum alignment. The professional development opportunity, Teacher Preparation Initiative (TPI), focuses on preparing faculty in a college of education to use concepts which student-teachers could incorporate in their teaching. The study was designed as an ethnographic descriptive single-site case study, and reports on one of two nationwide pilot initiatives. For the purpose of this study, we observed the transformative potential for change in higher education institutions.

Exploring Resistance To Change And Intolerance To Ambiguity In Higher Education Institutions

International Journal of Leadership and Change

No abstract provided.

Primary School Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Principal’S Role In Leading Successful School Reform, Ugochukwu Valerie Aimakhu

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study explored the relationship between transformative school principal leadership and teacher commitment from the perspectives of teachers in the ongoing process of educational reform and the extent to which principals’ transformational leadership practices motivated teachers’ commitment to change. The population of this study consisted of 10 primary schools with Grades ranging from kindergarten through Grade five. These schools are within the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah UAE. Two instruments, the Survey of Transformational Leadership (Edwards, Knight, Broome, & Flynn, 2010) and Organizational Commitment of Teacher six-item scale developed by Jo (2014) were used to gather information and quantitative …

Leading A National School Of Character Through The Lens Of Organizational Change, Mark R. Chapin

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of the principal and the role of the change recipient in the organizational change process specific to the implementation of effective character education. The study utilized a constructivist grounded theory approach in conducting research and formulating a conclusion. Respondents included eight middle school principals from across the United States who led a National School of Character in the past three years. Transferability and credibility were enhanced through the participation of the researcher in a bracketing interview to identify potential biases, double coding by an outside analyst of the regular interviews, …

A Self Study Of My Leadership As Principal To Improve Student Achievement In Literacy In The Middle Grades, Latrese Tonya Mathis

Dissertations

This self-study examined my leadership practices as a principal and researcher. Herr and Anderson (2005) define self-study as "a focus on one's own personal and professional self." Through reflective analysis of my leadership practices, the Instructional Leadership and Grade Level Teams were supported with protocols and leadership methods to improve literacy instruction at middle grades. Upon reflection, concerns existed regarding inadequate and inconsistent student growth through the lens of school wide assessments. The examination of student data, root cause identification, and the development and monitoring of action items assisted to investigate my analysis of this concern. The significance of this …

Complexity Leadership: The Role Of Teaching And Learning Center Leaders In Online Learning At Small, Private Colleges, Tyler D. Watts

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

As online learning continues to grow and became an integral component of many higher education institutions (Allen & Seaman, 2017), the role of leadership in guiding those online learning initiatives differs from institution to institution. At small, private colleges and universities, where online learning is seeing greater enrollment and growth (Clinefelter & Magda, 2013), teaching and learning centers (TLC) often have involvement in guiding and shaping online learning initiatives. This study investigated the role of TLC leaders in leading online learning initiatives. The value of this study is an examination of leadership during a period of transformation and change that …

Superintendents And The Micropolitics Of Innovation In Rural School Districts, Catherine Nunn Lawless

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Research shows that public school districts that follow traditional means of instruction and assessment are insufficiently preparing students for success in the today’s global world. As a result, students are entering into higher education institutions and the workforce without the necessary skills to succeed in these 21^st century environments. Extant literature suggest that there is a broad consensus on this perspective in public and private sectors nationally and globally. Evidence shows that some school district superintendents and their respective school boards continue to focus on improving the current practices and student academic performance and assessment. Other instructional leaders recognize …

A Study Of Identity Issues That Affect Clergy Leadership On Lgbtq Inclusion, James Jeffrey Butcher

All Theses And Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes how the leadership decisions of thirty local church Protestant clergy in Virginia were influenced by personal, organizational, and cultural identity issues on matters related to homosexuality or LGBTQ inclusion. Self-understanding of identity issues affected clergy practice of biblical and theological interpretations on topics that include: purity, inclusion, same-sex marriage, ordination of LGBTQ persons, denominational loyalty, local church loyalty, transactional leadership, transformational leadership, and transformative leadership. The researcher used semi-structured phenomenological interviews with seven focus groups and seven individual follow-up interviews. The researcher explored the process by which clergy construct their identities, while noting the resulting leadership strategies …

Faculty Adaptation To Emerging Instructional Technologies In Higher Education, Marilyn Murrillo

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how and why faculty adopt podcasting as an instructional technology tool in their teaching. Podcasting is an instructional technology tool being used for teaching and learning in higher education. Faculty may record lectures with audio, video, and/or PowerPoint slides to instruct students on class material. Students may access podcasts at their convenience through various devices, including mobile devices and computers. Research has shown that students who use podcasts to study for tests tend to perform more successfully on tests. This study was a qualitative multiple case study of seven California community college faculty using podcasting as an …

The Impact Of Principal Leadership On Teacher Perception Of The Annual Professional Performance Review (Appr), Barry Alexander Finsel

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Teacher quality is the most important school-based factor affecting student learning and achievement. In 2009, the Race to the Top (RttT) federal education initiative provided an opportunity for states to compete for federal grant resources to reform their public education systems, which included revamping teacher evaluation systems to improve teacher (and principal) effectiveness. Consequently, New York State was awarded almost $700 million in 2010 during the second phase of RttT for its Regents Education Reform Plan, which established a new teacher and principal evaluation plan known as the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR). Under its first version (§3012-c), APPR used …

Addressing The Disparaity Of Outcomes For Economically Disadvantaged Students At Central Intermediate School: An Applied Research Study Related To The Implementation Of Avid Process, Steven Jarvis Hurdle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied action research study was to close the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged (ED) students and their non-disadvantaged peers (non-Ed) through the implementation of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) system of processes. This study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data to answer four core research questions. While the initial implementation of the plan failed to attain the targeted goal of closing the achievement, there were positive indicators for future success. ED students did appear to be effectively engaged with the AVID implementation. This engagement was validated through data about student participation in key AVID strategies, …

Processes Of Developing Effective Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships In Education: A Content Analysis Of Grant Related Documents, Tamara Ianthe Gibson-Alonso

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Research indicates that understanding the influence of leadership and partnership development can inform the need to improve public education (Penuel & Gallagher, 2017). Although leadership theory and change theory support the need for partnerships in education, less attention has been given to how such partnerships develop and the role that leadership plays in that process. Therefore, the present study explored the role of leadership within researcher-practitioner partnerships and the process of developing sustainable partnerships in education as documented in a set of federal grant proposals, their final reports, and other descriptions of their efforts. Grant documents examined were awarded …

Exploring The Perceptions Of Secondary Assistant Principals Toward Their Development As Instructional Leaders, Ronnie Williams

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although, the concept of instructional leadership is a not a new idea, it has become an increasingly popular term in education in recent years. Instructional leadership provides the foundation for teaching and learning within a school. Such federal educational initiatives as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have sought to improve student achievement have also changed the landscape of school leadership. As accountability and high-stakes testing measures continue to rise, the need to closely explore and understand the ideology of instructional leadership has become more prevalent. Qualified school leaders with a keen focus on instruction must be …

Examining The Influence Of The Leader In Me On School Grades, Jennifer Lynn Wright

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

School leaders face increasing demands related to student achievement. These demands involve annual data reporting related to overall student, school, and district success. In Florida, this accountability and transparency requirement is addressed through an annual school grading system. It is essential that leaders utilize successful programs that directly influence positive student outcomes and demonstrate high quality education. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a youth leadership development program, specifically The Leader in Me (TLIM) program, on school grades. Based on data obtained from 16 public elementary schools across Florida, a repeated measures ANCOVA analysis revealed …

Leading Change For School Improvement, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This teaching case study is meant to help current and future school leaders become change agents who lead effectively and improve their schools. I discuss one case in a fictitious city and school that is representative of many other American schools. In particular, I examine adaptive challenges that educational leaders commonly face. This case encourages administrators to participate in meaningful conversations with stakeholders to solve complex issues around leading change. The hope is to better understand how school leaders can transform schools, embrace adaptive challenges, and use change as opportunities for growth. I also pose questions designed to make future …

Increasing Instructional Leadership: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Developing Principals As Instructional Leaders In The Magnolia County School District, Leigh Anne Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study seeks to improve principal capacity as instructional leaders. The need for principals to increase their instructional leadership capacity became evident with the ever-changing requirements of state accountability and student achievement. Using four elements in this study, cohort-based professional development for principals, principal PLCs, data meetings, and consultant and district administrator campus visits, the program sought to develop and grow principal leadership. Surveys, focus groups, and interviews were used in the study. The findings reveal improvement in instructional leadership capacity in the district and can provide educators with information, including an action plan, to implement instructional leadership …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2019

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Convergence Of Police And Military Praxis: Pre-9/11 Training Diffusion In Post-9/11 Law Enforcement, Richard K. Parker

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, changed law enforcement policy and practice forever. At a glance, one could argue that this was the seminal moment in U.S. law enforcement history where traditional police officer training and equipment quickly transitioned to training and equipment that some argue is more conducive to soldiers on a battlefield. Closer analysis of the changes in police training and equipment reveals that years earlier, the executive branch of the U.S. government initiated the transfer of military equipment to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to provide such resources in an effort to stem what …

Elementary Principals' Support Of Beginning Teachers And Their Use Of Transformational Leadership In A State-Approved Induction Program, Patrick Enright

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This case study investigated how elementary principals use transformational leadership and the Illinois Induction Program Continuum (IIPC) when supporting beginning teachers. The elementary principals who participated in the study (n=6) worked in the same school district that used a state approved new teacher induction program. Data collection methods included pre-written reflection questions, three formal interviews and a review of all induction program documents. The data analysis was initial and focused coding.

The most important finding from this study was how principals provided support for beginning teachers through dialogue, collaborative school context, professional development, and student behavior. The research findings also …

Investigating Intercultural Communication Competence In Narrative Texts Of English Learners, Alexander Lee-Heng Tai

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the current levels of intercultural communication competence in fourth and fifth grade English Learners through narrative text composition within the researcher's English Learner classroom environment. This mixed-methods research was conducted as a response to the need for curriculum changes in preparing EL pre-service educators within the higher education system to become more proficient in the implementation of intercultural communication pedagogy. This action research was supported by a literature review including topics of intercultural communication pedagogy, linguistic relativity hypothesis, linguaculture, and English language development. The research questions that guided this study were: (1) …

Come Together: Inclusive Leadership And Public Relations Education, Heather Paige Preston

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Multiple voices from educational and professional arenas have called for change in the way in which public relations undergraduates are prepared to navigate complex communication challenges in the 21st century. Some scholars have advanced leadership as a way to address this change, identifying the undergraduate public relations curriculum as the ideal place to introduce future practitioners to leadership as a way to better prepare them to initiate and participate in positive social change in complex contexts. However, scholars have neither made in-depth connections with leadership theory and practice, nor provided a framework for designing a curriculum for incorporating leadership into …