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From The Editor, Sean Schat

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

Our editorial team is excited to share this issue with you. We have a good balance of theoretical essays, research articles, and book reviews.

Theoretical Essays

• In An Editorial: If I Should Fail, Patrick Otto and David Weir (Oral Roberts University) explore the emerging leadership crisis in Christian higher education, drawing on a compelling naval metaphor to navigate the complexities of leadership transitions and the need for new leaders.

• In Using Storytelling of Incarnational Encounters to Disrupt Narratives of Otherness in Teachers Education, Tina Marie Keller (Messiah University) introduces and explores the concept of incarnational encounters, moments “when individuals …

Human-Centered Leadership Coaching For School Redesign & Career Connected Learning, Monica White

Bank Street Education Center

Focusing on the Bank Street Principal Innovation Fellowship’s first cohort, this report examines how coaching supported principals as they implemented FutureReadyNYC, the district’s career-connected learning initiative. Through case studies of four principal-coach pairs, the report identifies an emerging leadership coaching model—including key principles, practices, and outcomes—that contributed to meaningful school-level progress and offers insights for school systems seeking to use coaching to strengthen principals’ capacity to lead complex change.

Bilingual Teacher Advocacy, Agency, And Leadership: A Model For Teacher Education And Professional Development, Grace Jue Yeon Kim, Zhenjie Weng, Jingyi Zhu

Faculty Journal Articles

Research has examined bilingual teachers’ work and their

experiences through the theoretical lens of teacher advocacy,

teacher agency, and teacher leadership. This research synthesis

analyzes the current research on the three frameworks in bilingual

education and examines how they intersect. Bilingual teachers

advocated for educational change to address the needs of

emergent bilinguals. Despite various context-specific constraints,

bilingual teachers agentively created bilingual spaces for

linguistically diverse students. Furthermore, bilingual teachers

actively took up leadership roles, demonstrated increased

consciousness, and developed leadership identities. Through this

exploration, this paper proposes a model that integrates the three

frameworks for bilingual teacher education and …

Empowering Future Teacher Leaders Through Peer Mentoring, Stephanie M. Banks

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

Leadership, Identity, And Student Voice In Secondary Schools, Gordon S. Geddes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many student leadership programs in U.S. high schools operate without clear guidance, often leaving students as passive participants in systems that may not effectively prepare them for leadership roles both in school settings and elsewhere. This study explores how listening to students’ voices can improve leadership programs by better understanding how young people see themselves as leaders. Using a case study approach at one school, I observed student leaders over one school year and analyzed their experiences through leadership development theories. The findings suggest that when schools take students' perspectives into account, they can create leadership programs that are more …

A Professional Series: Servant Leadr, Jeremy P. Todd

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Jeremy Todd on May 2, 2024.

Computer-Based Interactive Project E-Book: A Guide For Genetic 1 Course To Enhance Biology Students’ Cognitive Learning Results, Hikmah Buroidah, Siti Zubaidah, Susriyati Mahanal, Azizul Ghofar Candra Wicaksono

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study aims to develop a computer-based interactive Genetics project guide e-book to enhance undergraduate biology students’ cognitive learning outcomes. This development was carried out because there had been no available written guidebook for the Genetics project, which resulted in non-optimum project implementation. The content in the e-book consists of a description of material related to Drosophila melanogaster, descriptions and videos of general procedures, PjBL-based learning activities, and quizzes. Lee and Owen’s development model was used in this study which consisted of 4 stages, (1) multimedia need assessment and analysis; (2) multimedia instructional design; (3) multimedia development and implementation; and …

Learning To Lead: Lessons Taken From The Wisest People We Know, Christine Kenney, Aviva Dorfman, Sapna V. Thwaite

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

How we engage and interact with young children and what we know about supporting them as they grow into the best versions of themselves is a window into what we also know about adults as they grow into the best leaders they can be. How we support and teach children has informative parallels for what leaders in education might learn and draw upon in their interactions and engagements with the people with whom they work. The goal of this paper is to introduce four principles of early childhood education (emotions and feelings are important, relationships are vital, process orientation is …

Developing Culturally Proficient Leaders Through Graduate Coursework: Examining Student Perspectives, Jean F. Ruffin, Marsha E. Simon

School Leadership Review

The racial and ethnic demographic shifts occurring in the United States had increased the need for educational leaders capable of obtaining the cultural proficiency needed to effectively lead diverse schools. Graduate coursework focused on developing cultural competence provides a unique opportunity for school leaders to explore issues related to identity, bias, and diversity in a scholarly setting. Course design, materials, and assignments should work together seamlessly to provide students a rich opportunity to explore diversity issues. The present study examines the perspectives of students enrolled in a doctoral diversity course in Spring 2021 and how the course contributed to the …

Undergraduate Female Student-Leaders In Higher Education: Leadership Identity And Development In Tanzania, Cecilia Swai, Ikupa Moses

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study investigated the development of leadership identity among six female undergraduate student-leaders in higher learning institutions (HLIs). Based on the hexagon and motivation to lead theories, the study focused on personal knowledge, beliefs and actions that female undergraduate student-leaders attach to their leadership identities. Furthermore, the study explored the perceived leadership motivational factors for female student-leaders in HLIs. The study employed a phenomenological interpretive approach to investigate the lived-experiences of female student-leaders related to their leadership identities and developments in three HLIs. The study noted that there are important roles played by parents, peers, teachers and religious institutions in …

Teacher Leaders: Transforming Schools From The Inside

Occasional Paper Series

Teacher leadership is "hard." Many of the reasons are obvious: Teaching is a highly labor-intensive profession to begin with, leaving little downtime for work with other adults. School schedules are notoriously stingy with space for adult collaboration. Teachers are rarely paid to exercise leadership; when they are, they are never paid enough. This volume is a modest attempt to restore the issue of teacher leadership to the prominence it deserves and requires. Although there is considerable overlap among the essays, they have been organized loosely into three categories: "mentoring," to address the essential question of teacher helping teacher; "transforming school …

A Program Evaluation Of Professional Learning Communities To Support Professional Development And Student Learning, Tiffany Scott

Dissertations

For this program evaluation, I examined the effectiveness of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) with regard to how it supported professional development for teachers and student learning at Sunshine Elementary School (pseudonym). The literature reviewed argues that PLCs are viable venues to develop teacher competencies as well as improve student-learning outcomes when implemented with fidelity. The methods in this study included surveys and interviews from teachers, coaches and administrators. There was also a review of the student achievement data to examine results against the perceptions of the study participants. The results indicated areas that were working well, and areas that were …

Leadership And Spirituality: Conceptualization, Definition And Future Directions In Higher Education, Simone Elias, Brian Cole, Linda Wilson-Jones

Journal of Research Initiatives

This conceptual paper addresses the increased need to better conceptualize and define leadership and spirituality in higher education. Over the past decade, empirical research related to spirituality and leadership has gained momentum and has attracted interest from scholars, worldwide. With the increasing diversity of cultures and beliefs, particularly in western societies, the academia's acknowledgment of spirituality and leadership's importance not only present potentialities but also to reveal challenges; since some researchers support a religion-based perspective of the concept, while others indicate that the concept goes beyond religiosity. Therefore, this systematic literature attempts to reconcile diverse viewpoints into a more cohesive …

Becoming A Teacher Leader Within Your Classroom: A Dialogue, Jill Stacy, Nayantara Mhatre

Occasional Paper Series

Describes a spontaneous relationship that has equal measures of mentoring, peer coaching, and teaming.

Advisors As Leaders: An Explanatory Study Of The Perceptions That Professional Undergraduate Academic Advisors Have About Leadership Development Skills, Ebony Della Green

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

ADVISORS AS LEADERS: AN EXPLANTORY STUDY OF THE PERCEPTIONS THAT PROEFESSIONAL UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC ADVISORS HAVE ABOUT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SKILLS

by

EBONY D. GREEN

August 2016

Advisor: Dr. Michael Owens

Major: Educational Leadership and Policy

Degree: Doctor of Education

Literature is limited about the leadership skill(s) that Professional Undergraduate Academic Advisors (PUAAs) use in their daily practice. Research that addresses advisors and/or their performance appear to highlight them as a factor in studies that cover student retention, academic success, or student perception. Often studies focus on students, not advisors as practitioners. Advisors play a critical role in a student’s integration …

A Case Study Of Teacher Leadership At An Elementary School, Allison Wills

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore the status of teacher leadership at one elementary school. With increased attention on accountability for student achievement, educators have begun to look for ways to take the lead in reform efforts. But, little research has been done to identify why particular teachers emerge as leaders. This study explored the philosophies and leadership behaviors of a group of elementary teachers at Center Trail School. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data were collected using three surveys- Philosophy of Education Inventory, Teacher Leadership Self-Assessment, and Teacher Leadership School Survey- and individual interviews. Descriptive statistics …

Elementary Teachers Committed To Actively Teaching Science And Engineering, Julianne Radkowski Opperman Phd

All Student Scholarship

Committed elementary teachers of science and engineering, members of a professional learning community called Collaborative Conversations in STEM, were studied to elicit their perceptions of experiences that influenced their commitment to, and their pedagogical content knowledge of, STEM teaching and learning.

Teacher Leadership: Emergent Leadership In A Complex System Functioning As A Professional Learning Community, Andrea Lorene Voshell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The extent to which organizational, social, cultural, and leadership contexts within schools support or impede the complexity of emergent leadership as it relates to professional learning communities was investigated in this study. Through in-depth interviews exploring ways in which teacher leadership manifests itself, the ability of teachers to understand their own leadership capacity, and how their emergent leadership influences others, data from this study reshape the notion that schools do not need to reform, but need to transform from traditional schools of teaching into contemporary schools of learning, providing the type of professional knowledge needed to foster 21st century skills …

An Examination Of Midwest Community College Presidents' Leadership Styles, Marvin Jones Jacobs

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the leadership styles of community college presidents and chancellors in the Midwestern part of the United States on leadership styles they embraced based on their personal characteristics, age, gender, education and experience in higher education, location, and other prevailing personal characteristics. The three leadership styles measured in the study were transformational, transactional and passive avoidant. Three research questions were posed for the study. A total of 176 presidents in five states were sent surveys. Of this number, 82 (46.6%) completed and returned the MLQ questionnaire and the investigator-developed demographic survey. Survey findings suggested participating presidents appeared to …

Toward A Functional Followers’ Model In The Organizational Leadership Process, John Ekundayo

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

There are many researchers and practitioners who have at various times and situations defined the term leadership to suit their whims and caprices. A popular scholar in the field of management and leadership opined that “there are almost as many different definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept” (Bass, 1981, p. 11). There is no gainsaying the fact that in organizations, leadership plays a vital role almost on a daily basis. It is perhaps based on this premise that makes many practitioners and scholars to focus more on leaders when discussing or writing …

Virtual Teams And Their Leaders: A Paradigm On Achieving Learning Agility, Laurie Pearson

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

This paper provides a brief historical background on the redefinitions of school leadership preparation programs in a particular state (Illinois) in the United States. The paper chronicles the collaborations, challenges, and accomplishments of a professional organization, from the period of 2001 to 2010. Set in the context of concerns about school leadership preparation at the national level, the paper focuses principally on the work of the Illinois Council of Professors of Educational Administration (ICPEA) as it engaged with multiple stakeholders at university and state levels to strengthen school leadership preparation.

A Commentary About The Black And Latino Doctoral Experience In The United States, Pamela Felder, Milagros Castillo

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The Central Educational Center is a product of multiple visions, desires, and hopes. The ideal vision is outlined in a book entitled “The Eden Conspiracy” (Harless, 1997). Other perspectives include a requirement from local business that basic skills of high school graduates need to be rapidly improved, the desire of a growing local school system to provide costly industry-standard career-technical education to all high school students, the vision of a regional technical college to “dual enroll” high school students and make technical college a viable post-secondary option, and the hopes of a Governor looking for a viable model to support …

As A Leader Do You Choose To Be A Horse, Lemming Or Goose?, Ruby Kohl

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Organizations are often compared to living organisms (Morgan, 2006). In nature, there are many examples of group organizations that demonstrate leadership patterns: herds, bands, families, mobs, colonies, prides, gaggles, flocks, schools, etc. Survival of a species is often based on the type of leadership nature has established for a particular species in a particular environment at a particular time or season.

Data-Driven Decision Making: The Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Principals’ Practices, Marcus Childress

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

From the perspective of preparing school administrators, principals need to learn to use and believe in factual data when they make their administrative decisions. In alignment with the NCLB, the revised Standards for Advanced Programs in Educational Leadership have more emphases placed on school administrators’ ability and knowledge in using data (Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC), 2002; National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2002). The ELCC/NCATE (2002) standards serve as school leadership preparation program standards and can be used as a cornerstone for the professional development of existing school administrators (Murphy & Shipman, 1998; Murphy, Yff, & …

About The Authors, Volume 27 (2009)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

About the editors and authors of volume 27 (2009) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

Developing Leadership In A National Cohort Of Secondary Biology Teachers: Uses Of An On-Line Course Structure To Develop Geographically Distant Professional Learning Community, P. Balcerzak, V. May, B. Schaal

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This report is a descriptive study of the role that on-line courses might have on the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) that support national leadership initiatives of participating high school biology teachers. The one hundred teachers involved in the Life Sciences for a Global Community (LSGC) Institute are expected not only to deepen their content knowledge, but also impact their district and state biology curricula. Additionally, the dispersion of Institute participants across the country presents a unique opportunity to develop, communicate. and implement a national coherent reform agenda. However, the geographic distance presents a barrier to collaborative design of …

Nature And Application Of Knowledge And Its Significance To Organizational Management Leaders, Heidi Gregory-Mina

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

Epistemology is a branch of philosophy, which provides an individual with tools for understanding what he or she knows, but epistemology cannot be separated from an individual’s metaphysics. It is almost impossible to separate a thinker’s epistemology from his or her metaphysics, because epistemology connects with specific ethics and politics and metaphysics connects all of that, in a coherent philosophical system. Metaphysics connects the philosophical system because epistemology does not fit well with randomness but does connect with specific ethics and politics. In 1854, the term epistemology appears to have been used for the first time, correlating with an intense …

New Perspectives On Academic Leadership Moving The Research Agenda, Sabine Hotho, Jim Mcgoldrick, Alastair Work

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1. to expand the theory base underpinning academic leadership and HRD; 2. to expand theoretical frameworks to challenge prevailing myths about the ‘unwilling academic manager’; 3. to open up new research avenues and questions which have a better chance of constructively supporting HRD practice in HE.

Towards The Understanding Of Societal Cultures And Leadership In Non-Western Countries: An Exploratory Study On Egypt, Abdel Moneim

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

The purpose of this study was to examine the societal culture in Egypt in relation with leadership attributes. This paper also reported and elaborated on the dimensions of Egypt’s culture using GLOBE categories. When I examined the societal culture using the nine GLOBE dimensions, Egypt appeared to have the lowest score on assertiveness among all the 62 countries, and had relatively lower scores on uncertainty avoidance, societal collectivism, future orientation, and gender egalitarianism. On the other hand, Egypt had the third highest score on in-group collectivism, and had relatively high scores on performance orientation, power distance, and humane orientation. In …

Emerging Leadership Roles In Distance Education: Current State Of Affairs And Forecasting Future Trends, Lisa Portugal

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal (2003-2012)

This paper discusses the enormous impact distance learning has had on traditional higher education and leadership roles within those constructs. The writer will address and discuss critical issues relating to leadership in higher education with a distance learning focus, current and future distance education modalities, and future leadership trends. This paper will focus on transformational leadership qualities that are necessary for current and future successful distance education programs. Finally, the writer will provide considerable information for institutions of higher learning as well as those individuals associated with the advancement of online learning modalities.