Digital Commons Network^™

African American Women In Higher Education: Challenges Endured And Strategies Employed To Secure A Community College Presidency, Lois M. Britton

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore challenges experienced and successful strategies employed by African American women currently serving as community college presidents. Studies show 35% of community college presidents are expected to retire by the year 2015 (Schultz, 2001), thus opening opportunities for aspiring African American women to secure a community college presidency. However, some of the literature reviewed for this study suggests that if efforts are not made to support the upward mobility of these women, there is a possibility that the number of African American women who are able to secure a future presidency …

Support One, Impact Hundreds -- Evaluation Of A Facilitated Cohort Model Of Online Director Training, Mccormick Center For Early Childhood Leadership

McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership Publications

The McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership conducted an evaluation study to explore the impact of the Aim4ExcellenceTM facilitated cohort model which was delivered to three successive cohorts in the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. The study was designed to evaluate the impact of the training experience on the participants, their programs, and the communities in which they work.

Academic Integrity: Preventing Cheating With The Implementation Of An Honor Code, Camille Burgess Jowanna

i.e.: inquiry in education

The purpose of this study was to determine if implementing an honor code would diminish academic dishonesty at Tampa Catholic High School. Quantitative survey instruments were administered twice, in August 2009 and in January 2010, to measure the reaction of student and faculty participants to the introduction of an honor code. Survey responses indicated that there was a shift in behaviors towards increased academic honesty. Comparison of the first semester data over the last two years showed a 38% decrease in the number of students disciplined for academic dishonesty. Future directions to advance the school’s culture of academic integrity include …

The Essence Of The Distributed Leadership Experience Of A High School Literacy Coaching Team: A Phenomenological Study, Nancy Spaniak

Dissertations

This is a phenomenological study of a high school literacy coaching team’s experience during the 2010-2011 school year, the first year of its existence. As a distributed leadership organizational routine, the practice of literacy coaching was adopted by a large suburban high school to promote its initiative to infuse literacy strategies into every teacher’s classroom instruction. The purpose of the study was to uncover the essence of the literacy coaching team’s distributed leadership experience in order to elucidate the effect of distributed leadership on developing the literacy coaching initiative in general, and the literacy coaching team members as leaders in …

Data-Driven Decision Making In Community Colleges: An Integrative Model For Institutional Effectiveness, Claude Adam Callery

Dissertations

This qualitative study identified the best practices utilized by community colleges to achieve systemic and cultural agreement in support of the integration of institutional effectiveness measures (key performance indicators) to inform decision making. In addition, the study identifies the relevant motives, organizational structure, and processes to support the continuing organization development as the institution transitions to an information rich decision making environment.

A multi-dimensional conceptual framework consisting of four concepts and theories was used to situate the study. The conceptual framework elements were: John Levin’s (2001) Four Domains of Globalization (globalization), L. E. Greiner’s (1998) Five Stages of Organizational Development …

Change Is Constant: The Ongoing Reengineering Of Senior Administratrion In Community Colleges, Maria H. Coons

Dissertations

Change is typically initiated to improve efficiency and effectiveness or when a new vision is created. Facilitating change within an organization is difficult, particularly when a new leader is appointed. Newly appointed community college presidents almost always reengineer senior administrative leadership upon arriving at their new institutions. What is needed is a change management process that facilitates change while minimizing disruption to the operations, and eases fears among those impacted by the changes. In addition, assessing the effectiveness of the changes is paramount in determining if further modifications are necessary. The purpose of this study was to explore what precipitates …

Mentoring Directors As A Strategy To Improve Quality In Early Childhood Programs, Mccormick Center For Early Childhood Leadership

McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership Publications

Mentoring and coaching are well established professional development strategies. These relationship-based strategies are often used in conjunction with traditional instructional practices. Most research in this area, however, has focused on the use of mentoring or coaching with teachers to improve teaching practices. This evaluation study conducted for the Ontario Government was designed to determine the extent to which the Mentoring Pairs for Child Care Project achieved its primary goal of enhancing quality in early learning programs in Ontario, Canada by increasing the administrative knowledge and skills of center directors (supervisors).

Exploring Successful Strategies For Integrating Academic Assessment And Strategic Planning In The Community College, Roberetta Young

Dissertations

This study is an exploration of the strategies employed by community colleges to facilitate the integration of their assessment and strategic plans. Because the strategic and assessment plans are major documents that guide the success of the institution, they are submitted frequently as evidence of meeting the accreditation requirement for institutional effectiveness. If the colleges’ success is based on the effectiveness and efficiency of their plans, then the assessment plan needs to be linked and integrated with the institutions strategic plan. The intent of this research study is to identify how community colleges integrate assessment and strategic plans to improve …

Community College Presidential Transitions: Enhancing The Process By Understanding Stakeholder Perceptions, Jeffery Clay Bradford

Dissertations

A leadership crisis is pending at America’s community colleges. Presidents are serving shorter terms (Stanley & Betts, 2004) and retiring rapidly (Duree, Ebbers, Santos-Laanan, Curtis, & Ferlazzo, 2008). Weisman and Vaughan (2006) project that 84% of current community college leaders will retire by 2016. New chief executives need to be effective at implementing the goals set by the board of trustees in a timely manner. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify stakeholder perceptions during a community college presidential transition and strategies for assisting in a smooth transition.

In-person semi-structured interviews were conducted at three medium-sized Midwestern …

Institutional Effectiveness And A Culture Of Evidence: Accountability Cornerstones For The Community College In The 21st Century, Teresa Renee Mckinney

Dissertations

This study explores the complexity of accountability demands that have emerged in the 21^st century from a variety of community college stakeholders. As community college leaders attempt to foster a new accountability culture within their institutions to quell these demands, questions regarding how to go about creating effective systems for continuous quality improvement emerge. This research focused on discovery, insights and understanding from the perspectives of community college leaders engaged in this process, reveals proven strategies to address these and other concerns while improving institutional effectiveness. This qualitative inquiry used a case study methodology to disentangle these issues through …

Quintessential Acts Of Inquiry In Educational Practice: Delineating Inquiry And Interpretation In The Pursuit Of Teacher Professionalization, Ted Purinton

i.e.: inquiry in education

Sociological and political theories on the professions indicate that established professions utilize unique forms of inquiry and interpretation to guide practice. This essay argues that for teaching to become professionalized, unique forms of inquiry and interpretation need to be emphasized. Utilizing the concept of professional jurisdiction, the essay argues that other professions' forms of inquiry, while not detrimental to the purpose of teacher professionalization, do not establish the distinctive skills upon which teachers can lay claim.

Community College Succession Planning: Preparing The Next Generation Of Women For Leadership Roles, Angela Kaysen Luzbetak

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore strategies to enable community colleges to develop and cultivate women for leadership roles through succession planning. According to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the pace of administrative and other key staff retirements exceeds the pace at which these positions are being re-staffed (Shults, 2001). One might question why the purposeful development of future community college leaders is critical. Community colleges currently face a crucial leadership crisis in the United States. Pending retirements and the lack of succession planning to fill upcoming vacancies is reaching a critical turning point. The Chronicle …

Deans Of Career And Technical Education: Charting The Course To Senior Administration, Shelley Zarovsky Levin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the essential leadership practices, abilities, and experiences of Deans of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and to consider how these Deans of CTE fit into the succession process of the community college. A qualitative case study was conducted with three dyads of career Deans and their supervising senior administrators, using the comparative case method to analyze the data collected from the participants.

The data were collected from in-person participant interviews on their respective campuses. One Dean of CTE and the supervising senior administrator were at a rural college; one dyad was at …

Identifying And Addressing Issues Faced By New Community College Presidents, Anthony Raymond Miksa

Dissertations

The American community college system is in the midst of a leadership crisis. Community college presidents are retiring at an alarming rate. Further exacerbating the leadership crisis is the lack of qualified candidates to replace the retiring presidents. Senior administrators at community colleges who are the natural choice to replace the retirees are also retiring or choosing not to pursue a presidency. The overarching purpose driving this research was to identify the challenges encountered by new community college presidents, seek to comprehend the information gathering method utilized by new presidents to identify challenges, and finally, to present the strategies the …

2008. Our Dreams And Our Deeds: Reflection At The Heart Of Service-Learning, National-Louis University

Service-Learning Symposium

No abstract provided.

A Profile Of Early Childhood Center Directors, Mccormick Center For Early Childhood Leadership

McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership Publications

Research conducted by the Center for Early Childhood Leadership and other organizations provide rich data on the professional world of early childhood administrators.