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Impacts Of Fish Waste Piles In Alaska, Tara Martich

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The goal of this practicum project was to complete a meta-analysis and identify the location, size, and impact of fish waste piles on waterbodies in Alaska in one comprehensive report. Data collection for this project included obtaining secondary data from publicly available sources. Alaskan shorebased seafood processing facilities discharge water mixed with fish waste from an outfall(s). Once discharged, buoyant fish waste enters the water column and floats to the surface, while denser fragments sink. Fish waste accumulates on the seafloor and creates fish waste piles. A persistent fish waste pile depletes the oxygen from the water column, smothers benthic …

The Copper Mountain Project: Financial Analysis And Sustainability Plan For The Copper Mountain Foundation A 501(C), Angela Totemoff

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The Copper Mountain Foundation (herein referred to as CMF) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit that is fully funded, fully operated, and established by The Tatitlek Corporation (herein referred to as TTC). CMF currently has a program that provides scholarships and career grants for original enrollees and descendants of original enrollees of TTC. To be eligible to receive funding, a student must be an original enrollee of TTC or a lineal descendant of an original enrollee (by birth or adoption). Original enrollees of TTC either resided in the Native Village of Tatitlek or their families resided in Tatitlek at the …

Using Frequent, Unannounced, Focused, And Short Classroom Observations To Support Classroom Instruction, Lawrence T. Cook

Dissertations

This paper examines the need to do more frequent, short (10- to 15-minute), unannounced, and focused classroom observations to support classroom instruction. Currently, the state requires at least one to three classroom observations per teacher; the number of observations is based on tenured and rating status. Classroom observations consist of at least a 15- to 30-minute pre-observation, a 30- to 60-minute observation, and a 30- to 45-minute postobservation. The diagnostic framework of Wagner, Kegan, Lahey, Lemons, Garnier, Helsing, Howell, and Rasmussen’s (2006) systemic change plan was used. The process looked at current (As-Is) and future (To-Be) status of an organization …

Adaptive Change For An All Boys College Preparatory Public Middle School: A Change Leadership Project, Carla L. Sparks Dr.

Dissertations

As a result of district, state, and national attention on academic achievement, as measured by state assessment tests and end of course examinations, teacher and school leaders at the school identified for this Change Leadership Project (CLP) have worked diligently to raise student rigor and achievement. However, they have used largely instructional practices that rely heavily on the work of educators rather than emphasizing the engagement of students. This CLP provides the basis for a paradigm shift in instructional practice that promotes a full understanding of the value of authentic learning, project based learning, exhibitions of mastery, and capstone projects …

A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Students With Disabilities Who Did Not Complete High School, Richard Wieringo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study explores the experiences of students with disabilities who have dropped out of high school, so as to identify related factors that led to their decisions. Participants included both males and females who were designated as students with disabilities at Ridgeville High School (pseudonym for a Virginia high school) and who dropped out between their third and fourth years of high school, during the 2010 to 2014 academic years. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 24. The case study was conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews, journaling, and observation of the sample population, with …

A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Students With Disabilities Who Did Not Complete High School, Richard Wieringo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This case study explores the experiences of students with disabilities who have dropped out of high school, so as to identify related factors that led to their decisions. Participants included both males and females who were designated as students with disabilities at Ridgeville High School (pseudonym for a Virginia high school) and who dropped out between their third and fourth years of high school, during the 2010 to 2014 academic years. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 24. The case study was conducted through the use of semi-structured interviews, journaling, and observation of the sample population, with …

Institutional Triage: Reflections On Being Acquired, Aric K. Short

Faculty Scholarship

On June 25, 2012, I walked into the dean's office at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. He and I had been summoned by our university president to a hastily called meeting to discuss the law school's "academic program." Since I helped oversee our academic program as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the time, I was not particularly looking forward to the meeting. I assumed there would be bad news of some sort.

Instead, we were told that Texas Wesleyan University ("TWU") and Texas A&M University ("TAMU") were in negotiations that, it was expected, would result in a "strategic …

Information Technology Impacts On Firm Performance: An Extension Of Kohli And Devaraj (2003), Anand Jeyaraj, Rajiv Sabherwal

Management Information Systems Faculty Publications

Despite the importance of investing in information technology, research on business value of information technology (BVIT) shows contradictory results, raising questions about the reasons for divergence. Kohli and Devaraj (2003) provided valuable insights into this issue based on a meta-analysis of 66 BVIT studies. This paper extends Kohli and Devaraj by examining the influences on BVIT through a meta-analysis of 303 studies published between 1990 and 2013. We found that BVIT increases when the study does not consider IT investment, does not use profitability measure of value, and employs primary data sources, fewer IT-related antecedents, and larger sample size. Considerations …

Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment: Co-Occurring Evidence-Based Practice Implementation, Alteration, And Fidelity Over Time, Jennifer Harrison

Dissertations

Individuals with co-occurring illnesses are at risk for poor outcomes related to criminal justice, hospitalization, housing, and employment. High fidelity evidence-based practice models, including Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT), are associated with significant improvements in outcomes. Although IDDT has been well-researched in small scale clinical trials, the implementation, alteration, and sustainability in real world applications over time has not been well-researched or understood. Initially, a descriptive analysis of a secondary dataset including the full population of 68 IDDT fidelity teams from 2006–2012 evaluated by the Michigan Fidelity and Assessment Team (MiFAST) in one state was completed. IDDT fidelity significantly improved …

Alaska State Trooper Critical Incident Response Team And Peer Support Program Development, Cari Miller

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Law enforcement officers experience enormous job-related stress burdens in comparison to other career fields. Officers routinely encounter stressful situations from sources specific to their occupation, particularly their frequent exposure to dangerous situations, violence, and witnessing human suffering and depravity. Negative effects of occupational stress are exhibited in physical, physiological, emotional, and psychological changes. Law enforcement stress management programs are developed to provide resources to offset the negative effects, provide positive coping strategies to reduce stress, and increase the officer’s quality of life. This project developed program documents, policies, and procedures for the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) and Peer Support …

An Examination Of The Factors That Impact Elementary School Principal's Perceptions Of Their Leadership Role, Kathryn M. Kish

HIM 1990-2015

A growing body of research supports the idea that large-scale school reform efforts often fail to create sustained change within the public school sector. When implementing deep organizational change, both novice and veteran educators are challenged to learn new skills, reexamine their instructional practice and content knowledge, and re-shape their underlying beliefs and values about schools. This qualitative study explored principals’ perceptions of their leadership roles in the school system. Data collection was done through a series of three interviews with three elementary school principals in Central Florida. In addition to their perceptions, it also studied factors that may influence …

Information Technology For Development In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Jie Xiong, Sajda Qureshi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

Development is a concept that is often used to describe growth in organizations and the regions in which they reside. While research in Information Systems (IS) recognizes the importance of Information Technology (IT) in improving the organizational performance, a great deal of emphasis is given towards understanding large organizations. While social-economic development and transformation relies on new technological infrastructures and organizational changes, there is still a weak link between the organization studies with Information Technology (IT) as it relates to the growth of organizations. It appears that a greater research focus is needed in understanding the use of IT in …

Public Sector Compensation: Is The Public School District Superintendent Compensation Worth It?, Ashok Em Sudhakar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Governor Cuomo of New York, as reported in New York Times, said ( referring to School District Superintendents) : I understand that they sometimes have to manage budgets, and sometimes the budgets are difficult,” “But why they get paid more than the Governor of the state I really don’t understand.” He further stated “We have $500,000 school Superintendents...We can’t pay those kinds of salaries.”

Partial potential answers to Governor Cuomo’s query are: benchmarking is used to determine compensation, there is lack of transparency and the taxpayers are not even aware of the amount paid out to the superintendent and further …

Chief Student Affairs Officer’S Competencies: Perspectives From Community College Presidents In Illinois, Isaac D. Zuniga

Dissertations

Chief Student Affairs Officers (CSAO’s) within single campus community colleges are responsible for providing senior leadership and overall planning for all administrative areas as assigned by the college president. They work collectively to provide leadership for various functional areas to facilitate the development and maintenance of college campus environments and student success. While within single campus community colleges the CSAO are recognized by various administrative titles, but they serve in an executive capacity reporting directly to the college president and are responsible for the overall planning and leadership that supports the college’s mission.

The purpose of this study was to …

Transformational Leadership: Transmitting An Educational Reform Agenda In A Low Performing Urban Middle School Using Innovative Strategies, Such As Hip-Hop And High Interest Curriculum, Shango A. Blake

Education Doctoral

After 12 years since the enactment of the No Child Left Behind legislation and six years of Race to the Top national educational policy, both designed to address the educational achievement gap and improve many of America’s failing schools, the persistence of failing schools in urban communities continues to exist. This problem demands bold, innovative, even non-traditional initiatives. The research of this dissertation, called the Queens Middle School (QMS) Study, looks to determine the strategies implemented by a transformational leader at a low performing Queens, New York middle school, 10 years ago, in a manner that reveals new educational models …

To Win Wars, Correct The Army's Political Blind Spot, Joseph Roger Clark

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Assessment And Referral For Patients With Cardiovascular Disease, Sarah June Sadeghi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most frequent cause of death in the United States. CVD affects more than a third of the U.S. population translating to approximately $431.8 billion in direct and indirect costs (Rosamond et al., 2007 as cited in Hunter et al., 2009). Given the significant rates of mental health issues exhibited in cardiovascular patients coupled with the lack of standard screening practices of psychosocial risk factors implicated in cardiovascular disease, the introduction of adequate assessment and referrals to mental health providers could substantially benefit health outcomes of patients.

The aims of this project are to: 1) provide …

Raising Student Achievement Through Programmatic Initiatives And Instructional Improvement, Philip S. Georgia

Dissertations

This dissertation consists of a program evaluation, a change leadership plan, and a policy advocacy proposal.

The program evaluation studies the impact of initiatives implemented at an elementary school near a large city in Illinois using a case study methodology. The school was required to restructure during the 2013-2014 school year as a result of the performance mandates outlined in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. To compare the post-restructuring status of the school with the pre-restructuring status, student growth data for multiple grade levels and for each federal subgroup was collected. In addition, the staff’s perceptions about …

A Three Part Dissertation: Evaluating A High School District Extended-Period Mathematics Program Using Frequent, Unannounced, Focused, And Short Classroom Observations To Support Classroom Instruction Utilizing Classroom Observations To Inform Teaching And Learning: A Policy Advocacy Document, Lawrence T. Cook

Dissertations

Dissertation Organization Statement

This document is organized to meet the three-part dissertation requirement of the National Louis University (NLU) Educational Leadership (EDL) Doctoral Program. The National Louis Educational Leadership Ed.D is a professional practice degree program (Shulman, Golde, Bueschel, & Garabedian, 2006). For the dissertation requirement, doctoral candidates are required to plan, research, and implement three major projects, one each year, within their school or district with a focus on professional practice. The three projects are:

• Program Evaluation
• Change Leadership Plan
• Policy Advocacy Document

Implementing Authentic Practice Through Capstone Projects At Selected Terminal Grades: A Policy Advocacy Document, Carla L. Sparks Dr.

Dissertations

American educational and political communities have become focused on assessment of students and accountability of teachers and administrators. Consequently, educators are focused largely on preparing students for high stakes tests, oftentimes at the expense of authentic instructional practice. The educational, economic, social, political, moral, and ethical needs of students and American society demand a policy that provides student experiences that are action-oriented, promote character development, provoke reflective thinking, and develop skills and knowledge that prepare students for life and ultimately transform society. Therefore, I recommend through this Policy Advocacy Document that the school district under study require capstone projects of …

Impact Of Single Gender Programs On Achievement, Attendance, Discipline, And Character: A Program Evaluation Project, Carla L. Sparks Dr.

Dissertations

The instance of single gender education in American public schools has risen since the 2006 amendments to Title IX permitting public schools to separate boys and girls for academic purposes. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of single gender education to promote gains in student academic achievement, increase attendance levels, support character development, and decrease student discipline problems. The context of this inquiry is a large public school district that incorporates single gender education applications across the district. My study is focused on an all-girls middle school and an all-boys middle school, and it demonstrates outcomes …

Hospital Practices Related To Breastfeeding In Mississippi: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Amir Alakaam

Dissertations

Mississippi continues to have one of the lowest rates and the weakest support in respect to breastfeeding in the nation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014a). Hospital practices supporting breastfeeding such as the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (TSSB) can dramatically increase breastfeeding rates and duration (Rosenberg, Stull, Adler, Kasehagen, & Crivelli-Kovach, 2008). The aim of this study was to explore breastfeeding practices in Mississippi hospitals based on two levels of the Socio-Ecological Model: the organizational level (phase I) examined the hospital practices based on the level of implementation of the TSSB; the individual level (phase II) examined knowledge …

Teacher Participation And Motivation Inprofessional Development, Krystal A. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Although professional development is accepted as important for making educational improvements, some have been unsuccessful due to how the teachers choose to participate, and the lack of motivation in teachers to attend or implement the suggested changes. A case study of secondary mathematics teachers in a required professional development is used to look at teachers' motivation and participation during the professional development. This study compared mathematics teachers' motivation to attend with ways of participating in order to determine how these influence a teacher's intent to change. It was found that certain aspects of motivation and participation does influence a teacher's …

Do's And Don'ts Of Hosting Content And Service Providers At Your Library: A Few Tips For Your Next Meeting, Sarah Forzetting

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Implementing Bring Your Own Device And The Paperless Classroom: A Change Leadership Project, Tamara K. Cornwell Dr

Dissertations

My journey through the implementation of an action plan for a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program is presented in this research document. The action plan incorporated the addition of industrial certification standards for technology integrated into the core curriculum at a public middle school (grades 6-8) during the 2014-2015 school year. Technology skills became a part of students’ daily learning opportunities. An eSTEAM Academy provided interested students and teachers with technology training and skills for classroom inclusion and blended model of face-to-face instruction enhanced with technology in a “paperless” classroom environment. This is an account of our successful journey …

Effects Of A Software Program Vs. Constant Time Delay In The Acquisition Of Sight Words For A Student With Significant Disabilities, Turkie Ali Algharbie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of sight words is essential for individuals with significant disability. There is a plethora of research highlighting the acquisition of sight words for this population but to date, most focus on teacher led interventions (Browder, Algrim-Delzell, Spooner, Mims, & Baker, 2009). This study investigated the use of computer technology vs. one-on-one instruction targeting sight words acquisition for a student with a significant disability. Results showed the participant indicated improved performance using the computer based intervention versus the constant time delay instructor led intervention.

An Internship Report On The Ogden Museum Of Southern Art, Grace Rennie

Arts Administration Master's Reports (1984-2016)

The following internship report is a reflection of my time spent working at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art from February 2 to June 2, 2015. Since gaining a new Executive Director in 2012, the Museum has gone through a period of rapid change, which resulted in a complete overhaul of staff structure during my tenure. This report will outline the structure of the Museum, discuss the factors that led to it changing, and evaluate its sustainability for the Museum moving forward. It will also discuss the marketing and communications mechanisms in place, with a specific focus on social media, …

Enabling Others To Win In A Complex World: Maximizing Security Force Assistance Potential In The Regionally Aligned Brigade Combat Team, Liam P. Walsh Cpt (P)

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Beginning in 2013, the U.S. Army began an effort to “engage regionally and respond globally.” A central tenant of this strategy, building upon National strategic guidance, is the necessity to build partner capacity. Army units, through the regionally aligned forces concept, may find themselves conducting security force assistance (SFA) missions across the globe as a means to achieve these ways. However, after examining the Army’s SFA mission in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from 2003-10, it becomes apparent that institutional and organizational shortcomings plagued the Army’s initial efforts in this critical aspect of the campaign. Many of these shortcomings remain in the …

Higher Education Governance Structures And Operational Efficiency And Effectiveness Of 4 -Year Public Institutions, Angela H. Claxton-Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study benchmarks 4-year public institutions in the Southern Regional Education Board to determine if there are significant differences between the institutions based on efficiency and effectiveness scores within the types of governance structures in operation among the states. Efficiency and effectiveness scores are also used to determine if there are significant differences between institutions based on state appropriation levels. In this quantitative study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to collapse selected institutional data reported to IPEDS into effectiveness and efficiency scores which were then used as the dependent variables. The variable returns to scale (VRS) model was used …

Understanding Employee Work Attitudes: An Integration Of Psychological Contract Theory And Organizational Support Theory, Wen Chang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Employee motivation and retention are critical concerns for the hospitality industry. The purpose of this study was to understand employees’ work attitudes and emotional affect through a social exchange perspective by integrating employee psychological contract theory and organizational support theory. Affective event theory provided the theoretical foundation for this study. Data was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and path analysis. The results showed that employees’ psychological contract fulfillment was a strong predictor of their perceived organizational support. In addition, psychological contract fulfillment and perceived organizational support together explained employee affect at work as well as other work attitudes. Affect at …