Digital Commons Network^™

The Sustainability Of Middle And Elementary School Professional Learning Communities In A Mobile School District, Phillys Hill

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This purpose of this applied dissertation was to provide school leaders with information to guide decisions about professional learning communities (PLCs) in elementary and middle schools. A sample group of secondary and elementary teachers and principals provided their perceptions of the implementation and subsequent sustainability of PLCs in an urban school district challenged with teacher and principal mobility. Sixteen of 45 schools in the large, southern school district gained new principals within 3 years of learning community implementation. In addition, the teacher mobility rate of 13.7% exceeded the state average of 11.8% (Texas Education Agency, 2010). Although it had been …

Explanatory Style And Innovativeness: Use Of Web 2.0 Tools In Education, Michelle Rogers-Estable

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

People may have either a more positive or more negative explanatory style, and their explanatory style consequently leads to behavior choices. Explanatory style may be a primary intrinsic factor underlying optimistic or pessimistic attitudes that directly affect technology adoption by faculty. Research has already found some links among optimism, positive attitudes, and technology adoption. This dissertation therefore analyzed the relationship between explanatory style and individual innovativeness among higher education faculty as measured by the use of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in higher education with the intent to better understand how optimism and pessimism affect choices to use technology in education. …

Transformational Learning For Organizational Change: Exploring Employee Experiences With A Student Affairs Workplace Professional Development Program, Katherine Erin Vahey

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore a professional development curriculum in an institution of higher education. This case study advocates that all student affairs employees undergo continuous professional development training to provide collective understanding of essential workplace concepts necessary for effective organizational development. The research question-- How do student affairs employees experience workplace training as it contributes to organizational development?--addresses the confluence of two areas of higher education literature: transformative learning for education practitioner's professional growth and best practices for higher education organizational development. Using a constructivist, case study-narrative design, this research explores employee experiences with a professional …

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 …

Systems Change: A Study Of Response To Intervention Model Implementation At Two Elementary School In Southern California, Nancy Teola Barker

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative comparative study examined three core components of RtI² implementation at two purposefully selected elementary schools in one county in Southern California. The researcher interviewed principals, teachers, and support staff regarding leadership attributes, skills and behaviors perceived as critical, professional development opportunities needed for, and the new roles for teachers and support staff in the implementation of the RtI² model at their particular site. The interviews revealed that the most critical behavior was a leader's knowledge of curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Five additional leadership behaviors were identified to a lesser degree. Four of these behaviors were identified as "second-order" …

Elementary Teachers' Attitudes About Professional Development: Professional Development Schools Versus Non-Professional Development Schools., Cynthia L. Gissy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study will look at elementary teachers’ attitudes about professional development: professional development schools versus non-professional development schools. Professional development schools are partnered with institutions of higher education and have many types of opportunities for in-service teachers, higher education faculty, and pre-service teachers to participate in professional development together. The goal of all stakeholders in a professional development school relationship is to impact public school students, to better prepare pre-service teachers and provide additional and specific professional development opportunities for in-service teachers. The goal would be to show that participation in a professional development partnership would yield a more positive …

Positioning Libraries To Support The Goals Of Higher Education Institutions: The Peabody Academic Library Leadership Institute, Sharon A. Weiner, Patricia Senn Breivik, Timothy Caboni, Dennis Clark

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

This article describes the genesis of Vanderbilt University's Peabody Academic Library Leadership Institute as an outcome of a particular philosophy. That philosophy is based on the concept that to fulfill their potential contributions, academic libraries need to direct their planning, resources, and services to support the priorities of their parent institutions. This article addresses the need for campus-focused leadership training; higher education leadership training for academic librarians; and the higher education context for libraries. It describes why Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education and Human Development initiated a professional development institute for librarians. It describes the institute's history, curriculum, and assessment …

Professional Development Topics For Marketing Education Teachers, Ashley E. Nunn

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the topics for professional development days for marketing education high school teachers. To solve this problem the following questions will be asked: 1) How are professional development workshops perceived by marketing education teachers? 2) What topics do marketing education teachers want to learn through professional development? 3) What are suggestions for improvement of professional development for marketing education teachers?

Isr@Bucknell, Information Services And Resources, Bucknell University

ISR @ Bucknell

isr@bucknell was a newsletter published by Bucknell University's Information Services and Resources department (later Library and Information Technology). The publication served the community by providing software, project, and service updates. Regular features included a letter from the Associate Vice President for Information Services and Resources, the "Ask ISR" column, and featured ISR web pages. This issue includes the following articles: "Ask ISR!" "The Critical Need for Professional Development," "Keeping ResNet Healthy: Quarantine and RBZ," "Faculty and Staff Were Asked, and the Survey Said," "Many Views of myBucknell," "New Voices, New Faces in Tech Support," "The Journal Collection adn the Revew …

Teacher Education And School Improvement: A Case Study From Pakistan, Anil Khamis, Shahida Jawed

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Faculty Development In Member Institutions Of The Florida Faculty Development Consortium: Strategic Plans, Evaluation Models, Organization, And Funding, Laura Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine strategic plans and evaluation models in light of organizational structures and funding to determine if member institutions in the Florida Faculty Development Consortium were investing in faculty development based on strategic and measurable criteria. Data were gathered through a mixed method survey mailed electronically to the individuals responsible for faculty development at 31 member institutions of the Florida Faculty Development Consortium. Even though the Consortium was comprised of public and private four-year institutions and public two-year institutions, faculty development programs in these institutions had similarities. Most programs had strategic plans, centralized faculty …

Becoming A Professional Engineering Educator: A New Role For A New Era, L. Dee Fink, Susan Ambrose, Daniel W. Wheeler

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

Engineering education faces significant challenges as it seeks to meet the demands on the engineering profession in the twenty-first century. Engineering faculty will need to continue to learn new approaches to teaching and learning, which in turn will require effective professional development for both new and experienced instructors alike. This article explores approaches to effective professional development and provides a conceptual framework for responding to the challenge of becoming a professional engineering educator. The "cycle of professional practice" is introduced as a prelude for identifying what individual professors and their institutions can do to generate more powerful forms of engineering …

The Professional Development Of Academic Librarians: How Should Institutions Contribute To The Process?, Gregory A. Smith

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Professional development is universally recognized in education and librarianship as imperative for ongoing effectiveness. Most—though not all—academic libraries support professional development through financial assistance and release time. However, while funding and release time are necessary to professional growth, they are not sufficient. The role of the leader as a steward of organizational culture suggests that academic library administrators should concern themselves with fostering an environment conducive to their subordinates’ professional development. Innovative professional development programs in place at a number of academic libraries stand as a corrective to the seemingly haphazard practices of many libraries and librarians. Further research on …

Faculty And Teacher Candidate Computer Self -Efficacy And The Relationship Of Faculty Computer Self -Efficacy, Technology Professional Development, And Technology Use, Rebecca A. Callaway

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible relationship among faculty computer self-efficacy, technology professional development, and the extent of technology use in Louisiana's college and university classrooms. Additionally, faculty computer self-efficacy and teacher candidate computer self-efficacy were compared.

Participation was voluntary, involving higher education faculty and teacher candidates from the nineteen teacher preparation institutions within Louisiana. Faculty completed online surveys. A 30-item Likert-type scale was used to measure computer self-efficacy. Faculty also reported their involvement in technology training over the last five years and their technology use in the classroom. Teacher candidates completed either an online or …

The Development Of An Instructional Leadership Training Seminar For Elementary Assistant Principals, Lisa R. Buffaloe

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this project was to supply first or second year elementary assistant principals with a school-based training seminar that would strengthen their instructional leadership skills and provide a network of professional support to beginning administrators. The product was a human resource development activity. The goal of the seminar, while providing leadership theory and practical strategies, was to advance the understanding of the connection between effective leadership and improved student learning.

A nonexperimental, descriptive research design that incorporated survey methodology to collect the data needed to identify common areas of concern and to develop the curriculum for a seminar …

Increasing The Active Participation Of Caregivers In The Implementation Of The Individualized Family Service Plan In An Early Intervention Program, Jennifer Cave

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to improve the implementation of early intervention therapy services in natural environments. Active caregiver participation during therapy is vital to the success of early intervention. However, the caregivers of infants and toddlers with developmental delays who were receiving early intervention therapy from an agency that served three counties in the southeastern United States were not actively participating in the implementation of the Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs).

In order to increase the level of active caregiver participation during therapy sessions, six solution strategies were implemented. The researcher provided information to the caregivers by creating a …

Leading The District-Mandated Technology Focus At Twin Lakes Elementary Through The Development, Validation, And Implementation Of A Technology Training Program, Kristen E. Bazley

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Twin Lakes Elementary will be emphasizing the areas of math and technology beginning in the school year 2003-2004. The school’s infrastructure and curriculum had to be completely revised in order for technology integration to occur. Moreover, most of the teaching faculty possessed few, if any, of the computer skills they needed to function in this new environment and there was a significant degree of skepticism and resistance in adopting this new way of teaching.

The purpose of this project was twofold: (1) to develop and present a training program that would enable faculty members to utilize technology instruction methods in …

Development Of A Comprehensive Professional Education, Implementation, And Evaluation Plan For Part-Time Faculty At South Puget Sound Community College, Lee Paavola

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was the lack of a process to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of parttime faculty at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC). The purpose of this study was to produce a comprehensive professional education, implementation, and evaluation plan for part-time faculty.

The following five research questions were investigated as part of this study: (a) What is the current status of faculty development at SPSCC? (b) At the national level, are there models for part-time development programs that could establish a benchmark for the SPSCC program? (c) What are the essential elements of a professional development …

Evaluating An Advisory Program In A Community School District, Lydia C. Alvarado

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation describes the results of a formative evaluation of the implementation of instructional techniques in an advisory program and the staff’s commitment to the program. The question that this study addressed was, Are the faculty members implementing instructional techniques (group dynamics techniques, group discussion techniques and critical thinking questioning techniques) during the advisor-advisee period?

To address the above concern, the advisers received staff development on instructional techniques that would assist them in conducting their advisory lessons. The instructional techniques consisted of (a) group dynamics techniques, (b) questioning techniques in discussion groups, and (c) critical thinking questioning techniques. Informal …

The Impact Of Technology Workshops And Technology Integration In An Elementary School, Jill L. Carr

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Effects of technology workshops on the implementation and integration of technology in the elementary level course curriculum was studied. The technology facilitator, who is also a member of the elementary school faculty, participated in the study as the implementer and writer. Participants completed a presurvey that measured their prior knowledge, skills, current attitudes, and expectations regarding the infusion of technology into their course curriculum. All teachers participated in a series of small group workshops given by this writer in their workplace at a time convenient to all participants.

Implementing and restructuring technology training development into an effective staff development plan …

Developing Block Schedule Instructional Methods In A Learning Organization At Theodore High School, Tammy D. Dennis

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a developmental model of staff development for Theodore High School. Currently, the school employs the block scheduling format, and has failed to provide teacher with training in instructional methods most appropriate for the restructured curriculum. It was initially discovered that several teachers did not know how to use various instructional methods better suited for block scheduling. This project explores using a teacher mentorship program as a part of staff development to increase the use of instructional methods in the block scheduling curriculum format. The teachers will be trained in various block scheduling methods …

Improving Reading Instruction Through Staff Development At Putnam County Elementary School, Kirk D. Mallette

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem addressed was low reading achievement for Grade 2 students at Putnam County Elementary School. Reading comprehension and vocabulary skills were not being demonstrated by Grade 2 students to a satisfactory level according to the test data. Teachers in the school expressed frustration about how to help students achieve higher levels. One variable that impacts reading achievement is teacher instruction. This study addresses that variable.

The intervention was a staff development training program to help Grade 2 teachers at Putnam County Elementary School learn to implement a balanced approach to literacy through guided reading and guided writing. The quasi-experimental …

Case Study Project: A Professional Development Approach Linked To Student Achievement, Martha Adam Colwell

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Woodland, a 3rd- and 4th-grade elementary school in Milford, Massachusetts, implemented a multiyear professional development program in order to improve student achievement in reading. The need for improvement became obvious after 3 years of low scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests and a failure to meet state expectations for the school. This project involved training all teachers to use the Case Study of an individual student to illustrate how to assess and guide reading instruction for all students in the classroom.

Every regular education teacher, special education teacher, bilingual teacher, English-as-a-second language teacher, and reading teacher selected a …

Analysis Of Job Satisfaction Between Full And Part Time Faculty Teaching At South Puget Sound Community College, Lee Paavola

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The problem under investigation was to determine if the perceived loss of job satisfaction by the part-time faculty was an accurate assessment of the situation. The purpose of this study was to use inferential statistics to compare the level of job satisfaction of part-time faculty to fulltime faculty currently teaching at the college. The research question to be answered was, "Are the perceived levels of job satisfaction of the part- time faculty equal to the perceived levels of job satisfaction of full-time faculty?" Validation followed these procedures. First, a review of the literature was conducted to discover research relevant to …

A Qualitative Study Of Four University Teaching And Learning Centers: Activities, Funding, And Evaluation Of Professional Development For Faculty, Melba L. Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the activities, funding, accountability, and evaluation of selected teaching and learning centers relative to the professional development of faculty in four-year public institutions of higher education. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with directors of four teaching and learning centers. In accordance with the concept of purposeful sampling, the centers chosen for study were located in Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina. The following research questions were investigated: (1) What is the primary mission or purpose of teaching and learning centers relative to faculty development? (2) What types of activities …

The Feedback Loop - Winter 1994, Nova Southeastern University

The Feedback Loop

No abstract provided.

Differentiated Supervision As A Means Of School Improvement, Donald D. Gainey

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This report describes the effort for reducing the discrepancy between the perceived effectiveness of the clinical-supervision process and the teacher-evaluation process. The problem was originally noted when teachers rated the teacher-evaluation process substantially higher than the clinical-supervision process on separate school involvement needs assessments. A survey of students also indicated that there was a substantial difference between teachers they regarded as the “best” and those they regarded as “average.”

Analysis of the problem symptoms revealed that adopted teacher-evaluation policies and procedures were rated highly by teachers as a means of professional development. The lack of definitive policies and procedures for …

Staff Development Guidelines For Effective Staff Development Programs, Glenn Spinnie

All Graduate Projects

The staff development programs recommended through literature and programs in actual practice in the state of Washington were studied. Thirty-two school districts responded to a questionnaire based on important findings in the literature. The results showed strengths and weaknesses in staff development programs. This study did indicate that staff development programs in the state of Washington had many of the elements of effective staff development as set forth in the literature.

Staff Development Towards Optimizing Experience And Enthusiasm In The Provision Of Residential Care, D Wayne Kyte

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Due to the wear and tear of years of experience, the staff were unable to muster the enthusiasm necessary to take the risks involved in establishing bonding relationships with the clients.

The author designed and implemented a three phase strategy to generate enthusiasm. The first phase involved presenting workshops on stress and critical incident trauma to alert the staff to the hazards of their work. The second phase was the development of an Employee Assistance Program to support the staff and the final phase was the provision of a Career Planning Program to the Clients by another agency's staff to …

Seminar And Programs To Stress Evaluation, Robert K. Tiemens

Association for Communication Administration Bulletin

This bulletin section outlines the Association for Communication Administration’s thirteenth annual seminar, centered on evaluation of programs, faculty, and administrative practices. The announcement describes eight scheduled sessions addressing tenure productivity, administrative strategies, program health amid financial pressures, and the trend toward unifying communication disciplines under broader departmental umbrellas. Other sessions examine evaluation of artistic work through the Oxford Accord and the challenges of academic administration in varying institutional contexts. The issue also notes co-sponsored programs with other associations, including sessions on mentoring and on media and performance assessment. The seminar was held in conjunction with the 1985 annual convention in …