Digital Commons Network^™

Community School Programming, Timothy D Gilbert

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary educational legislation is pushing a resurgence of historic educational program models to meet historic and contemporary barriers to student and school achievement. School districts, especially in urban centers are faced with increased challenges in meeting needs to ensure their achievement. These challenges include meeting the unique needs of students more frequently affected by barriers created by community poverty. School reform programs such as the Community Schools are being popularized to support underperforming schools, especially those serving high-poverty communities. This project reviewed comprehensive research regarding Community Schools including descriptions of their structures, their features and evidence of their effectiveness. The …

Speaking To The Head And The Heart: Prioritizing Empathetic Communication In The Post-Covid Workplace, Kevin T. Caffrey

Administrative / Professional Faculty Articles

As of August 2022, COVID-19 continues to affect our daily lives in physical, psychological, and financial ways. Many vulnerable individuals are struggling to adapt to returning to work and as a result, employee morale is at risk. In times of crises, empathy is needed in the workplace to support one another, but many leaders and employees may not have a firm grasp of the concept. This article seeks to define empathetic communication and explore the need for prioritizing empathy amid the current post-COVID-19 workplace. Through a literature review of empathy, psychological safety in the workplace, and crisis leadership, the author …

Becoming A Stem-Focused Catholic School: Insights Into Adopting A Curricular Specialization, Julie W. Dallavis

Journal of Catholic Education

School choice policies seek to increase access to educational opportunities and stimulate innovations in schooling. This study examines the early stages of one such innovation—school-wide curricular specialization—in three Catholic elementary schools adopting a STEM focus and uses interviews to consider how and why different levels of support exist for the shift and under what conditions private and religious schools are prepared to make significant changes in instructional practice. Findings suggest that school resources—material, human, and social along with professional development—play an important role in shaping engagement in the adoption of a school-wide curricular focus.

Halloween 2023: It's A Barbie World!, Jin-A Choi, Yi Luo, Bond Benton, Keith Green

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Move over, black and orange, and step aside for the color that is going to dominate Halloween this year, “Barbie Pink.” And yes, Ken, “it won’t matter what you do, you will always be number two,” at least when it comes to Halloween costumes in 2023. And those wildly popular Star Wars and Marvel character costumes traditionally seen during the “spookiest” time of the year? It seems they won’t match the popularity of the fictional character, Barbie, who reemerged this year on the pop culture scene after the incredible success of the Warner Bros. film “Barbie” released in July.

Based …

Race, Ethnicity And Higher Education In The African Diaspora: Guest Editors' Introductory Note, José Jackson-Malete, Amy Jamison, Vaughn W. M. Watson, Aaron Kamugisha, Monique D. A. Kelly, Upenyu S. Majee

Africana Studies: Faculty Books

Authors in this issue of Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives, "Race, Ethnicity, and Higher Education in the African Diaspora," responded to a Call for Thought Pieces from anywhere in the world—urgent, critical reflections of issues around race and ethnicity in higher education institutions and key stakeholder and collaborator organizations in Africa and the African Diaspora.

Toward A Typology Of Internationalization Strategy: The Intersection Of External Environments With Universities’ Structures And Cultures, Eric D. Leise

Dissertations and Theses

This study explored the influence institutional cultures and structures have on a university’s internationalization strategy. It also accounted for the roles external forces, such as government policies and geopolitics, play in shaping internationalization strategies. The comparative case study between the United States, England, and Sweden were situated within the contextual framework of comprehensive internationalization developed by the American Council on Education (ACE) and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Applying neoinstitutionalist theory of isomorphism, the case study revealed three typologies of internationalization strategies: idealist, realist, and pragmatist. The study’s findings provide scholars and practitioners with new tools and insights to right-size …

The Phenomenon Of Academic Advisor Training At Minnesota State Colleges And Universities: A Quantitative Descriptive Research Study, Sara Leigh

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Academic advisors can have a positive impact on the progress of an increasingly diverse student population in higher education, but there is no required professional certification or educational background for academic advisors. The lack of required certification puts the onus for academic advisor training and professional development on the campuses where advisors work. By surveying the professional academic advisors in the Minnesota State higher education system to assess available training and professional development, this quantitative study sought to identify and describe the phenomenon of advisor training within the Minnesota State higher education system. Survey data shows a majority of advisors …

Principals’ Role In The Development Of Middle School Teacher Leaders, Ruben Lubala Chiza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School personnel across the United States are developing additional teacher leadership roles to improve professional learning and retain effective teachers. More information is needed concerning how middle school principals are guiding the development of teacher leaders in their schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the leadership strategies used by middle school principals to develop and support teacher leaders in their schools. Bass's conceptual framework of transformational leadership guided this research. Research questions were designed to explore how middle school principals in urban schools understood their roles in teacher leader development and the leadership strategies employed …

A Leadership Perspective On Preventing Counselor Burnout In A Behavioral Health Setting During Covid-19, Claudia P. De La Torre

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a high need for mental health services, which resulted in a shortage of mental health clinicians. This shortage of mental health clinicians then resulted in a high burnout rate due to client intake. This doctoral case study was grounded in the Baldrige Excellence Framework and focused on how a behavioral health organization in South Texas managed burnout in clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to help behavioral health leaders find a solution to preventing burnout during a high demand pandemic. This doctoral study had several data sources, including semistructured interviews with three …

Managing Nurse Leader Stress To Promote Leader Retention, Rebecca Sue Hawkins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nurse leaders are a health care group that has been provided limited support to managestress and burnout symptoms, yet the impact of leader stress burden on staff satisfaction, patient outcomes, and their own health is vital to the provision of safe, high-quality health care. The problem of leader fatigue and burnout is the ability to retain current leaders and recruit the next generation. The purpose of this staff education project was to address leadership burnout due to stress and the lack of knowledge of how to manage stress in the moment. A combination of Watson’s theory of caring and Ray’s …

Differences Between Nurse-Led Intervention Topics, Longevity, Changed Practices, And Sustainability Planning, Robin Anselm

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Though health care providers use evidence-based interventions (EBIs), a knowledge gap exists regarding lasting change associated with doctorate-prepared nurse interventions and sustainability planning. This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design guided by the five pillars of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) was used to examine the differences between doctorate-prepared nurses’ sustainable EBI topics, intervention longevity, changed clinical practices, and sustainability planning. The dynamic sustainability framework, the adult learning theory, and the social learning theory framed this study. The design included a survey of 1,365 nurse anesthesiologists using a questionnaire composed of the Program Sustainability Assessment Tool (PSAT) version 2 and …

Logistics Leader Strategies For Retaining Employees, Sandra Northern

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Low employee retention can lead to a lack of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for sustainable logistics operations. Logistics leaders are concerned with employee retention because turnover increases business costs, reduces operational efficiency, and decreases profitability. Grounded in Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies logistics leaders use to increase employee retention. The participants were three senior leaders from a logistics organization in the northeast region of the United States who possessed knowledge and experience of the research phenomena. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, company documents, publicly available data, and …

Predictive Relationships Between Organizational Climate, Teacher Stress, And Teacher Turnover Intention, Susan L. Roebuck

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The turnover rate for secondary school educators has increased to the highest in almost 30 years. Public teachers who leave teaching reported that general working conditions, increased job demands, and the inability to manage their workloads (organizational climate) contributed to their decision. The problem addressed in this study is that teacher turnover has negative impacts, including poor student performance and decreased teacher effectiveness of remaining teachers. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine the extent to which organizational climate and teacher stress predict teacher turnover intention. The theoretical framework applied to the interpretation of the statistical results …

Exploring The Benefits Of A Collaboration Between Behavioral Health Coaches And Clinicians, Devan White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This case study addressed how to best use health coaches in the field of behavioral health to improve the accessibility and outreach of a new program launched by the target organization that emphasizes coaching as an intervention for improving well-being and mental fitness. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the potential influence of coaching within the behavioral health field and explore how health coaches could partner with clinicians or behavioral health leaders to allow for more collaboration and accessibility to services. The RQs centered on how health coaches might support the treatment of those who have …

Strategies Used By Small Traditional Retail Business Owners For Sustainability, Linda Ogbah Faas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Small businesses fail at an alarming rate, negatively affecting job creation because small business owners create a major portion of jobs in the United States. In March of 2020, 274,000 businesses failed in the United States, resulting in 76,000 lost jobs. Owners of small traditional retail stores are significantly challenged to avoid financial failure. Grounded in Schumpeter’s entrepreneurship theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies owners of small traditional retail stores used to survive beyond the first 5 years of operations. Participants included five owners of small traditional retail stores in Missouri whose businesses survived …

Exploring Supervisory Experiences After The Legalization Of Recreational Marijuana In Colorado, Charles Daniel Mason

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractColorado became the first state to decriminalize recreational marijuana in 2014. This new public policy resulted in unproven regulatory changes in any population in the United States. The purpose of the study was to discover the core perspective and experiences of 12 supervisors who experienced this phenomenon in their professional occupations, through the lens of accountability. The risk perceptions of supervisors’ due to policy shifts regarding recreational marijuana in Colorado were analyzed using the Delve system and hand coding. Findings indicated employees’ use of marijuana had a direct impact on productivity, which decreased significantly over time. Employees displayed signs of …

Community-Based Organization Leaders’ Communication Effectiveness And Effects On Performance Outcomes, Troy N. Nicholas

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to determine if effective leader communication builds employee relationships that improves organizational performance. Organizational communication is a prominent factor that impacts the outcome of an organization’s goals and assists in executing its mission. There remain some gaps in the current literature considering the work environment and the attitudes of employees as they relate to organizational communication. To address the gap, the constructive grounded theory model was used to construct and analyze a theory of organizational communication. The sample for the study included 12 participants who were leaders or employees in a community-based organizations in …

The Perceived Impact Of Effective Leadership On Employee Engagement And Compliance, Ayana Gilham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The focus of this study was the perceived impact of effective leadership on employee engagement and compliance. The Baldridge Excellence Framework was used as a guide for this qualitative case study of a behavioral health organization (BHO) located in the southeastern region of the United States. Research questions were used to examine the definition of effective leadership, the impact effective leadership has on employee engagement and compliance, and training needed to implement effective leadership practices. Data sources were semi-structured interviews with the organization’s Vice President of Operations and Clinical Director, the organization’s website, government websites, archival data provided by the …

Development Of A Standardized Novice Neonatal Nurse Orientation Program, Joanne Rau Pasinski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Abstract Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are fast-paced units requiring skilled nurses to care for a unique patient population. Orientation of new nurses to the NICU can be challenging for both the orientee and the preceptor. Offering an evidence-based practice orientation program by an accredited organization that is specific to NICU can be a valuable tool for both the preceptor and the orientee as well as enhance nurse, patient, and organizational outcomes. The project question explored if use of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) 15-module nursing orientation program for RNs in a NICU increased their …

Effective Revenue Planning For Small Minority-Owned Mental Health Organizations, Beonko Alejandro Sampson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractRevenue planning for minority-owned organizations is vital for sustainability. This is a significate concern for behavioral health practitioners who must deal with the changing landscape of mental health and the financial worries of sustaining a successful organization. This case study examined effective revenue planning for a minority-owned behavioral health organization located in the mideastern part of the United States. The organization provides several different behavioral treatment services for children, adolescents, and adults. The Baldrige excellence framework for healthcare guided a system-based approach to assessing the minority-owned organization. The systems approach identified noted organizational components of leadership, strategy, and operations. Themes …

Lived Experience Of Women Veterans Navigating The Veteran Healthcare System, Candance Willett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many women veterans who navigate the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system across the United States have felt that their voices have not been heard regarding their input and lived experiences concerning inclusion to the quality-of-care delivery for their health needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of women veterans who were currently facing or had previously faced difficulty navigating the VA healthcare system. The framework used for this qualitative study was interpretive phenomenological analysis. The qualitative method used was hermeneutics which was designed by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. Semi structured interviews were of 12 …

Is "Public Company" Still A Viable Regulatory Category?, George S. Georgiev

Articles

This Article suggests that the ubiquitous "public company" regulatory category, as currently constructed, has outlived its effectiveness in fulfilling core goals of the modern administrative state. An ever-expanding array of federal economic regulation hinges on public company status, but "public company" differs from most other regulatory categories in that it requires an affirmative opt-in by the subject entity. In practice, firms today become subject to public company regulation only if they need access to the public capital markets, which is much less of a business imperative than it once was due to the proliferation of private financing options. Paradoxically, then, …

Who's In Charge?: The Constitutional Confusion Challenging North Carolina's Public School System, Dylan R. Blackburn

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Building And Sustaining Trust During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons In P-12 Educational Leadership, C. Fred Engelhardt Jr.

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Trust has been called the “lubricant for social and interpersonal interactions” and “vital for individuals working together to create effective systems.” Organizations were challenged with considering how to adapt and innovate practices during COVID-19 in order to achieve their purpose and mission, continue their effectiveness towards that end, all while being cognizant of the health and safety of their members. Educational institutions were concurrently required to adopt remote instructional practices, adhere to strict safety and health measures, consider the effects of social-emotional health, while encouraging the ongoing learning of students. Courageous building principals and district leaders encouraged new practices, supported …

Increasing Access To Healthcare For Black, Indigenous, People Of Color (Bipoc) And Impoverished Populations In A Rural County Of North Carolina, Shawn Perry

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Rural healthcare has often lagged when compared to those in suburban areas and inner cities. Rural healthcare has often been less effective, lower in quality, and not as accessible. Access to healthcare has been a key factor in life quality and quantity for all. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data was collected and analyzed which included the community health needs assessment (CHNA) data from the rural county (RC) and a double-blind survey distributed to organizational members by the partnering organization, the rural hospital (RH). The data identified that access to healthcare is a critical need for RC. Additionally, …

Organization Or Idea: Addressing Member Recruitment And Retention Within The Southern State Pageant Delegation, Brenna Mccormick

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study aimed to determine the cause(s) of decreased recruitment and retention within the Southern State pageant delegation. The mixed methodology explanatory sequential design was used to conduct the research. A quantitative survey was conducted first to identify perceptions of past, present, and potential members of the Southern State delegation regarding recruitment and retention practices. Based on data results from the survey, qualitative interviews were conducted. In addition, an analysis of available organizational documents was conducted in relation to the collected quantitative data. Findings suggest that recruitment and retention within the organization are declining due to a lack of a …

New Public Management In U.S. Higher Education: Is Privatization Associated With Lower Costs?, Kevin Mcclure, Adriana Vamosiu, Marvin A. Titus, Steffon M. Gray

School of Business: Faculty Scholarship

This study investigates the application of the three-dimensional New Public Management (NPM) framework to the public higher education setting to examine the relationship between one of the NPM dimensions, privatization, and cost management at 159 public research institutions in the United States between 2005 and 2015. We develop four statistical measures to quantify privatization and find privatization is linked to lower costs as institutions increase the share of revenue from auxiliary enterprises and tuition and fees, but higher costs when increasing out-of- state first-year enrollment. This raises management questions about public higher education cost efficiency, access and DEI for in-state …

Elementary Principal Perceptions Of Their Roles In Literacy Leadership: Collective Efficacy, Preparation, And Literacy Orientation, Monique Marie Jones

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Literacy disparity is a widespread problem for schools across the country. Children with reading difficulties are present in every school in the United States. Although literacy is the foundation of all academics, many students lag behind regardless of their socioeconomic, racial, or gender status. There is mounting pressure on schools to produce students who read proficiently. The elementary school principal plays a pivotal role in creating a thriving literacy culture. For inexperienced and seasoned school administrators, the inability to produce proficient readers by the end of third grade is a significant concern. This dissertation examined the principal's role as a …

Distinctiveness In Hospital Safety And Security, Jimmy Reid Rollins Jr.

Doctor of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand leadership and how these ideas feed into a professional dynamic of employee behavior, organizational leadership, motivation, and workplace culture, and how there is a real human interest as employees excel, grow, mature, and become better individuals.

Participants in this study were employees of a regional health organization and employed with the job title of public safety officer, public safety supervisor, or public safety administrator. This research used a mixed methodology approach in an explanatory design. A survey was completed followed by one on one interviews.

Conducting research into the safety and security …

Teacher Retention, Perceptions, And Attitudes Toward Job Satisfaction And Culture At Central Elementary School, Talia Dottin

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to investigate teacher retention at Central Elementary School by identifying, studying, and considering the reasons connected to teacher perceptions and attitudes as it relates to job (dis)satisfaction since turnover rates can be the deciding factor. The evidence collected in this study may profit educators in the near future by having a clearer understanding of the needs and possible challenges faced by high teacher turnover rates. These results and performance data will help to make recommendations and deliver the appropriate strategies and solutions to prevent teachers from leaving. The participants in this study volunteered to fill out …