Education Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study On The Impact Of Servant Leadership For Establishing A Culture Of High Performance As Perceived By High School Principals, Darrick Rice

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the perceived impact of Patterson’s (2003) 7 servant leadership constructs on high school principals in establishing a culture of high performance.

Methodology: The qualitative phenomenological study described the lived experiences of high school principals who lead schools that have implemented Patterson's (2003) 7 servant leadership constructs for establishing a culture of high performance in Los Angeles County, California. The researcher was a part of 8 peer researchers and 2 faculty advisors. The data collection included virtual face-to-face semi structured interviews using a protocol developed by the thematic team. …

Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations To English Learners: Leadership Perceptions On Key Issues, Pamela R. Schwallier

Dissertations

English Learners (ELs), who now represent nearly 10% of all K-12 public school students, 4.8 million of who speak over 400 different languages and dialects, continue to lack equitable educational opportunities as demonstrated through gaps in achievement outcomes, poor graduation rates, and identified systemic barriers related to the intersectionality of language, culture, race, and racism (Crump, 2014; DeMatthews & Izquierdo, 2017; Menken & Solorza, 2015; Morita-Mullaney, 2018; National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition [NCELA], 2015, 2018). This quantitative study captured over 800 K-12 educational leaders’ perspectives, via an anonymous electronic survey, on key issues regarding equitable programs for ELs that …

Trust In Leadership To Develop Collaborative School Culture And Effective Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities, Kara Mieszanek

Dissertations

DISSERTATION: TRUST IN LEADERSHIP TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Kara N. Mieszanek National Louis University

ABSTRACT

In education, we are constantly working toward increasing student achievement. Often, we pursue technical elements such as implementing programs, data analysis, utilizing assessment tools, embedding evaluation systems, etc. However, there is another critical element that may all too often get overlooked—the culture. The purpose of this study was to strip away all the layers required to achieve systemic change by observing what is at the core of it all: trust. Through qualitative and quantitative research, I took …

Critical Followership: Faculty And Leader Relations Impact On Leadership Turnover At A California Community College, Erik William Christianson

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are experiencing higher levels of executive leader (chancellor, vice chancellor, and dean) turnover than four-year universities. Many different factors account for the high turnover and low retention: the need for dynamic leaders, the leadership succession process, the lack of professional training and development, as well as stakeholders and outside forces. The relationship dynamic between faculty and leaders as a contributing factor has not been previously studied. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine leaders’ misperceptions of faculty’s needs. Surveys and interviews were utilized to cross-examine data and perceptions from faculty and leaders. Through the lens …

Illuminating The Voices Of Black Women Principals: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Crystal L. Haskins

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

School reform efforts, particularly those that are concerned with equity and social justice have led to an evolution of educational leadership theories and practices. Among these, Culturally Responsive School Leadership and Critical Race Theory have emerged as potential frameworks for dismantling the ghost of neo-managerialism and its impact on Black and Brown students’ academic success (Barton, 1998; MacRuairc, 2012; Terry, 1998). Relatedly, there is a dearth in the literature regarding the experiences of Black Women Principals; their lives, leadership styles, and accomplishments are not consistently recognized as valued contributions to educational research (Ladson-Billings, 2002). The purpose of this phenomenological study …

The Relationship Between The Next Generation Content Area Reading Professional Development Program On The Effectiveness Of Teaching Literacy Strategies In High School Biology Classes, Tia Pridgen Brown

Dissertations

The need for effective content area reading teachers have continued to increase since the introduction of one public school districts’ Content Area Reading Professional Development (CAR-PD) in 2006. In 2011, modifications were made to improve the program, and it became known as the Next Generation Content Area Reading Professional Development (NGCAR-PD). The purpose of this program evaluation is to investigate the relationship between NGCAR-PD certified Biology teachers and their ability to implement reading strategies with science content effectively. The context of this inquiry is a mid-sized public school district that has implemented the program since 2006 at the middle and …

A Grounded Theory Of The Impact Of Teachnj On The Instructional Leadership Of Superintendents, Russell Matthew Lazovick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory, grounded in data obtained by interviewing current superintendents on how TEACHNJ has impacted their ability to improve student performance. TEACHNJ is a law enacted by the state of New Jersey to improve teacher quality and raise student performance by changing evaluation and tenure processes in order to create greater transparency, equity, consistency, and accountability across districts. This study examined the law's impact on five specific actions superintendents can take that have been found to enhance student performance. The study found that TEACHNJ served as a punctuating event, sending …

Church And Public School Partnerships Creating Educational Equity, Michael L. Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The problem of this study involved how pastors can enhance their awareness of creating church and public school partnerships, the contributing factors that prevent the formation of public school and urban church partnerships, and the need to identify leadership strategies that can be implemented by school leaders and urban pastors to overcome those obstacles. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how urban pastors and public-school leaders could become more aware of church and public-school partnerships and address contributing factors that prevent church and public school partnerships. In addition, possible leadership strategies to increase church and …

Retaining Special Education Teachers: The Relationship Between School Leadership And Special Education Teacher Retention In A Low-Income School, Amanda Elizabeth Jones

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

School districts across America are struggling to recruit, hire, and retain qualified teachers in the classroom (Wushishi, Fooi, Basri & Baki, 2014; Simpson, Whelan & Zabel, 1993). In 2006 the national teacher replacement cost in America averaged approximately $2.2 billion per year (Borman & Dowling, 2008). A once highly esteemed profession is now one faced with many positions left unfilled and students without instructors. The influence of teacher shortages across content areas can be felt by students and teachers alike (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2019). Although general education teachers leaving their classrooms can negatively impact students in various situations, those students …

Fostering Peer Mentorship Amongst Student Conduct Leaders, Gianna Metz

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of my study was to explore the peer mentor relationships amongst the Student Conduct Leadership Team at the University of San Diego. My research question is: How can I work with the Student Conduct Leadership Team to further develop peer mentor relationships amongst each other in order to create a more effective hearing process? Based on my experience working with these student leaders, I have observed challenges in group cohesion and connection to the team’s purpose. I sought to develop strategies to better advise them in order to strengthen their self-advocacy and sense of belonging to the team. …

Strengthening Academic Leadership Practices In A Regionally Dispersed Multi-Campus College In Canada: A Collective Approach To Leadership, Diane N. Sénécal

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Postsecondary institutions are expected to respond to constantly changing and varying interests and needs of businesses, communities and students. An increasing number of postsecondary institutions now offer multiple programs and services to respond to this new reality, expanding their activities outside of traditional education, through research, community partnerships or corporate training opportunities. As a result, many now have multiple campuses and departments to support this new reality.

This Organizational Improvement Plan explores one regionally dispersed multi-campus college, College X, in the context of academic program delivery across campuses. It focuses on the challenges of alignment and coherence in program delivery …

Continuous Improvement Leadership In Applied Research, Silvana Maclean

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The purpose of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is to assist leaders in Ontario colleges in understanding the barriers and challenges of engaging faculty to enact applied research practices. Undergirding this OIP is social cognition theory and the analytical discipline of improvement science theory. Taken together, these theories align with systems thinking and are a step towards a holistic understanding of the dynamics of a college learning culture. Underpinned by a set of simple principles including improving through communication, learning through collaboration, and changing through coordination, a continuous improvement (CI) leadership approach, which combines servant (Greenleaf, 1977), team (Kogler Hill, …

Campbell’S Chicken Noodle Soup™ And Saltine Crackers: A Milpero’S Autoethnographic Study Of Struggle And Success In Life And In Education, Ernesto Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

The state of Texas has close to 3,000 colonias, with most of them found along the Texas/Mexico border (“Colonias in Texas,” n.d.) and the most citizens of any state living in colonias. I grew up in a colonia in South Texas called Las Milpas, located in Pharr, Texas. Colonia children are often stigmatized and marginalized. This autoethnographic study is a look into my life as an educator and the social and cultural factors that have contributed to my survival and success. As a child, I lost both my mother and father. I was fortunate that my oldest …

Advancing Higher Education: Strategic Leadership For Chief Advancement Officers, Matthew Ohs

Leadership Education Capstones

This research study focuses on the role of strategic leadership within effective advancement organizations. Given the fundraising responsibility of university advancement leaders, there is a need to research the leadership strategies which lead to successful fundraising. The purpose of this study is to determine effective leadership strategies for Chief Advancement Officers (CAOs) at four-year, public universities. Strategic Leadership Theory suggests connections between the university’s executive leadership and institutional success (Boal & Hooijberg, 2001; Finkelstein & Hambrick, 1996). The research study design is qualitative to explore the experiences of individuals regarding the connections between leadership strategies and fundraising performance in university …

Investigating Leadership Styles Of Childcare Directors, Michelle P. Grantham-Caston

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this study was to contribute to the literature on childcare director’s leadership styles and director’s self-perception. For leaders in childcare to be effective they must possess skills, characteristics, and traits of effective leadership which have been identified in the seminal literature of Bass (1995) and Burns (1979). This quantitative study examined early childhood leaders self-identification with the leadership styles in The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Bass & Avolio, 1995) as well as other demographic variables which could contribute to early childhood leaders’ self-perception of leadership styles. This study was to break apart the three overarching leadership styles …

Black Males Matter, The Educational Marathon Continues: The Relative Impact Of Student-, Family-, And School-Level Domains On The Educational Outcomes Of Black Males, Shawn F. Brown

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The educational outcomes of Black males within the United States are problematic. In far too many areas of life (health, education, employment, income, and mortality), this population is overrepresented in the lowest quartile. This dissertation seeks to understand that phenomenon by systematically considering conduits and barriers to these outcomes. More specifically, by employing the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) data set, ecological systems theory, and critical race theory, and hierarchical regression modeling, this dissertation explores the relative impact of student-level, family-level, and school-level domains on the educational outcomes of a national sample of Black males. Given the findings, recommendations are …

Exploring Resiliency During The Nursing Student Clinical Experience, Natalie N. Mcmullin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In nursing programs, it is common for students to not complete their degree (Van Hoek et al., 2019). This problem is perpetuated as students who experience high stress and lack resiliency are more likely to be unsuccessful or take longer to complete their nursing degree (Van Hoek et al., 2019). Resiliency is not only important for students during their degree, it is essential to continuously strengthen it throughout their nursing career (Turner & Kaylor, 2015). The aims of this organizational improvement plan will be to empower nursing students to be more resilient in the clinical setting so that they are …

Intentional Curriculum Development For An Introductory Leadership Course At The University Of San Diego, Kayla Snow

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

The purpose of this study was to better understand the needs of the Emerging Leaders courses at the University of San Diego. My overarching research question was: how do I utilize previous instructors, students, and campus partners to implement curriculum changes that will enhance classroom inclusivity and educational impact for this undergraduate leadership course? Using McNiff’s cycles of action research as a guiding framework, I explored the intentionality behind developing a curriculum that guides these classes. Reflecting on student feedback, I was able to see an overall satisfaction in the implemented curriculum changes. Ultimately, this work was significant in understanding …

Leadership Development Of Women In Panhellenic Organizations, Kristen Reynolds

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This study seeks to understand how women of Panhellenic sororities at the University of San Diego (USD) define and perform their meaning of leadership to create positive change in their organizations. My overarching research question was: How can I assist the members of Panhellenic sororities at USD to take up their authority as leaders to influence positive change in their chapter? This research reflects my experiences with Panhellenic sorority women at USD and intentional stakeholders throughout the 2019-2020 academic year. This study was influenced by Ira Chaleff's work on courageous followership, Baxter Magolda’s theory of self-authorship, and David Cooperrider, Diana …

The History Of The Doctoral Program In Organizational Leadership At Brandman University From An Innovation Theory Perspective: Alpha Cohort 2012, Jennifer Dinielli

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this historical research study was to document the development of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership at Brandman University from concept and design to implementation with the Alpha cohort of 2012. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to chronicle the decisions that guided program development and the factors that influenced key leaders and decisions from an innovation perspective of Bolman and Deal’s four-frame model of structural, human resource, political, and symbolic frames. Methodology: In this historical study, artifact and relic review and interviews were utilized to secure data from key leaders involved in …

Teacher Expectations, Self-Efficacy, And Collective Efficacy In Three Tennessee Literacy Networks, Amanda Tinker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the dependent variables- teacher expectations, self-efficacy, and collective efficacy among the three levels of the independent variable- membership in one three literacy networks in Tennessee- Leading Innovation for Tennessee (LIFT), Read to Be Ready Coaching Network (RTBR), and Tennessee Early Literacy Network (TELN)- and if significant correlations existed between the dependent variables for each network. The population consisted of 161 K-3 Tennessee teachers who had been involved in the work of one of the three networks. Participants responded to an online survey via Google …

A Perspective Of Female Faculty In Hospitality Higher Education, Clarissa Mason

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bullying and related incivility have become critical social issues influencing not only individual lives but also society at large; yet, extensive research on bullying only began about four decades ago (Randall, 2001; Sanders, 2004). Bullying can happen to children, but it can also impact adults more often than one would think. The 2014 WBI U.S. Workplace Bullying Survey, conducted by the Workplace Bullying Institute , found that “, one-quarter of adult Americans (27%) said they directly experienced abusive conduct at work” (Namie, Christensen, & Phillips, 2014, p.4), and over one third of adults are aware of incidents of workplace bullying. …

Emotional Intelligence And Decision-Making In Higher Education Administrators In Post-Secondary Institutions In Eastern Tennessee, Rachel Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the impact of emotional intelligence on decision-making in higher education administrators. A qualitative research design was used for this study. Data was collected in three phases from the following sources; survey, case study submissions, and open-ended face-to-face interviews. The research data, about emotional intelligence and decision-making, were collected form ten higher education administrators. Constant comparative method was an important part of the data collection process for this study. Range of participant leadership experience was 3-8+ years and participant roles were either, Department Chair, Program Director, Dean, Provost, and President. The findings …

Women In Leadership: A Narrative Study On The Elements That Manifest Barriers And Opportunities, Misty Sweat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry study is to explore the barriers and opportunities women in K-12 leadership face, particularly with how they navigate conflicts in their work-life balance and in what ways they have been afforded opportunities. Work-life balance will be generally defined as the reconciliation of the conflicting demands and obligations between a women’s professional requirements and her personal life. Opportunities will be defined as events that lead to a woman’s career advancements and accomplishments. The study was designed to identify perceived barriers and opportunities during both the ascension to and experience of holding a public K-12 educational …

Developing Mentoring Relationships Among Collegiate Coaches Using Developmental Leadership Strategies, Lawren Mckinney

Leadership Education Capstones

A mentor is described as a role model with influence on another’s professional career (Abiddin, 2006). Mentoring comes from a development of an individual (Abiddin). Where this development is the growth of the individual to develop a leadership style (Day, 2011; Day et al., 2014). The purpose of this study is to explore how developmental leadership can help increase mentoring relationships between collegiate coaches in Division II athletics. The experiences of this phenomenon among collegiate coaches gives the opportunity to hear from them the individuals directly involved in these mentoring relationships within the program striving for continuous growth. This study …

Developing Student Leadership: The Use Of Programs And Methods To Build Adolescent Leadership Capacity, Jonathan D. Waldron

Masters Theses

High school students have a wealth of opportunities to practice leadership skills. Focusing on the importance of leadership training to help teens develop and strengthen their ability to influence, in this project I evaluate the current research about best practices in adolescent leadership training. Although best practices suggest that students grow as leaders with intentional training and guidance from mentors and coaches, few students who hold leadership positions in school or community organizations receive any training at all. This paper describes the necessity for, and creation of a program designed to inspire, motivate and strengthen leadership skills in high school …

How Elementary Teachers Demonstrate Leadership In The Classroom To Increase Science Learning, Dipsy Anais Etanislao Gonzalez

Dissertations

In the DR, the need of producing drastic changes in students’ outcomes fostered the adaptation of a professional development (PD) program to improve the public education system. In 2013, the National Institute for Teacher Preparation chose the School Centered Continuous Teacher’s Preparation (EFCCE, acronym in Spanish) PD program to help teachers with the needed transformation. This program aimed to form knowledgeable and skillful teachers who exhibit instructional leadership in the classroom.

This qualitative, multiple instrumental case study involved 10 Dominican science elementary teachers who had completed the EFCCE program and who had self-identified as a teacher actively implementing engaging science …

Transformational Leadership Qualities Among Students Within Doctoral Higher Education Leadership Programs, Joshua Lee Howell

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Transformational Leadership Qualities Among Students Within Doctoral Higher Education Leadership Programs is a mixed-method study utilizing program evaluation of course descriptions and transformational leadership fostering activities, interviews with program chairs surrounding transformational leadership fostering activities, and completion of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5x™) survey results from doctoral higher education students and their programs within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Researchers in the field of Higher Education and Leadership indicated that Transformational Leadership was more apt for college and university presidency, that doctoral degrees were more preferable for college and university presidency, and as doctoral higher education programs provide students with curriculum …

How Principals Learn To Be Technology Leaders: A Critical Incident Qualitative Study, Leon R. Edwards Ii

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate how principals learn to be technology leaders by examining the different ways principals learn and exploring the skills principals perceive are needed. The study also examines what principals do differently to develop a successful technology integration (or not). Using the critical incident method, 18 principals were interviewed from across the state. The in-depth interviews were transcribed for all participants interviewed and then analyzed using coding and theming with the aid of memos. From this, three predominant categories emerged: learning, skills, and challenges.

The findings from the study reveal that principals learn primarily …

Exploring The Political Styles And Strategies Used By Successful Women Classified Managers In Educational Agencies, Colleen Stanley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover and describe the political styles of successful women classified managers within California’s central coast region who advanced from middle management to top-level management level positions within an educational agency. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to explore and understand the political strategies that they perceived enhanced or hindered their ability to be promoted.

Methodology: This phenomenological study captured the stories of classified women managers’ lived experiences as they successfully advance in their careers to high-level management positions within an educational agency. A sample size of 15 …