Education Commons^™

American Institution Of Public, K-12 Education: An Institutional Field Under A Complexity Paradigm, Jennifer Jean Joyalle

Dissertations and Theses

Institutional fields serve as foundational bedrocks that shape and govern behaviors, norms, and practices within distinct domains of societal and organizational interactions. The emergence of machine learning and the ability to manipulate large datasets offer researchers and decision makers the potential ability to model and visualize the behavior associated with institutional fields.

This proof of concept provides an example of visualizing the changing conditions in the institutional field of public K-12 education in America as a topology. By interweaving three primary strands of theory -- institutional fields, complexity in the guise of complex adaptive systems as a paradigm, and paradigms …

Behavior Training For Educators: What Training Do Educators Need To Support Students With Challenging Behaviors?, Michelle R. Milburn

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral training programs/frameworks and Professional Development (PD) delivery methods that certified staff - including teachers, speech-language pathologists, school psychologists, occupational therapists, and teachers on special assignment - as well as administrators, believe to be necessary to address the academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students exhibiting challenging behaviors. This national study used survey methods to explore the views of US K-12 public school educators on the PD needed to support student behavior effectively. Using social media recruitment, primarily through Reddit and Facebook, allowed the survey to reach a substantially larger …

Autonomy In The Spaces: Teacher Autonomy, Scripted Lessons, And The Changing Role Of Teachers, Madhu Narayanan, A. L. Shields, T. J. Delhagen

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The work of teachers has historically been highly controlled, but one area teachers have been granted considerable autonomy is in instruction and planning. Teacher autonomy is a complex concept with important implications for both the quality of instruction and teacher persistence in the field. The rise of charter management organizations (CMOs) and the increasing use of scripted lesson plans (SLPs) have introduced new institutional arrangements with unknown impacts on teachers’ perceptions of autonomy. This mixed method study surveyed 155 teachers across all grade levels from CMOs, independent charter, and district schools, on their perceptions of autonomy related to lesson planning. …

Branches In The Pipeline: Status-Seeking In Principal Licensure Candidates, Madhu Narayanan

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This paper investigates the reasons and motivations that people pursue administrative licenses. Questions such as who enrolls, why they choose to seek an administrative license, and what are their future goals, are all relevant to address challenges of principal attrition and turnover. With calls for the development of quality, equity-focused leaders, it is important to understand how motivations of entrants align with those of school districts and policy makers. This paper contributes to the research on the so-called “principal pipeline” by analyzing the reflections of candidates from an institutional perspective. This view considers modern schools to be social structures governed …

The Radical Relationality Of Complex Partnerships: Community-Member Experiences In Critical Community-Based Learning, Amie Riley

Dissertations and Theses

Through a radical relationality within the social-ecological systems that sustain us, critical community-based learning (CBL) in higher education offers a praxis for engaging the demanding pedagogical and community challenges we face. When CBL is implemented as both a critical and sustainability pedagogy, as a strategy for social change, the relationships created by CBL partnerships have the potential to generate transformational outcomes for all partnership agents. Using a critical complexity theoretical framework, a bricolage of complexity science and critical theory, this critical qualitative study sought to understand the systemic patterns and behaviors of a community-based learning partnership by elevating community-member voices. …

The Double Dutch Retention Framework: A Grounded Theory Study On Increasing Racial Staff Diversity At Pacific Northwest Community Colleges, Dominique S. Austin

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the troubling underrepresentation of staff of color in Pacific Northwest community colleges. Despite the proven benefits of racial staff diversity in promoting student success, community colleges face challenges in recruiting and retaining staff of color. Existing literature concerning non-teaching staff at community colleges is limited. This study adds to the existing literature by investigating the experiences and perceptions of staff of color in Pacific Northwest community colleges to identify effective strategies for increasing racial staff diversity.

This study used a constructivist grounded theory approach in a comprehensive data collection process involving surveys, individual and focus group interviews, …

Beyond First Thoughts: Understanding The Essence Of Equitable Decision-Making, A Phenomenological Study, White Practitioners As Equitable Educational Decision-Makers, Zinnia Un

Dissertations and Theses

This interpretive phenomenological study aims to understand the lived experience of White educational decision-makers (EDMs) as they make equitable decisions for racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse (RCLD) students. Six decades after the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, the landscape of American education changed. Many scholars theorized the impact of colorblindness in decision-making and the connection to disproportionate outcomes for RCLD students.

The Student Success Act (2019) brings an additional $1 billion in investment to schools in Oregon annually. This allocation of school resources required an initial and ongoing community engagement process to ensure funding supports well-rounded education …

Cultivating Joy: Play, Rest, And Connection In Regenerative Cycles, Tim D. Howe

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

As dominant systems continue to lean towards unsustainable patterns, fueled by models of white supremacy and capitalism, these paradigms can be challenged by prioritizing joy and wonder as essential inputs rather than measurable outcomes. This paper seeks to imagine the ways in which failing systems that promise eternal growth and insatiable power dynamics can be in part dismantled through creating the conditions necessary for joy to take precedence over productivity.

Local Voices: Counterstorytelling And Retention Of Faculty Of Color In Oregon's Community College System, Kristin Christophersen

Dissertations and Theses

The Oregon community college system employs a full-time faculty workforce that is overwhelmingly White. This study aimed to research why the representation of faculty of color in the state’s community colleges remains low by conducting interviews with faculty of color about their experiences at these public 2-year institutions using counterstorytelling as research methodology. Using critical race theory as a theoretical framework, this study collected and analyzed the counterstories of seven faculty of color in a variety of institutions and regions across one state about their experiences with institutional racism and how it impacts their persistence strategies and retention patterns.

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Disability Status Disclosure, Accommodation Use, And Student Success: Curricular And Co-Curricular Implications, Kaela Marie Parks

Dissertations and Theses

Colleges and universities rely on the individualized accommodation process to ensure access for students with disabilities, however, there is ample evidence that educational inequity is pervasive. This study used a critical and comparative quantitative methodology (n=6,500) to investigate data from a large urban community college, analyzing the relationship between final grades and accommodation eligibility and use across academic disciplines and curricular modalities (in-person vs. on-line) to identify implications for the academic success of students with disabilities. Results indicate disability inequity varies across racial identity groups and racial inequity persists across disability status groups. Results also indicate that accommodation may be …

Navigating The Transition: Strategies For Supporting The Success Of At-Risk Youth From Middle School To High School And Beyond, Jessica L. Hlavinka

University Honors Theses

It has been demonstrated that small class sizes are beneficial for at-risk students transferring to high school. With fewer students, teachers are better able to give personalized attention and assistance, which can encourage students' engagement and motivation to study. Small class numbers can also foster a feeling of community and belonging, which is essential for at-risk students who may feel alienated at school. Also shown to be successful in assisting at-risk adolescents with the transition to high school are mentoring programs. High school students can get assistance and support from mentors as they negotiate the obstacles of the academic environment. …

Elementary Principal Leadership And Special Education: A Case Study In The United States, Vivian M. Garrison

Dissertations and Theses

School districts have called upon principals to build capacity for inclusive learning environments and prioritize the needs of an increasingly diverse group of students. A principal's work to effectively include students so they are part of the school community and have opportunities to achieve academically has been challenging. As the instructional leader of the school, principals have played an essential role by collaborating with teachers and specialists, removing obstacles to learning, and ensuring that teachers meet the needs of all learners in their classrooms. They have also been held accountable for knowing the laws, policies, and best practices to support …

Understanding The Experiences Of Latino Medical Students In A Learning Medical Environment, Leslie García

Dissertations and Theses

Very little is known about the experiences and perceptions of underrepresented minority (URiM) medical students in the U.S. allopathic medical schools. The limited literature posits URiMs experience more adverse experiences in the learning environment and have different learning outcomes in comparison to their White peer counterparts. Latino medical students represent 7.1% of all entering medical students across all U.S. medical schools. While they represent the largest ethnic minority in the United States within parity lack representation among the physician workforce [sic]. There is a dearth of knowledge of what factors contribute to the success of Latino medical students progressing in …

Teaching Routines And Student-Centered Mathematics Instruction: The Essential Role Of Conferring To Understand Student Thinking And Reasoning, Eva Thanheiser, Kathleen Melhuish

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We compare two lessons with respect to how a teacher centers student mathematical thinking to move instruction forward through enactment of five mathematically productive teaching routines: Conferring To Understand Student Thinking and Reasoning, Structuring Mathematical Student Talk, Working With Selected and Sequenced Student Math Ideas, Working with Public Records of Students’ Mathematical Thinking, and Orchestrating Mathematical Discussion. Findings show that the lessons differ in the enactment of teaching routines, especially Conferring to Understand Student Thinking and Reasoning which resulted in a difference in student-centeredness of the instruction. This difference highlights whose mathematics was being centralized in the classroom and whether …

Leaving Kindergarten Well: First-Grade Readiness In Outdoor Waldorf Kindergartens, Garry H. Oak

Leadership for Sustainability Education Comprehensive Papers

This article proposes an intervention to address the complex needs of children in outdoor Waldorf kindergartens. The intervention suggests integrating cultural responsiveness practices, remedial education, and outdoor teacher training competency into existing teacher training programs. By adopting this comprehensive approach, new teachers can acquire the necessary tools to meet the diverse needs of their students and adapt to the challenges of modern education. Ongoing professional development programs are also recommended to enable teachers to continuously enhance their skills throughout their careers. This multi-pronged solution aims to establish a more equitable and effective educational system that considers various dimensions of children's …

#Blackatcmo: Challenging Charter Schools Through Youth Instagram Counterstories, Madhu Narayanan, Matthew Mccluskey

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

As protests flared in 2020, Black students took to Instagram to voice their experiences at ‘no-excuses’ Charter Management Organizations (CMOs). Such schools have presented a discourse of high achievement and social justice. Yet, in the span of a few weeks, hundreds of posts on Instagram offered rarely heard counter-narratives of the experience of being a student of Color at such schools. This paper analyzes how social media posts combine online discourse and youth culture to provide insight into the racialized experience of schooling. We show how these posts created distinct visual signatures, co-opted the well-crafted narratives of CMOs, and took …