Education Commons^™

Investigating The Relationship Between Empowerment And Secondary Science Teachers’ Technology Integration Knowledge, Jane Elizabeth Walsh

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Empowered teachers believe they can improve their work conditions and positively impact student outcomes. Likewise, teachers with technology integration knowledge can effectively use technology to enhance lessons and improve student learning. This quantitative correlational study investigated teachers’ empowerment, teachers’ technology integration knowledge, and associations between empowerment and technology integration knowledge. Two hundred fourteen randomly selected high school science teachers from across the United States responded to a survey intended to measure empowerment and technology integration knowledge. The teachers' average responses indicate that teachers generally agree with statements surrounding empowerment (M = 3.93, SD = 0.54) and technology integration knowledge …

A Statewide Network’S Impact On School Leaders’ Self-Efficacy For Transformational School Change, Karen Perry

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

Changing educational practice is widely understood to be a challenging endeavor, even for experienced school leaders. Much of the research on school networks focuses on building teacher capacity for improving student performance, but less evidence exists relating to increasing school leaders’ self-efficacy, specifically for the purpose of transformational school change. Building on the body of research of school networks and leaders’ self-efficacy, this mixed methods participatory action research study investigates how a network, facilitated by university faculty, impacts the leadership self-efficacy of high school principals for the purpose of leading transformational school change. Self- efficacy is both malleable and essential …

Principals As Instructional Leaders: Building Knowledge Of Applied Learning To Confidently Lead Implementation, Janell Lynn Mcclure

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Principals need to understand best practices and research-based strategies that foster student success and that align to their instructional expectations and professional goals. Some of those practices include applied learning strategies such as integrated learning, student-driven learning, and authentic applications. Unfortunately, little professional learning, specifically for principals, is made available on the topic of instructional leadership, current strategies, or applied learning in general. As a result, school leaders continue to follow a traditional instructional model that includes teacher-directed instruction, student recall of information, and standardized tests as measures of content mastery.

This dissertation was a mixed-methods action research study. The …

How Principals Foster A Culture Of Student Voice, Anne Stewart Demott

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Student voice is a key component of educational leadership, yet school leaders remain confounded about how to succinctly define student voice, how to offer opportunities for students that position them as decision-makers in their schools, and how to integrate student voice into their daily practice, much less transform school cultures into vibrant, student-centered communities of learning. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of how high school principals define student voice, the opportunities they provide for student voice in their schools, and the strategies they implement to foster cultures of student voice.

The study uses a sequential …

The Protection Of Student Data Privacy In Wisconsin School Board Policies, Curtis Clyde Rees

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

American schools have increasingly adopted technology resources to fulfill their educational obligations. These tools are for instruction, communication, and storing and analyzing student information. Student data can be directory information, enrollment records, achievement data, and student-created products. This increased utilization began with the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, and the COVID-19 pandemic led to more educational technology use of student data. Districts turned to third-party vendors for assistance with data systems and virtual learning resources. Before, during, and after the pandemic, stakeholders were concerned about information security and the students' privacy. School leaders looked to federal regulations …

A Quantcrit Investigation Of The Discriminatory Practices In Texas Education Funding, Stuart Andrew Keogh

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The Texas constitution guarantees citizens a "general diffusion of knowledge" and an "efficient system of public free schools." However, the state has often failed to provide sufficient funding to meet this constitutional mandate. Many school districts, especially those serving low-income or minority communities, have been chronically underfunded. This has led to unequal access to quality education. As a result, there have been numerous lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Texas's school funding system. Plaintiffs argue that the state has violated the education clause of the constitution by failing to adequately and equitably fund public schools. Despite several legislative attempts at reform, …

Principal Leadership Practices At Kentucky High Schools Administering The Pisa For Schools: Leading For Global Competitiveness, Marjorie L. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

Since launching Sputnik in 1957, the United States education system has been trying to climb to the top of the international education rankings. The Organisation for Economic and Co-operative Development (OECD) began analyzing how well school systems prepared students to compete in the global economy in 2000. The OECD uses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). U.S. students rank at or near the OECD averages in reading and science but consistently perform below the OECD average in mathematics. In addition to the PISA, the OECD released the PISA for Schools, which provides PISA data at the school level.

In …

Addressing A Cohort Discrepancy Among Ninth-Grade Students At A Rural/Suburban High School, Bryley Keaton Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

Ninth grade is a critical period where some children experience academic and social growth, while others struggle to navigate their new context, leading to reduced outcomes at school and worsened physical/mental health (Benner & Graham, 2007; Rice, 2001). This mixed-methods action research (MMAR) study addressed how professional practice changes could better support students during this foundational period. Quantitative data was collected from school databases to compare the rate of student success and identify demographic discrepancies, while qualitative data was used to identify possible causes. These data were then integrated to create insightful meta-inferences into the problem of practice. From these …

Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Teacher Self-Efficacy For Meeting The Needs Of Military-Connected Children, Amy M. O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The average military child changes schools six to nine times before graduating high school. With those moves come significant educational challenges, but there is currently no known instrument designed to measure whether teachers believe they are capable of meeting the needs of this population. The purpose of this study was to develop, pilot, and provide initial psychometric evidence for a scale, the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale for Military Kids (TSES for MilKids), that measures teacher self-efficacy for meeting the needs of military-connected children. A 19-item instrument was created and distributed to regular education teachers in Grades 1-5 in civilian school districts …

The Moral Imperative To Include More Women In Leadership Within Institutions Of Higher Education, Kathryn Mattingly Flynn

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

In higher education, women’s trajectory into leadership positions is not equitable to men’s. The concerns with the scarcity of women in leadership positions, specifically deans, provosts, presidents, and board members, involve varying levels of gender biases, norms, and stereotypes, as well as expectations of representation. Gender biases and stereotypes remain ingrained in American societal structures and result in immoral consequences, injustice for colleges and universities, and diminished happiness of the participants within them. I will use philosophical inquiry to argue that greater representation of women in the leadership of higher education would lead to morally better outcomes for institutions and …

Internationalizing The Teacher Education Curriculum Toward Global Competency: Academic Leaders’ Perceptions, Ellie F. G. Holliday

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

To prepare students for an increasingly interconnected world, P-12 teachers must be trained to infuse intercultural and global perspectives into their teaching practice. However, teacher education programs (TEPs) have been criticized for their lack of global perspectives in the curriculum and have been found to be the least internationalized programs at United States (U.S.) universities. Though university senior international officers (SIOs) play a large role in developing a strategic approach toward curriculum internationalization, there is a paucity of research on their perspectives on this process.

In this explanatory sequential mixed methods study, TEP leaders and SIOs at universities in the …

An Exploration Of Effective District Practices For Enculturating And Retaining Kentucky's Newest Teachers In The Profession, Cari Lea Boyd

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

The teaching profession within P-12 education has more beginners in the field than ever before, growing the profession by 48%, which outpaces the 19% growth in student enrollment. The most common teacher among all practicing in America’s schools is someone in her or his first year of teaching. The decreasing levels of experience in the profession has led to increased rates of attrition because beginners have the highest attrition rates with up to 50% leaving the field within the first five years. Research conducted on teacher retention has focused on why teachers leave the field; hence, a major gap in …