When Good Intentions Aren't Good Enough: Dismantling Colonial Praxis In Educational Leadership, Peter Francis Barron

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Addressing the inequitable educational outcomes of Indigenous students in K-12 education in Alberta is a moral imperative, a mandate of the provincial government and a response to Call to Action #10 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This dissertation-in-practice, viewed through the lens of critical theory, interrogates systemic barriers within Three Bear Hills School Division (a pseudonym) that hinder Indigenous students' graduation and post-secondary transition rates. Indigenous students in K-12 education are adversely impacted by the influence of settler colonialism on leadership praxis, as evidenced by the achievement gap discourse, deficit thinking, and unconscious bias. These factors lead to the …

Imagining The Possibilities: Co-Creating School-Wide Equity, Belonging, And Success, Suzanne L. Martin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

This Dissertation in Practice (DiP) seeks to address the growing opportunity gap adversely impacting marginalized students at an Albertan elementary school. Through a critical theoretical lens, this DiP interrogates the various systemic barriers, contextual factors, and educator biases that perpetuate and reinforce socially and academically stratified learning opportunities that restrict holistic student engagement, belonging, and success. Despite teachers’ desire to meet the needs of all students, increasing levels of student diversity and complexity are decreasing the effectiveness of the school’s traditional pedagogical practices and structures. Employing a blended transformative and compassionate leadership approach, critically educative possibilities towards deep cultural …

Improving Educational Opportunities For Indigenous Students In Alberta, Don J. Hinks Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Dissertation-in-Practice (DiP) seeks to address the underachievement of Indigenous students in a K-9 school in the province of Alberta. Using critical theory and Indigenous knowledge as guidelines, the DiP recognizes a number of significant barriers (the perpetuation of the status quo, racism, colonization, limited relevant pedagogy in classrooms, teacher biases, and a general lack of connection to Indigenous people and culture) that create an achievement-gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Creating equitable learning opportunities for Indigenous students in a faith-based environment, that protects the institution of the Catholic church as its first priority, presents a significant challenge for educators …

Improving Equity In Communication: Building Collaborative Partnerships Between Teachers And Spoken Language Interpreters, Angela J. Rush

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s increasingly diverse educational landscape, equitable communication is essential for fostering meaningful parent engagement and ensuring all students have an equal opportunity for a comprehensive education. However, language barriers can pose significant challenges for English Learner/Emergent Bilingual students and parents in the educational context. This improvement study underscores the crucial need for educational systems to address language barriers through targeted support mechanisms, such as quality language access services. The study draws upon the principles of improvement science to design, implement, and examine the transformative potential of a professional development program to enhance collaboration between teachers and interpreters and inform …

Equity And Consistency: Resettlement Needs Assessment And Referral Service Standards For Government-Assisted Refugees, Umashanie Reddy

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The dissertation-in-practice (DiP) addresses the equity and consistency of the resettlement needs assessment and referral service standards for government-assisted refugees (GARs) within the confines of defined autonomy and equity, diversity, and inclusion at Safe Haven Refugee Resettlement Sector, a midsize national resettlement sector in Canada. The current service standards are inequitable and inconsistent, and their application marginalizes GARs. In the DiP, I adopt and adapt an integrated Euro-Afro-Indigenous Ubuntu transformative leadership approach rooted in a decolonizing lens and embedded in equity by addressing inequitable social conditions of a community-in-practice service that causes injustices. The change implementation plan, enacted on the …

Strengthening Administrative Structures To Enhance Community-Partnered Research, Pippa Seccombe-Hett

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Post-secondary institutions across Canada are grappling with how to advance reconciliation and equity in education and research. This challenge is amplified in northern Canada, where northern residents have long sought equity in the Arctic and northern research ecosystems, yet the population has historically been excluded from research programs and research leadership. This paper is focused on exploring how a community college in northern Canada should invest in developing institutional support for research and expanded research capacity as it transforms into a polytechnic university. The community college serves a remote population where the majority of residents are Indigenous, and the institution …

Balancing The Equation: Trauma-Informed Practices For Equity In Student Academic Achievement And Well-Being Outcomes, Erin M. Mcneilage-Van De Wiele

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Adverse childhood experiences and trauma can have detrimental effects on students' academic performance and overall well-being, often resulting in inequitable academic and social outcomes. The problem of practice addresses how to build capacity for trauma awareness and trauma-informed practices in educators to support students impacted by trauma and their classmates. The organization involved in this change process is a large, suburban elementary school in Ontario, serving students in kindergarten through to grade eight. The Dissertation-in-Practice provides a framework for educators to better support students impacted by adverse experiences and/or trauma, through the development of socio-emotional learning competencies and the provision …

Turning The Dial Towards Belonging: How Leadership Teams Can Support And Sustain Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In An International School Context, Ryan Persaud

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Studies indicate that students who feel a strong sense of belonging - a connection with their school, peers, and teachers - tend to perform better academically. This sense of belonging is particularly influential in boosting the academic outcomes of students from historically marginalized, oppressed, and racially and culturally diverse backgrounds. This Dissertation-in-Practice examines the pivotal roles of culturally responsive and transformative leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within international schools. The problem of practice examines leadership confidence, ability, awareness, and knowledge with DEI. It leverages culturally responsive leadership and transformative leadership to argue for a systemic approach to …

Black Superintendents’ Perceptions On The Effectiveness Of Diversity And Equity Professional Development In New Jersey Schools, Tanisha Hinton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Providing an accessible and equitable education for all students has been an ongoing process mandated by the Managing for Equality and Equity initiative to close the achievement and opportunity gaps among students. This qualitative study examined Black superintendents' perspectives about the effectiveness and impact of diversity, equity, and inclusive initiatives in majority White staffed school districts in New Jersey. Furthermore, the study explored the perceptions of Black superintendents across different regions of New Jersey to understand if there were significant differences in how DEI initiative was perceived. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 Black superintendents and the data was analyzed …

Disability Services As Related To Higher Education Leadership: An Exploratory Study, Tara Wade Franklin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past three decades, the number of students with disabilities (SWD) attending postsecondary institutions has increased, yet their completion rates remain significantly lower than those of students without disabilities. This mixed methods exploratory study investigates the role of provost leadership in supporting disability services and understanding the needs of SWD in higher education. The study focuses on Texas higher education institutions, examining the relationships between provosts and directors of disability services. Data collected through the e-survey with open-ended questions primarily came from directors of disability services. Quantitative analysis of Likert scale items explored domains such as leadership, collaboration, consultation, …

Shakamohtaa: Connecting And Coming Together To Support International Student Career Readiness, Sabreena Macelheron

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

In the evolving Canadian landscape, permanent residency acquisition has undergone a transformative shift from land sales to educational credential procurement. Canadian higher education markets post-secondary qualifications to international students (IS) seeking migration routes, posing nuanced challenges. IS, despite holding higher education credentials, often find themselves relegated to non-field specific jobs due to existing disparities in the Canadian job market. Amid this equation, IS grapple with the essential need for pre-and-post graduate career experiences to fulfill eligibility criteria for permanent residency application. This pursuit extends beyond merely aligning with their credentials, requiring conformity to approved national occupation codes aligned with …

More Than Just Checking A Box: Teachers' Experiences Of Transformation In Equity-Focused Professional Learning, Melissa E. Moxley

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Pennsylvania has the largest disparity between student and faculty demographics. In fact, over half of Pennsylvania schools employ zero teachers of color. As student demographics change and teacher demographics remain the same, there is an ever-increasing need to train in-service teachers on diversity, equity, and inclusion tenets. Training teachers to be culturally competent requires them to alter their understandings in a transformational way. Often, cash-strapped districts attempt to produce training sessions in-house, developed by administrators who may have little training in the area themselves. This leads to professional learning that is left in the conference room once teachers leave. Research …

An Exploration Of Teacher Perception And Practices Of Using Assessment Data To Improve Achievement Of Equity Student Groups, Laurie Mazelin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

While utilizing assessment data has been a pervasive practice in educational reform for decades, and teachers are expected to use assessment data to improve instruction, little is known about how the practice of requiring teachers to review test data affects their perception of effectiveness in addressing the learning gaps of student groups. This qualitative phenomenological research study used open-ended, semi-structured interviews to help better understand how the expectations of teachers analyzing and integrating assessment data translates into teacher instructional practice and self-efficacy. This study aimed to explore the shared experience of teachers required to participate in collaborative planning centered on …

Leveling The Playing Field: Covid-19’S Impact On Interscholastic Athletic Participation In New York State Public Schools: An Ex Post Facto Analysis Of District Demographics And Sport, Justin T. Cobis

Theses and Dissertations

Each year in New York state, tens of thousands of student-athletes participate in interscholastic athletics on over 15,000 public school teams. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on interscholastic athletic participation rates in New York state public schools and their relationship to school districts’ demographics, including percentage of non-White students, percentage of economically disadvantaged students, total enrollment, and graduation rates. The sample consisted of 218 public school districts located throughout New York state, with approximately 20 participant districts from each of the 11 New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s governing …

Educators’ Beliefs About Using Academic Acceleration With Gifted Math Students And Others: Barriers And Opportunities, Jason Gorgia

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the perceptions of educators (i.e., math teachers, administrators, and others) for insight into the absence of acceleration as a common pedagogical strategy in mathematics, despite longstanding research supporting the practice for students gifted in math and the interest frequently articulated by policymakers and educators in boosting American K-12 students’ math achievement. Educators from 48 states responded to scale-based and open-ended questions about math acceleration through an online survey where 713 of 818 respondents were teachers, balanced almost evenly among elementary, middle, and high schools, and among urban, suburban, and rural settings. The responses of teachers and non-teaching …

What Determines Investment Into Fine Arts Programs In Public High Schools?, Tiandra Bland

All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects

The problem addressed by this study is that the investment in fine arts programs in public high schools is not clearly understood or represented in current research and literature. Determining if the investment is related to funding resources, equity issues, or other issues revealed important information about how public high schools invest in their fine arts programs and could help future administrators or researchers more clearly understand how fine arts programs in public high schools are valued. This summary determined that funding equity is an area of concern in school programs that affects many organizations including arts education. The findings …

Learning To Lead With An Equity Lens: A Case Study Of A Principal Residency Program, Maurice L. Davis

Dissertations of Practice

School districts throughout the United States are challenged with the plague of educator turnover. In particular, building principals are exiting school buildings causing gaps in system consistencies leading to negative perceptions of school culture and decreases in student achievement. Universities are working to assess and redevelop principal preparation programs (PPPs) to support principals and the skill sets needed to be successful within schools today. By increasing the skill of a building principal to lead using an equity lens and developing theories of action to address the frustration initiated by urban school working conditions, principals may develop a greater sense of …

Becoming Transfer Friendly: Evaluating Four-Year Higher Education Institution Strategies To Support Community College Transfer Student Success, Aarti V. Dhupelia

Dissertations

Four-year higher education institutions (HEIs) nationwide must become more transfer friendly so that more community college transfer (CCT) students persist and complete their bachelor’s degrees, as a path to more students’ economic mobility and to equity across communities. This study aims to provide learnings to support achievement of this imperative. The research question studied here is: What is the relationship between community college transfer (CCT) student support strategies at a four-year higher education institution (HEI) and the first-to-second-year retention of CCT students at their four-year HEI? Through quantitative analysis of a broad set of variables’ ability to predict student retention …

Campus Leaders’ Support Of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Strategies: Single Exploratory Case Study, Charmon L. Barksdale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study addressed the growing concern regarding the disproportionate suspension rates experienced by African American students. The problem addressed in this study was the variation in leadership support for teachers implementing culturally responsive classroom management strategies to manage culturally diverse student behaviors. This is important to African American students' educational experiences within the learning environment. This exploratory single case study examined school leaders' and teachers' perspectives on the use of culturally responsive strategies to answer the research questions regarding the definition and descriptions of culturally responsive practices, participants' perspectives on the benefits and challenges of these practices, and the …

Inclusive Education For All: Identifying Teacher Beliefs About Working With Students With Disabilities, Chelsea Sharek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs K-12 teachers have when working with students with disabilities in a rural Pennsylvania school district. This study aimed to identify if teachers’ personal beliefs created biases about their students and school systems; thus, forming barriers and preventing an inclusive education when working with disabled students. Instrumentation for this quantitative study is the Multidimensional Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education Scale (MATIES) survey. Findings suggest that some teachers at Sunnyside School District (pseudonym) hold personal beliefs that could create biases about their students and school system that may form barriers when working with …

School Superintendents’ Perspectives Regarding Subordinates Developing, Utilizing, And Implementing Gifted Identification Equity, Vincent T. Landrum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study’s focus was the lived experiences of school superintendents about inconsistencies in gifted and talented education policy and ensuring the superintendents’ direct subordinates develop, utilize, and implement equitable gifted identification policies and practices, specifically for culturally, linguistically, and economically disadvantaged (CLED) students. Specifically, the researcher investigated the following: (a) the superintendents’ involvement in ensuring direct subordinates develop, utilize, and implement equitable gifted identification policies and practices for CLED students; (b) the superintendents’ involvement in ensuring their direct subordinates develop, utilize, and implement equitable gifted identification policies and practices for CLED students through professional development for those subordinates; and (c) …

Equity Among Equity Workers: Public Service Motivation In An Educational Nonprofit Organization, Russell C. West Jr

Theses and Dissertations

What opportunities and challenges arise when an equity-focused educational organization aims to support employee’s individual equity practices while simultaneously developing the organization’s equity practice? In this study, employees of a non-profit educational organization were asked what rationales and expectations played a role in their decision to volunteer in an equity working group. Their responses were used to understand whether Perry’s (2000) process theory of Public Service Motivation helped describe their decision. In a second round of interviews, employees were asked what outcomes they perceived came from their participation. These responses were used to understand whether the outcomes aligned with those …

Steps Toward Healing A Colonial System While Improving Equitable Experiences For Indigenous Learners K-12 In A Bc Rural School District, Gail Higginbottom

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The Canadian K–12 education system is built on the policy and practices of genocide at Indian residential schools and on ongoing Indigenous-specific racism. With a history of assimilation, it is imperative to address settler colonialism in education today. Through the agency of a Secwépemc district principal, Secwépemc ways of knowing and being, decolonial leadership, and critical and transformative theories emerge as tools for a fraught education system. As a problem of practice, the tension between Indigenous student success and systemic understandings of Indigenous ways of knowing highlights the imperative to address colonial system conditions while improving equitable experiences of Indigenous …

The Amplification Of “At-Promise” Middle School Student Voice To Foster School Success, Nathan J. Ngieng

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Transformative actions towards the collective vision of the educated citizen have been central to the change efforts of educational leaders in British Columbia. Through a challenge to the status quo, utilizing a critical and post-structuralist lens, this paper charts a path towards revisioning middle school student success nested in listening stances and reflective practices. At the heart of this Problem of Practice is the disengagement and lack of voice that middle school students are experiencing, viewed through the context of a large and diverse suburban school district in the lower mainland of British Columbia. Theories of social learning, adult learning, …

Queering Education: Creating Inclusive And Affirming Learning Environments For Sexually Diverse Students, Phillip M. Spalierno

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This inquiry draws upon a variety of theoretical perspectives and leadership approaches, including critical and queer theories, and the transformative leadership approach, for the purposes of identifying an appropriate solution to creating inclusive and identity affirming learning environments for sexually diverse students. This inquiry provides insight that will help to further understand the experiences of sexually diverse students in the education system, while exploring strategies for creating learning environments that affords these students value, dignity, and respect. It is proposed that a transformative leadership approach, as it is grounded in social justice efforts, may serve to stimulate the conversation amongst …

Systemic Abuse Of Black Educational Leaders In K-12 Schools, Bianca Parris

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Anti-Black racism (ABR) is race-based discrimination experienced by Black educational leaders in the Ontario education system. Since the police officers murdered George Floyd, it has ignited the global Black Lives Matters movement. This has translated into K-12 Ontario schools with a more pronounced emphasis on addressing ABR and systemic racism to provide an environment that is rooted in equity. Despite this global action and ministry requirement, ABR continues to prevail and affects Black educational leaders’ ability to lead effectively. Black educational leaders are navigating a system that is unjust and rooted in colonialism which puts them at a disadvantage. Critical …

Weaving The Story Of Self Into Transformative Leadership, Nicole R. Davey

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Indigenous students are not achieving the same levels of success as non-Indigenous students according to British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Education annual reports on academic achievement, secondary transitions, and sense of belonging. School-based leaders oversee implementation of the BC curriculum in their schools and can influence the mindset and practices of educators in their buildings; however, they need supports and structures to better understand how to address the opportunity and achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) asserts that school-based leaders can disrupt oppressive behaviours in the K–12 education system through social justice practices. Transformative …

Anti-Exclusionary Leadership: Increasing The Achievement Of Marginalized And Minoritized Students In An Ontario High School, Nicholas J. Woolley

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to address the underachievement of marginalized and minoritized students at an Ontario secondary school. Using critical theory, the OIP recognizes that systemic barriers, the pervasive neoliberal performativity agenda, and educator biases and practices combine to reinforce stubborn inequities that negatively impact students who are racialized, poor, and/or identified as having special educational needs. The term anti-exclusion is used to propose an activist stance that challenges inclusion’s connotations of assimilation into a dominant culture. Addressing inequities in a publicly funded, top-down school district context requires adaptive leadership to foster collaborative professionalism while interrogating the status …

The Know Better, Do Better Plan For Self And System Transformation, Deena Kotak Buckley

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Educational leadership has roots in neocolonial epistemologies and a functionalist paradigm. While Atman Jnana School Board (a pseudonym) has made a commitment to equity by recognizing the need for communities of belonging, leaders unconsciously lean toward the individual over the collective as imparted by these epistemologies and paradigm. Therefore, the problem of practice under investigation is the development of educational leaders’ capacity to create communities of belonging and purpose. As principals and vice-principals are pivotal to transforming school culture, this organizational improvement plan proposes addressing the problem of practice by creating a community of belonging with school leaders who want …

The Significance Of A Minority Professional Development Internship Program: A Case Study Evaluation On African American/Black Males Career Trajectory At A Predominately White Institution, Marla Bradford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to investigate the significance of the Minority Professional Development Internship Program at a Predominately White Institution (PWI) of higher learning in southwestern Pennsylvania. The program was developed because many PWIs struggle to attract, recruit, and retain African Americans/Black and historically marginalized community members to lead their institutions in curriculum development, mentoring, recruitment, and governance (Reyes & Rios, 2005). Other research studies on African American/Black administrators’ lack of representation at PWIs attributed systemic barriers impeding their recruitment and advancement (Jones, 2007; Perna et al., 2007). Furthermore, Levin et al. (2013) suggest minimal progress in hiring African American/Black …