Education Commons^™

An Examination Of Mental Health In Educators, Hannah F. Sanderson

Culminating Experience Projects

Research has revealed the significance and importance of mental health and its incorporation into overall well-being. A survey conducted by RAND Corp revealed that one in four teachers has experienced symptoms of depression (Kidger, 2021). Along those same lines, educators have expressed that due to their job and the school climate, they have experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression, and large amounts of stress (Merida et al., 2017). This project explores the various stressors that are felt by educators within their educational institutions and delivers solutions to reduce the symptoms associated with mental illness and improve the school climate. Through surveys …

Association Among Select Conditions For Learning At The School Level, Academic Attainment, And Academic Growth In Reading, Cederrall Petties

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: School climate data are provided to Illinois schools to help educators foster a school culture that ensures healthy social-emotional development for all students, including those with low social-economic status, disabilities, and a dominant language that is not English. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the relationship between reading attainment and growth and school climate. METHODS: This exploratory correlational study investigated the association between school reading attainment and growth data and school climate data. RESULTS: Highlight findings of the study revealed that schools with a high percent of low SES students and students with IEPs showed that 66% of the …

How Exemplary High School Principals Who Utilize Heart-Led Principles Achieve Extraordinary Results, Jeyan Danesh

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary high school principals in Riverside and San Bernardino counties lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations. Methodology: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 high school principals to better understand how the use of heart-led principles can lead to extraordinary results on a high school campus. Interview data were collected, transcribed, and coded for themes, allowing the researcher to triangulate data and …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Trauma-Informed Schools: Restorative Practices For Social And Emotional Issues In Education, Heather Easterling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma-Informed Schools: Restorative Practices for Social and Emotional Behavior Issues in Education

by

Heather Easterling

The purpose of this study was to determine whether factors in school climate and culture and the educator's role in evaluating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed situations, and disruptive classroom behaviors, enable a school to generate interventions needed to help students succeed. This qualitative study evaluated the ACEs and the relationships traumatic incidents had on disruptive classroom behaviors that teachers experienced with students. Although there is emerging research regarding ACEs and trauma-informed schools, there are multiple factors that facilitate the …

The Effect Of Leadership Change On School Climate, Brian D. Bannen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School climate affects student achievement, feelings of safety within the school, and teacher job satisfaction. Concurrently, the principal is often seen as someone with a direct influence on the climate of the school, and therefore someone who has a direct role in shaping these aspects of school climate. Recent data suggests that about one in five principals leaves the profession every year, which means that every year, one in every five schools experiences a change to its climate, and a change to its achievement, safety, and teacher satisfaction. If this trend continues, schools are going to continue to feel the …

Teacher Perception Concerning The Role Of Elementary Principals In School Culture And Climate, Robyn Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A phenomenological research study was conducted to examine teacher perceptions of elementary principals’ behaviors affecting school culture and climate. The researcher gathered data from participant interviews. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling of teachers identified by their principals as meeting study criteria. The schools in which teachers were selected were also chosen using purposeful sampling based on superintendents’ perceptions of positive principal influence on school culture and climate.

Data analysis provided insight to the researcher into the phenomenon being explored in this study. Teachers were asked to participate in an individual interview with the researcher and provide answers to open …

An Evaluation Of Beginning Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding The Implementation Effectiveness And Outcomes Of Teacher Induction Programming In Minnesota Public School Districts, Shorena Dolaberidze

Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership

Background

“No matter the quality of their preparation, new teachers encounter many distinct challenges as they navigate their first months and years in the classroom” (New Teacher Center, 2015, p.1). To empower new teachers and strengthen their performance during instructional times, as well as enhance the effectiveness of their contribution school wide, many school districts implement induction programming. “Research demonstrates that comprehensive, multi-year induction programs accelerate the professional growth of new teachers, reduce the rate of new teacher attrition, provide a stronger return on states’ and school districts’ investment, and improve student learning” (New Teacher Center, 2015, p. 2)

Wong …

A Comparison Of Student Hope And Social-Emotional Competence Between General Education And Special Education Settings, Whitley R. Hettenbaugh

Educational Leadership Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Hope, the ability to establish goals, plan for the future, persist in the face of challenges, and motivate oneself throughout the goal cycle, is a social endeavor requiring the collective support and resources of families, school staff, and peers. Schools that teach and reinforce life skills (i.e., hope and social-emotional competence) are able to positively impact student outcomes by teaching the skills necessary to build social support systems, improve the safety of the school by facilitating social-emotional expression, foster collaboration and collective success, and give students meaningful voice and choice. In doing so, schools increase the resources available to students …

Middle School Teachers’ Perspectives About The Effectivness Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports In A Diverse District: A Phenomenological Study, Laureen Riddick

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study used a phenomenological design to discover how middle school teachers in northern California perceived the effectiveness of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in improving school climate and lowering office discipline referrals. PBIS is a school-wide initiative implemented in schools across the United States as an approach for addressing discipline and promoting a positive school climate. The researcher examined teacher perceptions on effectiveness of PBIS at the middle school level. The district implemented PBIS to align with district initiatives to lower exclusionary discipline practices (office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions) for students, with an emphasis on African American males, …

The Relationship Between School Climate And Student Achievement At The Middle School Level In Georgia, Curtis Brett Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

School leaders from all over our nation are under scrutiny and pressure to raise their students’ academic achievement. Good standards-based classroom teaching, supportive teachers, administrators, and parents, and a motivated student all make for a high achieving student. But what is the relationship of the school’s climate to the achievement level? Does the student’s socioeconomic status affect academic achievement? This study collected data from 431 traditional public middle schools in the state of Georgia serving students in Grade 6 through Grade 8 exclusively during the 2017-18 school year. A stepwise multiple regression was used to examine the relationships in both …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of A Social Emotional Learning Program On Transient Students’ Competencies And Perceptions Of School Climate, Kevin W. Nanney

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

With the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (2016), schools are now expected to assess more than just the academic achievement of their student body. While states can choose how they meet this expectation, many choose to focus on school climate. This change is important because, while crime in schools has gone down, feelings of being unsafe or bullied have gone up. To support schools in both assessing and improving their student’s perception of safety, schools have the opportunity to use social and emotional learning to improve measures of school climate, which provides indicators of student perceptions of the …

Evidence-Based Social-Emotional Learning And Its Influence On Teachers’ Perception Of Student Behavior: An Analysis Of Ruler And The Anchors Of Emotional Intelligence, Brent B. Harrington

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to assess the extent by which an evidence-based Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program influenced teachers’ perception of students’ behavior in a small and diverse PK – 8 school district in Westchester County, NY. Specifically, the researcher evaluated the Anchors of Emotional Intelligence and the RULER framework to determine its impact on school climate as viewed from the perspective of staff in the district. Prior to commencing the study, the researcher recognized the negative staff narrative around student behavior in the district as a significant problem of practice that was observable, actionable and high leverage.

This mixed-methods study …

The Evaluation Of Positive Intervention Strategies On Chronic Absenteeism At The High School Level, Marla Clayton Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is an abundance of research on chronic absenteeism as well as the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach, specifically the element of positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), at the elementary school level. A clear understanding of MTSS and PBIS at the high school level and how those approaches may impact chronic absenteeism of high school students is lacking in the recent research. The literature review provided the reader with an overview on PBIS and chronic absenteeism through the theoretical lens of Cooper’s (1982) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) theory and explained the influence that PBIS has on chronic absenteeism at …

The Influence Of Student Discipline Practices On Students, School Climate And Culture, Matthew J. Clark

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The enactment of Senate Bill 100/Public Act 099-0456 (SB100) in 2016 compelled school districts throughout Illinois to evaluate student discipline policies. This dissertation examines the impact SB100 had on middle and high schools throughout the state and within a large suburban K-12 school district. This dissertation is organized into three separate papers. Paper 1 provides a historical context for disciplinary practices used for students in public schools both in Illinois and throughout the country and explores new discipline practices that have emerged since the passing of SB100. Paper 2 examines the implementation of SB100 through an SDT framework to investigate …

Improving Teacher Retention By Addressing Teachers' Compassion Fatigue, Jacquelyn Ollison

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

California is experiencing a massive teacher shortage, and urban schools are disproportionately affected by it negatively. Retention efforts to date have not included strategies to address Compassion Fatigue (burnout and secondary trauma) teachers experience when working with traumatized students at urban schools. This dissertation explores whether Compassion Fatigue is an unaddressed reason for teacher attrition at urban schools. A mixed method practical action research approach using the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version Five (ProQOL 5) and qualitative interviews, portions of which were turned into illustrative vignettes drove the exploration. Approximately 114 teachers completed the ProQOL 5. Statistical analysis of …

School Climate: A Comparison Of Teachers, Students, And Parents, James A. Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the benefits of positive school climate and to measure the perceptions of school climate for intermediate grades in a Northeast Tennessee School district. An online school climate survey was used to collect responses from participants in intermediate grades and focused on the 3 major components of school climate: school engagement, school environment, and school safety. Data were collected for 2 consecutive years in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Response totals included 1,955 student responses, 116 teacher responses, and 210 parent responses that were analyzed and used for this study. Of the student totals, some students that …

School Climate And Demographic Factors’ Influence On Seventh-Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Bullying In Arkansas Public Schools, Kelly Powell

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of an authoritative school climate on perceptions of bullying among middle school students after controlling for demographic characteristics. In this quantitative nonexperimental study, 320 seventh-grade students were selected from four public middle schools in Arkansas using a multistage sampling technique. The Authoritative School Climate Survey was used to obtained data on the students’ perceptions of their school climate (disciplinary structure and support systems), their demographic characteristics (gender, ethnicity, and school location) as well as their perceptions about bullying in the following areas: (a) prevalence of teasing and bullying, (b) prevalence …

The Connection Between Principal Leadership Behavior And School Climate, Raymond H. Epperson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation study explores the association between principal leadership behavior and school climate with an end goal of impacting student achievement. Certified staff members in a large suburban Illinois school district were involved in this study. Data were collected through the use of the Leadership Behavior Description Questionnaire Form XII (LBDQ Form XII) and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (elementary OCDQ – RE, middle OCDQ – RM, and high school OCDQ –RS). All of the 10 leadership domains examined in this study showed statistically significant associations with various school climate areas. The leadership behaviors of Consideration, Integration, and Tolerance of …

Through The Eyes Of Teachers: Relationships Between Principal Communication Style And School Climate, Ryan Lee Lang

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to see if a statistically significant relationship existed between principal communication style and school climate as perceived by elementary teachers in high achieving Title 1 elementary schools in a Midwest state. Teacher perceptions of principal communication style were assessed using the Communication Style Inventory (CSI). The six communication styles assessed were Expressiveness, Preciseness, Verbal Aggressiveness, Questioningness, Emotionality, and Impression Manipulativeness. Teacher perceptions of school climate were assessed using the Organization Climate Description Questionnaire – Revised Elementary (OCDQ-RE). School climate scores were calculated regarding a degree of principal openness and a degree of teacher …

High School Educators’ Perceptions Of Their Schools’ Conduciveness To English Language Learners’ Success, Jill Winiger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers in the high schools of Northeast Tennessee regarding their schools’ academics, climate, culture, parent engagement, and their English Language Learners’ school experiences. The researcher sought to ascertain if significant differences exist between the perceptions of different groups of educational professionals in the school, with those groups to include school administrators, guidance counselors, and classroom teachers. Data were analyzed from 50 survey questions with 42 of those questions measured on a 5-point Likert scale, 5 questions as multiple choice, and 3 questions as open-ended. …

Teacher Perception Of Principal Leadership And School Climate In Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools, Kerri L. Nelson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the outcome of principal leadership and school climate in persistently lowest-achieving (PLA) middle schools in Iowa as perceived by teachers. Additionally, it attempted to answer whether or not school climate in PLA middle schools in Iowa is viewed the same by all staff or if there are differences based on years of teacher experience, gender and content area taught. The outcome of principal leadership (effectiveness, extra effort, and satisfaction with leadership) was assessed using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire was used to measure the predicators …