Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Systems Thinking By Building Leaders And Academic Outcomes For Marginalized Students, Dunham Obadiah

Education Dissertations

Despite the attempts by lawmakers to legislate a closing of the achievement gap, persistent gaps in performance for students based on ethnicity, race, economic level, disability, and first language persist throughout public schools in the United States. Occasionally, a principal will receive attention for raising the performance of minoritized groups in their school. However, while admired, the principal’s efforts are not easily replicated. Furthermore, principal development programs fail to produce building leaders that can reliably achieve the change marginalized communities need.

There have been numerous studies that have shown that principals impact the academic performance of their students. For the …

Understanding Superintendents’ Approaches To The Implementation Of District Systems In The Context Of A Crisis, Jarad C. Munroe

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a crisis that district superintendents and their leadership teams had not before experienced. In a matter of weeks, school systems needed to transition away from a traditional learning model, where teaching and learning occurred in a physical classroom, to a virtual learning environment. School districts were provided little time to strategically develop a model to transform their systems to continue to meet student learning goals. The districts were still expected to fully operate, while prioritizing the acquisition of resources that could provide the means for a deliberate shift to establish a virtual learning system. This qualitative …

Supporting Curriculum Leadership Capacity Development At A Ministry Of Education, Jeannine A. Tremblay

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The objective of this organizational improvement plan (OIP) is to assist one Canadian ministry of education close the gap between its curriculum leaders’ roles and capacities. Tasked with leading curriculum reform projects, they are asking the ministry for help. By further supporting their continued education in the areas of curriculum theory, critical education studies, and social foundations, the organization can help its curriculum leaders deepen their knowledge and strengthen their practice. From a systems thinking perspective, focusing the ministry’s collective domain on curriculum leadership capacity development will shift individual and system domains, thereby affecting the education system’s instructional capacity and …

Increasing The Academic Achievement Of English Language Learning Students: An Inquiry Into Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Kimberly A. Bartlett

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The English Language Learner (ELL) international boarding students at an independent, not-for-profit school have consistently demonstrated lower levels of academic achievement than their local peers. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) proposes to address this Problem of Practice (PoP) by creating a professional learning community (PLC) to institute more culturally responsive pedagogy. This OIP suggests a compelling correlation between inclusiveness and academic success, and therefore the school needs to raise its level of cultural competency, introduce more equitable assessments, and increase coordination among the various departments and systems that support the ELL students. The implementation of the proposed solution relies on …

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 …

Teacher Self-Perceptions Of Skills And Beliefs Using Technology In Classroom Practice, Geri R. Gillespy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

New technology and innovations over the last decade have created a global economy that incorporates people communicating and making connections all over the world, twenty-four hours a day. With this continuous drive in society, there is added pressure to integrate more technology in the classroom and into the hands of students. Although there is a great push to add technology in education, studies demonstrate that teachers are reluctant to modify and change their current practice. Educational leaders, politicians, and district administration are spending valuable resources on devices to drive daily instruction in schools where teachers tend to have more of …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Leadership Support For The Implementation Of A Learning Management System In Urban Middle Schools, Laura Tolly Estill

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

This qualitative multi-site case study examined teachers’ perceptions of leadership support for their implementation of a learning management system (LMS) to facilitate blended learning in urban middle schools. Understanding teachers’ perceptions of leadership actions to encourage the implementation of new innovations will allow leaders to provide materials, resources, and support to effectively increase the incorporation of blended learning in classrooms. Qualitative data were collected through interview sessions with 10 middle school educators who taught at two dichotomous schools. The data was triangulated with artifacts and the research literature to provide an in-depth depiction of the perceptions and experiences of teachers …

The Implementation And Impact Of Growth Mindset In A North Texas School District, Tricia A. Badillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Growth mindset strategies are linked to positive academic behaviors. Additionally, it is common knowledge that a school’s learning environment and the teachers’ attitudes and points of view are influential on student learning. However, leaders of school districts continue to struggle with effecting necessary changes to alter schools’ culture and implement practices that align with growth mindset. One North Texas suburban school district (Coppell Independent School District) is leading a shared effort to ensure growth mindset culture and practices are implemented district-wide. The purpose of this single case study was to understand how district leaders, school leaders, and teachers incorporated growth …

Advanced Systemic Process Approach Vs Michigan Department Of Education Non-Systemic Process Approach To School Improvement, Diane P. Fleming

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The author of this correlational study examined the differences in academic achievement and school improvement between Michigan schools accredited by AdvancED, which uses a systemic process approach for school improvement, and schools accredited by the Michigan Department of Education, which does not use a systemic process approach. The data for the study was a random sampling of Education YES! self-reports, fed by the School Systems Review (SSR) completed by Michigan-accredited schools and the Interim Self-Assessment (ISA) completed by AdvancED-accredited schools. Schools that follow a systemic process were more likely to be successful than schools that do not. In addition to …