Education Commons^™

New Jersey Community College And High School Concurrent Enrollment Program (Cep) Partnerships Case Study, Darlene Mary Schapley

Theses and Dissertations

Students who are not college ready enter New Jersey Community Colleges placing in developmental education delaying entry into their degree program and possibly ending their aspiration for college completion. Students not completing a college degree cannot compete for livable wage jobs in America. My qualitative multiple case study contributed to the gap in knowledge about New Jersey partnerships offering comprehensive CEP programs including math and English from the participant perspectives. CEP partnerships engaged students in college coursework at New Jersey high schools in collaboration with New Jersey community colleges. These collaborations are great opportunities for community colleges to provide access …

Small Places, Big Outcomes: An Ethnographic Case Study On Social Emotional Learning Skills And Development, Organizational Culture, And Place-Making In Small, Rural Schools In Southern New Jersey, Christina Marie Didonato Dillon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study was to describe the ways in which three school leaders from small, rural PreK-8 districts (less than 1,000 students) in Southern New Jersey used similar methods for fostering partnerships with families and bonds between individuals, families and schools to address social emotional learning skills and development in the early childhood setting (grades pre-kindergarten through third grade). In addition, this study examined how the organizational culture of the educational organizations reinforced or undermined the relationship between school and family partnerships and bonds. This study investigated the linkage between school leaders' experiences and social …

Creating Inclusive Classrooms Through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Tracy R. Norman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to infuse culturally responsive teaching practices into the traditional curriculum to meet the needs of all students. Through this action research study, a professional learning community analyzed the current curriculum in the third and fourth grades at Lanier Elementary School, and they revised the curriculum to include culturally responsive practices. The use of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) allowed the principal and 3rd & 4th grade teachers to reflect on current practices in a nonthreatening environment. It also allowed the PLC to analyze current pedagogy, study new practices, and make immediate changes to participants' …

Superintendents Reclaiming Instructional Leadership: Shared Patterns And Practices, Valerie James-Kemp

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and investigate the shared patterns among current superintendents who wish to reclaim their role as instructional leaders. The role of the superintendent has evolved since its inception two centuries ago. Originally intended to be a teacher of teachers, the role of the superintendent has developed and changed over time due to school reform movements and varying political climates. Using the Delphi method, a consensus was reached and shared patterns and practices were found. In summary, superintendents in this study shared their opinions about their role as chief administrators of a school …

Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Leadership Perception And Professional Learning Community Engagement, Laura Elizabeth Godlesky

Theses and Dissertations

This sequential-explanatory mixed methods study examines teachers' perceptions of their leadership practice through the lens of professional learning community (PLC) engagement. Through the two phases, the relationship is explored quantitatively and qualitatively using a survey and interviews, respectively. Teacher leadership perceptions were analyzed through comments teachers made about their practice through PLC engagement. Additionally, teachers' perspectives of their leadership and influencing factors were also explored through this research study. Findings from this research shed light on the differing ways teachers describe their current leadership practice, and provide insight into further development for teacher leaders.

A Qualitative Case Study On Delegation Of School Nursing Practice: School Nurses, Teachers, And Paraprofessionals Perspectives, Sharon L. Schofield

Theses and Dissertations

For the past decade, there have been many changes to school nursing with the implementation of unlicensed assistant personnel now known as paraprofessionals. This process has brought about several concerns such as mode of delegation, education, training, ability to monitor health-care needs, and organizational effects that trended downward without direction. This qualitative inquiry gave an interpretative meaning to the process of delegation in school nursing, the factors that hinder the delegation process as well as components that are needed to effectively delegate and utilize support staff (paraprofessionals) without detrimental effects to students. This study interviewed 20 participants.

Results of this …

A Principal Striving For Effective Instructional Leadership In An Era Of Accountability, Matthew J. Mazzoni

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to explore a principal's experiences and how they aligned to Hallinger and Murphy's (1985) effective instructional leadership practices in an era of accountability. This study of effective principal leadership is timely and relevant due to the recent implementation of national and state mandates for principals to be instructional leaders through the adoption of a distributed leadership model. This seventh year principal, also the researcher-participant in this study, had the responsibility of overseeing approximately 100 professional and support staff members and approximately 750 students ranging from pre-kindergarten to the eighth grade. The pre-k to …

Surrendering To Gender In Education? Complacency And The Woman Leader, Kimberly Clark, Ane T. Johnson

College of Education Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of our study was to better understand the role of gender performance for aspiring school leaders through a reflection of their journey through the administrative pipeline. The transformation of professional aspirations throughout and following the certification process and during employment was also analyzed. Also, the appealing factors of a nontraditional administrative preparation program were evaluated. Using heuristic qualitative methods, women graduates of and expedited certification for educational leadership program participated in focus groups and a select group returned for individual interviews. Coding was employed to analyze the data. Our participants entered into school leadership as a result of …

Implementing State Initiatives In A Pk-1 Primary School: A Case Study Exploring Instructional Leadership, Jennifer Baldwin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods case study is to explore the practices that a principal has used to address the individual needs of students through instructional and cultural changes, which resulted in increased student achievement. Using Lambert’s (1998) Leadership Capacity Survey, the espoused beliefs of the principal are correlated to the teachers’ ratings of the principal’s performance. The findings indicate an overall emergent theme that the principal uses broad-based leadership and skillful participation to establish reciprocal trust among the staff by creating teacher leaders. An additional theme of the community’s principal illuminates the work the principal’s efforts to establish …

Empowering High School Students To Develop Leadership Skills And Increase Student And School Engagement, Corlette D. Mays

Theses and Dissertations

Schools that invest in building leadership capacity among students realize that learning and leading cannot be separated (Lambert, 2003). This action research study explored the developmental leadership experiences of urban minority students at Aesculapian High School in New Jersey. The study involved a learning community of 20 members from the National Honor Society and five faculty members who served as mentors. The purpose of the study was to determine what leadership skills and qualities along with learning and social needs students perceived were valuable to increase student engagement. Student leadership development was integrated into the curriculum and administered following Kouzes …

The Implementation Of A New Teacher Evaluation Model: A Qualitative Case Study Of How Teachers Make Sense Of The Marzano Evaluation Model, Brian P. Donahue

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers understood and changed their instructional practice in response to imposed teacher evaluation requirements. The strategy of inquiry was a single case study, representative of a large suburban high school adapting to the changes required under the provisions of Achieve NJ, the policy mandating new teacher evaluation (Yin, 2009). The theoretical framework of sensemaking and sensegiving guided the analysis of how teachers processed the changes to their evaluation system and the role the context played in the implementation of the MTEM (Weick, 1995, Gioia & Chittipeddi, 1991). Data was …

An Analysis Of A Middle School Curriculum: Through The Lens Of Personal Responsibility, Social Responsibility, And Social Justice, Kristen Ashley Clark

Theses and Dissertations

One of the fundamental goals of 21st century schools is for students to become independent thinkers through the use of comprehensive academic curriculum that merges academic and social skills to prepare students to compete and engage in an increasingly changing world. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the ways in which three of Schwab’s four functions, social responsibility, personal responsibility, and social justice, were embedded and measured within core academic curriculum. The study also examined how teachers perceived students’ behaviors as a result of a social justice mindset.

The study was conducted using a traditional qualitative methodology …

Exploring My Leadership Practice In Connection To The Support System For Second- To Fourth-Year Non-Tenured Teachers, Joseph Patrick Vespignani

Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnography study offers a personalized story of an elementary school principal's leadership growth and application to practice as a result of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program at Rowan University. Specifically, this study explored leading change to support second- to fourth-year non-tenured teachers. It is connected to the larger issue of new teacher attrition that continues to plague public schools across the nation. It is also aligned with the recent mandate of AchieveNJ that every public school in New Jersey must establish a School Improvement Panel (ScIP). Through reflective practice, I conducted a self-analysis of my leadership …

The Impact Of Involvement In Educational Politics On New Jersey Teachers' Job Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, And Work Locus Of Control: A Survey Research Study, Kayla Lott

Theses and Dissertations

A paradigm shift has occurred for the field of education with a renewed focus on accountability and performance. This increase in accountability along with new mandates and regulations are factors that lead to low teacher retention, especially for young teachers with less than five academic years of experience (Shen et al, 2002). Unfortunately, teachers have little influence on the creation or implementation of new education reform initiatives. The purpose of this survey research was to explore the relationship between teacher involvement in educational politics, job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and work locus of control. This study measured these variables using the Brayfield-Rothe …

A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Strategies For Change In New Jersey’S Teacher Evaluations: How Principals Make Meaning Of The Danielson Framework For Teaching, Sara Jane Van Ness

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, education in the United States has been framed within a context of crisis where American students have been perceived as unable to compete with their international peers in an increasingly competitive global environment. Some responses to this perceived crisis included reforms, which changed teacher evaluation policies. In New Jersey, the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TeachNJ) Act mandated that districts use a state-approved model for evaluations, the most popular of which was the Danielson Framework for Teaching (FFT). The FFT has become an integral part of teacher evaluation reform, and this study …

Transgressive Acts In An Era Of Accountability: Narratives Of New Jersey's Public School Teachers, Gary Daniel Scavette

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the transgressive responses that have emerged in the wake of AchieveNJ, New Jersey’s new teacher evaluation system. Ten teachers, each with five or more years of teaching experience, all of which had demonstrated manifestations of transgression, were selected from random schools throughout the state based upon surveyed response. Through the use of graphic elicitation and narrative interviews, the teachers in this study revealed a variety of responses ranging from open acts of defiance, to more subtle performances, enacted on the spot, while under the surveillance of inspectors. Findings suggest that the …

Transcending We/They: A Qualitative Formative Evaluation Of The Transformative Potential Of An In-District Leadership Development Program, Jennifer Anne Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative formative evaluation study revealed how teacher participation in an in-district leadership academy at a New Jersey school district engaged participants in preparing for future leadership roles. A program evaluation using qualitative methods can provide feedback on initiatives so that informed decisions can be made about program improvements (Patton, 2002b; Powell, 2006). Using a series of focus group discussions and interviews to gather such feedback, the study has informed decisions about one program’s evolving structure. Themes that emerged from the data provided by 13 participants were viewed through a constructivist framework, and using Mezirow’s (1981; 1985; 1994; 1997) theory …

Self-Authorship: A Teaching Approach During The After-School Community Program, Fatjona Lubonja

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of integrating self-authorship pedagogy applied to a younger population. Integration of a self-authorship program during an after-school community program examined the self-authorship pedagogy approach following the developmental theory designed by Baxter Magolda (1999, 2001). Much of previous research in self-authorship was influenced by college student population. There was a literature gap on self- authorship theory applied to younger age population. This research investigated students' responses to the self-authorship program, the impact self-authorship had on students' learning, the impact self-authorship had on after-school programs, and my leadership throughout the research. The …

Math Anxiety And Attitudes In Pre-Service Elementary Teachers, Kelly Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, I identified the attitudes held by pre-service elementary teachers, investigated whether the attitudes could be improved and anxieties reduced, and determined if there was evidence that long-lasting changes in attitudes were achieved. Second, I evaluated my own leadership to see what styles I practiced both inside of, and outside of the classroom. Data was collected through an attitudes questionnaire, student journal data, student interviews, student surveys, and my own journal. Students did show negative attitudes and high anxiety that seemed mitigated by classroom activities. My leadership style in the classroom was primarily …

Student Voice: A Qualitative Case Study Of Teachers' Conceptions In A New Jersey Urban High School, Matin Adegboyega

Theses and Dissertations

"Student voice" is a metaphor for active student engagement and participation in issues that matter to their learning and schooling experiences (Student Achievement Division, 2013). The exclusion of student voice in urban education raises the question about what opportunity exists for students to express their opinions on matters that affect them in schools. Urban education has a culture that is ripped apart by chronic absenteeism, low graduation rates, high dropout rates, school violence, and poor academic performance (Steinberg & McCray, 2012; Rodriguez, 2008). If reforms are truly to address these challenges, in what facets of schooling and learning do teachers …

Principals' Outlooks On Suspension Based On Socioeconomic Status, Gender, Years Of Experience, And School Type, Jennifer Ohara

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore socioeconomic status within a school district, the years of experience, school type, and gender of a principal, supervisor, or disciplinarian and the effect that these variables would have on their attitude toward suspension. According to previous research done by Dr. Russell Skiba of Indiana University, high rates of suspension have been due to racial identity. Even after controlling for poverty status, racial disparities do not disappear (Skiba, Michael, & Nardo, 2000). After wanting to understand more on suspension and its future in schools, this study explored the attitudes that principals, supervisors, and …

What Motivates Middle School Students To Become Better Writers?, Julie Mahoney

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is to examine and evaluate adolescents' perspectives on academic writing and investigate ways in which a teacher can motivate these students to become better writers. Common Core curriculum was used along with collaborative, technology-based and independent writing tasks in which students learned how to identify their writing motivations in a variety of writing tasks. Qualitative inquiry strategies such as student surveys, student written work and observations were used to collect data. The data revealed that the students were motivated by writing assignments in which they knew they would present to the class and receive …

Culture Of Collaboration: Professional Learning Communities And Collaborative Coaching, Ashley Power

Theses and Dissertations

What effect does cognitive coaching have on the work of a professional learning community? Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in my district can be unfocused and unproductive. This may be due to the lack of collaboration and a culture of isolation among staff within the district. Self-reflection in the form of Cognitive Coaching may be one way to encourage colleagues to become more collaborative. If a culture of collaboration and support develops, this may have an effect on PLC meetings. The research portion of this study was conducted over a span of approximately six weeks. Methods for conducting this study included …

Teachers' Reflections On Their Professional Development School Clinical Internship Experience: A Case Study Of Novice Teachers, Lindsay Mccarron

Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation is a case study delving into the experiences of former interns who completed their clinical practice in a Professional Development School (PDS) and how their teacher preparation impacted their beliefs and practices during their initial in-service years as full-time teachers. The emphasis of this project were the perceptions of two Chelsea PDS former interns whom have successfully completed their internships and are engaged in full-time teaching as second and fourth year educators. Also central to the research agenda was an examination of the impact of the experience within a Professional Development School, based upon the Professional Development …

The Student-Teacher Relationship In A One-To-One Technology Classroom: A Case Study, Kevin Higgins

Theses and Dissertations

This embedded case study explores the student-teacher relationship in a one-to-one technology environment. The actual change in relationship from the traditional classroom to a one-to-one classroom was examined. The author considered the perspective of four classroom teachers and 207 high school students at a suburban public high school in New Jersey. The case study research utilized teacher interviews, classroom observations, student surveys and a student focus group. The author uses the self-system theory of motivation, and the three characteristics of autonomy, relatedness and competency, as a theoretical framework. The research determined that there was a notable change in the relationship …

Preparing For Change: An Examination Of An Urban School's Extra-Curricular Activities And Professional Learning Communities In Creating A Culture Ready For Change, Linda Brown-Bartlett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study is to examine the use of extra-curricular activities and professional learning communities to create a school culture ready for academic change. This unique approach to implementing change, in a historically failing urban middle school, utilizes a two pronged approach focusing on personalizing strategies specific to the school based on student and staff expressed needs. The study takes place at Sonia Middle School located in the United States' fifth most dangerous and impoverished city, Bartlett, New Jersey. Numerous academic reform models have failed to improve teaching and learning. The researcher hypothesizes these programs failed …

Secondary School Counselors' Identification Of Strategies For Meeting The Needs Of High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder Students Placed In The General Education Program, Sandra Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

The rising prevalence of autism spectrum disorder has resulted in more children being educated in the general education setting resulting in concern about their educational experience. School counselors as advocates, leaders, and collaborators in schools have special training and skills to educate and assist teachers design more effective and useful strategies. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine what secondary school counselors identified as the issues and challenges they experienced when working with students diagnosed with HFASD, the strategies they employed to assist these students, the strategies counselors utilized to collaborate with parents and teachers, and the …

The Effects Of External Controls On Teachers' Development Of Technology Competencies In An Economically Disadvantaged District, Oscar Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Exponential growth in technological innovations has changed the dynamics of global economic competition. These changes have redefined the relationships between economy and education, which has redirected national and state interest toward the development of human capital within public schools to meet the demands of a new knowledge-based economy (Martens, Rusconi, & Leuze, 2007; Sahlberg, 2006). This study will explore the effects of external controls on education as they affect reform policies, the technical core of teaching and learning, and teachers' development of technology competencies at an elementary school level within a socioeconomically disadvantaged setting. The study will attempt to determine …

Middle School Plunge: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring 6th Grade Students' Perceptions Of Their Transition To Middle School Experiences And Its Influences On School Achievement And Performance For Urban Youth, Lakecia Hyman

Theses and Dissertations

Minority students from inner cities care greatly about their education and want to be successful in school (Corbett & Wilson, 2002). This mixed-methods study sought to explore the correlation between urban students' perceptions of their middle school transitional experiences and The Middle School Plunge academic decline phenomenon that impacts minority youth once they move into 6th grade (West & Schwerdt, 2012). Some researchers on the topic assert that middle school grade configurations influence student achievement outcomes and that students who remain in K-8 settings outperform their peers who attend stand-alone 6th-8th grade middle schools (Carrell & Hoekstra, 2009; Jacobs, 2012; …

A Qualitative Study: Student Mothers' Perceptions Of Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Advisory Groupings In Secondary Settings, Vanessa Pellington

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of young student mothers in high school regarding their experiences in homogeneous advisory groupings as compared to heterogeneous advisory groupings. An extensive review of the literature revealed a gap in research regarding the grouping methods for non-academic classes, such as advisory program groupings (Benson & Poliner, 2013; Galassi, et al., 1998; Hallam, et al., 2004; Song, et al., 2009; Weilbacher & Lanier, 2012). The purpose of this qualitative research study was to add to the body of knowledge that addresses the types of advisory grouping students perceive best meet their needs. In this …