Education Commons^™

Assessing The Factors Impacting Professional Learning For Teachers In Seventh-Day Adventist Schools: A Comparison Of Millennials And Non-Millennials, Betty L. Bayer

Dissertations

Problem and Purpose

Much research over several decades has established the importance of ongoing professional learning for teachers and has identified what effective professional learning should look like. Little research has been done, however, on the professional learning practices of teachers in faith-based schools, and few studies have focused on the learning needs of millennial teachers, those newest to the profession.

This study explores the professional learning practices of educators in the Seventh-day Adventist School system in North America and the factors that impact those practices, with a special focus on millennial educators. Educational leaders can use the results of …

Departmentalized Classroom Environments Versus Traditional Classroom Environments In Second Through Fourth Grades: A Quantitative Analysis, Staci Janelle Ray

Dissertations

Since No Child Left Behind was introduced, kindergarten through 12th-grade educators have seen a dramatic increase in accountability, rigor of standards, and responsibilities in the classroom (New America Foundation, 2015). In order to meet the increased demands of federal education regulations in second through fourth grades, many administrators are looking for alternative methods to ensure student success (Gewertz, 2014). Departmentalization is one of the alternative methods being used (Jacobs, 2014). Educators believe departmentalization results in many benefits (Chan & Jarman, 2004); however, historical research has contradicted this view (American Association of School Administrators, 1965). With the demands of today’s standards …

A Movement Against And Beyond Boundaries: Exploring The Impact Of Transgressive Teaching On The Student Affairs Practices Of White, Heterosexual Men, Conor Mclaughlin

Dissertations

Transgressive teaching can have a substantive and transformative impact on the experiences of students in primary, secondary, and higher education classrooms. Transgressive teaching is exemplified by the engaged pedagogy outlined by bell hooks in the seminal work Teaching to Transgress, in which teachers seek to engage spaces of learning in deeper and more holistic ways. Scholars have theorized transgressive teaching, when implemented by student affairs professionals, can have similar effects on the experiences of students, especially those from identity groups which have historically been marginalized in higher education. However, there is a limited understanding of the experiences of student affairs …

Superintendents’ Response To The Revised School Code Requiring Merit Pay In Selected Michigan School Districts, Mark A. Tompkins

Dissertations

In 2010, Public Act 205 was passed and signed into law, revising Michigan School Code section 1250. This revision required compensation for teachers to be based on job performance and job accomplishments. Compensation based on performance or merit is a significant departure from existing practice wherein teachers are paid a step scale salary based on years of service and educational qualifications. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experience of nine superintendents as it relates to the implementation of section 1250 of PA 205 in their respective districts. Participants were divided into three categories based on …