Education Commons^™

Planting The Foundational Roots In Co-Teaching Between Secondary Ell Teachers And Mainstream Content Teachers, Amanda Cummings

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question in this capstone project that was explored was, “in what ways can building early collaboration between secondary mainstream teachers and ELL teachers positively impact student learning?” This research question explores collaborative co-teaching and its process based on past personal experiences and research to assist and boost ELL students’ achievement through collaboration. Based on research, secondary teachers are often on their own islands and do not have much of an opportunity to collaborate. Secondary teachers are also often voluntold to co-teach instead of volunteer. Even if a co-teaching pair is open to the idea, many have no idea …

In What Ways Are Schools, Districts And States Proactively Supporting The Mental Health Of Their Teachers To Reduce Teacher Turnover And Burnout?, Lauren Meyer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Teacher mental health is of high concern when looking at the number of teachers leaving the profession. Schools are facing high levels of turnover due to teacher burnout. This issue did not arise as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of teachers leaving has increased since 2020. Teachers are feeling burnt out due to underlying issues of the education system. This research involves the reasons why teachers are feeling burnt out, what educators can do to help build self-resilience, and what leadership teams can implement to support teachers within their schools. The research goes broader and identifies …

Dear Education System, It’S You, Not Me: Burnout In Elementary Special Education Teachers, Bernadette Putman-Bailey

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Putman-Bailey, B. (2023). Dear education system, it’s you, not me: Burnout in elementary special education teachers. Burnout is not new to the education system as there seems to be a news article around burnout in the teaching profession and the shortage of teachers nationwide. Minnesota is not immune to this problem, but it is particularly true in special education. Special education teacher positions are the most difficult to recruit and retain for school districts in Minnesota. This research focused on the phenomenon of burnout in elementary special education teachers in urban and suburban areas of Minneapolis. The primary research question …

Measuring The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Minnesota Superintendents: “We Did Our Best While We Weren’T At Our Best”, Ann Ertl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Ertl, A. (2023). Measuring the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Minnesota Superintendents: “We did our best while we weren’t at our best” This dissertation explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Minnesota superintendents and contributes to the literature on the pandemic’s impact on education. By employing a statewide survey and grounded theory approach, the research investigates the lived experiences of superintendents during the pandemic and addresses gaps in understanding the specific effects on this group. The central research question focuses on how two years of the pandemic influenced the day-to-day work of Minnesota superintendents. The study’s findings highlight …

When You Look Into The Mirror And See Nothing: Psychic Disequilibrium And Its Relationship With Impostor Phenomenon In Hmong Women Leaders In The United States, Mai Nhia Xiong-Chan

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Xiong-Chan, M. (2023). When You Look into the Mirror and See Nothing: Psychic Disequilibrium and its relationship with Impostor Phenomenon in Hmong Women Leaders in the United States.

Hmong have made considerable educational and socio-economic strides in the United States, post immigration after the Vietnam War. This has been achieved through significant challenges such as language, culture, discrimination, poverty and racism. This phenomenological study focuses specifically on Hmong women leaders in the United States and, through qualitative research, examines how psychic disequilibrium and impostor phenomenon have impacted their journeys. Using thematic analysis this study focused on the following research questions: …

A Black Woman’S Road To Principalship: An Autoethnography, Daria Caldwell

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the perceived barriers of Black women in educational leadership. Majority of the research in the educational field pertaining to women is generalized in various ways and are not specific to Black women. With Black women in educational leadership on the rise, more research is needed for and by Black women to help successfully navigate educational leadership. During the last decade, African American women have pioneered and forged new frontiers as educational leaders (Rusher, 1996). This study included four Black women in educational leadership in different school districts in Minnesota. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews as well …

Social And Emotional Learning In An Open Space, Emily Stein

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Utilizes an adaptation of the open space technology (OST) method to support 9‐12‐year‐old attendees of residential summer camps in proposing, developing, and facilitating own camp activities. Provides intentional support for development of social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies laid out by Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (2020). Specifies examples of skills from each competency and where practiced in the curriculum. Offers considerations for supporting diverse individuals and groups in practice.

Teachers Describe Their Confidence In Teaching Secondary Students With Low Literacy Skills, Tamara Polzin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

For some students, grasping the concept of literacy is completed with ease. For others, the challenges of developing literacy skills to aid in their ability to move from learning to read to reading to learn proves challenging. These challenges cause a gap in literacy growth and have shown to increase as students get older preventing them from fully accessing the concepts found in the secondary setting. As such, secondary educators are being called upon with the assumption that all teachers are teachers of reading. With this in mind, this qualitative research study aimed to uncover secondary social studies teachers’ understanding …

Scouts Bsa Wood Badge Through The Lens Of Senge’S Disciplines Of A Learning Organization, Wendy Marik

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study used researcher participation, participant surveys and participant interviews to explore the presence of the five disciplines of Senge’s learning organization in the training of adult volunteer leaders in Scouts BSA’s Wood Badge in 2021. It also examined how the prevalence of Senge’s five disciplines affected Scouters’ perceptions of Wood Badge training.The study included survey results from 30 participants and interviews with four participants at Northern Star Council’s Wood Badge course in 2021. Findings indicated that all five of Senge’s disciplines were present in Scouts BSA’s Wood Badge course. The study confirmed that Scouts BSA is a …

Using On-Going Mentoring To Support Elementary Teachers Of Language Learners, Elizabeth Callaghan Done

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project was shaped from experiences as an ESL teacher, classroom teacher, and teacher mentor led me to research how teachers improve their practices, particularly around language learners in the mainstream classroom. The question became how can implementing a mentoring program support elementary classroom teachers in changing their practices with language learners. The research led in two directions: effective professional development and best practices with language learners. Based on this research, a determination was made that in order to support teachers in developing their practices with language learners, a mentoring program focusing on four specific areas – vocabulary, syntax, oral …

Muslim Parents’ Expectations In The Public High School Education System, Tamer Hamid

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone project is, what are the expectations of some Muslim parents of high-school-age students. These expectations include prayer, Ramadan, observation of Islamic holidays, school schedule, school meals, school curriculum, gender separation in physical education classes, and teacher insensitivity. In a humble effort to set my fellow educators up for success and expand their knowledge base, a professional development plan is designed as a source that would mainly include high school administrators, teachers, staff members, community members, and anyone invested in the welfare and success of a school with any number of high school Muslim …

The Work-Life Balance Of A Single Mother And Secondary School Principal, Amy Cochran

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

As more women enter the workforce and move into leadership positions, understanding the conflicts between balancing work and family life is essential. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenology study was to focus on the lived experiences of single mother, secondary school principals and how they face the challenges of balancing work and family. Through semi-structured interviews, the study focused on four single mother secondary school principals. It aimed to answer the research question: What are the internal and external drivers of effective single-parent female secondary school principals that allow them to face the challenges of balancing work and family? The …

The Case For Culturally Affirming Systems Of Education: Exploring How Professional Development Impacts Culturally Relevant And Critical Literacy Teaching Practices, Carey Seeley Dzierzak

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This case study based on a qualitative paradigm utilized grounded theory to analyze teacher interviews, focus groups and elite interviews focused on culturally relevant and critical literacy practices. This case study focuses on a small group of teachers and facilitators in a large urban school district in Minnesota. This dissertation focused on the impact of culturally relevant and critical literacy professional development on teachers' mindsets and practices. The theoretical concepts that emerged from this case study are the importance of culturally affirming systems. The data collected from this project support the need for creating culturally affirming classrooms, diverse literature, and …

How Will Self-Centering And Breathing Practices Improve And Promote Purposeful Learning In Beginning Band, Leah Toppen

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Rehearsing an ensemble of beginning band students is a joy and adventure. Every student who enters the band room for rehearsal is excited to take out their instrument and play. The excitement and other emotions students have when they walk into class can affect the energy and tone of a rehearsal. This capstone project is for band directors who teach beginning band and are in need of a more focused rehearsal setting and routine. Centering and mindfulness practices have been around for centuries. Practicing centering and mindfulness helps call down the mind and body. This capstone explores the question: how …

Crisis In Education: Roles And Solutions, Matthew Springer

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

After deciding to pursue a career in education and regularly reading, seeing, and hearing the laments of educators and the general public about education, this project developed. The idea that education is bogged down, lags in innovation, and is chaotic drove a qualitative study to uncover the true state of education, whether it is truly so awful, and whether it is still worthy of pursuit. A literature review laid a foundation for the study. Then, six education professionals were intereviewed, and their experiences and beliefs were synthesized. This researcher concludes that, yes, education has its issues; and, there are struggles …

Developing A Framework For Citizen Science: Preparing Researchers For Success, Michelle Chmura

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Citizen science is a growing field of research that relies on public participation for successfully collecting and processing data in fields of ecology, astronomy and sociology. Citizen science has potential to connect diverse communities with science literacy, but historically has only reached a small portion of the population already invested in scientific research. Many citizen science projects fail to launch within the first year from researcher expectations not meeting volunteer expectations. Researchers face the same common pitfalls that others before them have with few stories sharing how success was achieved. A three day workshop was developed to explore the relationship …

Tilting The Floor: Uncovering Leadership Factors Teachers And Principals Attribute To Math Growth Rate In Two Title I Schools, Stephanie Hiatt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated the two highest math growth rates at two Title I schools in a mid-size, Midwestern school district. This research focused on the leadership factors that may have attributed to the math growth rate. Open-ended interviews, structured interviews, surveys, focus groups, and document analysis were used to collect data. This study uncovered the leadership factors teachers and principals attributed to the math growth rate. The focus of this study was on leadership decisions made before and after students walked into and out of the classroom that have an effect on math achievement. This study also explored …

Transformational Leadership Professional Development Website For Leaders Of Urban, Voucher Schools, Christina Lundberg

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Teachers in the United States are leaving the classroom at alarming rates (Ingersoll, Merrill & Stuckey, 2014). In order to give all students access to high-quality education, this issue of teacher retention needs to be addressed. The professional development website designed for this capstone project focuses on answering the research question: What effects does a principal’s transformational leadership style have on teacher retention at an urban, voucher school? There has been a great deal of research dedicated to the causes and solutions to teacher attrition (Darling-Hammond, 2003); however, there is little research specifically on how transformational leadership affects the retention …

Middle School Voices On Leadership Matter: Adults Miss "The Small Ways In Which We Lead", Brenda Backes

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study focused on the middle school students perspectives of leadership experiences during their daily school lives. Data collection methods include surveys, focus group, individual interviews, field observations, and written artifacts. Participants from a Midwestern suburban middle school were selected for this research based on the fact that the researcher was also the teacher with daily access to the students. Findings suggested that middle school students define leadership on a vast range of meanings, such as helping others to influence change. Themes developed from the findings; e.g. quiet students, negative leaders, leading as a group or individually, and …

The Prevalence Of Peter Senge's Five Disciplines Of A Learning Organization In A Rural High School's Professional Development, Jacquelyn Stevens

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study used mixed methods data collection to research the prevalence of Senge’s (2006) five disciplines of a learning organization in a rural high school’s professional development. It also examined how the presence or absence of the five disciplines impacted teachers’ perceptions of professional development. The study included participants at a Midwestern rural high school and focused on elite interviews with the principal and professional development coordinators, a focus group with eight teachers, and survey results from fifty percent (50%) of the high school teaching staff. Findings indicated that the discipline of team learning is most prevalent in …

The Roles And Identities Of English As A Second Language Teacher Leaders, Madeline Benson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Due to rising numbers of English Learners (ELs) nationwide, mainstream teachers are increasingly called upon to meet the needs of their ELs without adequate preparation to do so (Correll, 2016). In an effort to address these needs, the English Learners in the Mainstream (ELM) Project trains English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers to assume a leadership role in their buildings. Through a model of peer instructional coaching, ESL teachers provide professional development for their mainstream colleagues. The goal of this study was to answer the following questions:

1) After being trained as teacher leaders, do ESL teachers experience a …

Collegebound: Assessment Of An Outdoor Orientation Program, Kyle Rauch

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Collegebound is an optional outdoor orientation program (OOP) offered to incoming first-year students at two joint liberal arts colleges. This long-running and popular program has increased in participation to over 10% of the incoming class in recent years, however, little formal evaluation had been conducted. This research assessed the outcomes of Collegebound participation. Using a mixed methods design, academic and personal-social outcomes of Collegebound participation were assessed to understand the impact of the program on students’ college transition and career. Academic outcomes (first to second year retention and cumulative GPA after first year) were compared between Collegebound and non-Collegebound students …

Steam And Social Studies: Creating An Integrated Classroom, Anna Penner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone is to address the question what strategies does the research recommend for supporting social studies educators in integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) practices into their core content? STEAM education has been adopted by many American school districts to help prepare students to be successful in 21st century careers. With a focus on problem-based learning and critical thinking, STEAM education can teach students real world skills. The goals of social studies education include preparing young people to be empathetic, active members of society. When teachers are educated in the best methods of integrating …

Rural Community-Based Organizing For Social Change, Alexandria V.S. Romano

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this capstone was, How can community organizers design and facilitate a series of workshops to develop rural leaders for social change in southeast Minnesota? In my effort to pose a solution to this question, I collaborated with other

community organizers to design educational activities and facilitation techniques used in four in- person, two-hour long sessions that would engage rural community members in social

investigation, reflection, and action. I analyzed literature detailing the rise of alternative learning models in U.S. adult education, social theories centered around liberation which drove the

popular education approach to critical inquiry, …

Examining Group Dynamics Of High School Adminstrative [Sic] Teams: How Individual And Group Leadership Traits Foster Integration Of Ideas And Actions In Learning Organizations, Steven Brady

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the complexity of leadership teamwork and focuses on high school administration teams. These teams are complex and support multiple stakeholders throughout their educational institutions. The primary purpose of this study is to understand how high school administration teams construct strong group dynamics that foster integration of ideas and actions across a learning organization. The secondary focus is understanding leadership traits that teams and individual leaders of high school administration teams possess and how teams utilize communication to support effective leadership teams. The study analyzed high school administration teams, of three or more members, looking at the team …

Creating A Culturally Proficient El Program: An Evaluative Toolkit, Julie Krohn

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Improving achievement of English learners (ELs) requires districts to examine the effectiveness of their EL programs, a measure required by Federal Title III law. This capstone project examines how might an EL program review toolkit, including an analysis of data, policies, practices, and beliefs, shape an EL program? To answer this question, a program evaluation toolkit was created to help leaders of EL programs analyze the effectiveness of their EL programs. Leading a team of teachers through the EL program toolkit, the author and team analyzed qualitative and quantitative data, identified an area of growth, and created a vision and …

Minnesota Female Principals From Historically Dominated Cultures In The United States: What Are Their Perceptions Of How Ethnicity, Gender, And Race Have Impacted Their Leadership Identity?, Alejandra Estrada-Burt

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which ethnicity, gender and race impact the leadership identity of women of color who self-identify as belonging to the one of the four largest racial groups in the United States. A study was conducted on leadership identity survey and intensive interviews to answer the following: “Minnesota female principals from United States historically dominated cultures: What are their perceptions of how ethnicity, gender and race have impacted their leadership identity?” Fifteen participants completed a leadership identity survey and 13 of the 15 participants completed an intensive interview. Once data was …

Promoting Teacher Retention And Increasing Job Satisfaction By Preventing Burnout In The Early Childhood Workforce, Erin Bergevin

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Burnout is a serious psychological condition characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment (Maslach, 1982). When early childhood educators experience burnout, it undermines educational quality, puts children’s emotional development at risk, and compromises teachers’ mental health. Furthermore, burnout contributes to the alarmingly high rate of teacher turnover in the field of early childhood education. This project addresses the research question: How can early childhood program leaders learn to implement supportive strategies to promote teacher retention and increase job satisfaction? The project is comprised of a series of professional development sessions and a comprehensive resource handbook intended …

Examining The Effectiveness Of An Esl Teacher Observation Tool, Hetal Ascher

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the effectiveness of a teacher created ESL teacher observation tool. This paper argues that although commonly used tools such as the Charlotte Danielson Framework (2013) exist, they do not fully meet the needs of ESL teachers. A mixed methods study was conducted in order to compare the Charlotte Danielson (2013) rubric to the ESL Teacher Observation Tool in terms of language related feedback. Principals from a Midwestern school district conducted evaluations based on a video clip using both tools, and subsequently, principals were interviewed. The ESL Teacher Observation Tool appeared to yield more language-instruction related feedback in …

Integrating Interprofessional Education Curriculum Into A Vascular Sonography Course, Tammi Wiesner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses interprofessional and collaborative learning and aids in answering the following question: What are the benefits and challenges of integrating Interprofessional Education into vascular sonography coursework? Teaching team-based care can be accomplished by integrating Interprofessional Education (IPE), a complementary curriculum that teaches students to collaborate with other health science students, into an already existing health science specific curriculum. The author addresses the need for finding new ways to teach IPE. IPE is typically taught in a half-day or full- day event with students from multiple health disciplines working together in one large room. The author weaves Interprofessional Education …