Education Commons^™

Personal Power Tactics African American Female Superintendents Employ To Overcome Four Identified Self-Sabotaging Behaviors, Angela Brantley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-method study was to identify and describe personal power tactics that African American female superintendents employ to overcome the four identified self-sabotaging behaviors from the Self Sabotaging Framework adapted from Lerner (2012), Ryder and Briles (2003).

Methodology: This study identified and described the lived experiences of seven female African American superintendents across the United States. This research design encompassed a sequential data collection method using an electronic survey instrument, followed by one-on-one interviews. Based on the quantitative and qualitative data, the researcher was able to triangulate data using the trends, categories, and patterns …

A Phenomenological Examination Of The Lived Experiences Of African American Female Superintendents In The State Of Arkansas, Debra Denise Goodwin Myton

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. One of the major educational issues is the limited number of African American female superintendents in the USA and the state of Arkansas, in particular. African American women venturing into the superintendency are hindered in their goals by their double minority status as women and African Americans (Wiley et al., 2017). A qualitative, narrative research lens was used in this study to capture the individual career advancement of African American female Superintendents in the State of Arkansas. …

Pathways To Adult Education For Emerging Adults Surviving Poverty, Crayal V. Sisuse

Adult Education Research Conference

This research seeks to investigate African American emerging adults living in under-resourced communities while pursuing education and career pathways. In this study, the researcher will employ the emerging adult theory.

Examining The Relationship Between School Policing Behaviors And The Depressive Symptoms Experienced By Black Students, Collin Perryman

Theses and Dissertations

The school policing literature has two major themes: (a) the negative safety outcomes of school safety (Gottfredson et al., 2020) and (b) the central role that school police play in placing Black students into the school-to-prison-nexus (Morris, 2016; Turner & Beneke, 2020). The study of school police roles, how school police interact with educators, and the safety effects of school police presence is important. Just as important is knowing the mental health effects of physical and nonphysical school policing behaviors on Black students. This dissertation sought to fill this gap in part by studying the relationship between school police behaviors …

Mentoring Urban African American Male Students In Secondary School, David Jacoby Collins

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This narrative inquiry evaluated how a school-based mentorship program called The Chamber of Scholars: African American Male Mentoring Intervention, which served exclusively African American male students in high school, impacted the participants’ identification with academics, perception of mattering to their school, and academic performance. The program was evaluated using a pre-interview and a post-interview of all participants, daily field notes of activities, and weekly journals. The study found that participants who regularly attended daily intervention sessions for ten weeks increased their identification with academics (value of school). The study also found that participants who regularly attended daily intervention sessions for …

A Case Study Of Rural Southern Desegregation: How Black Students In A South Carolina Community Experienced Segregated Schooling And The Integration Process, Margo Mcdowell Gore

Theses and Dissertations

My purpose for this study is to shed light on how the African-American community in a small Southern rural community experienced segregated schools and the long school desegregation process. Conflicts over school integration in urban centers like Little Rock drew the media's attention, but how small communities beyond the glare of the media fared is less well understood and documented. Archival data and contemporary media coverage provide a timeline and context for the experiences of this Black community, and oral history interviews were collected and analyzed to document the range of desegregation experiences.

Although the Brown v. Board of Education …

The Impact Of Stress, Depression, And Anxiety On African American Student Success During Their First Undergraduate Semester: A Qualitative Case Study, Anthony Jerome Howard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the impact of stress, depression, and anxiety on African American students’ success during their first undergraduate semester at House A&M University. The terms stress, depression, and anxiety were defined respectively as the feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Schlossberg’s transition theory, which defines transitions as events or experiences that result in changed interactions, habits, expectations, and responsibilities, framed this study. The study's central research question was designed to elicit participant descriptions of the ways stress, depression, and anxiety impact the …

African American Teachers' Experiences Of Becoming A Teacher In Ohio: A Case Study, Feon M. Battiste

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been a hiring discrepancy in the recruiting and hiring process of African American teachers in Ohio (Stein, 2019). The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore African American teachers’ experiences of becoming teachers in Ohio and their suggestions for improving the hiring process. Five research questions guided the study: (a) What were African American teachers’ lived experiences of becoming a teacher in Ohio? (b) How do African American teachers perceive the obstacles and catalysts of becoming and remaining teachers in Ohio? (c) How do African American teachers view diversity in the teaching force? (d) What policies …

Integrating Underutilized Black Volunteers In 4-H Youth Development Programs, Maurice Smith Jr., Shannon Wiley

The Journal of Extension

4-H Youth Development prides itself on providing essential resources to reach underserved minority populations. 4-H provides programming and professional development for volunteers to include diverse hands-on training, and cultural competency workshops. This article provides best practices for the inclusion of African American volunteers in 4-H programming efforts that could help extension educators better understand the need to include minority volunteer roles and responsibilities. These strategies include strengthening diverse volunteer make-up, increasing participation and trust among African American youth, and engaging volunteers working in educational organizations that could provide real world experiences for youth.

Views From The Margins: A Multiple-Case Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Black Women Senior-Level Student Affairs Administrators, Tamekka L. Cornelius

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of senior-level Black women student affairs administrators at four-year degree granting institutions. Moreover, this study documents Black women in nonfaculty administrative roles in student affairs at both predominately White institutions (PWIs) and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). A multiple case study research design was used to investigate this phenomenon. Two frameworks were used to ground the study: Black feminist thought and representational bureaucracy. The following questions guided it: (1) What are the work experiences of Black women in senior leadership positions in student affairs? (2) What barriers/issues to obtaining senior leadership …

Administrators’ Perceptions Of Transformational Leadership Practices Influencing African American And Hispanic High School Graduation, Sue Arredondo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

High school graduation is a gateway opportunity for higher education and economic self-sufficiency. Ethnic minority students face challenges accumulating academic credits to graduate high school within 4 years. Researchers found that school leaders are second only to classroom teachers in the influence they have on student achievement. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of urban high school administrators concerning their transformational leadership practices and their influence on African American and Hispanic students achieving high school graduation in the southwestern United States. The transformational leadership framework of Burns and Bass guided this study. The research …

Effective Strategies For Recruiting African American Males Into Teacher Education Programs, Fredrick Wellington Snodgrass

Online Theses and Dissertations

In today’s society, the teaching workforce should be more diverse. However, it still consists of majority white females. From a survey reported by Education Week in 2017-2018, the teaching workforce consisted of 79.2% white teachers. The same data reported that the teaching workforce consists of 7% African-Americans (Will, 2020). From that 7% of African-Americans, African-American males consists of 2% of the teaching workforce (Bell, 2017). Some school districts are seeking to attract more minority teachers to reflect their student demographics. In 2018, data reported from statista.com shows the following student demographics in K-12 public schools across the U.S.: 47% White, …

Discussion Questions For Teaching While Black, Pamela Lewis

Education

These discussion questions accompany Teaching While Black: A New Voice on Race and Education in New York City.

Resilience And The African American Superintendent, Bernadeia Johnson, Lakisha Witter, Jason A. Kaufman

Educational Leadership Department Publications

We sought to explore the extent to which race might influence how African American superintendents cope with the stressors of their leadership roles and the presence of support while in such positions. In order to test this question, we recruited African American superintendents across the United States. We specifically measured their ability to cope with stressors and maintain resilience in leadership. African American superintendents indicated that they primarily utilized problem-based coping to navigate role stress and that they perceived themselves as successfully bouncing back from that stress. We offer a brief set of recommendations based upon these results to foster …

African American College Students’ Perspectives Of Academic Challenges To Graduation, Bobby Calvin Luckett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Even though the enrollment numbers of African American students are comparable to other racial/ethnic groups at a university in the midwestern United States, the problem investigated through this study was that African American students were graduating at a slower rate compared to other groups. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of African American university students about the academic challenges they faced as they worked towards graduation as well as their experiences with and suggestions to improve institutional support to meet these challenges. The study was based on Tinto’s retention theory. For this basic qualitative study, data …

Faring Better Or Worse: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Success Outcomes Of The Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program At Eastern Michigan University, Kimberly J. Brown

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Intergenerational poverty is a problem of immense concern within the African American community, where approximately 32% of children under the age of 18 reside in impoverished conditions. Although acquisition of a college degree is the sole determining factor most influential for social mobility of families in the lowest income bracket, only 10.13% of total degrees conferred in 2015-2016 were to African American students. Additionally, being first-generation and low-income, stressors are intensified and perpetuate cessation of enrollment in postsecondary studies. Utilizing a non-randomized sample, a causal comparative/quasi experimental analysis was conducted to evaluate whether African Americans, or students from low-income and …

Seeking Success: A Case Study Of African American Male Retention At A Two-Year College, Richard Latroy Moss

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is a problem in higher education in the United States. African American students, specifically males, are not being retained and graduating. This problem is even more evident for students that attend two year colleges. African American male students lag behind white males, Hispanic males and African American females, in retention and graduation rates. This problem has caught the attention of many leaders. Policy makers and college leaders are among those who seek to understand the why and find solutions to the challenge of African American male student retention at two year colleges, as two year colleges are becoming the …

Teachers' Perceptions Of African American Middle School Males' Reading Performance, Louis David Figueroa

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School administrators at a middle school in the northeastern United States lacked understanding regarding reading services and teaching strategies to improve African American middle school (AA MS) males' performance on standardized state reading assessments. English language arts (ELA) teachers' perspectives on and experiences of teaching reading to AA MS males at the target site were explored using Kolb's model of experiential learning. A qualitative intrinsic case study with an anonymous survey was used to collect data at the target site. Fifteen individuals who met inclusion criteria of being 6th- or 7th-grade ELA teachers at the target site were recruited using …

We (She, Me, Her) Are Not In Communication: An Autoethnography Of A Black College Administrator, Tanya Anderson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

I’m a first generation, previously low income, Christian, African American administrator at a California community college who struggled and felt alone throughout my journey. This autoethnography helped me make peace within my broken pieces. Within this dissertation, I highlight the impacts and hindrances within my education, family and career experiences. The purpose of this study is to offer the reader an insider view of how I ultimately became an administrator and with this information provide scholarship on how to more successfully integrate African American female leaders into higher education. The bonus chapter provides young women lessons learned along the way …

African American Christian Senior Pastor's Beliefs About Mental Health Treatment, Trinaa L. Copeland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the African American community, the Black Church and its clergy have served as gatekeepers to formal mental health treatment. Little is known about the beliefs of African American Christian senior pastors about mental health treatment and their personal views influencing their counsel to congregants seeking support through the church. This transcendental phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of African American Christian senior pastors in relation to how they understand mental health treatment and provide it to their congregants. The research questions explored three areas: (a) the senior pastors' experiences in rendering mental health treatment, (b) the senior pastors' personal …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of African American Women Superintendents In North Carolina, Latoia Aster Valentine

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of African American women superintendents in North Carolina. The theory guiding this study was Collins’ black feminist thought, as it clarifies and calls attention to the analysis of ideas and experiences specific to African American women, which relates to African American women superintendents in North Carolina. The central question of the study is “How do African American women describe their lived experiences in superintendent positions in the state of North Carolina?” This qualitative phenomenological study included six current and/or past African American women North Carolina superintendents. Data were …

Scholastic Liberation: Schools' Impact On African American Academic Achievement, Aaron M. Johnson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article addresses some of the factors that contribute to low achievement observed in African American students. It is common that either schools or school districts are unable to fix the problem or they are unaware about how the beliefs and attitudes about African American students can contribute to their low performance in school. Furthermore, this article encourages school institutions to examine themselves and change school environments to align to the identities of African American students. African American students must be liberated from negative assumptions about them and to do that, individuals and the institution of school as a whole, …

An Interpretive Study Of African American Female Elementary Principals Experiences In A Southeastern Public Urban School District, Tiffany Marshall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

This study is an interpretive study of African American female elementary principals’ experiences in a Southeastern public urban school district. The purpose of this interpretive research is to specifically examine five African American female principals’ perceptions of supports and barriers on the career pathway to the principalship in urban public elementary schools. The questions for this research included: How do African American females experience the process of becoming elementary school principals in a Southeastern, urban district? How have African American female principals described their experiences with educational institutions, communities and professional organizations? Tillman and Lomotey’s research is used to explain …

The Me You Do Not See: The Experiences Of African American Administrators And Double Consciousness, Matasha Jordan

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative study focused on the experiences of 10 African American professionals, five males and five females, in educational administrative positions. The purpose of the study was to show how African American educational administrators perceived double consciousness and describe how they navigated or negotiated their race when working with Caucasian stakeholders in educational organizations. The administrators participated in two interviews, answering questions on race, socioeconomic status, differences between Black and White leadership and lifestyles, culture, and double consciousness. The theoretical framework of this study included elements of critical race theory and culturally sensitive research approaches to support a narrative inquiry. …

Social Capital And Academic Achievement Of African American Male High School Students, Sabreen Ayesha Mutawally

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although more researchers have focused on academic deficits of male African American students, it is also important to understand the social factors that contribute to those who perform at a proficient level. Drawing on social capital theory as forwarded by Coleman and Putnam, this qualitative case study of 3 African American male high school students examined how their parent(s), teacher, mentor, peer or sibling, and pastor or community leader influenced the creation of social capital surrounding the students' academic achievement. Interview protocols and research interview instruments were developed and used to collect data from a total of 16 research participants, …

Exploring African American Students’ Perceptions Of Belonging At An Urban Community College In The Western United States, Sylinda Nicole Gordon Musaindapo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

African American students’ perceptions of belonging impact their experiences on community college campuses and in their local communities. This research study explores the impact of gentrification on a group of resilient African American college students in an urban community college located in the western region of the United States. Participants used negative experiences with onlyness and otherness as opportunities to build community for other African Americans.

Teachers' And Parents' Perceptions Of Special Education Referral For African American Students, Darlene Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Patterns of representation of African Americans in K-12 special education programs vary across the United States. A school district in Arizona has a 13% African American population, yet the African American special education representation is 17%. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to generate an understanding of the processes related to special education referral and assignment of African American elementary students as perceived by 7 teachers and 6 parents in the school district. Inductive analysis including open, axial, and selective coding led to the categorization of three themes: complexity in the referral process, inadequate teacher-parent communication and lack …

More Than A Silhouette: African American Women’S Graduate Student Experience, Bridget Holly Love

Doctoral Dissertations

African American women have been silhouetted. They have been reduced to a one dimensional version of themselves and defined by societies White – male hegemonic background. Currently, limited research exists on the experiences of African American (AA) women graduate students from an Afrocentric perspective. Despite the increase enrollment of AA women in higher education, barriers to degree completion still persist as evidenced by the lower rates of graduation. The lack of AA women in higher education demonstrates that the literature holds a minority position not unlike that of AA women in society. Subsequently, the accomplishments, challenges and overall experiences of …

An Exploration Of The Identity And Career Development Of African American Women In Higher Education Leadership: Does Hair Style Make A Difference?, Yasmine Osir Farley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

African American women, a group that endures the intersectionality of being both a woman and an African American, have many obstacles in their path as they advance in their career. Despite the strides that have been made in America to improve things for women and people of color, the interwoven societal standards of beauty do not include African American women. This standard of beauty affects women in that no matter how intelligent they are, looks play an important part in their professional life. For African American women, hair is a large part of who they are and how others perceive …

Herstory: Dr. Ruth Simmons’ Journey To The Presidency, Patricia Yvette Jones

Doctoral Dissertations

This study’s goal is to give voice to the experiences of one individual: Dr. Ruth Simmons, the first woman president of Brown University and the first African American president of an Ivy League institution. Simmons’ HerStory is a narrative of her becoming rather than being. It is a story of her moving forward. In this study Simmons is permitted to take back her narrative by telling HerStory, in her own words and along with sharing her ethos. HerStory provides insight into and a deep understanding of how Simmons became the president and what shaped her development spanning from her childhood …