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Full-Text Articles in Education

A State-Level Superintendent Evaluation Policy Analysis, Tracey L. Schneider Oct 2018

A State-Level Superintendent Evaluation Policy Analysis, Tracey L. Schneider

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

It is the superintendent's complex role and ultimate leadership responsibility for all district outcomes that suggests superintendents hold the key to successful reform. Research in the wake of the federal accountability and reform movement has focused on the principal as the mediator of school reform. Consequently, there is a dearth of research focusing on the superintendent's role in school reform, superintendent performance evaluation, and the state's responsibility to ensure a fair, equitable, and high-quality superintendent evaluation process through state-level policy. This study is a comprehensive policy analysis of state-level superintendent evaluation policies nationwide using a basic content analysis methodology and …


College Didn’T Prepare Me For This: The Realities Of The Student Debt Crisis And The Effect It Is Having On College Graduates, April Perry, Cassandra Spencer Jun 2018

College Didn’T Prepare Me For This: The Realities Of The Student Debt Crisis And The Effect It Is Having On College Graduates, April Perry, Cassandra Spencer

The William & Mary Educational Review

Student loans are like a dark cloud looming above 41 million Americans (Perna, Kvall, & Ruiz, 2017). Through young adults’ personal accounts and relevant literature, we aimed to explore how student debt has altered the lives of college graduates and what can be done to educate students before they graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. To provide context, we first discuss a brief history of student loans and address what we know from the literature about the burden of student debt. Next, we address the factors that contribute to the student debt crisis and the effects of …


Conceptual Model Of Educational Planning And Program Evaluation: Addressing Deficit Thinking At The Top, Melanie Lichtenstein Mar 2018

Conceptual Model Of Educational Planning And Program Evaluation: Addressing Deficit Thinking At The Top, Melanie Lichtenstein

The William & Mary Educational Review

Deficit thinking has been attributed to on-going academic and social inequities in school districts. Scholars have discussed addressing deficit thinking before educators enter the classroom through pre-service teacher programs. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding educational leaders’ perceptions and belief systems of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse students. The impact of deficit thinking at the leadership level can influence program, policy, and planning decisions that can negatively impact any educational change efforts. This conceptual model of educational planning and evaluation will suggest an approach to change the deficit thinking of school district leaders such as superintendents, school …


A Program Evaluation Of The Behavioral Intervention Component Of The Virginia Tiered Systems Of Support In Three Middle Schools, Anna Weigel Thomas Jan 2018

A Program Evaluation Of The Behavioral Intervention Component Of The Virginia Tiered Systems Of Support In Three Middle Schools, Anna Weigel Thomas

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Virginia Tiered Systems of Support (VTSS) represents the merger of the behavioral side Positive Behavioral Supports (PBIS) and the academic side Response to Interventions (RtI) (Mann & Leutscher, 2014). VTSS is the Commonwealth of Virginia's adaptation of the federally required systemic response program schools are expected to adopt to address the behavioral and academic needs of students (Landers, Courtade, & Ryndak, 2012; Prasse et al., 2012). The development of specific implementation guidelines has been assigned to local levels of leadership. Thus, VTSS programming differences are common between both districts and schools. The purpose of this study is to assess …


Rural Students’ Experiences At Selective Four-Year Colleges: Pathways To Persistence And Success, Amy Sikes Jan 2018

Rural Students’ Experiences At Selective Four-Year Colleges: Pathways To Persistence And Success, Amy Sikes

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of rural students at two selective four-year colleges. Using the framework of cultural, social, and academic capital, I explored aspects of 17 rural college students’ experiences that show how they are able to attain success at college in spite of their potentially disadvantaged backgrounds. Data were collected by interview; the participants were college students who mostly were seniors at the time of the interviews. Two major themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) the challenges students encountered in their rural high schools and 2) the challenges students encountered …


Novice Educator Perceptions Of The Influences Of A New Teacher Mentoring Program In A Hard To Staff School, Jennifer Lee Vaughan Dec 2017

Novice Educator Perceptions Of The Influences Of A New Teacher Mentoring Program In A Hard To Staff School, Jennifer Lee Vaughan

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Abstract Supporting and retaining new teachers is an ever-growing challenge faced by school districts across the nation (Anhorn, 2008; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Lieberman, Saxl, & Miles, 1988; Lorti, 1975). One way that many schools approach this opportunity to support new teachers is through teacher mentoring programs (Goldrick, 2016; Gray & Gray, 1985; Moody, 2009; Strong & Baron, 2004). as school leaders implement mentoring programs, it is important to know whether the programs are meeting their stated goals (Stufflebeam & Shinkfield, 2007). The purpose of this program evaluation was to look at the perceived influence of a teacher mentoring program …


Informed Interaction: A Funds Of Knowledge Approach To Students In Poverty, Davis Clement, Brian Fries, Mike Postma, Bei Zhang Apr 2015

Informed Interaction: A Funds Of Knowledge Approach To Students In Poverty, Davis Clement, Brian Fries, Mike Postma, Bei Zhang

The William & Mary Educational Review

Students of low socioeconomic status (SES) suffer reduced academic achievement levels compared to other students. Evidence suggests discord between a student’s home and school environments (i.e., the hidden curriculum) contributes to poor educational outcomes. In this paper, we advocate educator, teacher, and administrator use of the Funds of Knowledge theory to identify the hidden curriculum that a student of low SES receives in school. This paper illustrates how, once the hidden curriculum is identified, educators can be better equipped to connect the home and school environments of students of low SES and thereby improve their academic performance.


Students' Self-Determined Motivation, Emotional Intelligence And Academic Persistence: An Examination Of Second Year Students At A Public And A Private Historically Black University, Evanda Shentelle Watts-Martinez Jan 2015

Students' Self-Determined Motivation, Emotional Intelligence And Academic Persistence: An Examination Of Second Year Students At A Public And A Private Historically Black University, Evanda Shentelle Watts-Martinez

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Culture Clash: A Case Study Of The Issues That Non-Traditional College Presidents Face In Adjusting To Academic Culture, Sean Michael Heuvel Jan 2015

Culture Clash: A Case Study Of The Issues That Non-Traditional College Presidents Face In Adjusting To Academic Culture, Sean Michael Heuvel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Students In A Comprehensive Four-Year Undergraduate Leadership Development Program, Jessica Walker Hench Jan 2015

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Students In A Comprehensive Four-Year Undergraduate Leadership Development Program, Jessica Walker Hench

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Beating The Odds: Towards Understanding How Principal Leadership Practices In High Schools Support School Completion For African American Males With Learning And Emotional Disabilities, Elaine Butler Gould Jan 2015

Beating The Odds: Towards Understanding How Principal Leadership Practices In High Schools Support School Completion For African American Males With Learning And Emotional Disabilities, Elaine Butler Gould

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


To Experience Something Greater Than Myself: An Exploratory Case Study Of The Impact Of A Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad On College Student Identity, E. Ashleigh Schuller Lee Jan 2015

To Experience Something Greater Than Myself: An Exploratory Case Study Of The Impact Of A Faculty-Led Short-Term Study Abroad On College Student Identity, E. Ashleigh Schuller Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Women In The Trenches: Barriers To Female Staff's Advancement In Higher Education, Carla A. Costello Jan 2015

Women In The Trenches: Barriers To Female Staff's Advancement In Higher Education, Carla A. Costello

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This qualitative phenomenological case study examined the intersection of organizational structures and gender, as well as perceptions of climate, and their collective impact on professional advancement opportunities of women working in lower-level positions in higher education, namely classified and professional staff (Acker, 1990; Allan, 2011; Kanter, 1977). Kanter's (1977) theory of the role of structure in organizations posits that position in the organizational hierarchy and work role influence the amount of access an employee has to information, resources, promotional opportunities, and support. In gendered organizations (Acker, 1990, 2006), women face barriers in advancement. While Kanter (1977) argued that structure not …


The Language Of Leadership A Feminist Poststructural Discourse Analysis Of Inaugural Addresses By Presidents Of High Profile Research Universities, Tehmina Khwaja Jan 2015

The Language Of Leadership A Feminist Poststructural Discourse Analysis Of Inaugural Addresses By Presidents Of High Profile Research Universities, Tehmina Khwaja

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Regional Approach To School Diversity: The Possibility, Feasibility, And Desirability, Damon Richardson, Brian Maltby, Joseph Koontz, Ram Bhagat Nov 2014

A Regional Approach To School Diversity: The Possibility, Feasibility, And Desirability, Damon Richardson, Brian Maltby, Joseph Koontz, Ram Bhagat

The William & Mary Educational Review

The growing opportunity and achievement gaps between and within school divisions in the Richmond, Virginia area are a concern of late. Educational experts and researchers attribute these disparities in part to factors such as less- qualified teachers, poor curricula, and inferior school facilities that are linked to racially and socioeconomically isolated schools. To help reverse the widening student opportunity and achievement gaps that are related to economic and racial isolation, there is a need to explore ways to advance educational equity and excellence in Richmond area schools.


The Construct Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: School Districts’ Appropriations And Reconceptualizations Of Tpack, Judi Harris, Mark J. Hofer Jan 2014

The Construct Is In The Eye Of The Beholder: School Districts’ Appropriations And Reconceptualizations Of Tpack, Judi Harris, Mark J. Hofer

Book Chapters

Despite debates about the specific parameters of its eight subcomponents, TPACK is generally understood within university-based teacher education communities as the knowledge needed to incorporate technologies—especially digital tools and resources—effectively in teaching and learning. How do professional development providers working within primary and secondary schools and districts conceptualize and operationalize TPACK? Our study of educational technology-related professional development in seven North American schools and districts in seven states/provinces found that educational leaders’ discussion and operationalization of the TPACK construct differs from that of university-based researchers in intriguing and important ways. In these organizations, TPACK was both appropriated to reconnect curriculum …


An Evaluation Of Project Iread: A Program Created To Improve Sight Word Recognition, Theresa Meade Marshall Jan 2014

An Evaluation Of Project Iread: A Program Created To Improve Sight Word Recognition, Theresa Meade Marshall

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This program evaluation was undertaken to examine the relationship between participation in Project iRead and student gains in word recognition, fluency, and comprehension as measured by the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) Test. Linear regressions compared the 2012-13 PALS results from 5,140 first and second grade students at adopting and non-adopting schools. Similar regressions were performed at early and late adopting schools. The outcomes for Project iRead indicated statistically significant improvement in word recognition at the district level. However, the results were not practically significant as less than 1% of the variation was explained by the model. In addition, Project …


Teacher Self-Efficacy, Content And Pedagogical Knowledge, And Their Relationship To Student Achievement In Algebra I, Antonia M. Fox Jan 2014

Teacher Self-Efficacy, Content And Pedagogical Knowledge, And Their Relationship To Student Achievement In Algebra I, Antonia M. Fox

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the relationship between teacher self-efficacy beliefs and the level of student achievement their students obtain as evidenced by the Algebra I Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) assessment. This study also explored teachers' mathematics content knowledge, mathematics pedagogical knowledge, and the relationship of each of these to their self-efficacy beliefs as teachers, and to student achievement. Finally, the study explored whether there were significant differences between teachers who teach Algebra I at the middle school level versus those who teach Algebra I at the high school level in each of the four …


The Impact Of Leadership Behaviors Of Blue Ribbon Catholic School Principals On School Culture, Rosaline Cardarelli Jan 2014

The Impact Of Leadership Behaviors Of Blue Ribbon Catholic School Principals On School Culture, Rosaline Cardarelli

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this study was to conduct an analysis of six successful Blue Ribbon Catholic schools to determine the relationship between principal's leadership behaviors, teacher's perceptions of principals and resulting school culture within six successful Blue Ribbon schools. A mixed methods approach for analysis was used through both qualitative and quantitative methods by means of principal interview data, observations, survey data, principal survey, and teacher survey. Participants in the survey included six principals and 80 teachers from elementary and high schools from rural as well as urban schools. The six schools in the study were all co-educational and ranged …


A Descriptive Case Study Of Appreciative Inquiry As An Approach To Strategic Planning For Special Education In A Public School, Paul L. Ruhlman Jr. Jan 2014

A Descriptive Case Study Of Appreciative Inquiry As An Approach To Strategic Planning For Special Education In A Public School, Paul L. Ruhlman Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study's purpose was to describe appreciative inquiry (AI) as an approach to strategic planning for special education in a public school. The study investigated four research questions. How do plans for special education emerge as participants engage in the four phases of AI during strategic planning for the future of special education in a public school district? What were participants' experiences and perceptions of AI as a method to develop strategic plans for the future of special education? to what extent did participants' experiences using AI mirror the philosophical principles of AI? to what extent did using AI to …


An Exploration Of Compliance Predictors Of The Institutional Effectiveness Requirements Of The Southern Association Of Colleges And Schools Commission On Colleges' Baccalaureate Instittutions Between 2008 And 2012, Benjamin Ninjo Djeukeng Jan 2014

An Exploration Of Compliance Predictors Of The Institutional Effectiveness Requirements Of The Southern Association Of Colleges And Schools Commission On Colleges' Baccalaureate Instittutions Between 2008 And 2012, Benjamin Ninjo Djeukeng

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


A Program Evaluation Of A Leadership Academy For School Principals, Kristi E. Wagner Jan 2014

A Program Evaluation Of A Leadership Academy For School Principals, Kristi E. Wagner

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This program evaluation focused on mid-range outcomes of a leadership academy for school principals. The mixed-methods evaluation included interviews, principals' instructional observation database, and teacher surveys. The Principal Academy program was designed to build principals' knowledge of high-yield instructional strategies (Hattie, 2009), expertise with tools to collect classroom data that provide immediate feedback to teachers, and facilitate collaborative observation conferences to engage teachers in professional learning to improve classroom instructional practices. Participants in the study included Academy leaders and directors, principals, and identified teachers. Interviews revealed evidence of principals' increased knowledge of intended instructional strategies and targeted professional learning for …


Social Organization Analysis Of The Role Of Academic Advising: A Case Study At The University Of Liberia, Jobila Y. Williams Sy Jan 2013

Social Organization Analysis Of The Role Of Academic Advising: A Case Study At The University Of Liberia, Jobila Y. Williams Sy

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Positive educational experiences deliberately sought through advising can lead to increased academic success, improved college experiences, and long-term benefits as graduates become contributing citizens in society. However, much of the research on the role of and advantages related to academic advising has been limited to American colleges and universities. This ethnographic case study conducted at the University of Liberia examined the organizational role of advising from student, faculty, and staff perspectives, and explored the culture, college experiences, and academic progression of students prior to and after the establishment of the Student Academic Advisement and Career Counseling Center particularly among freshmen …


Teacher Perspectives Of The Use Of Student Performance Data In Teacher Evaluations, Paul Thomas Hopkins Jan 2013

Teacher Perspectives Of The Use Of Student Performance Data In Teacher Evaluations, Paul Thomas Hopkins

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine how K-12 public school teachers perceive the use of student performance data in teacher evaluations. The proprietary, utility, feasibility, and accuracy standards created by the Joint Committee on Standards for Education Evaluation (JCSEE) served as a framework for the study. An online survey was deployed to a random stratified sample of teachers across the United States. Participants responded to thirty statements using a four-point Likert Scale that ranged from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Participants were also provided an opportunity to list and describe additional items that they favored and feared with …


Impact Of The Bologna Process And German Higher Education Reforms On Professorial Work And Role Definition At The University Of Potsdam: A Case Study, Christen Cullum Hairston Jan 2013

Impact Of The Bologna Process And German Higher Education Reforms On Professorial Work And Role Definition At The University Of Potsdam: A Case Study, Christen Cullum Hairston

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Realizing Federal Policy Outcomes Of The Post-9/11 Gi Bill: Veterans' And Active Duty/Reservist Perceptions, Lydia Leporte Jan 2013

Realizing Federal Policy Outcomes Of The Post-9/11 Gi Bill: Veterans' And Active Duty/Reservist Perceptions, Lydia Leporte

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 78-346), generally referred to as the GI Bill, provided any veteran, who had served for at least 90 days from the time period of September 1940 to July 1947, paid full-time education. The original Act also called for the creation of a central agency dedicated to the administration of all veterans' benefits, which ultimately became the Veterans' Administration (VA). The GI Bill has been revamped five more times since its initial inception, with the most recent iteration, the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, being hailed to be potentially as powerful …


Policies That Enhance Learning And Teaching, Shannon M. Chance, Pamela L. Eddy, Gavin Duffy, Brian Bowe, Jen Harvey Jan 2013

Policies That Enhance Learning And Teaching, Shannon M. Chance, Pamela L. Eddy, Gavin Duffy, Brian Bowe, Jen Harvey

Articles

Educational institutions often implement policies with the intention of influencing how learning and teaching occur. Generally, such policies are not as effective as their makers would like; changing the behavior of third-level teachers proves difficult. Nevertheless, a policy instituted in 2006 at the Dublin Institute of Technology has met with success: each newly hired faculty member must have a post-graduate qualification in “Learning and Teaching” or successfully complete one within the first two years of employment. The intention is to build teachers’ knowledge about student-centered pedagogies and their capacity to implement them. As a result of this policy (and associated …


Faculty Sense Of Academic Optimism And Its Relationship To Students' Achievement In Well Performing High Schools, Michael Tyrone Cromartie Jan 2013

Faculty Sense Of Academic Optimism And Its Relationship To Students' Achievement In Well Performing High Schools, Michael Tyrone Cromartie

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The aim of this study was to determine the organizational characteristics and behaviors that contribute to sustaining a culture of academic optimism as a mechanism of student achievement. While there is a developing research base identifying both the individual elements of academic optimism as well as the academic optimism construct itself as contributors to student achievement, little information exists to assist school leaders in identifying specific organizational practices that sustain collective teacher efficacy, academic emphasis, and trust in students and families. This study employs case study methodology to investigate faculties' interpretations of academic optimism by examining the organizational and instructional …


Women In Engineering: The Impact Of The College Internship On Persistence Into An Engineering Field, Kimberly M. Brush Jan 2013

Women In Engineering: The Impact Of The College Internship On Persistence Into An Engineering Field, Kimberly M. Brush

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.


Executive Search Firms' Consideration Of Person-Organization Fit In College And University Presidential Searches, James Christopher Turpin Jan 2013

Executive Search Firms' Consideration Of Person-Organization Fit In College And University Presidential Searches, James Christopher Turpin

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.