Education Commons^™

Educational Leaders Can Lead The Way For Increased Academic Achievement For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Stephanie C. Holmes, Jennifer Butcher

School Leadership Review

The problem that drove this study was the increasing number of students with autism entering the school system, and the barriers often encountered for both academic and social inclusion for students on the autism spectrum. Autism Spectrum Disorder, as defined by diagnostic criteria, includes deficits in social-relational communication; social-communication deficits can lead to educational impacts and limit opportunities upon transitioning from the public-school system. The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to inclusion, from the perspectives of key stakeholders to include Local Education Agency (LEA) representatives, general and special education teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, speech-language pathologists …

Trust In Leadership To Develop Collaborative School Culture And Effective Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities, Kara Mieszanek

Dissertations

DISSERTATION: TRUST IN LEADERSHIP TO DEVELOP COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL CULTURE AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Kara N. Mieszanek National Louis University

ABSTRACT

In education, we are constantly working toward increasing student achievement. Often, we pursue technical elements such as implementing programs, data analysis, utilizing assessment tools, embedding evaluation systems, etc. However, there is another critical element that may all too often get overlooked—the culture. The purpose of this study was to strip away all the layers required to achieve systemic change by observing what is at the core of it all: trust. Through qualitative and quantitative research, I took …

The Need For Collaboration: Experiences And Perceptions Of Preservice Principals And School Counselors, Jennifer Tygret, Sylvia Mendez, Adric Arndt, Desiree Lovato, Margaret Scott

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

While professional collaboration between school counselors and principals has the potential to enhance the educational environment for students, preparation programs typically do not provide collaborative opportunities to preservice candidates. In response to concerns expressed by preservice school counselors and principals regarding this lack of opportunity, researchers designed and implemented a collaboration workshop. Following the workshop, a multiple-case study research design was utilized to explore the value of collaboration from the perspectives of both groups through participant interviews grounded by the Five Elements of a Professional Community. Findings indicate educators in these preparation programs have the opportunity to institutionalize a collaboration …

The Partnership Imperative For Preparing Effective Principals In North Carolina Schools, Martinette Horner, Derrick D. Jordan

Journal of Organizational & Educational Leadership

The extant literature highlights the impact principals have on daily operations, visioning, school climate, academic programming, instructional monitoring, and numerous other areas. The need for well-trained principals at the helm of schools, particularly those with large concentrations of at-risk students, has been identified as a critically important factor in improving academic outcomes. Underdeveloped leaders often struggle to improve schools and are unable to show adequate progress among the students they serve. They are also more prone to early burnout, increasing turnover rates. As such, the need to strengthen principal preparation programs has become even more evident in recent years. A …

Bringing Out The Best Of Leaders, Teachers, And Students In The Midst Of Covid-19: Lessons Learned From Russell County, Alabama, Adam Kilcrease Phd

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 caused negative effects related to the economy, families, and the public education sector; however, one system in Russell County emerged from the pandemic with stories to share. The purpose of this article was to describe an effective School Closure Plan related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russell County, Alabama. Guided by the system's superintendent, leaders, teachers, students, and guardians joined forces to navigate the unfamiliar roads of the health crisis while providing continued opportunities for students to learn in virtual and blended formats. With a focus on critical standards outlined by the Alabama State Department …

Playing Well With Others: A Case Study Of Collective Impact In The Early Care And Education Policy Arena, Sarah J. Zuckerman, Amanda L. Garrett, Susan Sarver, Catherine Huddleston-Casas

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

The quality and quantity of early childhood care and education services have risen as a key reform area for influencing educational and economic outcomes. However, changes in this policy arena are stymied by the fragmentation of this policy arena. Collaborative approaches have been proposed to create systems-level change. Collective impact is one such approach; however, few examples exist in the early childhood care and education literature, especially at the state level. This ethnographic case study conceptualizes collective impact as a policy network capable of change in a fractured policy arena and reports the results from the first year of a …

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 …

Community And Collaboration: The Effects Of Participation In An Online Leadership Cohort On The Self-Efficacy Of School Leaders, Jennifer A. Harris

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project was conducted to see if participation in an online leadership cohort would affect the self-efficacy of school leaders. Using an online platform, seven Montessori heads of schools from the United States gathered to discuss topics of greatest importance to them. The schools represented were public, private, non-profit, proprietary and charter. The heads of schools ranged in experience from 3 to 33 years. They met once a week, for four weeks, for an hour each session to discuss four topics most relevant to the group, as determined by their suggestions. Data was collected using pre and post …

Facilitating Communication With Diverse Teams, Maryjane Lewitt

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Non- hierarchical communication structures are associated with greater clarity across all levels. These structures can be implemented in a variety of ways under different circumstances. A variety of communication processes should be implemented to improve communication with individualizing the technique to the type of information being communicated.

Revealed: Secret Ingredients In The Chairperson’S Recipe For Assessment, Ryan Chung, Frederick Burrack, Kelva Hunger

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Academic chairpersons often experience frustration or lack of support when helping faculty/staff develop and administer assessment processes. This session will provide information and strategies on how to effectively guide program assessment processes.

Using Accreditation To Build Teamwork In A Department, David A. Line

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The additional demands of the accreditation process provide a unique opportunity for program chairs to develop positive relationships between administration, staff, and faculty. This best practice presentation will look at the accreditation process from the perspective of the support staff and utilizing the accreditation process as a team building exercise.

Engaging College Communities In Collaborative Strategic Planning, Dawn Shinew, Brian Campbell, Tracy Huziak-Clark, Christina Lunceford, Trinka Messenheimer, Mary Murray, Patrick Pauken, Ray Schneider, Mark Seals, Maureen Wilson, Deborah Wooldridge

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Strategic planning is often met with skepticism. Too often, this process goes nowhere and changes nothing. The leadership team from Bowling Green State University’s College of Education and Human Development share a collaborative strategic process focused on building a common college identity, concrete actions, and a collective sense of accountability.

Creating An Inclusive Climate For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Stephanie Holmes

School of Educational Leadership

The problem that drove this study was the increasing number of students with autism entering the school system, and the barriers often encountered for both academic and social inclusion for students on the autism spectrum. Autism Spectrum Disorder, as defined by diagnostic criteria, includes deficits in social-relational communication; social-communication deficits can lead to educational impacts and limit opportunities upon transitioning from the public-school system. The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to inclusion, which often includes the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) eligibility process itself, from the perspectives of key stakeholders to include Local Education Agency (LEA) representatives, …

Building A Social Network Around Sotl Through Digital Space, Shannon M. Sipes, Samy L. Minix, Matt Barton

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In an effort to increase visibility of and access to the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) work on one campus, a collaboration formed between a faculty developer, a librarian, and a media specialist within a center for teaching and learning (CTL). Building on the frameworks of community of practice, professional learning network, and social networking, the authors strategically leveraged digital space to begin building a social network of faculty members interested in SoTL. This article will address the theoretical foundation and practical implementation of five digital strategies: (a) website redesign; (b) social media presence; (c) blog series; (d) filmed …

Creating An Inclusive Climate For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Stephanie Christine Holmes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem that drove this study was the increasing number of students with autism entering the school system, and the barriers often encountered for both academic and social inclusion for students on the autism spectrum. Autism Spectrum Disorder, as defined by diagnostic criteria, includes deficits in social-relational communication; social-communication deficits can lead to educational impacts and limit opportunities upon transitioning from the public-school system. The purpose of this study was to examine the barriers to inclusion, which often includes the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) eligibility process itself, from the perspectives of key stakeholders to include Local Education Agency (LEA) representatives, …

Building A Culture Of Innovation: Breaking Down Silos, Dina Pacis, Patricia Traynor-Nilsen, Joesph Marron

Journal of Women in Educational Leadership

Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) are divided into colleges and within colleges are departments. Most departments work with their faculty members and have little interaction with others outside their specialty area. This paper outlines the process taken in year one of a two-year journey that one large IHE department which consisted of five stand-alone programs: Educational Administration, School Psychology, School Counseling, Higher Education Administration, and Applied Behavior Analysis took to work toward building a culture of innovation, collaboration, mission, visioning, and scholarship which brought all faculty members together. The department had been working in silos, with no common mission or …

Collaborative Autonomy: Exploring The Professional Freedom Of Three Science Teachers, Michael Ralph, Darian Robbins, Stephen Young, Laurence Woodruff

Educational Considerations

Education reform efforts must support and protect professional autonomy for classroom teachers. When policymakers attempt to make systemic change in ways that reduce the professional autonomy of educators, student learning suffers. Teachers need the freedom to identify their professional goals, seek resources and collaboration opportunities in pursuit of those goals, and act on feedback regarding their progress in meeting those goals. We present three stories from teachers who share a department engaged in collaborative autonomy. These accounts provide guidance for how professional autonomy can be defended by those pursuing systemic change.

Elementary Principals' Behaviors And Collaborative Professional Learning Communities, Lisa Gaines High

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Principals need to possess leadership skills and behaviors that help set expectations for collaborative work. The problem in this case study was that little was known about the collaboration-building behaviors principals use that promote effective collaboration between members of the school community. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the behaviors principals exhibit when building collaboration through the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The conceptual framework was based on 3 elements: leadership styles and approaches, collaboration, and the implementation of effective PLCs. The primary research question explored how principal behaviors contribute to collaborative professional learning …

The Intersection Of Organizational Form And Employee Relationships: A Social Network Analysis Of Rural School Educators, Randi Beth Lowe

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Public schools in the United States are organized in a formal structure with a principal serving as a hierarchical lead, teachers in a variety of professional roles reporting to them and paraeducators supporting the work of teachers. As is seen in an increasing number of organizations, there are informal networks built on the inter-personal relationships of the members of the community (Krackhardt, 1993). The purpose of this study is to measure and describe four types of informal networks, to compare these networks to each other, and to learn about how professional roles influenced the formation of the networks. This study …