Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Integration In The Little Rock Area, Part 1: Demographic Trends In Enrollment, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

School integration has been a contentious policy issue in Little Rock since the 1950s. Recent charter expansions have raised questions about the current level of integration in public schools (charter and traditional) in the Little Rock Area. As an introduction to this work, we begin by examining broad changes in enrollment before we drill down in later briefs and study the impacts of individual moves

An Exploration Of Teacher Perception Of The Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation Model And Its Impact On Professional Practices, Susan Kathryn Graziano

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Teacher evaluation practices have been a common topic of discussion at the federal, state, and local levels in recent years. The literature asserts that teacher evaluation has a dual purpose: (1) to improve teacher instructional practice, and (2) to inform personnel decisions (retention and dismissal) (Donaldson & Papay, 2014; Gabriel, 2015; Garrett & Steinberg, 2015; Marzano & Toth, 2013). While districts are certainly utilizing evaluation instruments for the purpose of making personnel decisions, there is little research to support the claim that teacher growth is occurring as a direct result of teacher evaluation practices. It is essential that educational leaders …

Cross-Subsidization Of Teacher Pension Normal Cost: The Case Of Calstrs, Robert M. Costrell, Josh B. Mcgee

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Under traditional defined benefit pension plans, annual contributions are set at a uniform percentage of pay to fund accruing benefits. That normal cost rate masks wide variation in the cost of individual benefits, generating an extensive and non-transparent pattern of cross-subsidization. We provide a comprehensive analysis of cross-subsidies in employer contributions across all entry and exit ages. The gains and losses of winners and losers must add up to zero, and we explain why they do not in some previous work, which claims that nearly all teachers are winners in the California Teachers Retirement System. To the contrary, we find …

Promising Practices In Mentoring Minority Undergraduates In Research, Floralba Arbelo

Florida Statewide Symposium: Best Practices in Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research opportunities have been linked to outcomes produced from undergraduate student engagement in research activities are associated with gains in writing, cognitive, and personal skills, enhanced self-concept, and academic achievement (ASHE Higher Education Report, 2007; Estepp, Velasco, Culbertson, & Conner, 2016). Research experiences allow students to engage in deep learning, helping them learn to link ideas and identify patterns using evidence and logic by examining arguments; ultimately developing their own ideas about a particular problem through reflection (Entwistle, 2006). Research demonstrates that this high impact practice enhances a student’s link to the campus, faculty, and peers, which in turn …

Boosting Graduation Rates In Texas Through Education Savings Accounts, Patrick J. Wolf

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Graduating from high school is a crucial outcome for young people. Unfortunately, 12 percent of Texas students fail to earn the vital credential of a high school diploma. Private school choice has a proven track record of increasing graduation rates. In this study I draw upon prior research, Texas demographics, and conservative assumptions to forecast that the launch of a universal private school choice program in the form of Education Savings Accounts in the fall of 2017 would generate 11,809 additional high school graduates in the Lone Star State by 2022. In other words, of those students attending high school …

Kids Vs. Adults: Using Observations And Student Surveys To Evaluate The Arkansas Teacher Corps, Elise Swanson, Gary W. Ritter

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

This study is an evaluation of the Arkansas Teacher Corps, an alternative teacher certification program that places teachers in high needs schools in rural, southern Arkansas. This evaluation focuses on an intermediate goal of the organization — effective teaching practices — and uses a matching strategy to determine the effectiveness of Arkansas Teacher Corps Fellows. Data comes from third party observations and student surveys. ATC teachers are rated significantly higher on constructs of content knowledge, teacher-student relationships in class, and teacher-student relationships out of class by students. There are no significant differences between ATC and non-ATC teachers noted by observers …

When Students Don't Care: Reexamining International Differences In Achievement And Non-Cognitive Skills, Gema Zamarro, Collin Hitt, Ildefonso Mendez

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Policy debates in education are often framed by using international test scores, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The obvious presumption is that observed differences in test scores within and across countries reflect differences in cognitive skills and general content knowledge, the things which achievement tests are designed to measure. We challenge this presumption, by studying how much of the within-country and between-country variation in PISA test scores is associated with student effort, rather than true academic content knowledge. Drawing heavily on recent literature, we posit that our measures of student effort are actually proxy measures of …

Socialization And Retention Of Part-Time Doctoral Students: A Review Of Ten Years Of Literature, Mildred Cunningham, Christy L. Spurlock

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

The growing population of part-time doctoral students has created a need for research into the determining factors for part-time doctoral student success, especially related to retention and program completion. In order to gain a better understanding of the current literature and its importance, the researchers used purposive sampling and thematic analysis to compile emerging factors from over 20 recent articles. Three themes materialized: the growing part-time student population; the differing needs of part-time versus full-time students; and the need for specialized student support resources for part-timers. This article explains the analysis and present findings that indicate that the socialization process …

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 29, Fall 2016, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

President’s Message -Dakin Burdick, Mount Ida College

Save the date, spring conference - Student-Faculty Research Collaborations, keynote speaker, Alan November, founder of November Learning; keynote address: Helping Students Build a Global Network for Lifelong Learning

Exploring the Universe Through a Cultural Lens - Kristine Larsen, Central Connecticut State University

Scientific Literacy Skills for the 21st Century - Cynthia Brandenburg, Champlain College

Using Celebrity to Discuss Diversity - Kellie Deys, Nichols College

Reacting to the Past: Learning Diversity of Perspectives Through Role Playing - Frances Alexakos, Roger Williams University

Mindsets Matter in Education - Cheryl Williams, Salem State University

The …

A Phenomenological Study Of African-American Female Teacher Graduates Of Historically Black Colleges And Universities’ Perceptions Of Preparedness For The Field, Kimberly Bryant

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand and explain the perceptions of African-American female teachers’ levels of preparedness for the teaching field after attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Preparedness was generally defined as one’s readiness to teach in the classroom. The main theory guiding this study was Dewey’s (1938) theory of experience and education. The central question of this study was: What are the perceptions of preparedness for African-American female teacher education graduates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities? The sub-questions focused on the characteristics of Dewey’s (1938) theory of experience and education, additional helpful resources, and …

School Staff Workload Study: Final Report To The Australian Education Union – Victorian Branch, Paul R. Weldon, Lawrence Ingvarson

School and system improvement

The School Staff Workload Study was commissioned by the Victorian branch of the Australian Education Union (the Union) in March 2016. The study involved the design and delivery of an online survey by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The survey was a census of the Union membership and was open to the majority of members in Term 2, June 2016. The survey targeted three groups: teachers, school leaders (Principal class), and education support staff. The survey was intended to provide a detailed picture of the workload of the Union membership and, by extension, Victorian government school staff. Attention …

Postsecondary Remediation And Rogers’ Academic Guarantee, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Policy Briefs

Over a decade ago, Rogers School District implemented a policy called the Academic Conclusion P.4 Guarantee, promising to reimburse eligible graduates who have to enroll in remedial courses in college. In this brief, we examine Arkansas’s college remediation policy, Rogers’ policy, and how this might affect other Arkansas school districts.

Parents' And Teachers' Collaborative Perspective: An Input For A Model On Materials Development In A Multilingual Setting, Jane Kibla Lartec

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study explored the collaborative perspective of teachers and parents on the materials development in a multilingual setting. Respondents were six parents and six teachers from two pilot schools in a melting pot city of different languages and cultures. The research design employed was qualitative to gain insights, explore the depth, richness and complexity inherent in the social or cultural phenomenon. Data were gathered from interviews with the aid of audio recorder and interview guide based on Malone (2007). The responses were transcribed and then categorized into themes according to similarities pertaining to the development of materials. It was found …

The Experiences Of African-American Males In Academic Leadership Positions At Public Predominantly White Institutions In North Carolina, Dalton Dockery, Comfort O. Okpala

Journal of Research Initiatives

The purpose of this narrative study was to explore the experiences of African-American males in academic leadership positions at public predominately White institutions in North Carolina. Four African-American males in academic leadership positions that met the selection criteria were purposefully selected for the study. For the sake of confidentiality a pseudonym was used for the participants and universities to protect their privacy. Multiple data collection and analytical methods were utilized to document the experiences and voices of the participants. While the experiences of the participants varied, they overwhelmingly identified their faith in God, mentorship, qualifications and preparations made them successful …

The Influence Of Creativity Inhibitors And Collectivist Dynamics, Anthony Abidemi Olalere

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study examines the mediating influence of creativity inhibitors on collectivist dynamics and faculty creativity in higher education organizations. Complexity theory was employed to frame how collectivist dynamic (Complexity Interaction) and creativity inhibitor foster faculty creativity in higher education. The Partial Least Square of Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze data using the PLS algorithm, and mediating effect to assess the predictive accuracy on creativity among 73 tenure and tenure-track faculty members in a south east research-based university in the United States. The result showed that creativity inhibitors have positive influence on the interaction between complexity interaction (collectivist) …

The 'Rules Of Engagement': The Ethical Dimension Of Doctoral Research, Christopher Berg

Journal of Research Initiatives

The pursuit of a doctorate is a rite of passage that requires a student to successfully navigate the transition from “student” to “scholar.” One area of practice, however, that is often marginalized is the role of ethics. Though there is no formal coursework in ethics, its importance cannot be understated. This essay examines the conceptual role of ethics in doctoral research as both an individual reflective essay as well as a broader discussion of ethics in general. The ethical dimension considered is broken down into eight principles or ethical research and practice in doctoral research. The “Eight Ethical Principles” will …

Avoiding The A.B.D. Abyss: A Grounded Theory Study Of A Dissertation-Focused Course For Doctoral Students In An Educational Leadership Program, Leslie Ann Locke, Melanie Boyle

The Qualitative Report

More than half of all graduate students drop out before graduation. Doctoral students often become mired in the “all but dissertation” (ABD) phase of the process. This grounded theory study focused on the perceptions and experiences of doctoral students in an educational leadership program, who were ABD, regarding their participation in a dissertation-focused intensive writing course called the Dissertation Boot Camp (DBC). Findings revealed participants had particular challenges with time, writing, and advisement. The DBC attended to many of these challenges by providing time, structure, encouragement, and support. Results of the study led to the development of a conceptual framework, …

Personality As A Predictor Of Unit Nonresponse In Panel Data: An Analysis Of An Internet-Based Survey, Albert Cheng, Gema Zamarro, Bart Orriens

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Unit nonresponse or attrition in panel data sets is often a source of nonrandom measurement error. Why certain individuals attrite from longitudinal studies and how to minimize this phenomenon have been examined by researchers. However, this research has typically focused on data sets collected via telephone, postal mail, or face-to-face interviews. Moreover, this research usually focuses on using demographic characteristics such as educational attainment or income to explain variation in the incidence of unit nonresponse. We make two contributions to the existing literature. First, we examine the incidence of unit nonresponse in an internet panel, a relatively new, and hence …

Making Something Out Of Mathematics: Using Advanced Technology To Interest Secondary School Girls In Mathematics, Patricia Mclaughlin, Belinda Kennedy

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Australia is in the bottom third of all OECD nations in the proportion of girls studying mathematics and technology at undergraduate level. The representation of girls entering technology-related study at tertiary level over the past decade has averaged 11%. There is an urgent need for cultural change in attitudes and processes for encouraging girls into these disciplines. One of the key issues in female students undertaking tertiary study in technology disciplines is the importance of maintaining mathematics as a subject beyond the compulsory secondary school years. Within Australia, the study of mathematics at senior school levels has been in decline …

Teacher Preparation: 21st Century Skills And Knowledge Required, Mary Ruettgers

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Are graduates of teacher preparation programs adequately prepared with the skills and knowledge to teach in the 21st century classroom? This study consisted of a quantitative content analysis to investigate the presence of 21st century knowledge and skills within a stratified random sample of teacher preparation programs in the United States as measured by the 21st Century Learning Framework. Based on the current literature, the researcher identified 21st century competencies: global awareness; digital competencies; critical thinking; collaboration; cross-cultural; communication; and problem solving. For null hypothesis numbers two through eight, the researcher determined how closely the institution’s mission statements, course descriptions, …

Is A Good Student Also A Happier One? Traditional Measures Of School Functioning As Predictors Of Students' Well-Being, Yael Israel-Cohen, Gabriela Kashy-Rosenbaum, Oren Kaplan

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Academic achievement, behavior, and school connectedness have long been considered central measures for assessing students’ optimal functioning in school. With the growing interest in positive education and its’ inclusion of well-being as a central educational goal, attention has been turned to the extent to which these traditional measures of school functioning are related to students’ well-being. Based on a sample of 314 Israeli middle school students from one school, this study focuses on the relationship between the latter measures of school functioning and students’ well-being, operationalized as life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, hope, and gratitude. Using structural equational modelling, …

Perception, Self-Regulation And Self-Leadership: Guiding Principles For Effective Leaders In Education, Richard Pircher, Christiane Seuhs-Schoeller

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The ability of an organization to survive and to be successful relates to its potential to adapt to a changing environment. The competence to perceive relevant stimuli from the outside and the inside of the organization constitutes a prerequisite for organizational adaptability. Consequently, appropriate perception is a crucial factor for individuals and teams to decide and behave in a productive way.

Self-leadership may be defined as “a comprehensive self-influence perspective that concerns leading oneself toward performance of naturally motivating tasks as well as managing oneself to do work that must be done but is not naturally motivating” (Manz, 1986, p. …

What Does The Information Age Hold For Education, In Light Of Our Journey So Far?, R. E. Bixby

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

No abstract provided.

Bp Over Vet? Theorized Consequences Of Current Education System In Albania, Indrit Vucaj

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Although significant investments have been made throughout the higher education programs and vocational education and training schools, Albania is currently experiencing a shortage of skilled labor. Despite recent developments, including the adaptation of the Bologna Process, higher wages offered in vocational fields and a series of laws supporting vocational education and training programs, the pursuit of higher education studies is the superior choice of the Albanian workforce. This conceptual paper takes stock of the current education system (including higher education and vocational and training programs) in Albania and describes the increased priori of a university degree over vocational education in …

Comparing Performance Of Methods To Deal With Differential Attrition In Lottery Based Evaluations, Gema Zamarro, Kaitlin Anderson, Jennifer L. Steele, Trey Miller

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

In randomized controlled trials, it is common for attrition rates to differ by lottery status, jeopardizing the identification of causal effects. Inverse probability weighting methods (Hirano et al, 2003; Busso et al., 2014) and estimation of informative bounds for the treatment effects (e.g. Lee, 2009; Angrist et al., 2006) have been used frequently to deal with differential attrition bias. This paper studies the performance of various methods by comparing the results using two datasets: a district-sourced dataset subject to considerable differential attrition, and an expanded state-sourced dataset with much less attrition, differential and overall. We compared the performance of different …

Teacher Evaluation: The Relationship Between Performance Evaluation Ratings And Student Achievement, Erin Alexander

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Performance Evaluation Reform Act established new policies for teacher evaluation ratings, the inclusion of student growth, the acquisition of tenure, and the dismissal process in Illinois. As a result, standards-based performance ratings and student achievement are factored into summative evaluation ratings. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between performance evaluation ratings and student achievement to contribute to the current body of research. Participants in the study were drawn from a sample population of fifth grade students (n=317) and teachers (n=19) in elementary schools (n=7) from a school district located in a western suburb of the …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Elementary Educators' On-The-Job Experiences After Self-Selected Professional Development, Cindy Manzanares

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to describe elementary educators’ on-the-job experiences after completing a self-selected professional development (PD). This study was guided by the overall question: How do elementary educators describe on-the-job experiences after completing self-selected professional development? To provide further direction of the vast experiences three sub questions were utilized. (a) To what extent, if at all, have practices from the professional development been implemented? (b) What factors are perceived to positively impact implementation of the professional development? (c) What factors are perceived to negatively impact implementation of the professional development? Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, …

A Collaborative Approach To Address Student Behavior And Academic Achievement Across Systems, Beverly Ngozi Okereke

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Academic achievement and in-classroom behaviors are two significant child outcomes that affect student success in school. According to Systems Theory, in order to truly understand the factors that affect these outcomes for children, one must look to the major systems that encapsulate the child (including their school and home environments). This project is a meta-analytic review that examined the effectiveness of measures representing each system in predicting child achievement and behavior: School-Wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) for the school as a system, level of parent involvement (high versus low) for the home system, and student motivation (intrinsic versus extrinsic) for …

The School Library Workforce In Australia, Pru Mitchell, Paul R. Weldon

School and system improvement

A literature review by Lonsdale in 2003 observed that ‘a lack of systematically aggregated national data makes it difficult to gain an accurate picture of national trends in Australia in relation to the staffing of school libraries’ and noted ‘an apparent decline in the numbers of qualified teacher librarians employed in school libraries in public schools in Australia.’ This absence of data was also acknowledged in the 2011 report from the Inquiry of the House of Representatives Education and Employment Committee, which recommended a thorough workforce gap analysis of teacher librarians across Australian schools. New analysis of the Staff in …

School Choice: The Personal And The Political, James V. Shuls

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Enrollment in school choice programs is growing, so is overall support for school choice. Many have analyzed what demographic characteristics impact attitudes towards school choice. This paper adds to the literature by exploring the interaction between personal decisions regarding school choice and broader support for school choice programs. Focus groups were conducted in St. Louis and Kansas City with 35 parents of school age children. Participant responses indicate that school choice programs illicit mixed emotions from parents. Most participants personally support school choice and exercise choice themselves by sending their children to magnet, charter, or private schools. At the same …