Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Seizing Opportunities Moment By Moment: The Effects Of An 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Course On Personal Epistemological Beliefs And Implications For Academic Program Administration, Carrie J. Boden-Mcgill, Mazen Homound

Administrative Issues Journal

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses that teach individuals to “live in the present moment” have been shown to improve health and well-being; however, there seems to be very little research into how MBSR may affect the way we think about the nature of knowledge, also known as epistemology. The researchers developed this study in an effort to determine if MBSR techniques would have an impact on personal epistemological beliefs and the implications for academic program administration. Though this study is currently a pilot study, early results seem to indicate a statistically significant change in the area of “Quick Learning.” This …

Personal Or School? Factors That Influence A Teacher’S Intentions Of Remaining Or Leaving The Profession, Carrie J. Boden-Mcgill, Amy Sedivy-Benton

Administrative Issues Journal

Teacher turnover is costly in its financial implications and negative impact on student learning. Recent studies demonstrate that many teachers choose to transfer to a more preferable work setting or leave the field. By employing a nested design using Hierarchal Linear Modeling data from the most recent complete Schools and Staffing Survey 2007-2008 (SASS) by NCES, the researchers found indications that school-level contextual factors, such as teacher influence on school, teacher perception of control, and teacher perceived support play a significant role in teachers’ intentions to leave or remain in the field. An understanding of these factors allows policymakers and …

Designing Effective Group Projects: Applying Student Feedback To Project Design, Apryl Brodersen

Administrative Issues Journal

By integrating group projects into the curriculum, educators can seize the opportunity to provide students not only with marketable skills, but the chance to deepening their understanding of a given topic or subject matter by learning from one another. Designing an effective group project, however, is a challenging task. In the current paper, I utilize results from a student survey on characteristics of effective groups to design an applied group project and describe six key lessons learned by incorporating student feedback into group project design.

Faculty Senate: Models, Myths, And Minutia, Dana Gray, Maryrose Hart

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper reviews the research literature about the structure, roles, and models of faculty senate including roles of faculty senate in academic and non-academic issues, the difference in faculty voice and influence in shared governance, and identified models of faculty senate purpose. The authors of this concept paper propose a three-step strategic process for faculty to analyze the current profile of their respective faculty senates, determine the desired state of their senates, and develop a plan for transition. Larger issues such as what does effectiveness mean are beyond the scope of this paper. This paper focuses on what are the …

Monitoring Students And Enforcing Information Technology Use Policies In Universities, Jimmy D. Speers

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper presents the results of an Internet survey of university Information Technology (IT) managers on the use/abuse of IT resources by a university’s students. The survey sought data on university size, public/private organization, whether there were policies in place on acceptable use of IT resources, possible student use and actions, and finally how IT resources were monitored if they were monitored. Results revealed that most universities had policies on the proper use of IT resources but were very unlikely to monitor use/abuse of IT resources mainly due to a lack of personnel. Some potential abuses were identified and respondents …

Consenting To Treat: A Rights-Based Principle, Pamela J. Stokes

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper explores the consent process in relation to academic, scientific research. Consent is a human right given to each research participant. The participant’s autonomy should be supported and encouraged when obtaining informed consent. This paper reviews current literature and discusses the development of this right, in addition to the manner in which scientific researchers should uphold it.

Secrets Of Success For High Nclex-Rn Pass Rates For Bsn Nursing Programs, Nonie Wiggins

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Leading Professional Learning Communities Toward Efficacy, Laura S. Witherington

Administrative Issues Journal

As Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), defined by DuFour et al (2008), continue to sweep into schools across the nation, school administrators need the tools to assess the productivity of the teachers’ collaborative teams. PLCs provide the structure for teachers to analyze student achievement data and design common formative assessments. The PLC Efficacy Rubric discussed in this presentation was developed for use in the College Ready in Mathematics and Physics Partnership grant funded by the National Science Foundation to provide school administrators the tools to evaluate teachers’ collaborative work and guide them to increased success. This presentation introduces the five indicators …

Legal And Managerial Issues In Airport Scanning, Joan Hubbard

Administrative Issues Journal

After the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States recommended that The TSA and the Congress give priority attention to improving the ability of screening checkpoints to detect explosives on passengers. As the legality of the TSA’s full-body scanner program continues to be debated, the federal government is investigating the next generation of airport screening technology. The privacy debate centers on the Department of Homeland Security’s use of full-body scanners to screen passengers at the nation’s major airports.

It Is A Question Of Survival: The Case Of Tqm For Small Business, Uche Nwabueze

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Seizing Opportunity: "Courage As Catalyst", Michael Williams, Esther Muller

Administrative Issues Journal

Part 2 of this issue’s “Seizing Opportunity” special-invitation collection, “Courage as Catalyst,” first appeared in “Coaching Corner” (June 2012), a column in The Mann Report-Residential real estate magazine published in New York City. The article is reprinted by permission.

Seizing Opportunity: A Special Invitation Collection, Michael Williams

Administrative Issues Journal

The AIJ editorial board constantly looks for ways to keep the journal professionally relevant. With this in mind, we approached Dr. Michael Williams, Associate Dean of the MBA Program for the School of Business and Technology at Thomas Edison State College, about writing an introduction to our 2012 conference theme, Seizing Opportunities. Dr. Williams is a scholar-practitioner who offers a unique philosophical insight into the import of seizing opportunities in our professional and personal lives. He was excited about exploring the theme for this issue through the lens of change as a nexus of opportunity. We hope you find this …

Letter From The Editor, Lisa Appeddu

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Not Seizing Opportunities: The Effects Of Laissez-Faire Leadership, C. W. Vonbergen

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Administrative Issues Journal: Table Of Contents

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Administrative Issues Journal Conference Proceedings: Table Of Contents

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Breakfast And Lunch Participation In Massachusetts Schools, Center For Social Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts Budget And Policy Center, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Eos Foundation

Center for Social Policy Publications

The Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston (CSP), the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget), and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), with support from the Eos Foundation, established a research team to examine school food and related programs in Massachusetts.

While the team developed an overview of all federally funded food programs in Massachusetts, the focus of our work was on school meal programs and several aspects of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). The full project is composed of several individual pieces of research and analysis, most of which were primarily undertaken by one …

Actores Secundarios En El Movimiento Estudiantil Chileno En 2011 Y 2012: Un Análisis Comparativo De La Asamblea Coordinadora De Estudiantes Secundarios Y La Coordinadora Nacional De Estudiantes Secundarios., Carly Brook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Chilean student movement, intermittently present in Chile since the beginning of the 20th Through the conduction of personal interviews, utilization of student proposals for a new system of education, occupation of the concepts of social movements of Alain Touraine and concepts of student movements of Manuel Garretón, revision of current news sources, and participant observation, this investigation concludes the dynamic between the ACES and the CONES to be an antagonistic one characteristic of two social actors in competition over control of the definition of the same social resource, a new education system for Chile. It then identifies this antagonism …

The Neglected Minority: Interviews With Successful Community College Students From Poverty, Heather Hollifield-Hoyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Poverty in the US is growing at an alarming rate. The current economic climate demands higher education to embrace the economic diversity of all students and to prepare them, regardless of economic class, for a globally competitive workplace. Unfortunately, the higher education community is not as adept at serving low-income students, as it is middle- and upper- income students. Low-income students are less likely than their more affluent peers to enroll in college or graduate. Employing qualitative narrative methods, this dissertation explores the factors that contributed to the persistence and success of 18, low-income, community college students. This study addresses …

Merit Pay In Arkansas: An Evaluation Of The Cobra Pride Incentive Program In The Fountain Lake School District, Nathan Charles Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Starting in the 2010-11, administrators at the Fountain Lake School District implemented the Cobra Pride Incentive Program (CPIP), a merit pay program designed to financially reward all school employees with year-end bonuses primarily for significant improvements in student achievement. At the conclusion of the 2010-11 school year, over $800,000 in bonuses were distributed to school personnel. Because of the substantial investment in this program, it was important to determine how the CPIP impacted the school counselors, teachers, and students of Fountain Lake, to see if any of the potential benefits of a merit pay program were realized.

The results from …

Exploring German And American Modes Of Pedagogical And Institutional Sustainability: Forging A Way Into The Future, Lindon N. Pronto

Pitzer Senior Theses

Rooted deep in Germany's past is its modern socio-political grounding for environmental respect and sustainability. This translates into individual and collective action and extends equally to the economic and policy realm as it does to educational institutions. This thesis evaluates research conducted in Germany with a view to what best approaches are transferable to the United States liberal arts setting. Furthermore, exemplary American models of institutional sustainability and environmental education are explored and combined with those from abroad to produce a blueprint and action plan fitting for the American college and university.

Factor Analysis Of Intern Effectiveness, Sid T. Womack, Shellie Louise Hannah, Columbus David Bell

Administrative Issues Journal

Four factors in teaching intern effectiveness, as measured by a Praxis III-similar instrument, were found among observational data of teaching interns during the 2010 spring semester. Those factors were lesson planning, teacher/student reflection, fairness & safe environment, and professionalism/efficacy. This factor analysis was as much of a statement about effective teaching as it is about the technical aspects of an instrument utilized to assess it. Forty-one percent of effective teaching was found to be in the lesson planning.

Major Difference: An Examination Of Student Writing Performance By Major And Its Implications For Business Communication, Lucia S. Sigmar, Geraldine E. Hynes

Administrative Issues Journal

This study analyzes the writing performance levels of 352 students to determine the extent to which business students are achieving written communication competency and whether differences exist among the business majors. Although most students met or exceeded expectations in format and content on a common writing task, students were weakest in grammar and mechanics, with almost half scoring below expectations across all majors. The findings indicate no statistically significant differences in writing competency among majors. This study also suggests that business communicators can serve as “collegial consultants” in a cross-disciplinary effort to improve student writing.

The Promises And Realities Of Evidence-Based Practices: Perceptions From Assessment Personnel, Jessica A. Rueter, Cynthia G. Simpson

Administrative Issues Journal

Assessment personnel are those individuals who work in the capacity of evaluation of students with disabilities, including, but not limited to, educational diagnosticians, educational examiners, psychometrists, and instructional specialists. These professionals are responsible for identifying strengths and weaknesses and for providing teachers with evidence-based recommendations that can be implemented in the classroom to improve performance of students with learning deficits. This qualitative study examines 19 educational diagnosticians’ perceptions related to the barriers and supports that impacted their ability to provide evidence-based recommendations for students who are learning disabled. Three categories of barriers to issuing successful evidence-based recommendations emerged as a …

Selecting A Business Major Within The College Of Business, David W. Roach, Ronald E. Mcgaughey, James P. Downey

Administrative Issues Journal

This study employed a survey in examining the important influences that shape a student’s selection of a major in the College of Business (COB). In particular, it compared these influences, by major, to assess which items were most (and least) important to the students majoring in accounting, general business, finance, management, marketing, and MIS. The influences, totaling 37, included internal influences (e.g., interest in the field), external influences (e.g., projected salary), and interpersonal influences (influence of significant others). Some of the findings were consistent with those of prior studies. For example, interesting work was highly important for all business majors, …

Pathways To Family Success Final Evaluation Report, Berna Kahraman, Ghazal Zulfiqar, Donna H. Friedman, Alice Carter

Center for Social Policy Publications

This report presents findings from the second year of the evaluation of the Pathways to Family Success Programs (PFS) funded by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) and conducted by the Center for Social Policy (CSP) for the period September 2010 through June 2011. The 2010-2011 evaluation aimed to determine the extent to which PFS activities and interventions were effective in supporting learning outcomes and goal attainment for participating families and their children, and to identify strengths and areas of growth for the PFS Programs and partners. There were four Program sites implementing the PFS indepth project during …

Veterans Upward Bound: A Federally Funded Trio Program, "Preparing Veterans For College At Umass, Boston Since 1973", Linda Mitchell

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Veterans Upward Bound Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston provides a unique opportunity for men and women veterans of all ages to acquire the academic skills required for entry into higher education and/or to acquire the equivalent of a high school diploma. This is federally funded TRIO program.

Letter From The Editor, Kelly S. Moor

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Administrative Issues Journal: Table Of Contents

Administrative Issues Journal

No abstract provided.

Factors Contributing To Successful Transitions Into The Role Of A New Superintendency In Texas: A Mixed Methods Triangulation Convergence Inquiry, Nancy B. Jones

Administrative Issues Journal

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors contributing to a successful transition into the role of a new superintendency in Texas. A triangular designed mixed methodology with a convergence model was employed. The setting was urban, suburban, and rural school districts in Texas. The participants were superintendents of public school districts in Texas. Quantitative data were collected through the use of an electronic survey, while a focus group was conducted to collect the qualitative data. Participating superintendents indicated that the training and education they received had adequately prepared them for the role of a new superintendent and …