Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

Promoting Transition To Postsecondary Education: Creating Opportunities For Social Change, J. Christopher Linscott, Carey Busch

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Multiple studies document that students with disabilities participate at significantly lower rates than their peers without disabilities in post-secondary education, post-school employment, independent living, and community participation. This article exposits a program model at Ohio University, Gateway to Success, which addresses this inequity through a combined effort of various stakeholders. Particular consideration is given to evidence based predictors related to post-school success, the need for intervention, and the social justice implications of increased participation in post-secondary education for students with disabilities.

The Face Of An Intergenerational Community In Higher Education, Narketta N. Myles

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

With a rapidly growing non-traditional student population in higher education, institutions must begin to reshape much of their framework in how to serve a diverse population of students. With this diversifying of perspective, the older adult student must be given due consideration as an underrepresented student population. As we begin to consider this population of underrepresented students, we must examine the barriers and discrimination that older adults face, and the difficulties colleges encounter attempting to serve this population. Then as administrators, student affairs professionals, and faculty we must support initiatives of inclusion and equity that best serve these students.

Mindfulness As A Pedagogy Of Supervision: Reclaiming Learning In Supervised Practices In Student Affairs, Henrique G. Alvim, Allison Barnhart

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

As graduate students prepare to enter the student affairs profession, supervision serves as a critical component of their overall self-development. However, for a number of reasons (e.g., the fast-paced nature of higher education, time constraints, etc.), supervision in the context of internships often centers solely on productivity and task-oriented activities. While worthy and necessary, these can neglect a central component of supervised practices: learning. This article seeks to reorient aspiring and seasoned student affairs professionals (supervisees and supervisors) toward certain pedagogy of supervision that makes room for mindfulness, which can bolster the quality of these learning experiences.

Electronic Anonymous Communications: Considerations For Higher Education Administrators, Sandra C. Coyner, Peggy L. Mccann

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Communications via electronic technology have expanded to encompass daily life for most higher education students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The Pew Research Center reports that nearly 100% of undergraduate and graduate students access the Internet (Smith, Rainie, & Zikuhr, 2011). Computers, cell phones, and tablets are an integral part of university life and student communications using social media websites, text messaging, online chat, and websites are widespread. Electronic communications can be categorized as websites, application, or social media. A subset of these electronic communications, characterized as anonymous, may present a particular challenge to those working in higher education institutions. Created …

Grounded Practical Theory To Improve Persistence-Retention Strategic Enrollment Management, Kenneth W. Borland Jr.

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

The author introduces grounded practical theory (GPT) as a useful research approach in the field of strategic enrollment management (SEM) and its focus on persistence-retention. The GPT approach is then illustrated by engaging sample voices of persistence-retention and SEM; scientific theory (the philosophical level) and normative theory (the technical level) as observed in the literature. The scientific theory voices and normative theory voices are then positioned in relation to voices of students and practitioners (observed respondents) who have identified real world persistence-retention and SEM problems. These problems suggest implications for reconstructing the relationship between persistence-retention and SEM philosophical, theoretical, and …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

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Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

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Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

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Recent Federal Case Spotlights School’S Concussion Protocol, Charles J. Russo, Susan C. Davies

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

High school football players are nearly twice as likely to sustain a concussion as college players, according to a recent study by the Institute of Medicine and funded by the NFL. As such, it’s important for schools to have concussion protocols for student-athletes injured during play. A recent case, Mann v. Palmerton Area School District, 117 LRP 40825 (3d Cir. 09/21/17), highlights the importance of having school concussion management and prevention policies in place for student-athletes. After a football player in Pennsylvania demonstrated concussion-like symptoms following a hard hit during practice in November 2011, his coach took him out of …

Roundtable – Teaching Human Rights: Challenges And Best Practices, Shayna Plaut, Kristi Kenyon, Joel Pruce, William Simmons

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

Over the past 20 years, courses addressing human rights have grown dramatically at both the undergraduate and graduate levels worldwide. Many of these courses are housed in specific disciplines, focus on specific issues, and require practical experience in the form of internships/practicums. Amid this growth there is a need to reflect on teaching human rights including the challenges, fears, and best practices.

Recognizing that education takes place inside and outside a classroom, this roundtable brings together scholars teaching human rights in a variety of settings to examine the current state of university human rights education. This includes a discussion of …

Low-Fee Private Schools In West Africa: Case Studies From Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Every year billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. However, only 10% of this training results in the transfer of knowledge, skills, or behaviors learned in the training to the work place. Ideally, learning transfer produces effective and continued application by learners of the knowledge and skills they gained through their learning activities. Some studies suggest that technology usage can serve as an effective post-learning intervention to enhance the transfer of learning. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining the factors that hinder and promote learning transfer in professional development, particularly the …

Problem-Solving Tips For School Business Officials, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

School business officials must be able to analyze problems and develop effective solutions. Arriving at solutions involves identifying the relative importance of the problem, what is known additional information is required, who is involved, what’s at risk, and the ultimate goal.

Most problems are easily resolved based on policy, experience, and knowledge of school business. However, some problems are more complex. School business officials don’t always have all the information they need, aren’t familiar with the personnel involved, or are faced with conflicting priorities.

A handbook on data-based decision making (Kowalski 2009) offers a basic format involving three steps:

1. …

Update On Student Vaccinations, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

State inoculation laws—which are designed to reduce or eliminate the risk of infection from the most common communicable diseases—typically grant students with medical concerns exemptions from having to receive vaccines or vaccine components. Moreover, as reflected in the cases discussed below, most states allow nonmedical exemptions for religious reasons and philosophical beliefs (National Vaccine Information Center 2016).

As reviewed in the next section, disputes over vaccinations generated a fair amount of litigation. In these cases, parents challenged vaccination laws as violating their constitutional rights to be free from government interference or to freedom of religion.

Learning Transfer: The Missing Link To Learning Among School Leaders In Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion, Paula A. Cordeiro

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Every year, billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. However, only 10% of this training results in the transfer of knowledge, skills, or behaviors learned in the training to the work place. Ideally, learning transfer produces effective and continued application by learners of the knowledge and skills they gained through their learning activities. Currently, there is a limited body of research examining the factors that hinder and promote learning transfer in professional development, particularly the professional development of school leaders in developing countries. This qualitative exploratory study sought to address the gap in the …

Meeting The Needs Of Students With Disabilities, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2005) requires states, through local school boards, to provide students with disabilities with a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment consistent with the content of their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). As important as it is to educate students with disabilities, the cost of serving these children is much higher than that of their peers in regular education.

Most recently, the Tenth Circuit upheld Rowley’s “some educational benefit” standard in Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1 (2015). In Endrew F., the panel affirmed that a school board in …

School Crisis Plans: Are You Prepared?, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The majority of states have statutes requiring school districts to develop school safety plans focused on preventing and responding to crisis situations. Plans may include protocols for disseminating school safety plans to appropriate personnel; mandatory fire, tornado, or active drills; and community involvement.

Although the degree of comprehensiveness of those plans depends on state legislation, all should include the basic elements offered here, focused on creating secure school environments.

Update On School Searches, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

School safety continues to present significant challenges for education leaders. Yet as educators work to maintain school safety, boards face a steady stream of litigation because officials have searched students suspected of putting themselves or others in danger. For example, students have been searched because they were suspected of bringing into schools such prohibited items as alcohol, weapons, and drugs.

Education leaders must develop up-to-date policies that ensure safety but that also comply with the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures.

Journal Of Research, Assessment, And Practice In Higher Education (Volume 1, Issue 1)

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Full Issue (34 pages, 0.74 MB)

Reel Them In: A Framework For Bridging Underrepresented Students To Stem Majors, Martha Vang, Nasser A. Razek, Christine Rose, Emily Mcclaine, Katie Schrader, Laura Weissbaum

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

The eight-week math-intensive Running Start Summer Bridge program (RSSB) supports and challenges incoming STEM students in their coursework while immersing them on campus life. The current study explores the effectiveness of RSSB in easing students’ transition to college life and the rigorous nature of STEM disciplines. Throughout the program, holistic mentoring and participatory tutoring techniques provided students with academic enrichment opportunities. Central to this initiative is encouraging equity-mindedness and foster community-building practices.

Data presented demonstrate how this innovative initiative increased retention and persistence among underrepresented students in STEM disciplines while fostering a sense of community.

Best practices and assessment for …

Prepare, Hire, And Retain: The Lost Link Between Graduate Preparation And Retention Of Professionals In Student Affairs, Nasser A. Razek, Jamie Mccall, Ellie Mulherin

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Coming from multiple backgrounds, new professionals in student affairs, exhibit a high rate of attrition ranging between 50% and 60% in the first five years. The challenges facing the professionals during their first job includes: forming relationships, seeking mentorship in the new work environment, and balancing work-life responsibilities.

This paper builds on factual data about new professional retention rates. Establishing that intentional and realistic preparation approaches are one way to reduce attrition, the relationship between the graduate preparation programs and professionals’ job satisfaction in their first position cannot be ignored.

What's In An Ally? Closing Gaps In Lgbtq+ Support, Laura Gentner

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

This study will explore the relationship between LGBTQ+ identifying students’ expectations of and experiences with allies, and their perceptions of campus climate. LGBTQ+ ally training programs and visibility of LGBTQ+ allies contribute to both campus climate and LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of that climate, leading to more positive and healthy college experiences. However, it is not clear that current practice in training and educating allies truly reflects the needs of LGBTQ+ identifying students.

While research is available for the design and implementation of ally training programs, there is little to no research on what LGBTQ+ identifying students expect of allies, nor …

Student Unrest: From Historic Infamy To Humane Inclusivity, Matthew Cooney, Kenneth Borland

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

Infamous responses to historic student unrest clash with contemporary student affairs educators’ desire for a humane, inclusive approach to student unrest. The authors detail two historic responses: the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre at the Universidad Autónoma de México and the 1970 Kent State University shootings.

Like today, students expressed escalating dissatisfaction with social conditions and displeasure with official responses. To not repeat unrest becoming violence, authors introduce concepts for humanely and inclusively responding to student unrest.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

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Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

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Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

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Tenure Wars: The Litigation Continues, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Teacher tenure is a controversial topic that continues to generate litigation. Parents and advocates of educational reform have filed claims alleging, in part, that school officials violate the rights of students who are not achieving academically largely because of the ineffective instruction the students receive from teachers.

Typically, these suits also claim that conditions in districts where students perform poorly on academic measures are exacerbated by the protection that state tenure laws—in conjunction with union efforts—afford ineffective teachers, thereby making it difficult to dismiss the teachers for incompetence.

In North Carolina Association of Educators v. State (2016), a North Carolina …

Cognitive-Behavioral Group Therapy, Elana R. Bernstein, Ray W. Christner

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

This handbook describes in detail different contemporary approaches to group work with children and adolescents. Further, this volume illustrates the application of these models to work with the youth of today, whether victims of trauma, adolescents struggling with LGBT issues, or youth with varying common diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorders, depression, and anxiety.

Affirmative Action Returns To The Supreme Court, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

One of the most hotly contested issues in education during the past-half century is affirmative action, also known as race-based admissions policies. Supporters defend the practice as one designed to take “affirmative” steps to eliminate the present effects of past discrimination. Critics respond that these policies do not address how granting preferences today remedies past harms, especially because individuals who are passed over when affirmative action is applied played no role in creating past inequities.

Insofar as debate over affirmative action has heated up yet again, this column briefly examines the history of Fisher v. University of Texas II (2016) …

Fair Share Fees, Teacher Unions, And The Supreme Court, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Disputes over whether teachers who are not union members must pay for the benefits they receive under their bargaining contracts have been litigated for almost 40 years. Amid conflict over the ability of teachers’ unions to collect fair share fees from nonmembers, the Supreme Court re-entered the controversy in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (2016), leaving the door open to future litigation on the status of fair share fees.

Sexual Harassment In Schools, Charles J. Russo

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Eliminating sexual harassment in schools continues to be a national concern. In fact, the Supreme Court has resolved three major cases on this topic, and lower courts continue to resolve a steady stream of disputes. The litigation has moved beyond teacher–student and peer–peer claims to include disputes over harassment because of actual or perceived sexual orientation.