Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

The Capacity To Lead: Building A Collaborative Organization Through A Shared Vision And Improved Staff Capacity In An Inclusive New Jersey Preschool, Kathleen Mccabe-Odri

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of my dissertation study was to examine my own leadership in the context of the community inclusive preschool that I own and operate along with my business partner. The focus was to build a collaborative organization through a shared vision and improved staff skill capacity. In order to implement the change process, I chose the specific learning environment of our instructional student centers (i.e., "zones") as the setting to conduct my action research project. The study describes both my personal leadership theory as well as an analysis of my leadership actions (i.e., theory in use) in order to …

Academic Resilience: Narratives Of High-Achieving Black Female Middle School Adolescents, Courtne Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the academic experiences of four grade 6, high-achieving Black females in an urban middle school. Using the interpretive lenses of Feminism, Critical Race Theory, Critical Race Feminism, Intersectionality and Identity Formation, roles and identities were explored with word choice and language analysis. Habits and factors contributing to the participants' success revealed their beliefs about academic achievement. Through the use of narrative inquiry, data were collected from semi-structured in-depth individual interviews, observations and researcher field notes, personal autobiographical narratives, archival document reviews and artifacts. Findings of this study revealed that participants exhibited …

Inclusion Of African American Vernacular English In The Classroom, Chris Roye-Gill

Theses and Dissertations

A plethora of research exists citing the poor academic performance of African American children in this country (D'Angiulli, Siegel, & Maggi, 2004; Labov, 1971, 1995; Miranda, Webb, Brigman, & Peluso, 2007). A large amount of the research is specific to reading deficits identified with African American students. Students who are successful readers are also successful in the other content areas. Lytel and Botel (1990) along with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE, 2009) contend that literacy encompasses reading, writing, speaking, and understanding. They go further to say that if one is to acquire these skills, learning has to be relevant. …

African American Male Initiatives And Positive Change: Understanding The Process Of Successful Program Development, Randall Bradford Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

The previous decade has seen the creation of African American Male Initiative programs at colleges and universities across the United States. These programs were created in response to the low retention and graduation rates of African American males on these campuses. There has been little research, however, to discover best practices for these programs and what must be done to best affect change for this population at institutions of higher education. Unfortunately, most published research on African American males has dealt only with the negative outcomes they face in education and life. Recent research, however, has begun to focus on …

Relationship Between The Quality Of Educational Facilities, School Climate, And School Safety Of High School Tenth Graders In The United States, Darnell Bell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to understand the relationships among facility conditions, school climate, and school safety of high school tenth graders in the United States. Previous research on the quality of educational facilities influence on student achievement has varied. Recent research has suggested that the quality of educational facilities may have an influence on student achievement. If a relationship exists between the quality of educational facilities and student achievement, information and insight can be provided to school districts, legislatures and school leaders for creating budgets for facilities plans. Administrators and Students Questionnaires, and the Facilities Checklist of the …

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of General Education: A Mixed Methods Approach, Rihab Saadeddine

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions should offer students an enriching learning experience that fosters their academic competencies, professional skills, civic responsibility, and global preparedness (AACTE, 2010; AAC&U, 2007). Colleges and universities have been criticized for not adequately preparing students academically and professionally. They are urged to assess and improve their general education programs to provide quality education and meet the needs of 21st century students (AACTE, 2010; AAC&U, 2007; Boning, 2007; Rhodes, 2010). This study utilized a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design to indirectly assess the general education program through students' perceptions. It was designed to explore the differences in perceptions …

Career And Technical Education Faculty Retention: A Leadership Study, Jennifer Bates

Theses and Dissertations

Attracting and retaining qualified teachers is a necessary component for successful schools. Literature on faculty retention abounds (Ingersoll, 2001; Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2007; National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium, (NASDCTEc), 2010.), but literature specific to retention in career and technical education is limited. One New Jersey career and technical high school experienced high faculty mobility rates which was reason for concern. This qualitative action research study sought to identify environmental factors that contributed to the mobility rates. This study also focused on the leadership of the school principal and the components …

Alternative Education: A Comparative Case Study Of The Behavior Modification Programs Of Two Upstate South Carolina Alternative Schools For Youth Who Exhibit Behavior That Is Disruptive, Timothy Lamont Scipio

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined behavior modification programs in schools designed to focus on discipline and that aim to reform disruptive behavior in students, usually over a limited period of time. This was a comparative case study of two type II alternative schools in the Upstate of South Carolina. The findings contributed to the research base regarding the practical implementation of the essential components for an effective behavior modification program in type II alternative schools. The primary research question was used to guide the study to discover the most effective components within the behavior modification program used by two leaders of Type …

Successful Title One Schools: What Works And Why? An Exploratory Case Study Of A Distinguished Title One School In South Carolina, Dawn Hooker

Theses and Dissertations

The amount of research on successful Title One Schools is woefully inadequate. Because so much money has been allocated for this program, more in depth research is imperative. A qualitative exploratory case study of one school and eight participants, including a principal, an assistant principal, a math coach and four teachers, focuses on the journey of one Title One school to becoming a Distinguished Title One School. The theoretical framework constructed to examine the experiences of these seven participants relied on the findings of an educational reform expert, Michael Fullan (2007) and his theory of Educational Change, along with Marzano's …

Lessons In Success: A Multi-Campus Study Of Factors Influencing Academic Accomplishment Among High-Achieving African American Students At Private Liberal Arts Colleges, Ryan Andrew Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the academic experiences of highly successful African-American male graduates of small, private liberal arts colleges using a qualitative approach. Fourteen highly successful alumni from selective, private colleges were purposefully selected for the study, including seven African-American males and seven white males. In semi-structured interviews, participants retrospectively described positive experiences they associated with their academic success in college. The study observed the importance of the small college in creating a deep sense of connection across the campus, empowering students to take risks that helped them succeed academically. This research also explored the idea …

Major Adjustment: Students' Transition Experiences Leaving Selective Undergraduate Degree Programs, Helen Mulhern Halasz

Theses and Dissertations

This multi-campus, qualitative study investigated how undergraduate students previously enrolled in selective majors described coping resources utilized during the transition of leaving their previous major and selecting a new academic degree program. The study also examined which resources students identified as most valuable, and coping resources most influential in their retention decisions. Research about students in selective degree programs has been absent for the last 20 years, and previous research studies have not given voice to the experiences of students in transition between majors. The conceptual underpinning of this study was the 4 S System (Goodman, Schlossberg, and Anderson, 2006), …

Relationship Between Principal Change And Influence Styles: Is There An Impact On Teacher Retention?, Leslie J. Howder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between principal leadership styles, specifically change and influence styles, and teacher retention in the Low-Country region of South Carolina. Utilizing the Change Style Indicator and Influence Style Indicator, the researcher surveyed 25 principals from Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester 2 School Districts. The results were analyzed and compared to teacher retention rates from South Carolina State School Report Cards. Three relationships were analyzed: 1) correlation between change styles and influence styles, 2) correlation between change styles and teacher retention and 3) correlation between influence styles and teacher retention. …

"The Constellations Were In A Different Place": Using Blogs To Understand Student Learning During Study Abroad, Leslie Pitman

Theses and Dissertations

While a great deal of research has been done on the pedagogical implications and uses of blogging, and even more research has been done on the effects of study abroad, few studies has investigated the use of blogging as a way that learning is processed during study abroad. This study sought to understand how students use blogs during a study abroad semester and the ways in which the blogs reveal evidence of learning. Eleven blogs, written by students at the University of South Carolina (USC) during their respective semesters abroad, were read, coded, and analyzed in order to answer the …

Dialogue In The Relationships Between Principals And Teachers: A Qualitative Study, Tracie Shelley Prichard

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examines dialogue and discourse patterns between principals and teachers. It analyzes daily verbal interactions in order to identify shared meanings, hidden messages, and the dynamics of power. This study is also based on the belief that democracy in education is vital to maintaining a collaborative, people friendly approach to working together to improve learning for all students.

Although much has been written on the importance of school culture and collaborating effectively, little has been written about the role dialogue plays in shaping school culture. While we know many successful leadership paradigms, including distributed leadership and collaboration, …

Professional Conversations About Race, Culture And Language In Early Childhood Literacy Education: An Administrator's Journey, Sabina Maria Mosso-Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Year after year, children of Color, speakers of languages other than English, and children of poverty are served less well in public schools then their White, middle-class peers. The lives of children from White, middle-class homes are regularly normalized as they are described by teachers, administrators, policy makers, and educational programs as those with the most worth and knowledge. In all too many settings, cultures and languages outside this narrowly-defined norm are perceived from deficit perspectives. This hierarchy perpetuates a status quo that privileges and therefore supports the success of some, while devaluing and contributing to the failure of others. …

A Case Study Of Principals' Knowledge Of Early Childhood Literacy, Christine Elizabeth Leblanc

Theses and Dissertations

Nationally approximately 40 percent of third grade students do not read at grade level. Principals play a critical role in providing leadership in the implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) to ensure that students not making adequate yearly progress receive targeted instruction to address their deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of five principals through an investigation of their understanding of the reading process as it relates to the implementation of RtI in their schools. I specifically wish to understand: What do principals know about early childhood literacy and how do they use that knowledge …

Building Resiliency: Supporting Elementary School Students Through Parental Bereavement, Sandra Kerr Ray

Theses and Dissertations

This study employed qualitative methods to learn what understandings, practices, and interventions were used by educators from one elementary school to support bereaved children in the classroom and as members of a school community. Educators reported uncertainty about how children grieve, how to talk with children about a deceased parent, how to talk with the bereaved child’s peers about parental death, and how to balance the bereaved child’s emotional and academic needs. Educators were also uncertain about how to recognize and intervene when a parental death was remote in time and the child’s grief response was attenuated (e.g., anxiety, disengagement, …

"Makin' It": A Study Of First Generation College Graduates Lives Out Of Poverty, Sharla Benson-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars across various disciplines concur that poverty , especially when experienced generationally, is difficult to escape (MacLeod, 2009; Bowles & Gintis, 2002; Nieto, 2005; Corak, 2006; Sawhill & Haskins, 2008). Yet, while much is known about the existence and persistence of poverty, we know less about how and why those individuals who successfully escape poverty are able to do so (Hardaway & McLoyd, 2009).

Guided by critical social and institutional theory this qualitative study, examined the experiences of individuals who grew up in generational poverty (with parents who had no high school diploma), yet became first-generation college graduates, and entered …

Generational Differences In Motivation To Attend College, John Michael Cote

Theses and Dissertations

The National Center for Education Statistics recently released a report indicating that the amount of full-time students attending college has increased by 45 percent over the past ten years. While many reasons assist in explaining this increase in college attendance, this study explored the differences in motivations for attending college amongst generations. This quantitative study used secondary data collected by the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman survey to explore the differences in reasons for attending college amongst the Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial generations and predict reasons that may be important to future generations of college students. These …

The Relationship Between Principal Longevity And Student Achievement In Middle Schools In South Carolina, David Dewayne Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between the longevity of a middle school principal and student achievement. Three research questions guided the research to determine if there is a relationship. To complete the study, the researcher used data collected from the South Carolina Department of Education including PASS scores in reading and mathematics, ESEA index, gender of principals, poverty index of schools, and school size to determine the relationships. Data were collected using the South Carolina School Report Card for 2012.

Middle Schools in South Carolina were used for the study. The results …

Re-Examining The Past And Rethinking The Future At Mount Mulanje Forest Reserve, Malawi: New Directions For Local Engagement, Mary Christian Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, broad recognition has been given to the need for and the benefits of aligning the protection of biodiversity in threatened forest ecosystems with measures to address the needs and desires of people living near and depending on those ecosystems. With this research project I focus on one such ecosystem found at the Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve (MMFR) in southern Malawi. Large amounts of money and time have been put forth by local, national, and international donors and conservation organizations to support the goals of biodiversity conservation and social development at MMFR. In order to explore how managers …

An Analysis Of Achievement Between Single Gender Education And Coeducational Models In Select Middle Schools In South Carolina, Roy Lee Givins Jr

Theses and Dissertations

he purpose of this study was to examine the effect of single gender education on the overall academic achievement of students in reading and mathematics. Four research questions, focused on math and reading assessment scores, were developed to guide the study. The research was focused on the results of the Measures of Academic Progress assessments administered to students each academic year. The population of student scores selected to be studied were those of seventh grade students in two middle schools in the Upstate of South Carolina. The reason for studying this grade level was due to the fact that it …

Perceptions Of Elementary School Principals: Turning High Poverty Elementary Schools In South Carolina Into High-Performing Elementary Schools, Katie Wall Barber

Theses and Dissertations

There is no question that economic deprivation has an adverse impact on student achievement. In the United States, the gaps in achievement among poor and advantaged students are substantial. Through multiple studies, the United States Department of Education (2006) indicated results that "clearly demonstrated that poverty adversely affected student achievement." Closing the achievement gap and achieving success for all students presents a challenge for schools, particularly those located in high-poverty areas (Brock & Groth, 2003). Current research illustrates that some schools, often referred to as high-performing, high-poverty schools, have led their low-income student populations to high levels of achievement, matching …

The Impact Of Poverty, School Enrollment, And Ninth-Grade Transition Programs On Promotion To Tenth Grade In Thirty South Carolina High Schools, Mark Shannon Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to determine the impact of poverty, school size, and the presence of a ninth grade transition program (independent variables) upon promotion to tenth grade (dependent variable). Three sets of ten South Carolina high schools were purposefully selected for the study: one from high, one from medium, and one from low poverty index ranges. Poverty information was gathered from SCDE Poverty Index lists, and school size and tenth grade promotion rate were calculated from enrollment data supplied by the SCDE. A ninth grade transition was defined by identifying eight common transition practices in current literature and sample school …

Perspectives On Transitioning To The Assistant Principalship Among Peers: A Qualitative Study Of Six New School Administrators, Everette Hix Workman

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the assistant principal in the public schools is under studied and undervalued. As the largest group of school administrators and as future principals in training, the assistant principals' socialization process begs understanding. This study questions the transition from teacher to assistant principal, accounting for the setting and context of the move into school administration. Through a qualitative, in-depth phenomenological interview study of six assistant principals in their first years as public school administrators, this study focuses on their lived experiences with the transition. The theoretical framework constructed to examine the lived experiences of these six recently transitioned …

The Financial Nexus Of College Choice And Persistence At For-Profit Institutions, Benjamin James Bryan

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined student persistence to attainment at for-profit institutions of higher education using the financial choice-persistence nexus theoretical framework (St. John, Paulsen, & Starkey, 1996). Nexus theory predicts that when students' experiences are not consistent with expectations, students perceive that their implicit contract with the institution has been violated and may choose to leave. This phenomenon has not previously been studied in the for-profit sector. This study examined how students' expectations of college, related to their choice of institution, subsequently impact their persistence decisions at for-profit schools, and how students' expectations affect the way that financial influences such as …

Investigating Relationships Between Academic Achievement And After School Programs In A High School Environment, Aaron Duke Fulmer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if participation in an academically focused after school program could be linked with improved academic achievement as measured by a standardized test. A quantitative experimental design was utilized to explore the topic. The scale scores of participants in an academically focused after school program were compared to non participants to determine if there was a statistical difference between the groups. Additionally, the attendance level of participants in the academically focused after school program was correlated with their scale score on a standardized test in order to the relationship.

This study is significant …

Care As The Essential Element In Teacher And Student Interactions: Examining Dialogue As A Vehicle For Building A Caring Environment, Crystal Plumley Mcswain

Theses and Dissertations

This present study considers to what extent dialogue between teachers and students can support a caring environment. Research investigating behavior and qualities of effective teaching has been liked with caring relationships (Anfara & Schmid, 2007; Marzano, 2007; Noddings, 2005). "Relationships and instruction are not an either-or-proposition, but rather an incredible combination." (Brown, 2010, p. 10) The present study will examine to what extent dialogue, as one of the components of a proposed model of caring, can build a caring environment in seventh grade classrooms at a local middle school (Noddings, 2005, p.53). Specifically, dialogue skills such as intonation, empathy, respect, …

An Assessment Of Instructional Coaching: Results Of A Survey Of Selected School Districts In South Carolina, Heather Clayton Gordon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine teachers' perceptions of instructional coaching. Four research-based instructional coaching best practices were identified for the development of a survey. The four instructional coaching best practices were: collaborating with teachers to address school-wide instructional concerns and practices, collaboratively planning with a teacher to identify when and how an instructional intervention might be implemented, modeling instructional practices in teachers' classrooms, and observing teachers and providing teachers with feedback. Data were collected through the researcher constructed Teachers' Perceptions of Instructional Coaching survey. Elementary teachers in four school districts in the Upstate of South Carolina participated …

A Veterinary Science Initiative: An Analysis Of Impact And Future Directions For Humane Education And Collaborative Partnerships, Brittany Watson Tisa

Theses and Dissertations

Humane education research is limited in its scope and structure and this has led to its inability to find a place in standard curriculum. As resources become scarcer for school districts and shelters, proving efficacy of programs is essential for successful partnerships and program achievements. VSI: Veterinary Science Initiative is a program developed by the education team at the Charleston Animal Society as a model for cooperative education between shelters, veterinarians, and other private organizations to collaborate with local school districts, while also conducting research about how this curriculum benefits student knowledge, organizational awareness, and community engagement.