Educational Administration and Supervision Commons^™

From Farewell To Fáilte: The Voices Of Iowa’S Irish Daughters, Katie Hermanson

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Irish women’s immigration to Iowa brought rich culture and lasting impacts, despite their contributions being silenced by history. Women left Ireland for economic opportunity and education abroad to support their impoverished families. Millions emigrated between 1830 and 1915, spreading across the world. The Irish women who came to the United States encountered discrimination and cultural stereotyping as they worked in domestic service, developed religious orders, taught school, owned businesses and raised families. Women bore the burden of supporting their families in Ireland by sending remittances home and communicating between countries. Their cultural identity as exiles dwelled in guilt for leaving …

African American Male Administrators’ Perceptions Of Leadership Expectations At The Secondary Level, Dimitri D. Williams

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

The underrepresentation of African American male administrators at the secondary level in public education, paired with racialized leadership expectations, demands a deeper examination of their lived experiences. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perceptions that came from the lived experiences of African American male administrators at the secondary level, with particular focus on their various leadership journeys, perceived expectations, and identity construction within predominantly Caucasian spaces. This study is rooted in Critical Race Theory and the conceptual frameworks of double consciousness, code-switching, tokenism, and impostor syndrome. This study investigated how race influences leadership expectations, professional advancement, and daily administrative practice. …

A Critical Analysis Of The Influence Of Ideology On Education Governance In An Urban, Midwestern School District, Carl Bryan

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study examines how ideology operates within local education governance through a critical theoretical lens. As state and national education policies, accountability mandates, and partisan political discourse increasingly shape local school governance, this research investigates how power relations, ideological influences, and equity concerns are embedded in school board decision-making processes and public discourse. Addressing a gap in existing scholarship on ideology in education governance, the study employs a qualitative case study of an urban public school district in the Midwestern United States. Data sources include individual interviews with school board members, critical discourse analysis of school board meetings, and analysis …

A Study On Community And Technical College Students' Identification Of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Cynthia J. Carow Schiebe

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students could identify culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) and, to what extent, in a community or technical college classroom where a set of goals and strategies had been established to guide methodology. Previous research on CRP traditionally focused on the educators’ or administrators’ interpretation of what students had learned when CRP was used as a methodology to reduce the opportunity gap. Students in classrooms where CRP was used were able to identify content that was aligned with their needs and wants, bring their own lives into the class without fear, balance their …

Perceived Principal Influence Tactics And Early-Tenure Teacher Status, Vanessa Perez-Peterson, Christopher Benedetti

School Leadership Review

Teacher staffing stability remains a persistent challenge for schools, particularly during the early years of teachers’ placement. This study examined whether teachers’ perceptions of principal influence tactics were associated with early-tenure status, defined as 0–3 years at their current campus. Guided by influence tactics theory, a quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed using survey data from 167 certified teachers in Southeastern Texas. Participants completed the Influence Behavior Questionnaire–General (IBQ-G), and composite indices of noncoercive, soft-coercive, and hard-coercive tactics were included in a logistic regression model, along with teacher and principal demographic variables. None of the three influence-tactic categories was significantly associated …

Mind Over Measure: The Role Of Self-Care Practices In Mitigating Mental Health Strain Among K-12 Educators, Jerry Burkett, Ryan Hulla

School Leadership Review

Teacher mental health is a critical concern in K-12 education, with high rates of burnout demanding effective protective strategies. This study investigated the relationship between five dimensions of teacher self-care (Physical, Psychological, Emotional, Spiritual, and Professional) and overall mental health outcomes, while specifically exploring differences between elementary (K-5) and high school (9-12) educators. A sample of K-12 teachers completed the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5) and the Self-Care Inventory. Correlational analysis found that all five self-care dimensions were significantly and positively associated with mental health, with Professional Self-Care demonstrating the strongest link (r=.48, p

Principals’ Questioning Practices As Drivers Of Innovation And School Improvement, Miguel M. Gonzales, Tiberio Garza, Elizabeth Leon

School Leadership Review

The art of asking questions plays a pivotal role in leadership and organizational change. This study examined the questioning practices of school principals for school improvement. The Discovery Skill of questioning, as illustrated in the Innovator’s DNA Framework outlined by Dyer and colleagues (2019), was adopted as the guiding framework. Data were gathered with a survey with open-response items from 124 school principals on their questioning behaviors for school improvement. Findings showed principals’ questioning from the qualitative investigation confirmed that most principal questioning habits resided in the description territory within the Innovator’s DNA Framework context. The findings suggest that school …

Leading A School District During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Teresa M. Murphy Phd

Educational Studies Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic altered the conditions of district leadership and required superintendents to make high-stakes decisions amid uncertainty, public scrutiny, and sustained operational disruption. Although scholarship on educational crisis leadership has expanded, fewer studies center superintendents’ own accounts of the knowledge, skills, and conditions that shaped their leadership during COVID-19, and its professional impact. This phenomenological study examined district-level crisis leadership during the first two years of the pandemic, with attention to crisis problem solving, role isolation, crisis communication, and superintendent sustainability. Three research questions guided the study: (1) What knowledge and skills did superintendents perceive necessary for leading during …

20260505: Women's Center, 1988-2025, Student Affairs

Guides to University Archives

These items include materials from the office of the Women's Center at Marshall University from 1988-2025. Items were received in 2026 and include Green Dot Training, Women of Color Celebration, Ms. Quotes, Women Connect and Women's History Month (2010-2011), Women's Center Events from 2011-2012, program attendance of programs from 2012-2014; Program Contracts; Run 4 RAINN event, Women of Marshall Award Nominations, and Parthenon Issues where the Women's Center was mentioned. This is not an exhaustive list. Please download the finding aid for a full list of contents.

Learning In The Third Place: Community-Based Educational Programs At A Bookstore Cafe, Tiana Henry

Capstone Collection

This capstone proposes an alternative learning program, where learning in the third space of a bookstore café is developed in St. Ann, Jamaica. The program responds to gaps in culturally relevant, community-centered educational spaces that reflect Jamaican heritage, support diverse learning styles, and extend beyond traditional classroom structures. A needs assessment consisting of a stakeholder survey and follow-up interviews demonstrated interest in experiential, arts-based, and place-rooted learning opportunities among educators and community members, despite a limited sample size and minimal youth participation. Findings also highlighted the need for stronger community engagement strategies, intergenerational knowledge exchange, and accessible spaces that integrate …

2025-2026 Annual Report - Undergraduate Curriculum Council, Undergraduate Curriculum Council, East Tennessee State University

Undergraduate Curriculum Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Breaking The Silence: Lifting The Voices Of Special Education Teachers In Co-Teaching Partnerships - A Study On The Impact Of Collaborative Practices And The Common Challenges Faced In An Inclusive Classroom, Marta Bronislawa Santiago

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inclusive education increasingly positions co-teaching as a key model for supporting students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Although co-teaching is widely promoted as a way to improve access and participation, its effectiveness is shaped by how special education teachers experience collaboration, role clarity, and administrative support in practice. This qualitative study explored how special education teachers perceived their roles in co-teaching partnerships and the conditions that influenced their ability to collaborate effectively. Guided by a constructivist epistemological framework, this qualitative study explored the experiences of special education teachers working in co-teaching settings. Through semi-structured interviews, participants described how their …

The Impact Of Targeted Remediation On Reading Growth Among Remedial Middle School Students, Jennifer Givens

Dissertations

Many middle school students enter secondary education with below grade-level reading skills and are unable to demonstrate measurable growth without structured intervention. This study examined relationship between participation in a targeted Remedial Education Program (REP) English Language Arts (ELA) course and reading growth, as measured by the Northwestern Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) Reading assessment. A quasi-experimental design compared fall-to-winter MAP Reading RIT growth between students enrolled in REP and academically similar students receiving special education services but not enrolled in REP. This study also investigated whether the effects of the intervention varied based on gender or …

A Case Study Of Experiential Learning In A High-Poverty Middle School, Diona F. Brown

Dissertations

This study examined the impact of experiential learning on student achievement in a high-poverty Title I middle school and explored how school leaders perceive and support its implementation. Grounded in experiential learning, active learning, and social justice theories, this research aimed to better understand how instructional practices can improve outcomes for students facing economic and educational challenges. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-assessments administered to two groups of eighth-grade mathematics students: one receiving experiential learning instruction and the other receiving traditional instruction. Qualitative data were collected through surveys of school administrators …

Narrating Experience: How Undergraduate Social Work Students See Themselves In The Social Justice Curriculum, Emily C. Soener

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Social justice is widely recognized as a foundational value of the social work profession, yet research indicates inconsistencies in how social justice is defined, taught, and experienced within social work education. This study examines how undergraduate social work students make meaning of social justice learning in relation to their own lived experiences. Using a critical narrative inquiry approach grounded in constructivist qualitative methodology, this study explores how students narrate their experiences of social justice education and how those narratives reveal tensions between professional ideals and classroom realities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eleven undergraduate social work students enrolled …

Grace Under Pressure: An Analysis Of School Administrator Personal And Professional Stress And Self-Efficacy, Andrew Mcdaniel

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indiana public school administrators are one of the most important factors for a school’s academic success. If those administrators are effective, they can help maintain an excellent school’s academic success or perhaps even turnaround a failing school. Without a doubt, their performance is critical for a school’s success. If they have confidence in their ability to help create positive outcomes, their school can achieve great things. Unfortunately, assistant principals and principals are facing significant challenges, not only from schools, but also at home. How do these personal and professional stressors affect their sense of self-efficacy? The purpose of this study …

What We Want The Decision Makers To Know About First-Generation College Student Success: Insights From Students’ Perspectives, Monique N. Legendre

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

One-third of all undergraduates in the U.S. are first-generation college students (FGCS) (Center for First-Generation Student Success, 2020). Due to barriers such as inequitable access to rigorous college preparatory programs and coursework, limited resources and access to college and career counseling, financial constraints, and a lack of college knowledge such as the expectations, norms, and language of higher education, FGCS often arrive less prepared for college than continuing-generation students, impacting first-generation student success and persistence in post-secondary education (Broadhurst et al., 2023; Campoverdi, 2023; Cataldi et al., 2018; Hamilton et al., 2016; Katrevich & Aruguete, 2017; Osborne, 2023; Pratt et …

Disrupting The Norm: Exploring A New Grading Policy Through The Lens Of Institutional Theory In Higher Education, Kara Bisceglie

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Each year, colleges across the United States admit new students, initiating them into their academic journeys. Yet, according to recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse, fewer than 70% of these students are retained by the institution that admitted them (National Student Clearinghouse, Persistence & Retention, 2023). In response to this phenomenon, institutions of higher education have instituted various intervention efforts in the hopes of mitigating student attrition. Many of these initiatives are based on an extensive body of literature exploring the most effective ways to impact student retention. One disparity in this scholarly collection is the examination of …

The Integrity Paradox: Reflections On Epistemic Substitution And The Ethical Failure Of Plagiarism Detection Systems, Elliott Ostler, Jeanne Surface

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article critiques the ethical authority granted to AI plagiarism detection systems, using humor to expose a serious contradiction in these algorithms. Through a case in which an original ethics manuscript is labeled 40.7% “non-original,” the authors argue that similarity scores are mistaken for judgments of misconduct. They introduce the concept of “epistemic substitution” to describe how tools that both judge originality and offer AI rewrites replace human authorship while mandating human accountability. The paper contends that this collapse of roles undermines scholarly integrity, conflates disciplinary fluency with plagiarism, and shifts ethical responsibility from humans to procedures. The authors call …

Future Ready Young Adults: Building Creative And Adaptive Thinkers, Robell Yeung

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Abstract of Project

Future Ready Young Adults: Building Creative and Adaptive Thinkers addresses a developmental gap in educational practices that prioritize technical proficiency over the psychological frameworks necessary for navigating systemic ambiguity. This project introduces an interdisciplinary, modular curriculum specifically designed for the challenges of emerging adulthood. By synthesizing Creative Problem Solving (CPS), James Clear’s habit architecture, and Martin Seligman’s PERMA model, the curriculum provides a structured pathway for cultivating creative self-efficacy and financial capability. Moving beyond traditional views of innate creativity, this model employs asset-based frameworks to treat cognitive agility and ambiguity tolerance as developable competencies. The project culminates …

Leveraging Data Analytics For Student Success: Lessons From Building An Analytics Program At Bentley University, Jane De Leon Griffin, Edlira Stefani, Rahat Sabyrbekov, Patrick Dickson, Annie Raunikar

Student Success Publications

Higher education institutions across the United States face an unprecedented convergence of challenges: a shrinking pool of college-aged students, persistent learning gaps from the COVID-19 pandemic, the destabilization of longstanding federal support structures, and the rising cost of attendance, which increases public skepticism about the value of higher education and challenges access for low-income learners. In this environment, student success is no longer simply a strategic priority—it is an institutional imperative.

One way in which Bentley University has responded to these pressures is by launching the Building a Data-Driven Student Success Ecosystem (BaSSE) initiative, a comprehensive analytics program designed to …

Examining Educational Legislation In Indiana, Jason Cary

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the world of educational legislation and how it is crafted, molded, and signed into law in the state of Indiana. The study examined the key legislative players, the machinations of the Statehouse, the educational organizations and their lobbyists, the national landscape, and other factors at play. To find the answers to the research questions in this study, the researcher interviewed multiple Indiana legislators. An effort was made to sit down with elected officials from both chambers who serve on the educational committees. According to the research, state and federal legislatures are …

Educator Perception Of Principal Leadership For Developing Teacher Self-Efficacy In Inclusive Education, Jessica L. Jones

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study explored general education teacher perceptions of the most impactful principal leadership actions for developing teacher self-efficacy for the education of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms and schools. An Inclusive Leadership Practices survey was developed by the researcher using qualitative research from Whybrew (2018), the Essential Best Practices in Inclusive Schools Tool (Jorgensen et al., 2012), and leadership research by Hitt and Tucker (2016). General education teachers with experience teaching students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms who chose to participate in this study completed the survey as a measure of their perceptions on inclusive leadership practices. They …

We Are Still Here: A Narrative Inquiry Examining The Experiences Of Black Women Chief Diversity Officers At Historically White Institutions, Jasmin M. Robinson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of Black women serving as CDOs in higher education institutions to understand their unique challenges, opportunities, and contributions as diversity leaders. The study uses a narrative inquiry approach, comprising of in-depth, semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis to understand how six Black women CDOs lead DEI efforts at historically White institutions, what their identities mean to them, and the lessons learned along the way. Eight core themes emerged from the findings addressing institutional commitment to DEI, institutional perceptions of CDOs, chief diversity officer responsibilities, how Black women understand their race and gender, how …

Application Of The Mattering Model By Generation In The Context Of Teacher Retention In Indiana K-12 Schools, Byron C. Sanders Ii

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When teachers see their actions as significant and recognize they would be missed if they were gone, they realize the significance of their individual impact (Wilfong & Donlan, 2024). Understanding what matters to teachers is an important factor in the process of teacher retention. This study examined the difference in four generations of Indiana K-12 teachers against the eight elements of mattering identified by Dr. Shelly Wilfong (2021). A survey instrument utilized the Foundational Elements of Mattering Survey for K-12 Teachers (Wilfong & Donlan, 2024) and the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale survey (1966a), and it was taken by …

Cracking The Hive Code: A Quantitative Examination Of Queen Bee Syndrome Behaviors In K–12 Education, Katie Renee Gordon

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Queen Bee Syndrome (QBS) has historically been used to describe women who distance themselves from other women and hinder the advancement of female peers (Staines et al., 1974). While early explanations framed QBS as rooted in individual competitiveness, more recent scholarship suggests it may reflect responses to gender discrimination and organizational context (Derks, 2017). In K–12 education, women comprise the majority of the workforce, yet remain underrepresented in upper leadership roles, particularly the superintendency. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of Queen Bee Syndrome behaviors among female leaders in K–12 educational settings and to explore how internal …

Qualitative Insights In Superintendent Habits And School Culture, Katy Eastes

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Superintendents are responsible for shaping the vision of a district, yet they are often removed from the daily interactions that define building-level school culture. This study examined the relationship between superintendents’ professional habits and their ability to identify and demonstrate ownership of school culture. Guided by Leader–Member Exchange Theory and Organizational Culture Theory, the research explored whether relational and organizational dynamics influence how accurately superintendents perceive culture within their schools. Using a dataset from the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute, public school superintendents who had nominated a principal between 2021 and 2025 were identified as potential participants. Ninetythree superintendents were invited …

Commodore Kid To Campus It Leader: The Experiences Of Black Men On The Path To Becoming Chief Information Officers In Higher Education, William Adu-Mensah

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception, the chief information officer (CIO) role has become increasingly crucial. Today, the role of the CIO has never been more important. Having CIOs on the leadership table is essential, and that table should include Black IT professionals whose perspectives have long been missing. Yet, Black male chief information officers remain profoundly underrepresented in higher education information technology leadership. Across higher education in the United States, only about three percent of CIOs identify as Black. This underrepresentation raises urgent questions about barriers to entry and how these men navigate institutions with minimal racial representation. The study examined the …

A Friendly Welcome From The Guest Editors Dr. Jeanne Surface And Dr. Elliott Ostler:, Jeanne Surface, Elliott Ostler

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

No abstract provided.

Leading With Intentionality: A Prek-12th Grade Public School District's Initial Journey Of Ethical Artificial Intelligence Integration, Michael J. Lucas Dr.

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article chronicles the intentional and evolving approach of Westside Community Schools in Omaha, Nebraska, toward integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning. Grounded in historical parallels to earlier technological shifts such as calculators, the Internet, and search engines, the district emphasizes ethical implementation, transparency, and ongoing professional learning rather than restriction or avoidance.

Through the development of an AI Task Force, differentiated professional development, and community engagement initiatives, Westside seeks to promote AI literacy while preserving academic integrity and human-centered decision-making. The district’s framework prioritizes safety, equity, and responsible use, positioning AI as a tool to enhance—not replace—critical …