Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

Getting Families Involved In Students’ Education Through Home Visits At Midwestern Charter Schools, Hakan Solak

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

Home visits are a model of communication after school time when school staff members actually go into students homes to foster a relationship among students, families, and teachers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how home visits take place in a single charter school and how families are involved in the educational process of students at Midwestern Charter Schools.

Thirteen participants from Chicago Math and Science Academia (CMSA) were interviewed via an open-ended questionnaire. Additionally, two home visit observations were made by the primary investigator in the natural setting of the homes of two students. Through this …

Small Rural School Districts In Nebraska: A Case Study Of Challenges And Solutions, Michael R. Montgomery

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

The purpose of this study was to determine the problems faced by small, rural Nebraska school districts. For this study, 15 possible challenges were identified (a) student enrollment, (b) instructional programs, (c) instructional support services, (d) extra curricular activities, (e) hiring and retaining administrative staff, (f) hiring and retaining teaching staff, (g) hiring and retaining non-certified staff, (h) building and grounds, (i) transportation services, (j) food services, (k) school finances, (l) student assessment, (m) accountability school performance, (n) family support, and (o) community support. There were no data on this topic for the state of Nebraska. The case for this …

Teacher Collaboration As Professional Development In A Large, Suburban High School, Marlie L. Williams

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative study explored the impact of teacher collaboration in a professional learning communities (PLC) school on teacher self-efficacy. Through the collection and analysis of personal interview data from 20 teachers in a large, suburban Midwestern high school, the impact of structured teacher collaboration was evaluated for its impact on changes in teachers’ instructional practices, their feelings of responsibility for student learning, positive adult interdependence, and changes in teacher self-efficacy. Experts in educational professional development identify the importance of sustained, collegial learning. This study explored the structure of one high school’s professional collaboration model, the measures in place for goal-setting, …

Building Leadership: The Knowledge Of Principals In Creating Collaborative Communities Of Professional Learning, Chad M. Dumas

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

Research literature is replete with the importance of collaboration in schools, the lack of its implementation, the centrality of the role of the principal, and the existence of a gap between knowledge and practice--or a "Knowing-Doing Gap." In other words, there is a set of knowledge that principals must know in order to create a collaborative workplace environment for teachers. This study sought to describe what high school principals know about creating such a culture of collaboration.

The researcher combed journal articles, studies and professional literature in order to identify what principals must know in order to create a culture …

Nebraska School Facilities: Educational Adequacy Of Class Iii School District Structures, John M. Weidner Sr.

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

In 2009, a replication of the Pool study was conducted. This study, however, focused on the school systems classified as Class III districts. Nebraska has 252 Class III districts. Compared with Class II (21), Class IV (1), and Class V(1) districts, the Class III districts offer a wide array of school settings, from urban to extremely rural, and from the third largest school system in Nebraska to a single school district occupying a county in the western sandhills.

The survey responses were sorted and analyzed by five indices: Class, Quartile of Valuation per Pupil, Population Change Category of the 2008 …

Early Leaver Superintendents, Marilyn Grady, Jack Mckay

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

In studies of the critical incidents that cause superintendent turnover (Grady and Bryant, 1991a; Grady and Bryant, 1991b; Grady and Bryant, 1991c), we became aware of the "early leaver" phenomenon in the profession. This phenomenon has caused us to question early leavers about their incentives for staying in or leaving the superintendency.

The discussion of when and if education will ever be a "true" profession is intertwined with the departure of individuals from the superintendency at the prime of their careers. How often do we learn of physicians who leave the medical profession at 45 or 50?

Our study was …

Compulsory Education: Challenges And Opportunities, Marilyn Grady, Doreen Gosmire

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Compulsory education is a deep taproot in the history of our country and is at the heart of our educational system. Since Thomas Jefferson's presentation of the "Bill for the General Diffusion of Knowledge" in 1775, we have made compulsory education a central focus of our society.

Initially, Jefferson's proposal called for mandatory education for all children for three years. In the 1700s, a year of schooling was not the same as a year of schooling in the 19005. Jefferson's proposal required schooling in reading, writing, and ciphering so that an individual was capable of conducting daily business affairs.

Compulsory …

Resource Allocation, Barbara Lacost, Patricia A. O'Connell, Marilyn Grady, Steven Coleman, Donna Gloshen, Barbara Jacobson, Scott Koch, Harlan Metschke, Douglas Radtke, Mary Jo Svatora

Department of Educational Administration: Faculty Publications

Resources are available means of supply or support that assist in accomplishing goals and meeting needs. Caldwell and Spinks (1986) define resources as culture and knowledge; however, most experts agree with Guthrie, Garms, and Pierce (1988), who define resources as "time, personnel, and materials ... as well as money" (p. 216). Thomas (1980) suggests that student and parent time is a "nonpurchased resource" that school leaders interested in effective and efficient allocation should consider. Rossmiller (1983) distinguishes between resource inputs and resource applications. Inputs, he says, are the available human and material resources, whereas applications are the "alternative ways resource …