Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration Commons^™

A Preferred Vision For Leading Secondary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Ralph J. Hughes

Graduate Research Papers

Great leadership is the key to achieving success within any organization, team, and in my case, school. A strong leader always tries to keep things positive and his or her team on the same page, trying to achieve the same goal. To achieve the highest level of success within a school, an educational leader must: develop and implement a shared vision, develop clear communication, provide strong instructional leadership, and develop and maintain a positive school climate.

The Relationship Between Levels Of Moral Reasoning And Transformational Leadership Behaviors Of West Virginia Public School Administrators, Cynthia L. Daniel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between levels of moral reasoning and the use of transformational leadership behaviors of public school administrators in West Virginia. The Defining Issues Test-2 was used to measure levels of moral reasoning. Transformational leadership behaviors were measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5x. The population for the study consisted of 55 superintendents; 62 deputy, assistant, or associate superintendents and 250 randomly selected principals. A total of 103 administrators participated in the study. A one-shot case study design was used. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation, T-Test for independent samples, and one-way analysis …

The Challenge Of Inner-City Education, Lois Libby

Education Faculty Publications

There are two Connecticuts described in public education circles: One Connecticut includes a set of school systems that are suburban, educating primarily white and/or Asian students. The other set of Connecticut schools systems is urban, comprised primarily of students of color, and of low socio-economic status. The purpose of this chapter is to focus on the latter set of schools, provide some history of their development, look at the indicators of poor progress in more detail, review options of ameliorating the urban school systems, including assessments of state efforts so far, and offer some perspectives and conclusions.

Reflective Dialogue: What’S In It For Teachers? A Pakistan Case, Jane Rarieya

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Reflective dialogue is still very much an unexplored area in teacher education in Pakistan. This article presents findings of a study that engaged four teachers in the process of reflective dialogue in a school in Karachi, Pakistan. It explores the teachers’ response to the process and possible reasons. It also examines the role played by those who help teachers to become reflective (reflective coaches). Findings indicate that reflective dialogue is an alternative teacher professional development strategy, and that a teacher’s level of reflection is dependent on the teacher’s commitment to teaching, personal reasons and responsibilities. Teaching experience also influences one’s …

Managing School Success: A Case Study From Pakistan, John Retallick

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This article reports on case study research into the management of successful schools in a developing country, Pakistan. In Pakistan there are attempts being made to improve school education through decentralisation and involving school communities through School Management Committees. Whilst serious problems remain in the provision of quality school education, there are nevertheless, some successful schools and the research sought to identify three such schools and investigate how and to what extent the management of the schools was contributing to their success. In the article a case study of one of the schools is reported along with the findings from …

Booni Valley Women’S Perception Of Schooling: Hopes And Barriers, Almina Pardhan

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Schooling for girls is a relatively recent process in Booni Valley, a remote mountainous village in Chitral District, Pakistan. It is impacting greatly upon the lives of the women. This study has taken an ethnographic perspective and has assumed that an understanding of women’s schooling requires a detailed, in-depth account of women’s actual experiences in a specific cultural setting. The women in the study perceive their local language, Khowar, as having little value and place great importance upon learning Urdu and English, the official languages of Pakistan. The women also perceive schooling to increase their mobility and independence and to …

Researching Practice, Practicing Research: Impact On Teaching And Learning, Bernadette L. Dean, Rahat Joldoshalieva, Muneeza Kizilbash

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper shares the findings of an action research study on the use of whole class discussion (WCD) in the classroom and will concentrate on the benefits and learning that accrue to students and teachers from the use of action research to facilitate discussion. It was observed that teachers appreciated enlarging their instructional repertoire and they also acknowledged that stepping back during discussion, however difficult, had enabled them to learn more from the students and also develop key academic and social skills. During this project, teachers learned how to identify and address specific problems in their classrooms and students displayed …

Critical Elements Essential For Exemplary Educational Leadership : A Reflective Essay, Susan M. Muehl

Graduate Research Papers

My core beliefs are very. strong when it comes to education. All students need effective staff members who are supportive of their endeavors. A supportive staff member is someone who is apart of the school community, they work well with others through effective communication, they support each other, and they all work toward the common shared vision of the school. My core beliefs match my goals to become an effective principal and the way I live my life.

The cultivation of a supportive community within a school happens over a period of time. The principal is the captain that leads …

A Preferred Vision For Administering Secondary Schools : A Reflective Essay, Theresa A. Fisher

Graduate Research Papers

Effective principals articulate a clear vision about what they expect of adults and students. They do this more than just the beginning of the year. They spend time explaining to students what they expect in achievement, behavior, attitude,and effort. They don't make excuses. They make sure learners have what they need to meet high expectations. They motivate, inspire, provide direction, and celebrate excellence. If principals don't have high expectations, they cannot expect much of others.

Principals must establish high expectations in their schools. You can model high expectations by selecting challenging goals, informing others of your dreams, and keeping people …

What I Believe About Leadership And Education : A Reflective Essay, Matthew R. Bro

Graduate Research Papers

The works of a great leader will brilliantly encompass many specific critical elements. One must consider the many different ways an individual leader's own unique personality can combine the critical elements together. The critical leadership elements combined with the individual's own unique personality traits will make one realize that to break down the critical elements of the exceptional leader is a daunting task.

We are very complex, fearfully and wonderfully made creatures (Psalm 139:14) that cannot be analyzed easily. However we have likely experienced great leadership, and have asked ourselves: Why it is that this person motivates me, challenges me, …

A Preferred Vision For Leading Schools : A Reflective Essay, Deanne E.H. Lewis

Graduate Research Papers

"A school administrator is an educational leader who promotes the success of all students by ensuring management of the organization, operations, and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment" (Wilmore, 2002, p. 52). All children should be given equal opportunity for advancement and growth. What is challenging for one child may be boring and repetitive for another. Placing students in appropriate settings that will allow the appropriate level of challenge and pace of learning for each child is the goal for the creation of the differentiating classroom.

Differentiating Biology Homework To Enhance Academic Achievement, Genevieve Finch Bertsos

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to determine if differentiating homework for biology will motivate students to complete and turn in homework, address the needs of diverse learners, and improve academic achievement. The rationale assumes there is a positive relationship between homework completion and academic achievement and that students have different learning styles that can be addressed by allowing choice of homework assignment based on Gardner’s multiple intelligences and Bloom’s taxonomy.

The research employs an experimental design composed of a control group (consisting of two classes) that received the traditional homework, and an experimental group (two classes) that was offered …

The Effects Of Consolidation On Extracurricular Activity Participation In Selected Arkansas High Schools, David W. Collins

Theses and Dissertations

School reform initiatives have commonly included the highly controversial practice of school consolidation. These efforts by educators and lawmakers have been made to improve the quality and limit the cost of the educational system. While research exists on many effects of consolidation, findings have been mixed in determining the overall effectiveness of consolidating schools. Research has generally indicated a strong relationship between student participation in extracurricular activities and higher levels of student achievement. Little, if any, research has been conducted on the relationship between school consolidation and extracurricular activity participation. This study was conducted to determine the effects of consolidation …

A Critical Analysis Of No Child Left Behind, Kelli Brooke Dostal

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this thesis is multifaceted. First, I will provide an overview of the main provisions of the NCLB Act. For each provision, I will review a range of criticisms of the new legislation expressed by prominent scholars in the field of education. These criticisms include problems with: underfunding, accountability of testing requirements, expanded parental options, local control and flexibility, the validity of evidence-based practices, and the assessment of teacher quality. Finally, I will examine how these concerns have been addressed by the legislators and offer some thoughts on the on the appropriateness of NCLB.