Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Cte Can Be For Me: Middle School Counselors’ Perception Of Their Knowledge And Abilities To Guide Students In Career And Technical Education In The State Of Texas, Justin W. Hooten, Ronald S. Rhone, Lesley F. Leach, Juanita M. Reyes

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

A renewed emphasis on career and technical education has guided the transformation of high school education to support alternatives to college achievement. Research shows that career identity development begins in middle school or earlier, though the literature is scarce when discussing career guidance at the middle school level. Through phenomenological interviews, this research attempted to understand the processes and perceptions of middle school counselors when discussing career and technology education with their students. This study revealed recommendations for district officials and those in academia to assist in creating more robust career development programs at the middle school level.

Leading With Hope: A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Trauma Informed Leadership For School Principals, Christopher Bottoms, Robert J. Lynch, Shawn Ricks, Julie Hasson

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Before the age of 18, 60% of U.S. youth are estimated to have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), with 1 in 6 experiencing four or more ACEs. This study sought to uncover the ways in which school principals understand and enacted ways to support students that have experienced trauma. Using grounded theory methods (n=15), we explored how school principals utilize trauma-informed leadership as a means to support students. The impact of this study may help in the revision of how school principals are evaluated, professional development for school principals, and the academic preparation for school administration candidates.

Leading Participatory Action Research For Teacher Agency, Kimberly Hellerich

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Participatory Action Research (PAR) can benefit teachers and students. Based on student-led PAR projects utilized within the author's secondary classroom, student researchers provided instructional strategy recommendations based on student researchers' analysis of peers' survey responses. Yet without a transformative leadership approach, allowing for teacher agency and empowerment, PAR projects will not be successfully implemented. The author describes a set of teacher and leader dispositions that are expected to allow PAR projects to be successful.

Unveiling The Socioeconomic Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Academic Staff: A Qualitative Analysis Of Financial Perspectives And Job Satisfaction, Saheed Oluwaseun Lawal, Habibat Bolanle Abdulkareem, Omoniyi Adeyemi Rasaq, Tajudeen Ade Jamiu

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The study investigated how the Covid-19 pandemic affected lecturers' views on income and satisfaction in private Nigerian universities in Kwara State. It aimed to understand this impact as an opportunity for growth and resilience in the education system. Researchers asked four main questions and involved faculty members from various universities using purposive and convenient sampling methods. Results showed lecturers were generally satisfied with consistent salary payments and associated benefits, but the pandemic had diverse impacts on private universities: decreased spending, staff layoffs, reduced fee payments, and lower student enrollment. To enhance lecturer satisfaction, the study recommended exploring alternative income sources, …

Effective Elementary School Leadership: Does Teacher Perception Of Leadership Effectiveness Matter To The Academic Performance Of Elementary School Students?, Goldy Brown Iii, Tina Salzman

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This study investigated one research question regarding the potential school leaders have in increasing student outcomes in low socio economic elementary schools. Based on teacher perception, are certain aspects of effective leadership more vital to the success of low socio economic elementary schools than others? The findings show that a school leader’s ability to build a productive school climate may have a more exigent connection to student outcomes in low-socioeconomic elementary schools than in elementary schools with a majority of affluent students.

Experiential Leadership Learning: Narratives Of A Multiple Case Study Of Mexican School Leaders Appointed To Indigenous Schools, Manuel Lopez-Delgado, Argelia Estrada-Loya

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Training and preparation of school leaders have an impact on the quality of leadership displayed in their readiness for the leadership practice. However, in Mexico the training and preparation processes for school leaders are unclear and lack uniformity. The way of access to headship has promoted that school leaders learn to lead in their role without previous preparation for the position. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted through narratives that analyzed the leadership learning processes of novice and experienced school leaders. The study identified important learning experiences as the receptive observation, malleable observation, practical experiences of leadership, …

Medmicromaps, A Novel Decision-Tree Guide For Infectious Diseases Differential Diagnoses, And Evaluation Of Pre- And Post-Pandemic User Engagement By Preclinical Medical Students, Jason Ceballos, Tavsimran Luthra, Lucia Garces-Torres, Valerie Lentz, Jack Nelson, Claudia Carceles-Roman, Ian Holyoak, Jane Harrington

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

Background: Medical education has undergone major changes in the past 5 years to adapt to the digital-centered student population with diverse learning preferences. To address the challenges of shifting delivery modalities, multimedia resources were created to provide interactive e-learning material on infectious diseases for year 2 medical students.

Methods: Medical students at a USA-accredited Caribbean medical school were provided with supplemental e-learning materials including animations, illustrations, diagnostic algorithms aka MedMicroMaps, and Case-Based tutorials. Participants were classified by semester and lecture delivery: In-person: Cohort 1 (n=526); Virtual: Cohort 2 (n=651); and Hybrid: Cohort 3 ( …

Evaluating Principal Effectiveness: A Review Of The Literature, Jerry Burkett

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The evaluation of a campus principal can be a challenging process due largely to the complicated factors that exist to capture an accurate assessment of a principal’s leadership effectiveness. Generally, principal evaluations are conducted by district-level officials who often do not have the time or the resources to observe campus principals on a regular basis. Further, principal evaluation systems (PES) are designed to improve the practice of principals (Clifford & Ross, 2012; Davis, Kearney, Sanders, Thomas, & Leon, 2011; Fuller & Hollingworth, 2014a; Fuller et al., 2015), and there has historically been an acknowledgment that these evaluations do not always …

The Virtual Counseling Transition And Its Influence On School Counselor Self-Efficacy, Tara Hornor, Lee A. Westberry

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine school counselors’ experiences transitioning to virtual counseling during the Covid-19 pandemic, the factors influencing their sense of confidence, and successes and challenges associated with the transition to virtual counseling. Study participants characterized the transition to virtual counseling as challenging and reported the process decreased their self-efficacy. Participants identified four salient categories of challenges associated with the transition to virtual counseling, including difficulty maintaining accountability and contact with students, decreased work/life balance, diminished sense of connection with students, and lack of preparation to conduct virtual school counseling. Successes resulting from the transition …

Experiential Leadership Learning: Narratives Of A Multiple Case Study Of Mexican School Leaders Appointed To Indigenous Schools, Manuel Lopez-Delgado, Argelia Estrada-Loya

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Training and preparation of school leaders have an impact on the quality of leadership displayed in their readiness for the leadership practice. However, in Mexico the training and preparation processes for school leaders are unclear and lack uniformity. The way of access to headship has promoted that school leaders learn to lead in their role without previous preparation for the position. This paper presents the findings of a study conducted through narratives that analyzed the leadership learning processes of novice and experienced school leaders. The study identified important learning experiences as the receptive observation, malleable observation, practical experiences of leadership, …

The Impact Of Perceived Principal Efficacy On Instructional Growth Through The Evaluation Protocol, John Richard Thompson Iii

Dissertations

The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of the perception of principal efficacy on instructional growth. The research questions examined what factors determine the perception of principal efficacy, how those perceptions impact instructional feedback during the evaluation process, and how they impact teacher growth. Data were collected in two stages. First, a survey was distributed to all K-12 teachers from a rural Southwest Missouri athletic conference. Participants completed the survey to provide qualitative information on the impacts of the perception of principal efficacy. Stage two consisted of follow-up interviews with the participants who indicated they were willing …

Using Mindfulness Through Doodling In Interactive Notebooking To Increase Student Achievement, Michelle Brown

Dissertations

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which unfolded from 2019 to 2021, disrupted education systems worldwide, leading to significant learning loss and inequities. The shift to digital learning, necessitated by the pandemic, presented challenges such as learning loss and social-emotional impacts. This study investigates the incorporation of Social Emotional Learning(SEL), with mindfulness, into the school curriculum to address these challenges.

The focus of the study is on the implementation of Mindful Doodling as a component of SEL within an interactive notebook in a middle school science curriculum to enhance student achievement. The study aimed to analyze how different amounts of Mindful Doodling in …

Using Video Games To Jumpstart Student-Centered Research And Inquiry In The General Education Humanities Classroom, Melissa Ridley Elmes

International Journal of Emerging and Disruptive Innovation in Education : VISIONARIUM

This article discusses preliminary results of a study of the author’s use of gaming to facilitate research-based writing assignments in her classes, focusing specifically on a 200-level general education introductory literature course, The Medieval World, taught in Spring 2023 at a U.S. midwestern private university. The purpose of the study was to determine whether approaching topic selection for the research-based writing assignment in a general education literature course through gaming could result in more student buy-in and thus, greater student retention, better student work, and a more successful learning experience and outcome for such an assignment than does a traditional …

Curriculum, Instruction, And Leadership As A Practice Of Reflexivity In World Language Education: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Jerry L. Parker

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article presents the findings of a systemic review of research published by Robert C. Lafayette. Lafayette was a French teacher and teacher educator who worked to revolutionize the teaching of world languages through his articles, books, textbooks, grants, conference presentations, and other scholarly work. To uncover the value of his work in today’s language schooling, this study examined 17 of his articles and book chapters. Using content analysis methodology, the findings of this study concluded that his work contributed mainly to our understanding of curriculum, instruction, and leadership in world language education. His scholarship also provides world language teachers, …

The Impact Of Closed Captioning And Student Lexile Reading Levels, Jim L. Pruitt

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This experimental mixed-methods study explores what happens to student Lexile scores when they use closed captioning. The quantitative data analysis procedures involved in this experimental study consisted of utilizing two-sample t-tests to compare the iReady Lexile scores of the participants [n=38] to that of the researched district students [n=810] that were not using closed captioning in this study. The researcher required participants to complete a baseline iReady test to determine their preexisting Lexile levels. Then after the study, participants both in the researched district and in the study, itself were required to complete an iReady post-test to determine their …

Where Does The Buck Stop? A Framework Analysis Of Systematic Barriers And Supports To Effective Literacy Instructional Practices, Jennifer Barrett-Tatum, Courtney Shimek, Jennifer Manak, Chelsey M. Bahlmann Bollinger, Debra K. Wellman

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Many claim that elementary school teachers fail to teach children to adequately read, but few ask teachers why this problem persists. This study illuminates the voices of the teachers as they shared their perceptions of which factors supported or hindered their best practices in literacy instruction. Forty-four elementary school teachers across the United States responded to an open-ended questionnaire detailing the people, structures, political, and fiscal supports and barriers to what they perceived as a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction. Using diagnostic and prognostic frames to structure teachers' responses, findings from this study provide direct implications for administration at the …

Relational Leadership: Reconceptualizing How School Districts Address Teacher Attrition, Nila J. Burt, Joseph R. Jones

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

American education is in crisis. Teacher attrition rates are astronomical and continue to rise post-pandemic. In his executive summary, Pelfrey (2020), a policy and research analyst in the Georgia governor's office, revealed that new teachers are abandoning their careers at steadily increasing rates within the first five years of service. As such, we must further examine teacher retention and the influence of school administrators. In this capacity, this study utilized a qualitative methodology to examine teacher attrition in a high school in Georgia. Specifically, narrative inquiry provided the framework to examine the lived experiences of teachers in this southern school. …

How School Leaders Can Directly Support School And Classroom Conditions To Improve Student Outcomes, Goldy Brown Iii

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

There is a dearth of research on how school leaders can directly affect classroom and school conditions that lead to increased student outcomes. This study presents a descriptive single case study on a school leader and identifies supports they provided to improve classroom and school conditions, which may have led to the increased student outcomes they saw over a seven-year period. Qualitative methods were used. Data were collected through interviews and document analysis. This study is unique in that it collects and examines data through the Perspectives on Learning Environment Framework discussed in Bransford et al.’s book How People Learn …

An Assessment Of Students’ Enrolment Rate In University Of Ilorin, Nigeria From 2019-2021: Implications For Management, Yusuf Suleiman, Salami Tunde Adeniyi, Obalasiki Kamal, Lawal Saheed Oluwaseun, Oladejo Misbau Abiodun

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Enrolment at all levels of education is regarded as one of the indices of measuring the growth and development of education system. It is against this backdrop that the study assesses the enrolments of students in the University of Ilorin and its implications for the management. In order to get data for the study, annual report of the university from 2019-2021 were used to provide answers to the two research questions that were formulated to guide the study. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive method of analysis. The findings of the study revealed that females were more enrolled than males …

Lessons From Health, Health Care, And Health Disparities Among Latinx Populations Scientific Panel, In New York City-2021, Andres Valcarel, Maria-Isabel Roldós, Judith Aponte

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

On September 28, 2021, the City University of New York- CUNY’s Institute for Health Equity (CIHE) hosted the online panel: Health, Health Care, and Health Disparities Among Latinx Population as part of the Speaker Series for Hispanic Heritage Month. The panel was conformed of four experts representing scientists, managers, and future researchers from the biomedical field. Participants were CUNY students, faculty, and individuals from the broader NYC community affiliated with CUNY college campuses. The panelists represented different professional roles, fields, and interests. The common denominator among them was their personal and professional commitment to serving Latinx populations. The main discussion …

Examining Perceptions Of Good Leadership In Confucian Contexts: A Study Of South Korean University Faculty, Andrew Schenck

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Cultural values impact conceptions of good leadership, explaining why some Western-oriented leadership strategies appear to fail in Confucian contexts. To better understand how cultural values influence the process of leadership, the Vannsimpco Leadership survey was given to 291 Korean faculty members at a university in South Korea, along with 168 faculty members from an American university who served as a comparison group. Following the collection of 95 surveys (48 from Korean faculty and 47 from American faculty), factor analysis was used to evaluate respondents’ perceptions of leadership. Results suggested that Confucian values do indeed influence conceptions of leadership. As for …

Leadership Characteristics Of Senior Student Affairs Officers (Ssao): An Analysis Of Gender, Professional Preparation, And Experiences, Johnny A. Robinson, Ashley Tull, James C. Stoner

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This quantitative study sought to closely examine the leadership behaviors of Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAO) at four-year colleges and universities, which previous research had been limited. The researchers examined three forms of leadership (transformational, transactional, and laisse-fare) measured by the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire while comparing SSAO demographic factors including gender, institutional type, educational level, experience and what (if any) relationships could be concluded. Surveys were sent to 3,361 individuals identified as Senior Student Affairs Officers, which yielded 494 responses. Some significant differences were found for study variables and other notable differences were consistent with what has been found previous …

An Analysis Of The Role Of Collaboration And Change In School Development, Daniel Farley, Jerry Johnson, Shane C. Shope

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This retrospective case study captured the experiences and extrapolated insights from a school administrator tasked with developing a new school and program to meet the needs of a specialized student population. The resulting merged school, Day Academy, served a student population ranging from 20 to 25 students and a staff of 10-15. Attentive to the relevant literature, the case study results support recommendations for both professional practice and professional learning for administrators in all levels.

A Comparison Of Principal And School Counselor Self-Efficacy During The Pandemic: Lessons To Be Learned, Tara Hornor, Lee A. Westberry

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine principal and school counselors’ experiences transitioning to virtual counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic, the factors influencing their sense of confidence, and successes and challenges associated with the transition to virtual educational environments. Study participants characterized the transition to virtual leadership and counseling as challenging and reported decreased self-efficacy levels. Participants identified three common salient categories of challenges associated with the transition to virtual work, including difficulty maintaining accountability, decreased work/life balance, and learning new technology. Principals reported experiencing more support and successes resulting from the transition to virtual leadership than school …

Two Sides To Every Story: Dual Experiences Of Work-Family Integration While Remote Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sophie Gullett, Nancy L. Leech, Carolyn A. Haug

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The current study explores the experience of integrating work and family responsibilities while teaching remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Six hundred and sixty-one teachers with active teaching licenses responded to the survey about their experience of teaching remotely during the spring of 2020. Results indicate that there were two main experiences: while some teachers had a better balance between work and home life, others struggled more. Female teachers also reported lower quality of life and more negative experiences than male teachers. Additional supports are needed to help teachers balance home and work life, specifically related to managing childcare while teaching.

The Role Of A School Principal's Practice Of Resource Allocation And Its Relationship With A School’S Culture Of Collaboration, Annette Perez

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

This article presents the findings that investigated the relationship between a principal's practice in resource allocation and how it promotes a school’s collaborative culture.

Participants of the study were New York City (NYC) Department of Education (DOE) school principals who scored a four or above on the NYC Survey School Measures of “Effective School Leadership.” The independent variable was principal practice defined as resource allocation. The dependent variable, collaborative school culture, was defined as scoring 90% or above on the “Collaborative Teachers” measure of the NYC School Survey. The study was guided by the question: What is the relationship between …

Covid-19 Impact On Principal Self-Efficacy, Lee Westberry, Tara Hornor

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Recent educational research has focused on the Covid-19 impact on students, both educationally and emotionally. Researchers have even begun studying the impact of the pandemic on teachers with virtual instruction; however, very little research exists on the Covid-19 impact on principals. The purpose of this research is to study the impact of Covid-19 on P-12 principals. Specifically, the focus of the mixed-method study is studying the pandemic’s impact on principal self-efficacy. The study aims to answer the following research questions: 1. What impact has the Covid-19 Pandemic had on principal self-efficacy 2. Are there any unintended consequences from the pandemic …

Leadership Matters: Supporting The Mental Health Needs Of Black And Latina/O Students In A Post Covid-19 World, Larry Walker, Michelle Sullivan, Nicola Stewart-Walker

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

Communities throughout the United States were devastated by the COVID-19 virus. For instance, the mortality rates are higher within Black and Latina/o communities compared to the overall United States population. The pandemic represents another problem that will contribute to anxiety disorders and depression among Black and Latina/o students. How we combat these issues is important. During the 2020-2021 school year millions of students returned to schools and some struggled to adjust because of the traumatic experiences associated with COVID-19. Students will need the support of administrators, teachers, and mental health practitioners. For this reason, this review of literature examined the …

An Analysis Of Success Center Directors’ Perceptions Concerning College Remedial Education Programs, Melvin Steele Jr.

Dissertations

Success Centers are a component of community colleges that prepare students who need additional foundational coursework to proceed to college-level credit classes (Housel, 2020). In this study, the perceptions of Success Center Directors concerning their programs were explored through the lens of adult learning theory as advanced by Knowles and Lindeman (Merriam, 2018) using an online survey. Five research questions were investigated, which dealt with the services provided by Success Centers at community colleges, services that directors wanted to add, the credentials of those working in Success Centers, the impact of Success Centers on their stakeholders, and contingency plans used …

Applying Derailment Advice: How Educational Leaders Can Use Job Loss Lessons To Navigate The Covid-19 Crisis, Jeff Strietzel, Ryan W. Erck

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended life and work for people around the globe. This upheaval has created new challenges for those serving in or studying at higher education. College administrators have been forced to adapt, and many have used wisdom gained from past crises as proxies for the current crisis. After many months in a pandemic, however, many leaders are still searching for effective frameworks and mental models to guide their efforts. In this article, we offer the concept of derailment as a proxy for leaders in challenging times. We examined interview data from a recent in-depth study of 25 …