Educational Leadership Commons^™

Cultural Diversity Professional Development In Schools Survey, Krystal R. Thomas, Hillary Parkhouse, Jesse Senechal, Zoey Lu, Laura Faulcon, Julie Gorlewski, David B. Naff

MERC Publications

This report presents findings from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) Cultural Diversity Within Schools Survey. This survey was designed for school- based professionals (i.e., teachers, instructional staff, administrators) within the MERC region. Administered in the fall of 2018, the survey collected information about experiences of professional development related to cultural diversity, attitudes toward cultural diversity within schools, perceptions of barriers and opportunities, and perspectives on the need for professional development. Section 1 of the report discusses the context for this survey effort: increased cultural diversity in our schools, increased cultural mismatch between students and teachers, and multicultural education as …

Penyeliaan Instruksional, Kepercayaan Kepada Penyelia, Dan Kapasiti Guru Sekolah Menengah, Makin Mislinah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Dalam melaksanakan transformasi pendidikan, pemimpin sekolah perlu memberi sokongan kepada guru untuk meningkatkan keberkesanan pengajaran dan pembelajaran dalam bilik darjah. Amalan penyeliaan instruksional yang berkesan mampu meningkatkan kapasiti guru dalam melaksanakan tugas mereka di dalam bilik darjah. Namun, tidak banyak bukti empirikal yang mengkaji hubungan antara pemboleh ubah tersebut khususnya dalam konteks Malaysia. Berdasarkan tinjauan literatur berkaitan amalan pelaksanaan penyeliaan instruksional, pengkaji mendapati bahawa guru-guru masih kurang jelas tentang proses pelaksanaan penyeliaan instruksional. Oleh itu, tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk mengkaji amalan penyeliaan instruksional yang dilaksanakan di sekolah, khususnya konstruk kemahiran penyelia dan bantuan langsung, dan hubungannya dengan kapasiti guru. …

The Influence Of Student Discipline Practices On Students, School Climate And Culture, Matthew J. Clark

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The enactment of Senate Bill 100/Public Act 099-0456 (SB100) in 2016 compelled school districts throughout Illinois to evaluate student discipline policies. This dissertation examines the impact SB100 had on middle and high schools throughout the state and within a large suburban K-12 school district. This dissertation is organized into three separate papers. Paper 1 provides a historical context for disciplinary practices used for students in public schools both in Illinois and throughout the country and explores new discipline practices that have emerged since the passing of SB100. Paper 2 examines the implementation of SB100 through an SDT framework to investigate …

A Phenomenological Examination Of Womanist Leadership In An Urban Community College, Cynthia Denise Armster

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There is an absence of research addressing Women of Color leaders in the academy, specifically relative to the influence of their cultural identity on their leadership styles. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience of Women of Color leaders who served in cabinet-level positions at an urban midwestern multi-campus comprehensive community college system, how their leader persona impacted their decisions and policy-making as Women of Color leaders, and their perception of their impact and legacy in the mentoring of the next generation of Women of Color leaders within community colleges. This study is necessary to increase …

Transitional Math In Illinois: A Quantitative Study On Eligible And Enrolled Students, Whitney Lynn Martino

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Completing a post-secondary degree is crucial to being competitive in the current job market. By 2020, the majority of all jobs in the United States require post-secondary education and training; however, barriers to access and attainment exist among individuals working to obtain post-secondary degrees, and there is an overall slowdown in post-secondary attainment. Students entering college identified as under-prepared is one of the attainment barriers to a post-secondary degree. This is particularly problematic at open admissions institutions like community colleges. When students arrive at college academically unprepared, they are often required to take developmental or remedial education coursework. In response …

Women Obtaining The Superintendency: An Examination Of Internal And External Barriers That Influence A Woman's Career Trajectory, Jodi J. Megerle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The role of public school superintendent is one of the most gendered executive positions in the United States, with men twenty times more likely than women to advance from teacher to superintendent. Although the majority of teachers and central office administrators in schools are women, the majority of superintendents are men. Women have made gains, yet under-representation continues to exist. As women break through the barriers, it is important to understand their experiences in administrative leadership as they navigate their careers. How do women in administration think and feel about working toward a male-dominated occupation? What barriers or opportunities have …

College Leadership Opportunities' Impact On Life During And After College, Mark Anthony Pietrowski Jr.

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the personal experiences of 14 individuals who engaged in leadership opportunities during their college educations. Through in-depth interviews, this study sought to explore how those leadership experiences impacted their leadership, both in their careers and/or in the community, after their graduation from both 2 and 4-year institutions. Findings from this study indicate that participants identified that their leadership experiences had impacts upon their careers and leadership after graduation. Yet, participants also shared that they engaged in leadership because they were self-motivated to do so, rather than learning about these opportunities on their campus. The final finding indicated …

The Second Prong Of The Tinker Test: A Constitutional Right To Not Be Offended?, Jonathan Pilkington

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In the landmark 1969 Tinker v. Des Moines case, the Supreme Court ruled school districts could censor student speech if it caused a material and substantial disruption to the educational process or if the speech infringed upon the rights of others. Since then, the Supreme Court has also allowed schools to abridge students’ speech rights if the speech was obscene, if the speech was part of a school-sponsored activity, or if the speech promoted illegal drug use. Most of the court cases since Tinker have applied the first prong of the Tinker decision, focusing on disruption to education as the …

Effectiveness Of Online Credit Recovery Programs, Diana Barbara Schill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This case study evaluating three high schools’ blended online credit recovery programs spanned the course of three years. The first part of the study examined the student demographics and outlined the basic structure of the programs. The demographics showed a disproportionate number of students of color and students receiving Free/Reduced Lunch in the online credit recovery programs at each school when compared to the school population. Each program shared the blended structure – online instruction with teacher facilitation. While there were over 24 online courses offered in the program, this study focused on the core courses that all ninth graders …

Designing Leadership: Using Design Thinking To Create, Practices, And Implement A Formal Leadership Development Program, Jon Samuel Wedding

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine what happens when design thinking is used to create a leadership development program, increase leadership competencies, and participants perceptions of design thinking. This study uses action research to examine the experiences and design thinking to create a leadership program in a formal hierarchical. This study collected data during a two-cycle action research process. The findings from this study revealed that design thinking can be used to create a formal leadership development program. The ability to use design thinking’s human centered design can also help increase the leadership competencies of trust and collaborations. …

Factors Influencing Alumni Giving Of First-Generation Hispanic Women, R. Scott Biedermann

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Alumni giving has become a vital revenue source for colleges and universities in the United States. For private universities, alumni support is integral to the institution’s growth and sustainability. As a result, there is a growing body of research on the factors that influence alumni giving in order for fundraising professionals to identify potential donors. This study aimed to enhance this body of research by examining first-generation, low-income, alumni giving from Hispanic women from a California Private University’s (CPU) Neighborhood Engagement Program (NEP). NEP is a need-based scholarship program for underserved students from CPU’s host city. The purpose of the …

Understanding The Experiences Of Underemployed First-Generation Hmong Graduates, Mong Vang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Underemployment has a rich and lengthy body of literature spanning across multiple disciplines, such as economics, business, psychology, and sociology. Past scholars studying the phenomenon have provided a framework for understanding underemployment and have identified the harm it has on organizations and individuals. Although underemployment is not a new phenomenon, gaps are present in understanding how it affects first-generation, Hmong graduates. This study provides a framework for bridging this gap. As such, this study answered three questions related to how underemployed, first-generation, Hmong college graduates describe their experience finding adequate employment after graduation, perceive the relationship between their personal upbringing …

The Experience Of The Local Control Accountability Plan, Angela Carter Pascual

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In 2013 the California Legislation passed a new K-12 School accountability mandate.

The Local Control Accountability Plan was sought to increase the educational equity for targeted student groups in addition to allowing school districts to mine a diverse set of local school data to develop goals in the 8 priority areas that speak to the needs of their local students. A requirement of the LCAP was that school districts include a diverse set of stakeholders to work in a collaborative manner to develop, critique, and refine local goals. Stakeholder groups are required to consist of district-level administrators, teachers, staff, students, …

The Effects Of The Work Environment On California Community College Counselors' Professional Self-Care, Tina Dang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Healthy work environments are critical in fostering occupational self-care for helping professionals, but information on the self-care and the work environment is limited among community college counselors in California. Self-care is essential for the counseling profession in California community colleges (CCC), as it promotes wellness, which is needed in order to provide optimal services to students/clients. The lack of self-care results in counselor impairment, leading to undesirable factors (i.e., burnout, health conditions, and decrease in productivity). In educational institutions, counselors often find it difficult to maintain their own self-care. However, work environments have been shown to affect self-care at work …

Chicanas Completing The Doctorate In Education: Providing Consejos De La Mesa De Poder, Sandra J. Castañón-Ramirez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study described four testimonios from Chicanas who have successfully completed a doctorate in education degree, both Ph.D. and Ed.D. The literature reviewed three important areas of study. The first is a review of the systemic challenges that Chicanas must hurdle; cheap labor, segregation of schools and neighborhoods, being silenced through English-only education, and deficit thinking. The second area of review focused on ways that Chicanas create strategies for success to overcome these challenges. The third was a review of the theoretical literature through a distinctly and relevant Chicana feminist lens.

Chicanas’ strategies for success were collected as testimonios. …

The Relationship Between Mentoring And Instructional Leadership Effectiveness: Gender Differences Between School Site Leaders, Kristina Britton

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Less than 25% of superintendent positions, the highest level of educational leadership, are occupied by women. This is in sharp contrast to the fact that over 75% of the nation’s teaching force are women. A significant barrier cited in the literature is that there is a deficiency in the support needed for women to successfully promote into higher-level administrative positions. Although mentoring has been shown to be key factor for female administrators’ success in educational administration, this study provides quantitative data to demonstrate the need for quality mentoring opportunities for school site administrators.The purpose of this research study was to …

First Year Female Assistant Principals At The Secondary School Level: Transitions, Perspectives, Aspirations, Jennifer Tilton

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Women continue to be in the minority in school administration in public schools in the United States, although the majority of teachers are female. The role of assistant principal is the gateway to school administration. The purpose of this study was to describe the essence of the transition from teaching to school administration, the role of a female assistant principal, and the career aspirations of female assistant principals. This study used a phenomenological approach to understand the essence of the transition for the participants. Six women were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol to collect data on their experiences transitioning …

Higher Education Organizational Structure, Quality Assurance Practice, And Teaching And Learning In Arts Disciplines, David M. Chase

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of higher education organizational structure and institutional quality assurance practices to and the culture of teaching and learning in artistic disciplines from the perspectives of three artist-educators. The research questions addressed by this study are as follows:

1. How do participants view the relationship of the organizational structure of their institution to the provision of quality assurance practices in their disciplines?

2. What barriers, if any, do participants perceive about the implementation of effective quality assurance practice and policy, and if barriers are perceived, why do they occur?

3. What …

Impact Of A Student-Athlete Career Preparation Program On Athlete Alumni Affinity, Heather L. Hunter

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has indicated the majority of athlete alumni do not give charitable donations to their alma mater or athletics department. With over 4 million former National Collegiate Athletic Association student-athletes, these athlete alumni should have an inherent affinity for their athletics department. The purpose of this research study was to examine the relationship between a student-athlete career preparation program (“Career Program”) and athlete alumni affinity for the athletics department. This study uses the theoretical framework of Social Exchange Theory to examine if an athlete alumni’s affinity for their athletics department increases when they receive support for their career launch. …

The Evaluation Of Positive Intervention Strategies On Chronic Absenteeism At The High School Level, Marla Clayton Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is an abundance of research on chronic absenteeism as well as the multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) approach, specifically the element of positive behavior intervention strategies (PBIS), at the elementary school level. A clear understanding of MTSS and PBIS at the high school level and how those approaches may impact chronic absenteeism of high school students is lacking in the recent research. The literature review provided the reader with an overview on PBIS and chronic absenteeism through the theoretical lens of Cooper’s (1982) Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) theory and explained the influence that PBIS has on chronic absenteeism at …

Examination Of Athletic Academic Support Services Of Ncaa D-I Hbcus, Clifford Eugene Harrell Ii

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Since 1991, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has mandated academic support services for student-athletes at all Division I institutions. Today, there is a vast difference of athletic academic support units at Power 5 Conferences compared to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The resources at Power 5 Conference institutions are also immensely different at HBCUs although the main services provided are similar. Advising, tutoring, orientation, assessment of study skills, compliance checks, personal counseling, career counseling, student-athlete scheduling/advising, testing of academically at-risk student-athletes are all services that are provided at both Power 5 institutions and HBCUs but there is still …

Leading From The Margins: The Educational Leadership Experiences Of Jesuit Directors Of Mission High Schools In The Philippines And The Implications For The Leadership Formation Of Filipino Jesuits, Guillrey Anthony M. Andal S.J.

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Educational leadership preparation is not an explicit priority in the scholastic formation of future Catholic priests in the Philippines. Consequently, there may be those assigned to lead in parochial mission schools early on in their ordained ministry but lack leadership training and experience. Thus, this study sought to answer the following research questions:

• What are the experiences of educational leadership successes and challenges of newly ordained Jesuit priests assigned as directors of Jesuit mission high schools in the Philippines?
• What are the perceptions of newly ordained Jesuit priests assigned as directors of Jesuit mission high schools in the Philippines on …

Being Scrappy: Charter School Leaders And The Transition To The Principalship At Title I Schools, Kalin Balcomb

LMU Theses and Dissertations

While the experiences and challenges of principals at Title I schools has been studied, this research builds on those studies with the added dimension of exploring the perspectives of charter school principals who are new to the role and are working in the landscape of Title I schools in Los Angeles. This dissertation examines the history of charter schools and provides a contextual overview of charter schools and charter school accountability measures in the United States and in Los Angeles, with the added political context of the charter school landscape in Los Angeles after the historic Los Angeles teacher union …

Picture The Magic: Exploring Black Girl Identity Using Photovoice, Leha Anaya Hawkins

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Using a youth-led participatory action inquiry and photovoice methodology, this study investigated the self-perceptions of Black girls in a suburban area of Northern California. The objective of the project was to explore the perspectives and lives of Black girls. It is through gained insight from their lived experiences that we can come to understand their needs and develop approaches to advance their own holistic empowerment. By gathering self-perceptions of Black girls using photovoice, the project aimed to inform youth workers, educators, and youth-serving organizations such as Magic Black Girls Leadership Institute (MBG) on how to meet the needs and cultivate …

Making Sense Of Georgia School Leader Evaluation: Climate, Engagement And The District Office, Bipul Singh, Matt Townsley

Georgia Educational Researcher

Assessment of principal effectiveness is a complex process due to the multidimensional nature of their job. Historically, a disproportionate significance has been placed on standardized assessment scores when evaluating school leaders, therefore states are beginning to emphasize other factors such as school climate in order to increase employee retention. This study investigated any correlation between leadership effectiveness, the staff perception of school climate, and employee engagement in a suburban Georgia school district’s 139 schools. An improved understanding of these constructs may assist principals and assistant principals modify their leadership practices to better meet the needs of their teachers. Results suggest …

Perceptions Of The Impact Mathematics Support Classes Have On Student Achievement, Cordaryl Charles Middleton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Many students today struggle with mastering grade-level mathematics standards. School leaders have implemented mathematics support classes as a possible solution; however, not all students are showing significant improvement. The challenge is determining an effective mathematics support class that has the most positive impact on student achievement. As a result, the purpose of this research study was to examine the perceptions of principals, mathematics teachers, and mathematics support teachers on the impact mathematics support classes had on student achievement. This study employed a qualitative case study research design that consisted of one overarching research question and three sub-research questions that framed …

Turning Around Small, Private, Tuition Dependent Colleges: How Boards Of Trustees Impact Decline And Turnaround, Michael Bills

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Even before the COVID-19 Pandemic, higher education has been facing unprecedented threats to existing business models. Small, private colleges heavily dependent on tuition revenue are particularly at risk. These at-risk small, private colleges need to make significant changes if they are to stave off decline and turn themselves around. Most of the literature on turnarounds of colleges and universities is focused primarily on the president, and is largely the reminiscences of former presidents. The board of trustees, however, is the ultimate governing authority of a college/university. If an at-risk institution needs to change in order to survive, the board must …

Investigating How First-Year College Students Use Smartphones To Receive Parental Support, Jacob Bonne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this study was to understand how first-year undergraduate college students use smartphones to receive parental support. A conceptual framework was implemented to frame the research and focused on first-year college student transitions and development within the context of parental support. A Phenomenological methodology with semi-structured interviews was implemented which explored the phenomenon from both immersive and holistic perspectives. Seven themes emerged from the analysis: decision-making, academic pathways, autonomy, emotional support, access, safety, and preparation. This study provided two recommendations for practice, including to educate students and parents about parental support and to educate parents about specific student …

Online Education Implementation Processes And The Preparedness Of Mid-Level Enrollment Management Practitioners To Develop Quality Services For Fully Online Students, Chiquita Lane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

According to Zawacki-Richter, Backer, and Vogt (2009), literature focusing on student services falls into three general categories: learning theories and attrition research, student needs and satisfaction, and models for best practices. Research addressing the specific training needs of student affairs practitioners responsible for implementing and managing student support services for online students is not a major area of focus (Moore & Kearsley, 2012). Therefore, unlike the faculty and technology subsystems, the student affairs subsystem has not become securely anchored in delivering services to fully online students (Crawley & Howe, 2016; Moore, 2013; Moore & Kearsley, 2012). The lack of research …

Diversity In School Leadership: Re-Conceptualizing The Narrative Of Black Male School Principals And Assistant Principals For Recruitment And Retention, James Avery

Theses and Dissertations

Educational leadership is one of the most vastly explored topics in education. School principals and assistant principals make up a substantial portion of those in leadership positions. Experiences in educational leadership have been chronicled for a number of years; however, the diversity in the recorded lived experiences is lacking. To that end, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the literature by developing an understanding of and recording the essence of Black males’ experiences working in K-12 school leadership positions.

The intersection of race and gender has been proven to create dynamics which impact the enactment of leadership …