Educational Leadership Commons^™

Virginia Standards Of Accreditation: A Case Study Of Sensemaking And Policy Implementation In A School District, Shana Nicole Remian

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between how school leaders at both the district and school level make sense of a policy change and how that understanding affects implementation. Specifically, this study explores how different factors affect individual sensemaking and the effect that has on policy implementation. Using an embedded case study methodology, data were collected through sixteen, semi-structured interviews. Additionally, field observations and document analysis were conducted to triangulate the data. Data were coded and analyzed to determine three major categories--policy ambiguity, internal and external factors, and communication. These three categories were integrated to form …

Transformational Leadership Qualities Among Students Within Doctoral Higher Education Leadership Programs, Joshua Lee Howell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Transformational Leadership Qualities Among Students Within Doctoral Higher Education Leadership Programs is a mixed-method study utilizing program evaluation of course descriptions and transformational leadership fostering activities, interviews with program chairs surrounding transformational leadership fostering activities, and completion of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ-5x™) survey results from doctoral higher education students and their programs within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Researchers in the field of Higher Education and Leadership indicated that Transformational Leadership was more apt for college and university presidency, that doctoral degrees were more preferable for college and university presidency, and as doctoral higher education programs provide students with curriculum …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Role Of Teacher-Parent Partnerships That Best Benefit Students In A Parochial College Preparatory High School, Sarah H. Gates

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Current research on teacher–parent partnerships has increasingly focused on early childhood education. This transcendental phenomenological study expanded and extended the understanding of effective teacher–parent partnerships in secondary education at a parochial college preparatory high school. According to Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory (BST), academic growth and development in late adolescents are impacted by the overlapping systems of influence: the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify secondary educators’ perceptions of teacher–parent partnerships that best benefit students. Faculty at a parochial college preparatory high school were asked about their perceptions of parental involvement …

A Research Tapestry: Stories Woven Into Stories, Laura Colket

The Qualitative Report

This autoethnography highlights the subjective nature of narrative research and illustrates the ways in which both micro and macro forces impact the research process. Through this article, I present a research tapestry in which the experiences, perspectives and stories of the participants weave together with my own experiences, perspectives and stories. I draw from my dissertation research, a narrative inquiry focused on the experiences of Haitian educational leaders working to create systemic change after the 2010 earthquake.

The Adaptive Imagineering Of Main Street, Little Rock: A Case Study Of Personal Investments And Outcomes As Perceived By Agents Of Change, Dondi Estes Warren

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods case study was to describe the perspectives of individuals that have acted independently or through organizational entities, resulting in impacts to the current renewal cycle of the Main Street area in Little Rock, Arkansas. The goals of this study were to collect and describe motivations underpinning decision making and action, identify resources and support systems utilized, describe encounters with challenges and barriers, collect perceptions of outcomes, and identify recommendations for next steps towards the future growth and sustainability of Main Street, Little Rock. This research was guided by a research design model, which outlined the …

Exploring The Political Styles And Strategies Used By Successful Women Classified Managers In Educational Agencies, Colleen Stanley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover and describe the political styles of successful women classified managers within California’s central coast region who advanced from middle management to top-level management level positions within an educational agency. In addition, it was the purpose of this study to explore and understand the political strategies that they perceived enhanced or hindered their ability to be promoted.

Methodology: This phenomenological study captured the stories of classified women managers’ lived experiences as they successfully advance in their careers to high-level management positions within an educational agency. A sample size of 15 …

“Re/Imagining Culturally Responsive Educational Practices (Crep) And Effectively Implementing Crep To Meet The Needs Of A Diverse Student Population”, Rena' Glass-Dixon, Shelbie Dixon-Brown

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

The aim of this interactive workshop for educators and administrators is to promote cultural awareness and reflect on the impact that our own cultural influences have on the teaching and learning process. This interactive session will also allow professional educators and leaders to apply culturally informed practices to foster positive school climate, learning and academic achievement relevant to a widely diverse student population. The workshop strives to encourage dialogue between educators, administrators and interdisciplinary/inter-agency team members through the application of evidence-based practices for the development of a deeper understanding of ourselves and how our views as educators, schools and districts …

The Predictive Nature Of Work Motivation And Career Commitment Of Librarians In Universities In Southern Nigeria., Arodovwe Mercy Igere Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Librarians in various tertiary institution of learning require relative developmental incentives apart from their field professionalism which to a greater extent influence their commitment to librarianship career. The aforementioned is either assertive or deniable hence the investigation of motivation as predictor of career commitment of librarians in universities in South-South Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study and one hypothesis was formulated at 0.05 level of significance. A correlational survey was adopted for the study. The population comprised 197 librarians in federal and state universities in South-South, Nigeria. The entire population was used as the sample size because of the …

The 5 Love Languages Of Children, Latifah J. Potter, Joan C. Day, Craig M. Kahn, Kristen Boyd, Hollisha Bridgers

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Do you know what the 5 Love Languages are? Everyone has a unique way of feeling loved. Based on the #1 NY Times Best Selling book, “The 5 Love Languages of Children,” this session offers information/strategies into the secret of incorporating effective and loving teaching/administrative practice that enables children to achieve their greatest potential. We will discover the “5 Love Languages of Children,” and the importance of ensuring all students’ social/emotional love tanks are full!

The Domino Effect: Lessons From The Prison Walls, Trent Grundmeyer, Jamie Ross

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation is designed to provide insight to those who serve at-risk populations. Participants will explore the risk factors and statistics around at-risk youth. Furthermore, participants will have the opportunity to hear first-hand from an incarcerated women who can testify to successful and unsuccessful interventions adults attempted to help her with. She is both a victim and success story that is the face of how education can indeed make a difference for kids.

After successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Build empathy for students who do not have support from parents.
2. Understand why attendance is often …

From Crime And Punishment To Harm And Healing, Louis L. Fletcher Phd, David Watson

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Expulsion hearings do not have to be contentious events. Using restorative practices in an accountable environment changes the expulsion hearing into an alternative placement discussion where parents, students, and school officials figure out the next step together.

Have You Gone To Galilee? Spiritual And Religious Formation For Catholic School Educators In Western Australia, Margaret Scharf, Chris Hackett, Shane Lavery

eJournal of Catholic Education in Australasia

This paper explores the personal and professional perceptions of twenty-two Catholic school educators in Western Australia who participated in a spiritual and faith formation program called Galilee. The paper initially outlines the background of the program followed by a review of the literature that focuses on five concepts: people are spiritual and religious beings; a desire to belong; the place of prayer; a journey of faith; and spiritual and faith formation. The research methodology is then provided. Specifically, the research was based on qualitative and quantitative data derived from an on-line survey. The results are reported in four sections. The …

Complete Issue

Journal of Applied Christian Leadership

No abstract provided.

Origins Of Self-Compassion: The Impact Of The Early Caregiving Environment, Nicoleta Dragan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of early attachment on self-compassion in early adulthood utilizing a causal model to assess the mediating effects of emotional regulation and shame (Figure 1). Participants were 133 undergraduate students (143 females and 90 males) between 18 and 28 years old (M = 22.7 yrs.) from a Southern California university. Structural equation modeling (SEM) using EQS (version 6.1) was used to analyze the data. Results showed an indirect effect of early attachment on self-compassion through emotional regulation and shame; a direct, moderate effect of early attachment on emotional regulation and …

A Phenomenological Study On The Representation Of Female Senior Enlisted Leaders In The U.S. Army's Basic Combat Training Units, Allison Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore retired female senior enlisted leaders’ lived experiences while assigned as first sergeant (1SG) and command sergeant major (CSM) in initial entry training (IET) to ascertain if their experiences shed light on the underrepresentation of female leaders in the basic combat training (BCT) environment. Data collection emphasized factors that led to success in the IET environment, as well as challenges and barriers they may have faced. The theoretical framework that underpinned this study included the social role theory that the expectations for men and women are based on sex differences that …

Evaluation Of Unm's Parental Leave Policy, Julia Fulghum, Karlyn A. Edwards, Charlie Christian, Steven Verney, Lisa A. Marchiondo, Teagan Mullins

ADVANCE Reports

Experiences with UNM’s parental leave policy C215 have been evaluated using the ADVANCE 2018 Main Campus Faculty Climate Survey, a series of junior faculty interviews, and concerns brought to the ADVANCE leadership. Key findings are:

• Women and STEM faculty are more hesitant to use family-leave policies, and perceive greater disadvantage in using them than men and non-STEM faculty
• Sharing of information about, and implementation of, parental leave varies significantly between units
• The attitude of the department chair and senior faculty strongly influence the experience of faculty who use parental leave
• Appropriately implemented, the parental leave policy contributes to faculty recruitment …

Goals, Power, And Culture: The Effects Of School Organizational Features On Parental Involvement, Vandeen A. Campbell

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Drawing on organizational theory and the school effectiveness literature, this project incorporates new methodological approaches to the analysis of a national longitudinal data set (ECLS-K: 2011) in order to investigate ways in which school goals around parental involvement, distribution of power, and culture affect parental involvement in children’s education, especially in schools serving large proportions of lower socioeconomic status families.

Parental involvement is widely accepted among researchers and policymakers to be essential for students’ academic success; however, parents with lower socioeconomic status exhibit less participation in both home-based and school-based activities compared to those of higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

Many recent …

Change-Makers: A Grassroots Approach To Culturally Responsive Leadership And Teaching, Abigail Amoako Kayser, Angel Miles Nash, Brian Kayser

Education Faculty Articles and Research

While achievement and opportunity gaps and systemic racism exist in the majority of school districts across the United States, not every school district authentically acknowledges and addresses these issues. In this case study, researchers examine a PreK–12 school district situated in a racially and economically diverse mid-Atlantic city in which race- and class-based discrimination have been well documented and recent episodes of extreme racial violence have affected the community. The school district, which employs 1,300 teachers and serves over 14,000 students, developed and implemented a grassroots approach by forming a district-wide culturally responsive leadership team. Through interviews with 10 culturally …

Experienced Pediatric Oncology Nurses Using Self-Reflective Practices In The Clinical Setting: A Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation, Daniel Josue Bonilla

Education (PhD) Dissertations

Pediatric oncology nurses can develop hazardous feelings of burnout over decades of clinical practice (Boyle & Bush, 2018). Interventions that help decrease burnout and improve professional development are reflective practices (Caldwell & Grobbel, 2013). Currently, there is a paucity of information on pediatric oncology nurses with 10 or more years of experience and how they use self-reflection to cope with workplace stressors. The purpose of this study was to explore how expert-level pediatric oncology nurses describe their experiences using self-reflective practices in the clinical setting. An interview-based exploration of the lived experiences of participants was necessary to understand the unique …

Leadership Lapse: Laundering Systemic Bias Through Student Evaluations, Debra S. Austin

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses how law schools' use of student evaluation of teaching (SET) for high-stakes faculty employment decisions amounts to a lapse in leadership because using biased evaluations allows colleges and universities to discriminate against faculty whose identities deviate from white male heteronormativity.

Teacher Unrest In West Virginia, 2018-2019, Lindsey D. Reed

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018, the United States saw an influx of teacher strikes which were largely propagated by red-state legislation. Then and now, teachers are trying to gain a voice in educational legislation despite corporate and political strongholds on legislators. As a last measure to gain access to the policymaking process, teachers strike. When teachers strike, it becomes a social issue which puts pressure on families, the economy, and legislation. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of teachers who participated in the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia teachers’ strikes as they relate to their interactions with …

School Administrator Perceptions And Actions Toward Reducing Mental Health Factors To Learning, Andrew Charles Teti

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Approximately one in five children have a mental health need that impacts their academic functioning (World Health Organization, 2004). This study investigated what actions school administrators who oversee kindergarten through eighth grade, and how their perceptions of mental health have impacted those decisions. Both a survey and an interview were conducted with current school administrators in three counties in Western Pennsylvania. Findings suggested that administrators take mental health factors to learning very seriously and place a significant amount of pressure on themselves to address this barrier. Additionally, school administrators utilize a team approach to focus on mental health in the …

A Comparative Analysis Of The Experiences Of African American Students At Eastern Michigan University During The Civil Rights Era And In The 21st Century: A Historical Case Study, Maria A. Jackson-Smith

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation examined links between Reconstruction and Civil Rights Era educational policies and practices and the impact of Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) institutional policies and practices on black students. This historical case study delineated the experiences of black EMU students who attended the institution at the end of the Civil Rights Era and during the first two decades of the 21^st century. The study is significant because, despite landmark Civil Rights Era legislation whose objective sought to narrow the achievement gap, the retention rates of black students at EMU remain disproportionate to those of white students in the …

School Safety In Rural Settings, Daniel W. Eadens, Larry Walker, Vasily Yurin

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Extreme violence is in our communities and sometimes flows into our schools. Read no further than the local newspapers if you want to see the impact on campus: physical violence, serious injury, suicide, mental crises, and threats with deadly weapon. In fact, the first documented school shooting in this country occurred in the year 1764 in rural Pennsylvania (Keenan & Rush, 2016). Unfortunately, shootings continue to plague our society and occur on rural school campuses today. Are rural schools safe? Is there a way to better predict school violence so it can be prevented? What kind of rural schools are …

Moments Of Reflection: A Phenomenological Study Of Preservice Teacher Reflection, Jane Ferris

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Transitioning from their training programs to their own classrooms, new teachers may feel a disconnect between what they learned and what they experience. To help with this transition and to promote teachers’ abilities to respond to the varying and unique needs of their students and schools, teacher training programs, beginning in the 1980s, have incorporated the use of reflective practice. Reflection provides teachers an opportunity to engage with their experiences in such a way that prereflective understandings, assumptions, biases, and beliefs may be identified. Reviewed literature suggests that teacher training programs do not clearly define and implement reflection instruction into …

Supporting Student Mental Health During And After Covid-19, David Bryant Naff, Shenita Williams, Jenna Furman, Melissa Lee

MERC Publications

This report by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) in the VCU School of Education offers a rapid review of research about supporting student mental health as they return to school during COVID-19. It pulls from literature on natural disasters like hurricane Katrina, the psychological impacts of quarantine, and emergent research on the mental health impacts of the Coronavirus. The report is structured to answer three overarching questions: 1) Why is it important to address the mental health needs of students in schools? 2) How can we expect COVID-19 to impact the mental health of students? 3) What are some …

A Class Action Lawsuit For The Right To A Minimum Education In Detroit, Carter G. Phillips

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Cyberbullying: School Administrators' Perceptions Of Law And Prevalence, And Their Roles In Prevention, Intervention And Discipline, Suzan Gragg Denby

Theses and Dissertations

This study was aimed at investigating secondary school administrators’ experiences with and their perceptions of cyberbullying, as well as their intervention and prevention procedures. As technology has become ubiquitous in our society, students’ use has increased and impacted the school environment. Given the potential for cyberbullying and the negative effects of such, schools harbor the responsibility to prevent and intervene in such occurrences. This can be a tricky process.

This study included 12 administrators of secondary schools across eight school divisions in Virginia. Through an interview process, administrators spoke of their experiences with technology and cyberbullying incidents, and how they …

Managing Students As Volunteers: Community Organizations’ Perspectives Of Service-Learning Placements, Bradley Wolfe

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative study examines how students are managed as volunteers in community organizations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven professionals in Southern Minnesota who oversee student-volunteers as a part of their position. The research covers the roles of student-volunteers in community organizations, the community benefits of student labor, and the management models used for supervising students. The results demonstrate different models used to manage students as volunteer, which vary by the depth of the volunteer commitment. Under all models, the sample of participants attested to an overall benefit of students as volunteers in their respective organizations.

Panel Discussion: The Right To Education: With Liberty, Justice, And Education For All?

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

No abstract provided.