Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round: Rethinking The St. Louis Busing Program, Tango Walker, Ketosha Harris

Dissertations

This autoethnography shares our personal experiences and counter-narratives in the St. Louis busing program. Through our mission we expound on experiences and real-life situations as seen through our lens as a student and a mother in the St. Louis busing program. Critical race theory (CRT) was used as an essential framework allowing us to focus on the following four tenets: counter-stories, permanence of racism, whiteness as property, interest convergence. (Anderson, et al., 2017). Critical race theory (CRT) is the framework in social sciences that examines society and culture as it relates to categorization of race, law and power (Lynn & …

Exploring Co-Planning Conversations As A Professional Development Activity For Mentors And Mentees At The Beginning Of A Yearlong Teacher Residency, Channing Parfait

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In order to prepare pre-service teachers for their roles in the classroom, it is important to examine the rigor and purpose of the mentoring experience. This study explored the aspects of co-planning conversations that helped experienced and novice teachers expand their expertise and develop a mutually beneficial mentoring relationship at the beginning of a yearlong teacher residency model. While research on co-planning during the student teaching/residency experience exists, this research illuminated the importance of mentoring conversations early on in the teacher residency experience. Using a single case study design, observations, one-on-one interviews, and artifacts from four mentor-mentee dyads, data were …

Voices From The Jicarilla Apache: A Critical Analysis On The Impact Of Colonization, Assimilation, On Language Loss Across Generations, Haeyalyn R. Muniz

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The purpose of this study was to provide a critical analysis of the impact of colonization and assimilation on the Jicarilla Apache Language through narratives across generations. From a narrative inquiry perspective, I aimed to provide personal stories from among the Jicarilla Apache about language learning environments, experiences, and perspectives. Participants shared those used in the context of everyday interaction which provided language learning and transmission, impact of assimilation policies and practices from residential schools, historical intergenerational trauma, loss of language resulting in loss of culture and ceremonies, transmission of language, and an understanding of collective ideas for additional efforts …

Guide To The Ezekiel Ezra Smith (E. E. Smith) Collection, Velappan Velappan

FSU Leadership Collection

Ezekiel Ezra Smith (b. May 23, 1852 – d. December 6, 1933) was an educator, soldier, statesman, and businessman. He served as the principal and later president of the North Carolina State Colored Normal School of Fayetteville, later known as Fayetteville State University for over forty years. Currently, the available digital materials range from 1874-1907.

Biography and image of the history marker are courtesy of the State Library of North Carolina and NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Catalogs are courtesy of Shaw University Archives. Deeds are courtesy of Cumberland County Register of Deeds.

Reflections On Professional Development: An Autoethnographic Study In Theories Of Practice, Sara Elizabeth Jennings

Dissertations

This autoethnographic project extends the work of Argyris and Schön (1974); Houchens (2008); Houchens and Keedy (2009); Houchens, Hurt, Stobaugh, & Keedy (2012); and Houchens, Stewart, and Jennings (2017) by replicating an experiment in reflective practice using a self-coaching protocol as a means for mapping one’s own theories of practice. Relying on selfreflexivity to study professional learning in a culture of school reform, the author used Argyris and Schon’s (1974) theories of practice as a conceptual framework by adapting a self-coaching protocol (Houchens, 2008; Houchens et al., 2012; Houchens et al., 2017) and pairing it with selfobservations of video-recorded instructional …

Comparing The Job Satisfaction Of Virtual School Educators To That Of Traditional Educators, Eric L. Sierra

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

Virtual education in the K-12 environment is a growing field in the education industry. Not only does virtual education provide new opportunities for students, it also changes how teachers work in the industry and how they perceive the job satisfaction. Using the Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (TJSQ), this study compares perceived job satisfaction of virtual educators to that of traditional educators in the K-12 environment. Data collected from 112 educators suggested that both virtual and traditional educators were satisfied with their jobs. When teachers in both environments were compared to one another, there was no statistically significant difference in their …

An Analysis Of Early Career Educator Experiences And The Impact Of Teacher Recruitment Initiatives, Induction Programs, And Retention Efforts In One School District, John Liddon Pope

Dissertations

The K-12 public education system faces a teacher shortage dilemma of unprecedented proportions. At the onset of the school year, out-of-field teachers, underqualified teachers, or long-term substitutes often fill instructional vacancies, causing many students to begin the school year with uncertainty. Recruiting, training, and retaining highly qualified teachers is critical to student success. The purpose of this study was to analyze early career educator experiences and the impact of teacher recruitment initiatives, induction programs, and retention efforts in one school district, explore common practices in recruitment, induction, and retention in other school districts, and develop strategies and actions to mitigate …

Let Me Check My Notes: Using Interactive Notebooks To Increase Retention Of Basic Math Facts, Chelsey K. Miller

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Classroom Mic Check: Amplifying Student Voice, Anjelika Ashna Saverio

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Increasing Student Interest Through The Explicit Teaching About Women And Bipoc Scientists In The Forensic Science Curriculum, Melissa Shaw Luna

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Sense Of Belonging Through Authentic Caring: Free Up Learning From Prejudgment, Jason Ernest Perenon

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Discussions With Linguistically Diverse Students, Cecily Stevens

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Why Won't They Pay Attention? Improving Engagement And Classroom Climate Through Teaching A Conflict Resolution Program, Leeat Medina

MATL Action Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Teachers’ Lived Experiences And Perspectives Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Plans, Susanna J. Brice

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this case study was to examine how teachers from Title 1 elementary schools implemented school-wide positive behavior plans in Northeast Florida. This qualitative study was founded on the theory of planned behavior (TPB). According to TPB, an individual’s behavior can be predicted by attitude and purposes for the behavior. The research participants were six Title 1 elementary school teachers with whom semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the data. Themes that emerged were professional development, consistency, teacher buy-in, administrative support, and the effectiveness of the plan. Participants indicated the importance of continued support through check-ins, collaborations, professional …

Is There More Than One Way? Examining Alternative Pathway Teacher Effectiveness Through The Experiences And Perceptions Of Principals In Urban, Low-Socioeconomic Schools In Oklahoma, Julianne Hennessy Denton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher quality continues to be recognized as one of the strongest predictors of student success and school improvement. The quality of an educator is also critical to being able to address the growing achievement and opportunity gap in schools and communities that are marked by concentrated poverty. Therefore, principals are under significant pressure to recruit, train, support, and retain highly qualified teachers, so all students have access to quality education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to generate knowledge of alternative pathway teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom from an administrative point of view, specifically in urban, low socioeconomic, …

Social-Emotional Beliefs And Competencies Of High School Teachers In A High Need District: Relationship With Teacher Self-Efficacy, Deborah Ann Goodman

Theses and Dissertations

Social-emotional learning (SEL) research has focused more on SEL programming and outcomes in students, and little is known about SEL in teachers especially among high school teachers. This cross-sectional quantitative research study was undertaken to gather baseline information about SEL among 240 high school teachers from a high need district with the following hypotheses: 1) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies significantly vary by years of teaching, educational attainment, and professional development, 2) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies of school significantly vary by classroom setting, school type, and grade level teaching. and school type, and 3) teachers’ SEL beliefs and competencies …

Heart-Led Behaviors Of Exemplary Unified School District Superintendents, Sepideh Yeoh

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary K-12 school district superintendents lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological inquiry methodology to study the behaviors of eight exemplary K-12 school district superintendents in Southern California. Open-ended semistructured interviews were conducted utilizing a virtual platform. Responses from interviews in conjunction with observations and appropriate artifacts including, meeting agendas, memos, and newsletters provided …

Examining The Effects Of Teacher Induction & Support On New Teacher Retention In Urban Schools, Nellie Poe

Dissertations

Teacher retention is a serious concern in our country and around the world. Current teacher shortages result from fewer students entering education programs while high numbers of teachers choose to leave the profession. Ultimately, the most significant impact of the lack of highly qualified teachers is on our students who do not have the opportunity to receive an equitable education.

The project included two iterations of interventions to provide teachers who were new to an elementary school currently in the bottom 5% of the state with support to build self-efficacy with instructional strategies and classroom management. The first iteration focused …

Collaborative Conversations For Culturally Sustaining, Socially Just Pedagogy: Creating A Safe Space For Dialogue And Practice, Sarah N. Newcomer, Kathleen M. Cowin

Diversity, Social Justice, and the Educational Leader

Given the increasing number of culturally and linguistically diverse students in our nation’s schools (NCES, 2020), we need teachers and school leaders who teach in inclusive and socially just ways. In this qualitative case study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016), we paired up leader candidates (LCs) and teacher candidates (TCs) in a series of collaborative conversations focused on culturally sustaining, socially just pedagogy (CSSJP) (Authors, 2018), to learn how bringing teacher and leader candidates together may support their understandings of enacting CSSJP. Collaborative conversations may help TCs and LCs share the responsibility of doing the challenging, but necessary, work of enacting …

Blinded By Whiteness: Middle-Class White Teachers’ Explorations Of Identity And Deficit Discourse At The Intersection Of Race, Class, And Perceived Ability, Tracy Driehaus

Education Doctorate Dissertations

A legacy of placing children of color and poverty at the center of the “problem” of race and class in education has left us in a holding pattern marked by a prevailing deficit discourse and problematizing of students. Scholars agree that the predominantly white, middle class, female teaching force who occupy US public school classrooms embody and perpetuate these inequitable educational practices endemic within this system. In this study, a small population of White, middle class teachers--including the researcher--organized within a Professional Learning Community (PLC) explored identity and deficit discourse at the intersection of race, class, and perceived ability. Grounded …

Feedback Preferences Of University Student-Teachers From Supervisors And Their Rationale In Teaching Practicum, Innocent B. Rugambuka, Josta L. Nzilano

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study examines the feedback preferences of university student-teachers (STs) from supervisors and the rationale for the preferences during teaching practicum (TP). It involved second-year STs (N = 109) of a government-owned university in Tanzania. The study sought to achieve two objectives: (i) explore the type of feedback preferred by STs from their supervisors during TP; and (ii) elicit the reasons for the feedback preferences during TP. Interviews and focused group discussions were used for data collection. The findings indicated that STs mostly prefer written (59%) over oral (38%) and blended (3%) types of feedback. However, the rationale for the …

The Recovery Coach: An Intentional, Relational Interventionist As A Response To The Covid-19 Incomplete Grade Trend, Melanie A. Turrano

Education Doctorate Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many crises in education; fair and just grading was but one. During that tumultuous time, colleges improvised and created many “hold harmless” grading policies to provide empathy and understanding to students as well as to retain students otherwise negatively impacted by the inequities in their personal lives as well as the socioeconomic digital divide. One “due no harm” policy enacted at the community college where this study occurred was the encouragement of Incomplete (I) grades that prevented student failure in the short term, but traditionally results in long-term failure when the grade of Incomplete (I) converts …

Teaching Students About Trauma, Stress, And Brain Regulation, Kathy J. Van Horn

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

All students are impacted by stress and can improve learning through understanding the brain and brain regulation. For students who have experienced trauma this information is critical to their success. This presentation will provide guidelines, ideas, and strategies for teaching students key trauma-informed principles including strategies for physical, emotional, and cortical regulation. These principles and strategies can be taught to students individually or through group and classroom settings. Practical ideas and examples will be given along with feedback and lessons learned from the students we have taught.

A Qualitative Study Of Middle School Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Transition To Online Instruction During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brian S. Ward

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this study was to explore the unique lived experiences of four middle school science teachers from North Carolina and South Carolina during and following the transition from in-person to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four predominant themes were identified from individual, semi-structured interviews of the teachers: technology change; organizational change; changes in curricula, delivery, and student interaction; and career and personal changes. The teachers in this study described the challenges and opportunities experienced during the rapid transition in March 2020 to virtual teaching and learning. The teachers’ lived experiences seamlessly aligned with the stages of …

Overcoming The Imposter Phenomenon: Exploring The Strategies Secondary Educators Used To Cope During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Barbra J.C. Bedwell

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this descriptive mixed-method study was to explore and describe the coping skills used by secondary teachers who identified as experiencing the impostor phenomenon (IP) by the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) (Clance, 1985) to overcome the nine behavioral characteristics of IP during the transition to distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology. This descriptive mixed-methods research design used both quantitative and qualitative techniques to identify teachers with IP and explore the coping techniques they used during distance learning. First, a quantitative 20-question diagnostic survey, the CIPS, was used to identify teachers with IP. …

Book Review: Kutsyuruba, B., Cherkowski, S., & Walker, K. (2021). Leadership For Flourishing In Educational Contexts: Canadian Scholars. Idbn 978-1-77338-285-2, Softcover, 340 Pages., Christina Belcher

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Sider, S. R., & Maich, K. (2022). Leadership For Inclusive Schools: Cases For Supporting Students With Special Educational Needs. Rowman & Littlefield. Isbn 978-147-585-276-9. Paperback. 320 Pages, Lisa Devall-Martin

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

No abstract provided.

Special Education Teacher Burnout: Examining The Role Of Educator Preparation Programs In Prevention, Brittany L. Straub

Dissertations

Teacher burnout is increasingly problematic, especially for special education teachers who have a unique set of job responsibilities. Survey and interview data was used in this phenomenological study to examine how the educator preparation program (EPP) experience and self-authorship journey of early career special education teachers impact their potential to experience burnout. Data findings regarding level of self-perceived burnout, recollections of being or not being taught stress management and coping strategies in their EPPs, recollections of the self-authorship journey, and intentions for remaining in the career are shared in this dissertation. The essence of this phenomenon can be summed up …

Formal Mentoring Programs: An Exploration Of Barriers To Implementation In Nursing Schools, Megan Christine Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Although there are over three million registered nurses in the United States, the national nursing shortage has reached epic proportions, with a vacancy rate of 9.9%. One of the contributing factors to the nursing shortage is the lack of qualified nursing faculty. While formal mentoring programs have been identified as best practice in supporting the expert nurse clinician in their transition into the novice nurse faculty role, these programs are not consistently implemented in schools of nursing. In this phenomenological study, the perceptions of nursing leaders regarding barriers to the implementation of formal mentoring programs were analyzed. Using a …

How Exemplary Special Education Administrators Lead From The Heart Using Mark Crowley’S Four Principles (Building A Highly Engaged Team, Connecting On A Personal Level, Maximizing Employee Potential, And Valuing And Honoring Achievements) To Accomplish Extraordinary Results In Their Schools, Aimee Barnard

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe how exemplary district-level special education administrators lead from the heart using Mark Crowley’s four principles (building a highly engaged team, connecting on a personal level, maximizing employee potential, and valuing and honoring achievements) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and specific ways in which district-level special education administrators implemented and used Crowley’s (2011) four principles of heart-led strategies to understand the specific experiences and actions of the district-level special education administrators in relation to Crowley’s leading from the heart framework. …