Educational Leadership Commons^™

Paperless Debate: The Wave Of The Future, Michael B. Greenstein

Program Evaluation

This paper details a complete program evaluation of a high school debate team’s transition from debating with paper to paperless debate. The study examines if switching to debate without paper has improved the success of the debate team by focusing on the team’s winning percentage, the cost of debate travel and participation, as well as the debaters’ views of the ease of debating before and after the paperless transition. The paper concludes that the transition was indeed a success, because it increased the team’s win percentage (though not by a statistically significant margin), saved the team thousands of dollars, and …

Planning For Change While Changing The Plan: A Case Study Of Staff Perceptions Of An Elementary Ell Program Redesign, Joanne Panopoulos

Dissertations

This study shows how I, the leader, conceptualized and implemented a program redesign over the course of two years (2009-11). At the time of this study I was faced with multiple factors which led to the inspiration for change: (a) the relatively rapid increase in the number of students needing ELL services, (b) a growing teacher concern for ELLs performing in the core academic areas, and (c) greater emphasis on improving level of English proficiency and overall academic performance for placement purposes in the ELL program and in the regular education class, and (d) the change of exit criteria in …

Enhancement And The Launch Of Odyssey, Jason Pascavage

Dissertations

The Change Leadership Plan utilizes student data garnered from the Program Evaluation to assist in the creation and implementation of the 'Enhancement' program. The Enhancement program is a research-based in-school student intervention developed in response to over two-thirds of Brooks Middle School students falling short of district College and Career Readiness (CCR) benchmarks. College and Career Readiness at Brooks Middle School is based on student outcomes from the fall, winter, and spring MAP® assessments. The vision behind the Enhancement program is to lessen the achievement gap while utilizing student results to assign individual learning paths and curriculum to specific students …

The Community College As Entrepreneur: Developing And Sustaining Effective Noncredit Workforce Training Partnerships, Kristine Michele Condon

Dissertations

In an era of increasingly tight community college budgets, noncredit workforce training partnerships with local business and industry are becoming critical sources of revenue. These partnerships can underwrite otherwise unaffordable projects and build effective bridges from non-credit to credit-bearing coursework for students. However, little research exists on the nature of community college noncredit workforce training partnerships or how those partnerships are built and maintained.

The purpose of this study is to identify how and in what ways Illinois single-campus community colleges develop and sustain effective noncredit workforce training partnerships. This qualitative case study of Illinois’ single-campus community colleges and their …

The Leonard Bernstein Artful Learning Model: A Case Study Of An Elementary School, David S. Brothman

Other Dissertations

Case study methodology was used to explore and better understand how the Leonard Bernstein Artful Learning comprehensive school reform model impacted a high performing suburban elementary school outside Chicago, Illinois. The school adopted the model not because it was doing poorly academically, but rather as a vehicle to institute a comprehensive arts-based curriculum school wide. Focusing primarily on teachers’ perceptions of how the model affected teaching and learning in their classroom, the study also uncovered how the school, families, the community, and district leadership responded to and supported Artful Learning over a five year period since its inception. The study …

The Necessity Of Developing Responsible Use Policies: Advocacy For Use Of Web 2.0 Tools In A Comprehensive School Computing Program, David L. Russo

Policy Advocacy

Technology is omnipresent in our modern age: anyone with an Internet connection can use a computer, tablet, or phone to access an unfathomable amount of information. Today, teenagers use e-mail, texting, and social media to stay in nearly constant communication with friends and family anywhere in the world. With so much time spent exchanging ideas in cyberspace, there is an increased likelihood of teachers and students regularly crossing paths electronically for both legitimate academic purposes and social contexts. Without sufficient school district policies to guide these interactions, students and teachers could realistically place themselves in awkward situations and face district …

Teacher And Administrator Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Current Teacher Evaluation Practices And The Impact Of The New Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act Of 2010 (Pera), Christina R. Heyde

Program Evaluation

This Program Evaluation paper is the first in a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010 (Public Act 96-861), as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. During the 2012-2013 school year, Illinois districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these ratings, instead of relying on seniority, to make job-related decisions. Pub. Act 97-008 (2011), § 5, adding 105 …

Academic Acceleration: A Policy Advocacy Document, Kelly Neylon

Policy Advocacy

The purpose of this advocacy document, written in 2013, is to illustrate the need for a change in policy for gifted students in a suburban school district. The recommended policy change would allow academic acceleration in the form of whole-grade acceleration and/or subject-area acceleration for gifted students. This advocacy document includes a review of the literature related to acceleration and gifted students and an analysis of the educational, economic, social, political, moral, and ethical need for the policy change. Also included is a review of current practices in this district as well as the positive and negative aspects of acceleration. …

Analysis Of Change Plans In Two Elementary School Districts For Teacher Evaluation Practices Following The New Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act Of 2010 (Pera), Christina R. Heyde

Change Leadership

This Change Plan paper is the second part of a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010, as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. Beginning in 2012-2013, districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these rankings, instead of seniority, to make job-related decisions such as reductions-in-force (RIFs) and teacher recalls. I interviewed administrators and teachers in two of …

Advocating A Successful Policy For Implementing State-Mandated Reforms To Teacher Evaluation Practices, Christina R. Heyde

Policy Advocacy

This Policy Advocacy paper is the third in a three-part dissertation on the effect of new Illinois laws on teacher evaluation in suburban Chicago elementary districts. The Illinois Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) of 2010, as modified by Senate Bill 7, was signed into law in June 2011 and contains provisions that take effect over several years. Beginning in 2012-2013, districts were required to move to a four-rating performance evaluation system and begin to use these rankings, instead of seniority, to make job-related decisions. In fall 2013, I completed a second round of the survey that I had conducted in …

Building A High-Quality Teaching Profession: Professional Development For Teachers And Staff, Marybeth Whitney-Delamar

Dissertations

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Increasing Student Engagement In The Middle School Classroom, Elisa V. Biancalana

Dissertations

There is a need to improve student engagement in the middle school classroom. This change plan seeks to determine the level of student engagement in the classroom using the Instructional Practices Inventory tool. Classroom walkthroughs will be conducted to determine the level of engagement in the classroom. The data collected during the walkthroughs will drive the professional development needed for teachers in order to be able to implement teaching strategies that increase the level of student engagement in the classroom. The effective implementation of this change plan will ensure that teachers will work collaboratively in order to design engaging instruction …

Community College Academic Leadership: Examining Effective Leadership Teams, Walter J. Fronczek

Dissertations

In community colleges across the country, the division of academic affairs faces many challenges. Chief academic affairs officers (CAAOs) and academic-leadership teams need to effectively lead the division. Academic deans support the division of academic affairs, and the CAAO provides guidance and resources, and empower individuals in these roles to be effective. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the formation of an effective academic-leadership team in selected Illinois community colleges.

This qualitative study applied case-study methodology. Eight Illinois community colleges were selected using the Illinois Community College Board’s seven peer groups. Purposeful sampling, in conjunction …

The Message 2.0: Perceptions Of Success From Members Of The Founding Class Of Mc Squared Stem High School, Jeffrey D. Mcclellan

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the methods of learning from the student’s perspective in order to understand what made the first graduating class of MC Squared successful. The conceptual model of student success composed of non-academic factors of motivation, social connectedness, and self-management was used for the lens from which to understand the six students in depth. Through the research, it was uncovered that diversified learning environments, a mastery based assessment system, and an unwavering acceptance of students within a challenging and supportive environment are essential to the success achieved at MC Squared STEM High School. Lastly, the seminal contribution of this …

Breaking The Boundaries: Decision Factors That Lead Male Students To Enroll In Associate Degree Nursing Programs In Illinois Community Colleges, Leandro Alcovendaz Resurreccion

Dissertations

Male nurses are but a small percentage of the total nurse population in the United States, and most certainly have potential to increase in numbers if the profession appeared more attractive as a career option for men. The purpose of this research was to discover the decision factors used by males that led them to enroll in Associate Degree nursing programs in Illinois community colleges. To set the background and context, the study explored the history of community colleges and that of nursing. Included was nursing as a profession, nursing in the United States, the country’s impending nursing shortage and …

Evaluation Of A Successful High Risk Nursing Student Assistance Program: One Adn Program's Journey, Ciaran O'Sullivan

Dissertations

A college education is, for many in America, part and parcel of the American Dream, and is certainly achievable. For countless reasons, students may enroll at community colleges underprepared, unprepared, anxious, and destined for a high risk of failure. Although community colleges are higher education institutions open and accessible to all who want to pursue an education, some degree programs are selective enrollment programs, such as nursing. Considering the stringent admission criteria and rigors of an associate degree in nursing (ADN) program, few are admitted. However, due to the pending shortage of registered nurses, assistance programs to help high risk …

African American Women In Higher Education: Challenges Endured And Strategies Employed To Secure A Community College Presidency, Lois M. Britton

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore challenges experienced and successful strategies employed by African American women currently serving as community college presidents. Studies show 35% of community college presidents are expected to retire by the year 2015 (Schultz, 2001), thus opening opportunities for aspiring African American women to secure a community college presidency. However, some of the literature reviewed for this study suggests that if efforts are not made to support the upward mobility of these women, there is a possibility that the number of African American women who are able to secure a future presidency …

The Leadership Practice Of Museum Educators, Tina R. Nolan

Dissertations

This grounded theory study is an examination of the culture, context, conditions and competencies of a set of six museum educators from a large city in the United States. Participants were education department leaders from a variety of museum types, including: A science museum, an ethnic arts museum, a settlement house museum, a children‘s museum, an aquarium, and a zoo. An analysis of data points to an emerging framework that codifies particular leadership settings and domains of practice for leaders of museum educators. An array of data collections were employed in the study, including: Semi-structured interviews, unstructured observations, written reflections …

Creating The Path Together: A Case Study Of A Mathematics Professional Development Program For Teachers Of English Language Learners, Alison Marie Whittington

Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to describe and analyze the Mathematics Access for Language Learners (MALL) professional development project. This project’s primary goal has been to provide teachers with the knowledge, strategies, tools, and materials to help make mathematics content accessible to their English Language Learner students. This study used case study methodology. Data was collected from archival records, participant observations, and interviews with project participants, facilitators, and the project director. The results and analysis of this study are provided through the framework of Bernice McCarthy’s 4MAT instructional model. The project is then analyzed to determine if it …