Educational Leadership Commons^™

Association Between Fiscal Effort Above Required Local Effort And Accreditation In Virginia Schools, Daniel C. Soderholm

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study expands on previous research regarding the adequacy of educational funding in order to reach a desired academic outcome. Specifically, this study examines Virginia policies of Standards of Quality and Standards of Accreditation to see if local fiscal effort above the minimum required by Virginia has an association to the desired minimum academic outcome of school accreditation.

The research in this study shows that when using a linear regression analysis or an ANCOVA there is no relationship between effort above Required Local Effort (RLE) and the percentage of students attending an accredited school. However, when looking at the non-linear …

Adaptive Leadership Approaches In Online Education: A Study Of Trust Creation And Change Management In Higher Education, Andrew R. Casiello

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this study was to determine which aspects of “Adaptive Leadership” are most commonly used by leaders in online education at doctoral research institutions where online education is playing a major role in enrollment. Within this study, the current state of higher education is reviewed and major changes in the financial, technological and competitive landscape are discussed. Challenges within the higher education context are addressed. These challenges include the increasing cost of a college education, decreased state support for public institutions, reduction of regional hegemony caused by technological advancements, increasing competition for students, and student demand for greater …

Principal Influence On Collective Efficacy: A Single Case Study Looking At Principal Efficacy Influence On An Elementary School Through The Perspective Of Teachers, Jennifer Anne Banks

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study explored ways in which self-efficacy beliefs and actions of a principal contributed to the shaping of school’s collective efficacy through teachers’ perceptions. A general qualitative methods approach was used. The study featured a single embedded case design highlighting one high-poverty school achieving state accreditation standards for student proficiency levels in English and math. The study population consisted of 14 elementary school teachers in a district in a state in the mid-Atlantic region. Data were collected through a survey, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group to answer the following research questions: (1) What experiences/elements were influential in developing the …

Political Culture And Policy: The Impact Of Culture And Values On School Choice Legislation, Heather Leigh Neal

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Policy actors unite political culture, power, and values to make substantial decisions which are often subjective in nature. Politics and policy are about collective decisions, which rely on the arrangement of a group of people. As values can influence policy actors in their attempt to solve problems, it is important for policymakers to establish a balance among the most essential values. A qualitative case study approach was used to investigate how, and what ways, political culture influenced how state stakeholders interpreted or implemented policy. Power and values were explored as both can connect for the implementation of policy. If values, …

Village Pedagogy: Empowering African American Students To Be Activist, Shuntay Z. Mccoy, Tiffany G.B. Packer, Rochelle Brock (Ed.), Dara Nix-Stevenson (Ed.), Paul Chamness Miller (Ed.)

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The Critical Black Studies Reader is a ground-breaking volume whose aim is to criticalize and reenvision Black Studies through a critical lens. The book not only stretches the boundaries of knowledge and understanding of issues critical to the Black experience, it creates a theoretical grounding that is intersectional in its approach. Our notion of Black Studies is neither singularly grounded in African American Studies nor on traditional notions of the Black experience. Though situated work in this field has historically grappled with the question of «where are we?» in Black Studies, this volume offers the reader a type of criticalization …

The Next Ten Years: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Chris R. Glass, Krishna Bista

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

As we near our tenth year as a publication, the journal’s global community continues to grow in ways we could not have imagined when we first started. We now receive over 300 submissions per year. We are proud to be among the top-20 journals in higher education according to GoogleScholar with almost 10,000 active subscribers around the world. As we prepare for the next ten years, we want to share a few updates on where we have been and where we are going. We have five major focus areas as we move forward as a publication: expand our global network …

Science Expectancy, Value, And Cost Profiles And Their Proximal And Distal Relations To Undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Persistence, Tony Perez, Stephanie V. Wormington, Michael M. Barger, Rochelle D. Schwartz-Bloom, You-Kyung Lee, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Despite efforts to attract and maintain diverse students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) pipeline, issues with attrition from undergraduate STEM majors persist. The aim of this study was to examine how undergraduate science students’ competence beliefs, task values, and perceived costs in science combine into motivational profiles and to consider how such profiles relate to short-term and long-term persistence outcomes in STEM. We also examined the relations between underrepresented group membership and profile membership. Using latent profile analysis, we identified three profiles that characterized 600 participants’ motivation during their first semester in college: Moderate All, Very …

The Legacy Project: Rodney L. Custer, Dte, Rodney L. Custer Dte, Johnny J. Moye Dte

STEMPS Faculty Publications

An interview with vice president of Dept. of Technical Education, Rodney Custer is presented. Topics discussed include interest in technology and engineering education; academic qualification; and experience as university department chair administrator and working with the Center for Math, Science, and Technology (CeMast).

Science Identity Development Trajectories In A Gateway College Chemistry Course: Predictors And Relations To Achievement And Stem Pursuit, Kristy A. Robinson, Tony Perez, Justin H. Carmel, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This investigation of undergraduates’ heterogeneous science identity trajectories within a gateway chemistry course identified three latent classes (High and Stable, Moderate and Slightly Increasing, Moderate and Declining) using growth mixture modeling. Underrepresented minorities were more likely to exhibit Moderate-and-Slightly-Increasing science identities versus High-and-Stable patterns. Students with higher perceived competence were more likely classified into the High-and-Stable class compared to the other classes. Students classified into the High-and-Stable class scored significantly higher on the final exam and appeared to be more likely to remain in a STEM major across fall and spring semesters compared to the other two classes. Results suggest …

So, You Want To Attract And Retain Diverse Faculty???: An Autoethnography, Melva R. Grant

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This is an autoethnography about epistemic injustice (i.e., diminished credibility as a knower) and resilience of an intersectional tenured faculty member who transformed harm into opportunities for rebuilding intellectual confidence and for exercising intellectual courage. Personal stories are used to examine and make explicit epistemic injustice harms by situating them within everyday contexts (Glesne, 2006). The purpose of this essay was to introduce theoretical perspectives with different language for improving discourses about an old challenge, racial bias, and to make explicit the types of harms experienced. Important research questions are posed for consideration by researchers. The stories shared in this …

School Leaders’ Conceptualizations Of Teacher Care For African American Middle School Students, Violet Keene Whiteman

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to describe middle school leaders’ conceptualizations of caring teacher behaviors for African American middle school students. The qualitative case study focused on school leaders’ conceptualizations/identification of critical incidents (Flanagan, 1954) of care for African American middle school students. Noddings’ (1988) plan of action for implementing an ethic of care, including modeling, dialogue, practice, and confirmation, was used to inform the study. Data were collected through interviews, discussions of identified incidents of care, and observation documentation from the middle school leaders participating in the study.

Themes identified from the study included: build relationships, identify …

Change In The Middle: Implementing Professional Learning Communities For Sustained Instructional Change, Johnna L. Bryd-King

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the influence of school leaders and teachers on surface level vs. sustained change through the implementation of professional learning communities, furthering the understanding of why some schools increase student achievement and others do not. Two predominant psychological theories, Kruglanski’s lay epistemic theory and Schwartz’s value theory, were used to explore the influence of cognition formation and values on the phenomenon within a complex environment. This research studied three Southeastern Virginia suburban middle schools. Case study methodologies were utilized, including school leader and PLC teacher member interviews, and an online survey that included …

Research Vs. Reality How School Districts Meet The Developmental Needs Of School Principals, Catina Bullard-Clark

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the shared experiences of elementary principals on the professional development provided to them from their district. The study population consisted of 16 elementary school principals in a district in a state in the mid-Atlantic region. A general qualitative methods approach that was informed by phenomenology was followed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and a focus group with the participants and was then organized into themes to answer the following research questions: (1) What approaches to development are being implemented to support elementary principals in a district in a state in the Mid-Atlantic region? (2) Which methods …

An Exploration Of Faculty And Staff Mentoring On High-Risk Community College Student Self-Efficacy, Support Systems, And Persistence, William E. Ashcraft

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of faculty and staff mentoring on high-risk community college student self-efficacy, support systems and persistence and identifying the attitudes and behaviors of successful faculty and staff mentors. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, twenty-two successful high-risk students from one urban community college were interviewed and asked to identify and describe someone on campus who had been most influential in their ability to persist. The twenty-six community college faculty and staff personnel identified by these students were interviewed to learn what they do to help students succeed and persist. Four themes emerged …

Knowledge For Social Change: Bacon, Dewey, And The Revolutionary Transformation Of Research Universities In The Twenty-First Century, Chris R. Glass

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Repairing The Leaky Pipeline: A Motivationally Supportive Intervention To Enhance Persistence In Undergraduate Science Pathways, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia, Tony Perez, Michael M. Barger, Stephanie V. Wormington, Elizabeth Godin, Kate E. Snyder, Kristy Robinson, Abdhi Sakar, Laura S. Richman, Rochelle Schwartz-Bloom

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The current study reports on the efficacy of a multi-faceted motivationally designed undergraduate enrichment summer program for supporting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) persistence. Structural equation modeling was used to compare summer program participants (n = 186), who participated in the program between their first and second years in college, to a propensity score matched comparison sample (n = 401). Participation in the summer program positively predicted science motivation (self-efficacy, task value), assessed eight months after the end of the program (second year in college). The summer enrichment program was also beneficial for science persistence variables, as …

First Generation International Students And The 4ds Shaping The Future Of Global Student Mobility: A Comparative Report Analysis, Peggy Gesing, Chris Glass

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

First generation international students are a harbinger for the coming wave of globally mobile students. This article describes trends in the 4 D’s shaping the future of global student mobility: demographics, drivers, directions, and delivery. Authors use analysis of the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG, 2015) to illustrate these trends in first-generation international students.

Multiple Pathways To Success: An Examination Of Integrative Motivational Profiles Among Upper Elementary And College Students, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia, Stephanie V. Wormington, Kate E. Snyder, Jan Riggsbee, Tony Perez, Adar Ben-Eliyahu, Nancy E. Hill

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Two studies were conducted with distinct samples to investigate how motivational beliefs cohere and function together (i.e., motivational profiles) and predict academic adjustment. Integrating across motivational theories, participants (N_{Study 1} = 160 upper elementary students; N_{Study 2} = 325 college students) reported on multiple types of motivation (achievement goals, task value, perceived competence) for schooling more generally (Study 1) and in science (Study 2). Three profiles characterized by Moderate-High All, Intrinsic and Confident, and Average All motivation were identified in both studies. Profiles characterized by Very High All motivation (Study 1) and Moderate Intrinsic and …

From Science Student To Scientist: Predictors And Outcomes Of Heterogeneous Science Identity Trajectories In College, Kristy A. Robinson, Tony Perez, Amy K. Nuttall, Cary J. Roseth, Lisa Linnenbrink-Garcia

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This 5-year longitudinal study investigates the development of science identity throughout college from an expectancy-value perspective. Specifically, heterogeneous developmental patterns of science identity across 4 years of college were examined using growth-mixture modeling. Gender, race/ethnicity, and competence beliefs (efficacy for science tasks, perceived competence in science) were modeled as antecedents, and participation in a science career after graduation was modeled as a distal outcome of these identity development trajectories. Three latent classes (High with Transitory Incline, Moderate-High and Stable, and Moderate-Low with Early Decline) were identified. Gender, race/ethnicity, and competence beliefs in the first year of college significantly predicted latent …

Testing A Model Of Servant Leadership's Influence On Follower Outcomes: Exploring Mediation Effects Of Follower Trust And Prosocial Identity, Dante P. Myers

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Servant leadership is beginning to emerge as a premier positive leadership approach in the 21st century. However, recent theoretical propositions detailing the process through which servant leadership impacts outcomes has not been tested. Using the JD-R framework, the present study investigates follower prosocial identity and follower trust as key mediators of the relationship between servant leadership and follower job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors, community citizenship behaviors, and turnover intentions. Research participants included 578 working adults recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) that responded to three surveys separated by approximately one month each. The hypothesized model was tested using …

The Everydayness Of Tina: An Introduction, Kristine Sunday

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

When I first learned that my graduate student mentor, Dr. Christine Marmé Thompson decided that it was time to retire, I had mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was happy. I had spent many evenings with Tina (as she is known to colleagues, family, and friends), and her husband, Dr. Dan Thompson, on the patio of her State College, Pennsylvania home, sharing in the intersections between professional and personal lives. I knew that both she, and Dan were looking forward to more leisurely explorations and the slower pace that a life outside the demands of the academy provides. I …

Leader-Parent Relationships In The Early Childhood Education Context: An Exploration Of Testimonial And Epistemic Justice, Shirley Eileen Adams

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

In this qualitative study, I examined epistemic justice and testimonial injustice experienced by parents of children enrolled in preschool programs. I used a triadic model arising from the synthesis of Fricker’s (2003) markers of epistemic justice, Hoy and Tschannen Moran’s (1999) Five Facets of Trust and Lea’s (2006) markers of collaboration, and employed modified grounded theory (Charmaz, 2008). Public preschool programs often promise that they can ameliorate cognitive and experiential gaps experienced by children who at risk and allow them to enter kindergarten on an equal footing with their more privileged peers (Hulme, Goetz, Gooch, Adams & Snowling, 2007; Camilli …

Retaining Highly Qualified Teachers Through Leadership Support In Secondary Mathematics, Wilbur Powell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act was enacted to improve low performing schools. One of the proposed answers to the problem was that all schools would have “highly qualified” teachers, especially in the subjects of mathematics and science. This study was aimed at helping school administrators retain their highly qualified mathematics teachers in their urban schools. The topic for this study was seeking to understand the factors related to school administrators retaining highly qualified mathematics teachers at the secondary level. Therefore, my study examined the lens of leadership factors that related to the retention of secondary mathematics teachers. The study …

Co-Enrolling Students In Math Remediation And College-Level Math In A Community College System, Peter Thomas Anderson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to conduct a rigorous examination of co-enrollment of students in math remediation and college-level math. A quasi-experimental, posthoc design examined the outcomes and the relationships of two groups of students who participated in a pilot project the goal of which was to assess the co-enrolled model that is designed to provide students with mathematics support. One group of students enrolled in a traditional model of developmental mathematics. The second group of students co-enrolled in developmental and college-level math.

The sample for this study was students (N = 7616) from nine community colleges in …

Infusing Complex Problem-Solving And Systems Thinking In College Leadership Development Programs, Dionicia Mahler-Rogers

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Present day leaders grapple with a dynamic environment of evolving challenges. Prior leadership studies have afforded revisions of leadership theories in an attempt to remain relevant with the prominently shifting environment. The leadership models that underscore college leadership development programs should reflect the updated theories and practices which expose student leaders to solving complex problems they will experience. This study explores the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for college students to be able to conceptualize and address system’s level leadership challenges. Foremost, the study examined instructional tools and methods that students found impactful for improving conceptualization and achievement of systems-level …

What Do You Believe? School Leaders And An Ideology Of Achievement, Andrew T. Lloyd

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Beliefs about achievement impact the educational experiences of students. The mainstream ideology of achievement espouses that anyone can be successful as long as they put forth effort and work hard. This belief fails to account for systemic barriers that have limited historically marginalized groups of people from achieving. Research has focused on the beliefs of teachers with scant research done on the beliefs of school leaders. This study focused on what school leaders believe about achievement and how it impacts their daily practice. In addition, the ideologies of the school leaders were compared and contrasted with an ideology rooted in …

Examining The Relationship Between Selected Grade 3-12 Teachers’ Perceived Assessment Literacy And Their Classroom Assessment Practices, Mark E. Hudson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The study examined the self-reported understandings of selected 3rd to 12th grade teachers had of assessment and the assessment practices they reported implementing in their classrooms along with evidence extracted from written lesson plans. The literature on classroom assessment supports the idea that teachers who create meaningful assessments, offer corrective action, and give students multiple opportunities to demonstrate success can improve their instruction and increase student learning (Guskey, 2003). McMillan, Myran, and Workman (2002) argued that teachers’ understanding of assessment matters are inadequate; although there is common use of standardized math and reading tests, there is limited knowledge of how …

Why Do They Do It? A Case Study Of Factors Influencing Part-Time Faculty To Seek Employment At A Community College, Philip E. Pons, Dana Burnett, Mitchell R. Williams, Tisha M. Paredes

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover the motivational factors influencing part-time faculty employment within the community college from the perspective of the part-time faculty. The study examined these reported motivational factors for differences influenced by age, gender, and employment status. A survey was distributed to a random sample of part-time faculty members at a large metropolitan community college in the Southeastern United States. Participants were asked to respond to categorical demographic questions and survey questions to determine workplace satisfaction. Three open-ended questions were presented to obtain in-depth information about the motivational factors leading adjunct faculty to seek …

Learning While Leading: A Multiple Case Study Of Principals' Ways Of Knowing, Marsha Caudill Cale

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Excellent school leadership is undeniably linked to improved student achievement. Due to the impact administrators have on school and student success, it is critical that current and aspiring principals receive high-quality training and support. Superior principal preparation programs and ongoing training opportunities are fundamental to fulfilling the need and improving student outcomes nationwide. A phenomenological case study approach was used to explore the factors contributing to the success of public school principals and examine from the practitioners’ perspective how they learned their craft. Adult learning theory is situated within the context of social constructivism, and used to critically examine the …

Exploring Culturally Relevant Leadership Practices: A Qualitative Case Study Of One Eastern Virginia High School, Donna Weingand

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

There is a need for equity in our schools—especially with respect to the impact of equity on student achievement—and it is important for educational leaders to not only identify issues of teachers’ cultural and ethnic biases in the classroom, but for educational leaders to feel comfortable tackling these issues in an effort to move toward a more socially just educational climate and culture. The purpose of this study was to not only identify how and to what extent culturally relevant instruction and leadership practices manifest in one Southeastern Virginia School, but also the ways that school leaders foster a culturally …