Educational Leadership Commons^™

Access For Schools: The Challenge For Success, James H. Hill

Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series

In the book Power Shift, Alvin Toffler stated, "Those who can access information and use it to their advantage will succeed in the 21st Century ... those who cannot will be condemned to a permanent underclass" (cited in O'Conner & Kempster, 1993). If Toffler is correct, we need to ensure everyone has full access to the Internet and additional telecommunications of the future. To underscore Toffler's statement, O'Conner and Kempster (1993) suggested:

The challenge of teaching and learning in the next century will be to know how to seek out information, how to ask the relevant questions, how to use …

“I Can’T Do This Anymore, But I Have 1000 More Kids To Serve”: A Qualitative Study Of Full-Time Residential Summer Camp Staff Burnout, Sarah Cohen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Early pioneers of burnout defined it as “to fail, wear out, or become exhausted by making excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources'' (Freudenberger, 1974, p. 159; Freudenberger, 1977; Schaufeli & Enzmann, 1998). The traditional structures and activities of summer camps play a large role in creating experiences for staff and campers alike, but can lead to full-time staff working long hours with little time off and a culture of being overworked as a symbol of dedication to the program. While burnout research has become more popular over the past few decades, little is known about how burnout is experienced …

The Critical Role Of Happiness In Education: Resilience, Retention, And What Happy Teachers Do Differently, Jill Marie Hayes White

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Teachers are unhappy, stressed, and leaving the field at an alarming rate. This paper analyzes how teacher happiness is related to resilience and retention. It also looks for patterns that identify what happy teachers do differently at work. To complete this investigation, current K-12 public school teachers throughout Iowa completed electronic surveys that assessed their happiness, resilience, and work life. These surveys included the Subjective Happiness Scale (Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999), the Brief Resilience Scale (Smith, et al., 2008), and 14 additional survey questions created by the researcher. Correlational, comparative, and descriptive analyses were completed to examine potential relationships and …

Rural High School Principals And The Challenge Of Standards-Based Grading, Tom Buckmiller, Matt Townsley, Robyn Cooper

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to better understand how principals in rural schools are thinking about assessment and grading practices and if they anticipate implementing policy changes in the near future that may require increased support. Principals of schools in rural areas often face challenges that are significantly different from those of their urban and suburban counterparts. The researchers used a mixed-method survey to better understand if progressive grading policies were a part of the vision for principals of rural high schools, if they possessed conceptual underpinnings of such practices, and if they believed they had the capacity within …

Losing As And Fs: What Works For Schools Implementing Standards-Based Grading?, Matt Townsley, Tom Buckmiller

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this essay is to document what works when K-12 schools implement standards-based grading through a deep dive into related literature and to suggest areas for future considerations. To ignore what others are doing and what is presented in the research literature on teaching and learning is not only inefficient, it is also irresponsible and unprofessional (Gupton, 2010). As more schools work to implement a robust teaching, learning and assessment system, K-12 teachers and administrators in the early stages of redesigning their grading practices will be looking towards the successes and struggles of early adopters in order to …

Considering Standards-Based Grading: Challenges For Secondary School Leaders, Matt Townsley

Faculty Publications

Rather than awarding points for a combination of worksheet completion, quiz performance, in-class participation, and essay writing, standards-based grading separates academics from non-academic factors and communicates students' nonprogress towards mastery of course or grade-level standards. Some secondary schools are moving towards standards-based grading (SBG) in an attempt to produce more consistent grading practices, however the empirical evidence resulting from this change is mixed. The purpose of this article is to describe principles of standards-based grading, empirical support of SBG, and several common challenges secondary school leaders may face when considering this philosophical shift. Future research recommendations include exploring the perspectives …

Walking The Talk: Embedding Standards-Based Grading In An Educational Leadership Course, Matt Townsley

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to provide a model for educational leadership faculty who aspire to walk the talk of effective feedback by embedding standards-based grading (SBG) in their courses. Rather than focusing on learning, points are the currency of K-12 classrooms across the country. Over 100 years of grading research suggests typical grading practices are subjective at best. Some schools are responding by implementing SBG, yet few articles describe how higher education embeds this philosophy in educator preparation coursework. In this essay, the author documents how to design assessments, align rubrics, and provide feedback to aspiring school leaders …

Spirituality And Contemporary Higher Education, Michael D. Waggoner

Faculty Publications

Though religion played a central role in the founding of U.S. higher education, over the centuries, its influence was diluted by competing secular emphases. In recent decades, religion has seen a resurgence in academic and co-curricular attention on campuses. In addition, a spirituality not based on religion has gained increasing attention. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the phenomenon of spirituality in contemporary higher education. The author discusses the recent appearance of spiritualty on campus, relates what research says about the potential benefits of and challenges in addressing spirituality in higher education, and examines some …

Student Affairs Approaches To Religion And Spirituality In U.S. Public Higher Education, Kayla J. Stafford

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The field of student affairs addresses diversity and inclusion for all students; however, the student affairs profession may not provide support and resources for all developmental identities. There are a small number of public institutions that provide resources to help address and support students’ religious and spiritual development. It is known that private colleges are able to provide spiritual and religious resources for students, but the current study investigates the opportunities that lie within public universities. Literature has provided evidence of the importance of religious and spiritual discussions and resources for holistic student development, and the significance of this study …

What Does The Research Say About Standards-Based Grading? A Research Primer, Matt Townsley, Tom Buckmiller

Faculty Publications

Traditional grading practices have been used for over one hundred years, and to date, there have been no meaningful research reports to support it. As such, some schools are transitioning to standards-based grading, a practice based upon several evidence-based principles. The purpose of this research primer is to provide an overview of the research literature on standards-based grading.

The Effect Of Participating On Service Trips On Community Engagement And Student Development, Kristofer M. Czerwiec

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Service-learning is important in the development of the individual and of the community: it enriches student learning, teaches civic responsibility, and strengthens and enhances the community. Service trips allow students to share this enrichment with communities outside their own, giving them an opportunity to experience a diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and community needs. Equally important, student exposure to diverse cultures and individuals will increase personal and social development among participants. In the current study, individuals indicating higher levels of personal and social development resulting from service trips will demonstrate the importance service trips have on the development of the participants. …

Using One-To-One Computing For Differentiated Instruction In Iowa: An Investigation Of The Impact Of Teachers' Perceptions Of Teaching And Learning, Jodi A. Bermel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The 1983 seminal work entitled A Nation at Risk recommended that all high school graduates be proficient in the Five New Basics: English, mathematics, science, social studies, and computer science. To address the No Child Left Behind mandates, educators and administrators are evaluating the theory and practice of Differentiated Instruction (DI). One-to-one computer initiatives became an element of DI strategy due to the well-documented advantages in the use of technology to address individual learning needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine administrators’ and teachers’ perceptions of using one-to-one computing to differentiate instruction and to identify potential …

A Qualitative Study Of The Perceptions Of Public School Teachers And Administrators On The Teachers' Association And The Collective Bargaining Process In An Iowa Urban School Setting, Eric J. Gjerde

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Previous studies have looked at collective bargaining and teachers’ associations and their impact on student achievement, but the results are mixed. Absent from the literature are studies that analyze data gathered after the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The focus of this study was to explore urban Iowa public school administrators’ and teachers’ current perceptions of the relationship between teacher associations and collective bargaining. It is the intent of this research to understand what the administrators and teachers in this study perceive about teacher associations and collective bargaining and why they maintain these perceptions. …

The Early Implementation Of A Teacher Leadership And Compensation System In A Select Iowa Public School As Codified By House File 215, Anthony Dale Voss

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Thirty-one years ago, in 1983, the report “A Nation at Risk” (Denning, 1983) declared that teacher preparation systems were ill equipped to provide teachers the deep content knowledge they would need in order to be successful, that salaries were much too low, and that we needed to do a better job of recruiting young people into the profession. The 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) is a call to action, one in which we are reminded that student achievement is stagnant or slipping around the country. In Iowa, attention to the topic of …

Doorways And Walls: Peer Coaching As A Means To Change Instructional Practice, Chad Garber

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Joyce and Showers (1980) described the impact that a peer coaching relationship can have on teachers as they work to transfer learning that occurs during professional learning opportunities to the classroom. Theory, demonstration, practice, and feedback are critical elements of professional development, yet, according to some research, only when the support of a peer coaching practice is provided, will significant numbers of teachers (as many as 90%) implement new strategies into the classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine if the presence of a peer coaching relationship impacts the instructional practice of high school English teachers. This qualitative …

Reflections On Faculty Participation In University Decision Making, Daniel J. Power

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

In 1983, when I began my career, a University was a place where professors met students for instruction and research. A University granted degrees upon the recommendation of the faculty to students who had satisfactorily completed courses and met degree requirements established by faculty. Universities had governing boards that ratified strategic administrative and academic decisions. Faculty, especially tenured faculty, had a meaningful role in decisions related to the selection of administrators, hiring and promoting faculty, budgeting, and determination of educational policies. In general, the governance boards deferred to the expertise of faculty and administrators. Academic administrators and many people performing …

Shared Governance At Uni, Daniel J. Power, Greg Scholtz, Benjamin Ginsberg, Jeffrey L. Funderburk, Scott Peters

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Teaching, Research And Shared Governance?, Jeffrey L. Funderburk

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

There are many challenges to ‘shared governance’ at institutions of higher learning, including the fact that there is no consensus as to exactly what constitutes effective and appropriate shared governance. The document cited most often in regards to shared governance is the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities, jointly formulated by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), the American Council on Education (ACE), and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).[i] The document lays out a set of broad principles, without giving specific instructions as to how to implement them.

Two recent articles …

What Is Shared Governance Anyway?, Greg Scholtz

UNIversitas: Journal of Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Shared governance is an ideal to which many seem eager to express allegiance. In fact, shared governance is invoked almost as frequently by administrators and administrator-dominated organizations such as the regional accrediting commissions as it is by faculty and faculty groups such as the AAUP. As with many catchphrases, however, shared governance apparently means different things to different people.

All too often shared governance is used to convey the idea that a lot of conversation ought to take place within and among various campus groups—board, administration, faculty, staff, students, etc.—before the people in power make the final decision. This conception …

An Analysis Of The Effect Of A 21st-Century-Designed Middle School On Student Achievement, Gary David Schwartz

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Considering the billions of dollars invested in school buildings and the accountability for improving student achievement, there has been the lingering question about how the physical learning environment impacts student achievement. This study explored the impact of a new 21st-century-designed middle school facility on student academic achievement in mathematics and science. This case study used a mixed methods approach to examine the student achievement of 158 middle school students and the perceptions from 13 teachers and two administrators about the impact of the new facility on teaching and student learning. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect …

Leading Through Change: A Study Of The Role Of Central Office Leadership In The Process Of Secondary Change, Dirk A. Halupnik

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to more fully understand the actions of district level leaders in a major change effort and their effects on the change process. Furthermore this study aimed to provide additional information about the factors that school district central office administrators confront when making the decision to add another high school and the actions taken by these administrators to lead the district through this process so that other school districts and leaders may learn from this. The methodology for this study was a qualitative case study approach in which central office leaders in a district that …

Misconceptions Of The Teacher Librarian Role, Mary Junker

Graduate Research Papers

The problem identified in this study was the difference in perceptions among what teacher librarians perceive their role to be and what expectations they felt principals and classroom teachers had of them. The purpose of this study was to determine why such dissonance exists between how teacher librarians perceive their own role and how administrators and teachers perceive the role of the teacher librarian.

A survey utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data was conducted to determine what the expectations were of the teacher librarian role and library support staff in school libraries. The survey was sent to 93 K-12 teacher …

Factors That Influence Superintendents In Iowa To Implement A One-To-One Computer Initiative, Gerald Eugene Schnabel

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence superintendents in Iowa to implement a one-to-one computer initiative. An in-depth, phenomenological based interview method was used. Two interviews were conducted with each of the five superintendents in the study. The superintendent responses were then organized using the Saskatchewan Educational Indicators, which are context, process and outcome indicators. The major questions addressed in the study were: 1. What factors influenced the decision to implement a one-to-one computer initiative? 2. What are the results of implementing a one-to-one computer initiative? 3. What decision-making process do superintendents in Iowa use when …

The Role Of The School Principal In Technology Integration : A Literature Review, Lance Lennon

Graduate Research Papers

The effective integration of technology into a school's curriculum is strongly influenced by the role played by a school principal. This literature review aims to examine a principal as a school leader, a principal as a technology leader, and specifically what a principal needs to be an effective leader of technology integration. This paper reviews peer-reviewed journal articles, research studies, and doctoral theses focused on the role of a principal in technology integration. Research indicates principals and other school leaders are crucial to the success of school initiatives, and that administrators need more training opportunities to have the positive impact …

Instructional Coaching : A Look At Teaching Practices And Impact On Student Achievement, Sharon Sue Ingebrand

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The traditional one-shot teacher trainings aimed at telling teachers what they need to do to get better are not only frustrating to teachers, but are ineffective for improving classroom practices or student learning. Experts have advocated for effective professional learning to be job-embedded and intensively focused on the goal of meeting the learning needs of teachers and students. As the body of evidence around intense, ongoing, job-embedded professional learning grows, more school districts are placing instructional coaches in schools in hope of improving teachers' practices and student learning.

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to: ( 1) determine …

Leadership Distinctions : The Impact Of Leadership On Teachers Of Second Chance Reading, Rebecca Sue Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Second Chance Reading (SCR), an instructional framework that targets and supports struggling adolescent readers and determined to be a sound and viably researched framework, can assist teachers in building and supporting proficient and lifelong learners when implemented as intended. This study examined educators from five unique communities who recently implemented the program. Four key questions guided the research and became the focus during semi-structured purposive interviews. (1) What was the relationship between Second Chance Reading teachers and principal leadership? (2) What leadership qualities were necessary to support Second Chance Reading teachers? (3) What barriers were preventing teachers from accomplishing their …

Divorce And Its Effects On The Development Of Children, Lisa Barron

Graduate Research Papers

More than likely, children are not part of the decision making when it comes to divorce. They are the innocent bystanders of divorce that have no choice but to become an integral part of an adult issue. There are no rules books with specific directions to depend on when it comes to children understanding the separation of their parents. Children of divorce need resources, guidance, and more than ever, commitment and consistency from significant people in their lives. Divorce has no boundaries and carries no prejudice. Divorce effects all ages, ethnicities, races, gender, and socio-economic levels. In the earlier part …

A Case Study Of The Perceptions Of Stakeholders From A School District In Iowa On The Impact Of No Child Left Behind On The Comprehensive High School, Brian Coppess

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The American comprehensive high school was designed for a diverse society (Wraga, 1998, p. 1 ). The concept originated in the 1920s as a result of a report entitled The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education (Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education [CRSE], 1918). Since the adoption of The Cardinal Principles, the institution of the comprehensive high school has withstood years of continued review and reform efforts. Despite the many attempts to change it, the comprehensive high school has remained a constant of secondary education in America. The nation's most recent educational reform effort-the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB, …

Problem-Based Learning In The Middle School Science Classroom, Lesley Taylorson

Graduate Research Papers

In 1995, US 12th graders performed below the international average for 21 countries on a test of general knowledge in mathematics and science. (National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 1998). In 2000, 93% of students in grades '5-9 were taught physical science by a teacher lacking a major or certification in the physical sciences (National Center for Education Statistics, 2002). U.S. 15-year-olds ranked 24th out of 40 countries that participated in a 2003 administration of the Program for International Student assessment (PISA) examination, which assessed students' ability to apply mathematical concepts to real world problems (National Center for Education Statistics, …

What I Believe About Leadership And Education : A Reflective Essay, Christine A. Mangrich

Graduate Research Papers

Educators are more than just teachers. Effective teachers are more than simply instructors, and instructional leaders are more than just administrators. Servant leadership is more than a method of managing a school or an office. It is something that encompasses the essence of a person. A servant leader is one whose foundational beliefs begin with the notion to serve first. This leadership persona is not something that one turns on while at work; it is generally part of the guiding principles a person has, and affects all aspects of a person's life.

A leader of service encompasses all facets of …