Educational Leadership Commons^™

Maintaining And Improving Academic Achievement In The Midst Of Significant Demographic Change: A Case Study Analysis, Aaron Raatjes

Dissertations

The research of Mei Jiun Wu (2013) indicates that demographic change greater than 1% has significant impact on the achievement performance of school districts. This study analyzes a single district that experienced an average of 1.25% demographic change per year consisting of an increase of non-White students from 2002 to 2015. Despite this compounding change, the district was able to maintain and improve academic achievement. This study utilizes Marzano and Waters' (2009) framework for school leadership as well as Lindsey, Nuri-Robins, and Terrell's (2009) Framework for cultural proficiency to better understand how the district was able to maintain and improve …

Faith And Homelessness: Examining The Influence Of The Faith-Based Component Of A Transitional Housing Program On The Attitudes And Behaviors Of Homeless Men, Douglas Edward Luffborough Iii

Dissertations

Homelessness is a social and public policy concern. In the United States, homelessness is a problem with multiple and complex causes that include mental illness and the effects of physical, economic, and social conditions such as extreme poverty, exposure to the elements, mental and substance abuse disorders, malnutrition, and victimization. Transitional housing is a temporary option offered as a response to homelessness, recognizing that if individuals are provided with shelter, they may be supported in their attempt to achieve self-sufficiency.

There is some evidence that supports the benefits of federally funded transitional housing programs, but to date, few studies have …

The Impact Of After School Tutoring On Math Achievement: Perceptions Of African American Males And Those Who Teach Them, Eric L. Brown

Dissertations

Despite increases in overall academic achievement, African American males continue to struggle in the area of mathematics. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates that eighth grade African American males had the lowest levels of mathematics success of all subgroups in 2013, with only 13% performing at or above the proficient performance level in math. An approach to increasing the academic achievement of African American males has been to provide extended learning time beyond the typical secondary education experience. After school programs are one such example. Many studies indicate that after school programs have had some positive …

Low-Fee Private Schools In West Africa: Case Studies From Burkina Faso And Ghana, Corinne Brion

Dissertations

Every year billions of dollars are spent on development aid and training around the world. However, only 10% of this training results in the transfer of knowledge, skills, or behaviors learned in the training to the work place. Ideally, learning transfer produces effective and continued application by learners of the knowledge and skills they gained through their learning activities. Some studies suggest that technology usage can serve as an effective post-learning intervention to enhance the transfer of learning.

Currently, there is a limited body of research examining the factors that hinder and promote learning transfer in professional development, particularly the …

Neither Here Nor There: Transformational Leadership And Cultural Intelligence In Presidents Of U.S. Accredited Universities Located In Foreign Countries, Jeff Bourgeois

Dissertations

The role of a university president combines the symbolism of an institutional ambassador with the leadership responsibilities of a private-sector executive. When considering the cultural context of the university and the culture of the surrounding community, the demands of the presidential position become far more complex. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation currently lists 42 colleges and universities with institutional-level accreditation located beyond the borders of the Unite States, and two more listed as candidates for future accreditation consideration. Presidents of the 44 internationally located universities bearing U.S. accreditation must negotiate the potential for tension between the many cultures at …

Exploring The Implications For Educational Leadership: A Case Study Of Cristo Rey St. Martin College Preparatory High School, Julie Lynn Frey

Dissertations

This is a case study of Cristo Rey St. Martin High School, member of the Cristo Rey Network. Cristo Rey St. Martin has been able to make gains in closing the gap with regard to student entrance into college for low-income minority students, making it a unique and appropriate case to study. The purpose of this research was to study the formation of the leadership at Cristo Rey St. Martin College Preparatory High School.

The case study consisted of interviews, observations, shadowing of the principal, and document analysis.

Major finding include mission creation explicit to student achievement, a student centric …

Making Use Of Teacher Mentors: Understanding The Impact Of Teacher-Student Relationships On Student Academic Achievement, Sara Haas

Dissertations

The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR) has determined that if a high school student completes freshman year with the necessary course credits to be promoted to tenth grade and has no more than one F for one semester/course in a core content area then they are considered on track to graduate high school within four years and ultimately be college and career ready (Allensworth & Easton, 2005). The CCSR did further research and published a report examining the factors that indicated what a middle grades student would need to be on track as high school freshman …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Exemplary National Blue Ribbon Elementary School Principals In Improving Student Learning Through Effective Coaching Conversations With Their Teachers: A Phenomenological Study, Colleen Flavin

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to discover and describe how exemplary National Blue Ribbon elementary school principals improve student learning through effective coaching conversations with their teachers. A second purpose was to explore the barriers they encountered to holding these conversations and the actions to overcome these barriers.

Methodology: This study utilized a phenomenological design. The primary source of data collection was a standardized open-ended interviews. Using inductive analysis, the data were coded and themes were identified that aligned to the research questions.

Findings: Data analysis revealed that exemplary National Blue Ribbon elementary school principals used coaching conversations …

The Role Of The Secondary Principal As A Transformational Leader In High Performing, Project Based Learning Schools In California, Daniel P. Ching

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The Role of the Secondary Principal as a Transformational Leader in High Performing, Project Based Learning Schools in California

by Daniel Ching

Purpose: California (CA) schools are facing increased pressure to implement new content standards and perform well on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The new standards focus on higher level thinking skills, technology, and skills that cross multiple content areas. These expectations are aligned with project based learning (PBL) as an instructional model. However, there are very few models for PBL schools that are considered high performing. To implement PBL in high schools requires …

Decision-Making In The Foster Care System, Julie E. Bertram

Dissertations

This study documented and analyzed the processes of mental health treatment decision-making, in the context of family support teams, within the foster care system. The research questions explored engagement, perceptions, and self-rated empowerment among family support teams that serve adolescent foster youth with mental health concerns. The sample consisted of 23 participants from core support teams and 36 other adolescent and adult team members who were involved in the study. Data collection methods included observations at family support team meetings and court hearings, 34 semi-structured individual interviews, a self-rated empowerment scale, and informal conversations in the field. Analysis of non-survey …

Perceptions Of Segregation, Desegregation, And Integration From Burglund High School Students In Mccomb, Mississippi, Cynthia Loren Lamkin

Dissertations

Black-American history has been, and continues to be, one rich with struggle and progress throughout a multitude of past and current events – including the White resistance to Blacks becoming educated and the segregation and inequality permeating education, politics, and general living for centuries. It is necessary to gather a further understanding of the Black perspective regarding direct experiences of discrimination in education in order to cultivate pedagogy by which all students may have an equal chance to thrive. This study of the memories shared by former students who did and did not participate in the walkout on October 4, …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of A Two-Period Algebra Class: A Program Evaluation, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

This paper details a program evaluation of a two-period freshman Algebra course in a two-high school district. The study examines the degree to which the two-period course is an effective intervention for freshman math students as compared to the one-period freshman Algebra course by reviewing student assessment data, student growth indicators, and course enrollment data. In addition to quantitative data, student, teacher, and administrator perceptions of the course inform the investigation into the two-period remedial math class. The paper concludes that the two-period math program is not having the desired impact and should be reconfigured or reconsidered altogether.

Modifying Board Policy On Attendance For Alternative High School Students: A Policy Advocacy Document, Janine E. Gruhn

Dissertations

This proposed policy advocates for students in alternative high school programs to have flexible school day schedules according to Illinois State Board of Education compulsory attendance laws. Students in alternative high school programs are often referred for chronic truancy. Most school board policies state that all students need to attend school for the entire 300 minutes of the instructional day because when students do not attend for a full day or a half-day (150 minutes) the district is penalized in the amount of general state aid. This is all too often the case with students enrolled in a district’s high …

Block Scheduling For The 21st Century High School: A Change Leadership Plan, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

The needs of 21st Century learners require an overhaul in the way classroom instruction is organized and delivered. This Change Plan outlines how and why high schools may consider modifying the bell schedule to support needed change. The current high school structure was developed at the turn of the 20th Century, over 100 years ago, when the world was much smaller, and the vast majority of students did not go on to college or need advanced coursework to enter and compete in the workforce. Yet, this late 19th century concept is still the basic organizing structure of our modern day …

Targeted Professional Learning To Implement A Biliteracy Model: A Change Leadership Plan, Nicole M. Robinson

Dissertations

With the achievement gap for students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and their non-LEP peers widening rather than closing in Brighton School District 32 (pseudonyms are used throughout this change plan), it became clear that a change of the bilingual program model was necessary. This change plan examines the need for change in the current traditional Transitional Bilingual Education program to an extended Developmental Bilingual Education model with an emphasis on teaching for biliteracy. Because altering the bilingual program model requires a significant change in teaching practices and beliefs, this plan focuses on implementing a targeted professional learning plan to …

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Demonstration Classroom Professional Learning Experience, Nicole M. Robinson

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to determine the effectiveness of the Demonstration Classroom professional development opportunity in meeting its stated goals:

• To increase teacher efficacy
• To share best practice instruction
• To increase collaborative culture
• To positively impact student performance
• To ensure that professional learning is applied and consistently implemented
• To give support to teachers in implementing new initiatives in the district.

The Demonstration Classroom experience allows teachers to observe others in practice and includes an application piece for observers to demonstrate their understanding of the new learning. To capture the perceptions of teachers involved in the Demonstration Classroom process, …

Perceptions Of The Effects Of Homework On Student Achievement At A Suburban Middle School: A Program Evaluation, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

The purpose of this program evaluation was to gain a clear understanding of how homework supports or deters the achievement of students, specifically the overall grade a student attains. This document details how students and teachers at a suburban Middle School perceive homework and its effect on student learning. The findings were that many students received failing grades in classes, primarily due to missing homework. The program evaluation used mixed methodology. Using survey and focus group results in conjunction with current literature, the conclusion revealed a need for homework policies that would support student learning without punishing students’ grades. Students …

Effective School Discipline Policy And Practice: Supporting Student Learning Through Restorative Practices And Social Emotional Learning Skills, Jennifer Camilleri

Dissertations

School discipline is an ongoing area of concern, as keeping children in school and engaged in learning is required not only for their well-being, but also for that of society. In response to the failure of zero-tolerance policies and to the passing of Illinois Senate Bill 100, which restricts disciplinary action that remove students from school, XYZ Middle School is adopting a restorative justice model of school discipline. This model, based on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), is projected to reduce suspensions and address the racial disparity existing in disciplinary practices at the school. Combining SEL and restorative justice practices will …

A School District's Change To Standards-Based Grading: A Conduit To Student Learning, Perry A. Finch

Dissertations

Nothing can be more important in a student’s learning process than feedback. This study looks at what is needed to effectively guide an elementary school district from a traditional letter grade system to a standards-based grading system. Survey data were collected from 91 teachers across the district in order to measure their understanding of standards-based grading. A standards-based grading pilot was conducted with six teachers from the elementary and middle school level. Four of these six teachers participated in a group interview to share perceptions of this pilot. Survey data were collected from the 54 students involved in the pilot. …

Blended Learning And Educational Technology: Using An Online-Digital Curriculum To Support Student Learning, Jennifer Camilleri

Dissertations

XYZ District has recently invested in a one-to-one technology initiative, providing each student in grades three through eight with an iPad. However, consistent integration of this new technology with classroom teaching strategy has been lacking, even though teachers were provided with a digital curriculum and guidance in blendedlearning pedagogy through the XYZ Internal University. This may be due, in part, to the evolving culture in many schools, as well as teacher competencies and self-efficacy in using the technology. Given the potential for significant student learning gains through the proper implementation of this technology, two representative teachers were surveyed to gather …

Assessing A District's Culture Through An Annual School Culture Audit: A Policy Advocacy Document, Robert Tomic

Dissertations

Healthy school cultures play a significant role in improving a student’s educational experience as well as creating a professional environment for staff. Sustaining a positive school culture throughout a K-8 district allows for similar experiences for students and provides stability at the staff level throughout the district. The recommended policy for Yorktown School District would require each school to complete an annual school culture audit to ensure the presence of a strong foundation for all stakeholders. Utilizing the School Culture Triage Survey on an annual basis to determine strengths and areas to focus on will provide a school and district …

Transforming A School's Culture Through Collaboration, Relationships, And Shared Values: A Change Leadership Plan, Robert Tomic

Dissertations

The change leadership paper centers around transforming a school culture with the focus being on collaboration, relationships, and shared values among its stakeholders.Building trust among staff and administration while making daily decisions based on the same value system is necessary to enact an effective transformation. Tools used to collect data included the School Culture Triage Survey and the Teacher Belief Survey. The staff completed the School Culture Triage Survey to establish baseline data and then completed the survey a second time with the results confirming growth in the three main categories: professional collaboration, collegial relationships, and self-determination. Correlating and comparing …

Shaping Leadership: Leadership Standards In The Organizational Language Of University Programs, R. Ben Meador Iv

Dissertations

According to institutional theory, organizations in complex fields like education seek legitimacy by aligning formal descriptions of their activities to institutional rules supported by regulators, professional groups and exemplar organizations. This study presents a new technique for measuring isomorphism and the strength of institutional forces within fields using quantitative content analysis of organizational language. This method is deployed to measure alignment between the formal descriptions of 321 university-based programs for educational leaders and themes from the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (i.e., technology, finance, research, and learning) and the influence of state licensure policy and professional affiliation in the University …

Exploration Of Peer Learning In A Formal Cohort Healthcare Leadership Development Program, Melinda Marie Gruber

Dissertations

Many new and emerging leaders will move into leadership positions in healthcare as experienced leaders retire or move to other positions. These individuals need leadership development that supports them in becoming transformational change leaders. This study explored the topic of peer learning as a leadership development approach in a healthcare setting. The purpose was to better understand the role of peer learning in creating transformational leadership and healthcare change leaders.

This study utilized a qualitative case study approach to explore and understand how peer learning supports leadership development. The study focused on the key learning elements of an 18-month cohort-based …

The Empowerment Of Academic Women Leaders At Saudi Universities And Its Relationship To Their Administrative Creativity, Azala M. Al Ghamdi

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the influence of leaders’ sense of psychological empowerment for women leaders on those leaders’ administrative creativity in both established and emerging universities in Saudi Arabia. The five guiding research questions were used at both established and emerging Saudi universities: (1) what are both male and female leaders’ perceptions of women leaders’ psychological empowerment? (2) What are their perceptions of the administrative creativity among women leaders? (3) How do perceptions of both psychological empowerment and administrative creativity differ between male and female leaders and between established and emerging universities? (4) What other …

Implementing Standards-Based Grading In A Suburban Middle School: A Change Leadership Plan, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

The purpose of the Change Leadership Plan was to describe a current issue facing a school district, creating a vision of change to end that obstacle. In the case of this particular change plan, the problem is the traditional grading system at a suburban middle school. The plan advocates for a change to a standards-based grading system. Several steps describing change are examined: describing the current situation, conducting research to support change, and designing a vision of what success will look like after standards-based grading is established. The research conducted was done through both surveys and group interviews. Research participants …

From Novice To Independent Researcher: A Content Analysis Of Phd Student Blogs, Sarah J. Cox

Dissertations

The work of completing a PhD is complex, requiring a student to make sense of many uncertain processes in multiple contexts as they move toward independent scholarship. A setting that provides support in learning the tasks of PhD-related work is the informal learning environment of the Internet. Social media sites, such as blogs and wikis, supply a vast number of resources related to PhD work. Of particular interest to this study, are blog sites maintained by students who are sharing practices related to PhD work. It is possible to use a qualitative method to explore what blogs show us about …

The Relationships Between Clergy Attachment Style, Leadership Style, And Clergy Professional Longevity, Marc Nelesen

Dissertations

This study investigates a relatively new area of research, namely, the relationship between attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980, 1988) and leadership theory. Attachment theory posits that human beings unconsciously established mental models of how relationships work. Depending on the kind and quality of early relational experiences, humans can associate feelings of security, anxiety, or avoidance with relationships. According to attachment theory, these associations are transferable and inform future relationships. Much of leadership theory suggests that relationships are a key component of effective leadership and may very well be the most important factor (Gardner et al., 2005). Recent quantitative studies …

Going 1:1- Writing Policy To Support The 21st Century Student: A Policy Advocacy Document, Tracey K. Landry

Dissertations

In an effort to prepare its graduates with the 21^st century skills of problem solving, collaboration, technology savvy, creativity, and information literacy and to close the learning gaps between students who have access to technology and those who don’t, this study proposes that District 123 create a policy to support a 1:1 Chromebook initiative. Using Browder’s needs analysis model, the impact of a 1:1 program is analyzed through the educational, social, political, economic and moral frames (Browder, 1995). It is determined that a 1:1 program can transform teaching and learning by giving equal access to technology, by incorporating student-driven …

Personalized Professional Learning For Elementary Bilingual Educators: A Policy Advocacy Document, Nicole M. Robinson

Dissertations

This policy advocacy document advocates a policy to strengthen an existing elementary bilingual program through personalized professional development. Twin goals of the proposed policy are to (1) increase student achievement and (2) increase bilingual teacher retention. District 32’s bilingual program recently shifted from a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) model to a Developmental Bilingual Education (DBE) model, which emphasized biliteracy. As a small suburban school district with a rapidly rising Hispanic and low-income student population, this shift raised awareness among district administrators of the need for a new professional development model geared toward its mostly inexperienced bilingual teachers. To be immediately …