Educational Leadership Commons^™

Academic Experiences Of Former Avid Hispanic Students In Higher Education, Erin Fogleman

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

As a response to the underrepresentation of Hispanic students within four-year higher education institutions (Boden, 2011; Tinto, 2012), this study sought to better understand a) how first-year Hispanic students managed and maintained success and b) how strategies learned in Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) impacted that success. AVID is a college-readiness system that aims to close the educational achievement gap through improving the college access and academic skills among underrepresented students. Results gleaned from this in-depth, qualitative examination of four male and four female Hispanic participants reveal five attributes to a successful first-year. Those attributes are 1) participate in rigorous …

Ideological And Legal Determinants Of U.S. Supreme Court Justices' Voting In Establishment Clause Cases In K-12 Education: 1947-2014, Chad Riley

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the influence of: (1) justices' political ideology; (2) justices' religious affiliation; (3) justices' qualifications; and (4) legal precedent on voting at the United States Supreme Court in Establishment Clause decisions and other such decisions impacting K-12 education rendered between 1947 and 2014, using binary logistic regression as its main statistical tool. The principal findings for this group of K-12 decisions are:(1) Ideology as measured by party-of- the-appointing president and Segal-Cover scale measures were significant predictors of conservative voting in the Establishment Clause decisions examined;(2) Higher Segal-Cover qualification scores, indicating higher levels of qualifications, were correlated to less …

Creating Leaders: An Examination Of Academic And Research Library Leadership Institutes, Irene Herold

All Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Introduction To The Case Studies 2015 : A Compendium Of Cases & Voices From The Field, Mola Dad Shafa, Khadija Khan

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

No abstract provided.

The Schooling Of African American Students In Junior High: Exploring The Preparation And Pedagogy Of Effective Teachers, Asha Gibson-Bell

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Today, ethnically diverse learners represent the majority student population enrolled in the U.S. public school system. However, the teacher workforce remains predominately middle-class, female, and White. As ethnically diverse learners, particularly African American students continue to endure gaps in academic achievement, the gaze has shifted to teacher education's abilities to produce effective teachers of this population. While the achievement gap is widely known, the literature concurrently documents a racial discipline gap, as African American students are suspended and expelled more than any other racial ethnicity. Though disparities in achievement and discipline significantly converge in the middle grades (6th-8th), gaps in …

Redefining The No Child Left Behind Act's Highly Qualified Teacher, Jacqueline S. Gill

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

This study shares the perspectives of eight, current Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) and provides some insight into the points of view of these teachers who are directly affected by the decisions and policies handed down from lawmakers. There is value in deeply understanding the impact of the requirements set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001's (NCLB) definition of the Highly Qualified Teacher as it can help shape future policies to better serve the students it is intended to assist. For this study, participants engaged in an in-depth semi-structured interview and provided demographic data and classroom artifacts. …

Spirituality And Religion Among Black Men In College: A Potential Mechanism For Achieving Student Success, Brian L. English

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

As Black men continually face challenges while seeking to graduate from college, researchers and educational leaders have continuously sought ways to understand and remedy the issues. Spirituality and religion have been found to have positive influences on Black students' success in college. This study was designed to explore the role of spirituality and religion in the lives of Black men at a large and research-oriented Predominately White Hispanic Serving Institution in Texas. A general qualitative approach was used to examine how spirituality and religion among Black undergraduate men influenced their ability to persist and graduate. Interviews were conducted with 10 …

Experiencing Technology Integration In The Collegiate Classroom: From The Perspectives Of Itinerant Adjunct Language Instructors, Emmanuel Garcia

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

In the last 40 years, the adjunct instructor population has become the largest group in higher education. Despite their numbers, they continue to be largely ignored and, most importantly, untrained. Their itinerancy forces them to constantly adapt to different levels of classroom technology. Through the lens of social constructivism (Creswell, 2009), the purpose of this case study was to describe the experiences and adaptive methods that one foreign language adjunct faculty used to manage technology-related issues on its campus. The study focuses on exploring the variables of reality, knowledge, and learning in ten instructors who work through this challenge on …

Success Is Required: The Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Male Football Players At Predominantly White Division 1 Institutions In The South, Brandon William Jones

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of high-achieving Black male football players at predominantly White Division I institutions in the South. A qualitative research design was utilized. Participants were five Black male football players who were starters or important reserve players, had a 3.0 or higher GPA, and were at their respective institutions for at least a year prior to interviewing. Data were obtained through five individual, semi-structured, and face-to-face interviews at two sites-Eastern Valley State University (EVSU) and Coastal Plains University (CPU). Transcripts were then professionally transcribed, read through (line by line) for a …

A Multigenerational Approach: Critical Accounts Of The Postsecondary Experiences And Success Of African American Men, Michelle B. Amrine

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

This phenomenological study examined significant factors that influenced the degree completion rates (i.e. graduation) of ten African American men who graduated from U.S. accredited 4-year Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) between the 1960s and 2000s. Critical Race Theory in Education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) was the theoretical framework used for this study. The primary means of data collection was two semi-structured interviews to learn about the participants' personal, precollege, college and post college experiences, as well as their recommendations for improving postsecondary access and success for African American males. Themes that emerged from the …

Research And Leadership Development Through Participation On A Inter Professional Research Team, Kaprea F. Johnson

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

This case study details one research team and includes a conceptual tri-level leadership model for team participation and project organization. Participants included seven students and one assistant professor. Findings highlight team development, recruitment, expectations, leadership gains, and implications for the profession.

Strategic Priorities: A Roadmap Through Change For Library Leaders, Anne M. Casey

Publications

Twenty-first century academic libraries need to adapt on a regular basis because external forces such as increased pressures from the institution and accreditation organizations, emerging technologies, or budget reductions create new conditions. In a twenty-year period ending in 2008, academic library spending shifted substantially from physical to electronic resources and from staff and student salary lines to professionals, signaling profound changes in the way libraries do business. “Then just as academic … libraries were settling into these new behaviors, the worst recession in seventy-five years occurred, forcing many … to concern themselves with survival and making difficult decisions based on …

A Grounded Theory Of Women's Leadership Experiences In Higher Education: Navigating From The Director Level, Laura Ann Maki

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In higher education leadership, the proportion of women in senior-level positions has grown very modestly. This stagnation is present in representation in leadership as well as in wage equality. Although institutions and organizations have policies and practices aimed at improving diversity and equity, ongoing underrepresentation indicates that barriers, lack of interest, or other unidentified factors influence women's opportunities for achieving senior-level leadership positions. To help address the ongoing underrepresentation of women in senior-level leadership in higher education, I have focused this dissertation on women's experiences in mid-level leadership positions. In this study, I use grounded theory to examine women's leadership …

School Leaders’ Engagement In Curriculum Planning And Decision Making, Riaz Hussain

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Outdoor Education Integrated Curriculum Program Impact On Adolescent Self-Authorship, Amanda Lee Mcgowan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

One of the challenges currently faced by secondary schools is to teach 21st century skills, such as self-authorship. Self-authorship is the command of one’s life, or the capacity to invent one’s beliefs, identity, and relationships with others. This study investigated the impact a one-semester outdoor education program has on adolescents’ perceived self-authorship development, as measured by the 27-item self-report Self-Authorship Questionnaire (SAQ). The sample population (n=26) for this study was made up of 10th and 12th grade students from two classes of one-semester outdoor education programs at a public secondary school in Ontario, Canada. Analysis of paired t-tests of the …

A Study Of Parent Satisfaction Of The Transition From Junior High To Senior High School For Students With Special Education Needs, Colleen M. Feldman

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the parental perspective and satisfaction with the transition process as their child, who is a student with special education needs, moves from the junior high to the high school setting. For students with disabilities, transitions within the education system can be more challenging and difficult (Hay & Winn, 2005; Hill, 2010; Kinney, 2006;) than for students without unique learning needs. Many parents of special education students find the transition from junior high to senior high school to be particularly intense. If school professionals are in the position to support educational transitions, understanding …

The Road Less Traveled: Alumni Perceptions Of The Georgia Early College High School Experience, Tequila Tranise Morgan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite the efforts of traditional high schools to educate all students, at-risk populations tend to lag behind their White and more affluent counterparts in educational achievement, high school graduation rates, and college attendance rates. Early College High Schools (ECHSs) were designed to attract and retain at-risk students through rigorous academic practices, strong support systems, and by providing free access to college credits while students are still in high school.

With the case study approach as a guide, this research used an open-ended interview protocol to collect data from a sample of 16 students who attended one ECHS in Georgia between …

Graduate Preparation Of School Psychologists In Serving English Language Learners, Morgan J. Aldridge, Elana R. Bernstein, Susan C. Davies

Counselor Education and Human Services Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the training practices of NASP accredited graduate programs in school psychology with regard to best practices in working with English Language Learners (ELLs). Training directors of school psychology programs were surveyed regarding the amount of time and the extent of instruction they provided their school psychology graduate students on the topic of ELLs. School psychology interns were also surveyed regarding both their current knowledge about serving ELLs and their perceived preparedness to serve ELLs. Results indicated that school psychology programs are not adequately preparing graduate students to serve the growing population of …

Managing Conflict By School Leadership : A Case Study Of A School From Gilgit-Biltistan, Darvesh Karim

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

Managing conflict at school has been an age-old challenge for educators. Conflicts are a natural part of life and therefore a natural part of school life. Learning to deal constructively with conflict is a life-skill need for educational leaders. This paper reports a case study of a private English medium school of Gilgit-Baltistan about exploration of the conflict management which advocates two approaches to manage conflicts at school level i.e. to follow strict rules and regulations and penalizing on violation and secondly, empowering the stakeholders to resolve their own problems by their-selves.These approaches have proved that competence in conflict resolution …

Principal Instructional Leadership In Ga High Poverty Elementary Schools, Ginger W. Spires

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions of principal instructional leadership practices in Georgia Reward Highest Performing and Georgia Reward Highest Progress elementary schools. As such, this causal-comparative study identified the frequency of principal instructional leadership practices and attempted to determine if these practices can be related to school effectiveness in high poverty schools. The sample of this study consisted of Georgia classroom teachers in high poverty elementary schools, specifically in the categories of Georgia Reward Highest Performing and Georgia Reward Highest Progress elementary schools. Hallinger’s (1983) Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) was utilized to …

Educational Pathways Of Teachers And The Effects On Students' Performance On High-Stakes Testing In Texas, Patrizia Antoinette Grigsby

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Meeting the needs of placing "highly-qualified teachers" in the classroom is becoming more challenging every year. One option that many states are using involves certifying potential teaching candidates through alternative pathways, which differs from traditional certification programs. In this study, teacher certification routes were examined to determine if there is a difference in student performance on state standardized tests based on the teacher certification routes. This study compared student test scores of traditionally-certified teachers with test scores from students of alternatively-certified teachers on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) during the 2011-2012 administration of the test. The …

Nurturing Environmental Literacy At Colby College: Higher Education And The Environmental Crisis, Molly Nash

Honors Theses

The environmental crisis will affect all people, career paths, and academic disciplines. Acknowledging this, does higher education have an obligation to educate all students for environmental literacy (EL)? This study reviews literature on how to effectively assess and implement EL initiatives and highlights how other colleges successfully nurture EL in all students. This study also uses quantitative and qualitative survey measures to understand student levels of EL at Colby College and to highlight specific programming or curriculum that leads to high EL levels in students. Findings include significantly different EL scores between environmental studies student respondents and respondents in all …

An Examination Of What Principals Do To Create A Positive School Climate For Teachers In Elementary Schools And How Teachers Perceive Those Efforts, Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT PRINCIPALS DO TO CREATE A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HOW TEACHERS PERCEIVE THOSE EFFORTS

By Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015

Director: Whitney Sherman Newcomb, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Educational Leadership

School of Education

This qualitative study of elementary school climate explored the actions principals take to create or maintain a positive school climate for their teachers and teachers’ perceptions of those efforts. The study included individual …

A Forward To The Special Issue On Neoliberalism In Education The Long Road To Redemption: Critical Pedagogy And The Struggle For The Future, Peter Mclaren

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Peter McLaren introduces a special issue of Texas Education Review focused on Neoliberalism in Education by advocating for critical pedagogy in the face of the challenges and harms wrought by American capitalism, politics, and "economic exploitation, racism, homophobia, sexism, imperialism, the coloniality of power and White supremacy".

A Grateful Recollecting: A Qualitative Study Of The Long-Term Impact Of Service-Learning On Graduates, Ann Fullerton, Vicki L. Reitenauer, Seanna Kerrigan

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Service-learning practitioners design community engagement activities to affect students in powerful and even transformative ways. This qualitative study explores the long-term impacts (3-16 years after graduation) of participation in a senior-level service-learning course. Through interviews with 20 randomly selected participants, the researchers explored whether and in what ways graduates continued to experience impacts from the course, including those that have become interwoven with other life experiences or have catalyzed altered perspectives and/or actions. Graduates were first asked to identify their most significant learning experiences in college in order to gauge the relative importance, if any, of the service-learning course in …

“Contagious Co-Motion”: Student Voices On Being Change Agents, Vicki L. Reitenauer, Tetiana Korzun, Kimberly Lane, Melinda Joy Roberts

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Designed in response to students’ requests for a capstone where they could form their own individual partnerships in the communities of their choosing, Effective Change Agent offers a structure for community-based learning that allows for high levels of student choice-making and agency. In this article, the authors describe the course; connect it to literature on grassroots change-making, integrative learning, and service-learning; and, through the inclusion of student authors, allow the sharing of insights in the students’ own voices.

Teacher Education Pedagogies Related To Preparing Preservice Teachers As Leaders In Pakistan, Meher Rizvi

Book Chapters / Conference Papers

An analysis of traditional authoritarian preservice teacher development approaches in Pakistan demonstrates that they develop teachers as technicians who carbon copy the same authoritarian training model in their classrooms. The more contemporary approaches to teacher education with leadership development focus are mostly limited to in-service teacher education programs. The key dilemma with in-service education is that once the teachers have received higher qualification they tend to move out of the classrooms to assume management positions. What Pakistan requires is classroom teacher leaders who have the capacity to initiate and sustain school improvement. I propose the pedagogy of transformation, which is …

An Exploration Of The Effects On Programme Design And Development Effected By Educational Leadership In Reaction To Societal And Economic Factors In Ireland, Roisin Donnelly, Nuala Harding

Journal Articles

It has affected many countries around the world, and Irish higher education has not found itself immune from undergoing a period of significant change, powered by a number of factors: economic, political, and technological. While these trends are global in their scope, and profound in their impact, the pace of change in the Irish economy since 2007-08 in particular has required institutions and their educational leaders to encourage the emergence of programmes which can respond to the current national needs. In periods of rapid change such as this, educational leaders by necessity tend to focus on short-term strategy and transition …

Catholic Secondary School Principals' Perceptions Of The Qualities Of Effective Catholic Secondary School Teachers, Theresa Greene Henning

Doctoral Dissertations

Church documents and scholars have affirmed that the success of Catholic schools is largely dependent on the effectiveness of their teachers. Teacher effectiveness in general has also been correlated with various aspects of school life such as student learning and achievement, teacher leadership, and school effectiveness. However, there is little research of what constitutes effective teaching in a Catholic school. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree of importance that Catholic secondary school principals of the Archdioceses of Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York (N=166) attribute to the five qualities comprising Shimabukuro’s (1993, 1998) typology of …

Student Perceptions Of Grit, Emotional-Social Intelligence, And The Acquisition Of Non-Cognitive Skills In The Cristo Rey Corporate Work Study Program, Don Gamble

Doctoral Dissertations

p>The Catholic Church has long emphasized an “option for the poor” and relied heavily on its schools to assist in providing the education necessary to help families escape poverty (Benson, Yeager, Guerra & Manno, 1986; Bryk, Lee, & Holland, 1993; Buetow, 1988; Convey, 1992; Greeley, 1982; Neal, 1997; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, 1998; York, 1996). Catholic schools in the United States are closing at a steady rate from a lack of funding, and this has created an ongoing problem for the outreach efforts of the Church and the low-income families with the greatest need (Brinig & …