Educational Leadership Commons^™

Implementation And Evaluation Of A Charge Nurse Development Project Bundle, Kathy L. Rose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Charge nurses play pivotal roles in healthcare organizations. Yet, studies related to charge nurse development programs are presently limited. The purpose of this project bundle was to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to enhance charge nurse leadership skills in a 250-bed acute care hospital. Although the interventions did not result in measurable changes in leadership practice ratings by the charge nurses, the manager and observer leadership practice ratings improved, which were statistically significant.

The Invisible Schism: Teachers’ And Administrators’ Differing Perceptions Of Education Reforms, Sarah Melvoin Bridich

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Faculty Scholarship

This study examined teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of education reforms, focusing on a state legislated education bill that altered teacher evaluations. A mixed-method design, including an electronic survey, was used to gather perceptions of Colorado Senate Bill 10-191: Great Teachers and Leaders Act from teachers and administrators in the Rockies School District (RSD), as well as these two groups’ general perceptions of teacher evaluations, education reforms, and change. Results revealed that teachers collectively hold similar views of education reforms, as do administrators; however, how each group perceives these elements of education policy and reform differs significantly. Both teachers and administrators …

Building Structure In A Land Without Rules: A Delphi Study To Decipher The Best Avenues To Diminish Cyberbullying In A Middle School Setting, Dave A. Kline Dr.

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Building Structure in a Land without Rules: A Delphi Study to Decipher the Best Avenues to Diminish Cyberbullying in a Middle School Setting

by Dave Kline

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify what policies and procedures were most effective in reducing cyberbullying as perceived by a panel of middle school administrators.

Methodology:This Delphi study asked middle school administrators, through a series of three surveys, to determine the best policies and procedures to manage cyberbullying in a middle school setting. Through the survey process, the panel of experts delineated several policies and procedures that are …

Power, Positioning, And The Potential Of Adult Learning Communities, Jacquelyn Mcmanus

EDL Sixth Year Theses

An initial curiosity around the variations and effectiveness of literacy coaching led to the extension of this research study, which explored the needs of adult learners in general as they existed and operated in their professional learning communities (PLCs). With a greater understanding of what adult learners sought from their learning communities, the research also established why certain adult learners pursued leadership positions, specifically was there a common profile of an adult learner who decided to lead PLCs instead of just participating. This study explored the functioning of the adult learners in their current PLCs and the perspectives of those …

Pathways To Kindergarten Readiness., Ashley T. Forrest, Stephanie Nutter, Deborah Rivera

College of Education & Human Development Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone was to explore pathways for increased kindergarten readiness by examining the relationship between kindergarten readiness as measured by the Brigance Kindergarten Screener (BKS) domains of cognitive/general knowledge and language/communication and each of the following variables: school funding, school location, school classification, teacher credentials, teacher years of experiences, music inclusion, and time allotted to music instruction. Participants included 174 preschool students from 17 classrooms in an urban school district. This capstone used preexisting data from the school district including demographic variables of race, socioeconomic status (SES), prior setting, attendance, and the school-level variable of climate. A …

The Relationship Of Formative Assessment To The Professional Development And Perspective Transformation Of Teachers, Kimberly K. Snyder

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

This study uses practitioner research to explore teacher perspectives about formative assessment. The researcher engaged in a four-month-long series of professional development sessions with one middle school and two high school English-Language Arts teachers from the Capital View School District. Understanding formative assessment as a process to monitor student learning and then customizing instruction based on the data gathered from the formative assessment is a complex skill in which teachers need practice and even coaching to become adroit. The sessions were intended to help early-career teachers better understand formative assessment and incorporate it as a strategy in their teaching praxis. …

An Examination Of Indiana Early College High School Students Who Attended Purdue University Between 2006 And 2015, Lisa P. Kirkham

Open Access Dissertations

Early College High Schools (ECHS) are an educational intervention designed to promote rigor in high school education along with increased post-secondary access and success for disadvantaged students. Based on evidence, the Early College High School program is effective at helping students who traditionally are not in college-bound tracks find their way into that path. ECHSs provide a comprehensive, rigorous high school experience allowing students to earn an associate’s degree along with the high school diploma. Regarding structure, the ECHS is an entire high school, with all students earning college credits. Examining post-secondary experiences of students participating in Early College High …

Implementation Of State Developmental Education Policy: A Multiple Case Study Of Community College Faculty Perceptions Of Involvement, Shirley Davenport

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous studies have indicated that developmental education as it is currently offered in many colleges and universities produces dismal results, with student success rates averaging as low as 25%. To address this issue, legislators in some states have begun to intervene, adopting policies that vary from suggestions for improvements to mandated pedagogical approaches. However, given the higher education organizational environment, the manner in which any change is implemented can be key to its success.

The purpose of this comparative multiple case study was to describe and interpret the perceptions of developmental education faculty regarding their level of involvement in developmental …

Teacher Retention: Perceptions Of The Organizational Factors That Influence Teacher Transition From Private School Classrooms Of Individuals With Autism To Public School Autism Classrooms, Kathryn Cerino Britton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Nine experienced certified special education teachers who chose to move from the private sector to the public sector were interviewed to gain knowledge and information that could be used to improve the private sector school for learners with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as the conceptual framework, this study explored the respondents’ beliefs about their workload, work responsibilities, compensation, and perceptions regarding their teaching experiences in private and public schools. Specifically, telephone or face-to-face interviews were conducted to ascertain the motivating factors that led the respondents to leave one private school, The Apple School, for teaching …

Registered Dietitians: Attitudes And Perceptions Regarding Bachelor’S Degree In Nutrition And Dietetics, Ashwini R. Wagle

All Theses And Dissertations

The profession of dietetics is transitioning to the master’s degree (MS) as the entry-level requirement for registered dietitians’ (RDs) to practice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the attitudes and perceptions of registered dietitians with bachelor’s degrees (BS, RD’s) regarding a transition to the MS degree as the requirement for the RD certification. This study also examined these RD’s attitudes and perceptions regarding impacting factors such as their years of work experience including salary levels and increments, professional stature including promotions and positions, and scope and type of practice. A cross-sectional survey was utilized to collect data …

What Educators Can Do To Engage Families In School-Based Education, Jill R. Rich

All Theses And Dissertations

This qualitative study, utilizing phenomenology, focuses on the role of educators in creating a strong home-school connection. The increasing number of students living in poverty requires educators to implement effective strategies for engaging parents and guardians in their students’ schooling. Three significant themes emerged from the study as a result of data analysis. These identified themes are Educators and parents see the importance of building positive relationships, increased connections are wanted by all and technology has helped to increase modes of communication, and events that highlight student achievement increase parent involvement. The data allowed for several conclusions to be …

Utilizing Reflective Narratives To Promote Academic Mindsets: Building Relationships, Developing Responsibility, Fostering Resilience, And Providing Relevance For Adolescents, Debra Gardner-Baasch

All Theses And Dissertations

Preparing students for life after high school requires more than a focus on building content knowledge. With the goal of overall well-being for adolescents, education must expand beyond the traditional focus on academic excellence to develop the noncognitive factors that promote academic mindsets and build relationships, develop responsibility, foster resilience, and provide relevance for students. This research study investigates how reflective narratives can be utilized as universal interventions within personalized learning plans to foster the noncognitive factors of academic mindsets. Combining the research of social science about resilience, connectedness, and hopefulness with the research of social neuroscience, this study explores …

Principal Self-Efficacy In The Implementation Of A Standards Based Teacher Evaluation Reform., Jason Kennedy Neuss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

States across the country are adopting new methods of determining teacher effectiveness. A method that has increased in popularity is the use of standards based teacher evaluation (SBTE). These systems are typically created by state legislation and approved for the scope of work associated with a state’s Race to the Top (RTTT) application and federally approved Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) waiver application. The evaluation of teachers now relies on two key components—an administrator’s rating of teacher performance and a rating of student academic growth. The enactment and implementation of teacher evaluation laws have changed the way administrators evaluate …

Ireach Blended Learning Model And Reading Lexile Growth Of Freshmen In Maryville City Schools, Whitney Ann Schmidt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Maryville City School system has implemented the first year of the iReach blended learning model for which all students in the school district have access to either a laptop or an iPad to support their learning every day. The availability of research on the impact of iReach is limited because the blended learning instructional model is relatively new and has not yet been subjected to numerous research studies. The purpose of this ex post facto quasi-experimental quantitative study was to compare student reading Lexile growth data collected through the use of the Reading Comprehension Assessment before and after iReach …

Factors Influencing Participation In Professional Development To Promote Online Course Excellence And The Impact On Faculty Confidence And Teaching, Elizabeth Ann Mascher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing participation in professional development designed to safeguard online course excellence and the impact on confidence and teaching. This purpose was achieved through a convergent mixed-methods investigation of faculty viewpoints of online course delivery and professional development offerings at a Midwestern state university. To support continued academic success in an increasing online market, the university implemented Quality Matters professional development to promote excellence in online course design. Analysis of data collected from a survey, in-depth interviews, and a focus group revealed faculty perspectives regarding the effectiveness of online course delivery, benefits …

Teacher Beliefs Regarding Positive Behavior Support Programs In Mississippi Middle Schools, Chad Joseph Davis

Dissertations

In today’s educational environment of continued and high-stakes accountability, school administrators are constantly looking for effective techniques to improve the academic performance and behavior of their students. In an effort to attain improvement by their pupils, many educational leaders are choosing to implement positive behavior support (PBS) programs in their schools. This study examined the differences between teachers’ beliefs about PBS programs and their impact on reported student attendance, standardized test scores, engagement, and behavior. It also examined the differences in reported changes in these variables between teachers at schools with PBS programs and teachers at schools without the behavior …

Administrators', Counselors', And Teachers' Opinions Regarding The Impact Of Freshman Academies, Schools-Within-Schools, And Ninth Grade Schools As It Relates To Effective Transitioning, Robyn Suzanne Killebrew

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether administrators, counselors, and teachers believe that implementing freshman academies, schools-within-schools, and ninth grade schools is an effective way to transition ninth graders into high school. This study included an introduction and a review of literature that discussed the following: adolescent years, transition from 8^th to 9^th grade, drop-out prevention, school reform in secondary education, professional learning communities, the freshman academy, and a conclusion. This study was also comprised with a methodology section, research results, conclusions, recommendations for policy makers and practitioners, and recommendations for future research.

The questionnaire for …

Cultural Influences Of Resource Dependence: Community College Administrator Perceptions Of Implementing Initiatives Related To Tennessee’S Performance Funding Model, John Owen Driskill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the cultural influences of resource dependence for community college administrators responsible for the implementation of initiatives related to Tennessee’s new performance funding program. Tennessee’s funding formula, considered one of the most aggressive and robust in the country, is among a second generation of performance funding programs commonly referred to as performance funding 2.0. Cultural influences of resource dependence were defined as values, beliefs, and customs that influence administrator efforts to improve institutional outcomes and acquire additional resources through performance funding.

A top performing community college in terms of the performance …

Teacher Leadership: A Content Analysis Assessing The Impact On District Policies And Practices, Ashley P. Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze teacher leader models developed and implemented by the Tennessee Teacher Leader Network in order to assess the impact the models have on district policies and practices. Data were collected through a content analysis to analyze for recurring themes and differences to assess how models influence teaching and learning within districts. Fourteen district teacher leader models and strategic plans were analyzed for this study.

Eleven research questions guided this study, and qualitative data were analyzed for recurring themes and differences. Findings from this study suggest teacher leader models are limiting the vision …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Principal Leadership Practices In Middle Tennessee Schools, Tiffany J. Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the connection between principal leadership practices and the perceptions of how teachers reported the practices that influence teaching and learning. The interview method was used to collect the data for this study. The TELL TN survey is currently used to collect data in public schools throughout the state of Tennessee. This survey is used to obtain data on different aspects of education including school leadership. The TELL TN survey informed my interview questions in order to gain more in-depth data and to gain a greater understanding of the results.

Teachers from …

Classroom Environment: Content Analysis Examining Characteristics Of Classroom Environments That Affect Students' Academic Achievement, Lucinda Shaddock Bellamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to extend the understanding of the characteristics of a classroom environment that impact students’ engagement in academics and therefore has the potential to positively impact student achievement scores. Data were collected through content analysis to analyze for reoccurring themes to assess how the characteristics of the classroom environment impact student’s achievement. Ten classrooms within the Kingsport City District were observed and analyzed for this study.

Six research questions guided this study, and qualitative data were analyzed for reoccurring themes. Findings from this study suggest that implementing certain characteristics in to the classroom environment …

Common Core State Standards : Elementary Teacher Perceptions Of Administrator Supports With A Focus On Professional Learning Communities And Walk Throughs., Kara Joan Ammerman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, there was a major instructional shift in the state of Kentucky. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted and funding was provided to the state by Race to the Top in order to facilitate implementation of the CCSS (Kentucky Department Education, 2014c). Within this framework, teachers and administrators have had to re-examine the education of students and, specifically, administrators have had to rethink their approach to supporting teachers. To address these new standards, teachers and administrators had to restructure how students were taught. Implementing CCSS requires teachers to teach students differently than they did before. Two widely implemented …

Best Practices In Online Pedagogy: A Pearson Correlation Analysis Between Teaching Evaluation Scores And Transactional Distance Scores In Online Graduate Courses, William Angrove

All Theses And Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to discover how four universally recognized best practices in online pedagogy affected teaching evaluation scores in online graduate courses. The four best practices in online pedagogy are: Course Organization and Presentation, Learning Objectives and Assessments, Instructor-Student Interpersonal Interaction, and the Appropriate Use of Video or Multimedia. The researcher modified these best practices from the Jaggars and Xu (2016) Online Course Quality Rubric. The study utilized Dr. Michael G. Moore’s (1973) theory of transactional distance to understand the relationship between teaching evaluation scores and transactional distance. University instructional designers assessed and …

The Effects Of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy & A Positive Learning Environment On Marginal Students In Mainstream High School Settings, Renée E. Thompson

All Theses And Dissertations

Research from data and anecdotal research from high school students informs us that many traditional high schools are not able to meet the academic, as well as the social and emotional needs of all students, particularly marginal students. The purpose of this research study was to determine how high schools may support marginal students in achieving success by the implementation of teacher self-efficacy and a positive classroom environment. In addition, the research will articulate the critical role of teachers and how their impact shapes the future of their students. The research questions posed will identify what interventions and strategies teachers …

Teacher And Administrator Perspectives On New York State’S Teacher Evaluation System, Mariah Fiona Kramer

All Theses And Dissertations

Teacher evaluation reform has been a movement in the United States since the release of the educational report, A Nation at Risk. Through government initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, teacher evaluation reform has gained in popularity. States have either revamped or are currently revamping evaluation systems in order to provide better feedback to teachers, increase instructional practices and increase student achievement. New York State is no exception. During the 2011-2012 school year, New York State introduced its Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) teacher and principal evaluation system. This evaluation system became fully …

A Functional Analysis Of Leader Behavior In A Behavioral Health Setting, Jason White

All Theses And Dissertations

A requirement for Maine behavioral health organizations to provide all employees with evaluations lacks guidelines on how to evaluate leader behavior; best practices are to provide a multifaceted evaluation process that includes direct observation. A single-case research design and continuous partial interval recording procedures were conducted on a male behavioral health clinician leading clinical supervision in which the dependent variable was the clinician’s delivery of positive reinforcement and the independent variable was the provider’s increased discussion of case shares. The basic findings showed that leader behavior changed as follower behavior changed to manage the group and meet group goals. The …

Teacher Preferences On Technology Use Using The Iteach Implementation Model: A Case Study In A Tanzanian Private School, Julia Keegan

All Theses And Dissertations

To advance both transformative school leadership skills and the use of ICT integration in this school, while aiming to enhance positive school change, this study used the iTEaCH (ICT-Technogogy-and-Collegiality) Implementation Model proposed by Choy (2013) to investigate, quantitatively, teacher perceptions of ICT use in a case study school in Tanzania. The iTEaCH Implementation Model provides focus on teachers’ choice of technology use, desire for technology use, pedagogy perceptions, and collegiality to identify gaps that might be used to inform teachers and school leaders of technology provision, professional development, and collegial support needs in the school.

Using a slightly modified version …

Technology-Based Family Education In Asl/English Bilingual Schools For The Deaf, Myriah L. Dixon

All Theses And Dissertations

More research on how ASL/English bilingual schools for the deaf educate hearing families to apply bilingual education methodology at home is warranted. Given the rising use of technology in schools, its role within these family education programs was the primary focus. Thirty-two participants from 22 different schools completed an online, researcher-developed survey. Follow-up, online interviews were conducted with 7 participants, and artifacts were collected from 10 schools. Qualitative and quantitative descriptions express the study’s results based on technology used as an informational and influential tool, counseling and coping tool, diversity tool, and program evaluation tool. Schools are using multiple forms …

Special Education Department Organizational Change: A Case Study, Christina Castellane Cloidt

All Theses And Dissertations

Special Education compliance is an area governed by mandates and assurance reviews by government agencies, both state and federal. This study presents the current state of the District Z’s Exceptional Learner Department prior to an organizational leadership change which demonstrated the need for improvement in the current system of functioning. The study continued to monitor and explore the changes the district made in personnel, protocols, procedures and how accountability was maintained in order to achieve improvement in a timely manner. Research is presented in the area of leadership and special education that exemplifies the need to enact change through prescriptive …

Using Teacher Perceptions To Predict Fifth Grade Science And Mathematics Scores In North Carolina, Jason Federico

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze teachers’ perceptions of their working conditions and to what extent the perceptions impacted 5th grade students’ achievement in the areas of mathematics and science in North Carolina. The 2014 student achievement data in the areas of 5th grade End-of-Grade (EOG) scores in mathematics and science were obtained from one randomly selected school in each of the 115 school districts in North Carolina. The perceptions of teachers’ working conditions were extracted from the 2014 teacher working conditions survey results from each of the same randomly selected 115 schools. This correlation study used a …