Educational Leadership Commons^™

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 …

2016-12-04 Pac-22 Revision And Approval, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

PAc-22 revision and approval as signed by the president on December 4, 2016.

2016-12-02 Performance Funding Report, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Performance Funding Report issued by the President's Office on December 2, 2016.

Alumni Commitment: Exploring The Process Of Transition From Participants To Donors, Tina Siller

Theses & Dissertations

Traditionally, the mission and values of institutions of higher education tend to be positioned around nurturing students to realize their full potential. This includes growing students holistically as whole people, through their academic, social, and emotional interactions while enrolled. Through this focus, institutions hope to connect with students and build an emotional connection or affiliation that will last beyond the student years and into the alumni years. Alumni play a pivotal role in institutional advancement in that they serve as sources of support through their active participation, networking representation, serving as community liaisons, and their charitable contributions. The 2 most …

Pastoral Leadership Experiences And Organizational Outcomes In Contemporary Catholic Communities: The Clerical Perspective, Justin Mathias Udomah

Theses & Dissertations

This interpretive qualitative study explored pastoral leadership experiences of 8 Catholic priests serving in the Central Texas area of the United States. The purpose was to understand what their pastoral experiences meant for them as religious leaders and how their various perspectives would portray pastoral leadership in the 21st century Church. Participants were Catholic priests with 5 to 25 years’ experience in the ministry serving as fulltime pastors in parishes. Data collection was through open-ended interviews conducted in conducive locations. One general question was asked that enabled participants to tell their stories about their pastoral experiences since ordination. These were …

How The Transformational Leadership Style Of Superintendents Is Associated With Employees’ Organizational Commitment Via The Mediating Effect Of Extrinsic Motivation Within Nursing Homes For Disabled People In Taiwan, Ling Hui Yang

Theses & Dissertations

In 2013, about 4.8% of Taiwanese people qualified as having a disability; a disability is classified as having mild, moderate or severe, and in some cases, extremely severe intellectual disabilities or having multiple disabilities (Ministry of the Interior, Department of Statistics, 2013; Tseng, 2013). In 2013, there were 254 nursing homes for people with disabilities that were registered with the Social and Family Administration at the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Taiwan (Lee et al., 2013; Tseng, 2013). The current problems in Taiwan’s nursing homes for the disabled include overworked employees, employees with a poor work-life balance and excessive …

Scriptural Foundations For Academic Disciplines: A Biblical Theme Approach, Michael E. Cafferky

Faculty Works

This article presents the thesis that major themes of the Bible can form the biblical foundation for academic disciplines as taught in Christian primary schools, secondary schools and undergraduate and graduate studies in higher education. The Bible is not a comprehensive encyclopedia of knowledge; however, its perspective offers a deeper theological and philosophical basis for any academic discipline.

This article is reproduced/used/uploaded with permission from The Journal of Adventist Education®.

Instructional Coaches' Perceptions Of The Extent To Which Varied Professional Learning Experiences Impact Their Efficacy, Magdalena Steytler

Education Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to contribute to the limited body of research on the factors that impact the ability of instructional coaches to be highly effective in their multi-faceted roles. Specifically, the study examined the perceptions of instructional coaches regarding the effectiveness of varied professional learning experiences in addressing their own professional development needs and how instructional coaches interpreted their role and function as well as the knowledge and skills they deemed essential in performing their duties.

This mixed- methods study was conducted in the Piedmont area of North Carolina, it involved three data collection instruments: a survey …

Music Teachers’ Perceptions Of Efficacy: Student Learning Objectives And Data Driven Indicators, Geno Heiter

EDL Sixth Year Theses

Previous research explains that twenty-first century education has moved passed pedagogical ideologies that focus solely on student tasks that require the recall of facts or rote application of simple procedures. Unfortunately, the literature on music education has ignored the importance of measuring intrinsic attributes of music learning and fundamental musicianship. Measuring ‘valid’ higher-order and critical thinking skills as they relate to music learning is significant because states are now measuring student learning and teacher effectiveness by evaluating multiple data driven indicators. Determining ‘what’ valid higher-order learning ‘looks like,’ and the data that can be generated by this learning in a …

Neoliberalism And Developmental Education: Complexity And Contradictions In California Community Colleges, Antoaneta Gulea

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

The egalitarian mission of community colleges to provide an open access to educational opportunities for all often contradicts the high academic standards for college readiness, and therefore establishes the need for developmental education. Beginning in the 1970s, neoliberalism as a form of governmentality gradually invaded schools and public services including developmental education in a community college level. This paper explores the neoliberal influence on developmental education in three aspects: the effect of decreased institutional funding for the community college system and increased cost of higher education for students in developmental education, increased curriculum management and accountability expectations on a state …

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, …

School Crisis Plans: Are You Prepared?, David Alan Dolph

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

The majority of states have statutes requiring school districts to develop school safety plans focused on preventing and responding to crisis situations. Plans may include protocols for disseminating school safety plans to appropriate personnel; mandatory fire, tornado, or active drills; and community involvement.

Although the degree of comprehensiveness of those plans depends on state legislation, all should include the basic elements offered here, focused on creating secure school environments.

Teachers’ Nascent Praxes Of Care: Potentially Decolonizing Approaches To School Violence In Trinidad, Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams

Africana Studies Faculty Publications

Zero tolerance, punitive and more negative peace-oriented approaches dominate school violence interventions, despite research indicating that comprehensive approaches are more sustainable. In this article, I use data from a longitudinal case study at a Trinidadian secondary school to focus on the role of teachers and their impact on school violence; I show that institutional constraints are not fully deterministic, as teachers sometimes deploy their agency to efficacious ends. In combining Noddings’ postulations on care and Freire’s notions of praxis as a symbiosis of reflection and action, I explicate the nascent praxes of care of six teachers at this school, as …

Educational Leadership Newsletter December 2016, Educational Leadership Department, University Of Southern Maine

Educational Leadership Newsletters

Inside this issue:

• From the Chair
• 50th Anniversary of Educational Leadership Program
• Southern Maine Partnership Update
• Thinking About Internship?
• Spring 2017 Schedule

Graduate Internship In Agricultural Education-John H Pitman High School, Turlock, Luke F. Gocke

Agricultural Education: Graduate Internship Reports

This internship report includes validation documents required in meeting the quality criteria for secondary-level programs of instruction in agriculture. The documents are concurrently used for the Agriculture Incentive Grant review process at John H. Pitman High School conducted by representatives of the California Department of Education. The internship included a project which consisted of researching and implementing safety inside a high school mechanics and welding classroom. Vocational Education enhances the learning experience for students and ensuring a safe environment promotes the learning process.

Effects Of 1:1 Computing By Ses On Student Motivation, Engagement, And Literacy Achievement, Bryan Appleton

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the effectiveness of the combination of 1:1 computing with collaborative instructional strategies. In the first and second hypotheses, exposure to a 1:1 computing environment in a literacy classroom (participation versus no participation) and SES (participating versus not participating) were the independent variables. The dependent variable for Hypothesis 1 was positive student motivation. The dependent variable for Hypothesis 2 was positive student engagement. Hypothesis 1 revealed that the interaction between the independent variables was significant. In the two groups participating in the 1:1 Program, the students not participating in the free and reduced …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Supervision And Job Satisfaction Factors Among Residence Directors And Resident Assistants, Stephen A. Berg

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Supervising Resident Assistants (RAs) on college campuses is one of the most critical roles of housing staff members. The RA position is difficult based on the number of responsibilities the job requires; it is filled with multiple stressors, such as role ambiguity and role conflict. Supervision is a critical skill for student affairs professionals to possess yet there remains little research on the supervision of RAs. In this study, the relationship between perceived levels of synergistic supervision, training, and job satisfaction factors was examined among residence directors (RDs) and RAs. The researcher sought to fill this gap the in the …

Examining The Social Effects Of Community-Based Mentoring On At-Risk Adolescent Girls, Nina L. Price

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to examine which strategies of mentoring, if any, have a positive impact on adolescent girls who engage in potentially at-risk social behaviors, which may negatively affect their self-esteem academic performance. The female students who participated in this study attend a large high school in Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, are between the ages of 15 and 18, and are mentored by volunteers of The TurnAround Agenda Outreach Center. The study is informed by two theroretical frameworks which seeks to guide a study of human interactions: social learning theory (Bandura,1997) and attachment theory (Bowlby, 1980). …

Gender Behavior Types, Teacher-Student Interactions, And Mathematics Performance: An Empirical Analysis Of Texas High School Students, Sheila Gayle Fleming

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this study was to explore the gender behavior types for both female and male high school students. Using the gender behavior types as a lens, the study examined the existence of any differences in teacher-student interactions and mathematics performance by gender behavior type, and investigated factors that predict students’ mathematics performance A survey was used to collect data concerning student self-concepts, student perceptions of teacher-student interactions, background characteristics, and course enrollment. The sample was drawn from high school students at a North Texas High School enrolled in Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 during Spring 2015. The …

Fourth Amendment Knowledge In Student Housing: A Study Of Texas Public University Officials, Gregory L. Hladik

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze Texas public college and university housing professionals’ knowledge of constitutional Fourth Amendment law using a 20-question True/False/Unsure survey. This survey was designed to investigate the legal literacy of housing officials in order to determine what they know and what predictors are associated with greater or less knowledge. The participants in the study were full and part-time employees and student resident assistants of Texas public college and university housing programs. In total, 245 participants completed the survey in its entirety. The survey results were analyzed using Qualtrics where multiple regression was used …

The Effective Practices Of Tasa Honor School Boards In Texas: A View Through The Lens Of Scott's Three Pillars Of Institutional Theory, Kendra Leigh Nelson

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Quality public schools are linked to the effectiveness of their school boards, and voting for local trustees, elected lay men and women, impacts the overall condition of local communities (Foster, 2014). Experts believe school board adeptness and efficiency can be increased by improving procedures (Sell, 2005). Looking through the lens of institutional theory, the purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of Richard Scott’s three pillars of institutionalization (regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive forces) through exploring specific procedures of TASA Honor Boards as compared to demographically similar boards. This study relied on content analysis of school board meeting minutes …

Ideological And Legal Predictors Of U.S. Court Of Appeals Justices’ Voting In Title Vii National Origin Employment Discrimination Cases In K-16 Education, Lori Marie Del Bosque (Reyes)

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the influence of: (1) judges’ political ideology as measured by party-of-the- appointing president and DW-nominate scores; and (2) legal precedent as measured by voting which occurred before or after the 1991 amendments to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on judges’ liberal and conservative voting between 1964 and 2015 at the United States Court of Appeals in Title VII national origin decisions impacting K-16 education, using binary logistic regression as its main statistical tool. The principal findings for this group of K-16 decisions are: (1) ideology, as determined by party-of -appointing president, is an effective predictor of …

Recipients Of Major Scientific Awards A Descriptive And Predictive Analysis, Andrew Calvin Barbee

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Recent trends demonstrate an increase of women in leadership roles, STEM fields, and participating in higher education including graduate and doctoral programs, which is a result of Title IX. This quantitative study considered major scientific awards awarded to females and examines demographic characteristics of awardees from the Nobel, National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and National Science Foundation (NSF). More specifically, the following awards were examined the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the NAS Public Welfare Medal, and the NSF National Medal of Science within the discipline of Physical Science. Also, this study focused on equality to determine if a fair playing …

Understanding The Perceptions Of Mattering, Feelings Of Burnout, And Job Satisfaction Of Resident Assistants At Four-Year Midwestern Universities, James C. Stoner

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

Since first conceptualized in the 1970s, employee burnout has received much scholarly attention in various service-oriented fields. While some disciplines have benefited from an abundance of burnout research (e.g., nursing, education), other specific jobs have received limited attention. One such position is the Resident Assistant (RA) job on college campuses. RAs serve a critical, service-oriented role in higher education and have a wide range of difficult job responsibilities. As such, RAs are not immune to burnout. The limited existing research on RA burnout has failed to address the foundational cause of burnout; that is, the relationships between RAs who provide …

Finnish Teacher Collaboration: The Behaviors, Learning, And Formality Of Teacher Collaboration, Bruce H. Eschler

Theses and Dissertations

Finnish teachers continue to receive significant attention among educators, educational leaders, and policy makers in the United States and around the globe. In addition, teacher collaboration continues to receive support as a meaningful part of teacher work and practice. Teacher collaboration is frequently described in various ways within different contexts. This study aims to: (a) better understand the nature of Finnish teacher collaboration by examining three teacher collaboration behaviors (sharing information and knowledge, planning, and problem-solving); (b) explore the extent to which Finnish teacher collaboration is formal (or school-required) collaboration and informal (or voluntary) collaboration; and (c) investigate …

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 …

Advocating For Standards-Based Grading In A Suburban School District: A Policy Advocacy Document, Cody Huisman

Dissertations

This document focuses on a vision for “what ought to be,” in this case, a new grading system in a suburban district. The document takes the reader through numerous aspects of advocating for district-wide policy change. The vision for a new grading system is evaluated from several perspectives, such as: educational, economic, social, political, and moral, and ethical. Using publications and research from numerous practitioners, it was determined that a change to standards-based grading is the right decision for this district. This policy advocacy document shows the reader how to work through policy change from the beginning to the end, …