Educational Leadership Commons^™

“… You Don’T Come To This School... To Show Off Your Hoodies”: Latinas, Community Cultural Wealth, And An Early College High School, Leslie A. Locke, Gerri Maxwell, Maria Tello

The Qualitative Report

Early College High Schools (ECHS), recent school reforms in the U.S., were designed as social justice, equity-oriented interventions to increase educational opportunity for students from traditionally marginalized and underserved groups. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to understand and examine the perceptions and experiences of eight Latina students, regarding their motivation and persistence in an ECHS. Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) framed the analyses. Findings demonstrated the students relied on several forms of CCW to support their motivation and persistence. However, observations and prolonged engagement in the ECHS setting revealed deficit perspectives held by some teachers and incidents of …

Diversity From Within: An Analysis Of Arkansas Magnet Schools Impact On Desegregation And Academic Achievement, Rickey Greer

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the diversity trends in enrollment and identify 5th grade achievement patterns within selected Arkansas elementary magnet schools. The examination of enrollment data offered an insightful depiction of trends involving diversity in the magnet schools from 2008 to 2015. A secondary purpose of the study was to analyze trends in the achievement of Arkansas magnet and non-magnet schools’ 5th grade students on the Benchmark literacy, math, and science assessments from 2010 to 2014. Data was obtained from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) data center and the Arkansased.gov website, a centralized data center …

Latina School Leadership: Breaking The Mold And Rising To The Top, Velma D. Menchaca, Shirley J. Mills, Filomena Leo

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

For this qualitative research study, interviews with two Latina school leaders revealed their journeys to leadership. The theoretical framework used was Latina critical race theory, feminist theory, and counter storytelling. Identified themes were strong supportive mother, fervent faith, humble beginnings, mentors, intelligent, and challenges not obstacles. These guiding themes serve as a path for Latinas who aspire to public school leadership positions.

Faculty Senate Agenda And Minutes, September 11, 2017

Faculty Senate Minutes and Agendas

Agenda and minutes from the Wright State University Faculty Senate Meeting held on September 11, 2017.

Against The Clock, Trey Conatser

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

In The Slow Professor, Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber's thoughtful contribution to the conversation on academic labor is to challenge what often goes without saying: that it's good to be more efficient, to be faster, to manage as many tasks as possible at once. How can we practice slowness and pleasure in thoughtful ways for the good of our disciplines and colleagues and, more importantly, for those whom our decisions and actions affect profoundly?

Why Black Lives (Must) Matter At Uk, Nicole Martin

Greater Faculties: A Review of Teaching and Learning

As a university committed to creating inclusive learning environments, we must remember that our pedagogical practices and philosophies are not crafted in insolation from our social, political, and cultural environments. The psychic and emotional injury spurred by the events of the summer of 2016 will continue to reverberate across campus as we move into the fall semester. When we boldly address the lingering effects of trauma through our pedagogical practices, we demonstrate how the campus actively creates space for the civic development of students, staff, faculty, and administration.

Fulbright Magic: The Alchemy Of An Intentional Experience Abroad, Chloe Ruff, Christopher R. Fee

Education Faculty Publications

The Fulbright program is designed to facilitate cultural exchange and understanding, and Fulbright’s Group Projects Abroad allow small, focused cohorts of American teachers and scholars to travel and to learn together. In June 2017, a number of Gettysburg College faculty and K-12 teachers from South Central PA traveled to China to study points of similarity and disparity between the American and Chinese educational systems. Our program was crafted in a way to help us to understand Chinese culture and the realities of Chinese life; we were given the opportunity to view our experiences from the perspectives of our hosts and …

A For Academics Or Athletics: A Critical Look At African American Male Student Athletes In Search Of Identity, Tamekia Bush

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how African American male student athletes developed their athletic and racial identity and how this impacted their academic identity. I conducted two in depth interviews with 6 African American male current or former student athletes who played basketball or football in high school but were not eligible to be a NCAA qualifier for an athletic scholarship. I sought to investigate the point when the student athletes began their career in athletics and when athletics began to impact their academic performance and why it impacted academic performance. I also investigated how the …

Does Regulation Induce Homogenization? An Analysis Of Three Voucher Programs In The United States, Corey A. Deangelis, Lindsey Burke

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

We employ school and year fixed-effects regression to determine the effect of voucher programs on the supply of private schools. In particular, we examine individual private schools in Washington, D.C., Indiana, and Louisiana as they transition into voucher program environments. We leverage the Private School Universe Survey to examine how schools self-identify before and after switching into voucher environments. We find that upon switching into school voucher programs, private schools in more heavily regulated programs are more likely to identify as less specialized than they were prior to entering the program, and that those schools in more lightly regulated environments …

A Study On Leadership Styles Executed By Principal And Academic Coordinator In One Of The Private Schools In Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, Sultan Alam

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This study investigates the leadership styles of school principal and academic coordinator in one of the private schools in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. A qualitative case study approach was employed to generate the study data using semi-structured interviews as major data generation tool. A pre-designed interview guide was used to facilitate the interview discourses. The findings of the study showed that both, the principal and academic coordinator mostly execute democratic leadership approach to facilitate learning processes in the school, though this style becomes varied under different circumstances. This dominant leadership style was seen effective in bringing about positive learning environment within the …

An Evaluation Of Interprofessional Education: The Medical And Pharmacy Student Experience, Daniel Mickool

All Theses And Dissertations

Interprofessional education (IPE) in health professions continues to garner attention and is widely encouraged in the overall improvement of health care delivery in the U.S. The lack of communication and cross-profession collaboration contributes to errors and lower patient outcomes. As a result, medical education is undergoing transformation as new models are sought to deliver curricula that foster collaboration among health care disciplines. The purpose of this mixed methods program evaluation was to explore pharmacy and medical students’ perceptions of interprofessional learning after a six-week clinical rotation in a family medicine setting, as well as describe student perceptions of patient benefits …

The Relationship Between Extracurricular Activities And Academic Achievement, Robert Freeman

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between extracurricular activity participation and academic achievement as measured by the composite score on the American College Test (ACT) and cumulative grade point average (GPA) throughout a student’s attendance in high school. Specifically, this study examined student participants and nonparticipants in extracurricular activities and their academic performance in one Midwestern suburban high school district. Archival data were collected on the 2009 senior classes from two consenting high schools within the district. Gender, race, ACT scores, GPA, lunch status, and extracurricular activities were collected from both schools. …

Teachers’ Self-Efficacy When Differentiating Between Language Acquisition Difficulties Or Possible Learning Disabilities In English Language Learners, Elizabeth Hallett

All Theses And Dissertations

This multiple-case study examines teachers’ self-efficacy, or perceptions of their effectiveness, when differentiating between typical language acquisition difficulties and possible learning disabilities in English Language Learners (ELLs) who are challenged academically. Five mainstream elementary teachers from a mid-sized urban school district in the northeastern United States participated in the study. Data from individual interviews, meeting observations and artifacts were collected from each of the participants. Meeting observations occurred during each participant’s Integrated Learning Team meetings. During interviews, participants described their experiences working with ELLs who struggled more than typical ELLs and presented an artifact representing experiences teaching such students. Across …

Distributive Leadership’S Relationship To Teacher Self-Efficacy: An Ecological Model, Mary Dawson Jacques

All Theses And Dissertations

This ecological study identifies and tests research based constructs of distributive leadership and teacher self-efficacy on the 2012 and 2014 TELL survey using ecological methodology. This includes a confirmatory factor analysis of survey items that best measure distributive leadership and teacher self-efficacy. The overall population mean for participants who agreed or strongly agreed with the survey items was calculated and analyzed. The research focuses on a microsystem analysis, but includes a reflection on the exosystem and an analysis of variance with the macrosystem.

Analyses revealed three major findings. First by calculating the overall population mean of participants who agreed or …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Factors Of Beginning Teachers' Development Within A Mentor-Based Induction Program, James Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation was a quantitative, correlational study that examined the impact of the mentor component of a mentor-based induction program on three factors of new teacher development and support. The focus of this study was on beginning teachers participating in a district-supported mentoring program designed to support and acclimate teachers to the role of professional teacher as well as to support and acclimate teachers to the policies, procedures, and culture of the district. A convenience sample totaling 130 teachers at a large urban school district in southeast Georgia participated in this study. The participants represented varied levels of degree completion, …

Alaka'i Haumana: A Grounded Theory Study To Create A Student Leadership Development Model For A Hawaiian Secondary Private Christian School, Derrik Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to create a student leadership development model specific to secondary students in a private Christian Hawaiian school system. The paradigm that guided this study was Kouzes and Posner’s (2012) transformational leadership theory as it provides a framework of leaders equipping, encouraging, assisting, and serving others in order to empower them to lead others in the same way. The primary research question was, what are the elements necessary for a student leadership development model in a private Christian Hawaiian school system? Participants for this study were purposefully selected to represent individuals who …

Understanding Experiences Of Gratitude In Elementary Teachers: Implications For School Leaders, Joseph D. Mcdonough

All Theses And Dissertations

The science of gratitude is a fairly recent phenomenon, emerging out of positive psychology. The basic premise of the field is that cultivating a positive perspective and focusing on what one can be grateful for has positive outcomes in life. The benefits discovered include increases in subjective well-being and life satisfaction, better interpersonal relationships, and increases in pro-social behavior. In the school setting, research has found that developing gratitude can increase adolescents’ level of satisfaction with school experience and academic attainment. The purpose of this phenomenological study is develop a deeper understanding of how elementary teachers experience gratitude. By learning …

The Play’S The Thing: Experimentally Examining The Social And Cognitive Effects Of School Field Trips To Live Theater Performances, Jay P. Greene, Heidi Holmes Erickson, Angela R. Watson, Molly I. Beck

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

Field trips to see theater performances are a long-standing educational practice, however, there is little systematic evidence demonstrating educational benefits. This article describes the results of five random assignment experiments spanning two years where school groups were assigned by lottery to attend a live theater performance, or for some groups, watch a movie-version of the same story. We find significant educational benefits from seeing live theater, including higher levels of tolerance, social perspective taking, and stronger command of the plot and vocabulary of those plays. Students randomly assigned to watch a movie did not experience these benefits. Our findings also …

2017-08-31 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes for August 31, 2017.

Karmel Oration: Leading Schools And School Systems In Times Of Change: A Paradox And A Quest, Toby Greany

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The ‘paradox’ in this title refers to a set of contradictions that sit at the heart of education policy in many school systems. Policymakers in these systems want things that, if not inherently at odds, are nevertheless in tension— such as a tightly defined set of national standards and a broad and balanced curriculum; academic stretch for the most able and a closing of the gap between high and low performers; choice and diversity and equity; and so on. The ‘quest’ is for leaders and leadership to resolve these tensions in practice. School autonomy policies have placed huge power in …

Leadership That Transforms Schools And School Systems, Brian Caldwell

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This paper will report on the findings of four international research projects on leadership in high-performing school systems around the world. The paper will focus on building the capacity of school leaders to exercise professional autonomy and how different levels of government achieve strategic alignment among policies in their efforts to lift performance. The paper will summarise findings reported in The Autonomy Premium published in 2016 by ACER Press, along with the findings of a national survey of principals in Australia. The major part of this presentation is devoted to comparing Australia on 15 benchmarks derived from international studies in …

Science Of Learning Network Of Schools: The Science Of Communities Of Practice, Andrew Jones, Frank Vetere

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Frameworks referencing synthesised bodies of prominent research adorn education improvement policy like curiously named pieces of Ikea furniture—peculiar in their assemblage, ostensibly contemporary, and striking in their modular convenience. Amid this, most pundits still agree that we have an education advancement issue in this country. Despite significant increases in funding from successive federal and state governments, we simply haven’t been able to shift the needle. What we can ascertain is that compliance-based improvement approaches don’t work. They are unable to influence the cognitive maps, beliefs and understandings of the educator to the extent necessary to effectively improve outcomes for students …

Teacher Leader And Teacher Leadership: A Call For Conceptual Clarity, Susan Lovett

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Education systems cannot afford to lose promising teachers who could be the school leaders of tomorrow. My work shows a need to promote leadership as learning for teachers and students rather than as management and administration, heavy workloads and disconnectedness from students and their learning. Conceptions of leadership that allow teachers to see professional learning as the reason for their work make a contribution to school leadership as a whole. Schools benefit from leaders at all levels no matter their distance to classrooms. School cultures can stimulate leadership practices when professional learning exchanges among teachers are reciprocated. Professional learning is …

Leading Age-Appropriate Pedagogies In The Early Years Of School, Beverley R. Fluckiger, Julie Dunn, Madonna Stinson, Elizabeth Wheeley

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

There is increasing pressure on leaders and teachers to improve the academic achievement of children in the early years of school. Alongside this is recognition that social and emotional development are the important drivers of children’s school and lifetime success. This paper reports on the design and leadership of the pilot phase of the Age Appropriate Pedagogies program commissioned by the Queensland Department of Education and Training to refocus pedagogical practices in the early years of school. This refocus was deemed to be necessary in order to achieve strong academic outcomes while ensuring that children’s holistic development remained a key …

Opening Or Closing Doors For Students? Equity And Data-Driven Decision-Making, Amanda Datnow

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Data-driven decision-making is key pillar of educational reform initiatives in countries across the globe. While approaches to data use vary, the theory of action underlying these efforts is often similar. The common idea is that when leaders and teachers are knowledgeable about how to use data, they will become more effective in reviewing their existing capacities, identifying weaknesses, and charting plans for improvement. In the classroom, data can inform how teachers plan lessons, identify concepts for re-teaching, and differentiate instruction. For all these reasons, data use has significant implications for teaching and leadership. Ensuring equitable opportunities and outcomes for all …

Leading Empowered Evaluations To Develop Trust And Improve Learning: Insights From Qualitative Research, Peter Mcclenaghan, Kerrie Ikin

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

What does ‘empowering teachers-as-evaluators’ mean in whole-school strategic planning and evaluation? Our work seeks to develop and empower teachers as whole-of-school evaluators to embrace ownership of the school’s plan and directions, build communities of practice, create transparency, openness and trust, and ultimately improve student learning outcomes. Our previous research in whole-school qualitative empowerment evaluation showed that principals who were fully engaged in their schools’ evaluations were more likely to be influenced by the evaluation process, use the evaluation results and build evaluation capacity than those who merely participated as a guest. They engaged in double-loop learning. We further found that …

Developing A Professional Certification System For School Principals: The Principals Australia Institute Certification Project, Lawrence Ingvarson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

In 2014, the Principals Australia Institute (PAI) decided to develop a national system for providing professional certification to accomplished school principals, based on the AITSL Australian Professional Standard for Principals (the Standard). ACER has been assisting the PAI in the development of valid and reliable methods whereby principals can demonstrate how they meet the Standard. This work has included conceptualising the system, developing an assessment and evaluation framework for certification, and developing guidelines for three portfolio initiatives linked to the Australian Professional Standard for Principals. The portfolio initiatives were field-tested in 2015 and a group of principals was trained to …

Developing Evaluative Thinking And Evidence-Based Practice: A Synthetic Case Study, Tim Wyatt

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The NSW Literacy and Numeracy Action Plan, which operated from 2012 to 2016, provided $261 millon to improve literacy and numeracy learning in 448 the most disadvantaged and lowest performing schools across the three education sectors in NSW. A key objective of the Action Plan was to enhance teacher and school leader capacity, including the ability to apply evidence-based practices and evaluative thinking to planning and programming for teaching and learning at a classroom level, and to planning and decision-making at a whole-school level. The concept and terminology of ‘evidence-based practice’ is in common parlance in Australian schools; however, in …

Pre-Service And In-Service Teacher Education: A Leadership Model For Collaborative Learning, Jo-Anne Reid

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Innovative collaboration between schools and university can enhance teacher education. This model was developed as part of a partnership between a school principal leading a cluster of diverse primary schools, and a local university school of teacher education. The partnership established a memorandum of understanding to support targeted and standards-based professional learning for teachers and new leaders across the schools in the cluster. Novice pre-service teachers were also assigned to these schools for an extended weekly professional placement. This session outlines the model as it was designed: to respond to the strategic demands of particular school communities, as well as …

Principals As Literacy Leaders: A Strategy For Improving Reading Engagement And Achievement In Australian Schools, Tony Townsend

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

By the end of 2017, approximately 1500 school leaders from all states and territories in Australia will have undertaken the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) program. This program was first funded in 2010 for 60 primary principals of disadvantaged schools by a Commonwealth Government grant under the Closing the Gap strategy. Since that time, additional cohorts of school leaders have been funded by state departments of education, professional associations and individual schools. Many of the programs were associated with research looking at various outcomes of the learning gained from the PALL program. To date, there have been six published studies, …