Educational Leadership Commons^™

When Are We Spiritual Enough?, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Writings & Addresses

When are human beings as spiritual as they ought to be? Well, of course, we are fundamentally spiritual in our very constitution and nature. This suggests that spiritual considerations are extremely important to us functionally -- in our attitudes, our contacts, our relationships. The absence of sensitivity to this dimension of life is one of the serious deficiencies of our time.

Headings

A Christian College

A Good College

Importance of Terminology

The Idea of the Holy

The Sense of Awe

The Feeling of Dependence

Spirituality and Legalism

Spirituality and Integrity

A Psalm in Reverse

Why Not Say "A"?, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Writings & Addresses

Clear thinking is hard work, especially when you go out into the world where the dust of commerce and confusion never settles. It is important, though not easy, to see clearly what are the issues and to determine courses of action relative to them.

Positive, thoughtful and dedicated living in Christ's way is the answer for our time. To be sure, this is different from the thinking of the secular world, but it appeals to, and challenges, the best blood and brains. It is now yours to apply what you have learned and to continue the education that was started …

School Segregation By Boundary Line In Virginia: Scope, Significance And State Policy Solutions, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Kendra Taylor, Kimberly Bridges, Erica Frankenberg, Andrene Castro, Shenita Williams, Sarah Haden

Educational Leadership Publications

This research brief explores the landscape of school segregationrelated to boundary lines in Virginia and in key regions. It also analyzes common rezoning criteria and policies in a large sample of Virginia school divisions. The brief then provides a condensed overview of existing literature on school boundaries and segregation. Finally, it offers evidence-based recommendations for Virginia to combat the relationship between school-related boundaries and segregation.

First-Year Seminar Delivery Method Effect On Student Success At An Appalachian Open-Enrollment Institution, Anthony Michael Underwood

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

First-year seminars (FYS) have been identified as one of the most effective high impact practices in supporting student success as measured in this study by GPA, semester-to-semester persistence, and second semester student course load. However, those students who would most need this support, students at public open-enrollment institutions in the Appalachian region, have often either not been required to participate or have not been given the chance to do so due to limits on academic program length or a perceived lack of resources at such institutions. This research measured the effectiveness of an FYS program in the above defined environment …

Perceptions Of Academic Benefits Of Work-Integrated Learning Among West Virginia Community And Technical College Students, Laura Leslie Mccullough

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Global research notes the academic benefits of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) to be higher academic achievement and faster degree completion rates. Past studies have been chiefly conducted at baccalaureate degree granting institutions. The purpose of this descriptive, nonexperimental, post-facto study is to determine whether the West Virginia WIL programs delivered through community and technical colleges yield the same academic benefits that have been reported in the extant research concerning baccalaureate schools. The population of this study was to be 572 business and information technology majors at ten West Virginia community and technical colleges. Student-level data by classification of instructional programs (CIP) …

A Review Of Truancy Programs At The Elementary Level In West Virginia: Perceptions Of Attendance Directors On The Effectiveness Of Strategies To Improve Student Attendance, Shellie Belcher Simpson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainability of truancy programs used in all 55 counties of West Virginia since 2014. The study compared attendance rates at the elementary school level over the last five years and applied survey and interview data to determine whether changes to programs promoted changes to attendance rates. While there are numerous studies that review and discuss truancy programs, there were no studies found that measure the programs and perceptions in elementary programs in all 55 counties of West Virginia. In this study data were collected from the West Virginia Department of Education …

Teacher Unrest In West Virginia, 2018-2019, Lindsey D. Reed

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018, the United States saw an influx of teacher strikes which were largely propagated by red-state legislation. Then and now, teachers are trying to gain a voice in educational legislation despite corporate and political strongholds on legislators. As a last measure to gain access to the policymaking process, teachers strike. When teachers strike, it becomes a social issue which puts pressure on families, the economy, and legislation. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of teachers who participated in the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia teachers’ strikes as they relate to their interactions with …

How Orientation Programs At West Virginia Community Colleges Affect Mid-Level Administrators' Perceptions Of Adjunct Faculty Quality, Gina M. Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the relationship between the presence of orientation programs for adjunct faculty at West Virginia community and technical colleges and mid-level administrators’ perceptions of adjunct faculty quality. Using data obtained through an Internet-based questionnaire administered to 91 mid-level administrators at West Virginia community and technical colleges, the study resulted in several notable findings, many of which reinforced similar findings uncovered in the review of the literature. Most researchers agree that the results of high-quality orientation programs can be a tremendous asset to adjunct faculty, leading to an adjunct group that knows what …

Examination Of Student Learning Outcomes During A Musculoskeletal Spine Assessment Course: Hybrid Blended Model Versus Traditional Classroom Delivery In A Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program, David J. Denton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored content delivery comparisons concerning a hybrid blended model versus a traditional lecture model in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. There is a gap in the physical therapy literature describing the intricacies of distance, online, and hybrid models used in doctoral education. Thirty students were randomly selected out of a hat to be placed into one of two groups with an n=15. The course chosen in the study was a clinical decision-making segment based on assessment and examination of level of the spine. Group 1 was instructed only using traditional methods of live in person lecture and …

School Administrator Perceptions And Actions Toward Reducing Mental Health Factors To Learning, Andrew Charles Teti

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Approximately one in five children have a mental health need that impacts their academic functioning (World Health Organization, 2004). This study investigated what actions school administrators who oversee kindergarten through eighth grade, and how their perceptions of mental health have impacted those decisions. Both a survey and an interview were conducted with current school administrators in three counties in Western Pennsylvania. Findings suggested that administrators take mental health factors to learning very seriously and place a significant amount of pressure on themselves to address this barrier. Additionally, school administrators utilize a team approach to focus on mental health in the …

Wendell Berry And Higher Education: Cultivating Virtues Of Place, Ben Goller

Growth: The Journal of the Association for Christians in Student Development

No abstract provided.

Heritage Language Maintenance: Research Review And Reflection Of One Family Case, Josiah Chan

ECTESOL Review

Heritage Language maintenance provides learner tangible benefits in academic achievement, language acquisition, and career opportunity. Intangibly, it enhances the learner’s self-esteem and cultural identity. The case here reflects the Mandarin Chinese learning experience of three children who were born in the United States of a migrant family from Hong Kong where the Cantonese Chinese dialect language is more predominant. The learning effort was complicated by the parents’ native Cantonese Chinese dialect. The parents and children strived to balance the learning dynamics between Mandarin and Cantonese. The results of the study indicate that successful heritage language maintenance can be achieved with …

Syntactic Accidents In The Spontaneous Speech Of English And Armenian Speakers, Karen Velyan

ECTESOL Review

Fragmented syntax or a break of the flow of surface syntax is well known to be an indispensable part of spontaneous spoken language. Interruptions in the flow of speech may be triggered by pragmatic reasons, changes in syntactic planning and performance errors, which results in syntactic fragments. Syntactic accidents may take different forms in the actual flow of speech. This study presents a cross-linguistic comparative analysis of the cases of syntax in the speech of low socioeconomic status speakers of English and Armenian. Based on data from informal interviews with native speakers, the analysis presents a variety of syntactic accidents, …

The Reflective Approach To Teaching Culture Within The Efl Classroom, Lucia Schiopu

ECTESOL Review

This article examines the reflective approach in the teaching of culture in the EFL classroom, which is not just a mere gathering of information, but is the creation and construction of discourses that break or maintain cultural stereotypes. This is also an approach where meaning is constructed that is shaped by the quality and depth of cultural sensitivity and awareness. Teaching and learning a culture reflectively does not necessarily mean that the learner is taught to behave in accordance with specific social norms but to introduce an acceptable and appropriate conduct for the use of language in terms of intelligibility, …

From The Editor, Laureen Fregeau

ECTESOL Review

No abstract provided.

Prism Intro Student's Book With Online Workbook Listening And Speaking, And Reading And Writing, Robert Leier, Laureen Fregeau

ECTESOL Review

Prism Intro books use American English along with international and American topics to teach reading, writing, listening and speaking in English. Videos and American college life sections keep student interest.

Student-Directed Esol Family Literacy Program Design, Laureen Fregeau, Robert D. Leier

ECTESOL Review

ESOL Family Literacy programs for Hispanic immigrants have proliferated over past decades to serve the increasing population of ELs needing services. Several factors can disrupt or prevent participation in ESOL Family Literacy programs designed to enhance the academic success of Latin American adult and child immigrants. This qualitative case study set in the Deep South examined a student-directed design process to gain understanding of what would constitute an ideal program for the participating ELs, their families and their community. Emergent categories identified areas of design importance including site locations, time and frequency of class scheduling, curricular design, instructional materials, instructor …

The Benefits Of Implementing Cognitively-Demanding And Context-Embedded Language Translation In The El Classroom, Timothy Rodriquez

ECTESOL Review

The role of the first language in English Learner (EL) programs has been a historically controversial one. In addition, how the first language should be used is not without controversy. This article examines the role of translation in the EL classroom and how teachers should employ it. One approach, concurrent translation, may be considered to be cognitively-undemanding and context-reduced. The author argues that purposeful translation should be cognitively-demanding and context-embedded.

University Update - January 2020, Academic Affairs

University Updates & Communications from the University President

No abstract provided.

Poverty, According To Gorski, Kristyna M. Rudio

The Montana English Journal

In this poem, "Poverty, According to Gorski", the main points of Paul Gorski's book Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap (Second Edition) are outlined. The poem discusses and summarizes topics heavily researched by Gorski such as meritocracy, equality, equity, equity literacy, ideologies, and strategies to help classroom teachers, administrators, and leaders in literacy help to break down barriers for students and families experiencing poverty.

How Far Is Your Love?, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Writings & Addresses

No abstract provided.

Talk To (Students) Faculty, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Writings & Addresses

No abstract provided.

What Is A Christian College?, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Writings & Addresses

What is a Christian college? If it is Christian, it is a good college; it cannot be Christian and condone either inferiority or mediocrity -- it emphasizes excellence or it should not be dignified with the name Christian. It cannot accept all of the young people of a given denomination just because the churches of that denomination support it with finances. Suitability of students is one of the five major concerns of a Christian college.

Goals, procedures, teachers, students, and the college image are the focal points of this presentation.

Brokering Access, Belief And Opportunities: A Phenomenology Of Black Principals’ Leadership Through A Racialized Lens, Natalie Denise Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The educational landscape of the twenty-first century currently faces several significant challenges, including widening academic opportunity gaps. These gaps suggest that there is need to examine the perspectives of leaders in the role of principals more deeply. However, as leadership theories continue to develop, there has been limited research conducted on the impact of principals’ racialized experiences and their approach to leadership. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to center race by exploring the essence of Black principals’ understanding of their racialized experiences and its meaning to their leadership and school communities. Findings indicate that Black principals’ (a) understanding …

Conceptions And Factors Associated With Effective School Leadership, Anaghaa Wagh

Teacher India

Anaghaa Wagh discusses the school leadership phenomenon from the school leaders’ perspective.

Promoting Preservice Stem Education Teachers' Metacognitive Awareness: Professional Development Designed To Improve Teacher Metacognitive Awareness, Andrew John Hughes, Eddie Partida

Educational Leadership & Technology Faculty Publications

This quantitative portion of a convergent complementarity, mixed-methods, exploratory study describes the design and implementation of a 5-week preservice teacher professional development (PD) experience and the associated Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) measures before and after the experience. The PD experience was designed to explicitly address participants’ domain-general and domain-specific knowledge and regulation of cognition through a highly integrated academic and clinical preparation regimen centered on a cognitive coaching model. The study participants comprised preservice STEM education teachers (N = 11) enrolled in a dual teaching certification and Master’s in Education program. The findings showed an increase in participants’ regulation …

Concrete Beam Design: Pouring The Foundation To Engineering In T&E Classrooms, Andrew J. Hughes, Chris Merrill

Educational Leadership & Technology Faculty Publications

Ask a middle or high school student if they could design a concrete beam that weighs only 20 pounds and is 36” long but must hold 600 pounds without failing. What is the student likely to say? What if the student was told that, with some optimized decision making based on relatively straightforward mathematics, their beam could hold 2400 pounds or more? The focus of this article is not on concrete beam design, it is rather an introduction to engineering principles in beam design using a lab activity. The concepts and skills learned in this article will lead students into …

Analyzing Concrete Beam Design: Verifying Predictions In T&Ee Classrooms, Andrew J. Hughes, Chris Merrill

Educational Leadership & Technology Faculty Publications

Design is often accepted as a fundamental aspect of engineering (Dym, et al., 2005). The design process is frequently portrayed as a set of steps. However, the design process is more complex than just a set of steps in a relatively fixed process. The complex nature of design, design thinking, questioning, and decision-making is exactly what technology and engineering classrooms are well suited to address. When addressing the question—“Why is technology and engineering education (T&EE) so important?”—the authors believe T&EE’s importance relates to our discipline’s ability to solve complex problems by balancing theory and practice in engaging hands-on learning scenarios …

Equity-Minded Teacher Preparation In The California Community College, Jesus Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

California Community Colleges (CCC) is the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the United States. It serves 2.1 million students, 54% of whom are from historically racially marginalized communities in the United States (California Community College Chancellor’s Offices, 2020). As with all higher education settings in this country, such diversity results in large racial disparities in classroom outcomes. While the classroom remains the primary point of contact for students, CCC instruction is vastly underresearched, with existing research tending to focus on issues outside the classroom (Zapata, 2019). In an effort to identify an effective method to support …

The Lived Experiences Of First-Generation African American Males During Their Freshman Year At A Rural, Middle Atlantic Predominately White Institution, Sharon E. Procter

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There has been a great deal of scholarly research over the past 50 years concerning the disparities in education for minority populations. Research relating to African American males specifically has increased over the past decade, highlighting the disparities and plight of Black males in kindergarten through postsecondary education. Additionally, the body of literature regarding this population of scholars has been from a deficit model. This is a phenomenological study that investigates the lived experiences of five first-generation African American male students during their freshman year at a rural, mid-Atlantic predominately White institution (PWI). The study specifically sought to learn about …