Educational Leadership Commons^™

An Examination Of How Training Impacts The Leadership And Management Competency Of Pastors Of The New Beginning Family Of Churches, Christine R. Rudolph

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has concluded that clergy need management and leadership skills to effectively lead the 21st-century church and meet its diverse challenges (Porter, 2014). These leadership skills can be taught and developed through training, mentoring, and modeling. New Beginning Worship Center Family of Churches comprised eight non-denominational churches that experienced various challenges, including membership decline and economic problems. The strategic problem was that these clergy members lacked the skills to address the challenges faced by their churches effectively. There was a need to improve the leadership and management skills of the New Beginning Worship Center pastors to allow them to address …

Recruitment And Retention Of Black Faculty Women In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study, Gerald Keith Warmack

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine Black Faculty Women's (BFW) lived experiences concerning recruiting and retention practices. The theory guiding this study was Critical Race Theory (CRT). CRT acknowledges that racism is central and the norm in the educational system. In addition to CRT, Social integration theory plays a critical role in how BFW form relationships, participate in social activities, and integrate into higher education. This research project used a hermeneutical phenomenological research design for BFW’s recruitment and retention experiences. Data for this study was collected using individual interviews, letters of advice, and journal prompts. Data analysis …

Executive Leader Perspectives Of Rural School District Organizational Resilience: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study Inquiry, Todd S. Burke

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative embedded multiple-case study was to explore and describe how rural executive school district leaders overcome significant organizational adversity (low-income student factors) and sustain high student achievement outcomes. Organizational resilience theory provided the basis for the qualitative embedded multiple-case study. The multiple-case study design explored the perspectives of rural school district executive leaders at three levels of qualitative meaning: a) individual-level executive leader perspectives, b) organization function-level (program and department) perspectives, and c) district-wide organizational perspectives. Three small Utah rural school districts with higher-than-average student achievement trends, all of which have student populations experiencing low-income factors, …

A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Of College Students' Experiences With College-Provided Mental Healthcare Services, Adrian M. Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand college students' perspectives on college-provided mental healthcare services. The framework guiding this study is the theory of planned behavior (TPB), developed by Fishbein and Ajzen. The TPB theory is based on attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intention. The central research question: What are college students' perspectives on college-provided mental healthcare services? The design of this qualitative study is hermeneutic phenomenology, a rigorous and well-established approach. A sample of twelve participants, carefully selected based on pre-determined criteria, was included in the study. The participants, a diverse mix of current …

The Perception And Lived Experiences Of African International Students During Their Studies In The United States Colleges And Universities: A Phenomenological Study, Ebere V. Chukwuezi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience and perceptions adapting to the process of college-level education for African international students at a four-year college in the southeastern United States. The theory that guided this study was Berry’s acculturation theory, which categorizes individual adaptation strategies into two dimensions. This study was guided by acculturation theory aligned with the central research question and sub-questions. Participants who completed their studies or were current students at the university were selected through purposeful and snowball sampling. Data was collected through individual interviews, online surveys, and focus groups and analyzed …

Student Outcomes In Arkansas’S Open Enrollment Charter Schools: 2021 To 2023, Sarah Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

This study examines student outcomes of value-added growth and weighted achievement of Arkansas’s open-enrollment public charter schools and traditional public schools. Using publicly available school-level data, we use weighted averages to account for variations in school size in analyzing student performance in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics from the 2020-21 school year to the 2023-23 school year. To aid interpretation of the results, we translate the scores of the open-enrollment charter group and the traditional public school group into statewide percentile ranks within year and outcome.

The results reveal that statewide, students attending open-enrollment charter schools are consistently demonstrating …

Self-Study Portfolio - Amanda Botbyl, Amanda Botbyl

Master of Education in Teacher Leadership Portfolios

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Social Emotional Learning And Trauma Informed Care On Teacher Well-Being And Capacity In The Classroom., Kathleen Kelley Michalowski

Theses and Dissertations

Educators and students have encountered significant challenges, including illness and loss within their families due to events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Traumatic events, like disasters, can greatly disrupt a community's functioning, resulting in widespread losses that surpass the community's ability to cope. Trauma-informed care (TIC) acknowledges that individuals are likely to have a history of trauma and aims to respond appropriately to minimize the likelihood of further trauma. By implementing trauma-sensitive routines and promoting social-emotional learning (SEL) for both students and educators, we can offer them more opportunities for success and emotional growth. It's important to recognize that educators' …

Colorado's Multilingual Learners And The Read Act: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Brooke K. Sassi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the Colorado Reading to Ensure Academic Development Act (READ Act) through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis, focusing on the discursive construction of the Act and its impact on educational opportunities for multilingual learners. The study explores the role of power and knowledge in shaping the READ Act and addresses the ideological tensions and power imbalances that arise from a policy primarily designed for monolingual, English-speaking students. Drawing on personal experiences and extensive research, this analysis highlights the shortcomings of a phonics-heavy approach mandated by the READ Act, particularly for multilingual learners who require a more …

Investigating Servant Leadership Measurement: A Mixed-Methods Study Integrating Content Analysis And Meta-Analysis, Kai Torsten Schramm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to understand the similarities and differences among servant leadership measures and the variations in their effect sizes on job performance and job satisfaction. This paper explores how the items in servant leadership measures portrayed the servant leadership construct and how these relate to the outcomes. The researcher used an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. Which involved a qualitative content analysis of the measurement items and a meta-analysis of outcomes, considering the findings from the content analysis. Six key categories determined the three main themes: selfless generosity, inspiring influence, adaptive humility, integrity, empowering, and harmonious engagement. The three …

Principal Agency 50 Years After The Lau Decision: Building And Sustaining Bilingual Education Programs For Asian Languages, Kevin M. Wong, Zhongfeng Tian

Education Division Scholarship

This study examined how three champion principals of Asian language dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs—Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin—in California have navigated the oscillating language-in-education policies after the Lau decision. We explored principals' various roles through a lens of agency in a social justice leadership framework, specifically considering the opportunities and challenges for agentive leadership from three different phases: foregrounding and engaging, planning and implementing, and evaluating and sustaining. Findings demonstrate that the success of DLBE programs goes beyond the overarching language policies that supposedly enable bilingual education; rather it hinges on the bottom-up commitment, collaboration and resilience of principals, …

2024-08-22 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes For The New Term, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from August 22, 2024.

2024-08-22 Faculty Senate Final Meeting Minutes For The Term, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from August 22, 2024.

Promoting Emergent Literacy In Preschool Through Extended Discourse: Covert Translanguaging In A Mandarin Immersion Environment, Robin E. Harvey, Kevin M. Wong

Education Division Scholarship

Rich oral language practices, including the opportunity and ability to participate in cognitively and linguistically challenging extended discourse, are foundational to early literacy development. To meet children’s needs in their first exposure to the languages of schooling, educators may engage students in extended discourse multilingually. The current study focuses on student-centered translanguaging conversations to examine strategies that preschool teachers employ to support young children’s emerging bilingual and biliteracy development in a Mandarin immersion preschool serving primarily nonheritage learners of Mandarin in the United States. Findings indicate that, despite the school’s Mandarin-only policy, teachers engaged in covert translanguaging practices to extend …

A Comparative Analysis Of Teacher Innovative Practices And Principal Leadership Strategies In Microsoft Showcase Schools Implementing The Microsoft School Transformation Framework For Up To Two Years And More Than Two Years, Ibrahim Soykan

Theses and Dissertations

As global challenges such as climate change, shifting job markets, and technological advances intensify, educational systems must adapt to equip students with essential 21st-century skills. While countries like Singapore, Ireland, Australia, and Finland have created flexible education systems to meet these demands, the United States faces a fragmented and decentralized system that struggles to keep up with global changes (Wehling, 2007). This study investigates how the Microsoft School Transformation Framework (MSTF) is addressing these issues within Microsoft Showcase Schools (MSS). The purpose of this research was to evaluate how principals and teachers perceive the implementation of the MSTF and to …

A Critical Realism Epistemological Informed Case Study: Special Education Teacher Retention In Urban And Suburban School Districts In Minnesota, Jill Bachmann Dr

Doctorate in Education

Special education teachers play a pivotal role in school districts across the country. Special education students benefit from teachers who are knowledgeable in their practice, dedicated, and able to meet their needs, regardless of their abilities. High turnover rates among special education teachers have significant implications for the quality of education provided to students in special education and the overall functioning of schools. Despite decades of research in the area, retention of special education teachers continues to plague districts.

Utilizing a critical realism epistemological approach, this qualitative research study provides an overview of the challenges associated with special education teacher …

Beyond Boundaries: Third Space Leadership In Schools, Corinne Brion

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

This case study is relevant to practicing and prospective leaders because it raises issues related to third space leadership. I define third space leadership as the spaces/places between school and home, school and before or after school programs, school, and extra-curricular activities, such as the commute in a school bus. Third space leadership is grounded in adaptive leadership, cultural proficiency, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. This teaching case study exposes educational administrators to a holistic approach to leadership that includes the in-between spaces that are integral parts and moments of students’ educational journeys. The Teaching Notes outline key concepts on …

Beyond #Blacklivesmatter Through An Understanding Of Intersectionality And Ethical Leadership: A Critical Autoethnography Of A Black Female Graduate Student Living With Multiple Hidden Dis/Abilities, Shariese Katrell

Theses and Dissertations

There can be numerous questions to be asked concerning the perspective of a Black female graduate student at a predominately White institution who lives with multiple hidden dis/Abilities (Gillborn, 2015). This critical autoethnography can help discover and uncover new issues and establish transformational changes that could expand knowledge and research surrounding the critical analysis of intersectionality and Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory from an/abled feminist approach. Transformative politics can be identified in this study, which examines socialism and the systematic structures and power within academia at the graduate level (Trevino et al., 2008). The issues of Black disability feminism, …

Effects Of A Classroom Cognitive Apprenticeship On Scientific Reasoning, Student Agency, And Biology Self-Efficacy On Students In High School Biology, Anne Morris Byford

Theses and Dissertations

Students entering high school often bring misconceptions about the nature of science and experimentation with them from middle school. Many also bring a belief that they are not a “science kid” and, therefore, cannot be a strong student in Biology. This belief can lead to a lack of self-efficacy and of student agency in the classroom. Exposure to authentic research experiences has been shown to increase in self-efficacy and scientific reasoning. Typical research experiences have been limited to summers, specialized after school programs and, in many cases, honors students. To circumvent the unequitable access to these experiences and to determine …

Examining Systems To Improve Third Grade Literacy: Focus On Schools With High Poverty Index, Brenda Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

This improvement project was designed to ensure students enrolled in elementary schools with a high poverty index received literacy instructional strategies that promoted literacy achievement. When analyzing Graham County School data, I noticed third-grade students attending high poverty elementary schools were not achieving literacy success at the same rate as third-grade students attending low poverty elementary schools. An improvement team, consisting of myself, administration, and teachers at a high poverty elementary school implemented the improvement science framework to further study the root causes of this problem. Utilizing the six principles of the improvement science framework, problem focused and user centered, …

Improving Equity In Communication: Building Collaborative Partnerships Between Teachers And Spoken Language Interpreters, Angela J. Rush

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s increasingly diverse educational landscape, equitable communication is essential for fostering meaningful parent engagement and ensuring all students have an equal opportunity for a comprehensive education. However, language barriers can pose significant challenges for English Learner/Emergent Bilingual students and parents in the educational context. This improvement study underscores the crucial need for educational systems to address language barriers through targeted support mechanisms, such as quality language access services. The study draws upon the principles of improvement science to design, implement, and examine the transformative potential of a professional development program to enhance collaboration between teachers and interpreters and inform …

Continuous Improvement Of Schools: Providing Opportunities For 3rd Grade Growth Through Pdsa Cycles In Professional Learning Communities, Jason Koepke

Theses and Dissertations

When observing and consistently hearing about the obstacles that our current public educational system is facing, many are left wondering what can be done to produce genuine, significant, and continuous improvement. Upon deeper analysis of educational systems, one can see that there are many areas in need of systems improvement. SOAR School is a Pre-K-5 school that has experienced underperforming student achievement outcomes. This study was a collaborative approach to the current educational system. SOAR School used the data from universal screeners and progress monitoring assessments to drive the professional learning communities within the school. SOAR School had never experienced …

Mindfulness And Perceived Stress Among English Language Students In Uzbekistan, Laurie A. Wolfe, Rakhmatullo Akhmedov

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

The current study investigated the effective of mindfulness training versus study skills training on perceived stress among Uzbek English language students. The researchers conducted a quasi-experimental study using a convenience sample of sixty 2^nd year students studying English as a foreign language at a large public university in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. One group of students (n = 30) received mindfulness training while the other group served as an active control group (n = 30) and received study skills training. Both groups received 20-minute training in their English classes, four days a week, for 4-weeks. All participants completed pre- …

Examining Parental Engagement In Early Intervention, Part C Special Education, Through The Parents’ Perception, Zach Selnes

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This study, employing a qualitative research approach within an interpretivist paradigm, aimed to explore the diverse experiences of parental engagement among 25 families with children receiving early intervention (i.e., Part C special education services) in a rural southeast MN educational district. While there has been a plethora of research on parental engagement, that research is often limited to how teachers perceive parental engagement or interactions in school activities or curriculum (Ansari & Markowitz, 2021; Gross et al., 2020; Hackworth et al., 2018). When parents actively, and intentionally, engage with their child outside of intervention services, it significantly enhances the child's …

Exploring School Of Education Faculty Emotion, Attitudes, And Experiences Related To Student Mental Health, Jesse Mossholder

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Student mental health concerns among adolescents and young adults are continuing to rise (Reis et al., 2023, Ashoorian, 2018; Burns et al., 2017; Davies et al., 2016). The purpose of the present study was to explore teacher preparation faculty perceptions of student mental health concerns. The author adapted Stine Ekorne’s (2016) Perceived Competence Scale to score each participant's perceived competence, responsibility, and emotions related to addressing student mental health concerns. The 27-item Qualtrics questionnaire was distributed to faculty and academic staff in the School of Education at a midwestern public university. Participants were recruited through email. Participants included tenured and …

Restructuring Power Dynamics Within A Classroom: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Kristen Carlson, Davidson Blanchard

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Shifting away from direct instruction, constructivist learning design allows for a learning experience that engages all participants in co-constructed learning. Restructuring the power dynamics in the classroom makes the learning environment more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. This study explores the perceptions of teacher education graduate students around constructivism and power dynamics. Participants completed pre- and post- course interview sharing experiences with power dynamics and learning environments from student and teacher perspectives.

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Public Policy And Their Impact On Teacher Retention, Carl Bryan

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

Fewer issues have received more attention by education researchers than understanding the global teacher shortage, especially in public schools. Concurrent with this issue is the concern that the rate of teacher hires is insufficient to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse body of students. Further, while the research on job satisfaction, specifically in understanding their impact on teacher retention, is multifaceted, causal data underlying these approaches have been limited. This research gains significance in light of policymakers’ increasing calls for restructuring the way schools do business to effectively meet the diverse needs of students, often in spite of already-limited …

Crisis Leadership: Minnesota School Superintendents' Experiences Of Disruptive Times And Schools' Recovery In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Jennifer Leadbetter

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

School superintendents face the task of effectively leading their school districts while performing a multitude of roles and responsibilities. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which became prominent in late 2019 and early 2020, the roles and responsibilities for Minnesota school superintendents compounded. During the literature review period, limited information was found that school superintendents in Minnesota experience role ambiguity, stress, and burnout. The purpose of this study was to understand the shared experiences and the transformational leadership of Minnesota school superintendents during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative ethnography included the individual interviews of administrators who held at least 5 …

Um Autoestudo Do Uso De Inteligência Artificial Generativa Para Apoiar As Tarefas Dos Líderes Escolares, Henrick Oprea

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

O uso de ferramentas como o ChatGPT e outros Large Language Models (LLM) tem se mostrado um desafio no mundo da educação. Enquanto os professores estavam inicialmente preocupados com a possibilidade de trapaça e como impedir que os alunos usassem as ferramentas, que ocupavam a maior parte do tempo gasto nas escolas ao discutir essas questões, agora está claro que a Inteligência Artificial Generativa (IA) faz parte do mundo em muitas áreas diferentes. Muito se discutiu nos 2 anos em que essa ferramenta se tornou disponível para educadores, mas muito pouco se discutiu sobre como essas ferramentas podem auxiliar o …

White Paper: Embracing Responsible Use Of Chatgpt In Education, Monica J. Weir

The Interactive Journal of Global Leadership and Learning

This white paper presents challenges and opportunities for integration of ChatGPT, an artificial general intelligence (AGI) model developed by Open AI, in education. Drawing parallels to prior technological innovations in education including handheld calculators, the author asserts that the primary solution lies in guiding students to develop skills for responsible use of available resources. While debates surrounding the use of ChatGPT and plagiarism, misinformation, and ethics are valid, this paper stresses the importance for open conversations and growth mindset. The proposed solution includes a responsible use policy for ChatGPT in the classroom, which emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, continuous feedback, ethical …