Educational Leadership Commons^™

The Effects Of Race And Gender On The Satisfaction Levels Of Entering And Advanced Level Doctoral Students, Tiffany Nicole Labon

Dissertations

Doctoral education is an aspect of higher education that can be both rewarding and challenging for anyone who attempts the journey. Thelin (2004) stated many graduate students obtain the necessary skills that their individual fields of study require in their master’s and doctoral programs of study. Levine (2005), however, has found that the levels of satisfaction between what students expect and what they receive are at odds at many colleges and universities around the country. Thus, the need to assess graduate programs and services regarding satisfaction is warranted.

The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship of overall …

Teacher Perception Of School Culture And School Climate In The Leader In Me Schools And Non Leader In Me Schools, Brian Patrick Barkley

Dissertations

In 1989 Dr. Stephen Covey wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which revealed seven habits that people should integrate into their lives that would help them on the two levels of relationships. First, it would help people to establish a better relationship personally. Secondly, it would help people to improve their relationships with other people. The book was originally written for adults; later Sean Covey, son of Dr. Covey, wrote a version of The Seven Habits that was geared toward teenagers. But the question of whether these adult lessons can be taught to five year olds was taken …

Teacher Attitudes Of Inclusion And Academic Performance Of Students With Disabilities, Jonathan Earl Sutton

Dissertations

Since the integration of the inclusion model, supported by the IDEA (1997), within public schools, teacher resistance and frustration has risen (Hardy, 1999). The climate of general education teachers’ classrooms furthermore, has not been the same (Liu & Meyer, 2005). Key elements ensuring success of inclusion and the implementation of inclusive education are the views, perspectives, and attitudes of the personnel who have the responsibility for implementing it; the teachers (Shade & Stewart, 2001). Avramidis and Norwich (2002) argued that successful implementation of any inclusive policy or programming is extremely dependent upon the educators being receptive and positive. Hines (2011) …

A Historical Snapshot On The Progression Of Educational And Social Opportunities For Mexican American Students In The San Benito Public School System, 1909-2009, Marco Antonio Lara, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigates the barriers Mexican American students encountered in educational and social opportunities within the San Benito Public School System from 1909 to 2009. This qualitative research study was organized chronologically by collecting information on the city, school district, and students who attended the San Benito Public School System. Personal and telephone interviews, as well as emailed questionnaires/surveys were used to gather firsthand information from former students, and current/former teachers, administrators, and board member of the district. A review of school board minutes, high school yearbooks, newspaper articles, books, and other related materials were also included for use in …

Efficacy Beliefs Of Beginning Hispanic Teachers And The Organizational Health Of Schools In A South Texas School District, Gisela S. Saenz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This quantitative study examined the relationship between teachers’ sense of efficacy and school organizational health. Teachers’ sense of efficacy was measured using three dimensions of teacher efficacy: efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies, and efficacy in classroom management. Organizational health was measured using dimensions of school health for elementary, middle, and high school including: academic emphasis, institutional integrity, collegial leadership, resource influence, teacher affiliation, morale, principal influence, resource support, consideration, and initiating structure. The sample consisted of 498 beginning Hispanic teachers with one to five years of teaching experience. The sample included, 255 elementary, 126 middle school, and …

An Analysis Of An Exemplary South Texas Charter School, Mario H. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Charter schools have emerged as a powerful force in American school reform. When first introduced in 1991, charter schools came with two distinct promises: to serve as an escape hatch for students in failing schools, and to create and incubate new educational practices. Through qualitative inquiry, this study examines a charter school’s best practices and how some of these practices can be applied or emulated in a traditional public school setting. The goal is not to replace traditional public school practices with charter school practices, but to emulate charter school practices that have shown to be successful. The Chief Executive …

The Effects Of Principal's Transformational Leadership Behaviors On Teacher Leadership Development And Teacher Self Efficacy, Socorro M. Espinoza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Leadership has been identified as an essential ingredient of educational reform aiming to ensure that every student gets the education they need to succeed in an era of high accountability. Transformational leadership in the educational context is conceptualized as a process of building commitment to meet the challenges faced by professionals in education everyday while empowering teachers to become leaders in the process of educating our children. The purpose of this study was to examine how much of the total variance of teacher leadership development and teacher efficacy can be accounted for or explained by their principal’s transformational leadership behaviors …

Everything Rises And Falls On Leadership: An Assessment Of Undergraduate Leadership Development Programs At The University Of Arkansas - Fayetteville, Louis Anthony Love

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Today's students are the leaders of tomorrow, and their ability to lead in the 21st century will be critical to the sustainability of life, and the nation's ability to prosper will depend on the quality of leadership demonstrated at all levels of society. Student leadership development in institutions of higher education has never been more vital than it is today. In order to provide society with excellent and effective leadership that will be capable of handling unprecedented domestic and global economic and medical crises, as well as properly managing technological advancements, institutions of higher education must invest in the development …

The Impact Of State Characteristics On College Graduation Rates At Land-Grant Institutions, Melissa Bridges

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As our nation's economy has become increasingly knowledge-based, an educated citizenry is paramount to maintaining a competitive edge in a global marketplace. Thus, college participation and completion have emerged as the gateway to survival and growth for individuals, states, and the nation, making college completion rates a top priority. Stakeholders have begun to equate graduation rates with institutional quality and performance and often use such data to make judgments, create policies, and allocate funding. However, graduation rates are not fully understood and numerous scholars urge caution when interpreting and utilizing single outcome measures. The purpose of this cross-sectional ecological study …

The Leadership Role In Transitioning An Urban Secondary School From A Traditional Service Delivery Model To A Co-Teaching Service Delivery Model For Students With Disabilities: A Phenomenological Case Study, Ginni Elizabeth Mcdonald

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the leadership role in transitioning from a traditional service delivery model to a co-teaching service delivery model for students with disabilities. While there is an abundant amount of information on the service delivery model of co-teaching, sustaining co-teaching programs, and effective co-teaching programs for students with disabilities, the actual studies for the leadership role in transitioning to co-teaching are fewer. This phenomenological case study explores the leadership role in effectively transitioning an urban high school from a traditional service delivery of special education services to a larger continuum of services, specifically co-teaching for students with disabilities. Participants …

Principal And Teacher Beliefs About Leadership Implications For Student Performance, Jerri Cherita Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine whether the leadership style of principals affects teacher and student performance. The study includes an elementary, middle, and high school principal along with two teachers from each school who worked at schools that were in good standing from 2007-2011. Each school made adequate yearly progress (AYP) each year according to the No Child Left Behind Status History Report. This study examined one over arching research question: What do principals and teachers say about school and schooling? Data for this study was gathered through principal interviews, teacher interviews, and the results of an …

Alternative Education Completers: A Phenomenological Study, Becky Lynne Murray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Billy is a bright, wide-eyed, little boy with bounding enthusiasm and wonder as he enters the doors of school on his first day of kindergarten. When the school doors open in Billy's sixth grade year the wide eyes and bounding enthusiasm have diminished only to leave behind dread and dismay at the thought of confronting yet another abysmal nine months of failure. How can we, as educators, better serve the needs of at-risk students like Billy? Shouldn't we ask them? What elements of the alternative education experience were significant to successful completion of the alternative education program? The phenomenological paradigm …

The Perceived Influence Of Divergent Parent And Teacher Perceptions Of Student Abilities On Students And The Establishment Of Effective Family-School Partnerships, Kara Ann Lasater

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the essence of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge; of particular importance was the perceived influence of these divergent accounts on students and the establishment of effective family-school partnerships. This purpose was achieved through a qualitative investigation of parent, teacher, and student experiences when parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities diverge. Analysis of data collected from 10 in-depth interviews with students, parents, and teachers revealed five themes and one subtheme related to discrepant parent and teacher perceptions of student abilities. These themes …

Student Thoughts And Perceptions On Curriculum Reform, Douglas D. Vanderjagt

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how students experience and respond to Michigan’s increased graduation requirements. The study was conducted in a large, suburban high school that instituted a change to a trimester system in response to the state mandate. A criterion-based sample of 16 students, both college bound and non-college bound, participated in one-on-one interviews regarding their knowledge about, their understanding of, and their experience with the new Michigan Merit Curriculum, and how this increase impacted the student participants’ high school academic choices and/or postsecondary plans. Additionally, this study engaged focus groups of one or …

At A Crossroads: The Educational Leadership Professoriate In The 21st Century, Martha M. Mccarthy

Faculty Pub Night

No abstract provided.

The Experiences Of Young African American Women Principals, Tanya Roane

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was designed to gain an understanding of how young African American women principals experience the principalship. Three research questions were explored in this study: (a.) What are the pathways to the principalship for young African American women? (b.) How do African American women experience the principalship? (c.) What are the barriers that young African American women experience and what are their strategies for success? The researcher examined the day-to-day experiences faced by these women as they related to race, gender, and age challenges within the field of education. Using qualitative research with Black Feminist Standpoint …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Values, Sources Of The Values, And Its Influence On Student Personality Development: A Case Study From Pakistan, Sharifullah Baig, Zeenat Shah

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

This study explores the perceptions and level of awareness of teachers’ personal values and their influence on the valuation processes of their students in the specific social and cultural context of Pakistan. Within the qualitative paradigm, this study employed the deeplystructured, self-reflection process involving six teachers from three different school sites. The research participants highlighted the morality and ethics, role-modeling, affection and empathy, nation-building, and professional competency as their articulated values. Among these values, almost all of the participants regarded morality and ethics as the most prominent of the teachers. Alternatively, the more experienced teachers in this study were more …

Accessing The Inaccessible : Educational Development And Improvement Programme (Edip) An Extenstion Of The Diamir District Gilgit-Baltistan : A Case Study, Mola Dad Shafa, Haider Fancy

Professional Development Centre, Gilgit

No abstract provided.

Youth Development And Education In Pakistan : Exploring The Relationship, Dilshad Ashraf, Takbir Ali, Anya Hosain

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This paper provides a critical examination of the inter-linkages between youth education, development, empowerment, and engagement in Pakistan. Currently, the majority of the population falls within the youth age bracket of 15-24 years. The country stands at a critical juncture, where it can capitalize on this demographic dividend for transformational and sustainable socioeconomic growth. However, this paper argues that there is inadequate intersection and convergence between Pakistan’s national and provincial Education and Youth policy frameworks. An indepth overview of current trends in terms of quality of education and access to and participation in various forms of education programmes indicates that …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Personal/Professional Experiences And Training Of School Psychologists And Their Attitudes Toward The Education Of Gifted Students, Angela Louise Spaniolo-Depouw

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A resurgence of interest in gifted students and gifted education highlights the importance of examining attitudes of school psychologists related to the identification and programming for gifted students. This study explored the relationships between professional experiences, personal experiences, demographics, and previous training and the attitudes of school psychologists toward gifted students and gifted education.

A sample of 125 state-certified school psychologists in Michigan participated in a two-part, web-based survey, which provided descriptive data and measured attitudes toward gifted students and their education. Data were analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics.

Seven findings were notable in this study: …

Building A Culture Of Innovation: A Case Study In Digital Integration, Anthony H. Vonbank

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This case study dissertation examines the implementation of digital technology in a mid-sized public school district in southern Minnesota. The methodology involved unstructured interviews and close observation of several teachers, administrators and related staff in the junior-senior high building. These observations were presented in informative vignettes that help to tell the story of the culture of innovation in this school, as well as highlight some of the implementation strategies that aid this school and district in meeting its goal to meet all learners in a 21st century society. The study identifies common barriers such as staff resistance, funding, and technology …

A Case Study Of The Adoption And Implementation Of Positive Behavioral Interventions And Supports (Pbis) Tier 2 In Two Elementary Schools, Kathleen Emma Affigne

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study was designed to explore four primary research questions. Why do schools and districts adopt PBIS? Which stakeholders were included in the decision-making process to adopt PBIS? Do these adoption dynamics influence PBIS Tier 2 implementation? With PBIS Tier 2 implementation fidelity as a desirable outcome, what are the relevant facilitators, constraints, and obstacles?

Virtually Speaking: How Digital Storytelling Can Facilitate Organizational Learning, Matthew Millitello, Francisco Guajardo

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

Digital storytelling can be used as a tool in participatory action research. An organization developed to enhance teaching and learning in high schools used this method as a way to collect narratives from the rural community it served. The staff and students who participated in digital storytelling became researchers focused on the personal narrative. Digital storytelling was used to give voice to community members and also to explain policy initiatives that directly affected the community. Digital storytelling was a way for the organization to engage its members in a way that would benefit all stakeholders.

The Social Intelligence Of Principals: Links To Teachers' Continuous Improvement, Joan Mcquade

Educational Studies Dissertations

Despite multiple efforts to reform 21st education to better meet the needs of all students, school improvement successes have been sporadic and debatable. Research suggests that significant improvement lies within the purview of teachers and principals, and this current research provided the underpinnings for the study. Based on neuroscience research and the continuous improvement concept, I examined linkages between principals' social intelligence and teachers' continuous improvement. Using a mixed method sequential explanatory research approach, the study consisted of four phases that employed both quantitative and qualitative measures. Massachusetts' principals (127) and teachers (331) were contacted by email to participate in …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into Teachers' Perceptions Of Change, Theresa Gardner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify teachers' perceptions of how leadership styles and practices of administration can improve the process of broad-based change in an educational organization. The study focused on the lived experiences of 12 teachers and school administrators (coresearchers) during a major change in their school district. Guided interviews were utilized in order to understand the essence of their experiences. Results indicated the importance of communication during the process of change as it relates to perceptions of involvement, buy-in, self-worth, job satisfaction, and support and impact on instruction.

What Professional And Personal Strategies Do Successful Principals Possess To Cultivate A School Culture That Promotes Academic Success In A Blue Ribbon School, Carlos Lateetha Mckinney

Dissertations

Principals who are presiding over schools that have received a blue ribbon certification have evidently used specific professional and personal strategies, as well as behaviors, to enhance the academic and social culture of their schools. The current study examined Mississippi Gulf Coast Schools that received blue ribbon status in the last six years. A survey of administrators, teachers, and staff members was conducted.

The research confirmed that a correlation exists between personal and professional behaviors of the principals who have presided over Blue Ribbon Certified Schools and teacher morale. These principal behaviors are deemed instrumental in the building of a …

Administrators And Teachers' Perceptions Of Key Components Of The School Improvement Grant, Willis Anthony Smith

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to assess administrators and teachers’ perceptions of key components of the School Improvement Grant (SIG). This study explores whether or not administrators and teachers believe the SIG’s key components have a positive impact on school improvement.

The participants for this study were drawn exclusively from five of the eighteen SIG schools that received the School Improvement Grant in Mississippi. All of the teachers and administrators at each school were invited to participate in the study. A total of 97 educators participated in the study, 22 administrators and 75 teachers.

The findings from this research …

Influence Of Teacher Qualifications, Experience, Instructional Methods, And Professional Development On Student Achievement On The Mississippi Writing Assessment In Grades Four And Seven, Stacy Kihneman Garcia

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if teacher qualifications, experience, instructional methods, and professional development influenced student achievement on the Mississippi Writing Assessment in grades four and seven. The study was conducted in the three coastal counties of southern Mississippi. Participants were fourth or seventh grade teachers who taught in one of the eight school districts that were included in the study.

Participants were asked to provide information regarding their qualifications, amount of classroom experience, preferred instructional methods, and feelings on professional development. Also requested from each teacher was his/her classroom average on the Mississippi Writing Assessment from …

The Effectiveness Of A District-Wide Training Initiative On Determining Preparedness Of Educational Leaders In A Large, Southeastern Louisiana School System, Jeanne Bordelon Wagner

Dissertations

A nationwide shortage of qualified, experienced applicants to fill the roles of educational leaders has led to a hiring crisis among school districts across America. The diminishing pool of applicants, accompanied by a high turnover rate of practicing administrators and increasing accountability demands, has revealed the importance of recruitment and retention of educational leaders. As the roles of school administrators are constantly evolving and increasing in complexity, recruiting skillfully trained personnel proficient in all dimensions of school leadership is a catalyst for increasing student achievement and for reducing principal attrition rates. The purpose of this research was to reveal perceived …

An Examination Of Mississippi Public School Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of Their Professional Development Experiences In Raising Student Achievement, Daniel Martin Rushing

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the elements needed to produce a high quality professional development program for teachers. The researcher sought to determine possible factors that had a significant relationship to Mississippi public school teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their professional development experiences in raising student achievement. Furthermore, the researcher wanted to identify possible inequities with professional development opportunities for teachers in Mississippi. It is the hope of the researcher to highlight the characteristics of effective professional learning defined by research that would kindle a desire in classroom teachers to advance their skill levels …