Educational Leadership Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Of Principals’ Perceptions Of Instructional Leadership In The Context Of Mandated Teacher Evaluation, Gabrielle P. Delatte

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The literature on instructional leadership includes the practices in which principals can engage (Stein & Nelson, 2003) and discusses how the principal’s leadership practices can be mediated by the teacher observation tool within the teacher evaluation system (Spillane, Halverson, & Diamond, 2001). However, the literature includes less about how and why leaders enact those instructional leadership practices (Spillane et al., 2001; Spillane, 2006) and how the teacher evaluation tool might or might not be influencing that how and why. The purpose of this qualitative study is to produce a description of how principals perceive the instructional leadership they provide teachers …

Charter School Leaders’ Perceptions Of School Autonomy, Sharon L. Latten-Clark

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study explored school leaders and how they perceive and use autonomy to operate a school. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to better understand the lived experiences of school leaders and how they perceive and use their autonomy while operating a charter school in New Orleans, Louisiana. There is relatively little documentation on the perceptions of how school leaders feel they use and balance their autonomy when operating a charter school. This study builds upon the current and past research which regards principal autonomy as a driver of the success of charter schools and school quality. …

Students As Fellows And Mentors: Strategies For Success, Isory Santana

Publications and Research

This project focuses on the role of student fellows as mentors in the classroom. It uses a questionnaire as a data-gathering tool to find out more about the students that participate in mentoring programs. Mentors and fellows can offer advice, inspiration, emotional support, and role modeling in addition to information about their own career paths. According to Facilitating Long-Term Mentoring to Effectively Implement Active Learning Instruction (Moore & Naganathan, 2020) and based on my survey results, the benefits of mentorship include improved reasoning, risk-taking, self-esteem, professional development and enrichment, dedication, and growth. The most likely participants in that research are …

Academic Achievement And Degree Attainment Among College Students With Children., Katrina Elliott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS) (National Center for Education Statistics, n.d.) from 2012 to 2017 acquired by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) survey program, this study addresses the research questions of whether there is a difference in degree attainment of earning a bachelor’s degree in the time period from 2012 through 2017 and whether there is a difference in academic achievement as defined by students’ grade point average between students who have dependent children and those who do not have dependent children between the ages 18 to 29 attending a four-year institution after …

Mission Possible: Collaborative Practice Promoting Student Success, Danita Smith

Dissertations

Educators working with underserved populations of students seek strategies that promote student engagement and success. Relationship-focused, collaborative practices can provide a framework to promote student success. In this study, I evaluated the program Individualized Student Success Plans used in five charter high schools whose focus was working with underserved students. I surveyed and interviewed administrators, teachers, and support personnel about the implementation practices of the program. This research study yielded recommendations for the effective implementation of a schoolwide initiative to promote active student engagement through positive adult-to-student mentorship.

Special Education Teachers’ Self-Efficacy During The Times Of A Global Pandemic, Vanessa G. Leal

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative dissertation aims to describe and compare the perception of special education teachers' self-efficacy amid the COVID-19 pandemic using the practice of distance and their self-efficacy pre-pandemic using face-to-face instruction and describe the perceived valuable supports teachers received from educational leaders during the pandemic and considered valuable. The study population includes special education teachers teaching in inclusive settings before and during the pandemic in grades 6–12 in districts located in South Texas. The current study's data was analyzed using a two-way factorial analysis of variance, with both factors including repeated measures within subjects (2 x 3). A descriptive statistical …

Student Success At One Borderlands Hispanic-Serving Institution, Neda Goerlitz Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the perceptions of student success of campus leaders at one Borderlands Hispanic-Serving Institution. The study incorporated 4 interviews, 9 observations, analysis of 23 documents as well as additional research to answer the research questions. The three themes emerged from the study were: (1) encouraging and empowering students to succeed, (2) removing barriers to student success, and (3) serving by default. Recommendations for educational leaders included serving by design, setting high expectations, getting to know students, encouraging and empowering students, and removing barriers to student success. Additionally, the findings of this study suggest that studying student success, investigating …

Physician Quality Scores And The Presentation And Delivery Method Of Data In A Residency Program, Monaco Briggs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States health care expenditures are higher than any other developed country. Due to this, physician payment reform is moving from fee-for-service (FFS) to a value-based model, with a focus on prevention and quality. The purpose of this quantitative study was to measure the effect of a series of data delivery interventions associated with the quality scorecards and which method increased the quality scores at a medical teaching practice in Tennessee.

Data were gathered via the Physician Quality Scorecard, an internally developed instrument. Each quarter, a different data delivery intervention was performed, and scorecard data were analyzed …

The Lived Experiences Of Students Who Are Single Parents And Attending Community College: A Phenomenological Study, Debbie Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used phenomenological research methods to explore the lived experiences of single parents attending community college. The phenomenological research design was used to better understand participant experiences by examining the participant’s view of their situation. Thirteen single-parent students in community colleges in the United States were selected using purposeful sampling techniques. The participants included ten female participants and three male participants. Of these participants, nine students attended full-time, and four attended part-time. Each student participated in one-on-one interviews using Zoom technology.

The participants provided their perceptions of their experiences as single parents attending community college. These participants described …

A Phenomenological Study Of Tenure-Track Faculty Serving In Dual Roles As Administrators, Keri L. Carter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative, phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of tenure-track faculty serving in dual roles as administrators at Carnegie classified R2 and R3 higher education institutions within the United States. Fourteen participants completed one-on-one, semi-structured interviews about their lived experiences as tenure-track faculty members serving in dual roles. Participants discussed rewards and motivations as well as challenges. Additionally, participants discussed perceptions of their academic identities. Key themes emerged during data analysis. Rewards and motivations included the following: Community change agent and student advocate, a “seat at the table,” collegiality, flexibility, confidence from prior experience and clear tenure procedures, and job …

Perceptions Of Middle School Teachers Regarding Differentiation Instruction, Karen Mclerran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of middle school teachers regarding differentiation of instruction for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Although there has been little documentation in the literature regarding instructional differentiation five factors that facilitate change have been identified in the framework.

Data collection strategies included one-on-one semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) transcribing interviews, (b) member checking of the transcripts, (c) coding-recoding of the data. The analysis of data was based on the theoretical proposition that student achievement, positive behaviors, and increased learner motivation fosters …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Professional Development And Pedagogical Practice: A Study Of A Kentucky Suburban School District., Rachelle Bramlage-Schomburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Professional development supports teacher growth and enhances pedagogical practice. Teachers in Kentucky must complete annual professional development hours and districts must develop a professional development plan tied to research that supports high-quality professional development. This qualitative case study takes place in a rural district, Bullitt County, where I investigated the teachers’ perception of a customized professional development, Thinking Focus Cohort (TFC), and its impact on their pedagogical practice. While a body of research exists on high quality professional development, there is a lack of research on the effectiveness of it, in particular a year-long cohort model with curriculum centered around …

Increasing Classroom Teachers' Use Of Linguistically Responsive Strategies To Support English Language Learners: A Mixed-Methods Study, Christie Shealy

All Dissertations

With the dawn of the new decade, English Language Learner (ELL) populations began to grow in states without structures and professional learning to equip teachers to face the changing demographic of the classroom. In response to the growth of the knowledge gap between classroom teachers in South Carolina and their diverse classrooms, I conducted a study based on improvement science principles. As a long-standing ELL program coordinator, I experienced the need to increase linguistic responsiveness in classroom teachers on a daily basis. The application of the plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle utilized mixed methodology to gather data to increase classroom teachers’ use …

Investigating The Effect Of Perceived Social Support And Professional Support On The Ability To Persist As A Building Administrator In Arkansas, Jill Annette Larosa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Across the United States, our K-12 public schools have very low levels of principals persisting in their jobs. The national average for principal tenure is four years, and one out of every five principals in poverty districts leaves after one year (Levin et al., 2019). The tenure average of four years is a devastating statistic because, according to an investigation commissioned by the Wallace Foundation (Leithwood et al., 2011), it takes an average of five years with a new administrator for a school’s performance to rebound to the level of achievement that existed before the administration change. At the current …

K-5 Elementary Alternative Program: A Case Study, William E. Scheuer Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to examine how the K-5 elementary alternative program All Students Can Thrive (ASCT) used student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. There is a lack of research on K-5 elementary alternative programs, such as ASCT, and specifically those that integrate student-centered learning practices to influence the whole child. Literature does not contain universally accepted interventions that are effective in the elementary alternative setting to help students return to the mainstream classroom setting better prepared to display appropriate behaviors when a student is removed from a mainstream classroom setting due to disruptive behaviors. …

Navigating Through A Pandemic (The Unknown): The Effects Of Synchronous Learning For Online And In Person Students On Achievement Scores In Reading And Math In A Private Catholic School In South Texas, Israel Martinez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

In the Spring of 2020, a wide world pandemic, specifically COVID-19, slammed the door on what we defined as normal life. COVID-19 and its associated pandemic exposed more explicitly great inequities such as access to devices, platforms, and/or places to do schoolwork outside schools in education systems (Fullan, 2020). It also interrupted international travel, it devastated economic growth, and it disrupted schooling globally (Harris & Jones, 2020). In the Summer of 2020, a Catholic school in South Texas set a plan in place to provide a 100% synchronous way of learning for students in elementary grades 1 through 8 to …

Developing And Advancing The Listening Lift Program To Improve How Leaders Listen As A Means To Communicate More Effectively, Jeremy Spielman

All Dissertations

In this study, I examined the cognitive improvement process associated with advancing the skills and behaviors of active listening. Through the utilization of the improvement science dissertation in practice (ISDiP), with a strategize, implement, analyze, and reflect (SIAR Cycle) theory of improvement, I developed and utilized an active listening modification tool to better understand and support 10 executive educators’ willingness to improve communication, build trusting relationships, and share perception of power in conversations. The proposed improvement action tool centered around four simple and direct strategies to change how executives engage as listeners. The Listening LIFT, (L) refers to Limit distractions, …

The Effects Of The Avid Program On Rural Student Growth In Middle Grades Mathematics, James Allen

All Dissertations

From this mixed method study, I present my findings on the effects of selected aspects of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program on rural middle school students’ mathematics achievement. Previous research on the AVID program has focused on implementation in urban schools, although rural communities’ student populations continue to grow.

Most research on AVID’s success in urban settings show positive correlations between how long students participate in the AVID program and their college readiness. Other research about predictors of college success shows students who do not enroll in advanced level mathematics courses in middle school are less likely to …

Exploring The Interpersonal, Leadership, And Organizational Factors Related To The Burnout Of Bilingual, Latinx Professional School Counselors [Explorando Los Factores Interpersonales, De Liderazgo Y Organizacionales Relacionados Con El Agotamiento De Los Consejeros Escolares Profesionales Bilingües Y Latine], Crystal Marie Prado

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between interpersonal competencies, educational leadership styles of campus principals, organizational practices, and the burnout of professional school counselors (PSCs). A mixed-methods research design was utilized to examine the correlation between identified predictor variables and the level of burnout as measured by the five dimensions of the Counselor Burnout Inventory (CBI; Lee et al., 2007), the three subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory: Educators Survey (MBI-ES, Maslach et al., 1986), and personal narratives documenting the participating PSC's most significant professional experiences. The investigation included 100 bilingual, Latinx PSCs from four urban/suburban school districts of border towns …

The Impact Of Selected Variables On Persistence And Progression Of First-Year Students At A Historically Black College And University., Syreeta Yvette Landy-Blacklock

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship and predictability of demographic factors, and academic factors on the persistence and progression rates among first-year, full-time, four-year degree seeking students at a Historically Black College and University. Specifically, this study focused on the predictive power of demographic factors (gender, ethnicity, and SES), and academic factors (high school GPA and the number of hours passed) on the persistence and progression rates among first-year, full-time, four-year degree seeking students attending a Historically Black College and University. A correlational research design was employed in the study. Data was provided by the Office …

The Nationwide Teacher Shortage: Factors Influencing Educators To Leave The Profession, Abby Keegan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone research examines the nationwide teacher shortage, which has been apparent in America since the early 1960’s. However, this crisis did not begin to reach such levels of severity until recent years. There are currently thousands of vacancies in the teaching profession nationwide; not a single school across the nation is able to fill all the gaps. Research reveals that factors such as low salary, maltreatment from administrators, students, and parents, classroom safety concerns, a lack of teacher autonomy, and an overall societal disrespect for the profession can be to blame for this high resignation period. As these …

Values And Power As Levers To Influence Accountability Policy In Virginia: A Case Study, Angela M. Rhett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The education landscape has been inundated in recent decades with a plethora of accountability measures. New mandates and processes are conceived at the hands of policymakers, and concepts such as power and values are at the core of accountability changes. The purpose of this research study was to uncover the web of unwritten structures and systems in place that influence the educational accountability policy process using complexity theory as the guiding theoretical framework (Shoup & Studer, 2010). Complexity theory dispels the notion of simplistic cause and effect relationships as predictors for accountability trends, and, instead, posits the multiplicity of factors …

2022-12-01 Faculty Senate Newsletter, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate newsletter from December 1, 2022.

2022-12-01 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from December 1, 2022.

The Lived Experiences Of Students In A Summer Bridge Ninth Grade Transition Program: A Phenomenological Case Study, Ricardo C. Randall

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of students in one summer bridge program as they transitioned to high school. Every year, eighth grade middle school students go through the process of making the transition from middle school to high school. For many students, the transition to high school is the most difficult of all transitions. In order to assist students to successfully transition to high school, many school districts in our nation have implemented Middle School to High School Summer Bridge Programs to augment academic achievement and strengthen the essential skills needed for the preparation …

Professional Development For K-6 Teachers, Rebecca S. Monroe

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

For over a century, educators and politicians have been working on educational reform for various reasons and with the hope of a plethora of outcomes. Since at least the late twentieth century, educational reform has been undertaken for the purpose of increasing students’ academic achievement. While a shift in focus of teaching to a focus on learning has occurred, we know changes in the classroom and with classroom teaching still needs to occur. One recent incarnation of reform has been focused on the teacher and the professional development they receive.

Currently, the United States spends over 18 billion dollars annually …

Easing The Middle To High School Transition: An Evaluation Of The Gold Program, Leilani Shive

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Some effective components of effective transition programs include using a freshman academy or school-within-a-school model, teacher and peer mentoring and summer bridge programs. This study analyzed the effectiveness of the Gold Program, a middle to high school transition program for at-risk youth in a large urban high school in the southwestern United States. This program incorporated those components in addition to several others, such as: parent involvement, career and technical education, blended learning, behavior interventions, and Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC). Individual components of the Gold Program were chosen to meet the four S’s of Schlossberg’s transition …

Influence Of Restorative Practices On The Middle-School Classroom, As Reported By Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study, Julia Y. Andrews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions of the influence that restorative practices have on the middle school classroom environment. For the purpose of this study, seven middle school teachers were selected who have implemented restorative practices in their middle school classrooms to provide feedback. Findings suggest that overall restorative practices have a positive influence on the classroom. The findings from this study can be used with teachers, administrators, counselors, parents, and school and district support staff to help create a positive campus culture between students and adults in middle school classrooms. The …

Understanding The Role Of Faculty Advising In Graduate Allied Healthcare Profession Programs As Practitioners Transition To Professor, Lillie Marie Barnett Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Individuals in allied healthcare professions continue to see growth in all areas, including clinical practice and higher education. Leaders at the university level, alongside leadership within allied healthcare accreditation bodies for disciplines like athletic training, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology, maintain the need to grow the professions through master’s and doctoral degree programs. With the growth, many working practitioners move from clinical practice to academia with little to no experience or understanding of higher education and all the responsibilities of the job. This quantitative research study used a purposive sampling of allied healthcare professionals across the United States …

Addressing The Teacher Shortage: A Study Of Local School Human Resource Efforts In Illinois, Sean C. Potts

Dissertations

Shortages of highly qualified teachers may be one of the greatest challenges school districts face today. This study is an exploration of how eight school districts in Illinois, ranging from rural to suburban and encompassing elementary, high school, and unit organizations, experienced the effects of a teacher shortage in 2021. The three primary research questions of this study included: (1) To what degree were local districts feeling the impact of the teacher shortage in Illinois, and how did those shortages manifest themselves?; (2) What factors did local human resource directors believe to be contributing most to any obstacles they may …