Educational Leadership Commons^™

Readiness, Response, And Recovery: The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Education Systems In Asia, Anna Dabrowski, Yung Nietschke, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Amy Berry, Maya Conway

Monitoring Learning

This review provides insights into COVID-19 responses in educational systems in Asia, and to understand which policies and practices were already in place to contribute to system readiness and resilience. Although the evidence base remains scarce, reflecting on the different system and school-level responses in Asia provides opportunity to identify gaps in current policies and research, and consider new ways in which countries in Asia can strengthen their educational systems into the future. It considers what makes an education system resilient, and the importance of school level practices. It uses an analytical framework to review readiness, response and recovery, and …

How Principal Characteristics Including Experience, Leadership Style, Philosophy, And Education Influence Science Achievement, Patricia Lirio

Dissertations

The purpose of this evaluation was to analyze the leadership characteristics of principals and determine how the characteristics influenced science achievement. The context of this inquiry was a school system in the southern United States where 55% of elementary students scored below grade level on the end-of-grade science assessment compared to the state average of 36%. I conducted a mixed-method study using extant science achievement data, science teacher survey data, principal survey data, and principal interview data. The survey and interview data demonstrated a disconnect between teachers’ perceptions and principals’ perceptions of science leadership provided by principals. I recommended a …

Let ‘Em Talk: An Exploration Of And Challenge To The White Supremacy And Colonization Of Black And Brown Girls In United States Public Schools, Keara Small

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The United States Department of Education’s mission statement is described as evolving to “Promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” A key piece of this statement is educational excellence and equality. The pathway to educational excellence and preparation is founded on public school students growing aware of their culture, identity, and history. My objective in this research is to discuss educators’ perceptions and misconceptions about Black and Brown children — especially Brown and Black girls—who attend public schools across the United States. Present-day research regarding school discipline policies and the “policing” …

The Impact Of Formal Teacher-Led Instructional Coaching, Mohammed Farraj

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of teacher leadership through instructional coaching. This study was designed to find the appropriate structures that promote teacher leadership with a specific focus on using a distributed leadership model of school leadership that develops and promotes teacher-led instructional coaching. This will enable school leaders to create a shared vision and outline steps to formally add teacher leadership roles in their school organizations. In addition, it will allow for a more streamlined organizational process, leading to a more effective and efficient leadership.

Two school districts outside of Chicago were used to …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of School Administrators On Fostering Relational Trust With Teachers In Texas Urban Charter Schools, Meesha-Gay Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accountability has placed immense pressure on principals leading K-12 public charter schools to increase standards for success. Overwhelmingly, principals accept the charge to produce promising results every day, despite the public scrutiny principals may ensue for not meeting the state’s standard of excellence. Principals are expected to drive high academic standards, initiate instructional vision, interact with parents, oversee policy mandates, address students’ needs, and foster relationships with teachers. The daily demands requiring principals’ attention stimulate stress and may cause principals to wrestle with prioritizing trusted relationships. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to understand how principals foster relational …

A Qualitative Study Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Teachers Of Color In Predominately White K–12 Environments, Torine S. Champion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the lived experiences of teachers of color and identify commonalities within the lived experiences of teachers of color employed in predominately White K–12 schools. This study utilized interpretive phenomenological analysis as viewed through the White racial frame lens. There were 15 participants that were included in this research study. Participants were teachers of color with at least 5 years of teaching experience in predominately White K–12 environments. Data collection procedures included confidential virtual, semistructured interviews that included specific information the researcher wanted to explore. Six themes were revealed: (a) cultural advocacy, …

2022-09-01 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from September 1, 2022.

Trust In Academia: How Chief Academic Officers Build And Maintain Faculty Trust, Marc A. Smithers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the role of academic leadership has grown more complex, particularly as leaders are increasingly tasked with leading educational innovation initiatives, building faculty trust has become an essential task for chief academic officers (CAOs). Due to the general lack of research into this role, though, little is known about how they understand and approach building faculty trust. The purpose of this qualitative, single, holistic case study was to understand how executive academic administrators at private colleges approach building and maintaining trust with their faculty in general and also through educational innovation and what specific challenges they have identified in these …

The Confidence Gap: How The Self-Esteem Of Middle School Females Affects Their Leadership Self-Efficacy, Amanda F. Bitner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though studies suggest social-emotional learning (SEL) programs have a positive impact on youth development, the focus, implementation, and consensus on SEL programs vary. These programs largely overlook adolescent self-esteem, which is at its lowest during the formative middle school years and twice as likely to be lower among females than males. This study attempted to understand whether SEL education impacts middle school females' self-esteem and leadership and whether their self-esteem and leadership self-efficacy correlate. Key research questions explored middle school females’ self-perception of their self-esteem and leadership self-efficacy levels. This quantitative descriptive study aimed to examine whether there was a …

Designing Learning Spaces For Hispanic And Latino/A Knowledge To Emerge In Doctor Of Education Programs, Edward Cromarty, Simone Elias, Oksana Karapetian

Journal of Research Initiatives

Shifts in demographic and cultural change in American society, particularly the growth of the Hispanic and Latino/a population, have shed light on inequalities in education and revealed institutional barriers to Hispanic learning in doctoral education programs. This best practice paper contextualizes Hispanic and Latino/a Learners (HLL) within scholar-practitioner programs, specifically in Doctor of Education programs. It historically addresses potential factors that may impact this population within that context based on the scholarly literature, history, and practice. Most importantly, it sets the tone for designing positive inclusive spaces and improving conditions for HLL knowledge to emerge in Doctor of Education programs.

Practical Leadership In Implementing Online Education Programs, Felix O. Quayson, Christopher Zirkle

Journal of Research Initiatives

The growing presence of online education can become a challenge for academic leaders and institutions to lead, manage, and explore in higher education. Online education can be complex when considering the social presence (Keast, 2022; Quayson, 2022), course development (Martin et al., 2019; Orlando, 2019), and economic outcomes (Burnett & Conley, 2013; Rubin, 2013; Seaman et al., 2019). However, unraveling the fundamentals of practical leadership can help educational leaders to facilitate, maintain, and implement online education programs. The study found published research studies that helped us to extricate the fundamentals of practical leadership in implementing online education programs in the …

The Leaderbuild Theory., Fabio Galli, Karl J. New

Journal of Research Initiatives

In the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational and academic activities have undergone numerous changes; the number of online educational activities, e-Learning, and blended learning have radically increased, and the need to train personnel quickly and with increasing specialist skills has increased. The inclusion of the ‘Leaderbuild’ and ‘Leaderfit’ concept thus becomes one of the factors useful to prepare professionals specialized in every field, ready to lead in every modern environment and need, with structured leadership.

Developing A K-12 School Leadership Plan, Marian E. Truehill

Journal of Research Initiatives

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to develop a K-12 School Leadership plan for public, private, and parochial educational institutions. The K-12 School Leadership plan will help principals, teachers, staff and students focus on how to accurately operate a successful school culture, climate, and improve academic performance at their educational institutions. I used a pseudonym JFK for the high school examined in this paper. Themes represented in this paper will include assessment of ineffective leadership style, assessment of school culture, climate and performance, school improvement areas, explanation of leadership style, most effective style to improve school performance, research-based leadership …

Best Practices For K-12 District Level Leaders, Carolyn D. Manning-Washington

Journal of Research Initiatives

In an ever-evolving time of technology in our society and, more specifically, in our schools, the need for school leaders to equip themselves as technology leaders of the 21st century has approached. While the role of the school principal has included the need for sound instructional strategies and keen managerial styles, this role is changing quickly due to the increased access to information communication technology. Principals are finding themselves strapped with cell phones, ipads, laptops, and other technology tools to meet the ever-demanding needs of the principalship role. Therefore, school district leaders would be wise to investigate and evaluate the …

Trauma-Informed Practices For Test-Taking Anxiety At The Elementary Grade Level, Kate Campbell, Shalini Mathew

Journal of Research Initiatives

Test -Taking Anxiety (TTA) is a challenging experience for children of all ages. Childhood exposure to trauma and adverse experience has been increasing. Fortunately, trauma-informed practices, such as mindfulness activities have become more widespread in schools throughout the last few years. Existing school counseling literature offers limited perspectives on how school counselors can support elementary students for TTA. This conceptual article explores the effects of trauma-informed practices on elementary-age students' test anxiety and overall academic success in schools and offers implications for practice.

An Intersectional Community Resilience Approach To Understanding Climate Vulnerabilities In Lynchburg, Virginia, Tracy Mallard

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This study uses an intersectional and justice lens to analyze how economic, institutional, social, cultural, and natural factors influence resilience in historically marginalized communities. It builds on the work of previous studies that have employed a five-dimension conceptual framework of resilience at the community level by focusing the model on the factors that enable or prevent resilience to extreme heat in communities. The focus community is the City of Lynchburg, Virginia. The researcher observed groups of community organizers in the process of setting an environmental justice and sustainability agenda, who prioritized determining how to engage residents in the decision-making process …

Supporting A Statewide Policy Consideration: Virtual Advancing Educational Leadership Training, Hamada Elfarargy, Beverly J. Irby, Nahed Abdelrahman, Gwendolyn Carol Webb, Angela Abney, Susan Holley, Elsa Villarreal, Carl Fahrenwald

Faculty Publications

COVID-19 pandemic was and continues to be a shock and a challenge to the entire world. This health and safety challenge found its way into the world of higher education, even in programs that were already delivered in online environments. In this study, we examined the perceptions of 79 developing principals enrolled in a Master of Education Degree program in Educational Administration at Texas A&M University in the United States as they processed the efficacy of a virtual professional development (VPD) leadership for a state certificate in Advancing Educational Leadership (AEL). The state agency has required AEL as a 3-day …

Reading Through The Pause: How Superintendents Viewed Literacy For Middle Grade Learners During The Pandemic, Dana Evans, Paige Paquette, Dionne Rosser-Mims, Terry Oatts, Brenda Coley

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This paper highlights the voices of two superintendents' lived experiences guiding teachers, parents, and students in their districts during the pandemic shutdown. The emphasis of literacy education showcases the ways in which middle grades learners were able to continue discursive practices through online platforms to share and engage with texts. This reflective piece describes the process of perseverance in literacy education through the pandemic pause.

The Spiritual And Emotional Dynamics Of Pastoral Transitions: A Phenomenological Study, Carl Michael Mclaughlin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the central phenomenon of how the spiritual and emotional dynamics of outgoing and incoming pastoral leadership impacted the pastoral transition and to discover common patterns in successful transitions. The central question addressed in this phenomenological research was, “How do pastoral teams consisting of the outgoing pastor and spouse and the incoming pastor and spouse process the spiritual and emotional dynamics of a pastoral transition?” The church is described as a family (Eph 3:15) with spiritual and emotional needs. The pastor should possess personal competence and social competence to lead the …

A Case Study Of Audio Video Technology And Film Teachers’ Preparedness, Brian Ronald Holt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide a deeper understanding of audio video technology and film (AVTF) teachers’ preparedness to teach this curriculum in the state of Georgia. Their preparedness will generally be defined as the degree of formal training, or lack thereof, for teaching the AVTF curriculum in Georgia public schools. The research questions were as follows: Central Question: To what degree are current AVTF teachers’ formal training experiences sufficient in teaching a CTE course offering? Sub-Question 1: What are AVTF teachers’ training experiences? Sub-Question 2: What research-based teaching strategies are employed by AVTF teachers? Sub-Question …

Leadership Competencies For Christian Directors At International Schools In Saudi Arabia, Ayanna Saran Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As Christian leaders expand their influence into the Middle East, it is important for both leaders and institutions to know what competencies are essential for these leaders. Educational leadership in Saudi Arabia is under reformation as expats and nationals work in collaboration to lead international schools towards Vision 2030. To compile a list of essential competencies, this exploratory qualitative research explored which skills, behaviors, and knowledge were recommended by recruiters and Saudi principals for international directors. The exploratory research included interviews with three Saudi principals and three recruiters who shed light on the essential competencies for expatriate directors. Based on …

Relationships Between And Student Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy, Growth Mindset, And Mathematics Identity Of Adolescents In A Rural South Georgia Charter School, Carrie Cooper Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study investigated the relationships between the constructs of self-efficacy, growth mindset, and mathematics identity among middle school students at a South Georgia charter school. Constructivist grounded theory was used to investigate the strength of these constructs along with student perceptions of what factors make one a math person. The study was an explanatory sequential design consisting of an online survey followed by student interviews. Ninety-one students participated in the survey. Multiple linear regression was used to determine whether a correlation existed between the variables as well as among student subgroups. Self-efficacy was found to be a predictor …

A Case Study Of The Retention-Supporting Needs Of Beginning Teachers In A West Central Georgia School System, Vicki Thrailkill Pheil

Theses and Dissertations

Even though the State of Georgia has issued suggested guidance for new teacher induction programs, not all school systems follow that guidance and varying induction practices have been implemented. Because replacing exiting teachers in the first 5 years of their career has become costly to school systems—both financially and academically regarding student achievement—it is in all stakeholders’ best interest to support new teachers to increase retention rates. The purpose of this case study was to describe 1st-year teachers’ experiences in a West Central Georgia school system induction program and to identify the retention-supporting needs these new teachers reported as part …

A Case Study Exploring The Motivating Factors And Needs That Influence Older Adult Learners’ Decisions To Enroll And Persist In One University System Of Georgia Emajor Collaborative Program, Jennifer Angela Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study seeks to examine older adult learners' views toward technology use and their motivation, needs, and experiences while enrolled in the eMajor online Organizational Leadership bachelor's degree program offered by the University System of Georgia (USG). The research will investigate what motivates students to enroll in and advance through a degree program and their present technological competencies in relation to online learning management systems. The case study will also strive to identify the demands of older adult learners and the influence online learning has on their drive for program completion. Qualitative data were collected from twelve older …

A Crisis Should Not Be Wasted: A Phenomenological Study On How Female Leaders From Military Academic Institutions Find Common Ground During Crisis, Diana Molodilo

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the lived experience of female leaders from military academic institutions in finding common ground during crisis situations.

Methodology: This phenomenological study identified and described how female mid-level leaders from Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center and Naval Postgraduate School found common ground during crisis. The population for this study includes all female leaders from military academic institutions in California, which is estimated at 60 to 100, of which 16 were sampled.

Findings: The findings from this research illustrate that female leaders found common ground when they (a) consistently …

2022-08-19 Institutional Animal Care And Use Committee Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate., Institutional Animal Care And Use Committee.

Faculty Senate Records

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee meeting minutes from August 19, 2022.

Faith Development In Eighth-Grade Christian Students Studying Creation-Theory-Based Science: A Phenomenological Study, Stephen Matthew Lowe

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived faith development experiences of eighth-grade Christian students following a creation-theory-based curriculum at a Northern Michigan Christian school. The 12 male and female students who participated were aged 13–14 years and self-identified as Christian. The study setting was a small Christian middle school in Northern Michigan. Researchers have thoroughly investigated many aspects of faith development but had not addressed the faith development of eighth-grade Christian students following a creation-theory-based curriculum. The theoretical framework underlying the study was Fowler’s faith development theory. Data were triangulated from semistructured interviews, focus groups, …

Full-Hearted Leading: A Multiple Case Study Of Principals' Sensemaking Toward Implementing Moral Character Development In Elementary Schools, Kimberly Renee Starks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand how elementary school principals make sense of moral character development in their schools. The theories that guided this study were Weick’s sensemaking theory and Kohlberg’s moral development theory as it provided explanations to principals’ sensemaking regarding the effectiveness of moral character development implementation in elementary schools. The case studies, in one Midwestern school district, examined ten school administrators’ sensemaking toward implementing essential and effective moral character development programs in their schools. This study utilized a multiple case design that was critical to theory, deviated from theoretical norms, and captured everyday …

The Relationship Between Servant Leadership And Self-Efficacy Among Law Enforcement Officers In Western North Carolina, Anthony Scott Teague

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The role of a servant united with the role of a leader, combines to form the servant leader. The term self-efficacy is defined as a person’s belief in the ability within a specific situation to be successful. The purpose of this quantitative non-experimental correlational descriptive research study was to discover law enforcement officers’ perception regarding the influence of the servant leader behaviors of their immediate supervisor on the officers’ own self-efficacy level in law enforcement officers located in western North Carolina. Law enforcement officers who attended training at two community colleges in western North Carolina was surveyed for this study. …

2022-08-18 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

Faculty Senate meeting minutes from August 18, 2022.