Educational Leadership Commons^™

School Leadership Support: Understanding The Experiences Of Elementary-Level Teachers During A Global Health Pandemic, Kathleen M. Crawford, Pamela Wells, Juliann Sergi Mcbrayer, Kristen N. Dickens, Katherine Fallon

School Leadership Review

The purpose of this study was to better understand how the current COVID-19 global health pandemic has professionally and emotionally impacted elementary-level teachers. Teachers experienced diverse challenges during this unprecedented time with a rapid shift from in-person to online learning. Two overarching themes emerged based on participant experiences: abandoning best practices and increased stress and emotional pain. Implications for practice included the need for school leaders to evaluate the current level of support being provided to teachers and assess areas of need to support professional and emotional growth with the backdrop of the pandemic. We encourage future research with all …

Developing Culturally Proficient Leaders Through Graduate Coursework: Examining Student Perspectives, Jean F. Ruffin, Marsha E. Simon

School Leadership Review

The racial and ethnic demographic shifts occurring in the United States had increased the need for educational leaders capable of obtaining the cultural proficiency needed to effectively lead diverse schools. Graduate coursework focused on developing cultural competence provides a unique opportunity for school leaders to explore issues related to identity, bias, and diversity in a scholarly setting. Course design, materials, and assignments should work together seamlessly to provide students a rich opportunity to explore diversity issues. The present study examines the perspectives of students enrolled in a doctoral diversity course in Spring 2021 and how the course contributed to the …

Substantially Silent: Exploring The Variability Of “Voice” At The Intersection Of Race And Dis/Ability In A Restrictive Special Education Placement, Christopher N. Hall

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The overrepresentation of Black students in special education, particularly in the most restrictive educational placements, is well documented in the literature. In addition, Black students are disproportionately placed into far more segregated educational spaces than their same-aged White peers with similar dis/ability labels. With limited qualitative studies that center the voices of students of color labelled as severely disabled in restrictive educational settings, informed by the tenets of Disability Studies in Education (DSE), this study adds to the growing body of research foregrounding the voices of individuals with dis/abilities in telling their own story from their perspective through narrative portraiture. …

Must Be Present To Win: Principals' Perspectives On Exclusionary Discipline, William Jeremy Cohen

Dissertations and Theses

One of the persistent challenges in United States elementary schools is the ongoing use of exclusionary discipline practices. In Oregon, despite the application of a number of legal and policy shifts intended to reduce the use of suspension and expulsion in K-5 and K-8 schools, particularly for students of color, there continues to be an increase year-to-year of the number of students being excluded, the percentage of students excluded, and an increasingly disproportionate use of exclusion for students of color. Although the research shows that removing students from the learning environment does not improve student behavior nor improve overall school …

An Exploration Of Effective Communication Strategies For Secondary Educational Leaders To Increase African American Family Engagement Within An Urban School District, Stephen Mcclure

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Dissertations

This research study examined effective communication strategies with African American families for secondary educational leaders. The purpose of this investigation was to explore African American family engagement within an urban school district. Interviews were conducted with 14 parent participants and the data was analyzed utilizing the ATLAS.ti survey software. The findings were that overall, parents were pleased with the amount and modes of technology that schools utilized for communication. Parents were also satisfied with the high school experiences of their children; however, many parents preferred more personal contact and in-person interactions with the teachers and administrative staff. Parents also felt …

First-Generation College Students: Persistence And Adaptability In Post-Secondary Institutions, Charlie Elberta Lewis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT In post-secondary education, degree attainment for first-generation college students (FGCS) is essential. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study is to explore the first-generation college student's persistence from their first year to the second year at a private or public post-secondary institution. The second purpose is to investigate whether the GEAR UP Services program impacted FGCS persistence at these institutions. Social capital theory and self-determination theory served as a foundation of the study. These theories are linked to the social interaction and behavior that leads to motivation, commitment, and relationships. Previous research suggests that college persistence correlates with …

Female Leadership Values In Mexican Graduate Students, Eduardo R. Diaz

School Leadership Review

The present study addresses the gender gap in leadership roles in Mexico through the lens of three leadership constructs. The objective was to compare female and male individual cultural values to explain differences in leadership style and agentic behavior. The sample consisted of 185 graduate students in Baja California, Mexico. Participants were surveyed using the Short Schwartz Value Scale. The responses were analyzed by running independent samples t-tests. The results suggest that males attribute greater importance to Power and Achievement values, which are associated with transformational and transactional leadership constructs. No differences were found across several values associated with other …

Which Police Departments Make Black Lives Matter, Which Don’T, And Why Don’T Most Social Scientists Care?, Robert Anthony Maranto, Wilfred Reilly, Patrick Wolf, Mattie Harris

Education Reform Faculty and Graduate Students Publications

In part via skillful use of social media, Black Lives Matter (BLM) has become among the most influential social movements of the past half century, with support across racial lines, and considerable financial backing (Fisher, 2019). Will this translate into public policy reforms which save Black lives? After all, higher education is a key institutional backer of BLM, and a considerable literature dating back decades (e.g., Lindblom & Cohen, 1979) casts doubt on the effectiveness of social science in solving social problems, for numerous reasons. Often, the best social science is simple counting. This paper makes two unique contributions. First, …

A Qualitative Study: Examining Students' Involvement In A Career And Technical Student Organizations And Practicing And Promoting Mental Wellness, Cindy Beck, Gustavo Loera, Jonathan Nakamoto, Jan Parsons

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

This study aims to explore career technical education (CTE) students' involvement in practicing and promoting mental wellness in schools and communities. Specifically, this study focused on students enrolled in a career and technical student organization (CTSO) leading youth-defined activities raising awareness of risk factors and protective factors associated with psychological distress and wellness. This study is grounded in resilience theory expounding on the resilience of HOSA students and their motivation to thrive and overcome adversities as they advance their career and college readiness and their civic engagement. Purposive sampling was used to select 94 students from seven high schools with …

Leading For Excellence, Erin Riley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study is to determine the degree of importance for the 12 step principles of leadership proposed by Harvey, Drolet, and DeVore (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public middle school principals. A secondary purpose is to explore and describe the leadership strategies for implementing the 12 step principles of leadership proposed by Harvey, Drolet, and DeVore (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public middle school principals.

Methodology: This explanatory mixed-methods study was completed to examine …

Learning To Fly: The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Development Of The 4cs In The Elementary Grades, Deborah Francois

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the impact of project-based learning on K-5 students’ development of the 4Cs (Critical Thinking, Communication, Creativity, Collaboration) as perceived by elementary charter school teachers.

Methodology: A phenomenological design was selected to address the research questions for this study. Through purposeful sampling, 12 charter elementary teachers who met a pre-determined set of criteria (including the routine integration of project-based learning within their instructional programs) were selected to participate in virtual, semi-structured interviews. All teachers were employed by charter schools located in six counties within California. The interviews were conducted using …

Exemplary Latino School District Superintendents’ Use Of Emotional Intelligence As They Lead Their Organizations, Ivan Chaidez

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to describe the emotional intelligence strategies that exemplary Latino school district superintendents use as they respond to leadership challenges in their school organizations based on Goleman’s (1995) four domains of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management). A secondary purpose of the study was for exemplary Latino superintendents to explain how their use of emotional intelligence strategies supported their success and tenure as they responded to leadership challenges in their school organizations.

Methodology: This multicase study was conducted through interviews of five exemplary Latino public school district superintendents in …

Distress, Burnout, And Lived Experiences Of Special Education Teachers Working In Self-Contained Classrooms With Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders: Illuminating Their Perspectives And Experiences., Jennifer L. Wooldridge-Mccormick

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This study was conducted to give voice to local special education teachers working with students with emotional disabilities, and to allow them to co-create meanings from their lived experiences in the classroom. It utilized a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological approach through a series of three individual interviews over the course of a six-month period. Five special education teachers from three local school divisions and private day schools participated in the study between July 2021 and December 2021. Over the course of the three interviews, the five special education teachers in the study were situated as co-researchers. In addition to the three …

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …

The Madness Of March: A Quantitative Look At Cinderella Stories In The Ncaa Division I Men’S Basketball Tournament, Joseph J. Fresco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study looked to determine if being classified as a Cinderella Story team in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness, led to a statistically significant change in NCAA Division I men’s basketball spending for that team’s respective institution one, two, and three years after being labeled. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of men’s basketball spending on teams that are Cinderella Stories in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It aims to understand how spending differs between athletic programs whose characteristics mirror those of Cinderella Stories and how expenses change before …

The Conditions For Success: How The Future Search Conference Method Uses Dialogue To Spur Stakeholder Integration, Daniel Bender

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

A Future Search (FS) Conference is a systems based large group intervention that utilizes a dialogue process among interdependent stakeholders to analyze the past, understand the present, envision a better future, and agree to action plans to work towards the desired future. This study uses an instrumental case study design (Stake, 1995) to consider two education-based future-oriented conferences to understand the real-life applicability of the conditions for success framework by Weisbord and Janoff (2010). Participants’ perceptions of the action research conferences were positive. The framework illustrated factors related to the core principle of getting the “whole system” in the room …

The Experiences Of International Graduate Students From Latin America In Their Transition Of Graduating And Finding A Job In The United States, Natalia Hernandez

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to conduct a qualitative phenomenological study to understand the lived experiences of international graduate students from Latin America in the United States as they transition from their studies to finding a full-time job in the United States. The most common themes mentioned in the different sections of the interviews were: the different dynamics in their identity, the benefits, and limitations of their status in the American context, and how their professional development and economy are impacted while being international graduate students from Latin America. Student service departments such as the Career Service department, …

Gatekeeping Experiences Latina Superintendents Encountered As They Attained Their Superintendent Position, Julie Corona

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to describe the career path progression and the gatekeeping experiences as Latinas advanced to a superintendent position. The second purpose of this study was to describe the gatekeeping experiences of Latina superintendents’ application and interview process of their superintendency. Additionally, this study described Latina superintendents’ gatekeeping experiences of gender and ethnicity. Last, this study examined the strategies that Latina superintendents used as they ascended to their superintendent positions. Methodology: This phenomenological multicase study was conducted through interviews of five Latina superintendents of California public schools. The researcher selected a qualitative method …

In The Eye Of The Storm: West Virginia's Uniquely Clear Opportunity To Revise Its Education Funding Formula During Covid-19, Lauren Trumble

West Virginia Law Review

Public school advocates in West Virginia have long voiced sharp criticism over the state's funding of education-and justifiably so. Although more than one in four West Virginia children live in poverty, the state's school funding formula does not account for the increased costs associated with educating low-socioeconomic status ("SES") students. As a result, low-SES students are not receiving a constitutionally adequate and equitable education, by the state's own standards.

Now, in the wake of COVID-19, with mounting costs and challenges, allegations of "inadequacy" and "inequity" abound. Ifpast is prologue, districts that serve high concentrations of low-SES students will be the …

Beyond Burnout: How Elementary Teachers Cope And Flourish In A Pandemic-Era School, Valerie Cherbero

Education | Master's Theses

Many studies describe the pervasiveness of burnout in underserved schools and the factors that lead to burnout, but those studies rarely utilize the voices and lived experiences of teachers (Camacho et al., 2021). Many studies also describe reasons why teachers leave the field, but few explore why teachers remain in the field and what coping strategies they use to persevere through burnout (Turner & Theilking, 2019). These gaps in the literature are particularly pressing as rates of teacher burnout and attrition have reached alarming levels (Kamenetz, 2022).

Through in-depth interviews with four teachers at an underserved school in the Bay …

Student Voice And Choice: Factors Influencing Student Participation In Secondary Arts Classes In An Urban Public School District, Alan D. Lambert Ed. D.

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The purpose of this study was to capture the student voice regarding the value, importance, and relevance of visual and performing arts education in public schools. The host institution for the study was an urban school district in the southern central United States serving 75,000 students, with 55% students identified as Hispanic, and 52% of students experiencing poverty. Graduating seniors responded via questionnaires with forced choice and open-ended items regarding several topics, including what they do in their free time, how they perceive the value of arts classes at school, access to arts classes and the match of their interests …

How Do The Functions That School Business Officials Perform Affect Teaching And Learning, And Do School Business Officials Take These Effects Into Account In Performing Their Work, Oliver Blaise

Dissertations - ALL

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to investigate the work that school business leaders perform in four different school districts in New York State, and to find what the impact of this work is on instruction. The research is titled, "How Do the Functions That School Business Officials Perform Affect Teaching and Learning, and Do School Business Officials Take These Effects Into Account in Performing Their Work? The method of study is a comparative case study. It requires that the researcher collect data by reviewing documents of the school districts, interviewing district personnel, and by observation of the district's practices …

Exploration Of Young Children And Families Use Of Technology In A Rural School District, Kim Dickert-Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the use of mobile technology with young children ages 2 to 5 in a small rural school district in southwestern Pennsylvania. Grounded in an understanding that family-child relationships are central to children’s development and school readiness, this study seeks to understand the ways families engage with children around technology use, how young children use technology, and how these habits compare to national data. The data also led to ways the school district might support families and young children using mobile technology in developmentally appropriate ways. Thirteen families that live in the Mountain Valley School district completed the …

Hidden Amongst People: Experiences Fo Black White Biracial Individuals With Microaggressions, Horizontal Hostilities, And Identity Denial In Educational Settings, Deborah Luckett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation explores the dissonance between critical race theory and culturally relevant pedagogical practices in the context of non-binary identity formation and identity denial for Black White Biracial (BWBR) individuals. This positioned subject study examines stories of five adult female members of this population. Utilizing Bell’s Storytelling for Social Justice Model (2020) the study reveals the stock, concealed, resistance and, emerging/transforming stories of participants as they recall experiences with monoracially instigated microaggressions and horizontal hostilities. The model provides analytic themes to examine the dissonance. The following questions will be explored:

Primary Question: What socio/cultural interactions influence BWBR racial identity …

The Value Of An Education - An Exploratory Study Of The Relationship Between Cultural And Institutional Values And First-Generation Native American Student Success, Michelle L. Lee

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The purpose of this study was to explore the value and meaning that first-generation American Indian students place on higher education. Are these values different from those of the institution and how does that impact their educational journey? Finding purpose and meaning in your education encourages continued commitment to your educational goals. I conducted a single-site qualitative study at a Southwestern Non-Tribal Community University (SWNTCU), collecting data through an arts-based inquiry methodology employing photovoice narrative as a tool. To situate these narratives, I utilized an Indigenous paradigm interweaving Tribal Critical Race Theory, Relationality, and an Indigenous Wellness Model (Brayboy, 2006; …

Perceptions Of Current Secondary Mathematics Teachers About Their Teacher Preparation, Peterson Chiliromango Moyo

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods case study was to examine how current secondary mathematics (6-12) teachers (SMTs) perceived their teacher preparation. The population consisted of 27 current SMTs who taught mathematics in a southwestern state of the United States. The first research question asked how SMTs perceived that mathematics methods courses influenced mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT). The second research question examined ways in which content and instruction in mathematics methods courses contributed to the teaching of mathematics

. During quantitative phase, 27 SMTs completed the questionnaire. Chi-Square statistical analysis showed no significant relationship between participants’ mathematics …

On Your Marks, Handset, Go: An Illustrative Case Study Of A Professional Development Initiative About Mobile Learning, Nichole A. Scarlett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Technology is shaping our personal and professional lives every day, yet many educators struggle with its implementation and therefore are not using it to the fullest potential. The purpose of this single-case study was to analyze how a teacher’s participation in a Professional Development (PD) initiative influenced the implementation of mobile technology in teaching and learning mathematics. Using the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework (Schoenfeld et al., 2016a) and the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition (SAMR) model (Puentedura, 2006) in this qualitative research, I employed a case study approach to understand the challenges faced by a teacher and ways of …

Successful Teacher Preparation Program Characteristics, Renae Spangler

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this research was to pinpoint specific characteristics of a successful teacher preparation program which produces successful teachers for the K-12 educational system. Today’s K-12 educational systems have evolved faster than most teacher preparation programs. The researcher utilized four mixed methods surveys to ascertain the viewpoints of administrators, teachers, and recent teacher candidate graduates from the past two years, as well as teacher preparation program faculty perceptions of the recent graduates’ self-reported opinions. In addition, two small focus groups discussed survey topics into further depth. One key aspect of the research exposed classroom management as the quintessential skill …

Gauging The Utility Of A Learning Target Theory Of Action To Address Perceived Obstacles To Teaching And Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brian J. Pohland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study was guided by the following research questions: What instructional challenges did teachers face related to designing and delivering lessons remotely during COVID-19? How did those challenges impact teacher perceptions of self-efficacy for providing meaningful lessons for their students? What is the utility of a learning target theory of action for addressing teachers instructional practice challenges and perceptions of self-efficacy?

Six participants were selected from a convenience sample and asked to complete a survey with ten open-ended prompts. Their responses were analyzed by individual participant and also across participants through close reading strategies. The analyses revealed six common …

Do You See What I See? Experiences And Socialization Of African American Male Doctoral Students At A Pwi, Victor Vinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Abstract

This qualitative study will use an anti-deficit approach aimed to examine the classroom experiences and socialization experiences of African American male doctoral students in a higher education doctoral program at a Predominately White Institution (PWI). The understanding of these classroom and socialization experiences is critical to the ways and means that African American males employ to persist through doctoral programs, striving to reach the mountaintop: attainment of a Philosophy of Doctorate degree. The guiding research questions are 1) How do African American male doctoral students’ classroom experiences influence their persistence in doctoral programs? and 2) What socialization experience(s) influence …