Educational Leadership Commons^™

Pre-Entrance Factors And Student Success In An A.A.S. Nursing Program, Connie Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of pre-entrance factors and the success of students in an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree nursing program at a community college in East Tennessee. The criterion variable was success in the nursing program. Success was defined as academic success in all nursing courses and completion of the nursing program to graduation. The predictor variables of pre-entrance factors were gender, age, Health Education Systems, Incorporated (HESI) A2 scores, Pell Grant eligibility, pre-nursing GPA, and prior licensure. The data for this non-experimental secondary analysis were derived from the electronic database in …

Positive Behavior Supports And Teacher Stress, Robin Street

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference between the implementation of positive behavior supports and teacher stress? Previous research conducted by Ross, Romer, and Horner (2011) reported that teachers who work in schools that effectively implement Positive Behavior Supports (PBIS) had lower levels of stress and higher levels of efficacy. The current study investigated the difference between the PBIS and teacher stress. Additionally, this study sought to determine if teachers age, years of teaching experience, and gender had an impact on teacher stress. Data collection strategies included two surveys, Effective Behavior Support and the …

Using Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support To Improve Student Outcomes, Kevin Daniel Annis

Masters Projects

The passing of NCLB and ESSA creates a mandate that every school must take proactive steps toward every student in their population to be college and career ready. U.S. students are consistently scoring lower on achievement than students from other developed nations. With diversifying student demographics and a relatively stable teaching demographic, schools needed to develop systems to help each student be successful. Many schools have begun to utilize a tiered system of support; however, schools are focused on different aspects of intervention. Effective models of student support include developing a quality school environment, social and emotional learning, response-to-intervention, and …

Growing Evidence Of The Value Of School Board Training, Daniel W. Eadens, Frank D. Davidson, Danielle M. Eadens

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The last three decades of board research has embarked on various aspects of school boards (Alsbury, 2008b; Delagardelle, 2008; Resnick & Bryant, 2010; Strauss, 2018) including characteristics of effective boards (Alsbury & Gore, 2015; Dervarics & O’Brien, 2016), importance of targeted school board trainings (Cook, 2014; Gann, 2015; Hess & Meeks, 2010; Plough, 2014; Pollard, 2012; Reimer, 2015; Weiss, Templeton, Thompson, & Tremont, 2014; Wilkins, 2015), boards and student achievement (Blasko, 2016; Brenner, Sullivan, & Dalton, 2002; Ikejiaku, 2000; Lorentzen, 2013; Peterson, 2000; Saatcioglu & Sargut, 2014; Shelton, 2010), board behaviors (Bradley, 2013; Choi, 2013; Gates, 2013; Gomez, 2013; Murray, …

Studying Abroad And Intercultural Outcomes: Differences Experienced Between International Exchange Students And U.S. Study Abroad Students, Patricia V. Lin-Steadman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major focus of many U.S. higher-education institutions is to increase internationalization of their campus through, in part, the promotion of study abroad experiences among domestic students and to recruit and retain international students to their institution. This study explored the effects of certain factors on various domains of the Global Engagement Measurement Scale (GEMS) – Cultural Engagement, Ambiguity Tolerance, Knowledge of Host Site, and Diversity Openness – among U.S. students who have studied abroad and international exchange students who have studied in the U.S. There was a particular focus, on determining whether U.S. study abroad students, compared to international …

Beating The Odds: Perseverance And Its Influence On Male Students’ Perceptions In Overcoming Generational Poverty, Grady C. Bailey Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined the perceived influences that male graduates from Title I high schools attribute to their success. During the last 30 years the poverty gap has not narrowed and in some cases it has increased. This study hoped to provide evidence of supports needed by looking at males who overcame generational poverty. This study included qualitative data collection from interviews of 15 male participants. Nine themes emerged in the findings of perceived influences by these participants. The nine themes identified where 1) Success has two components; internal and external, 2) School personnel and programs guided success, 3) Change …

The Life Of An Elementary School Principal: An Autoethnography, Catherine Ruth Tamayo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was designed to provide insight into the daily life of administrators with the hope it would help to identify potential causes of principals leaving the profession within five years. Additionally, the study helps to prepare and inform educators and district leaders in how to support principals. It can also assist is preparing future principals for their administrative roles and what best supports participants to become successful administrators.

This study utilized a qualitative inquiry model as an autoethnography and is able to shed light on real life experiences. Data collection consisted of a journal of daily occurrences, a reflective …

Teacher Demoralization: Neoliberal Influence On The Complex Education System And Teacher Morale, Dionne Elvira

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, neoliberal influence has slowly taken over our education system’s vision and purpose. Presently, marketization in schooling has drawn the attention and influence of those of monetary and political power (Bartlett et al., 2002). Accountability measures set in place by the strings attached to school funding and sanctions encompass blanket demands on classroom instruction not equitably designed to support our diverse student populations (Ravitch, 2013; Reigeluth, 2014; Tsang, 2019). The school system, as it presently stands, is managed and maintained under systematic models that do not align to the complex needs of each unique school within its unique …

Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations To English Learners: Leadership Perceptions On Key Issues, Pamela R. Schwallier

Dissertations

English Learners (ELs), who now represent nearly 10% of all K-12 public school students, 4.8 million of who speak over 400 different languages and dialects, continue to lack equitable educational opportunities as demonstrated through gaps in achievement outcomes, poor graduation rates, and identified systemic barriers related to the intersectionality of language, culture, race, and racism (Crump, 2014; DeMatthews & Izquierdo, 2017; Menken & Solorza, 2015; Morita-Mullaney, 2018; National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition [NCELA], 2015, 2018). This quantitative study captured over 800 K-12 educational leaders’ perspectives, via an anonymous electronic survey, on key issues regarding equitable programs for ELs that …

A Mixed Methods Study Of Middle School Teachers’ Perceptions Of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports And Its Influence On Effective Implementation, Tiffany J. Baskin-Downs

Theses and Dissertations

The use of a multi-tiered system of supports framework has been of growing interest in addressing issues related to disruptive behaviors and school suspensions. The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential, explanatory study was to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions (behavioral expectations defined, behavioral expectations taught, and an ongoing system for rewarding behavioral expectations) of their efforts toward implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports with fidelity in two middle schools within an urban school district located in Georgia. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, homogeneity of variance Levene’s test, t-tests, factorial analysis, a one-way analysis of variance, post-hoc tests, frequencies and …

An Examination Of Two-Year College Student-Athletes’ Perceived Engagement In Academic Advising, Supplemental Instruction, And Academic Alert Systems, Michael Kiefer

Theses and Dissertations

Institutions of higher education face challenges to improve the student success measures of retention, progression, and graduation, which are metrics used to evaluate colleges and universities. One way in which many institutions have sought to increase accessibility to higher education and student engagement is through athletics; however, limited research exists regarding the lack of academic success of student-athletes at two-year colleges. Drawing upon a student engagement theoretical framework presented by Coates, the purpose of the causal-comparative research study was to examine the differences in perceived usage and impact of academic support services by two-year college student-athletes in Florida. The data …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Instructional Walkthroughs And The Resulting Feedback, Germaine Monteil Harden-Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

The role of the principal and the assistant principal has changed dramatically. Principals were considered solely managers; however, now their role includes the responsibility of being instructional leaders. The assistant principal was responsible for the clerical chores and tasked solely to be a disciplinarian. However, due to educational reforms such as Race to the Top, the expectation of both the principal and the assistant principal is to support teachers as instructional leaders. To fulfill the responsibility of supporting teachers’ instructional practices, principals and assistant principals conduct instructional walkthroughs and provide feedback at least two times a year via the Teacher …

A Phenomenological Study Of Emotion Amid Significant Organizational Change, Ian Menchini

All Theses And Dissertations

This study employed a phenomenological methodology to explore the experiences shared by leaders of a public university in the Northeast United States during an extraordinary period of organizational change. The university’s organizational transformation was particularly noteworthy because it came in the face of circumstances entirely out of the university’s control. These circumstances included its state’s declining population as well as its state government’s failure to invest heavily in higher education. These long-term challenges were exacerbated by the sudden onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and a near simultaneous proposal by its system’s former executive to radically and negatively change the university’s …

High School Education Professionals' Explanations Of The Impacts Of Military Stress On Military Dependent Students' Development, William John Buchleitner Iv

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this explanatory case study is to understand how the military culture and inherent stress affect the development of military dependent high school children as explained by high school professionals. For this research, military stressors were identified as combat deployments, permanent change of stations, and living within a military household. The conceptual framework that influenced this research was the social cognitive theory as developed by Albert Bandura and Ronald Akers’ social learning theory, both of which explain how children learn from observing individuals and their environments. This study sought to answer the central research question: How do high …

Students’ Meaning-Making Journeys Towards Self-Authorship Through Self-Designed Gap Year Experiences, Erin Garcia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological, qualitative study addressed student perceptions of their meaning-making process towards self-authorship in a self-designed gap year experience and was conducted in a public higher educational institution in the Southeast. Data was gathered through interviews from a purposeful sample of gap year program participants and program administrators. Emerging themes and categories were identified by coding and analyzing the interview data, such as continual reflection reinforces the value of individual meaning-making, self-expectations versus self-worth, the influence of societal expectations are minimized, and self-designed learning helps to solidify changes in self-authorship. The data showed a strong connection between multiple meaning-making contexts …

Safety In The Educational Environment: Rural District Administrator Perceptions Of School Safety In Northeast Tennessee Public Schools, Richard A. True

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative research study was conducted to identify, describe, and understand the perceptions of administrators of public school districts in northeast Tennessee regarding school safety. Using a semi-structured interview process, the researcher identified emerging themes regarding the factors most associated with safe school districts, the factors most associated with unsafe school districts, the items identified as needed to improve safety, and the topics identified as future safety issues at the school and district level. Through such study, the researcher was able to develop an understanding regarding the overall safety of school districts in northeast Tennessee and the specific components that …

Educators’ Perspectives Regarding The Inclusion Of Students With Mild To Moderate Disabilities Into The General Education Classroom, Rebecca Lynn Parres

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This quantitative study examined the perspectives of educators related to the inclusion of students with mild to moderate disabilities in general education classrooms. General education teachers, special education providers (e.g. education specialists, speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, and school psychologists, etc.), and administrators were surveyed to obtain their perspectives regarding the inclusion of students with mild to moderate disabilities; into the general education classroom. The Inclusive School Program Survey (McLewesky, et al., 2012) was used with permission from James McLeskey who conducted similar research in 2001. The five-point Likert scale survey was utilized to obtain data from the …

An Analysis Of Policies And Practices For The Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In Public Universities In Mexico, Lilia G. Lopez Arriaga

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the laws and regulations regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in selected Mexican universities. Seven public autonomous universities on the northern border of Mexico were selected for participation. Official documents were reviewed and administrators were surveyed to determine the extent to which federal legislation requiring inclusion was implemented at their respective institutions. Faculty members of psychology were also surveyed regarding the guarantees and accommodations provided by their institutions and the effectiveness of those efforts. Principal findings were that the commitment to serve students with disabilities was high, however the existing plans …

Pk-12 Sexual Minority Public School Employees’ Identity Management: Implications On Career Quality, Potential, And Advancement, Gordon Tod Larson

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

LGBTQ public PK-12 educators make decisions on their sexual identity disclosure management. This study sought the phenomenological aspects of how these management decisions and actions affect career path, promotion, and fulfillment to retirement. The purpose of this study was to raise awareness of LGBTQ PK-12 educators’ experiences with sexual identity management disclosure strategies and how these strategies impact their career. The sample was four educators from across the northern tier of the United States; the Northeast, the Northwest, and the Upper Midwest. Narrative inquiry produced thick, rich and descriptive stories of interactions with their students which gave meaning to their …

Mapping A Course To Success: The Relationship Of A College To Career Navigation Exploratory Course To Academic Success, Patrick D U Davis Sr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, comparative study was to determine the relationship between retention and academic success of students who participated in a College to Career Navigation exploration course and students who did not participate in the course at a rural, community college serving a 14-county area in the Southeast U. S.

Archival data were collected from the participating community college’s student information system. Other data examined for this study included the student’s gender, at-risk status, and age. Retention data of the first-year, full-time students were collected and measured in accordance with the enrollment requirements of the community college’s governing …

Effects Of Career Courses On Career Self-Efficacy And Outcome Expectations, Celeste Spier

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to examine two required career courses to determine if they produced an increase in career self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and which components of the learning theory from Social Cognitive Career Theory have the strongest influence. Participants were undergraduate business students at a midsized, Midwestern university enrolled in two required career courses and a comparison group of students not yet enrolled in the courses. Students took four measures (i.e., Career Exploration and Decisional Self-Efficacy Scale, Career Search Self-Efficacy Scale, Career Expectations Survey Scale, and Career Exploration and Decision Learning Experiences Scale) at two points in …

A Study Of Student Experiences Of Racial Microaggressions At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Alexandra E. Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ experiences of racial microaggressions at a Hispanic serving institution. The participants were undergraduate and graduate students from a large higher education research institution in South Texas. The study had a qualitative approach with a two-step process of Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 of the study consisted of a participant selection survey sent to students via e-mail to obtain their experiences of racial microaggressions. In Phase 2, three focus groups were the means used to collect data. The findings suggested that there were experiences of racial microaggressions at the …

Critical Followership: Faculty And Leader Relations Impact On Leadership Turnover At A California Community College, Erik William Christianson

Doctoral Dissertations

Community colleges are experiencing higher levels of executive leader (chancellor, vice chancellor, and dean) turnover than four-year universities. Many different factors account for the high turnover and low retention: the need for dynamic leaders, the leadership succession process, the lack of professional training and development, as well as stakeholders and outside forces. The relationship dynamic between faculty and leaders as a contributing factor has not been previously studied. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine leaders’ misperceptions of faculty’s needs. Surveys and interviews were utilized to cross-examine data and perceptions from faculty and leaders. Through the lens …

Covid-19: Descriptive Case Study Of A K-8 School District’S Abrupt Transition To Remote Learning From A Traditional In-Person Model, Matthew C. Ferreira

All Theses And Dissertations

COVID-19 resulted in many changes worldwide in how humans and organizations interact and operate. One such significant adjustment was the closure and transition from a classroom instruction model to a remote instruction model across the United States. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore student achievement, teacher preparation and instructional hours, and student attendance levels for grades kindergarten through eighth grade (K-8) at four schools in a single school district. The study examined these datasets at a school administrative unit (SAU) comprising of three terms during the 2019-20 school year, comparing pre-COVID-19 levels with post-COVID-19 levels. The …

The Language Of Parental Involvement: A Document Analysis Of Parent Involvement Plans (Pip’S) Of Title I Elementary Schools, Jacqueleen M. Bido

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Research indicates that parent involvement increases student achievement. This qualitative research examined 30 elementary Title I schools’ Parent Involvement Plans (PIPs), seeking roles parents played in urban settings. This document analysis reviewed the descriptive language presented in each school’s plan and examined for fidelity. Using Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement and the Sample Practice, the researcher coded the Plans. Data displayed compliance with the mandated requirements of the Plans. Still, they indicated incongruencies with fidelity and alignment to proven best-practices research.

Peeling Back The Layers - Perceptions Of Parents Of Urban Elementary Students, Kellie Scruggs Baldwin

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the educational experiences of an identified urban elementary school in Central Virginia parents (similar to the researcher’s school’s parents) as lived through their own experience and how these educational experiences determine their academic parent involvement for their child. By examining parents’ educational experiences, educational professionals may be able to bridge the home and school communities and determine support needed to aid families in educating children.

The Underrepresentation Of Hispanic Female Educational Leaders And Their Perceived Barriers, Angela J. Schmitz

Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived barriers faced by 15 Hispanic women who were current or aspiring educational leaders or employed in K-12 public education. This research highlights the underrepresentation of Hispanic female leaders in American K-12 schools compared to that of Hispanic students, the fastest growing minority population in the United States. The study incorporates the literature supporting the importance of diversity among women leaders in education. The pertinent literature identifies historical barriers to diverse representation among educational leaders and emphasizes the value of mentoring for Hispanic female leaders in terms of strengthening representation …

Black Male Student Success In Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Cherise A. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When compared to their peer counterparts, Black male students have a lower college attrition rate. Universities and higher education institutions explore ways to increase the retention and graduation rates for Black male students persisting toward college graduation, and all Black male students need to be included in the dialogue. This qualitative instrumental collective case study explored first-generation Black male college students’ lived experiences that contributed to their persistence toward graduation from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) framed within Tinto’s retention theory (1993). Snowball sampling was used to identify eight first-generation Black male students that were in good academic standing …

Perceptions Of Special Education Supports By School Administrators, Eric P. Oxford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study analyzed the perceptions of special education supports by school administrators. Specifically, this research discussed comparative findings of perceptions of special education supports between building principals and building-based special education team chairpersons in one Massachusetts public school district. The findings are grounded in the district’s inclusive philosophy and its capability to ensure that all students are provided educational opportunities in the least restrictive educational environment. The problem studied was that many students with disabilities who are unable to find academic success within an inclusive academic environment are typically transitioned into a more restrictive—or substantially separate—alternative education setting. It …

The Relationship Between Virginia Title 1 Spending And Minority Male Graduation Rates: A Longitudinal Study, Anastacio B. Marin

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Over the past two decades, education funding in the United States has been redistributed to schools that lack sufficient financial resources to meet the needs of students (Boyle & Lee, 2015). The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was enacted to increase academic accountability and achievement throughout the nation’s public-school systems. Nationwide, there is a persistent achievement gap between historically marginalized students and their affluent peers. This gap is evident in the Commonwealth of Virginia when measuring student proficiency on End of Course Assessments (EOCAs). For schools serving a large …