Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons^™

Book Review – Spousework: Partners Supporting Academic Leaders By Teresa Johnston Oden, Janet Haynes

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

This book is not a first about supporting spouses in leadership roles, however it appears to be the first book to describe marriage with a spouse in educational leadership as “spousework.” Spousework defined by Johnston Oden is “supporting our leader-partners in an artful, intelligent way”. The book is written from the leadership perspective of a wife partnering an academic leader in a marital relationship and an institutional relationship.

Fuzzy And Research Paradigms Relationship: A Mutual Contribution, Devood Salmani, Mohsen Akbari

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Fuzzy sets were introduced by Zadeh in 1965 to represent manipulate data and information possessing non-statistical uncertainties. It was specifically designed to mathematically represent uncertainty and vagueness and to provide formalized tools for dealing with the imprecision intrinsic to many problems. However, the story of fuzzy logic started much earlier. Fuzzy system is an alternative to traditional notions of set membership and logic that has its origins in ancient Greek philosophy. Research paradigms are rooted in philosophy paradigm, determine the direction of researches; how the researches reach to the reality, how they answer the questions of the seeking mind … …

Leading In The Mathematics Classroom, Jon Warwick

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Within the United Kingdom (UK) higher education sector there has been a considerable amount of debate in recent years about the level of quantitative and literacy skills exhibited by students on entry to university courses. Indeed the UK government commissioned two major reports on the development of skills at school level in the post-14 age range focussing specifically on the development of quantitative skills (Roberts 2002; Smith 2004) since there has been a sustained year-on-year fall in the numbers of students opting to study mathematics, science, and engineering subjects at degree level. Coupled with this reluctance of students to specialise …

Not On My Watch: How To Have A Diverse Academic Program And High Quality Students In Your Program At The Same Time?, Marcheta Evans

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Here is the dilemma: The faculty in my department wants to use the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a criterion for admissions into our Master’s program. This is a new shift since my university has made the decision to move to a research one institution. Now on the outside, this sounds like a wonderful idea. The university where I am employed is a Hispanic serving institution with over 28,000 students. We have developed many new doctoral programs including a new Ph.D. program in my department. So, of course, the next step is to move up in the Carnegie rankings to …

Reliable Sources: Recruiting And Developing Evaluators, External To The University Community, Paul Watkins, Ruth Roberts

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Wiggins and McTighe (2005, 18) challenge educators to think critically about acceptable assessment evidence by asking: “How will we know if students have achieved the desired results? What will we accept as evidence of student understanding and proficiency?” (p 18). Teacher education programs must face these important questions and affirm that answers are both valid and equitable. This article explores the benefits of evaluator training in the scoring of high-stakes work samplings produced by teacher preparation candidates.

Transformational Leadership Practices Of Teacher Leaders, Gary Alger

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Although many schools are developing teachers as leaders, researchers have not sufficiently investigated the leadership behaviors of these individuals. Therefore, using data collected from teacher leaders and their principals, I addressed three questions in this study: 1. What are the leadership practices of teacher leaders, as perceived by the teacher leaders and their principals? 2. Are there significant differences between the perceptions of teacher leaders and principals regarding the leadership practices of teacher leaders? 3. Are selected demographic variables of teacher leaders, specifically age, years of experience, educational level, and gender related to the leadership behaviors of teacher leaders?

What Our Students Need, Natala Orobello

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

I have been an educator for over twenty years; this is long enough to know what works in the school system and what does not work. I have mentored rookies and peers, and I have mentored students in and out of school (I was a mentor for Big Brother Big Sister). Today’s students need a lot more than reading, writing and arithmetic. They need educators who are willing to go the extra mile and by educators I mean all those who purport to be working for our students like politicians, school board members, administrators, teachers, staff and anyone else who …

The Relationship Of Teacher Route To Certification To Student Outcomes On Statewide Social Studies Assessment, Aaron L. Smith

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Public school divisions face daunting challenges today. One such challenge is the ability to recruit and retain highly qualified and effective teachers. Endemic teacher shortages coupled with escalating national education standards make it imperative that school divisions hire and retain teachers who can positively and immediately impact student achievement. Schools without effective teachers face possible sanctions, which could include re-staffing of the school, parental choice that would allow the student population to attend more successful schools and loss of funds.

At the same time, colleges and universities have begun alternative certification programs in an effort to compensate for teacher shortages …

Participatory Decision-Making Vis-A-Vis Teachers' Morale And Students' Achievements In Public Secondary Schools In Zamboanga City, Philippines, Socorro P. Canaya

Frede G Moreno

Participatory decision-making and teachers’ morale are positively and significantly correlated in public secondary schools in Zamboanga City, Philippines. Public secondary school teachers in Zamboanga City have High Morale in their work performance as teachers. This is evident in decision-making processes and activities regarding high school students with disciplinary problems, selection of the honor students, planning of the yearly In-Service Training for Teachers (INSET), preparation of the calendar of activities and conduct of remedial classes for slow learners.

Participatory Decision-Making Vis-A-Vis Teachers' Morale And Students' Achievements In Public Secondary Schools In Zamboanga City, Philippines, Socorro P. Canaya

Frede G Moreno

Participatory decision-making and teachers’ morale are positively and significantly correlated in public secondary schools in Zamboanga City, Philippines. Public secondary school teachers in Zamboanga City have High Morale in their work performance as teachers. This is evident in decision-making processes and activities regarding high school students with disciplinary problems, selection of the honor students, planning of the yearly In-Service Training for Teachers (INSET), preparation of the calendar of activities and conduct of remedial classes for slow learners.

Western Guide To Graduate Supervision, Elizabeth Skarakis-Doyle, Gayle L. Mcintyre

Purple Guides

Based on the experiences of Western's graduate supervisors, this 30 page guide addresses the supervision of graduate students and focuses on best practices in mentoring, promoting student progress, and clarifying expectations in the supervisor-student relationship.

Western Guide To Mentorship In Academia, Donald Gordon Cartwright

Purple Guides

This guide addresses the importance of mentoring for new faculty members, describes the pros and cons of various mentorship models, and offers advice for mentors and mentees.

Academic Leadership On Faculty Performance, Stephanos Gialamas

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In this article, we will provide a comprehensive approach for a yearly faculty performance evaluation report which includes the following components: (1) establishing a Yearly Faculty Performance Evaluation Plan (FPEP); (2) conducting a mid-year faculty self progress report; (3) creating a mid-year faculty progress evaluation report; (4) making a mid-year adjustment of the performance evaluation plan; (5) creating an end of the year faculty self-evaluation report; (6) conducting an end of the year faculty performance evaluation report.

Can Business Leaders Learn From Leaders Of Today’S Megachurches?, Peter A. Maresco

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In 2005, Malcolm Gladwell, author of the best selling books, The Turning Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Little, Brown & Company, 2000) and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (Little, Brown & Company, 2005), wrote an article titled The Cellular Church that appeared in The New Yorker Magazine (9/12/05). The article retells the story of the beginnings and the growth of Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church located in the Saddleback Valley of Orange County, California. In re-reading the article I found an interesting quote attributed to Jack Welch, the former chairman of General Electric and …

Authentic Performance Assessment: Informing Candidates, Faculty And Programs, Debbie Mercer

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In our quest for authentic performance assessment of our teacher education candidates, our institution embarked on a journey to develop effective tools. This article highlights the portfolio segment of our trip. While not a straight path, we have reflected and learned with each turn. We have arrived at a place that we feel provides our education unit with rich data regarding the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of our candidates.

A Consideration Of The Influences That Predict Middle School Principal Attitudes, Edward Cod, Jesse Washington

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Today’s successful school systems have certainly evolved into “heroic learning organizations” (Brown & Moffett, 1999). Competing for such prestigious titles as National Blue Ribbon Schools and Carolina First Palmetto’s Finest Award Schools, additional pressures are placed on everyone involved. The person held most accountable for problem solving is the principal. Two of the most prominent pressures are the challenges of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and schools meeting Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements for all students. As the instructional leader, the principal influences every aspect of the school and each of its participants. In the process he or she becomes …

Identifying And Developing Scientific And Performance Standards For Educational Administrators Of Tehran’S High Schools And Providing An Appropriate Model, Hosseein Khanifar, Gholamreza Jandaghi

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Nowadays, the necessity of continuous and permanent attendance of standard is felt in various fields of human life in general and in training and education field in particular because that standard is a ground for similar performance and an indicator for identifying the rate of individuals’ success in designated works. (Nilly Ahamad Abadi, 2003). Generally, one can study human resource standards in three aspects of knowledge, function and behavior. Knowledge standards consist of the knowledge expected to be possessed by the individuals. In fact, they define scientific issues that should be learned by individuals. Performance standards consist of a qualitative …

Development Of Future Leaders: A Case Study On The Bank Of Thailand (Bot), Adisak Chandprapalert, Suda Suwannapirom

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

In the chaotic, volatile and complex business environment at the present time, an organization must be able to learn from and adapt to changes in order to enhance competitive advantage. As a result, leaders who make strategic decisions must adopt a new mind-set as new realities emerge and encourage strategic flexibility across and within their organizations (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2005). There are two significant factors to be strategically flexible on a continuing basis including leaders must develop an organization vision with a corresponding strategic plan and have the ability to manage changes (Zaccaro & Banks, 2004). Vision and leadership …

Designing And Implementing A Competency-Based Curriculum: Leadership Implications, Ralitsa Akins, Oscar Ingaramo, Maia Eppler, Gilbert Handal

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Choices in leadership decision-making reflect forces stemming from the leader, the environment and the group, where the quality of the decision and its acceptance are at stake (Yukl 1981). In academic institutions, establishing a supportive learning environment is not sufficient for achieving desired changes; implementing and sustaining the leader’s vision becomes absolutely necessary (Stinson, Pearson, and Lucas 2006).

Preparing Faculty And Staff For Change, Susan Madsen

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Pursuing excellence in higher education requires constant and continuous change. In fact, throughout the past few decades the need for the effective change in higher education has not only increased but become more complex. New challenges have surfaced in today’s educational, economic, and political environments making it more difficult to strive for and obtain this true excellence. In his book Pursuing Excellence in Higher Education, Brent D. Ruben (2004) presents the eight fundamental challenges in higher education today: 1) broadening public appreciation for the work of the academy; 2) better understanding and addressing the needs of workplaces; 3) becoming more …

Introduction To Codebusters, Richard Archer

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Spelling is an ignored wound in American education. It is so ignored that university teacher-preparation programs do not even include a single course on how to teach spelling. Lacking professional guidance, teachers concoct a variety of approaches. Some present a list of words and tell their students to memorize them for Friday’s test. Others have their students finger-paint the words. Others dwell on complex rules, such as: “In monosyllabic words ending in a terminal consonant, double the terminal consonant before adding –ed or -ing.” Spelling is so ignored that California’s entire content standards for eighth grade spelling instruction is four …

Student Rating Of Instruction: A Survey Of Satisfaction And Uses, Rhonda Magel, Charles Mcintyre

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

This paper describes a study conducted at North Dakota State University (NDSU) in an effort to measure the level of satisfaction and uses of the student evaluation process, from now on referred to as the Student Rating of Instruction (SROI). This study consisted of the following five (5) phases: Phase I – Input from the Students Phase II – Input from Administrators Phase III – Input from Faculty Phase IV – Data Analysis and Evaluation Phase V – Recommendations and Conclusions

Profile Of Online Programs In Private Colleges: From College To University With A Click, Michael Miller, Adam Morris

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Private higher education institutions have traditionally relied heavily on tuition revenues for their operation. Historically, these colleges have realized 80-90% of their operating revenue through tuition funding, making them reliant on their ability to attract and retain tuition-paying students (Gansemer-Topf & Schuh, 2006). This means that they are not only more tuition dependent than their public university counterparts (Summers, 2004), but that they must forecast expenditures and revenues with tremendous accuracy.

Reputation Management In Educational Organizations: Suggestion Of A New Model, Turgut Karak

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Reputation management strategy is a professional service which is more recent than other service sectors and it helps, supports organizations. Interest in reputation management first increased in 1990 in USA. With subsequent “Most Admired Corporations” research done by Fortune Magazine, reputation management started drawing attention in global market (Deephouse 2002).

Exploring The Relationship Between Avid Professional Development And Teacher Leadership, Jeffrey Huerta, Karen Watt, Ersan Alkan

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Classroom teachers receive various forms of professional development throughout their careers with the intent of improving their teaching practices and ultimately, student performance. However, professional development can also have an impact on teacher leadership activities outside of the classroom as well. The purpose of this study is to assess whether professional development received from the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program has an effect on AVID elective teachers’ level of teacher leadership within their schools. Teachers from middle schools and high schools implementing, or planning to implement, AVID were examined in order to answer the following research questions: 1) Is …

Leaders And Leadership Roles In Relation To Effective Management Of The Human Resources, John Inyang

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

The term leader is defined as a person initiating interaction with other members of a group, a person who moves the group towards group goal. The dictionary definition of a leader is ‘one who leads or goes first’. In other words one who first perceives the group’s needs far ahead of others and therefore plans and enlists the cooperation of others in its implementation. A person is a leader in any social situation in which his ideas and actions influence the thoughts and behaviours of others. The concept of a ‘leader’ therefore implies role-playing for some time. To be called …

The External Shareholders’ Impressions Regarding Corporate Reputation In Educational Organizations, Turgut Karak

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

A good reputation can create barriers to competition and inhibit the mobility of rival companies, attract the best supply chain and business partners, create a premium value for a company’s products and services (Sherman 1999, 10). On the one hand, reputation is valuable; it has bottom-line effects on firms. On the other hand, reputation buffers firms from the immediate reaction of stakeholders in their environment when controversial events occur (Schultz et al 2000, 79).

The Blogging College And University President: Academic Leadership In The Age Of Web 2.0, David Wyld

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

Blogs are certainly at the forefront of the Web 2.0 movement. Blogging has been alternatively categorized as both “the next big thing” (Gallo, 2004) and an “Internet Wasteland” (Anonymous, 2003). In a nutshell, a blog can be differentiated from a website in that it is an easier to create and update web vehicle, usually simply by typing into a preprogrammed interface. From a definitional perspective, a blog refers to an online journal that can be updated regularly, with entries typically displayed in chronological order. While blogs now encompass not only text, but video and audio as well, it is generally …

Circumventing The “Wow Factor”: Pitfalls And Recommendations When Infusing New Technologies, Derrick Davis

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

With the advent of emerging technologies in the educational arena, decision makers, at times, feel compelled to “jump on board” or get left behind the technology train. Clearly, the pressure is on with colleges now being ranked for its use of technology as in “America’s Top Wired Colleges” (Burnett 2003) and more and more students refusing to leave their technological wits at the schoolyard doors. Naysayers to the technology movement in education liken it to trends similar to the new math of the 60’s, the open classrooms of the 70’s, or the Charter schools of today. Over the last three …

Meeting The Challenge Of A Janus Job, Patricia Phelps

Academic Leadership: The Online Journal

No one becomes an academic department chair in higher education without first having been a faculty member. After eighteen years as a faculty member at the same university, I was named interim department chair in 2005. With this administrative appointment came the assumption of what I perceived as a Janus job. In Roman mythology, Janus was the god associated with doorways and gates. He was frequently portrayed with two faces–one looking forward and one looking backward. Rather than being viewed as two-faced, Janus is more accurately described as vigilant. This image seems to fit aptly the role of academic department …