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Full-Text Articles in Public Administration

Closing The Black And Hispanic High School Graduation Gap In A Central Florida School District, Terra Ewing Jan 2022

Closing The Black And Hispanic High School Graduation Gap In A Central Florida School District, Terra Ewing

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

To resolve the graduation gap among Black and Hispanic students in Central Florida, the development of equity-centered practices to improve high school graduation rates is essential. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of incorporating methods such as the self achievement theory, self-determination methodology, and equity educational policies in all eight of the Central Florida School District schools to improve the graduation rates of the Black and Hispanic students in the Central Florida School District as well as to develop recommendations for implementation and training across the district. All data gathered was secondary and gathered from the …


Performance Measurement Indicators And Their Impact On Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Eric Rashad Williams Jan 2022

Performance Measurement Indicators And Their Impact On Historically Black Colleges And Universities, Eric Rashad Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Accrediting agencies assess higher education institutions using performance indicators that are outdated and assessed incorrectly. This research uses various quantitative methods including multiple regression to provide data to understand the financial impacts of these indicators on mission driven historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The research question guiding this research examined whether academic accrediting agencies’, such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, performance indicators affect state funding allocations for HBCUs. Resource dependence theory recognizes leadership in organizations is influenced by adverse external environmental factors. Mission-based achievement outcomes and funding tied to inappropriate outcomes create both internal and external …


Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, Zero-Tolerance Discipline, And The School-To Prison Pipeline, Lois V. Woods Apr 2021

Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, Zero-Tolerance Discipline, And The School-To Prison Pipeline, Lois V. Woods

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Zero-tolerance discipline policies led to the introduction of police on school campuses and have resulted in a disproportionate number of in-school arrests and referrals of Black middle-school students, subjecting them to the school-to-prison pipeline. Data shows the negative effects of zero tolerance; however, less is known regarding alternative evidence-based strategies such as the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI). Grounded in the labeling theoretical framework, this study examined whether JDAI status (pre-JDAI and post-JDAI) could predict arrests and referrals while controlling for race, gender, and age. Secondary data were collected from a juvenile court in northwest Georgia on 1,303 middle-school students. …


Impact Of Intersectionality Of School Discipline And Race On Boys Of Color, Melvin Lewis Shepard Jan 2021

Impact Of Intersectionality Of School Discipline And Race On Boys Of Color, Melvin Lewis Shepard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disciplinary practices in California result in minority boys receiving a high rate of disproportionate discipline in the public-school system requiring those students to decide whether to return to school to achieve their high school diploma. The purpose of this case study was to explore what impacts the expelled student’s education decisions from the perspective of individuals who have experience with the California disciplinary system and counseling students who were expelled. The theoretical foundation used was critical race theory by Derick Bell and a conceptual framework of intersectionality and race context developed by the Combahee Initiative and Crenshaw. The study used …


The Relationship Between External Influences And State Education Policy Processes, Jessica Chrystal Jan 2021

The Relationship Between External Influences And State Education Policy Processes, Jessica Chrystal

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Political agendas and political attention often change based on media attention and business influence, ultimately impacting policies. Elementary and secondary education policies have evolved to improve academic rigor and increase global competitiveness. Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were established based on state-level elementary and secondary education student needs. The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to explore how external factors influenced state-level policy actors during the formulation and implementation of one state’s CCSS. All policies follow the policy process, which often includes various actors influencing various phases. Agenda-setting and political embeddedness are two critical components in the policy process …


Analysis Of Sexual Assault Policy Implementation Through The Narratives Of University Support Professionals, Rachel Cromheecke Jan 2021

Analysis Of Sexual Assault Policy Implementation Through The Narratives Of University Support Professionals, Rachel Cromheecke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sexual assaults occurring on university campuses are a national health crisis with statistics revealing 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men endure an unwanted sexual experience during their college career. The United States government has modified Title IX to update processes and resources educational institutions must provide to their students affected by sexual assaults. Educational institutions have increased educational resources to inform students about sexual assault prevention, how to recognize a sexual assault, where to go on campus for assistance, and where to report a complaint. However, studies have shown that over 90% of sexual assaults never get …


Nonprofit Arts Programs As Professional Development Experiences In Rural West Virginia, Ariel Mcgill Price Jan 2020

Nonprofit Arts Programs As Professional Development Experiences In Rural West Virginia, Ariel Mcgill Price

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public educators in West Virginia are required to take 18-hours of professional development learning annually. The professional development opportunities offered are not varied, inclusive of all content areas, and have been found by the state’s Department of Education to lack in application and effectiveness. This study examined the benefits of living laboratory professional development experiences, utilizing Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, with educators that volunteer with fine arts community-based nonprofit organizations, as a possible alternative to the professional development policy requirements by the state. The study’s key research questions were about the recognition and enhancement of intrapersonal and interpersonal …


Comparative Analysis Of The Usaf F-16 And Raaf F-18 Training Programs, James D. Smith Jan 2018

Comparative Analysis Of The Usaf F-16 And Raaf F-18 Training Programs, James D. Smith

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As experienced fighter pilots leave the United States Air Force (USAF) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), there is a need to develop new competent pilots to meet national defense requirements. Fighter training programs are expensive for taxpayers, and the USAF and RAAF face significant resource problems developing and implementing these programs. Using policy feedback theory and punctuated equilibrium theory as the theoretical foundation, the purpose of this comparative, multi-case study of current USAF F-16 and RAAF F-18 fighter pilot training policies was to inform training policy development and efficacy of future USAF and RAAF fighter pilot training programs. Data …


Breaking Cycles Through Targeted Financial Literacy Education For Fifth- Through Eighth-Grade Students, Tonja Custis Brickhouse Jan 2018

Breaking Cycles Through Targeted Financial Literacy Education For Fifth- Through Eighth-Grade Students, Tonja Custis Brickhouse

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Financial literacy education continues to be a deficiency in the U.S. education system because it is not included in most school curricula, and little is known about the efficacy of the school district programs that do include it. A former Federal Reserve Chairman identified the lack of financial literacy as a national problem, and the National Financial Educators Council described it as the #1 problem in the current generation. Using Berger and Luckmann's conceptualization of social construction as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this study was to explore how access to financial literacy education is perceived by fifth- through …


The Influence Of School Discipline Approaches On Suspension Rates, Donna Christy Jan 2018

The Influence Of School Discipline Approaches On Suspension Rates, Donna Christy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A free and appropriate public education is promised to every child in the United States. However, zero tolerance school discipline policies have broken that promise, pushing students out of the classroom and into the school-to-prison pipeline. Despite the growing body of research demonstrating negative social and economic impacts of exclusionary discipline, public school administrators have been slow to adopt innovative policies that provide rehabilitative alternatives. The purpose of this study was to compare, using the consequences of innovations application of Rogers's diffusion of innovations theory, the impact of various school district approaches to school discipline on suspension rates while controlling …


Racism Vs. Social Capital: A Case Study Of Two Majority Black Communities, Bruce W. Strouble Jan 2015

Racism Vs. Social Capital: A Case Study Of Two Majority Black Communities, Bruce W. Strouble

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Several researchers have identified social capital as a means to improve the social sustainability of communities. While there have been many studies investigating the benefits of social capital in homogeneous White communities, few have examined it in Black homogeneous communities. Also, there has been limited research on the influence of racism on social capital in African American communities. In this dissertation a comparative case study was used within a critical race theory framework. The purpose was to explore the role of racial oppression in shaping social capital in majority African American communities. Data were collected from 2 majority Black communities …