Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Higher Education, School of Education, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Oct. 6, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-02, Section: A, page: 0498. Adviser: John P. Bean.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Dec. 1, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-10, Section: A, page: 3662. Adviser: Ronald E. Barnes.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2004. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-04, Section: A, page: 1228. Chairperson: Leonard Burrello.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Education, Leadership and Policy Studies, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 6, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-10, Section: A, page: 3769. Adviser: Douglas M. Priest.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2400. Adviser: Paul Thurston. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-105) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> Many large urban school districts have implemented Early Warning Systems (EWS) in order to track and organize student data related to their progress toward graduation. The popularity of EWS has increased over the past decade as a number of research studies have demonstrated claims that the EWS data can be used to predict, to a certain degree of accuracy, which students will graduate on time (Bowers, 2010; Bruce, Bridgeland, Fox, &amp; Balfanz, 2011). However, dropping out is not always a decision, but rather the outcome of a long journey of school experiences and life factors that set students on a path to become a dropout or graduate (Rumberger, 2011a). In this case study, interviews conducted with four twelfth-grade students reveal complex lived experiences related to their data in the EWS. This study used Dewey&rsquo;s (1938) theory of experience as a theoretical framework to better understand how the students&rsquo; lived experiences help explain the data recorded in the EWS. Results of this study indicate that, while students describe similar objective conditions of school, they each walk into the school building with unique internal conditions. It is ultimately the interaction between each student&rsquo;s internal conditions and the objective conditions in school that create the experience they have there. Without a better understanding of the interaction between a student&rsquo;s internal conditions and the objective conditions that are influencing each student&rsquo;s experience, districts and schools will be left with an intervention &ldquo;guessing game.&rdquo; It is the charge of educators in schools and at the district level to create processes that use the data in the EWS to develop improved practices in the school, and most important, the classroom. The data in the EWS are virtually useless if they do not lead to improved school routines and teacher effectiveness. </p><p>

<p> School reform efforts continue to evolve with more accountability being placed on school districts along with principals and teachers. However, there is a dearth of literature focusing on how school reform consequences affect a principal&rsquo;s self-identity and whether there are any human costs associated with a principal&rsquo;s involuntary transfer due to the school&rsquo;s failing status. The purpose of this study was to examine how principals coped with their involuntary transfers from failing schools and to determine the human costs, if any, on the principals. An involuntary transfer is one in which the principal is transferred from one failing school and assigned to another school or a central office position within the same school district. A theoretical framework was utilized to identify a principal&rsquo;s antecedent conditions, cognitive appraisals, and coping mechanisms. The model aided in categorizing the principals&rsquo; reactions to their involuntary transfers or removals from their schools.</p><p> This phenomenological study was located in a large urban school district in WNY where 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The study revealed that the former or current principals overall appraised their involuntary transfers as a Threat (negative), Challenge (positive) or Unaffected (indifferent). The data gleaned from the study include critical information to shape and implement policy surrounding how school reform ultimately affects a principal, which may lead to unintended human consequences.</p><p>

The study was designed to explore three principle equity factors at Bennett Park Montessori Center (BPMC), Buffalo, New York. The three factors, access/selection, program processes, and outcomes, were used as a conceptual framework. This framework guided the data gathering process as well as the analysis and presentation of the school's relationship to equity through its first 15 years. The data gathering techniques employed in the design of the study were documents gathering, interviews, and on-site observations. Data analysis, a continuous process occurring within all phases of the study, was guided by the research questions. With respect to access/selection data has shown that BPMC consistently has enrolled approximately 50% majority and 50% minority students through the annual lottery. The district adopted a controlled lottery which gave preference to students from racially identifiable schools. Unique to BPMC is the early entrance age of its students, two years, nine months. Age eligibility is the only requirement for BPMC. With respect to program processes, data has shown that mixed-age grouping, cooperation rather than competition, and a sense of community characterized the learning relationships at BPMC. These qualities have been defined as essential elements of authentic Montessori schooling by Rambusch and Stoops (1992). With respect to outcomes, data has shown that BPMC consistently enrolled a high percentage of students who participated in the free lunch program. Achievement outcomes indicated that BPMC students scored at higher percentages above the mean than district students in the majority of instances. However, BPMC and the Buffalo School District have not reported data by ethnic group. The study presented these conclusions: the founding of BPMC was influenced by an extraordinary level of cooperation among the Court, school administrators, community and parents. Shared adherence to Montessori philosophy created and maintained a unity of purpose for BPMC leadership and staff. Recommendations noted the need for school districts to aggregate data in ways which yield information about the effectiveness of programs for each of the diverse ethnic groups represented. Montessori practitioners need to examine the distribution of learning opportunities for majority and minority students within their environments.

<p> Despite the fact that women have reached parity in entering and graduating from medical schools (AAMC, 2014), the percentage of women who advance to leadership positions is small. The purpose of this study was to explore the connection between self-efficacy and leadership development over a multi-year period among women in academic medicine following their participation in a specialized leadership development program. The purpose was addressed by analyzing secondary interview data from alumnae of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine&reg; (ELAM) Program for Women, using a content analysis research design based on a constructivist paradigm of inquiry. The research problem addressed in this project was that the existing literature is deficient in studies that focus on the exploration of self-efficacy and how it influences the leadership development over time of women in academic medicine. Using Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory, this qualitative study was based on the thesis that Bandura's four sources of self-efficacy (performance accomplishments, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasions, and physiological states) are determinants of success over time for ELAM alumnae who achieve leadership positions in academic medicine. </p><p> This study had five major findings. First, this study supports each of Bandura's (1997) four sources of self-efficacy. Second, the most robust evidence of self-efficacy was found in the performance accomplishments self-efficacy source. Third, there was development of self-efficacy over time with the greatest growth within the self-efficacy source of performance accomplishments in the area of skill development relating to negotiation, delegation, budgeting and finance, communication, political savvy, and leadership enhancement, followed by vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion. Physiological states had the least growth. Fourth, the research and subsequent analysis of findings extend Bandura's (1997) previous research domains to include the demographic of women in academic medicine which could have transferability to highly educated and successful women professionals working in leadership roles in male-dominated fields. Fifth, Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy sources may need to be expanded. This study fills a gap in the research and adds to the body of knowledge related to self-efficacy and leadership development. </p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative multi-site case study was to explore the impact of principals&rsquo; leadership styles on student academic achievement in a high-poverty low-performing school district in Louisiana. A total of 17 participants, principals and teachers, from this school district were used in this study. Data source triangulation of interviews, questionnaires, and archival data were used for the analysis. The central research question that guided this study was: <i>What is the perceived impact, if at all, that the leadership style of a principal in a high-poverty low-performing school district in Louisiana has on a school performance score in those same schools?</i> Four main themes, some of which included additional subthemes, emerged from the study. These included: (a) Theme 1: principal leadership, with subthemes: passive behavior, motivation, and collaboration; (b) Theme 2: leadership implication on student achievement, with subthemes: dual leadership, teacher shortages and quality, and disruptive student behavior; (c) Theme 3: professional development; and; (d) Theme 4: initiatives to improve student achievement. The findings of this multi-site case study offered insight into factors other than principal leadership styles, which influences student academic achievement. This study provides recommendations for further research to be conducted in high-poverty low-performing schools in Louisiana targeted in the areas of teacher shortages, collaboration, dual leadership, passive behavior and teacher quality.</p>