This study seeks to make meaning of Black college women's interpretations of Black womanhood through the lens of urban reality television. This study highlights the consumption of urban reality television in higher education and works to determine how the confluence of identity development and media influences inform understandings of Black womanhood among Black undergraduate women. I examined their interpretations of (1) urban reality television, (2) Black womanhood, (3) campus life, (4) their interactions with family and friends, (5) role models, and (6) romantic relationships. My preliminary findings indicate that while the students frequently consumed these shows for entertainment purposes, their understandings of Black womanhood were largely shaped by family and role models. Still, parallels existed between the women's lived experiences and the portrayals of reality on television. Specifically, the participants determined the attitudes surrounding committed relationships among urban reality cast members reflect hook-up culture on-campus. Additionally, both the women cast in the shows and the respondents used predominantly White systems (educational system, the media) to acquire social mobility and improve their socioeconomic status. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2015. / November 2, 2015. / Black, Reality Television, Women / Includes bibliographical references. / Tamara Bertrand Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Felicia Jordan Jackson, University Representative; Kathy Guthrie, Committee Member; Ayesha Khurshid, Committee Member.

In this study the researcher explored the types of organizational culture at selected doctorate degree granting HBCUs to determine if there were differences in organizational culture that appeared to be related to institutional effectiveness. Specific attention was given to identifying the dominant culture and characteristics of three public doctoral degree granting historically black institutions. The primary focus of the study was the relationship between effectiveness and organizational culture in selected higher education institutions. Using a case study methodology, that was exploratory and descriptive in nature, the researcher identified the characterizations and dominant organizational culture for each of the participating institutions. Organizational theory was used as the conceptual framework for distinguishing between types of organizational culture. The study was primarily driven by semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The following questions guided this study: (1) What characterizes the organizational culture of the three HBCUs selected for study? and (2) Are there differences in the organizational culture of the three HBCUs that appear to be related to institutional effectiveness? Several recurring themes emerged among the institutions: (1) lack of communication, (2) increased faculty expectation, and (3) under-developed partnerships. Themes unique to each institution were also identified. These unique themes included: (1) poor customer service, (2) strained relationships between the chief research officer and the research community, (3) lack of research mission, and (4) pride and solidarity of purpose. Implications of this study can be used in assisting university leadership understand and utilize the knowledge pertaining to organizational culture and performance on both the organizational and sub-unit levels. The study findings also inform institutional leaders of the advantages of developing a balanced culture thereby positioning them to make / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2011. / Date of Defense: January 14, 2011. / culture, higher education, effectiveness, HBCUs, organizational behavior, management / Includes bibliographical references. / Joseph C. Beckham, Professor Directing Dissertation; Peter N. Kalu, University Representative; Peter Easton, Committee Member; Robert A. Schwartz, Committee Member.

The medical school learning environment can be an emotionally and academically demanding environment that impacts the student experience. These experiences may cause distress that can lead to overall mental health concerns. Research suggests that underrepresented minority medical students are more vulnerable than their non-minority counterparts when experiencing the medical school learning environment and are more likely to be at risk of delayed graduation or withdrawal. Students that have adverse experiences related to race are more likely to have high emotional exhaustion and screen positive for depression, which can be troublesome for medical schools that are hoping to increase their enrollment and graduation rate of underrepresented minority students. The purpose of this study was to understand how the medical school learning environment impacts the experience of underrepresented minority medical students, particularly their mental health and their knowledge and use of support services. A case study method was used to gather information from 10 underrepresented minority students along with a descriptive analysis of the Association of American Medical Colleges Year-Two Questionnaire. The findings of this study indicate that underrepresented minority students do experience medical school differently and have a less positive perception of the learning environment than their non-minority peers. Factors such as prior experiences, knowledge gaps, cultural experiences, access to resources and support systems along with differences in lived experiences create disparities in experiences for underrepresented minority medical students. These factors often lead to social isolation and stereotype threats that impact students’ mental health and help-seeking behaviors which impacts there academic success. This study seeks to encourage medical school administrators and educators to adjust current practices and gain new knowledge and practices to develop a learning environment with educational programs and support systems that promote a culture of openness, cultural awareness, and a culturally competent administration that retains and graduates confident and competent underrepresented minority students. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. / Spring Semester 2018. / March 7, 2018. / Medical student help-seeking behaviors, Medical Student Well-being, Minority Medical Student / Includes bibliographical references. / Toby Park, Professor Directing Dissertation; Elizabeth Jakubowski, University Representative; Patrice Iatarola, Committee Member; Linda Schrader, Committee Member; Robert Schwartz, Committee Member.

Employee turnover continues to be discussed as an outcome in Human Resources (HR), but comparatively few studies have examined the relationship between turnover as the independent variable and institutional outcomes. Although the call to HR practitioners has often been made over the past 20 years regarding the importance of tying HR programs and measures to institutional goals, there has been limited reporting of such initiatives among higher education institutions, which typically focus on student outcomes equally or more prominently than financial outcomes. While the HR Analytics field has been growing and there is a robust community of academics involved in data analysis of organizations, the field in Higher Education is still in its development stages. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to test whether employee turnover in various iterations can be a statistically significant predictor of (a) student completion rate, and (b) aggregate organizational external research funding. The study also tested whether such measures can be established by strictly using current institutional “legacy” data, as opposed to gathering any data that are not currently collected or available from normal business operations. Reviewing these questions through a theoretical framework of general systems theory and using student data, employee data, and financial data of a single higher education institution, this study was designed for the HR practitioner to review the use of models to predict whether employee turnover statistics are meaningful in explaining operational goals of an organization that are not financial. Six years of data (2006-2011) from a single higher education institution were used in the analysis. The sample subject group comprised students enrolled in various Master’s degree programs across 10 academic departments at the University. The analysis was conducted using ordinary least squares regression and via binomial logistic regression. Other forms of analysis were considered as part of the review. Overall, findings suggested that employee turnover (operationalized as employee instability rate) is statistically significant in models that predict student completion rate. Furthermore, employee turnover is statistically significant in models that predict the University’s external research funding levels (operationalized as indirect cost recovery statistics reported annually).

by Cheng Yin Cheong. / Title in Chinese: / Bibliography: leaves 172-189 / Thesis (M.A.Ed.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1985

This dissertation is comprised of three essays on the economics of high school-to-college transition programs and teacher effectiveness. The first essay studies the two largest credit-based transition programs in the United States: Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment. While these programs are distinct, both of them allow students to earn college credits while in high school. Using student-level statewide data from Florida, I examine the relative power of these two programs for predicting students' college access and success. In the second essay, I gauge the causal effect of one of the programs, Dual Enrollment, exploiting Florida's eligibility requirements for participation. I conduct two regression discontinuity analyses. The first analysis evaluates the effect of dual enrollment using a general grade point average requirement for participation in any course. The second analysis measures the effect of one particular challenging and popular dual enrollment course, college algebra, using an eligibility criterion that is specific to that course. While the standard regression-discontinuity methods are appropriate for the first analysis, the participation criterion for college algebra is used not only for dual enrollment but also for college students. I therefore propose an extension of standard regression-discontinuity methods to account for sequential treatments. My third essay, coauthored with Jonah Rockoff, considers ways in which policymakers can improve teacher accountability systems. Using data from New York City public schools, we study the relative predictive power of value-added performance data and subjective evaluations (made by mentors or hiring committees) on teachers' future performance as measured by students' achievement gains.

Success in early literacy activities is associated with improved educational outcomes, including reduced dropout risk, in-grade retention, and special education referrals. When considering programs that will work for a particular school and context; cost-effectiveness analysis may provide useful information for decision makers. The study provides information about the cost-effectiveness of four early literacy programs that the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), a government agency that evaluates effectiveness research in education, has determined show evidence of effectiveness: Accelerated Reader, Classwide Peer Tutoring, Reading Recovery, and Success for All. By using meta-analytic techniques to combine effect sizes for different studies and weighting literacy outcomes, the study provides new information about the relative effectiveness of early literacy programs. In particular, by weighting literacy outcomes, the study casts new light upon the relative importance of different kinds of literacy outcomes for creating successful beginning readers. Costs are often ignored, but are a necessary consideration given budget constraints. Rigorous measurement of program costs and presentation of cost-effectiveness ratios provides information about the relative cost-effectiveness of four "effective" programs.

All but one state constitution contains an adequacy clause, which holds the state to some minimum standard of education that must be provided. Typically, when citizens allege that a state is violating its constitutional duty to provide an adequate education, the dispute winds up in the courts. This study attempted to identify what, if any, political or institutional factors led to plaintiffs' victory in an adequacy lawsuit, and also examined whether there was any strategy behind the order in which states experienced an adequacy lawsuit. Qualitative Comparative Analysis, a method deisgned to allow for structured comparison in small- and medium-n studies by identifying necessary conditions, was employed to test political and institutional hypotheses. Analysis revealed that there were no conditions (or combinaitons of conditions) that were necessary and sufficient for plaintiffs' victory across cases. The implications for this fidning are expolored, with attention paid to the possibility that either methodological or theoretical issues account for the finding.

Currently, some Korean parents are educating their children in primary and secondary schools in foreign countries even though Korean schools demonstrate high performance as confirmed by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Report. Using Hirschman's (1970) framework of "exit" and "voice," this study investigated characteristics of exiting parents and their reasons for educating their child(ren) in foreign schools. This study also examined the organizational, political and educational context of Korea, including the High School Equalization Policy (HSEP), private tutoring, change in the study abroad law, and the role these play in leading some families to leave their domestic local schools. A survey questionnaire was administered to two groups of parents - parents whose children attend school domestically (staying parents) and parents whose children attend school abroad (exiting parents). Purposive sampling was implemented for data collection. Analysis employed logistic regression to assess which factors significantly contributed to the decision to exit or to stay. This study's finding confirmed Hirschman's argument that exit may increase when opportunities for voice are limited. Before choosing schools in foreign countries, exiting Korean parents expressed their voice more actively at the school level than did staying parents. While exiting parents were prone to speak directly to the teachers, principals, and school staff at the school level, staying parents were more likely to vocalize their voice through city and national level elections by actively demonstrating political action by casting ballots. Staying parents were more likely to choose their children's school by residential choice. In evaluating Korean schools, exiting parents gave lower marks to the local schools where their children attended while scoring Korean schools in general higher.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, ushered in a new level of accountability to all public schools that accept federal funding under this Act. Inclusive of requiring that schools meet adequately yearly progress (AYP), there is a set of recommendations in the legislation for building the capacity of the community to assist in school reform and success. This qualitative study examined four school-communities in Maryland to ascertain the degree to which building civic capacity comprised a part of the schools' reform and academic success strategies. Schools were selected to match three AYP categories: Actively making AYP, rebounding from failing to make AYP, and actively failing to make AYP. Four schools in two counties in Maryland participated in the study. In addition to school staff, interviews were also conducted with parents and members of community groups. The findings suggest that schools with strong community resources are able to maintain adequately yearly progress or utilize those resources to meet it if they have failed to do so in the past. However, in a school that is failing to make AYP, building both internal and external capacity is very challenging without a strong civic capacity history. External resources were especially marshaled in the school that rebounded from failure to make AYP.