Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Political recognition of the multicultural nature of Mexico has advanced the understanding of how people live together, as well as how they value and respect each other’s differences. The migration of indigenous populations from rural areas of the country to urban settings has transformed the cities, and also schools, into places of remarkable cultural diversity. This study examines the processes of identity formation of indigenous children in two urban schools in Jalisco, Mexico. By studying the processes of identity formation, I focus on understanding how indigenous children represent themselves within the wider social discourses and dynamics of power, which might be either reinforcing or limiting their opportunities to strengthen their ethnicity. By using an ethnographic approach, from a critical theory perspective, this study focus on listening to indigenous children’s voices, rather than the other voices and experiences within the school setting. The study was conducted in two schools in the municipality of Zapopan, in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Over a period of 14 months, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 indigenous children, balanced by gender and age, from 4 different ethnic groups: Mazahua, Nahua, Purepecha, and Totonaco. I also interviewed 22 mestizo children, 10 teachers, 3 principals, and 7 parents. The schooling experiences of indigenous children are discussed in the study. Elements such as language use, territory (geographic and symbolic), family networks, and their attachment to their communities of origin were identified as the crucial factors for indigenous children to represent, or sometimes deny, themselves as being indigenous. The analysis also highlights the silences, racism, and ethnic blindness that indigenous children face in urban schools. Meritocratic educational approaches within neoliberal discourses of competition, individual effort, and autonomy were embedded in the children’s schooling experiences, thereby shaping their learner identities. This study seeks to contribute to the pursuit of providing indigenous children with educational services that recognise and reinforce their ethnic identity. It is also my objective that children’s voices open up a dialogue with those responsible for the educational and social policies, in order to create a common front that might challenge the racism veiled as indifference and/or a desire for ‘equality’ in Mexican urban schools.

What factors—personal, contextual, and professional—contribute to accomplished early career urban teachers’ perceptions of effectiveness and their decisions to stay or leave their classrooms? The finding of this study was that no single factor is responsible for whether a teacher chooses to stay or leave his or her classroom; however, there is a constellation of factors that plays a role in both supporting and frustrating teachers; how the teachers respond to these factors and how these factors interact help to explain their decisions. What differentiates the degree of impact of the institutional or professional factors on the teachers’ morale and, ultimately, on their decisions to stay or leave their classrooms are the other mitigating factors—namely, the personal and contextual factors that either bolster the teachers or diminish their level of commitment. Seven connecting assertions are drawn from an examination of the commonalities and differences between and among cases regarding the factors that contribute to each teacher’s perception of success and influence his or her career decision to stay in or leave the urban classroom. These assertions regarding the factors that contribute to teachers’ perceptions of success and their career decisions include: • the alignment of each teacher’s classroom experience with his or her expectations shaped by earlier events and relationships • the ability of each teacher to cope with and manage the day-to-day challenges by incorporating self-care and cognitive reframing strategies in order to maintain optimism, resilience, and well-being • the establishment of a relationship of mutual and reciprocated trust with the school leader(s) • the teacher’s perceived quality of relationships with colleagues • the teacher’s perceived ability to establish individual, personal, and authentic connections with students • the ability to make decisions regarding curriculum and pedagogical practice • the ability to tolerate and navigate constant and seemingly questionable change

<p>This study examined job satisfaction factors and teacher demographics in relation to a teacher’s likelihood of returning to an urban teaching setting the following school year. The researcher specifically examined factors relating to teachers’ job satisfaction, utilizing Paul Spector’s Job Satisfaction Survey (1999). Four hundred fifty-nine Indiana urban schoolteachers whose districts are members of Indiana Urban School Association (IUSA) participated in this study. Participants’ demographic and job satisfaction data was analyzed by point biserial correlations and binary logistic regressions. A significant correlation was found between the total JSS score and teachers’ decision to return teaching in urban school setting. Additionally, an increased number of years of teaching, promotion, and nature of work were associated with an increased likelihood of returning to teach. In contrast, an increase in age was associated with a reduced probability of teaching or returning by 0.746. An increase in the number of teaching years was related to an increased probability of returning to teaching by 3.204. There is an increased chance of returning to teaching by 4.066 as promotion increases. A reduced probability of returning to teaching by .313 was correlated with relationships with colleagues. Finally, increasing levels of nature of work was associated with an increased likelihood or returning to work by 3.103. Based on the findings from this study, the researcher concluded administrators in urban school settings should focus on factors that will enhance teacher experience and overall job satisfaction to discourage attrition. </p>

No description available.

Thesis advisor: Diana C. Pullin / It is widely accepted that school leadership has both a direct and indirect impact on student achievement. Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) unified leadership framework summarized a decade of work by numerous researchers identifying the five most effective leadership domains that influence student learning. Using that work as a conceptual framework, this qualitative case study analyzed one of the five interdependent leadership domains in an urban elementary school that succeeded in educating traditionally marginalized students and outperformed other schools with similar demographics in the district. This study identified and explored the second leadership domain which is described as building professional capacity, focusing specifically on the principal’s actions. Building professional capacity is defined in this study as developing the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of teachers and is important for expanding leadership responsibility for student learning and increasing student achievement. The study resulted in identifying all seven dimensions of the domain present in practice at the school and explored the actions taken to embed them into the culture. Data were gathered through the review of district and school level documents and open-ended interviews with district leaders and members of school administration, faculty, and staff. Findings indicated that the school principal performed several specific and tangible actions to build professional capacity in the school including implementing professional practice, messaging consistently high expectations with faculty and staff, modeling expected professional behaviors and habits, and coaching faculty and staff. Many staff believed the success of the school was a result of the culture of collaboration, dedication, and high expectations forged by the principal. Recommendations for building upon this work included selecting and hiring teachers who offer evidence of effective instruction despite different philosophical viewpoints, addressing levels of trust with those who express conflicting levels of collaboration and commitment, and expanding the effective leadership practices with other school leaders throughout the district. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Baylor University, 2005. / Includes bibliographic notes (p. 210-220).

Not available / text

Not available / text

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Feb. 29, 2008). Directed by Carl Lashley; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-124).