<p> Caring relationships with teachers is identified as one of the most significant factors to engaging students in their learning. While most teachers believe they exhibit caring behaviors toward students, why do so many students&mdash;especially students of color&mdash;report not feeling cared for by teachers? This dissertation research explored how care is demonstrated and perceived between White teachers and Black male high school students. The study engaged two participant groups&mdash;seven students and seven teachers&mdash;in dialogue to explore similarities and differences between their perceptions of caring, and to examine how members of each group experienced the perceptions of members of the other group. Findings indicated the complexities of establishing caring teacher-student relationships &ldquo;on the ground&rdquo;. Even when teachers think they are &ldquo;doing the right thing&rdquo;, creating caring relationships can be challenging and confusing. Many teachers confessed they believed they had been supporting Black students in their classrooms, not realizing their actions were actually having a detrimental effect on students, making them feel deficient and devalued. Other findings included teachers&rsquo; reluctance to engage in conversations about race and students&rsquo; awareness of teachers&rsquo; unwillingness and inability to address issues of race; both of which further complicate and hinder the development of caring relationships. The results of this study suggest embedding more opportunities for teachers and teacher candidates to engage in talk about race with colleagues and students in professional development and preparation programs. In addition, school leaders must create more opportunities for teachers and students to engage in authentic dialogue about race to help untangle the complexity of caring relationships between White teachers and Black students.</p>

<p> The current demands placed on administrators, specifically principals, have become progressively more complex due to litigation, pressure from parents, societal changes, internal workplace expectations, and more than ever, mandates levied from state and federal government. Support through mentorship may be one means to help administrators meet the demands. This study examines the extent, to which mentorship leads to increased morale and perceptions of autonomy, which the literature has shown are important attributes of effective school leaders. The conceptual basis for the focus on morale and autonomy derives from `sponsored mobility', a notion that leaders/managers follow a path into effective leadership that relies on a supportive and trusting relationship with experienced peers. This can be contrasted with `contest mobility', an approach that implies leaders' transition into effective leadership through competition, trial and error (Turner 1960). This study, then, searches for evidence of the associations between mentorship (sponsored mobility) and self-reports of higher morale and autonomy. Sponsored mobility, in some measure, has substantial impact on the overall school culture. Trusting and supportive relationships with experienced practitioners may well guide emerging school leaders in a more thorough manner than learning through trial and error in a competitive (contest mobility) phase of practice. This single study draws on two sources of evidence: responses to the O'Connell et al. (2005) survey, and guided discussion in focus groups of practicing school leaders in 2013. The study investigated the relationship between mentoring and administrator morale and autonomy through a secondary analysis of an earlier study combined with a focus group of currently practicing administrators. This study asked two main questions: 1. Is there a difference between the morale levels of mentored and non- mentored administrators? 2. Is there a difference between mentored and non-mentored administrators in their feelings of autonomy in their work? Of the study's findings, three are of interest. First, of those surveyed in 2005, a higher proportion of female school leaders than male school leaders reported having a mentor. Further, of those surveyed in 2005 who had mentors, female school leaders were more likely than male school leaders to report that the mentor significantly influenced the decision to become a principal. The latter finding was not borne out in focus groups, which differed in point in time (2013) from the population of school leaders surveyed in 2005. Focus group discussions revealed a feeling among practicing principals that mentors do have the effect of increasing morale and a sense of job autonomy. Third, focus group discussion uncovered social emotional needs as a possible distinguishable feature of the transition into effective leadership. Here, supported social emotional needs might join increased morale and a greater sense of autonomy as conditions for a successful, effective leader. Given the high turnover rate in K-12 administrative personnel, this study's findings helped elucidate a way to alleviate such swings. The findings contributed to what we know about the influence of mentoring on job morale and autonomy thus helped to inform policy, practice and perhaps will influence the design of preparatory programs for school administrators.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to determine the reading and math outcome equity of students, by, language, ethnicity, and gender conditions required to participate in the Grand Island Public Schools Attendance program based on third-grade through eighth-grade excessive school absences in the 2010-2011 school year. The data presented in the study indicates that overall the Grand Island Public School Attendance program improved attendance of students who were involved in the attendance program. In the third-grade 77% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. In the fourth-grade 83% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. In the fifth-grade 87% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. In the sixth-grade 84% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. In the seventh-grade 74% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. In the eighth-grade 67% of students involved in the attendance program improved their attendance. The attendance was improved by not only the official letter sent by the combination of Grand Island Public Schools and Hall County District Attorney's office but also by the relationships and positive interactions of the Grand Island Public Schools social workers with students and families. The attendance inventory checklist designed to be solution focused acts to established positive relationships with students and their families leading to sustained positive improvement in attendance. However, study results seem to indicate that students in the seventh-grade and eighth-grade may need more specific academic intervention to support their continued attendance and graduation from high school. While the data shows students improved attendance while in the program a research design extended in time should be conducted to follow randomly selected students through their high school graduation to document attendance patterns and the effectiveness of recommended Welcome Center student and family program participation, direct social work support, and reading and math supports contributing differentially or <i>in toto</i> to sustained academic success and high school graduation for these students.</p>

While there is a growing body of American literature on minority principals, there still exists a scarcity of Canadian research on principal diversity. Although the numerous benefits derived from having minority principals have been reported in the literature, the number of minority principals in Canada has not kept pace with the increasing number of visible minority citizens and K-12 students. Clearly, minority teacher recruitment, development and retention efforts are critical to increase future minority principals, but preparing more minority students in educational leadership programs must become a priority. The following research question guides this study: What does the literature suggest can be done to increase the number of minority students in Canadian educational leadership graduate programs? In addressing the question, this study reviewed strategies in the literature that have been identified and/or used to recruit, develop and retain minority students in higher educational settings. It then specifically discusses how these strategies can be used to increase the enrolment of visible minority students who are traditionally underrepresented in educational leadership programs, in comparison to their representation in the Canadian society and schools. / Bien qu'il existe aux États-Unis une quantité croissante de documentation sur les directeurs issus d'une minorité, il en existe peu au Canada. Combler les postes de directeur avec des membres d'une minorité comporte de nombreux avantages. Par contre, le nombre de directeurs issus d'une minorité au Canada n'augmente pas d'une manière proportionnelle au nombre de minorités en général et au nombre d'étudiants de catégorie K-12. Il est clair que les efforts en matière de recrutement, de formation continue et de rétention de professeurs provenant d'une minorité sont essentiels pour augmenter le nombre de futurs directeurs issus d'une minorité. Cependant, la priorité doit être accordée à la préparation d'un plus grand nombre d'étudiants provenant d'une minorité dans le cadre de programmes de leadership. La présente étude se penche sur la question suivante : quels sont les moyens suggérés dans la documentation pour augmenter le nombre d'étudiants issus d'une minorité au Canada qui sont inscrits dans des programmes d'études supérieures en éducation? La présente étude, dont l'objectif est de répondre à cette question, se veut un examen des stratégies proposées dans la documentation pour recruter, former et retenir des étudiants membres d'une minorité dans des programmes d'études supérieures. En outre, la présente étude aborde les méthodes selon lesquelles ces stratégies peuvent être utilisées pour augmenter le nombre d'étudiants membres d'une minorité inscrits dans des programmes de leadership en éducation, lequel nombre n'est pas proportionnel au nombre de minorités dans les écoles et au Canada en général.

The conditions and context of First Nations students attending on-reserve schools is markedly different from the general population who attend provincially funded and managed school systems. The historical, political, and fiduciary relationship between First Nations and the federal government, due in large part to the inequity in funding levels for education, are just some of the challenges that First Nations struggle with in their attempt to provide their students with an education comparable to their provincial counterparts. The ability to appropriately and accurately assess the achievement of First Nation students in on-reserve schools has been greatly hindered by these conditions. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, and assess a research based comprehensive board-wide improvement plan in a First Nation school system, following the plan over a three year period. In addition to the research based practices advocated by the Ontario Ministry of Education, the plan included locally developed performance indicators to assess growth and student achievement between the 2006/2007 and 2008/2009 school year. The question posed in this study sought to find out if the plan would bring the First Nation school system to the provincial standard, and additionally, if it would improve the perception of the school system held by community members. The results from the provincial assessments over the three year period showed that the Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education did not meet the provincial standard for either Grade 3 or Grade 6 in any of the assessed areas of reading, writing, or mathematics. The most significant amount of growth for both Grade 3 and Grade 6 occurred between Year 1 and Year 2 in the area of writing. However, all of these gains were lost in Year 3, when a political conflict in the community closed the schools for three days during the last week of the provincial assessments, which then led to the reconfiguration of the schools to t / Les conditions des élèves des Premières nations qui fréquentent les écoles des réserves, et le contexte dans lequel ils le font, sont fort différentes de ceux de l'ensemble de la clientèle des systèmes scolaires financés et gérés par les provinces. La relation aux plans historique, politique et fiduciaire entre les Premières nations et le gouvernement fédéral, dans une large mesure en raison des inégalités dans le financement de l'éducation, ne représentent que quelques-unes des difficultés que doivent affronter les Premières nations dans leur tentative de fournir à leurs élèves une éducation comparable à celle des jeunes de la province. La capacité d'évaluer de façon appropriée et avec rigueur la réussite des élèves des Premières nations des écoles des réserves a été grandement entravée par ces conditions. L'objectif de cette étude était de développer, mettre en œuvre et évaluer pour l'ensemble du conseil dans un système scolaire des Premières nations un plan d'amélioration exhaustif fondé sur la recherche, et de suivre ce plan pendant une période de trois ans. En plus des pratiques basées sur la recherche préconisées par le ministère de l'Éducation de l'Ontario, le plan comprend des indicateurs de rendement élaborés à l'échelon local pour évaluer la croissance et la réussite des élèves entre les années scolaires 2006/2007 et 2008/2009. La recherche voulait vérifier si le plan amènerait le système scolaire des Premières nations au niveau des normes provinciales, et en outre, s'il améliorerait la perception du système scolaire dirigé par des membres de la communauté. Les résultats des évaluations provinciales de cette période de trois ans ont démontré que le Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education n'a pas satisfait les normes provinciales tant pour la 3e année ou pour la 6e année dans les domaines évalués, soit la lecture, l'écriture et les mathématiques. La croissance la plus signifi

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2007.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 5, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 2744. Adviser: Leonard Burrello.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2007. / Adviser: Leonard Burrello.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership of the School of Education, 2007. / Adviser: Barry Bull.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 21, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 2754. Adviser: Gerardo R. Lopez.