Shifting demographics in the U.S. population, persistent disparities in achievement, and student discipline call for school leaders who are culturally responsive to the diversity present in their schools and communities (Brown, 2005; deBrey et al., 2019; Khalifa et al., 2016a). A review of the literature revealed that researchers maintain the position of assistant principal plays a crucial role in moving forward to the principalship and that this position should be leveraged as an embedded opportunity to learn, which can more effectively prepare leaders for the future role of principal amidst changing school demographics (Oleszewski et al., 2012). Without culturally responsive school leaders and school environments, oppressive systems will continue to thrive in our schools, creating a sense of urgency to carefully explore and understand the ideology of cultural responsiveness concerning school leadership (Khalifa et al., 2016). Culturally responsive leadership practices and behaviors have been noted as "one of the most recent extensions of the research regarding how to meet the needs of culturally diverse learners" (Kranzlein, 2019, p. 22). These practices and behaviors create inclusive school environments responsive to all students' needs (Harris, 2020; Hollowell, 2019; Khalifa et al., 2016a). The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary assistant principals' perceptions of their preparedness to lead in diverse school settings through the lens of the culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) framework. Additionally, this study sought to identify specific professional development assistant principals perceived they needed to lead diverse schools and determine which components of the CRSL framework assistant principals currently utilize in their leadership practice. This quantitative study sample included 26 elementary assistant principals from a suburban PK-12 school division in Central Virginia. The research questions guiding this study were as follows: (1) To what extent do assistant principals perceive they are prepared to lead in diverse school settings? (2) What components of the CRSL framework do assistant principals currently utilize in their leadership practice? (3) What are self-reported professional development needs for assistant principals to lead in diverse schools? The research method included a researcher-developed survey titled the Self-Perceived Culturally Responsive School Leadership Preparedness Survey aligned to the CRSL framework created by Khalifa et al. (2016b). The survey instrument consisted of 17 items: one demographic question, 15 Likert-scale questions, and one open-ended question. The researcher used quantitative methodology techniques to analyze the data, including descriptive statistics. This study offers awareness into the perceptions of assistant principals' preparedness to lead in diverse school settings, identifies CRSL practices utilized by assistant principals, and identifies professional development needs to prepare assistant principals to lead in diverse schools. Results indicated that assistant principals perceive they are prepared to lead in diverse school settings as the building principal and that their duties and responsibilities have prepared them. Additionally, assistant principals indicated a need for professional growth opportunities focused on supporting the development of culturally responsive teachers in their schools and engaging students, parents, and Indigenous contexts. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary assistant principals' perceptions of their preparedness to lead in diverse school settings through the lens of the CRSL framework. The results of this study offer awareness into the perceptions of assistant principals' preparedness to lead in diverse school settings. Additionally, the study results identify CRSL practices utilized by assistant principals. It also discusses their professional development. In this quantitative study, a survey research design was used. The study was conducted in a PK-12 suburban public-school division in Central Virginia; the study sample included 26 elementary assistant principals. The research questions guiding this study were as follows: (1) To what extent do assistant principals perceive they are prepared to lead in diverse school settings? (2) What components of the CRSL framework do assistant principals currently utilize in their leadership practice? (3) What are self-reported professional development needs for assistant principals to lead in diverse schools? Results indicated that assistant principals perceive they are prepared to lead in diverse school settings as the building principal and that their duties and responsibilities have prepared them. Additionally, assistant principals indicated a need for professional growth opportunities focused on supporting the development of culturally responsive teachers in their schools and engaging students, parents, and Indigenous contexts. Recommendations for future studies and implications for practice were provided.

An evidence-based leadership (EBL) framework is an intervention designed to facilitate organizational changes such as the reduction of nursing turnover and the improvement of nursing job enjoyment. This project provides an overview of the effect of nursing turnover on an organization, presents the components of the EBL framework, and provides an evaluation of the influence of EBL on nursing turnover and job enjoyment. The EBL framework provided a method for reducing variance in leadership skill and behavior by outlining specific methods necessary to reduce inconsistency. The project objective was to determine if the implementation of an EBL framework for 820 nursing staff in 10 clinical units at a tertiary medical center improved turnover and job satisfaction, as evidenced by turnover data from the unit-specific dashboards and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) job enjoyment scores. All data were collected retrospectively, pre-implementation to post-implementation of the EBL framework, to determine whether significant improvement occurred in turnover percentages and job enjoyment scores. Results of a t test indicated no statistically significant improvement in turnover percentages or job enjoyment scores 7 months after the implementation of the EBL framework. The nonsignificant results could be attributed to several factors including senior leadership turnover, lack of specific accountability measures for failure to implement the EBL framework (insert comma here) and the restricted time frame of the evaluation period. Despite these nonsignificant results, the evaluation provides a baseline for future longitudinal studies to determine if an EBL framework can influence nursing turnover and job enjoyment after having been in place longer than the 7 months post implementation used for this evaluation.

<p>  </p> <p>There is a deficiency in scholarly research on higher education service animal policy that has created definitive gaps in how disability service office (DSO) directors approach policy development and how higher education institutions (HEIs) ensure access for service animal handlers. Through a three-paper model, this dissertation addressed the intersection between federal and state civil rights legislation and the leadership qualities needed in developing higher education service animal policies. The first academic law review paper, titled “Service Animals in the Higher Education Environment: How the Law Guides Institutions in Supporting Disabled Student Handlers” laid a foundation for higher education service animal policy through a review of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which is federal civil rights legislation that grants protections and access for students with disabilities using service animals in higher education. The second academic law review paper, titled “State Legislation Regarding Service Animals: Informing Big Ten Higher Education Disability Policy” provided a comprehensive overview of six Midwest state’s service animal legislation and the legal application to higher education policy. The third paper is a qualitative research study, titled “A Big Ten Leadership Approach to Service Animal Policy Development in Higher Education” that explored how Big Ten Academic Alliance HEI DSO directors lead when developing institutional policy related to service animals.</p>

<p>Transitioning to cloud computing is a complex and major effort for large multinational corporations (MNCs). Automated cloud migration tools (ACMTs) have been developed and are evolving to streamline this process. The potential benefits of their use are reported to be significant in terms of cost, time, and business innovation. Academic research on ACMTs and the best leadership practices for their use has been limited. </p><p> </p><p>The purpose of the research was to identify the best leadership practices of MNCs in the use of automated migration tools for the adoption of commercial cloud computing platforms. Adoption of cloud computing is a major technological shift occurring globally, and is still in early stages of growth. Major providers of commercial cloud computing platforms include technological giants such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google, Oracle and IBM.</p><p> </p><p>A meta-analysis designed research approach focusing on the triangulation of case studies, cloud computing industry data and trends from cloud service providers (CSP) revealed that best practices of leaders within MNCs fall under three main categories: awareness, impact and actions. Further, it was determined that the ACMTs with the most advanced capabilities do not necessarily equate to faster realization of cloud value for the MNC. </p><p> </p>With the continued development of ACMTs and their growing adoption, further study on the role of automation in cloud migration solution deployment will be critical, as ACMT capabilities will continue to mature. No longer the sole domain of becoming a market leader alone, organizations that utilize ACMTs are increasingly doing so just to maintain competitive parity, as the true differentiator in organizational excellence is now in cloud optimization and not simply just getting to the cloud.

The academic information service enterprise should continuously react to the rapidly changing environment in which it functions. The theoretical research pertaining to the study has shown that such enterprises which embark on re-engineering because radical change is required, should be knowledgeable in terms of what the change entails, why it is important to change and how the change takes place through re-engineering, organisational design and an innovative leadership framework. In order to ensure efficiency within its operations while focusing on its own sustainability, the enterprise should establish leadership roles which involve all staff in leadership on a daily basis. The empirical research focused on the attitudes of staff towards such a leadership driven enterprise. Results revealed that factors such as whether staff participated in re-engineering, their engagement with re-engineering proposals, their work experience and their language have a significant impact on the attitudes of staff towards an innovative leadership framework. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

The challenge facing principals currently is to revisit their role to improve external examination results in the Republic of South Africa. Almost all schools in the Free State, in particular those in rural areas such as the Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District; the Xhariep Education District; part of the Motheo Education District (e.g. Botshabelo and Thaba-Nchu) and most urban areas, such as the Lejweleputswa Education District and the Fezile Dabi Education District, have schools which have had poor examination results for the past 20 years. To answer the challenges currently facing principals in the Free State, this research used a qualitative research framework and methodology to articulate research questions and arrive at constructive and instructive models to reveal and close the gaps between performing and underperforming secondary schools in the province. A particular group of principals was chosen, influenced by the performance and underperformance of their schools in the various education districts in the province. Research findings from unstructured interviews with doctoral candidates, and research on China, Finland and Singapore’s education systems with special reference to instructional leadership were conducted. The doctoral candidates’ ideas were confirmed by practical unstructured interviews with Sekgutlong and Beacon high school principals who visited Singapore with the MEC of the Free State Department of Education. In plenary and parallel encounters with principals of secondary schools in the Free State, it emerged that rote learning is prevalent in the Free State secondary schools. Therefore, was resolved by the majority of the principals that critical postmodern instructional leadership should be recommended as an instructional methodology to usher in critical thinking, innovation, creativity and self-reliance in Free State education. In addition, this will close the gap between performing and underperforming secondary schools. Finally, grounded postmodern instructional leadership as a leadership strategy will assist a contemporary secondary school learner’s generation to cope with the academic requirements of tertiary education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

The Niger Delta militancy ravaged the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector between 2004-2009, bringing it to a standstill. In response, the Nigerian state adopted an amnesty policy―a globally recognized tool for conflict resolution and peacebuilding―to protect the sector and the economy from collapse. Little is known, however, about the unintended consequences of the amnesty implementation for the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector. Thus, the purpose of this study was to fill this gap in the research literature on the Niger Delta amnesty program. Polarity management was the conceptual framework applied; relative deprivation and polarities of democracy constituted the theoretical foundation for this qualitative case study. Face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 29 purposefully selected participants from the senior ranks of the petroleum industry, sector trade unions, relevant government agencies, and a regional university. Data were inductively coded as part of content analysis, the data analysis strategy. Participants viewed the amnesty policy as being poorly conceived and implemented due to the many unintended negative consequences arising from the policy implementation. The key finding from the study indicates that both the sector and the Niger Delta region are worse off post the amnesty policy implementation. The study concludes that by adopting and implementing the study recommendations, stakeholders may be able to mitigate the identified unintended consequences, position the Nigerian upstream petroleum sector for sustainable growth, address the root causes of the militancy, and deliver a positive social change for the residents of Niger Delta.

The academic information service enterprise should continuously react to the rapidly changing environment in which it functions. The theoretical research pertaining to the study has shown that such enterprises which embark on re-engineering because radical change is required, should be knowledgeable in terms of what the change entails, why it is important to change and how the change takes place through re-engineering, organisational design and an innovative leadership framework. In order to ensure efficiency within its operations while focusing on its own sustainability, the enterprise should establish leadership roles which involve all staff in leadership on a daily basis. The empirical research focused on the attitudes of staff towards such a leadership driven enterprise. Results revealed that factors such as whether staff participated in re-engineering, their engagement with re-engineering proposals, their work experience and their language have a significant impact on the attitudes of staff towards an innovative leadership framework. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

The challenge facing principals currently is to revisit their role to improve external examination results in the Republic of South Africa. Almost all schools in the Free State, in particular those in rural areas such as the Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District; the Xhariep Education District; part of the Motheo Education District (e.g. Botshabelo and Thaba-Nchu) and most urban areas, such as the Lejweleputswa Education District and the Fezile Dabi Education District, have schools which have had poor examination results for the past 20 years. To answer the challenges currently facing principals in the Free State, this research used a qualitative research framework and methodology to articulate research questions and arrive at constructive and instructive models to reveal and close the gaps between performing and underperforming secondary schools in the province. A particular group of principals was chosen, influenced by the performance and underperformance of their schools in the various education districts in the province. Research findings from unstructured interviews with doctoral candidates, and research on China, Finland and Singapore’s education systems with special reference to instructional leadership were conducted. The doctoral candidates’ ideas were confirmed by practical unstructured interviews with Sekgutlong and Beacon high school principals who visited Singapore with the MEC of the Free State Department of Education. In plenary and parallel encounters with principals of secondary schools in the Free State, it emerged that rote learning is prevalent in the Free State secondary schools. Therefore, was resolved by the majority of the principals that critical postmodern instructional leadership should be recommended as an instructional methodology to usher in critical thinking, innovation, creativity and self-reliance in Free State education. In addition, this will close the gap between performing and underperforming secondary schools. Finally, grounded postmodern instructional leadership as a leadership strategy will assist a contemporary secondary school learner’s generation to cope with the academic requirements of tertiary education. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)