bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aggression in Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Care: A Survey of Staff Attitudes
Authors: Ezeobele Ifeoma E. , McBride Rachel , Engstrom Allison , Lane Scott D. 
Published: January 2019

Introduction Inpatient aggression poses consistent complications for psychiatric hospitals. It can affect patient and staff safety, morale, and quality of care. Research on staff attitudes toward patient aggression is sparse. Purpose The study explored staff attitudes toward patient aggression by hospital position types and years of experience in a psychiatric hospital. We predicted that staff experiencing patient aggression would be related to working in less trained positions, having less psychiatric work experience, and demonstrating attitudes that were consistent with attributes internal to the patient and not external. Methods Fifty-one percent completed online survey using Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale, along with demographics, years of work experience, and number of times staff experienced aggressive event. Results Management of Aggression and Violence Attitude Scale scores, staff position types, and years of experience were related to the number of aggressive interactions. Nurses and psychiatric technicians reported highest number of exposures to patient aggression, followed by physicians; however, support staff reported less patient aggression. More years worked in a psychiatric hospital was associated with more aggressive experience. Conclusion Nurses, psychiatric technicians, and physicians reported greater exposure to patients’ aggression than support staff. Training programs, developed specifically to individual position types, focusing on recognition of sources of aggression, integrated into staff training, might reduce patient on staff aggression in psychiatric hospitals.
An Evaluation of Lifestyle Health Coaching Programs Using Trained Health Coaches and Evidence-Based Curricula at 6 Months Over 6 Years
Authors: Budzowski Amanda R. , Parkinson Michael D. , Silfee Valerie J. 
Published: January 2019

Purpose: Describe health plan member-level participation, completion, and 6-month outcomes for 5 lifestyle health coaching programs offered by an integrated delivery and financing system (IDFS) over 6 years. Design: Case series study of 5 lifestyle programs with 180-day follow-up. Setting: Large Western PA integrated delivery and financing system (IDFS) deployed multiple coaching modalities for diverse insurance-member enrolled population. Participants: A total of 14 591 health plan members choosing a lifestyle health coaching program. Intervention: Evidence- and curriculum-based lifestyle health coaching programs delivered by 1 of 4 interactive modalities. Measures: A single metric was used as an overall indicator of clinical success for each program. Success measures include a ≥5% reduction of self-reported baseline weight, meeting physical activity guidelines, and 7-day point prevalence abstinence from tobacco. For stress and nutrition, where no single target measure exists, a metric was created that represented a net improvement across all key outcomes measured. Analysis: The proportion of members meeting target outcomes were calculated and described across all time points and modalities. Results: At 180 days, 77% of enrolled members reported reduced stress, 7% quit tobacco, 50.5% met physical activity guidelines, 65.2% improved nutrition, and 44.2% lost 5% or more of baseline weight. Conclusion: This evaluation describes the real-world effectiveness of evidence- and curriculum-based lifestyle improvement programs delivered by trained health coaches to a diverse health plan member population.
Gender and Perceptions: Females as Secondary Principals
Authors: Nogay Kathleen , Beebe Robert J. 
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers and supervisors toward the principal leadership behaviors of female secondary principals in Ohio. Principal self-perceptions were also included to complete the study. The literature shows that women continue to be underrepresented in a field in which the majority of professionals are women; therefore the reasons for underrepresentation warrant investigation. Although women are beginning to move into such ranks more frequently, line administrative positions continue to be dominated by males, and few women hold the positions of high school principal and school district superintendent, positions which continue to be particularly resistant to the advancement of females. Random selected school districts in Ohio were involved in this investigation, the participants of which completed a copy of Philip Hallinger's Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS), a scale which afforded the opportunity to compare the perceptions of superordinates, principals, and subordinates. The results indicated significant differences between principal gender and the responses of others on most of the subscales of the PIMRS. The mean subscale results were much higher for female principals than for male principals as well. The conclusions of this study indicate that there is significant difference in perceptions of principal leadership behavior regarding gender. Principals also judge their own leadership behavior significantly different based on gender.
“The Click-Clack of Her Heels and the Jingle of Her Keys”: Exploring the Tensions in the Leadership of a Successful Turnaround Principal
Authors: Reitzug Ulrich C. , Hewitt Kimberly Kappler 
Published: January 2019

This qualitative case study explores the practices and tensions of being an effective principal in a turnaround school through an in-depth analysis of one principal who has been successful in several turnaround settings. Although principals have long been cited as foundational to a school's success, being the principal of a turnaround school is a significantly different enterprise than being a principal of a non-turnaround school. Newly appointed turnaround principals are expected not only to generate significant improvement in achievement in schools that have been low-achieving for many years, but to do so in a short period of time. To gain insight into the leadership practices of a principal who was successful in accomplishing school turnaround, we conducted interviews with 21 of the principal's current and past colleagues, observed her in practice, analyzed documents related to her leadership, and interviewed her three times. In this report, we describe her leadership practice and conclude that it was characterized by four dynamic tensions that resulted in the turnaround of the schools she led: • The tension between focusing on mission and focusing on personal connection; • The tension between high expectations and high trust and respect; • The tension between strong principal presence and strong staff presence; and • The tension between disrupting complacency and continuity. We conclude by arguing that a key to effective practice for turnaround principals lies in their creating ongoing dynamic tensions in their schools.
Public School Board Presidents’ and Superintendents’ Perceptions of the Characteristics of Effective Superintendents in a Midwestern State
Authors: Webner Steven , De Jong David , Campoli Ayana , Baron Mark 
Published: January 2019

The expectation for strong superintendent leadership has increased due to a demand for greater student achievement and accountability. This study examined public school board presidents’ and superintendents’ perceptions of the characteristics superintendents must possess to effectively lead in today's complex educational system. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect data from public school board presidents and superintendents in a Midwestern state. Computation of item means indicated school board presidents perceived developing a close, positive, and productive relationship with the school board, developing a culture and climate which enhances teacher morale and student achievement, developing partnerships between school and community, developing budgets and manage fiscal matters, and visibility throughout the community and district as the most important characteristics of effective superintendents. Superintendents perceived developing a culture and climate which enhances teacher morale and student achievement, developing a close positive, and productive relationship with the school board, building a team atmosphere and coherence, developing budgets and manage fiscal matters, and communicating with stakeholders as the most important characteristics of effective superintendents. School board presidents considered involvement of stakeholders in collaborative goal-setting and monitoring as well as superintendent visibility throughout the community and district to be significantly more important than did superintendents. In contrast, superintendents believed recruiting, selecting, developing personnel, and implementing effective evaluation structures to be significantly more important than did the superintendents. Independent sample t tests revealed that small district public school superintendents perceived recruiting, selecting, developing personnel, and implementing effective evaluation structures as significantly more important than small district school board presidents did ( p < .05). There was no statistically significant difference in perceptions for the 20 characteristics of effective superintendents between large district board presidents and superintendents, or between less experienced school board presidents and superintendents ( p < .05). More experienced school board members perceived involving stakeholders in collaborative goal-setting and monitoring to be statistically significantly more important than did more experienced superintendents ( p < .05).
State Government Influence on Public Education: Tennessee's Project STAR
Authors: Achilles C. M. , Lintz M. Nan 
Published: January 2019

Thirteen million should get attention! That is what Tennessee is investing in a major policy study. Do smaller classes increase student test scores? Tennessee is studying class-size issues via a state-wide experimental and longitudinal class-size project—STAR (Student-Teacher Achievement Ratio). The Tennessee legislature authorized and funded STAR (HB 544, May, 1985) to consider the effects of class size on pupils in primary (K-3) grades. Researchers for Project STAR analyze pupil achievement and development in three class types: small (S), with an average of 15 pupils per teacher; regular (R), with an average of 23 pupils per teachers; and regular with a full-time aide (RA). Researchers follow a cohort of pupils from kindergarten (K) through grade three, starting in 1985–86 with K. STAR is funded and coordinated by the State Department of Education, but operated through a four-university consortium. Of considerable interest, however, is the state role. The state funded this study to provide information about class size in the state. The state, which has invested heavily in this cooperative endeavor, has asked the researchers for a thorough study.
Preparing Tomorrow's Educational Leaders: An Inquiry regarding the Wisdom of Utilizing the Position of Assistant Principal as an Internship or Apprenticeship to Prepare Future Principals
Authors: Golanda Eugene L. 
Published: January 2019

For as long as the position has existed, the assistant principalship has been viewed as the logical and proper avenue to prepare aspiring leaders to be principals. In that sense, the position is seen as an apprenticeship or internship experience. This article questions the wisdom of this assumption and suggests that the assistant principalship is poorly defined and structured; highly unsatisfactory for many, if not most, participants seeking to become a principal; and, perhaps, is actually quite disfunctional as a preparation activity.
Principals for America 2000
Authors: Thomson Scott D. 
Published: January 2019

School leadership is essential to achieving the America 2000 goals outlined by President Bush. Current preparation programs, however, fail to provide principals with the knowledge and skills required to lead schools effectively amid a rapidly changing environment. Without effective school site leadership, schools cannot meet the challenge of improved outcomes. Most current attempts to improve preparation programs reflect ad hoc adjustments and timidity, rather than a genuine redesign effort. They fail to develop the leadership skills, the understanding of instructional environments, and the group process competencies required of principals today. The National Policy Board for Educational Administration, formed to design and disseminate new models for preparing school administrators, has developed a structure for preparing principals that responds to the new realities of the workplace. The framework, described in Principals for Our Changing Schools, focuses upon the leadership skills and understandings important to creating with teachers a good instructional environment, and the process and political skills essential to building family and community coalitions in support of this mission. Current Policy Board work includes the commission of writing teams to identify the core knowledge and skills, and the performance standards for the 21 “performance domains” in the framework. The National Policy Board also is exploring the feasibility of a national certification process for principals, under the assumption that a nationwide, professional board could raise standards of practice, encourage universities and state licensure boards to reform programs, and provide incentives for aspiring and young principals to improve practice and become competitive in the national marketplace.
School Reform and Schools as Organizations
Authors: Willower Donald J. 
Published: January 2019

The organizational characteristics of schools stack the deck against reform. Teacher norms and values put a premium on time, autonomy, and order, whereas student norms and values are oriented to peer rather than school concerns. These norms and values stem from the school's organizational characteristics. Because most reforms make demands on teacher time, channel or reduce teacher autonomy, and disturb current routines, they are often unsuccessful. Chances for success will improve when context is taken into account or when reforms directly address organizational features that inhibit change.
The Relationship between Teacher Job Satisfaction and Principal Leadership Style
Authors: Heller H. William , Clay Rex , Perkins Cline 
Published: January 2019

This study made use of Hersey and Blanchard's concept of situational leadership to investigate the relationship between teacher job satisfaction and the leadership behaviors of “telling,” “selling,” “participating,” and “delegating.” Questionnaires were mailed to a sample of 520 teachers, stratified by gender and school type. Three hundred and thirty-nine usable responses were returned (65 percent) and analyzed by correlation and analysis of variance procedures. About 42 percent of the respondents were either “very dissatisfied” or “dissatisfied.” Teachers were least satisfied with the financial aspects of teaching and most satisfied with their co-workers. There were no differences in satisfaction by teacher gender, principal gender, experience, or school type. Additionally, job satisfaction was not significantly related to leadership style. Suggestions for further research speak to the need to take into account the “consideration” aspect of leadership style and to measure job satisfaction in specific task areas such as curriculum development, faculty evaluation, staff development, and instructional organization. Policy implications of the findings were discussed.
The Assistant Principal: Neglected Actor in Practitioner Leadership Literature
Authors: Hartzell Gary N. 
Published: January 2019

Both principals and assistant principals are site level administrators, and both are charged with leadership responsibilities in the school. Nonetheless, the organizational contexts in which they each attempt to fulfill those responsibilities differ in substantial and important ways. There are at least three reasons for this: (1) principals and their assistants are at different levels in the hierarchy; (2) they perform different duties; and (3) they are perceived differently by their subordinates. Because they work in differing contexts, principals and assistant principals face different leadership challenges. While there clearly are leadership consistencies to be found across contexts, there are also significant differences to be discerned between them. An examination of the principal's position as a first-level leader in contrast to the assistant principal's position as a second-level leader points to these differences, and supports the notion that it is in the best interests of both research and practice to address them. These contextual differences have implications for educational leadership researchers, for beginning administrator training programs, and for the development of principals as first-level leaders.
Principals who Empower Teachers
Authors: Kirby Peggy C. , Colbert Robert 
Published: January 2019

Efforts to restructure schools typically include broadening decisionmaking arenas to include teacher input. Principals, however, have not been prepared to share leadership roles with their faculties, nor have researchers examined the characteristics of principals who are willing and able to empower teachers. Leader authenticity has been associated with more open climates in schools. In this study, the authors examined the relationship between principal authenticity and faculty empowerment in 30 high schools. One aspect of teacher empowerment—expanding teacher knowledge—was significantly related to leader authenticity. Implications for principal and teacher preparation programs as well as principal selection are discussed.
Developing an Administrative Perspective: Toward a Curriculum Framework for Fostering Conceptual Change
Authors: Jacobs Howard L 
Published: January 2019

The prior experience of entering students of educational administration as classroom teachers is usually disregarded for purposes of program planning. Nevertheless, that experience can exert a prepotent effect during the early stages of academic induction devoted to developing an administrative perspective. Drawing on conceptual change theory, a curriculum framework can be designed to foster the beginning stage of that cognitive shift during introductory coursework. The real art of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes. -Marcel Proust All seeing is essentially perspective, and so is all knowing. -Friedrich Nietzsche
Theory to Practice in Administrator Preparation: An Evaluation Study
Authors: Pounder Diana G. 
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of a field-based doctoral program in educational administration on linking theory and research to the improvement of practice. Specifically, the study evaluates the degree and ways in which doctoral student field-based projects and studies completed as an integral part of the University of Utah's field-based Ed.D. program have resulted in program or policy changes in schools or other education-related agencies. This evaluation of the theory-practice emphasis in the University of Utah's Ed.D. program suggests that the program is successfully meeting its central program objective. Study data indicate that approximately one-half to two-thirds of student projects resulted in some sort of policy or program change in educational practice. Projects that resulted in change in local schools, districts or other education-related agencies tended to be either policy adoptions addressing legal and/or personnel administration concerns or instructional program implementations for students and staff. Factors that enhanced the likelihood of a project resulting in a policy or program change were: 1) the student's familiarity with relevant problems of practice; 2) the degree to which students worked closely with other organizational employees in developing and refining the project; and 3) the utility and conceptual/analytical quality of the proposal itself.
The “Special Relationship” Doctrine and School Officials’ Duty to Protect Students from Peer Sexual Harassment
Authors: Thompson David P. 
Published: January 2019

Students who allege to be victims of peer-inflicted sexual harassment have increasingly relied on the “special relationship” doctrine to attempt to hold school officials individually liable under federal constitutional law for failing to protect students from peer harassment. Applied to schools, student plaintiffs generally argue that compulsory attendance laws create a “special relationship” between students and school officials, thereby placing on school officials an affirmative duty to protect students from harassment as a violation of students’ due process rights under the federal constitution. Primarily through the review of case law, this doctrine is examined as it applies to school officials’ duty to protect students from peer sexual harassment. This examination determined that the special relationship claim has been and will likely continue to be an ineffective avenue for students to redress peer sexual harassment claims; however, due to other legal developments briefly mentioned, school officials are advised not to disregard peer harassment claims.
School-Based Decision Making and the Empowerment of Secondary School Teachers
Authors: Wall Russell , Rinehart James S. 
Published: January 2019

The purpose of this study was to investigate teacher empowerment in high schools that had a school council over varying lengths of time (either zero, one, two, or three years). Teachers in this study were in a state that mandated a school governance process to involve teachers in the decision-making process. A School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) was used to measure empowerment and it contained the following six subscales: decision making, autonomy, self-efficacy, professional growth, status, and impact. Each teacher received a packet containing a demographic form, the School Participant Empowerment Scale (six scales), and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. The returned data were analyzed by a MANOVA technique resulting in a significant Wilkeslambda. A follow-up procedure (ANOVA) indicated that a significant difference existed on the decision-making scale between schools with no experience with councils and those with three years experience. There were no significant differences for the remaining subscales. These results are interpreted and implications for practitioners and policymakers are suggested.