ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
From Professional Preparation to On-the-Job Development: What Do Beginning Principals Need?
Author: Duncan, Heather
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Surveys,Administrator Attitudes,Administrator Education,Curriculum,Alignment (Education),Academic Standards,Program Evaluation,Professional Development,Beginning Principals,School Administration,School Districts,Internship Programs,Instructional Leadership,Job Development,Student Needs,Communication Skills,Interpersonal Relationship,Capacity Building,Conflict Resolution

Wyoming principals were surveyed regarding their perceptions of the strengths and deficits of their preparation program, their professional development needs as beginning principals, and the areas in which their districts offer professional development. Findings indicated much variation in perceptions of preparation program strengths and deficits. The internship was viewed as valuable in providing experience of day-to-day school administration; however, time commitment and financial burdens were of concern. While districts provide adequate professional development in instructional leadership and using data to inform decisions for beginning principals, development needs in the areas of communication, relationship building, and conflict resolution were not provided by districts. (Contains 3 tables and 6 footnotes.)
The School Leadership Program Communication Hub: Building Actionable Knowledge about Improving Leadership Preparation
Author: Myran, Steve
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preschool Education,Elementary Secondary Education,Instructional Leadership,Leadership Training,Administrator Education,Relevance (Education),Educational Practices,Program Improvement,Federal Aid,Information Dissemination,Universities,Feedback (Response)

Recent critics of university-based educational leadership preparations programs have alleged that the programs are out of touch with the contemporary practices of PK-12 school leaders. These complaints about preparation programs have resulted in new and innovative ways to prepare leaders, including the federally funded United States Department of Education School Leadership Program. This manuscript documents the development of a &quot;Communication Hub&quot;, which serves as a vehicle to disseminate lessons learned about the United States Department of Education School Leadership Program. While the Communication Hub is still in its early phases of development and finding the best paths to serve the community of SLP grantees, the evidence thus far demonstrates the need for a means of communicating and sharing. The study data suggest the participants see the Communication Hub as adding value to their individual projects as well as having the potential to better disseminate these important lessons learned and helping to increase the quality of educational leadership preparation programs. (Contains 2 tables and 4 footnotes.)
Teaching the Art of Employee Discipline to Educational Leadership Candidates
Author: Hewitt, Paul
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Principals,Discipline,School Personnel,Teacher Discipline,College Instruction,School Law,Human Resources,Instructional Leadership,Administrator Responsibility,Administrator Role,Dismissal (Personnel),Teacher Dismissal,Learning Activities,Writing (Composition),Letters (Correspondence),Writing Processes,Documentation,Compliance (Legal),Legal Problems

This activity is designed to be utilized in a School Law class, but is also appropriate for a class in Human Resources. Holding students and staff accountable for their actions is essential to a well run school. School principals are prepared to deal with student accountability and student discipline issues, but rarely are principals ready to deal with behavioral infractions by staff members. This instructional module insures that the educational leadership student will understand due process rights, the doctrine of progressive discipline, and how to hold staff members accountable through documentation. The critical skill that the educational leadership student will obtain from this activity is the ability to write a thorough and legally sound letter of reprimand or warning addressed to a school employee to lay the foundation for possible further disciplinary action, including dismissal. The letter of reprimand or warning written by the educational leadership student will be comprehensive and able withstand scrutiny in a court of law. (Contains 1 table.)
Assessing ISLLC-Based Dispositions of Educational Leadership Candidates
Author: Rea, Dorothy
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Instructional Leadership,Standards,Professional Associations,Item Response Theory,Test Construction,Test Reliability,Test Validity,Personality Traits,Psychometrics,Administrator Effectiveness,Evidence,Cognitive Measurement,Affective Measures

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), through the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), developed standards for the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for effective practice by educational leaders (CCSSO, 1996). These standards provide a viable content domain from which to assess leader cognitive and affective learning. The Educational Leader Candidate Belief Scale (ELCBS) is used for measuring educational candidates' leadership dispositions. ELCBS was built based on a systematic sampling process of the ISLLC performance expectations dispositions. Initial evidence of validity and reliability are presented, using the Rasch model of item response theory. The interval-level scale being produced, along with additional measures being developed, provides the potential to assess leaders' impact on children's achievement. (Contains 1 figure, 3 tables and 4 footnotes.)
Innovative Teaching and Learning Strategies for Leadership in Context: A Rural Example
Author: Johnson, Jerry
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Graduate Study,Leadership,Training,Instructional Materials,Educational Innovation,Learning Activities,Rural Education,Rural Schools,Rural Areas,Context Effect,School Community Relationship,Place Based Education,Human Resources,Cultural Relevance,Leadership Styles,Social Sciences,Interdisciplinary Approach,Learning Strategies,Novels,Teaching Methods,Theory Practice Relationship

The paper describes a graduate course deploying innovative instructional materials (e.g., the use of novels to provide context for theoretical constructs) and learning activities (e.g., community asset mapping) to engage issues of leadership in rural settings. Prior to describing the course itself, the paper develops a rationale for the importance of leadership approaches that emphasize cultural responsiveness and attentiveness to place and context (Johnson, 2007; Johnson, Thompson, & Naugle, 2009). In addition to a review of relevant literature from various academic disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, economics, political science) to provide background and develop a shared vocabulary and conceptual frameworks, the course combines academic texts engaging salient issues of policy and practice in rural education with appropriately positioned fictional representations of rural contexts to provide a common foundation for discussing the interrelationships between rural communities and rural schools. (Contains 3 footnotes.)
Resource Allocation Patterns and Student Achievement
Author: James, Lori
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Salaries,Academic Achievement,Statistical Analysis,Grade 8,Grade 11,Resource Allocation,Correlation,Mathematics Achievement,Reading Achievement,Language Arts,High School Students,Predictor Variables,Student Personnel Services,Educational Media,Educational Technology,Teaching (Occupation),Educational Improvement

This quantitative research study was designed to examine the relationship between system resource allocation patterns and student achievement, as measured by eighth grade Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) mathematics, eighth grade CRCT reading, eleventh grade Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) mathematics, eleventh grade and GHSGT English/language arts. Financial expenditure predictor variables considered were the following: teacher salaries and benefits, instruction, pupil services, improvement of instructional services, media services, technology, and other. This research investigated whether any of these seven predictor variables could be included in an equation for predicting student achievement. Data from all 180 Georgia school systems were included in this study for fiscal years 2006 and 2007. Forward multiple regressions were utilized as the common method of analysis for each dependent variable to determine if student achievement could be predicted based on system level expenditures. While one independent variable, improvement of instructional services, had a significant negative effect on every student achievement variable, teacher salaries and benefits had a significant positive effect on three student achievement variables. Other independent variables, pupil services, technology, and other spending, negatively influenced one or two student achievement variables, and two independent variables, media services and instruction, did not have a significant effect on any of the student achievement variables. (Contains 1 footnote.)
Crossing the Line: A Qualitative Study of Administrative Interns' Experiences
Author: Lehman, Lynn
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Career Development,Internship Programs,Context Effect,Educational Experience,School Administration,Student Attitudes,Beliefs,Content Analysis,Student Journals,Researchers,Negative Attitudes,Teacher Administrator Relationship,Qualitative Research,Program Content,Instructional Effectiveness,Leadership,Organizational Theories,Theory Practice Relationship,Leadership Training

Internships serve as the bridge that spans the divide between being a teacher and an administrator. Most research on internships has emphasized the technical aspect of this experience, such as benefits and limitations of internships. The overall impact an internship experience has on an intern has been studied less extensively. This research study probes interns' beliefs, assumptions, and perceptions about administrative or leadership positions to determine how these change as a result of the internship experience. Researchers analyzed sections of interns' monthly journals, which had been submitted six times during their two-semester internship. Four major themes emerged from the content analysis of interns' journals: Vision for the Internship/Career, Communication, Relationship with Faculty, and Relationship with Administration. A major finding was the strength and pervasiveness of the negative tone. The researchers were surprised how often the interns described an oppositional culture. One implication is to improve training in communication, organizational theory, and implementation of change/improvement processes for administrative interns. Today's environment of accountability places significant demands on novice administrators, which should compel us to strengthen the internship experience. (Contains 4 figures and 7 footnotes.)
Using Student Achievement Data in Teacher and Principal Evaluations: A Policy Study
Author: Piro, Jody
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Measures (Individuals),Data,Decision Making,Principals,Administrator Evaluation,Teacher Evaluation,Context Effect,Administrator Role,Teacher Role

Tennessee was one of the first states to win Race to the Top funds in 2010, partly based on new state policy which tied student achievement measures to teacher and principal evaluations. Nearly half of state legislatures in the United States have passed similar legislation in the past two years. This article examines recent state legislative policy requiring measures of student achievement to be included in teacher and principal evaluations. (Contains 9 footnotes.)
Teacher's Perceptions of the First-Year Experience and Mentoring
Author: Womack-Wynne, Carly
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Beginning Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Secondary School Teachers,Teaching Experience,Teacher Attitudes,Likert Scales,Job Satisfaction,Teacher Empowerment,Beginning Teacher Induction,Mentors,Responsibility,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Acculturation,Teaching (Occupation),Teacher Persistence

This study sought to investigate the perceptions of teachers' first-year teaching experiences with a focus on mentoring. Findings of the study provide insight into best practices associated with the development and support of new teachers. The data were collected through the use of a survey consisting of Likert scale and open-ended response items related to mentoring processes and perceptions of the first-year teaching experience. Elementary-level teachers had a more positive perception of their overall experience than middle and high school teachers. First-year teachers voiced concerns about the availability of their mentors both before and during the school year. There was a positive relationship between feelings of empowerment and job satisfaction. Additionally, 63% of the respondents indicated they had already determined they did not see themselves teaching in 10 years. (Contains 2 footnotes.)
Differences in STEM Baccalaureate Attainment by Ethnicity
Author: Koledoye, Kimberly
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: STEM Education,Majors (Students),Bachelors Degrees,Educational Attainment,Hispanic American Students,African American Students,Longitudinal Studies,Achievement Rating,Achievement Gap

In this study, we examined the extent to which differences were present in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) baccalaureate attainment of Black students and of Hispanic students at 82 Texas 4-year colleges from 2008 to 2009. A custom download of data files was conducted on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System in which Texas 4-year colleges, baccalaureate granting, STEM majors, and 2008 and 2009 were used as filters to create two reports. The number of STEM degrees attained by Black students and by Hispanic students at Texas four-year colleges did not increase from 2008 to 2009. In actuality, the mean number of Black graduates and the mean number of Hispanic graduates decreased by 0.39 and by 2.90 during the specified time period, respectively. Implications of our findings are discussed. (Contains 1 table.)
Instructional Strategies to Facilitate Learning
Author: Lunenburg, Frederick C.
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Educational Strategies,Learning Strategies,Nonverbal Communication,Classroom Environment,Direct Instruction,Repetition,Learner Engagement,Student Participation,Lesson Plans,Educational Research,Teacher Behavior,Academic Achievement,Questioning Techniques,Equal Education,Culturally Relevant Education

Teacher behavior research has shown that teacher behaviors, as well as specific teaching strategies, make a difference with regard to student achievement. Ten durable instructional strategies are discussed: set induction, stimulus variation, reinforcement, questioning, recognizing attending behavior, lecturing or direct instruction, planned repetition, establishing appropriate frames of reference, closure, and race/class/gender equity.
Is Compliance &quot;Trumping&quot; Mission? Findings from an Equity Audit Pilot
Author: Bleyaert, Barbara
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: High Schools,Educational Legislation,Graduation Requirements,Government School Relationship,Mathematics Instruction,Credits,Graduation,Access to Education,Equal Education,Audits (Verification),Pilot Projects,Program Implementation,Track System (Education),School Culture,Institutional Mission,Social Justice,Compliance (Legal),School Personnel,Teachers,Educational Attitudes

In 2006 the legislators of one mid-western state passed into law a &quot;Merit Curriculum&quot; that requires a common set of sixteen credits for high school graduation. The policy represents a sharp break from the past, where only one credit (in Civics) was required for graduation, and where the traditional organization of the curriculum (college preparatory, vocational, and general studies) limited access for many students to the courses now required for graduation. The greatest challenge to school leaders, in terms of compliance, posed by the new credit requirements has been in mathematics; all students must now complete four credits in mathematics, rather than the two or three credits most high schools previously required, and those credits must include Algebra I and Geometry. (Contains 2 footnotes.)
Assessing Leadership Dispositions: Issues, Challenges, and Promising Practices
Author: Green, James
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Leadership Effectiveness,Personality Traits,Leadership,Skills,Knowledge Level,Leadership Qualities,Personality,Evaluation Methods,Educational Administration,Management Development,Leadership Training,Feedback (Response),Validity,Reliability,Self Concept

Although researchers have succeeded in identifying knowledge and skills and personal traits and characteristics of effective leaders, they have not been nearly as successful in identifying or defining those elusive leadership qualities that fall into the affective domain--what the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) (2008) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) (1996; 2008) call &quot;dispositions.&quot; Of course, that professors of educational administration are finding it difficult to either define or assess dispositions (Melton, Mallory, &amp; Green, 2010) has not relieved them of the responsibility for doing so. NCATE requires programs that prepare school leaders to address &quot;dispositions,&quot; as well as &quot;knowledge and skills.&quot; Moreover, it requires that programs employ fair, reliable, and valid methods for doing so.And herein lies the problem. The term &quot;dispositions&quot; poses a complex set of issues, in part due to the complex nature of constructs implied by the term. In this brief paper, the authors discuss the challenges posed by the need to assess leadership dispositions, and they review the current state of professional literature that informs attempts to do so. In addition, they offer two examples of promising practices designed to assist candidates in educational administration programs by providing them valid and reliable feedback on their leadership dispositions. (Contains 2 footnotes.)
A Profile of Faculty Leadership Behavior at One South Texas Community College
Author: Solis, Federico
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Community Colleges,College Presidents,Retirement,Employment Patterns,Recruitment,College Administration,College Faculty,Self Concept,Leadership Qualities,Profiles,Transformational Leadership,Personnel Selection,Leadership Styles,Ethnicity,Race,School Demography,Data Analysis,Teaching Experience,Educational Attainment

Literature lacks documentation on the leadership characteristics of public community college faculty. As higher education institutions begin to prepare for what appears to be a current leadership retirement wave, it is important for community colleges to begin searching for replacements. The research was conducted to explore self-perceived leadership behaviors resulting in a leadership profile of teaching faculty at one south Texas community college. Findings include the extent to which faculty exercise identified behaviors associated with transformational leadership. Analyses of self-reported leadership behavior were performed based on selected demographic variables that included but were not limited to gender, age, race/ethnicity, highest degree, years of teaching experience at the current institution, and general teaching area. Inferential data analysis of faculty leadership behavior found no significant differences across demographic variables except when comparing race/ethnicity. Hispanic faculty scored significantly higher than white faculty in all areas except for Encourage. Overall, faculty perceived personal leadership behavior to be more enabling and less inspiring. (Contains 11 tables.)
Decision-Support Data Analysis: Examining Consistency among Teachers in Writing Assessment
Author: Archbald, Doug
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Data,Decision Making,Barriers,Praxis,Teaching Conditions,Improvement,Educational Practices,Grade 3,Grade 4,Grade 5,Data Analysis,Organizational Culture,Instructional Leadership,Goal Orientation,Teacher Collaboration,Writing Instruction,Writing Evaluation,Grading,Interrater Reliability,Evaluation Criteria,Teaching Methods,Benchmarking

Education leaders and much literature exhort teachers and school leaders to use data more often and more effectively to guide planning and decision making--called, "data driven decision making." This term is ubiquitous in literature and reform discourse, but "on the ground," so to speak, practitioners face significant challenges in analyzing, understanding, and applying data to improve practice. Obstacles faced by practitioners include insufficient expertise, tools, and time; also, organizational cultures in schools generally create few incentives for data analysis and as often as not sustain norms inimical to the collaboration and collective action required for data driven decision making. The case reported here illustrates these challenges through the actions of a principal identifying a problem of organizational culture and instructional practice and leading an initiative to promote collaboration, analysis, and reflection to help improve writing instruction in his school. (Contains 2 figures, 7 tables and 13 footnotes.)
Accuracy of the Teacher Insight Online Perceiver Tool in Determining the Effectiveness of High Rated and Low Rated Math and Science New Hire Teachers following One Year and Three Years of Single School District Employment
Author: Regan, Nicole
Date: 2011-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Teacher Effectiveness,Context Effect,Educational Quality,Experienced Teachers,Teacher Influence,Computer Uses in Education,Screening Tests,Accuracy,Employment Potential,Urban Teaching,Mathematics Teachers,Science Teachers,Faculty Mobility,Tests,Teacher Characteristics,Urban Schools,Institutional Characteristics,School Culture,Teacher Persistence,Human Resources,Teacher Recruitment,Job Applicants,Teaching (Occupation)

The combined goals of recruiting and retaining effective teachers are often difficult to realize due to fluctuating student enrollments and class-size targets, teaching-load norms or requirements, and budgetary and resource constraints. While schools and districts market and recruit bright new teachers to the field, they too, struggle to maintain enticing career development standards that would retain the most effective teachers in the district. With the high turnover in schools, student achievement suffers. Teacher attrition has grown by 50% over the past fifteen years. The national teacher turnover rate has risen to 16.8%. In urban schools, it is over 20% and, in some schools and districts, the teacher dropout rate is actually higher than the student dropout rate. School districts fall into a chronic cycle of hiring and replacing teachers whereas the funding to develop effective teachers is financially strained (NCTAF, 2003). Human Resources is challenged by the startling facts of staffing highly effective teachers in hard-to-staff positions. (Contains 14 footnotes.)