24 Matching Results

Search Results

Advanced search parameters have been applied.
in creator/contributor: "Waddell, Stephen"  
Results: 1 - 24
open access

Supporting and Retaining Beginning Teachers during COVID-19

Description: This explanatory sequential mixed methods study was designed to determine, from the perspective of beginning teachers, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic affected their intentions to remain in teaching. There were two additional goals in conducting the study: (a) to determine the key practices, supports, or events that played a role in impacting teachers' intentions to remain in teaching during a crisis; and (b) to determine the key practices, supports, or events teachers believe the dis… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Shuffield, Austin
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

What School Leaders Need to Know: The Impact of Teacher Turnover on Student Achievement in Middle School Mathematics

Description: This study looked at the relationship between teacher turnover and student achievement, in addition to the relationship between specific student demographic characteristics and teacher turnover. Within this study, student demographic, staff demographic, and student achievement data from several middle schools within the studied district, as well as data from each of the school's comparison groups, as designated by the Texas Education Agency, was analyzed. The data used was from the 2018-2019, 2… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Grindle, Colleen D.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Professional Learning Communities and the Supportive Conditions for Improved Teacher Instructional Practices

Description: The purpose of the study was to examine and evaluate the extent to which the supportive conditions (collaboration, teacher efficacy, shared leadership, and trust) were present in the district's current professional learning communities (PLCs) model, and whether teachers perceived the supportive conditions to be related to improving their instructional practices. This mixed-methods study used Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple regression, and focus group interviews to concurrently triangu… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Parham, Charlene Marie
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Leadership Framework to Raise Teacher Engagement

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine which principal leadership behaviors are associated with higher levels of teacher engagement. The conceptual framework guiding this study was based on the behaviors associated with four specific leadership styles: transformational, shared, instructional, and transactional. This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to identify teacher perceptions of prominent leadership behaviors of each campus principal. Data related to teacher perceptions… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: O'Bara, Susannah Holbert
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Socioeconomic Status Blocks as Indicators for Academic Achievement Pass Rates

Description: The purpose of this study, through an analysis of the literature review of general scholars in the field of school poverty, equity, efficiency, and student achievement results, was to determine whether economic disparity had a direct statistical significance to student achievement gaps. Specifically, identification of the five socioeconomic tiers using the economic blocks, as defined by the Texas Education Agency, and their corresponding STAAR student achievement results were examined in a bord… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Basurto, Roberto A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Culturally Proficient Leadership: A Study in the Correlation of School Leaders' Perceived Levels of Cultural Proficiency and Discipline Rates of Black Students in 5A and 6A High Schools in North Texas

Description: The aim of this quantitative study was to explore the connection between self-perceived cultural proficiency among school leaders and the discipline gap for Black students in high schools in North Texas. The study sought to achieve this by (a) identifying the level of cultural proficiency perceived by school leaders, (b) examining the disciplinary rates of Black students in each participating high school, and (c) exploring how school administrators' beliefs regarding cultural proficiency impact… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Malcolm, Cory Denard
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Social and Emotional Learning Programs on Black Students

Description: The study of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) within a social and emotional learning (SEL) program is timely as it supports the increasing body of literature on narrowing the educational gaps prevalent among Black students. Current research is lacking regarding if and how educators utilize CRP to support the learning of SEL competencies with Black students. For this study, the tenets of cultural relevance, SEL competencies, and the leadership practices of one urban district seeking to increas… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: McCowan, Alicia E.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Effect of Formal Leadership Coaching Support on Principal Self-Efficacy

Description: Principals today face greater job complexities and more diverse challenges than ever before because of decreases in resources, funding, and district support, along with increases in accountability expectations, student diversity, and unfunded federal and state mandates. Principals today are tasked with myriad responsibilities ranging from facilities management and fiscal and legal concerns to instructional leadership and stakeholder relationships. The purpose of this study is to examine the rol… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Heskett, Lori L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Student Perceptions of Advanced Academic Coursework and Its Impact on College and Career Readiness

Description: Although students have more opportunities than ever before to participate in advanced academic programs while in high school, it is unclear whether this has affected their ability to succeed in college. To determine what impact the students' experiences in Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit coursework had on their level of college and career readiness (CCR), students were asked to recall what factors influenced their ability to succeed in postsecondary education and describe what informati… more
Date: May 2023
Creator: Doty, Rachel A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Campus Leader and Teacher Perceptions of Campus Administrator Actions in Support of Core-Content Professional Learning Communities

Description: The implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) has led to systemwide reform within school districts and campuses regarding how campus leaders support the teachers' collaborative work and continued professional learning. Current research emphasizes the importance of campus administrators cultivating an environment where PLCs can flourish and ensuring that PLC teams have the resources to work effectively. However, campus administrators simply putting these supports in place does n… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Sommers, Kristen
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Relationship between Instructional Coaches and Principals

Description: As a form of teacher professional development, districts and schools are turning to an instructional coaching model for teacher learning, growth, and support. To date, however, few have sought to identify the specific characteristics and conditions that contribute to the success of the instructional coach, particularly in terms of the principal and instructional coach relationship. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of instructional coaches regarding the types of support… more
Date: December 2020
Creator: Norman, Lani Suzanne
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Differences between Schools with High and Non-High Performance of English Learners Relative to Principal Leadership Practices and Social Justice Principles

Description: English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing student group in U.S. public schools. The purpose of this mixed method study was to gain an understanding of the relationship between principal actions and the academic achievement of ELs to determine which practices had the greatest impact on student achievement using archival achievement data. A mixed methods research study was conducted in an urban school district in North Texas to explore differences between principals of schools with high and … more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Padró, Eneida A
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Speech Rights of Public Employees in the World of Social Media

Description: Legal rights for public employees are not clear in the area of social media speech. Following the Garcetti v Ceballos (2006) U.S. Supreme Court case, the pursuant to duty test was established. The social media speech of public employees, including educators, could be considered pursuant to their duties as an employee. This means that public employees are vulnerable to disciplinary action from their employer for social media speech. Furthermore, public employees are vulnerable even when they bel… more
Date: December 2021
Creator: Hairgrove, Benjamin Council
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Including Special Education Teachers in High Functioning Professional Learning Communities: Implications for School Leaders

Description: Public education in America became a target of reform since the passage of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Some reforms come from court cases, some from presidents wanting to enact change, and others from political events from as far away as Russia. Yet, one concept remains the same: the improvement of educators is needed for supporting student growth and achievement. Getting both special education and general education teachers together to work collaboratively is critical to the growth … more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Wilshire, John Mark
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Strategies Effective Turnaround Principals Use to Improve School Performance Ratings Under the Texas A-F Accountability System

Description: School accountability has been a focus for state and federal legislators for over 50 years. In 2017, Texas passed House Bill 22 to align their accountability system with the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015. This piece of legislation gives every Texas public school a letter grade based on state assessment scores, attendance, and other factors. Schools that received a D or F, or schools that need to improve the scores of certain subpopulations, were identified as in need of targeted support. F… more
Date: December 2022
Creator: Knox, Jessica Lynn
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

School Board Presidents' Perception of Their Role and Its Relationship to Effective Board Practices

Description: The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to identify the priorities that Texas school board presidents perceive to be most important in their role as a school board member; (b) to describe the specific activities, behaviors, and actions that Texas school board presidents say they take to support the priorities they identify; and (c) to compare with and contrast board members' reported priorities, activities, behaviors, and actions with the eight characteristics of effective school board pra… more
Date: August 2020
Creator: Herron, Angela Abney
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Exclusionary Discipline on Students' Academic Performance in Title I Elementary Schools

Description: Exclusionary discipline is a consequence of behavior for students who break the student code of conduct. Extensive research about the effects that exclusionary discipline can have on secondary students, as evidenced by reduced graduation rates, has been conducted; but, research studies investigating the potential impact that exclusionary discipline can have on the academic outcomes of students at the elementary level have yet to be conducted. The use of exclusionary discipline is overrepresente… more
Date: May 2021
Creator: McDaniel, Lindsey G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

More Than Just a Test Score: Designing and Implementing a Community-Based Accountability System in One Texas School District

Description: Since at least the 1960s, federal and state policymakers have debated how best to hold public schools accountable for producing graduates who are prepared to fully participate in our democratic society. Since that time, reform efforts have led to Texas' current test-based A-F accountability system. This qualitative case study explored how one Texas school district worked to design and implement an alternative accountability system. A community-based accountability system (CBAS) is created in co… more
Date: August 2022
Creator: Leader, Joel Alan
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

A Systems Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap: Effects on Collective Teacher Efficacy and Student Performance

Description: I designed an explanatory sequential mixed-method study to explore the relationship between leadership practices, collective teacher efficacy (CTE), and educational outcomes of low SES students in an open school system. Four data sources were analyzed: K-5 student Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) results of 1,170 students, Collective Teacher Belief Scale (CTBS) survey to measure CTE perceptions of 48 teachers, focus group interviews composed of a stratified sample of 11 K-5 teachers, and … more
Date: May 2022
Creator: Mira, Jose Alexander
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries

Multi-Tier Systems of Support and Their Impact on a Title I School

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine a novel campus-based multi-tier systems of support (MTSS) framework. The framework included a standard-response protocol approach to response to intervention (RTI), integrated with a reversed process to professional learning communities, to support learning for students who were struggling to learn. Using a causal-comparative research design, a secondary analysis of quantitative data from one Title I school of approximately 500 students during the 2016-2… more
Date: August 2021
Creator: Parsons, Valerie L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Leadership on School Culture and Teacher Retention

Description: To determine the impact that school leaders have on school culture and teacher retention, a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was used to study schools in a district feeder pattern in in a large, suburban district in Texas with a student population of approximately 25,000. In Phase 1, teachers at one elementary, one middle, and one high school were asked to complete a 26-question Likert scale survey about school culture. The last statement in the survey asked participants if they we… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Spaulding, Shelly
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Teacher Perceptions of Innovative Learning Environments: Implications for Leaders

Description: Innovative Learning Environments are increasingly built and implemented in schools, but are not necessarily being used according to designers' intentions. The goal of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of the innovative learning spaces they were charged with using and to determine if they were being used effectively and as designed. The research was guided by three basic questions: what were the teachers' perceptions of these spaces, was the teacher pedagogy need to change to acco… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Elliott, Robyn Kaye
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

The Impact of Team Size on Principal Self-Efficacy in Their Role as Instructional Leaders

Description: The ever-changing role of public-school principals is complex and overwhelming. Because instructional leadership impacts teaching practices and student achievement, this important principal role should be cultivated with principals having sufficient time to engage as instructional leaders. A generic qualitative inquiry methodology was used to explore how the size of an administrative team impacts principals' instructional leadership self-efficacy. Exploration was achieved through 10 one-on-one,… more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Graham, Ashlee
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
open access

Teacher Preparation Programs: A Critical View

Description: Individuals who desire to pursue the teaching profession have two primary paths for preparation: either completing a traditional college-based program or an alternative program. A generic qualitative inquiry methodology was used to explore the perspective of novice teacher participants on how prepared they felt based on the preparation program they participated in. Data gathering was accomplished through a novice teacher survey and seven one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The data from the … more
Date: December 2023
Creator: Bragg, Ronald Dewayne
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
Back to Top of Screen