Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2024, Educational Leadership

In recent years, secondary education has experienced a significant transformation driven by the need to better prepare students for life beyond graduation. Central to this shift is the integration of Career Readiness Programs, which not only provide academic knowledge but also equip students with practical skills, vocational insights, and an understanding of professional landscapes. This study investigates whether an embedded Career Readiness Program influences the development and enhancement of partnerships between schools and businesses. Guided by Ohio's legislative framework, which emphasizes college and career readiness, this research explores how career readiness programs can foster effective collaborations between educational institutions and the business sector. The study employs a qualitative case study methodology to understand how these partnerships evolve and their impact on students' preparedness for post-secondary pathways. The data collection involved face-to-face interviews with business representatives and school personnel directly engaged with the Career Readiness Program. Thematic analysis of the interview notes revealed patterns and themes that highlighted the potential of these programs to bridge the gap between education and workforce demands. The study's findings suggest that integrating Career Readiness Programs strengthens school-business partnerships by aligning educational practices with industry needs, creating opportunities for internships, mentorships, and hands-on experiences. This collaborative approach not only enhances student readiness for professional careers but also benefits the local business community by developing a skilled workforce.

Committee: Guy Parmigian (Committee Chair) Subjects: Business Education; Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2022, Educational Administration (Education)

In Appalachian Ohio, a grassroots group of citizens across industry sectors have convened to use community assets to create solutions impacting multiple parts of the community system, thus attempting to solve complex rural problems in innovative ways. One intermediary organization, Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C), has implemented community and career connected learning programs as a way to solve problems threatening rural community viability through engaging multiple community stakeholders including the community's youth. Using an exploratory mixed-methods approach, this study investigated the contributions of stakeholders and the impact to community systems of one community and career connected learning program: high school internships. This study conceptualizes the place-based, cross-sector, bidirectional interactions facilitated by community and career connected learning as a learning ecosystem. Further, this study uses Social Return on Investment (SROI) to quantify impact within the learning ecosystem to communicate and maximize change. This study found for every $1 invested in high school internships, between $13.07–$15.37 of value to social and economic systems is created. The ability to explore career fields through experience in order to eliminate career paths not of interest to them and then to be able to clearly define next steps in career paths that were of interest to them were outcomes valued most by students as stakeholders. Host site stakeholders reported the most valuable impacts to economic and social systems were, respectively, development of a workforce with basic skills and the personal satisfaction of being able to watch a young person in their community grow and develop through the internship period and beyond. For community supporting stakeholders, the most valuable impacts were the increased connection between schools and businesses in the community as well as the potential to reduce outmigration. Repeatedly, participants drew (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Charles Lowery (Advisor); Jacqueline Yahn (Committee Member); Lesli Johnson (Committee Member); Dwan Robinson (Committee Member); Emmanuel Jean-Francois (Committee Member); Tasha Werry (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2024, English

While some resources exist to support adult English language learning in Dayton, Ohio, many immigrants and asylum seekers are prevented from accessing language classes due to barriers of scheduling, transportation, and childcare. This prevents the city of Dayton from incorporating the skills and strengths of its members not fully integrated into the community. In this study, the researcher takes a holistic and assets-based approach to adult English Language Learning (ELL). A tutoring, classroom hybrid English program was implemented to support the large Hispanic/Latinx population at Immaculate Conception Church, in partnership with Brunner Literacy Center. To mitigate barriers of scheduling, transportation, and childcare, the program was scheduled immediately after the well-attended Spanish worship service each Sunday morning, while a children's program took place simultaneously. Attendance increased over the course of the program from about 20 to 30 learners weekly. Volunteers reported feeling supported and satisfied with their volunteer experiences. Learners reported positive relationships with their tutors and an increase in confidence in their ability to speak English.

Committee: Jennifer Haan (Advisor); Colleen Gallagher (Committee Member); Stacie Covington (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Educational Sociology; Educational Theory; English As A Second Language

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Educational Policy and Leadership

This study examines the efforts of the large, urban Midwestern School District to provide socially productive community-based learning experiences for all of its high school students through community service and work-based internships. Many argue that student participation in community service and work-based learning addresses many occupational and citizenship disengagement risks faced by high school students today especially in higher poverty and traditionally low academically-achieving urban contexts. The principal hypothesis, informed by ecological systems theory, is that social support from adult supervisors and mentors will positively affect students' occupational and citizenship engagement orientations over and above the influence that programmatic experiences provide. The researcher conceptualizes social support as having a mentor, receiving information about future plans, encouragement, and written and verbal performance feedback in the course of their program activities. Occupational and citizenship engagement orientations are those attitudes or intentions demonstrated by students at the end of their senior year to pursue a career pathway and to engage in future political and civic behaviors. Findings from this study suggest that programmatic experiences alone are insufficient to produce the desired outcomes unless social support for student efforts accompanies them. The Internship Program of the Midwestern District exemplifies the phenomenon of a well-intended educational reform policy that faltered without the necessary formal structures, planning, and knowledge to adequately accomplish their objectives. Increasing capacity for implementing a mandatory community-based learning policy requires adequate systems of social support.

Committee: Helen Marks (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Administration

Bachelor of Science in Business, Miami University, 2009, School of Business Administration - Human Resource Management

Students interested in engaging with communities beyond the University may perceive four years as a lengthy time, but it is relatively short in the growth of a community. I personally faced the challenge of leaving a community of which I have become a part through the partnerships I have developed in Hamilton, Ohio, with a coalition of Latino business owners and how to sustain the partnership post-graduation. The question in this thesis is how do students, in a generation that is driven to create and make lasting social change to our society, attempt to impact the community of which they are part for a short amount of time? When it comes to civic responsibility, community engagement, social entrepreneurship, mutual learning, and community-based learning, students face the challenge of establishing and growing a University-community partnership that may lead to future projects or may help to sustain a current one. This thesis discusses the concept of university-community partnerships through my research: experiential learning of two specific partnerships in which I have been included: La Voz and Partners for Change. These partnerships are discussed through a comparative analysis of their successes and limitations. Because the projects cannot be evaluated solely on quantitative data, personal narratives illustrate the impact the partnerships have had on both university students as well as the Butler County community. Through these experiences, this paper argues a new framework of sustainability metaphorically represented as living entities that are nurtured, yet self-sustaining, much like the lifecycle of a tree. Just like trees, University-community partnerships too have roots that provide a foundation; elements that help care for the tree and the nutrients to sustain them. This study investigates University-community partnerships and explores a model that provides a way of understanding how to successfully create, build, and sustain a partnership and initiative t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Shelly Jarrett Bromberg Dr. (Advisor); Marguerite Shaffer Associate Professor (Committee Member); Rebecca Luzadis Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Business Education; Education; Higher Education; Management; Social Work

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2024, Educational Administration

This dissertation examines parents and teachers' perceptions of effective parental involvement in education, situated within Epstein et al.'s (2009) framework of six typologies of parental participation. The study, through a comprehensive comparative analysis, reveals critical insights into the disparities and commonalities in how parents and teachers perceive effective parental involvement and its impact on student achievement. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, incorporating quantitative measures of parental and teacher perceptions alongside qualitative insights gained from the Turkleton Community Schools (TCS) environment.

Committee: James Olive Ph. D (Committee Chair); Mary Beth Reardon Ph. D (Committee Member); Derek Arrowood Ph. D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Elementary Education

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

Students today have various feelings of distrust among many of their teachers and administrators regarding the handling of violent episodes. As such, an examination of existing educational research to assess strategies that promote school safety and how to access community partnerships within this study is warranted. The efficacy of nonviolent and restorative disciplinary practices, with characteristics of social/emotional wellness programs supported by community partnership school resource officer (SRO) initiatives, are examined. Demonstrations of how positive school culture, features of emotional wellness programs, and an SRO's community-based role can promote school safety rather than exacerbate the school-to-prison pipeline are shared. This study further builds on the current pool of knowledge through an investigation of the viewpoints of 18 participants including school personnel and recent graduates in rural, suburban, and urban school districts across three counties in Northeast Ohio. Specifically, the researcher examined the perspectives of four key stakeholder groups to study their ideas regarding school safety, SROs performing law enforcement duties at the school and the associated impacts on learning, recommendations for ensuring building-wide safety, existing school climate and safety strategies, and SROs implementing the triad model (i.e., law enforcement, teacher/mentor, counselor). The investigation utilized Q-methodology and follow-up questions. Seventeen of the 18 Q-sorts loaded significantly on one of the three factors (summarized as Factor 1: We Are In This Together, Factor 2: Keep Us Safe, and Factor 3: Teachers Teach), which together explained 67% of the study variance. Follow-up questions provided additional support and context for the researcher's operationalization of the participants' collective viewpoints across these three main lines. Implications of this research will provide districts and educational professionals a blueprint for restor (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Karen Larwin PhD (Advisor); John Hazy PhD (Committee Member); Ronald Iarussi EdD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; School Administration; School Counseling

Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, 2024, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies

An analysis of misinformation, disinformation, perverse rhetorical devices, and the origin of the Critical Race Theory (CRT) controversy were presented, as well as the motivations of those most likely to share misinformation and crisis communication strategies. The purpose of this mixed method study was to explore Ohio Superintendents' levels of understanding of CRT and preparedness to respond to allegations, as well as their perceptions of the impact of CRT allegations school, family, and community partnerships and student conflicts. An exploration of the statistical correlations between the number of CRT posts and allegations in a school district and the number of student conflicts, reported conditions of partnerships, and demographics was also presented. The outcome of this study could provide educational leaders with the needed information to better prepare proactive responses to CRT allegations as well as other school targeted allegations while building positive relationships with all stakeholders.

Committee: Jane Beese EdD (Committee Chair); Kristen Bruns PhD (Committee Member); Patrick Spearman PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Curriculum Development; Education; Management; Political Science; School Administration; Social Studies Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Ed.D., Antioch University, 2023, Education

My research inquiry is centered on the larger project of building a transformational, empowerment model of worker voice in workplaces. The purpose of my research is to explore/illuminate the question, “How can I use workers' stories to center and advance collaborative worker voice on the job through peer-driven training initiatives?” I frame this general research inquiry around two key questions: (a) How do I create authentic spaces for workers' stories to emerge from the heart? (b) How do I use workers' stories to create the environment needed for workers to become peer teachers/leaders of their own training initiatives? This study's intended audience is any practitioner who seeks to center workers' experiences/stories as the fulcrum for transformational workplace change. My research method is Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN). SPN is a sustained exploration of one's own narrative experiences of dealing with a particular question, problem, or dynamic that has broader social significance. It entails analyzing that experience through the lens of relevant research and theory. I have chosen a hybrid video/written format for my SPN, to create a first-person storytelling experience for the viewer/reader that replicates my methodology with workers at their worksites. The video segments of this dissertation can be found at http://debmoy.weebly.com/. My findings document the key elements needed to be an effective change agent supporting organic leadership in organizations through workers' stories. My dissertation can influence the effectiveness of California Transit Works (CTW), the statewide consortium bringing my approach to scale nationally. My dissertation can bring academic recognition to key roles that third-party neutrals, or “intermediaries,” can play in building worker voice empowerment within labor/management partnerships. Finally, I hope this dissertation inspires and guides workers and change agents to take an holistic view of what it means to have our own voic (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Stephen Brookfield Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Michael Raffanti Ed.D. (Committee Member); Laura Dresser Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Labor Relations; Organizational Behavior; Transportation; Vocational Education

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Natural Resources

One of the critical questions in the field of environment and natural resources from a policy perspective is to understand how collaborative processes and beneficial working relationships can lead to improved urban farming practices. While the topic has received attention by scholars across the nation, research on this topic is lacking regarding urban agriculture in low-income settings of Columbus Ohio. In this thesis, I will examine the perceived barriers that historically underserved urban farmers encounter in low-income settings. Specifically, I study the Community Growers Network (CGN), a new collaborative initiative that brings together urban farmers to work on creative solutions to solve their problems. Through interviews and participant observation, I uncover and explain the variables that limit urban agriculture production and help establishing stronger collaborative relationships between urban farmers. According to the interviews there are a plethora of challenges that urban farmers face; however, in this thesis I only highlighted the challenges that were common amongst all interviewees which are, 1) Land management, 2) Access to proper infrastructure, 3) Labor force (access to volunteers), 4) Access to funding 5) Access to specialized knowledge, and 6) Pest control and soil management. I find that he CGN is, in general, well equipped to help farmers face these challenges, and that the inner structure of the network is conducive to such solutions. I conclude by discussing the limitations of this study and potential areas of development for future research. I highlight not only the academic value of these findings, but also the value for individuals working in the development of urban farming in Columbus Ohio.

Committee: Ramiro Berardo (Advisor); Matthew Hamilton Hamilton (Committee Member); Kristi Lekies (Committee Member) Subjects: Agriculture; Environmental Management; Land Use Planning; Natural Resource Management; Sustainability

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

Black urban youth face many obstacles in their personal development and future pursuits. Many of these obstacles result from systemic challenges that exist within their communities and cultural norms that negatively shape their self-concept and possible selves, a concept which argues that future self-concepts are constructed through personal evaluation of a current and desired future state. Corporate-education partnerships have recently been introduced to urban communities as a way to introduce youth to alternative professional pathways, although there are few studies about the extent to which Black urban youth are impacted by such partnerships. Using the possible selves theory, this study explored how one corporate-education partnership influences the self-concept and possible selves of Black urban youth engaging in a mentoring program, and the extent to which engagement in the program affected their view of themselves and future aspirations. This study focused on the Infinity Mentoring program, which is a partnership program between the Ascension corporation, Woodsby High School, and community-based organization Cincinnati Youth Connection (all pseudonyms). Findings from this study showed that participants in the program had improved feelings or self-concept about themselves and that participants gained increased motivation toward college, career, and their future aspirations as a result of the Infinity Mentoring program. The study adds to the scholarship on corporate-education partnerships, demonstrating the intrinsic impact these partnerships can have on Black urban students.

Committee: Dr. Kate Rousmaniere (Committee Chair); Dr. Sherrill Sellers (Committee Member); Dr. Michael Evans (Committee Member); Dr. Denise Taliaferro Baszile (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Behavioral Sciences; Black Studies; Business Community; Developmental Psychology; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Sociology; Individual and Family Studies; Social Psychology; Teacher Education; Urban Planning

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

This dissertation, co-conducted with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP), investigates youth leadership in youth advisory structures (YAS) in three papers. Each paper contributes to an understanding of how and why young people are involved as advisors on issues germane to them. The first paper is a review of scholarly research on YAS in the United States. The review found that while the use of YAS is increasing, YAS vary widely in format and research offers little information about their processes or engagement of youth. However, most YAS partner with marginalized youth to inform health research and programming. This review provides recommendations for best practices and informs the discussion of the following two papers. The second paper is an open source published study with the YCSP (Haddad et al., 2020), which serves as a case example of how participatory projects are carried out within YAS. The abstract is as follows: “Suicide is a prevalent health issue for youth and understanding youth experiences is critical for the development of effective prevention strategies. Although youth perceptions regarding suicide are relatively well studied, there is a paucity of youth voices in the planning, design, facilitation, and implementation of suicide prevention research. This study examines youth perceptions of suicide prevention through a community-academic partnership with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP). Working together as co-researchers, the YCSP conducted a modified Group Level Assessment with over 200 youth to understand youth perspectives on suicide prevention. The findings were used by the council to inform outreach and prevention activities that directly affect YCSP members and their peers” (Haddad et al., 2020, p. 1). The third paper is a participatory study with the YCSP that explores the personal and professional impact and meaning of their experiences as council members for suicide prevention. YCSP members were involved in (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Lisa Vaughn Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Farrah Jacquez Ph.D. (Committee Member); Miriam Raider-Roth Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, English

Composition scholars and writing instructors have mobilized developments in theories about audience, rhetorical labor, and the rhetorical situation to help students examine and interact with exigences outside the classroom. Pedagogies such as service-learning, client-based teaching, and community-engaged writing situate students with(in) communities, clients, and/or partners for the purpose of immersing them in "real-world" rhetorical contexts. Although collaborating across rhetorical situations that expand beyond the classroom can create educational opportunities and meaningful projects, such an undertaking comes at a cost. Successfully understanding, managing, and delegating labor within client- and partner-based composition pedagogy can be a challenge to coordinate effectively. Misunderstanding complexity in client- and partner-based composition courses can result in unsatisfactory or unfulfilling outputs, unethical authority imbalances, and marginalized course participants and partners. Addressing these challenges depends on localized and inductively derived frameworks to navigate this labor distribution well. From my case study of a partner-based digital composition course, I posit two frameworks for comprehending and executing ethical and successful client- and partner-based composition courses: a "macro-rhetoric" model to understand and strategize rhetorical labor, and an authority|collaboration matrix to negotiate distributing that rhetorical labor. I developed these frameworks inductively using institutional ethnographic strategies to gather data and grounded theory to analyze it. Macro-rhetoric emerges from this study as a localized theory that explains the complex interaction of components in a rhetorical situation. In essence, a macro-rhetoric model of labor in client- and partner-based composition courses encourages participants to explicitly think about and strategize their partnership as a networking endeavor. Thus, macro-rhetors in a client- a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Christa Teston (Committee Chair); Jonathan Buehl (Committee Member); Beverly Moss (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Rhetoric; Technical Communication

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2019, College of Education

The purpose of this study is to bring information to urban middle school principals and teachers that come from urban black church leadership to show what leadership style and recommendations can better address urban black middle school behaviors. This study investigates challenges that urban middle school teachers and principals face in motivating urban middle school students to exhibit positive behaviors al outcomes. Additionally, this study examines a unique group of urban middle school students who were once behaviorally challenged in the classroom, but began attending an urban black church and as a result encountered and began to work with and be mentors by three types of leaders within the urban black church (Senior Pastor, Youth Pastor, and Musical Director) and began displaying positive behaviors not only within the urban black church but also within the urban middle school for which they attended. This study examines the leadership styles of urban black church leadership to provide recoomendations to both urban middle school teachers and principals on ways in which to help urban middle school students achieve positive behavioral gains within urban middle schools.

Committee: James Olive PhD (Committee Chair); Judy Alston PhD (Committee Member); Rosaire Ifedi EdD (Committee Chair) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Middle School Education; School Administration

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Educational Studies

Drawing on a qualitative narrative inquiry research design, the researcher sought to analyze factors and experiences that most likely intensified the probability of incarceration for Black males. More specifically, the researcher collected personalized life history narrative accounts of 15 previously incarcerated Black men, through semi-structured individual and focus group interviews, to better understand the role families, communities, schools, and other social structures may have played in contributing to their incarceration. Utilizing Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development as the theoretical lens, the researcher also explored the participants' life experiences before, during, and after incarceration, and how each experience contributed either positively or negatively to their life outcomes. Further, through in-depth analysis of narratives and by using thematic analysis and open coding, four major themes emerged: (a) Environmental Influence, (b) Valueless Education, (c) Drugs and Addictions, and (d) Establishing a Continual Cycle. Through this investigation, the researcher gained a better understanding of the different ways in which social disparities, environmental influences, and personal development may affect the overrepresentation of Black men in the criminal justice system. Recommendations, pinpointing preventative strategies and policy modifications to decrease the pipeline to prison for Black male youth and adults, are offered.

Committee: James Moore III Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Samuel Hodge Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ralph Gardner III Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Education; Education Policy

Doctor of Education, Miami University, 2018, Educational Leadership

The purpose of this mixed methods bounded case study was twofold: 1. to explore qualitatively the experiences of parent participants in the READY! for Kindergarten parent education program, and 2. to examine quantitatively the impact of the program on the outcomes of children of participants as compared to the children of non-participants. A dosage effect was also examined to determine if attending the program four or more times impacted students' school readiness on the same measures. Structured interviews were conducted with 19 READY! participants. On the whole, interviewees valued their experiences in the program; utilized, with their children at home, the knowledge and resources provided; improved their home learning environments; and highly recommend the program to other parents of preschoolers. Quantitative analysis was undertaken to explore the research question examining kindergarten readiness assessment results for three cohorts totaling 441 students. Independent sample t-tests were run with two kindergarten readiness assessments as dependent variables. The results indicate that although the children of READY! participants in the three cohorts studied achieved slightly higher mean scores on both assessments, there is no statistically significant correlation between participation in READY! and improved school readiness for the participants' children. No dosage effect was found in this study for students whose parents participated in four or more READY! for Kindergarten sessions.

Committee: Tom Poetter Dr. (Committee Chair); Lucian Szlizewski Dr. (Advisor); Kevin Bush Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Early Childhood Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2018, Curriculum and Instruction

Teacher preparation programs have been under scrutiny for years. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) (2010) identified a gap between the preparation of teachers and the needs of schools and consequently formed a Blue Ribbon Panel to closely examine and generate recommendations on ways institutions could improve their teacher preparation programs. One of the recommendations made was to create school district-university partnerships to better integrate supervised clinical experiences in courses for teacher candidates to apply their learning of theory into practice. While there are multiple aspects of a clinical experience that can impact its effectiveness, one critical issue that exists within the clinical experiences is the preparing of teacher candidates to be reflective thinkers. The purpose of my study was to investigate the nature of teacher candidates' responses to various opportunities provided to engage in reflective thinking, specifically within a clinical experience which focused on literacy acquisition. A total of 15 teacher candidates volunteered to participate in the study. A convenience sample selection was used to select six teacher candidates to be the focus of more intense data collection and analyses. The overarching research question was: How do teacher candidates reflect upon their teaching experiences within a field-based course? Data included pre/post surveys, video recordings of debriefing sessions, weekly lesson plan reflections, and exit slips. Both case-specific and cross-case analyses were conducted. My findings show teacher candidates' responses to opportunities to reflect upon authentic tutoring experiences varied and were used for various purposes such as to problem solve issues, to put together ideas, and to seek advice to improve their teaching performance. Findings suggest frequency, timing, range and specific feedback are all important factors when providing various opportunities for teacher candidat (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Susann Hapgood Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jenny Denyer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Leigh Chiarelott Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ruslan Slutsky Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Literacy; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education, Ashland University, 2017, College of Education

This qualitative case study explored the experiences of two principals at two urban school districts in Ohio during the No Child Left Behind era. Each principal was affected by NCLB sanctions yet successfully turned around a low-performing school. Critical Race Theory and Social Learning Theory were used as the conceptual frameworks. The case study involved six semi-structured interviews, as well as the use of survey questionnaires along with the collection of archival data. The intent of this study was to (1) investigate the impact of school sanctions on communities from the perspective of practitioners in urban settings who successfully transformed schools in the era of school accountability and (2) investigate the financial implications of NCLB sanctions on public schools

Committee: Judy Alston Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Rosaire Ifedi Ed.D. (Committee Member); Tanzeah Sharpe Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education Finance; Educational Leadership; School Administration

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2016, Educational Administration (Education)

This study examines the experiences of the teachers and community business representatives that have partnered in a community engagement initiative to address career exploration for students. The goal of this collaboration is to bridge the gap between education and employment. This qualitative study uses a phenomenological approach and gathers data through a series of three interviews with five participants from the community engagement process. Data collected are coded and analyzed through a phenomenological lens in order to extract the textural and structural essence of the process. Data revealed that boundary crossing by the educators and business representatives increased shared understandings due to shared participation in community engagement activities. The research provides an intimate look at the approaches used to directly connect teachers and community members. These findings are beneficial to educational leaders and community leaders.

Committee: Dwan Robinson Ph.D (Committee Chair) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2015, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Sustainability education (SE) is a pathway for creating a more socially, economically, and environmentally just and sustainable world. SE involves the incorporation of sustainability concepts into curricula using innovate teaching methods (i.e. place-based education, outdoor education, experiential education, nature-based education). This thesis explores the space for SE in Grade 5 science and social studies classrooms. Using the case study methodology, this study looked to practicing teachers for insights on how SE could be integrated into the public education system. This study investigated teachers' understanding of sustainability and practice of SE by analyzing their perceptions of sustainability, examples of SE lessons, and their sources of knowledge about sustainability. The results indicated that teachers' understanding of sustainability is largely focused on environmental aspects and that teachers' practice of SE also has an environmental focus. This study evaluated the feasibility of teaching SE in the classroom by outlining the challenges and opportunities for SE presented by teachers. While there are some factors that limit teachers' ability to teach SE (i.e. teachers' limited knowledge about sustainability, lack of training in SE, and institutional demands), with guidance and support from education institutions and community partnerships current and future teachers can provide SE for their students.

Committee: Nancy Manring PhD (Advisor); Danielle Dani PhD (Committee Member); Stephen Scanlan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Educational Sociology; Elementary Education; Environmental Education; Science Education; Social Studies Education; Sustainability; Teacher Education; Teaching