Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2024, School Psychology

School psychology continues to experience professional shortages in the face of increased need. Burnout and other sources of job turnover have been researched; however, there are limited studies on the specific factors influencing retention. The present study investigated sources of job satisfaction among experienced school psychologists. Seven school psychologists with at least 10 years of experience in the state of Ohio were interviewed regarding their reasons for remaining in their roles. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify themes across participant experiences. Results indicated both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of job satisfaction in the field of school psychology. Common themes across participants included the value of meaningful work, professional autonomy, supportive work environments, and positive staff relationships. This study provides insight regarding drivers of motivation for school psychologists to remain in the field long-term, which contains implications for improving the current shortage of these professionals in the state of Ohio. Educational agencies seeking to retain professionals should foster supportive environments, clear roles, professional development, and work-life balance.

Committee: Susan Davies (Committee Chair); Meredith Montgomery (Committee Member); James Ayers (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology

EDD, Kent State University, 2024, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Health Sciences

Scripted/narrowed curricula are tangled in the webs of school reforms and standardization. Teachers are experiencing a monumental challenge: the deprofessionalization of their roles as educators. I sought teachers' understandings of how scripted/narrowed curricula impact their curriculum autonomy, specifically, their professional responsibility and pedagogical artistry. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from K–12 public educators in Rhode Island using an adapted Curriculum Autonomy Survey and Curriculum Autonomy interviews. I analyzed the quantitative data using descriptive and inferential statistics, which provided a broader picture of the experiences of Rhode Island educators faced with teaching scripted/narrowed curricula, and a second group emerged: teachers who develop their own curricula. Interview questions asked teachers to reflect on their experiences with the curriculum. By coding and conducting thematic analysis, I analyzed the interview transcripts, and multiple themes emerged after the data proved consistent across the survey and interview. Teachers using scripted/narrowed curricula are experiencing a loss of their curriculum autonomy. Their professional responsibility is being challenged because they are no longer stakeholders in the curricular and pedagogical decisions or curriculum changes for their content areas. This lack of decision-making has led to questioning the equity of curricula and questioning the breadth and depth of subjects and topics in curricula. These educators are facing challenges to pedagogical artistry, meaning they cannot modify/accommodate student needs or create lessons to promote cultural and social learning opportunities, and they have felt a loss of creativity in building lessons to ensure students are learning skills to be citizens of the world.

Committee: Scott Courtney (Committee Chair) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Education History; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Elementary Education; Higher Education

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Now follows the executive summary of the dissertation in practice. Western City Schools is a small and regionally ranked public school district. Despite its many successes, students report feeling a disconnect with teachers and a lack of sense of belonging (YouthTruth, 2022). In order to respond to this concern, this study seeks to better understand the overall organizational culture and uncover ways in which teachers and the district are responding to the increasingly diverse needs of their student population. This study employed a qualitative, phenomenological approach to better understand the lived experience of district staff. Purposeful sampling was used to generate high-quality data within a short period of time. Semi structured interviews were held on site and participants were asked to discuss their experiences related to the organizational culture, culturally responsive teaching practices, and their access to professional development supports. The data yielded rich descriptions of the lived experiences of teachers. First, it is evident that the culture of the district, known as “The Western Way”, has an impact on students and staff. Second, participants described varying levels of knowledge and expertise related to culturally responsive teaching practices. Finally, participants discussed the professional development (PD) and learning opportunities that they have had prior to and during their tenure at Western City Schools, which includes the PD offered by the school district. Collectively, these themes led to two recommendations and the creation of an action plan, which employs critical participatory action research in an effort to involve all stakeholders in the response. The first recommendation is to include teacher voice in district professional development planning and provide teacher choice, which both encourages autonomy but increases accountability. The second recommendation centers around building cultural support systems, which foster a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aaliyah Baker (Committee Chair) Subjects: Adult Education; Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

Champion Academy teachers in this mixed methods action research case study illuminate the conditions which support or hinder the process of making collective commitments with cycles for iterative improvement. The results of the study demonstrate how closely connected process is to outcome in the work of school improvement. Since the work of school revitalization hinges on change at the classroom level, it is paramount that teachers find the processes utilized favorable in order to increase the likelihood that they will want to engage and follow through. Cycles for iterative improvement are embedded in an intricate school ecosystem spanning multiple domains, from goal setting to instructional leadership, and therefore fidelity to enacting collective commitments rests on many factors. To understand the health of the professional learning community where teachers interface with cycles for iterative improvement, the Professional Learning Community Assessment-Revised was employed. Semi-structured interviews were then utilized to gain a more complete picture of the community prior to asking interview questions about cycles for iterative improvement and the process of making collective commitments. Teachers shared that working toward a shared goal, collegial, supportive relationships, and incremental capacity building are essential to the success of cycles for iterative improvement. Teachers unanimously reported that they are more likely to change practice, using new knowledge and skills in their classrooms, when their voice is included and valued in the process. According to Champion Academy teachers, choice and bounded autonomy is fundamental to the process but insufficient. During interviews, teachers repeatedly encouraged leaders to consider how to make cycles for iterative improvement more participatory in the future. The result of this study is an action plan which purposefully integrates teacher voice at the outset of the improvement p (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Davin Carr-Chellman (Committee Chair); Mary Frances Jones (Committee Member); Aryn Baxter (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Educational Leadership