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

In addition to equipping high school students with the knowledge and skills needed for college success, secondary school leaders must also consider if, how, and to what extent students are learning career skills and habits that add value to an ever-changing global economy. To address this need, some school leaders are turning to Career and Technical Education programs of study. Using Seidman's three-series approach of interviewing, this qualitative, collective case study examined the college and career readiness perspective and practices of seven comprehensive high school administrators in Central Ohio who lead CTE programs in their respective schools. From the analysis of the data, nine thematic leadership implications emerged, which include: (1) equipping students with the knowledge and skills to be college and career ready, (2) embracing CTE programs as technology advances, (3) keeping CTE programs in comprehensive high schools due to limited access in career centers, (4) focusing CTE programs on the needs and interests of students, (5) engaging high school students in CTE programs despite challenges, (6) supporting staff and repurposing spaces with resiliency and creativity, (7) partnering with higher education and industry to provide post-secondary experiences, (8) encouraging policymakers to interact with students to cause positive change, and (9) articulating CTE program needs to central office leadership to improve student outcomes. These findings provide fresh insights on the role that comprehensive high school administrators play as the synthesizing agent to meet the needs of students as well as the expectations of industry through the implementation of CTE programs of study.

Committee: Dwan Robinson (Advisor); Edward Fletcher Jr. (Committee Member); Emmanuel Jean-Francois (Committee Member); Peter Mather (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership; School Administration; Secondary Education

EdD, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Education : Urban Educational Leadership

Parental involvement is an important component to the academic success of children in schools, based on volumes of studies from as early as the 1960's from Billingsley (1968), Clark (1983), Dauber and Epstein (1989), Jackson (1988), Comer and Poussaint (1992) to the most current research from Epstein (1995),Catsambis (1998), Yan (1999), and Mack (2003). We know that African American parents want their children to succeed in school and that African Americans parents' that are involved, have expressed areas of concern to improve parental involvement, Mack (2003), Thompson (2003), Chevalier (2003), Lawson (2003) . The purposes of this study were to recognize the “faceless/voiceless” African American parent, those parents perceived as not visible or vocal in our urban schools, investigate how these parents help their children to succeed in school, and give voice to their perceptions of how the school meets the educational needs of their children. A qualitative study was the dominant strategy to gather data from the participants. These participants were recommended by school personnel as not involved or vocal in the school. Each participant completed a brief demographic form and responded to four in- depth interview questions: (1) What are your goals for your children? (2) How do you help your children succeed academically in school? (3) How does the school help in the success of your children? (4) How does the school address your needs and concerns? The attendance records, discipline records, teacher journals, and the student's cumulative folders were also reviewed for information relevant to the research. The data indicated not only were parents involved at home as well as school, but school administration, teachers and staff needed to be more accessible to these parents and be more attentive to parent's concerns. The findings from this study may be utilized to develop programs in the local schools that will increase parental involvement, build parent and school relati (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dr. Nancy Evers (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2007, Instructional Technology (Education)

This study considered Appalachian Ohio public school district superintendents and high school principals and their perceptions of and experiences with online courses. Paper and pen surveys were mailed to all superintendents and principals in the 29 county Appalachian Ohio region. Of the 263 survey packets mailed, 77% of the principals and 74% of the superintendents responded to the survey. Of the returned surveys, 55% of the high schools in the region reported offering online courses to students. This is considerably higher than the national average. Schools not offering online learning opportunities had larger student bodies, offered more traditional Advanced Placement courses, and had principles with fewer years experience in the position. Administrators agreed that online courses required independent and responsible learners. Analysis of the closed-ended survey items revealed principals and superintendents agreed that online courses could be used to expand course offerings including Advanced Placement courses, for remediation, and for homebound students. Principals and superintendents reported that online courses should only be used as an alternative and not a replacement for the traditional classroom. Analysis of the open-ended survey items showed administrators had strong reservations toward using online courses for anything but an alternative to the traditional classroom. Administrators cited lack of student motivation and lack of social interaction as particular problems with online courses. Several administrators who were happy with their online program cited the use of a mentor as key to a student's completion and achievement in an online course.

Committee: Teresa Franklin (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Technology

Specialist in Education (Ed.S.), University of Dayton, 2011, School Psychology

Service delivery data was collected before and after the implementation of a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to evaluate the effect of RTI on teachers' selection of instructional service delivery models. Participants in this study included all the Mathematics and Language Arts instructors within the selected school district. This analysis describes how the RTI framework is being translated into classroom practice.

Committee: Sawyer Hunley PhD (Committee Chair); Susan Davies EdD (Committee Chair); Kelli Jo Arndt PhD (Committee Chair) Subjects: Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Elementary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2023, Educational Leadership

This study examines the professional experiences of three teachers in a national network of urban, low-income serving, Catholic high schools. These teacher-participants were chosen to participate in this study because they engaged in experiential, community-based pedagogy within this national network and exemplified a commitment to social justice through their teaching practice. As detailed in Chapter One, such teaching practice resembles critical pedagogy and aligns with best practice in quality civic education. Therefore, by examining the experiences of critical educators, this study aimed to illuminate ways we can enhance civic learning for K-12 students by enhancing support for and removing the barriers to critical educators' distinct pedagogical practice. This is particularly important for Students of Color, who have faced historical exclusion from formal and informal modes of civic learning (Campbell, 2012; Lo, 2019). Critical theory (Freire, 1970/1993; Giroux, 2003; Horkheimer, 1972[1992]) and social reproduction theory (Bourdieu, 2016; Bowles & Gintis, 2016) were used to frame this study, which employed qualitative portraiture methodology (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997) to answer two key research questions. The first question— Why do teachers in this Network engage in experiential, community-based pedagogy? —drew attention to the internal and external factors impacting my participants' practice. This set up inquiry into the second key research question: How do these educators exhibit civic and/or critical consciousness about and through their work? Findings from this study revealed that both internal and external factors contributed to the choice teacher-participants made to engage in experiential, community-based pedagogy. Professional ecology, consisting of local school and corporate cultures, were particularly influential on these teachers. That ecology functioned in distinct ways at each study site to both aid and obstruct the critical teaching (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Érica Fernández (Committee Chair); Kathleen Knight Abowitz (Committee Member); Thomas Misco (Committee Member); Lisa Weems (Committee Member); Veronica Barrios (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Educational Theory; Mathematics Education; Religious Education; Secondary Education; Social Studies Education; Teacher Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1942, Educational Administration and Supervision

Committee: Walter A. Zaugg (Advisor) Subjects: Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2019, Management

Identity development is a key part of flourishing, but how an at-risk emerging adult student shapes a life project meant for a flourishing life has been understudied. There is a notable gap in current literature examining the effects of capital negotiation (social capital and identity capital) on life project design, and informal educator behaviors on emerging adult student employability and identity capital, which we argue are critical, missing elements of a flourishing life project. Previous research on informal student-faculty interactions has addressed academic/educational outcomes of those interactions, leaving void the potential identity capital development and negotiation also resulting from those same interactions. In the same vein, much research has addressed counseling life designing, some even for vulnerable youth, but little attention has been devoted to informal edu-mentor behaviors regarding the planning of a life project for at-risk emerging adult students across educational settings. This work borrows from othering and literature on under-resourced students to begin to define at-risk, but we concentrate its definition by specifying Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). This dissertation's intensive interviews and structural equation modeling investigated behaviors of faculty that foster bonding with students, the consequences of which resulted in student identity capital development. The research offered herein developed from a three-part exploratory sequential mixed methods project addressing how an at-risk emerging adult student negotiates capital in shaping a life project across educational settings. The initial phase leveraged a grounded theory approach to examine the student-teacher relationship from the secondary school teacher's perspective. I investigated the particular behaviors, social and emotional intelligence competencies, and practices that made a teacher good at the facilitation of a relationship with othered students, specifically (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Paul Salipante (Committee Chair); Diana Bilimoria (Committee Member); James Gaskin (Committee Member); Kalle Lyytinen (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Community Colleges; Continuing Education; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Management; Organizational Behavior; School Administration; Secondary Education; Social Psychology; Social Research; Systems Design; Teacher Education; Teaching

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2019, Foundations of Education: Educational Psychology

Rural secondary schools are vibrant educational institutions. Their significance and context is discounted in academic literature. The categories of distance and people per square mile used by federal agencies, researchers, and policy makers do not adequately contextualize rural. This theoretical dissertation proposes that rural is more than distance and people per square mile. Specifically, it asks if the idea of a double helix of place and social capital is a justified theoretical framework for exploring and understanding the nature of rural secondary schools. This dissertation proposes an extension of the existing literature on place theory with the addition of social capital. Place and social capital collide, meld, mold, and march all that is rural secondary school into being. If rural schooling is to be respectfully studied, then the place of that schooling and the social capital relationships of those involved in that schooling much be addressed and acknowledged. The Double Helix Framework of Place and Social Capital offers the explanatory power needed to describe, explain, predict, and improve the nature of rural secondary schools.

Committee: Florian Feucht (Committee Chair); Dale Snauwaert (Committee Member); Paul Theobald (Committee Member); Nancy Staub (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, EDU Teaching and Learning

This dissertation presents findings from a year-long inquiry of an adolescent newcomer program in Central Ohio. The study, combining institutional ethnography and classroom discourse analysis, focuses on the experiences of newly-arrived high-school aged (15-21 years old) students labeled “pre-functional” in terms of English language ability. The introduction, Chapter 1, briefly describes the study's background and rationale. Chapter 2, a review of relevant literature, explains how newcomer programs emerge from broader contexts experiencing superdiversity. Moreover, given the imperative to provide linguistically and culturally relevant education to newly arrived students, this chapter juxtaposes superdiversity and translanguaging as relevant sociolinguistic, pedagogical, and political frameworks. However, language ideologies mediate how these issues are understood and implemented locally. Chapter 3 describes the research questions, methodology, and rationales. Chapter 4 begins the study's core findings by describing the context of the Ohio standards and local district programs relating to Limited English Proficient/English Language Learners and arguing that these, despite promoting flexibility, in practice create an “English-centric” ideology that manifests in the trajectory of the program itself, the beliefs of its key actors, the linguistic landscape, pedagogical practices, and interpretations of student results. Chapter 5 uses case studies of students and their activities throughout the year to illuminate some challenges to the overall program design and practices. Chapter 6 expands on these challenges by discussing future visions for the program in the broader sociopolitical context, particularly the election of Donald Trump and his administration's stance towards immigration and immigrants, an issue that impacts the program directly.

Committee: Leslie C. Moore (Advisor); Binaya Subedi (Committee Member); Christian J. Faltis (Committee Member) Subjects: Bilingual Education; Education; Education Policy; English As A Second Language; Language; Multilingual Education; Sociolinguistics

BS, Kent State University, 2018, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

The phrase, "I can't do math" is a common one heard by math teachers all over the country. It was this phrase that inspired me to investigate mathematics anxiety. So many times I have helped students in math class who become anxious and believe they are unable to do a math problem. It is this anxiety that causes them to give up on problems without even trying. This is becoming an issue in this country due to a higher emphasis being placed on standardized tests and grade point averages. The high likelihood of a student exhibiting symptoms of anxiety towards mathematics leads to fewer students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) careers in higher education. This topic was investigated through interviews that were designed with a qualitative approach. A total of 19 students who attended suburban Midwestern high schools were asked four main questions to gain an understanding of the mathematics anxiety they exhibit as well as potential causes and strategies for alleviation. It was concluded that students experience the most anxiety in math class when taking tests or quizzes and are most comfortable asking teachers for help as long as the student perceived the teacher as being comfortable in their own subject. Finally, it was concluded that the strategies that students found most helpful were general stress-relief strategies such as deep breathing or taking a break. These results are limited to the population studied but open the door for future research.

Committee: Anne Morrison Ph.D (Advisor); Joanne Caniglia Ph.D (Committee Member); Robert Cimera Ph.D (Committee Member); Suzy D'Enbeau Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Psychology; Mathematics Education; Secondary Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1970, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education, University of Toledo, 2014, Educational Administration and Supervision

Investigations in the field of teacher epistemology have been informative in that they have provided a framework for identifying which epistemic beliefs are associated with student- and teacher centered instruction (Schraw & Olafson, 2002) and which beliefs prevent teachers from adopting student centered instructional practices (Gill, Ashton, & Algina, 2004). Understanding teachers' epistemic beliefs is an important asset to school districts because it provides insight on which teachers may require additional intervention to adopt new teaching practices. However, few studies have examined the epistemic beliefs of high school teachers. There were three objectives of this investigation: (1) to identify the proportions of high school teachers in one urban district whose epistemic beliefs reflect resistance to change teaching practices (Gill et al., 2004; Patrick & Pintrich, 2010) versus those with beliefs amenable to adopting new practices (Feucht, 2010); (2) to identify the proportion of teachers with teacher- and student centered epistemic beliefs by area of certification, and (3) to establish whether relationships exist between high school teachers' epistemic beliefs and selected demographic variables. Findings showed that 57.9% of teachers surveyed held epistemic beliefs that reflect a student centered orientation. Few relationships were found between high school teachers' epistemic beliefs and selected demographic factors. Implications for teacher epistemology research and school district leaders were discussed.

Committee: Nancy Staub (Committee Chair); Dale Snauwaert (Committee Member); Mary Ellen Edwards (Committee Member); Shanda Gore (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Philosophy; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Leadership; Educational Psychology; Educational Theory; Epistemology; Pedagogy; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Criminal Justice

Although fear and perceived risk are well studied among adult samples, fewer works have explored these phenomena among samples of students. This dissertation provided an inquiry into the fear and perceived risk of secondary students across various schools in Kentucky. More specifically, though, this dissertation examined the extent to which indicators of vulnerability (i.e., sociodemographic characteristics and prior victimization) and lifestyle/routine activities (i.e., target attractiveness, exposure, and guardianship) predicted fear and perceived risk of sexual and nonsexual in-school victimization. The shadow of sexual assault is also assessed by examining the extent to which fear and risk of sexual victimization predict fear and risk of non-sexual victimization. The rationality of students' fear and risk perceptions are considered in light of findings from such analysis. Using data from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project (RSVP), the findings revealed that many of the indicators of vulnerability and lifestyle/routine activities significantly impacted students' fear and perceived risk. Overall, female students and prior victims of crime expressed more fear and perceived greater risk than males and nonvictims. Low self-control and believing illegal items at school were easy to obtain consistently increased students' fear and perceptions of risk. On the other hand, attachment to peers and the perceived willingness of teachers to intervene in violent situations reduced the fear and risk perceptions of students. Given the consistency of many of these indicators across the models, it is argued that much of students' fear and perceived risk appear rational. What is more, that data show that a portion of students' fear and perceived risk of nonsexual victimization is driven by their fear and risk of sexual victimization. Policy implications for these findings are presented, as are recommendations for future works.

Committee: Pamela Wilcox PhD (Committee Chair); Shayne Jones PhD (Committee Member); Michael Benson PhD (Committee Member); Francis Cullen PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Criminology

Doctor of Education (EdD), Ohio University, 2011, Educational Administration (Education)

This qualitative case study examined the ways in which one rural Midwestern high school and its surrounding community responded to increased diversity. The purpose of the study was to explore how teachers, administrators, school staff, and community members in the district understood the character of the community's demographic changes and the influences of these changes on the academic and social life of the school. The school's responses to increasing community diversity were of particular importance to the study. Data collection included hour-long interviews with 34 participants, document analysis, and observations. Data were analyzed using a three-step process: initial coding, linking codes in conceptually coherent categories, and theme building. Data analysis revealed three themes. First, educators and community members exhibited class biases toward poor students and their families. Second, educators and community members conflated race and ethnicity with social class, expressing many of the same negative beliefs about minority students as they did about poor students. These respondents displayed deficit thinking toward poor and minority students and blamed these students' cultural backgrounds for their low levels of academic engagement and performance. Third, a small group of change agents in the school and community advocated for poor and minority students, but they encountered the apathy and resistance of most educators and many community members. The findings of this study fit with earlier literature about demographic change in rural areas. This literature revealed that social tensions and biases often resulted from shifting demographics in rural communities and schools. In addition, previous work on educators' tendency to view low-socioeconomic status and minority students from a deficit perspective were similar to the perspectives voiced by the educators who participated in this study. Furthermore, some critical literature on poverty training supported th (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aimee Howley (Committee Chair); Renee Middleton (Committee Member); Craig Howley (Committee Member); Greg Foley (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education; Secondary Education

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2010, International Development Studies (International Studies)

Legally, education in Benin is open and equally available to all children. Yet, the retention rate of girls transitioning from primary to secondary school lags drastically behind that of boys. Much research has identified economic, socio-cultural and environmental barriers girls face in accessing education. However, the literature is insufficient on factors that endanger girl students once they enter the classroom. The most pervasive and potentially harmful of these obstacles is a school environment plagued by sexual interactions between teachers and students. This study contributes ethnographic work which provides space for participants' voice and agency, and examines community-based understandings of teacher-student sexual relationships in a secondary school in northwestern Benin. The findings of this study suggest that poverty, unequal power relationships, and low levels of policy awareness influence transactional teacher-student sexual relationships. A deeper exploration of adolescent female sexuality is essential in fully understanding these relationships.

Committee: Stephen Howard PhD (Committee Chair); Diane Ciekawy PhD (Committee Member); John Hitchcock PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Gender; International Relations; Secondary Education; Womens Studies

Master of Education (M.Ed.), Cedarville University, 2005, Education Department

The purpose of this study was to synthesize the literature in order to assess and quantify (if possible) the relationship between MI instructional approaches and student achievement indicators in secondary school classrooms (grades 6-12). This study employed the best-evidence synthesis methodology devised by Robert Slavin. Criteria for study inclusion included germaneness, minimization of bias, and validity. This study allows for several conclusions: (1) a very limited amount of research focusing on the relationship of MI instructional approaches and student achievement indicators in secondary school classrooms exists, (2) instances of MI instructional approaches vary widely in methodology and implementation but demonstrate a fairly consistent philosophical approach, and (3) the studies included in this research synthesis failed to prove causation in the relationship of MI instructional approaches and student achievement indicators in secondary school classrooms. However, substantial evidence exists showing that multiple intelligences theory contributes positively to student learning and development. Further research is needed to quantify the relationship between MI instructional approaches and academic achievement indicators in secondary classrooms.

Committee: Stephen Gruber (Advisor) Subjects:

Master of Education (M.Ed.), Cedarville University, 2003, Education Department

A best evidence analysis and synthesis of research on teacher mentoring programs culminating in an open ended survey to teachers that have received Pathwise training in preparation for mentoring of entry year teachers in a large city school in Ohio. The surveys asked whether the mentors felt that formal mentor training improved their skills as a mentor. The outcome determined by this research is that it is beneficial.

Committee: Stephen Gruber (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 1990, History

Between 1945 and 1990, significant changes occurred in curriculum policy making in the female secondary independent schools. These changes highlighted the following important trends: the curriculum committee replaced the Head of School as the primary policy maker; and new or revisioned factors, exclusive of the gender factor, became important in curriculum determination i.e., internal: Head of School, Board of Trustees, faculty, students, parents, alumna, and tradition; external: colleges, demographics and competitive marketing, government, trends and fads, and textbook publishers. Despite these trends, however, the curricula of these schools changed very little and remained conservative. This thesis used established historical methods. The research was based on an examination of the secondary literature as well as intensive archival research and interviews at seven New England Ohio female independent secondary schools with heads of schools and those responsible for curriculum. It also made use of the responses to a questionnaire sent to 117 independent secondary schools in New England and East North Central States. By virtue of being single-sex, the female independent secondary schools failed to perceive gender equity as a significant issue for po licy consideration. Their curricula confirmed a conservatism that did not consider biological and socio-cultural differences in learning styles as well as informal protocols that perpetuated gender stereotypes and inequities in the classroom. With regard to gender, the research concluded that these schools, with a few exceptions, chose not to be agents of change in the following manner: further developing curriculum that would specifically enhance the learning styles of their students; and restructuring courses of study that would include the female and male perspectives to achieve gender equity.

Committee: David Hammack (Advisor) Subjects:

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2010, Leadership and Change

This study explored an essential question, "What does the lived experience of students in the Tiferet program mean for them and others?" By exploring the background, implementation, and lived-experiences of two academic-year sophomore cohorts from Milken Community High School in Los Angeles as they lived and participated in a semester study abroad program at the Alexander Muss Institute of Israel Education in Hod HaSharon, Israel, the study shows the impact-of that experience on the students in the program and the school culture at large. The study engaged in a description of the program's development and evaluation of the lived-experiences as they were reported by students and parents through surveys and video interviews and observed by the researchers. By using a mixed-genre approach and a media-enhanced web site, this study created a sense of the experience of living in Israel for one semester of the sophomore year. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible through the Ohiolink ETD Center at http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/ The web link for the original and evolving dissertation is available through http://khronosreview.com/ The dissertation is best viewed by going to this site. Features are present in the web/blog based version which are not present in the print edition. These features include interactivity and dynamic content. It is best read, viewed and explored via the web/blog experience.

Committee: Carolyn Kenny PhD (Committee Chair); Laurien Alexandre PhD (Committee Member); Alan Guskin PhD (Committee Member); Michael Zeldin PhD (Other) Subjects: Education; Educational Evaluation; Educational Theory; Multicultural Education; School Administration; Secondary Education; Teaching; Technology