Specialist in Education, Miami University, 2021, School Psychology

The role of the school has been in a state of change since its creation. The Whole Child approach turns the focus of schools from academic achievement as the only marker of student success towards multiple long-term holistic facets. Ohio's teachers are not trained to provide all facets of the Whole Child approach, despite Ohio's commitment to a Whole Child strategic plan for education. Additionally, teacher attrition and turnover rates are increasing. This study evaluated the preparedness of one Ohio university's teacher education program graduates (n = 461) to deliver the facets of the Whole Child approach in relation to their intent to stay in their current job placements. Participants indicated that they felt more prepared to provide academic content and support, and felt less prepared to deliver more non-traditional facets such as trauma-informed practices. Results of the study did not indicate a significant relationship between the respondents' Whole Child preparedness and their intention to stay in their current job placements. However, the study highlighted areas for future research, such as teacher burnout and self-efficacy in relation to Whole Child preparedness, administrative support as an indicator of turnover, and the outcomes of the long-term implementation of Whole Child education.

Committee: Kristy Brann PhD (Advisor); William Boone PhD (Committee Member); Dawna Meehan PhD (Committee Member); Sharon Custer PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Leadership Studies

Many school leaders have found that to reach an environment that encompasses the tools and supports for student success, a whole child approach is required to address academic, social and emotional obstacles that many students face. In recent years, the development of early warning intervention and monitoring systems (EWIMS) in urban high schools serve as a strategy for educators to apply interventions through multi-tiered systems of supports (MTSS). Research notes that almost half of today's students enter school having experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), such as abuse, neglect, and other household dysfunctions. The trauma from ACEs may impede a child's progress in school. Therefore, it is imperative that school leaders guide the staff in creating a trauma-sensitive environment (TSE) to help students overcome trauma, and focus on academics. Studies have revealed that transformational leaders are favored in the effort to effectively set a clear vision and motivate stakeholders to focus on the individual needs of the students and their academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine the success of an EWIMS on the identification of students who display the potential to drop out of school. A quasi-experimental posttest only comparison group design, included four statistical analyses. A chi-square of association justified the use of the selected cohort. An independent samples t-test compared a sum of student days in attendance and a logistic regression analysis examined predictive factors of on-time graduation. The findings of the t-test in this study did not show a statistically significant difference in the means of students receiving intervention. The researcher speculated factors that may have contributed to the lack of significance included a low rate of student participation or a dearth of fidelity in implementation. Conversely, the findings of the analysis of the logistic regression test revealed a predi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Judith Jackson May Ph.D. (Advisor); Nora Engebretsen-Broman Ph.D. (Other); Matthew Lavery Ph.D. (Committee Member); Patrice McClellan Ed.D. (Committee Member); Patrick Pauken J.D., Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Secondary Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2017, Education

Through a Whole Child lens a cross-sectional quantitative research design evaluated the impact of academic and nonacademic support structures on student reading achievement per the third grade Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA). Two demographically similar public school districts within geographical proximity in Ohio were involved utilizing elementary educator perceptions and historical data. A bivariate correlational analysis explored the relationship of OAA scores and support structures. Strong negative correlations existed between student assistance team meetings and OAA results (-0.75), and student participation in elementary athletics and OAA results (-0.69). A percentage response was calculated for rank order items with higher perception indicated by a lower mean rank. Overall, mean rank ordering indicated guidance counselors most positively impactful (3.24), followed by behavior specialist (3.93), student assistance team (4.36), school social worker (4.44), parent and family involvement (4.8), nutrition program (4.83), volunteers (5.74), before/after school program (5.8), and elementary athletics (7.63). A slope graph demonstrated the relative relationship of support/OAA correlation to elementary educator perception. The correlation of score to support was commensurate to educator ranking for both guidance counselor and parent and family involvement. Student assistance team (SAT) was not strongly correlated with achievement; nevertheless, educators perceived SAT highly impactful. The correlation of volunteers to achievement was depreciated by perception. A strongly positive correlation lacked between elementary athletics and achievement. Educators attributed little regard to elementary athletics. In summary, to attain positive educational change decisions should incorporate academic and nonacademic data through a multifactored approach. Individual student consideration to employ resources internal and external to the district is needed.

Committee: Natalie Abell Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jon Brasfield Ph.D. (Committee Member); Michael Scoles Ed.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Education Policy; Educational Leadership; Elementary Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Urban Education, Cleveland State University, 2016, College of Education and Human Services

This research examines the relationship between the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and individual and institutional development as well as the potential of the IB program to increase students' social capital. Drawing on a case study approach, research methods included semi-structured interviews with 21 educators; a focus group with students and a focus group with parents; and a review of archival material. Study findings suggest that educators found the learning curve challenging in opening and sustaining a school with the IB curriculum. Teachers reported tension between teaching the transdisciplinary IB content while also needing to attend to state standards on which their students would be tested. Educators and parents underscored the experience of uncertainty in terms of issues of staffing, space, and enrollment, often sources of anxiety and sometimes a source of engagement. The goals of the IB curriculum, combined with the opportunity and resources to shape the direction of a new urban school, appear to have sustained a high level of teacher motivation. Educator experience suggests the IB curriculum provides teachers with a platform to make significant, lasting change in the lives of their students due teachers' feelings of professionalism, autonomy and willingness to challenge themselves for the betterment of the student body and the school itself. In an era of school accountability and national efforts to implement a common core of content standards, it is useful to study the growth and struggle encountered by key stakeholders as they participate in building a rich curriculum focused on the whole child and attentive to social, academic, physical, and civic development at its core. The study is significant in terms of its ability to offer insights in the development of future IB schools, particularly in urban settings.

Committee: Anne Galletta Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Justin Perry Ph.D. (Committee Member); Ronald Abate Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Adams Ed.D. (Committee Member); Megan Hatch Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Education Policy; Educational Evaluation; Educational Tests and Measurements; Elementary Education; Higher Education; Multicultural Education; Teaching