Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology

For nearly 60 years, politicians and policymakers have sought to improve the educational outcomes of students across their states and the country through legislated policies and programs. Despite their efforts, little progress has been made in improving the outcomes of the nation’s most vulnerable students. The achievement gap persists, and poverty divides the haves from the have-nots, especially in reading achievement.
This study was designed to explore the impact of increasing time allocated for reading instruction on student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA). Additional research questions were also included to determine if other factors impacted student achievement in ELA. The objective of this study was to determine if adding instructional time for any number of years improved student outcomes in reading.

This study addressed gaps in research on understanding the preparedness status of emergency management programs within Florida College System (FCS) and State University System (SUS) institutions. The quantitative assessment involved 21 institutions (51% response rate).
A survey instrument was developed from prior studies and measured programmatic factors. These questions explored the current preparedness level regarding emergency management programs within Florida’s FCS and SUS institutions, the involvement of stakeholders in these programs, the perceived preparedness to respond to various hazards, the extent of institutional investment in emergency management efforts, and the organizational frameworks characterizing the emergency management departments or units within these institutions.
Findings revealed that FCS institutions generally have needs, particularly in exercises and financial resources, suggesting foundational elements are present but highlighting opportunities to advance their preparedness. In contrast, SUS institutions report needs in planning and financial support, emphasizing the necessity of comprehensive and updated emergency strategies and plans and sufficient funding as programs advance. Both systems displayed strong leadership commitment that supported their levels of preparedness.

There is a growing interest and attention for organizations to move from a shareholder capitalist to stakeholder capitalist business model, in which delivering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance is becoming more pronounced. Because of this transition, there is growing pressure for managers at all levels to act in sustainable, socially responsible, and ethical (SRE) ways; yet the current management models are based on maximizing economic value and scientific management. Therefore, the attempts to try and manage 21st century organizations with 20th century management practices and the aspirations of responsible management education have not demonstrated the desired effect (Laasch & Gherardi, 2019), as seen by continued business failures. It is not yet understood whether it is possible for the everyday manager to effectively navigate the tensions and contradictions of trying to deliver economic value to shareholders, social and ecological value to other stakeholders, while simultaneously attending to regulatory policies and, in the process, avoiding burnout for overtasked managers. Conducted in a debt remediation call center in the Dominican Republic, this study used an eclectic design integrating abductive analysis with a cultural-historical activity theory methodology to explore responsible management practices at the lowest levels of management. The findings describe responsible managers as pressure moderators enacting four primary elements: 1) embracing a pluralistic logic of responsibility, 2) accepting tensions with resilience, 3) engaging practices dynamically to moderate pressures, and 4) learning primarily on the job amid real work. In this organization, moderating the pressures of emotional labor was the primary object of their attention.

The role of principal supervisors has changed significantly, moving away from a focus on compliance and towards a greater emphasis on nurturing principals' instructional leadership skills. As a result of this evolution, there is now an increased presence of supervisors in schools, but there are no clear guidelines for their activities. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a theory that explains how principal supervisors can effectively support principals in their roles. The insights gained from this study will have significant implications for the future training and professional development of principal supervisors, which aims to improve the effectiveness of principal leadership and, in turn, enhance student outcomes.
The study seeks to answer the key research question: "How do principal supervisors and their principals perceive how principal supervisors provide effective support?" Using a qualitative approach and grounded theory design, the study collected data through 15 semi-structured interviews involving three principal supervisors and 12 principals who had worked together for at least three years. The resulting grounded theory outlines a comprehensive framework that explains how principal supervisors can offer impactful support to principals.

In this study, the researcher uses quantitative methods to examine the extent to which Title I funding helps public schools with large populations of economically-disadvantaged students increase student academic achievement in reading and math in grades 3–5, and whether the leaders of these schools utilize specific social justice actions identified through a review of literature. The researcher gathers grade level student proficiency data for students in grades 3–5 and performs a bivariate correlation and a simple regression analysis to determine the extent to which identified schools receiving Title I funds are able to increase student proficiency rates over a three-year period. The researcher further analyzes the data through a social justice lens to determine possible social justice solutions to the persistent problem of the income-achievement gap.

In this qualitative study, 21 Title IX federal court cases between 2000–2022 were examined. The purpose of this analysis was to explore how the changes in Title IX guidance across President George W. Bush (R), President Barack Obama (D), and President Donald Trump (R) administrations have impacted higher education institutional liability lawsuits. Guided by content analysis and the power-conscious framework, three research questions were asked: (1) How have the Title IX policy changes under the Bush, Obama, and Trump U.S. presidential administrations impacted higher education institutional liability lawsuits? (2) What specific Title IX requirements within the Bush, Obama, and Trump U.S. presidential administrations are higher education institutions being held liable for violating? (3) How effective is the Title IX guidance under the Bush, Obama, and Trump U.S. presidential administrations at reducing institutional liability? Four themes emerged from this study: (1) Increase in Title IX lawsuits, (2) Violation of Presidential Guidance Does Not Mean Violation of Title IX, (3) Previous Court Cases, (4) Guidance with More Legal Protocol Can Reduce Title IX Liability.
This content analysis concluded that higher education institutions should incorporate legal standards into their Title IX process and work to be compliant with federal law and the guidance provided by the Department of Education. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the different types and forms of power that change over a period of time. Based upon these conclusions, recommendations were made for higher education institutions and the U.S. Department of Education to create policies that would be fair and equitable to the involved parties while also reducing institutional liability.

While students are the center of dual enrollment programs, high school counseling professionals, often called guidance counselors, and college/university administrators are vital to the success of these programs. High school guidance counselors coordinate schedules and ensure student awareness, registration, and participation in the program. College/University administrators facilitate dual enrollment partnerships between the school district and the post-secondary institution, guided by formal articulation agreements. COVID-19 has impacted both secondary and post-secondary school systems. Since dual enrollment is a formal bridge program between these systems, the pandemic may have long-term effects on access, equity, and the learning environment associated with dual enrollment.
This case study focused on high school guidance counselors and school district administrators in Broward County, Florida schools as well as the college/university staff and administrators who oversee dual enrollment programs at three post-secondary institutions that offer classes for Broward County students. By collecting the participants’ perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on dual enrollment programs, this study found out what worked, what did not work, and the lessons learned.

The accountability era has produced school grading systems that purport to evaluate school effectiveness yet utilize hegemonic formulas that label low-scoring schools and neighborhoods, depriving them of incentive monies tied to their school grades. This quantitative study analyzed the publicly available data of 106 elementary schools in one large urban district in Florida through the lens of Effective Schools Research. Significant findings revealed that the work of Edmonds (1982) and Lezotte (1991) supports a growth model when it comes to school-based assessments and outcomes. The schools in the sample earned cumulative incentive rewards over time that were negatively correlated with the schools’ average percentage of economically disadvantaged students. The lower a school’s average percentage of economically disadvantaged students, the higher the school's average grade. This finding held true for the “A”-graded schools with the lowest average economically disadvantaged percentages from 1999 to 2019. This study also found that the schools in the sample with the larger average percentages of economically disadvantaged students would exhibit higher school grades if calculations using only their language arts and math gains were used. These findings have implications for how we might rebuild the assessment of our neighborhood schools and transform the policy structures that contribute to social and educational inequities.

Teacher turnover is a problem in all types of schools at all levels and is especially troubling in low-performing, high minority, urban schools. School principals have the challenge of building relationships with teachers in order to improve teacher retention while also balancing the many tasks and responsibilities they have throughout the day. Principals of low-performing, urban schools have difficulty retaining teachers and are challenged with hiring qualified teachers as many teacher candidates turn down opportunities to work in their schools. Teachers willing to work in low-performing schools are often lower quality, for example they have temporary teaching certificates or are teaching out of their content area (Baugh, 2021; Darling-Hammond & Post, 2000; Peske & Haycock, 2006). This staffing challenge, combined with vacant positions, has a negative impact on student achievement (Ronfeldt et al., 2013).
This study explores the impact of school leadership on teacher retention in an urban school district specifically focusing on high minority, low-performing, underserved schools. This qualitative multi-site case study explored ways that principals in four low-performing, urban schools in Miami-Dade County established and sustained relationships with novice and experienced teachers as they managed their day-to-day activities. The research was guided by the research question: How do school principals develop and sustain trusting relationships with teachers at low-performing schools and how do these relationships impact teacher retention? Data was collected through principal interviews, focus groups with novice and experienced teachers, and document reviews. Case data was analyzed individually and through a cross-case analysis.

In this qualitative grounded theory study, I interviewed participants from and analyzed documents associated with three community/state colleges in Florida. Additionally, I have included the perspective of key informants from the state and/or the Florida College System. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to develop a substantive theory to explain the process by which senior administrative leaders engaged in fiscal decision-making due to shifting funding sources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although prior decision-making theories exist, such as rational choice theory and garbage can theory, these theories do not address how fiscal decisions are made in higher education institutions during times of extended crisis exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic leaders sought to establish resilience as part of their fiscal decision-making process to ensure their ability to lead and maintain viable institutions of higher education. Moreover, through the fiscal decision-making process, the leaders in this study did not permit themselves or their institutions to accept the status quo, rather they extended themselves and their organizations to stretch beyond prior capabilities to respond to ever changing needs of students as well as external stakeholders brought about from the COVID-19 pandemic. The collective experiences of these leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the resilient stretching theory of community college fiscal decision-making, which will be further expounded upon throughout this research study.