Maslin-Ostrowski, Patricia

There is increasing reliance on STEM higher education as a source of innovation, and on faculty as knowledge producers. Simultaneously, universities are systemically changing internal structures to increase equity and inclusivity to attract and retain more STEM women. Women remain underrepresented in specific STEM disciplines and are missing from upper faculty ranks. The research corpus on STEM women lacks studies on women on tenure tracks, and on the relationships among climate, fit, and job satisfaction, and the extent to which job satisfaction aids retention of STEM women. Also sparse is research on leadership’s roles in women’s advancement and retention at the departmental level. The purpose of this study was to understand how the climate within a STEM college contributed to the professional development and sense of belonging of women faculty at a research institution with a National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE grant. This study also explored leadership’s role in fostering a climate of support toward women’s advancement. NSF ADVANCE funds institutions working toward systemic change, but even with an ADVANCE grant, it can be difficult to make climate changes in academic departments where women are historically underrepresented. Thus, we don’t know, a priori, what we might find in such a setting. Gendering organization theory guided this study. Two overarching questions were formulated to address the problems associated with low numbers of women in STEM departments. The methodology utilized a qualitative single instrumental case. The sampling plan included leaders, faculty, and documents; and data sources included interviews and document review.

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.

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.

Demographics of the United States’ school system continue to change and diversify. Meeting the needs of diverse learners is critical to the success of all children. Building and sustaining equitable learning environments has proven to be a challenging task for school leaders. Barriers that hinder equity continue to plague schools and are rooted in systems of organizational injustice. Research suggests that leaders who are able to utilize socially just and culturally responsive leadership practices build and sustain equitable learning environments. School leaders have a large impact on the equity driven practices that exist within the organization; however, research indicates that they may not be prepared to lead such practices. Therefore, supporting the path of aspiring leaders through coaching, since they will eventually lead the charge, has great potential to be critical in the success of equity in our schools, and was the focus of this study.
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe the coaching relationship between the principal and aspiring leader in order to understand how this relationship furthers the development of the aspiring leader into a school leader devoted to building and sustaining equitable learning environments.

This qualitative study furthers understanding of psychological contract violation experiences as examined through the lens of administrative middle managers in higher education settings. Psychological contract is defined as unstated expectations in the employment relationship which, when violated, results in negative outcomes for employers and employees. In higher education, middle managers are professional staff with titles such as director, associate director, or assistant director across academic and student affairs units. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the meaning of violation experiences for administrative middle managers in higher education settings. This study advanced understanding of post-violation outcomes on participants’ work and future career intentions. This study found that participants’ psychological contract violation experiences had a wounding effect, including negative emotional impacts, feelings of isolation, increased vulnerability, and feelings of responsibility for the violation experience. In addition, participants made sense of their violation experience by focusing on their passion for serving students, the importance of work to their identity, and the responsibility they felt as leaders. Study participants remained in their work settings despite the violation experience and negative impacts. This study resulted in implications for practice for three entities: higher education institutions, administrative middle managers, and professional associations.

On average, the American university president is a white man in his early 60s. Progress has been slow for women in this role. This study examined the university presidency with a focus on the woman president experience. The hypothesis was that based on factors such as the glass ceiling and glass cliff, gender affects the experiences of women university presidents. The purpose of this study was to understand the personal and professional meaning-making of breaking through the glass ceiling for women who have held or currently hold the position of president in higher education. The research methodology selected for this study was qualitative with a phenomenological design. There were two guiding research questions, which serve to understand the essence of the experiences of women who serve or have served in the role of president in higher education. The research questions are (a) how do women perceive the impact of the glass ceiling and/or the glass cliff on negotiating the role of university president from ascension to attainment? and (b) how do women university presidents perceive the price they have paid, personally and professionally, for breaking through the glass ceiling? The study sample size consisted of seven current or former women university presidents. The data collection method was semi-structured interviews. This study served to provide insight that may help identify support systems for women in the workplace, changes in perceptions of women in leadership, and how gender roles unfold in both the personal and professional lives of women university presidents

A review of the literature revealed the need to further explore continuing-generation college students attending community colleges. This case study sought to understand the choice process of continuing-generation, direct-entry college students who enrolled in Miami Dade College (MDC), a baccalaureate community college. This research was planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet was conducted during the pandemic, creating a unique context for the study. A total of 25 participants were interviewed, including continuing-generation students, parents/family members, and high school personnel. This study used Hossler and Gallagher’s (1987) choice model as the conceptual framework to address how and why continuing-generation college students decided to pursue higher education in a community college rather than a traditional four-year college or university.
The study derived five findings: financial considerations, addressing affordability and cost in the choice process; family influence and support, describing the role family play in the college selection process; proximity and accessibility, addressing how MDC is a good choice for being “close to home” and being accessible to students who may not have otherwise accessed higher education; institutional reputation, and its importance in the selection process as related to students’ knowledge of MDC, transferability options, faculty and opportunities; and college preparedness, addressing the choice process in terms of student exposure, academic readiness, and college transfer preparedness.

The number of Islamic schools continues to increase in the United States and the majority of these schools are led by Muslim women (Islamic School League of America, 2021). Whether women in general or Muslim women specifically, research on women in leadership remains sparse; the need to document the stories of these leaders is imperative. Muslim women are targets of negative imagery in the media and are sometimes secondary players within their own communities because cultural traditions often overshadow religious rights. Islam is clear on the position of women as equal to men as illustrated in Surah 33 Verse 35: The submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men, the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate Allah frequently, and the commemorating women; Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great recompense. As the above verse clearly identifies the status of men and women in the Quran, often Muslim communities, like much of the world, tend to judge women and treat women differently than their male counterparts. The reality is that both Muslims and non- Muslims have misconceptions about the position of women in Islam. This study provides a platform for Muslim women leading Islamic schools, their perspective, and is founded in a framework centered on Prophetic characteristics of leadership.

Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) programs have proliferated during the past two decades but research on post graduate educational pathways CCB graduates follow is limited. The purpose of this multiple case embedded design comparative study (Yin, 2012) was to describe and further understand the experiences of CCB graduates as they explored educational pathways after they graduated from the community/state college, specifically post degree education. The study also examined if faculty in master’s programs at universities are aware of the CCB graduates’ intentions to enroll in their master’s programs. A multi-case study was conducted in South Florida utilizing qualitative research methods. Building on literature from scholars about 2+2 Transfer, articulation of programs between community/state colleges and universities, and the CCB (Cohen et al., 2014; Floyd et al., 2012; Floyd & Walker, 2009; Ignash, 2012; Skolnik, 2016), as a conceptual framework, this study explored educational pathways for CCB graduates and the students’ perceptions about their experiences.

College students who have experienced mental health issues are at a higher risk for suicide and suicide ideation than students who do not suffer from mental health issues. Approximately 1,100 college students die by suicide in the U.S. annually (Furr et al., 2001; Taliaferro & Muehlenkamp, 2015). Although there are research studies that seek to investigate the phenomena of suicide and suicide ideation in college students, there is a lack of research that addresses the mental health concerns in Black male college students. Thus, the purpose of this narrative study was to expand the understanding of the lived experiences of Black male students who have dealt with suicide ideation while enrolled in college. The study asked two research questions: (1) How do Black male students who have experienced suicide ideation while in college perceive the impact of their suicide ideation on their collegiate academic and social journeys? And (2) How do Black male college students utilize university resources (counseling centers, campus-affiliated clergy), family, and peers after their suicide ideation experience, and what is their perception of these resources? The research focused not on the actual experience of suicide ideation itself, but the perceived impact of suicide ideation on Black male college students’ academic and social journeys. The academic journey includes the impact on students’ grade point averages (GPAs), impact on attendance, and desire to complete academic assignments. The social journey focuses on participation in extracurricular activities and relationships with faculty, staff, and peers.