The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the general studies program at Dallas Baptist University (DBU) for its effectiveness in developing undergraduate students for life and leadership in the 21st century. Researchers and practitioners in the higher education sector have pointed to massive disruptions in life and work caused by…

This autoethnographic study aims to answer the following questions: How can a school leader design a culturally sensitive, inclusive alternative education program? What type of systemic change does an alternative school leader believe to be most effective in supporting students in attaining a high school diploma and a solid postsecondary plan to…

This research study explored the culturally responsive school leadership (CRSL) development of a cohort of doctoral students immersed in a Leadership in Schooling program. In this study, a phenomenological qualitative research approach was utilized to capture the essence of each practitioner-leader's personal story as well as to identify and…

Background: The Dogwood Mountain School System (DMSS) faces the challenge of trying to address the apparent drop-off of female student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and increase female student interest and engagement in STEM. Purpose: The purpose of this action research study was to understand how individual…

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how a new two-year college was designed and implemented within the context of and as a response to the completion agenda by focusing on the decisions and actions of the Administrative Leadership Team (ALT). The research was framed around the completion agenda themes of access, affordability, and…

Despite the link between school-lunch participation and student health, only half of adolescents with the program in their schools participate on a given day. A multi-pronged school lunch promotion intervention was implemented in middle and high schools in an urban, low-income school district to improve school lunch participation and reduce food…

This study is an exploration of alternative teacher professional development. While using symbolic interactionism for a research lens, it characterizes the discursive practices commonly found in formal, informal, and blended-space speech communities based on the talk within a leadership-development program comprised of five female, church-based…

This qualitative study of four executive doctoral programs for experienced educational leaders examines the relationship between specific program features and learning opportunities for students. I found that the weekend format, cohort model, and professionally grounded curriculum and assessments provided important opportunities for reflective…

According to research on the career cycle of teachers, leadership experience is one of the factors that may influence how teachers think about their career goals. This has implications for schools and districts that seek to retain and recognize the most successful teachers. One urban school district sought to expand leadership roles by creating an…

This study involved an evaluation of the subjective perspectives held by a panel of 16 homeland security subject matter experts to determine what the needs of the homeland security professional community are for educational programs. The researcher examined the knowledge, skills, and abilities deemed important in homeland security to determine…

This qualitative case study assesses the impact of a three-year Hilton Foundation-supported, Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) in five African nations. The goal was to evaluate the SLDI program for increasing leadership capacities of 340 women in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria. The purpose of this study was to determine…

The concepts of professional learning communities and organizational disciplines support staff development and leadership that lead to sustainable systems. Little research has examined the ability of rural schools to achieve sustainable systems. This quantitative design study considered the relationships between predictor variables of…