As discriminatory national rhetoric continues to grow and impact higher education institutions, it is essential to study how non-instructional staff (staff) both understand post-secondary organizations and how institutional cultures shape their own practices and engagement with students. Scholars identify staff as crucial to creating conditions…

The purpose of this study was to determine the motivators and hygienes that affect the job satisfaction and classroom efficacy of community college faculty in Arkansas. Using Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, this research found motivating factors, such as the nature of the work, autonomy and independence, and professional relationships to be…

Shortages in noninstructional itinerant staff (school nurses, school psychologists, school social workers) have been especially difficult for K-12 public school districts, as these individuals have critical responsibilities within the school setting that they are uniquely qualified to complete. Noninstructional itinerant employees face challenges…

The purpose of this study was to understand the scope of service work performed by tenured Latina faculty in departments of educational leadership in relation to their faculty work. By definition, cultural taxation is experienced by Faculty of Color when they are expected to do more or different service work because of their race/ethnicity. The…

I have previously spent four and a half years as a part-time faculty member. I now have almost eight years as a full-time faculty member and program director in graduate programs at the University of Kansas (KU), serving working professional students. During my time at KU, I have seen considerable variation in the engagement of part-time faculty…

Early childhood teachers have been the subject of many studies. Their qualifications, practices, and interactions with children have been widely researched as avenues for improving early childhood education. Yet little is known about the work supports early childhood teachers need to be successful. Non-contact time is one element of a supportive…

This research looks at the experiences of tribal advisors at historically white institutions. I explore patterns and relationships of their role in relation to the institution they work in and the Indigenous communities they work with. The study's purposes are threefold. First, I aim to explore, from the perspective of the tribal advisors, how…

Abbott (1988) theorized librarians belonged to a class of professionals whose division of labor required constant negotiate with other stakeholders. Regardless of or perhaps because of constant negotiation, librarians have advocated for and documented roles as educators, faculty, and professionals from the earliest days of the profession…

Teachers play a crucial role in the education of students with disabilities and their participation in the special education process is critical and mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). Despite the important role teachers play in the education of students with disabilities and the legal ramifications for…

The purpose of the current study was to comparatively analyze the determinants and outcomes of teachers' psychological contract fulfillment in charter and regular public schools. Guided by the relevant literature, teachers' trust in their principals, teachers' obligations, and principals' obligations were the determinants of psychological contract…

Research shows the number of paraprofessionals who provide support to students with exceptionalities is increasing (Data Accountability Center [DAC], 2010) and that special educators are becoming increasingly responsible for managing, training, and supervising paraprofessionals who support students with exceptionalities (Carlson, Brauen, Klein,…

Teacher leadership may affect job satisfaction in positive ways, helping to retain teachers in the field of public education. Providing and facilitating these positions may enable school districts to improve upon the growing teacher retention crisis. Thus, this study explores the ways teacher leadership relates to job satisfaction. Semi-structured…

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes are in great demand by immigrant adults in the Boston area. The problem investigated in this study was the limited funding to implement ESOL programs in Boston, which has resulted in waiting lists for many contracted community-based programs. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study…

Educational policy makers continue to promote non-instructional service consolidation as one method to reduce operating costs through "economies of scale". Unfortunately, there is essentially no empirical evidence on the size or source of cost savings associated with such measures. Using panel data from 2004-2010, this mixed methods…

This dissertation investigates a possible service-value gap between faculty valuing of service categories and their perceptions of departmental valuing of these service categories at the University of Colorado. The service gap was shown to be statistically significant for most service categories on most campuses using a t-test for each…