This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of school mergers in New York State. The central research question that guided the study was: What are the lived experiences of school leaders who worked through the processes of a school merger? In addition,…

Institutions, including universities, adapt to the environment in which they operate. By expanding overseas to support study abroad participation, the globalized university is required to adapt to new international environments. This instrumental case study explores the use of international institutional study away sites owned and operated by New…

This quantitative research study explored the relationship between teachers' perceptions of how their school leaders navigate change and teachers' self-reported readiness for change using a survey tool developed initially for corporate change management. The Organizational Change Questionnaire -- Climate of Change, Processes, and Readiness (OCQ)…

Applied learning includes a variety of curricular and co-curricular experiences within higher education, including student internships, undergraduate research, cooperative learning, capstone experiences, and independent/directed study. While research has shown the benefits of applied learning experiences related to student outcomes, how to…

When immigrant youth are harmed by institutional policies and practices that reinforce idealized notions of nationalism and assimilation through subtractive and coercive strategies, school leaders can turn to restorative justice as a technology of resistance. This participatory action research study, with the author as a participant, captures four…

The Student Success Center Network (SSCN) Coaching Program engages community colleges in institutional transformation through institutional coaching. In the most recent phase of work, supported by Ascendium Education Group, Jobs for the Future (JFF) and Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) engaged with grantee Centers in four…

US public research universities face increasing pressures to compete in higher education, but receive fewer resources from their states than in previous eras. Prior research suggests that these institutions adopt market-driven mentalities and practices to generate revenues while eschewing their public missions. We posit that US public research…

Many social policy and education programs start from the assumption that people act in their best interest. But behavioral science shows that people often weigh intuition over reason, make inconsistent choices, and put off big decisions. The individuals and families who need services and the staff who provide them are no exception. From city…

Given diminished governmental support, competition from private counterparts, and public demands for access to services, public universities need to respond in an effective manner to take advantage of opportunities and meet the challenges of today's highly competitive environment. A critical factor in meeting these challenges is the manner in…

On the Stony Brook University campus, there is literally a highway that divides the general academic side of the campus from the health sciences and hospital side. For more than 40 years, the Health Sciences Library and the University Libraries had been administered separately with different directors, budgets, staff, and organizational cultures.…

Over the past 50 years, living-learning programs (LLPs) have emerged as a dynamic curricular innovation in higher education. These programs are residentially based, seeking to seamlessly integrate the classroom and residence hall environments and blur the traditional boundaries between the academic and residential experiences for students (Kuh,…

Society is faced with more complex problems than in the past because of rapid advancements in technology. These complex problems require multi-dimensional problem-solving abilities that are consistent with higher-order thinking skills. Bok (2006) posits that over 90% of U.S. faculty members consider critical thinking skills as essential for…

Purpose: This multiple case study investigated district leaders' orientations and strategies as their elementary schools proceeded with state-mandated implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). We identified differences between schools achieving above-predicted outcomes on state CCSS assessments ("odds-beaters") and…

This paper applies the lens of recent literature on neoinstitutionalism and institutional entrepreneurship to understand the stages of growth in a new community Literacy Coalition. It explores the interactional, technical and cultural phases of institution building identified in other case studies as they emerge in this community study. Finally,…

In fall of 2011 the University at Buffalo Libraries circulation department undertook Six Sigma training for the purpose of overhauling its student scheduling process. The department was able to mitigate significant staffing budgetary reductions and resource reallocations and to overcome the unique challenges of scheduling student labor for a…