This dissertation illuminates the process one institution and program used while writing their initial self-study for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accreditation. Findings included challenges to complete the CACREP self-study, the supportive culture of the institution and program, a positive…

This dissertation intends to inform self-assessment and data collection practices within Rutgers University and act upon the encouragement of university leadership to advance the potential of the public service mission. These goals are accomplished by exploring relevant questions to inform the practices of institutional research (IR) and…

The purpose of this research was to inform best practices for creating institutional self-assessments for measuring financial sustainability. The project took place at a small tuition-dependent college that will be referred to as ABC College. Participants and data collected in Cycle 1 of this action research project consisted of a series of seven…

IRB insiders (author's term) refers to the individuals within IRBs who make regulatory determinations on research. The term also includes individuals who have the authority to make decisions around how the IRB operates (e.g., associate director or director). This study sought to understand the lived experiences of IRB insiders who review primarily…

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of self-study steering committee members and workgroups as they navigated the process for institutional accreditation. Viewed through the theoretical framework of sense of community theory, this qualitative phenomenological research study sought to examine the ways in which the self-study…

Public School educational leaders from around the United States are confronted with choices in how to invest resources that can create the greatest impact for students. An often-overlooked area of investment is early childhood education. As defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), this is the period of…

In 2012, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) introduced the Next Accreditation System, which requires institutions to engage in an annual process of evaluation and improvement. To that end, an institution's Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) must demonstrate effective oversight of the institution's…

How educational leaders initiate and sustain change is often hotly debated by those inside and outside of the system. Given the many reform initiatives of the past 30 years, and the resulting changes public educators have made lurching from initiative to initiative, one must ask if public education has truly improved. The answer to why public…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which California public high school principals perceive the WASC Self-Study Process as a valuable tool for bringing about school improvement. The study specifically examines the principals' perceptions of five components within the Self-Study Process: (1) The creation of the…

The growing calls for accountability within higher education have mobilized student affairs divisions to develop practices that provide evidence of student learning and development. In order to do this effectively student affairs divisions understand the importance of creating, managing, and sustaining a culture of assessment. The purpose of this…

California community colleges have been inconsistent in their efforts to meet the program review and planning accreditation standards established by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). To assist colleges in their effort to meet the accreditation standards and to improve educational quality, the ACCJC developed the…

This qualitative study examined the supervision experiences of 17 student affairs department directors at six Catholic colleges and universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The study focused on the supervision and management skills needed by mid-level managers, and probed if and how they acquired those skills.…

This dissertation provides a practical approach for measuring operational efficiency and operational effectiveness for IT organizations introducing the ITIL process framework. The intent of the study was to assist Chief Information Officers (CIOs) in explaining the impact of introducing the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)…

Public demands for accountability in higher education have placed increasing pressure on institutions to document their achievement of critical outcomes. These demands also have had wide-reaching implications for the development and enforcement of accreditation standards, including those governing pharmacy education. The knowledge management (KM)…

California allocates $550 million to expanded learning through After School Education and Safety (ASES) state grants, and $140 million of federal money in 21st Century Community Learning Center grants each year; more than all other states combined. Much variability exists in program quality, and research has identified mixed results as to the…