International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership (IJEPL)
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Similarities and Differences in the Structure and Interpretation of Empowerment and Job Satisfaction between Minority and Majority Faculty Members
Get PDFFaculty empowerment is a more important topic today than ever before, as faculty roles have become increasingly complex. Moreover, an increase in minority faculty has presented universities with the need to understand the complex interactions between demographics and empowerment to better promote employees’ well-being. Past research has found that racial majority and minority faculty perceive their experiences as faculty differently. In this study, we used an empowerment framework and structural equation modeling to investigate similarities and differences in workplace empowerment for a sample of 720 racial majority and minority faculty members. Empowerment was largely similar for majority and minority faculty members, but the construct of self-determination had different meanings for minority faculty members, and it was more strongly related to trust in their institutions and the personal consequences of their work. Moreover, minority faculty members’ beliefs about their capabilities, the specialness of their work, and their ability to make decisions about their work were more important for efficacy, meaning, and self-determination than they were for majority faculty members.
Résumé De nos jours, l’autonomisation du corps professoral est un sujet plus important que jamais, dans un contexte où les rôles qu’il est appelé à jouer deviennent de plus en plus complexes. D’autre part, vu le nombre croissant d’enseignants issus de minorités, l’université a besoin de mieux comprendre les rapports complexes entre démographie et autonomisation afin de mieux assurer le bien-être de ses employés. Certaines études ont déjà observé que les majorités perçoivent leur vécu en milieu universitaire de manière différente que les minorités visibles. Dans l’étude actuelle, nous utilisons un cadre d’autonomisation et la modélisation d’équations structurelles afin d’enquêter sur les ressemblances et différences relatives à l’autonomisation au travail dans un échantillon de 720 universitaires de majorités et de minorités visibles. En gros, le niveau d’autonomisation est semblable pour les universitaires majoritaires et minoritaires, mais l’autodétermination a un sens différent pour les minoritaires, celle-ci étant étroitement liée à la confiance qu’ils ont dans leurs institutions et aux conséquences personnelles de leur travail. En outre, comparée à celle des majoritaires, l’attitude des universitaires minoritaires envers leurs propres capacités, le caractère unique de leur travail et leur liberté de prendre des décisions sur leur travail a un plus grand effet sur leur efficacité, le sens qu’ils prêtent à leur travail et leur autodétermination.
Keywords / Mots clés : academia, critical race theory, empowerment, faculty, structural equation modeling / milieu universitaire, théorie critique de la race, autonomisation, corps professoral, modélisation d’équations structurelle
School Counselors and Administrators Agree: Time and Testing are Barriers
Get PDFSchool leaders continuously state their concerns about rising mental health issues in schools. This study looks at the perceptions of the roles of school counselors as mental health professionals in schools from the perspectives of school counselors and principals. The purpose of this study is to explore how administrators and school counselors describe the role of school counselors, and the perceived barriers to school counselors spending the recommended 80 percent of their time in the delivery of services to students. This study uses deductive qualitative content analysis to review written responses from the 518 participants who identified as either a licensed or certified school counselor or a school administrator. The results show that school administrators and school counselors have very different perceptions of school counselors as mental health professionals; however, they agree that time and testing are barriers to providing direct services to students.
RésuméLes dirigeants d’écoles expriment sans cesse leurs préoccupations envers l’augmentation des problèmes de santé mentale dans les écoles. Cette étude examine comment les directeurs et les conseillers en orientation perçoivent les rôles de ces derniers entant que professionnels de santé mentale dans les écoles. Le but de cette étude est d’explorer comment les administrateurs et les conseillers en orientation décrivent le rôle de ces derniers et les obstacles qui les empêcheraient de consacrer 80 pour cent de leur temps (tel que recommandé) à servir les élèves. Cette étude utilise une analyse de contenu qualitative et déductive pour examiner les réponses écrites des 518 participants qui se sont identifiés comme étant soit un conseiller en orientation certifié, soit un administrateur scolaire. Les résultats montrent que les administrateurs et les conseillers en orientation ont des perceptions très différentes de ces derniers en tant que professionnels de santé mentale; cependant, ils conviennent tous que le manque de temps et les tests posent un défi à la capacité des conseillers à servir les élèves directement.
Keywords / Mots clés : school counselors, administrators, roles and responsibilities, barriers / conseillers en orientation, administrateurs, rôles et responsabilités, obstacle
Self-determination and inclusion: The role of Canadian principals in catalysing inclusive-positive practices
No full textWhile the placement of students with complex learning needs in Canadian classrooms may be mandated in policy, the development of inclusive-positive practices requires direct, and at times delicate, support and encouragement from principal teams. Without genuine engagement and buy-in from teachers and school staff, students in inclusive classrooms may not find meaningful opportunities in those spaces. Often, it falls on principals to be leaders of attitudes and practices so that inclusive school communities can thrive. Fortunately, the framework of self-determination theory provides a path by which principals can catalyse attitudinal changes (autonomy), best practices (competences), and enriched community relationships (relatedness). This study includes the questionnaire responses of 275 principals (and vice principals) from six provinces in Canada. Of those 275 participants, 46 principals also participated in interviews. The findings of this study suggest that affecting attitudinal changes requires specific and comprehensive practices. Principals also need to model inclusive-positive attitudes in their behaviour and practice. Finally, the careful curation and maintenance of relationships is a necessary for the well-being of the school communities. Implications for principal practice and school well-being are included
School Administrator Engagement in Teacher Induction and Mentoring: Findings from Statewide and District-Wide Programs
Get PDFResearch shows that school administrators’ engagement is vital in creating a structure supportive of induction and mentoring for early career teachers. This article details a mixed-method research study that examined the role and impact of school administrators’ engagement in four teacher induction programs in the United States (two statewide and two district-wide) supported by the New Teacher Center. The results identify administrator role expectations and participants’ perceptions of the programs, and they indicate how vital school administrators’ leadership and commitment are to a successful program. The article concludes with implications for theory, practice, policy, and further research
Louisiana School Counselors’ Daily Activities and the ASCA National Model: A Complex History and a Hopeful Future
No full textThis mixed methods, concurrent nested study was designed to explore the extent to which one state’s school counselors report daily activities that align to the ASCA National Model (ASCA, 2005, 2012, 2019). In spite of federal and state legislation, state policy, and a state model supporting best practices for school counseling, a significant number of school counselors in this study (approximately 25%) report barriers to implementing comprehensive, developmental models. These barriers include inordinate amounts of duty, testing, and coordination of specialized services. However, with nearly three out of four school counselors in the sample reporting knowing and implementing pieces of the ASCA National Model (ASCA, 2005, 2012, 2019), we remain hopeful for the future of school counseling in Louisiana
A Psychometric Look at Principal Professional Development
Get PDFThis study evaluates aspects related to P12 principals’ professional development needs in South Carolina regarding the three domains of school leadership: management, instructional leadership, and program administration. A survey to rate principals’ current leadership knowledge, rank order their professional development needs, and provide a confidence rating regarding their abilities was given to over 1,100 principals and 85 superintendents. Through examining relationships with a psychometric model, results derived latent leadership ability scores and self-reported confidence ratings of principals as well as the superintendents’ leadership scores and confidence ratings of their principals. This study found a significant discrepancy between principals’ and superintendents’ confidence ratings and their corresponding leadership ability scores, respectively. A further analysis of the rank-ordered professional development needs highlighted instructional leadership to be the most needed topic for professional development. Finally, atypical response patterns regarding principal’s current leadership knowledge are also identified through person-fit analysis to provide additional information regarding P-12 principals’ professional development needs
Homeward Bound: Educational Leaders’ Perceptions of Hiring Repatriating International Teachers
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to determine how educational leaders interpret job applications from international teachers who are planning to repatriate. Ten rural and urban educational leaders from the Canadian province of Manitoba were presented with three different fictitious cases to screen and analyze for shortlisting purposes. The findings suggest that international teachers need to clearly communicate their work experiences and explain how acquired intercultural and linguistic competencies would be advantageous for the school community. Educational leaders should apply an international awareness when screening job applications. Recommendations for both leadership development and global teaching careers are offered
Ministerial Education Councils’ Capacity for Policy Decision-Making in Canada, Germany, and Switzerland: Finding a Balanced Perspective
Get PDFScholars have become increasingly vigilant about leaders, the role of government and wider governance bodies, and their influence on education policy. Councils in Europe and North America, generally, and education councils, specifically, are good examples of influential bodies whose decision-making processes have rightfully come under scrutiny; however, many scholarly assessments have been characterized by rhetorical claims that focus on these bodies’ limited ability to make decisions and address social challenges. This article details a qualitative, comparative case study conducted in 2018 that investigated how Councils of Ministers of Education in Canada, Germany, and Switzerland address national educational issues of collective interest. The resulting dataset is comprehensive, and this research invites colleagues to refine or rethink some of their limiting rhetorical tools and underlying assumptions
Operationalizing and Measuring Personalized Learning in K-12 Schools: Development and Implementation of an Innovation Configuration Map
No full textIn 2012, the United States Department of Education announced the Race to the Top-District grants. One joint award was made to two large educational cooperatives in the same state that together represented 111 mostly rural schools in 22 districts. One of the grant’s identified four essential projects was the implementation of personalized learning. This article describes how the grant’s external evaluation team worked with grantee leadership and school districts to operationalize personalized learning and then develop and implement Innovation Configuration Maps to measure school-level personalized learning environments. Developmental steps, adoption processes, and preliminary school-level results are reported
Adapting to Leadership in Offshore Schools: A Case Study of Sino-Nova Scotian Schools
Get PDFA mixed-methods study including 22 Sino-Nova Scotian school principals in China has established that preparation for leadership in that context requires the consideration of many salient factors. While many North American standards of leadership are an important foundation, effective communication within the multidimensional system is of paramount importance. It was also found that, in order to administer a successful program, principals needed to build stronger social support systems for their teachers and further create a community of practice that included cultural sensitivity and understanding