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Beyond the Psyche and Into the Social: How Educational Leaders Embrace Sociological Resilience to Disrupt Systems and Advance Equity
Get PDFOftentimes, educational leaders and stakeholders are encouraged to be “resilient” in an unfair and inequitable education system that is entrenched within our social contexts and spaces. This meaning of resilience is manifested by “pushing” oneself through adversity and the status quo by employing adaptive coping strategies and measures to sustain mental health capacities, even if one could be on the brink of losing control of their sense of self. In this article, we reimagine resilience on how educational leaders from different socioeconomic backgrounds adopt a revolutionary approach to resilience that works in tandem with disrupting systemic issues, rather than remaining adaptive to the status quo. This form of resilience is inherently sociological, extending beyond the limitations of existing concepts of psychological and socio-ecological resilient thinking and mindsets
Exploring Rural School Principals’ Perceptions of Artificial Intelligence for Implementation and Challenges in PK-12 Schools
Get PDFThis paper explores the perceptions of rural school principals in South Dakota regarding the implementation and challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in PK-12 education, aiming to understand their familiarity with AI, considerations for integrating it into student learning, and perceived obstacles. Using a concurrent triangulation mixed methods design, the study combines quantitative data from a survey of 46 rural school principals with qualitative insights from open-ended responses. The findings reveal a significant gap in AI usage among rural principals, emphasizing the need for targeted professional development and increased AI literacy. Ethical considerations are crucial, with principals highlighting the importance of teaching students about AI\u27s ethical implications. Key challenges identified include potential student cheating, the need for suitable curriculum and best practice examples, and the requirement for robust infrastructure and training. Despite these concerns, principals recognize AI\u27s potential to enhance educational practices and administrative efficiency. However, the research is limited to rural South Dakota, which may not represent other regions, suggesting that future studies should expand geographically and include diverse samples to explore the longitudinal impacts of AI integration in rural schools. The practical implications point to the need for comprehensive AI training for educators, the creation of ethical guidelines, and ensuring equitable AI resource access in rural areas. These steps are essential for harnessing AI\u27s potential while mitigating challenges, making this paper a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders supporting AI adoption in similar contexts
Bridging Learning Gaps: Enhancing Student Success Through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
Get PDFAs students arrive at school with more and more diverse needs, due to different and sometimes traumatic life experiences, the obstacles students must overcome to be ready to learn are oftentimes unsurmountable. However, as an experienced educator, the scholar-practitioner has observed that students demonstrate academic growth when the whole child\u27s needs (academic, attendance, behavioral/social-emotional) are regularly observed, measured, addressed, and progress monitored. This quantitative study aimed to examine the influence and effectiveness of implementing multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) with fidelity. The scholar-practitioner used two data points to determine the effectiveness of a prescriptive embedded MTSS professional development. The first quantitative data point was a Qualtrics pre- and post-Likert Scale MTSS survey administered to the two participating second-grade teachers in an economically disadvantaged school district. The scholar-practitioner used the survey to compare the knowledge and confidence level of the two educators before and after receiving the prescriptive embedded MTSS professional development. The second quantitative data point was the Renaissance Star Math Benchmark Assessment administered to the students in the fall and winter of the study. The scholar-practitioner used the math benchmark assessment results to see if there was an increase in math scores from fall to winter, after the teachers received the prescriptive embedded professional development. Participants in the study were two second-grade teachers in an economically disadvantaged school district in St. Louis, Missouri. Results from the study revealed significant improvement in educators\u27 knowledge and confidence levels with collecting, analyzing, and tiering student academic, attendance, and behavioral data.
Furthermore, the study\u27s findings indicated a positive increase in student academic gains from the fall to winter Renaissance Star Math benchmark after students received multi-tiered systems of support from their teachers throughout the study. The scholar-practitioner recommends that teachers and building leaders use student tiering documents weekly to track and monitor each student\u27s academics, attendance, and behavior. This approach allows educators to meet students\u27 individual needs, address obstacles, and give every child the opportunity to succeed
Missourians’ Opinions and Behavioral Changes After the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
Get PDFThe recent overturning of Roe v. Wade and the rise in restrictive abortion laws across the United States has caused a division across all communities, including citizens, politicians, and healthcare providers. The aim of this study was to learn the opinions and behavioral changes of birthing people since the overturning of Roe. This study utilized a cross-sectional online survey to explore the opinions and behavioral changes of birthing people after the overturning of Roe. The survey instrument covered the opinions and behavioral changes of Americans regarding abortion access, birth control access, willingness to share information with healthcare provider(s), and use of period tracking apps. The survey was distributed to three Facebook groups and to students and employees of a private university in the Midwest, yielding over 400 responses. The majority of respondents were from the state of Missouri
A Mixed Methods Design-based Study of Effective Supports Provided by School Administrators to Increase Trust Among Special Education Staff
Get PDFThe scholar-practitioner used a mixed-methods design-based study to address the problem of increased teacher attrition in the field of special education. The problem was an urgent issue within the schools the scholar-practitioner supervised as the special education coordinator. The symptoms the scholar-practitioner observed within the problem of practice were a lack of collegiality among staff. The behaviors observed demonstrated that special education teachers were visibly stressed. Due to the critical importance of quality teaching on student success, the scholar-practitioner believed the problem of increased attrition among special educators was urgent. The study took place in St. Louis County, Missouri, where the scholar-practitioner worked as a special education coordinator to support early childhood special education programming. The current research and professional experience of the scholar-practitioner guided the belief that if special education administrators learn empathetic skills and apply the skills to support collaboration and increase feelings of trust among special educators through professional development and modeling, then special educators will experience increased job satisfaction and choose to remain in the field of special education. After data was collected and analyzed following each phase of the design thinking process, the creative solution was designed. The prototype was an in-person interactive professional development session teaching skills and practices to build trust among a team of special educators. The session was named BRAVING Trust in reference to Brené Brown’s acronym used to define trust BRAVING: boundaries, reliability, accountability, vault, integrity, nonjudgment, and generosity (2018). The study findings reinforced the current literature. Outside of food, water, and shelter, connection was one of the greatest human needs (Seppala, 2019). Educational leaders should dedicate time and resources to building connections with staff. When teachers felt connected through relationships with colleagues, administrators, parents, and students, teachers were more likely to persevere through challenges and remain in the field of education (Sanfelippo, 2022). The proposed intervention was closely aligned with the Leadership EdD conceptual framework through the human-centric design. The scholar-practitioner engaged stakeholders when seeking a solution to the problem of decreased job satisfaction. The scholar-practitioner encouraged stakeholders to provide feedback, which led to improved leadership practices and satisfied early childhood special education teachers. Organizational change was also exemplified by the intervention; the scholar-practitioner utilized transformational leadership principles to inspire and motivate staff while clearly communicating the vision for change
Marchng Band, Lindenwood University
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Marchng Band, Lindenwood University
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/marbnd2024-2025/1021/thumbnail.jp
Marchng Band, Lindenwood University
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Image from Lindenwood University wind ensemble, 2024-2025
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Image from Lindenwood University wind ensemble, 2024-2025
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