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Fall Schedule of Events
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Greetings!
Our second issue of New
Leaders Newsletter features
dissertation abstracts from our first seven graduates of the San
Francisco State Educational Leadership doctoral program. If you wish to read the full dissertations,
you can access them at the
link below each abstract. We are most
proud of these students and their accomplishments and we look forward to
reading articles based upon their research in
both professional and academic publications in the near future. We
believe that each of these studies will make a significant contribution
to the work in the field.
Sincerely, Robert
Gabriner, Director
Ed.D Educational Leadership
{Gabriner@sfsu.edu}
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Institutional
Effectiveness and the Relationship to Transfer Rates
by
Debbie Budd |  In recent years,
community colleges have become more challenged to be accredited and not
placed
on warning for their lack of institutional effectiveness. This mixed
methods study looked at one of the measurements of institutional
effectiveness-
a college's ability to integrate planning and resource allocation- and
sought
to identify if there was a relationship to reaffirmation of
accreditation and
transfer rates of African American and Latino students. While there was
no
statistical significance between planning and budgeting and transfer
rates,
there were relationships identified between transfer and accreditation
status,
and accreditation status and planning and budgeting integration,
indicating an
indirect relationship between planning and budgeting and transfer rates.
In
addition, qualitative analysis identified use of data, a strong leader, a
transfer
culture, and an established planning process as positive contributors to
increased transfer rates of African American and Latino students.
For full dissertation, please click here.
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Latino
Educational Attainment in a California Community College: The Impact of
Social Capital
by William Watson |  This study examined
the role of social capital in the Puente Program at a community college
known
for a preponderance of learning communities supporting greater than
expected
transfer rates for Latino students. A social capital survey was
administered to Puente students, Non Puente Hispanics, and Non Puente
Non
Hispanic students in several
sections of an English course at the beginning and end of the semester.
Key
findings from the study include the following: (a) Puente students
reported
more social capital than comparison groups at both pre and post
administrations; (b) Puente students did not differ initially from
comparison
groups on measures of hope; (c) Puente students accessed institutional
agents
at a rate five times greater than their peers when getting into college;
(d)
Once in college, Puente students reported utilization of institutional
agents
at rates ten times greater than their peers. Moreover, the role of
institutional agents as bridges to social capital appears to be an
important
factor in the successful outcomes of the Puente Program learning
community.
For full dissertation, please click here.
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Understanding African American Transfer Students Transfer Rates: A Qualitative Study
by Stacey Shears
|  This dissertation explores the facilitators
and barriers for African American students who transferred from a Northern
California community college district to a four-year institution. The study
examines the particular importance of counseling and interpersonal
relationships in the successful transfer of African American students. The
study's qualitative methodology and critical race theory framework emphasize
student voice through in-depth interviewing and counter-storytelling. Study
findings suggest that Othermothering, a type of authentic care unique to the
African American experience, and transformational resistance serve to
ameliorate the persistent racialized experiences of African American community
college students that often derail their transfer aspirations.
For full dissertation, please click here.
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Inquiries into L2 Writing Practices:
Professional Learning Community in Community College ESL
by Curt Sanford |  This action research study chronicled the
process of community college L2 composition teachers as they worked
together in
a professional learning community (PLC) to identify student learning
challenges
and develop pedagogical strategies and techniques to make improvements
in
practice. Ethnographic observations, classroom research data and pre and
post survey
information were generated from the participants as they engaged in a
collaborative inquiry process. This research attempts to answer the
question of
how teacher knowledge and growth is identified, developed and practiced
in the
context of a PLC. Three major areas were explored in depth, including
the
process of reflective inquiry, the development of a learner-learning
centered
discourse, and the formation of a teaching and learning community.
For full dissertation, please click here.
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How Gendered Values Impact Institutional Effectiveness: A Case Study of Leadership
by Janet Egiziano
|  While more women
lead community colleges than ever before, males hold more than 70% of top
leadership positions. Despite decades of scholarship and emerging concepts of
leadership, the masculine model of leadership persists. Using social role
theory as a conceptual framework, this case study explored the impact of gendered
leadership and organizational values, both masculine and feminine, on institutional
effectiveness. This mixed methods design employed survey, semi-structured
interviews, and a gender analysis of the SYMLOG survey instrument based on
definitions of values identified as masculine or feminine in the literature on
educational leadership and organizational culture. Findings suggest that (a) a
mix of gendered values creates optimal performance; (b) the masculine model of
leadership negatively impacts organizational culture and is ineffective for the
community college system of shared governance; and (b) the most effective
leadership model is comprised primarily of feminine values, regardless of the
leader's biological sex.
For full dissertation, please click here.
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The Supervision and Career Advancement of Women in Higher Education Administration
by Michelle Donohue-Mendoza
|  This study highlights the under-representation of women in
educational leadership. It explores the specific issue of supervision as
an important function of management that facilitates
women's career advancement, and promotes gender equity. The very nature of supervision mirrors a historical value of
the profession; employee development.
Key themes, including
organizational culture, gender and racial bias, effective supervision,
and positive encouragement with subordinates provide an understanding of
the relationship supervision has on equitable
female representation within management. Data
collection included a unique application of the Synergistic Supervision
Scale (SSS) and interviews with managers to uncover
the supervision context and institutional barriers that impede
employees. A conceptual model is provided for
supervision that specifically supports women's equitable
rise from mid-level to senior management. For full dissertation, please click here.
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The Impact of Results Based Budgeting on the Oakland Unified School District
by Vincent Matthews
|  Researchers and policy makers have suggested that improvement in
school finance systems could enable districts to be more effective in
increasing student achievement. Results Based Budgeting (RBB) is the finance
system currently used in the Oakland Unified School District. This study
analyzes RBB's impact on changes to the distribution and expenditure patterns
from 2004 through 2008 in the Oakland Unified School District. It also
investigates how principals use the autonomy provided by RBB and evaluates the
differences in budgeting practices between schools that experienced differing
levels of achievement. The data from a newly created comprehensive statistical
database and from principal interviews provides important information.
Recommendations are included that place a focus on further understanding the
possible benefits of Results Based Budgeting for large urban school districts.
For full dissertation, please click here. |
We welcome your feedback and your ideas for what should be covered in
this newsletter. Please send your thoughts to our newsletter editor,
Tonesha Russell {tmr@sfsu.edu}.
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