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The repository is a service of the Western Connecticut State University libraries. Research and scholarly output included here has been selected and deposited by the individual university departments and centers on campus.
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Item Organizational mindfulness in recognition schools: Mindful leadership practices of principals that build high reliability learning organizations(Western Connecticut State University, 2025-07-23)The purpose of this study was to explore mindful leadership practices of principals who represent Recognition Schools at the elementary and secondary level in New York State. School principals throughout the state are met with exhausting and extremely challenging tasks to achieve. They are responsible for the effective development, management, and sustainability of teaching and learning for all the teachers and students in their buildings. School principals are evaluated by a set of standards that represent the decisions they make with and among all the people they work with throughout the multilayered, interconnected educational system. They are the final decision makers as it relates to school building matters and are responsible for the promotion, management, and sustainability of the school they represent. This qualitative, multicase study explored the perceptions of six Recognition School principals, three who led elementary schools, and three who led secondary schools. Purposeful, criterion-based sampling procedures were utilized, in combination with pre-defined selection criteria, to triangulate the phenomena being studied. Data collection tools included demographic survey data, semi-structured interviews, and document review. Data were analyzed and resulted in three findings and six themes. Findings showed that principals described their mindful leadership experiences in high achieving, Recognition Schools by metacognitively acknowledging specific character traits or perceptions of self and identifying necessary leadership actions or techniques used throughout the building and district that contribute to student achievement. Principals suggested their mindful leadership experiences in high achieving Recognition Schools contributed to organizational success because they established personal and system-wide norms that directly influenced the growth, sustainability, and strategic decision making made by principals in schools. Finally, principals explained there are several barriers that exist in Recognition Schools that can negatively impact student achievement, limit professional development, and weaken the learning organization's alignment from its vision and mission.Item Pathways to AP mathematics in an urban school district(Western Connecticut State University, 2025-04-08)This study was used to examine the results of secondary school students who followed one of two pathways to enrollment in Advanced Placement (AP) mathematics courses. Students completed algebra 1 in either the eighth grade (pathway 1) or ninth grade (pathway 2). The study took place in an urban district that uses an open enrollment process for entry to AP courses. Three types of mathematics achievement scores were collected from 131 students enrolled in AP mathematics courses. A chi-square test revealed that students who completed algebra 1 in the eighth grade had significantly higher AP scores than their peers. A 2x2 MANOVA provided comparative information for students based on gender and pathway type with respect to two standardized mathematics assessments. Students who completed algebra 1 in the eighth grade had significantly higher scores on both assessments as compared to their peers who completed algebra 1 in the ninth grade.Item The impact of virtual mathematics games on student achievement and engagement in the mathematics classroom(Western Connecticut State University, 2024-06-13)The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of playing a virtual mathematics game on students’ mathematics achievement scores and student engagement regarding gender (male, female) and program type (game-based learning (GBL) enhanced mathematics program, traditional mathematics program). The current study took place at two urban middle schools within the same district. The researcher used a sample of convenience comprised of 431 seventh and eighth grade mathematics students taught by seven mathematics teachers. This quantitative study was quasi-experimental, with a treatment and a comparison group using intact classrooms of students. Student data were collected using five tools: a standardized mathematics assessment, student mathematics grades, student engagement in mathematics, demographic information, and data from the virtual game program. There was no statistically significant impact on student achievement scores. There was a significant interaction between engagement and gender with females who played the virtual mathematics game having significantly higher scores for the emotional subscale of engagement than males or females who did not play the game.Item The characteristics of award-winning public school superintendents: their stories of leadership(Western Connecticut State University, 2025-03-31)This exploratory qualitative case study was used to identify leadership characteristics of award-winning public school superintendents through the telling of their stories. With superintendency longevity at an all-time low, there is a need for leadership qualities to be explored and used to inspire. Participants included 11 superintendents who received one or more state-wide awards for their leadership in a northeastern state in the past six years. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire, an observation at a district school board meeting, a review of artifacts, and a series of semi-structured interviews with each superintendent. A thematic approach was used to analyze the data. Finding 1 emerged as: Know yourself, use your strengths to enhance your understanding of the community and effectively communicate with each stakeholder group. Finding 2 emerged as: A superintendent sets and maintains the goals of the district using systematic organization to implement change and have an impact on the community. The results of this study provide suggestions to support and guide both aspiring and current leaders to enhance their leadership potential and effectiveness.
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