This dissertation examined the leadership strategies used by rural, public-school superintendents in the Central Appalachian region of Eastern Kentucky during and following the flood of 2022 that was considered a natural disaster. The context of this study was framed by a 1 in 1000-year flooding event that devastated school districts and…

Challenges in higher education continue to arise, providing administrators with insights into how prepared--or unprepared--their institutions may be for future crises. The purpose of the study is to examine how mid-level leadership, staff, and students perceived the disaster response to Hurricane Ida during the 2021-2022 academic year. Using the…

During times of climatological crisis, leadership is a crucial component of postsecondary education administrators' arsenal, specifically regarding their ability to execute strategies in action plans aimed at restoring the normal operations of institutions. This comparative case study aimed to examine how strategies in crisis leadership plans were…

Spatio-temporal processes are ubiquitous and prevalent across disciplines. Understanding the mechanisms underlying processes and integrating this information into models is of great interest, as it can improve forecasting accuracy and align with scientific motivation. Examples of such models include Partial Differential Equation (PDE) Models or…

This study delves into the critical issue of principal burnout within Houston's uniquely challenging environment, marked by socioeconomic disparities, Hurricane Harvey's aftermath, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing Maslach's three dimensions of burnout model, it explores the manifestations of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced…

Science and society are inseparably linked, shaping each other in ways that define our world, emphasizing the need to teach science for empowering students capable of taking meaningful action toward building a sustainable and just society. Developing sustainability competencies in students is an important step toward this goal, with controversial…