This study explored the influence of school funding and climate on student achievement in Illinois public elementary schools, examining de-identified individual fourth-grade students and their achievement scores during the 2018-19 academic year. Data sources included the Illinois Achievement Readiness (IAR) assessments for reading and math,…

Program satisfaction, self-efficacy to change, and willingness to change, are dispositions that influence physical education teacher change. The study purpose was to validate an instrument measuring program satisfaction, self-efficacy to change, and willingness to change relative to teachers' likelihood to change. A 15-item Teacher Change…

As the Millennial generation (individuals born 1982-2004) of leaders emerge in the educational setting, it is important to consider how these individuals may lead or work alongside a more veteran generation of teachers and administrators. While most of the evidence on leadership focuses on the characteristics of Baby Boomer and Generation X…

Problem: Higher education serves many stakeholders including students, parents, faculty, staff, university administrators, and other contributors. Those stakeholders are all linked with one purpose: the success of the student. That success or failure is most commonly measured by achievement through grade point average (GPA). The academic demands…

The State of Illinois adopted the Illinois Learning Standards for Mathematics on June 24, 2010 as a means for students to succeed in college, in a career and in life. The new standards had instructional shifts in content and practice that differed from the 1999 Illinois Learning Standards. The new mathematics standards contained fewer topics for…

Collaboration is often cited as a long-term benefit of participation in leadership development programs. Successful collaboration requires unique leadership skills, which rely on trust and influence rather than authority and position. Collaboration takes place over the passage of time. Evaluation of leadership development programs that focus on…

This research study, grounded in the theoretical framework of education change, used the Concerns-Based Adoption Model of change to examine the concerns of Illinois high school teachers and administrators regarding the implementation of 1:1 computing programs. A quantitative study of educators investigated the stages of concern and the mathematics…

The technology policies included on instructors' syllabi vary greatly and, in some cases, may unfavorably influence students' perceptions of the instructor. To examine this hypothesis, we randomly assigned college students enrolled in psychology courses at two different institutions (N = 163) to groups in which they viewed different syllabi for a…

Expressions of the intent to leave behind something when we die can contain elements of both selflessness and selfishness. In this paper, we identify 3 different types of expressed legacy (personal, broader, and composite), and distinguish between them by examining their correlates (generativity, narcissism, and community involvement), as well as…

The principal needs to be a strong instructional leader and foster a healthy school climate while having sufficient time to dedicate to these roles with all that is expected of the position. This quantitative-based research study examined the relationship between the perceptions of elementary and high school principals and elementary and high…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of stress and the physical wellness of Illinois superintendents. Studies have shown that stress has one of the most debilitating impacts on an individual's health and job performance. This study focused on the stress levels, factors influencing the superintendency, and superintendents'…

Objective: Through a holistic health lens, the current study examines the effects of weight-related issues and stress on suicidality while controlling for depressive symptoms in college students. Participants: In total, 872 undergraduate and graduate students at DePaul University completed the American College Health Association-National College…

This study is a quantitative investigation of the relation of middle school science teachers' attitudes and beliefs about inquiry-based instruction to their accumulated amounts of science content preparation, content and pedagogical professional development, and their pedagogical content knowledge. Numerous researchers have found that even though…

This research study examines the various decision-making processes that superintendents may encounter within the field. The degree to which public school superintendents and public school systems are being held accountable has increased in recent years. The recent unethical decisions made within the last decade in both the public and private…

School principals' education and professional experience shape their approach to school leadership and how successful their students will be. However, it is not clear from existing research which aspects of principal education and professional experience are related to student outcomes and principal retention. This dissertation explores aspects of…