Scholarly Work - Education

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/2974

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Measuring work conditions for teachers of American Indian students
(2008) Erickson, Joanne L.; Terhune, M. Neil; Ruff, William G.
The purpose of this study was to re-validate the Quality of Teacher Work Life Survey (QTWLS) with a population of 404 teachers in Montana schools with predominant American Indian student enrollments; and to describe the job-related stress and satisfaction of those teachers. Factor analysis showed nine satisfaction and eight stress factors with this population compared to eleven satisfaction and 10 stress factors in Pelsma, Richard, and Harrington’s (1989) original study with primarily Caucasian teachers and students. Knowledge of these results on the QTWLS could lead to interventions that contribute to an improved work life for teachers of American Indian students and increased learning among the students.
LGBT legal issues in Jesuit higher education
(2008) Hughes, Bryce E.
Issues facing the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community can prove to be a legal nightmare for college and university administrators to address, particularly at religiously affiliated institutions like Jesuit colleges. Administrators have to walk a fine line between nondiscrimination statutes and the religious beliefs and teachings of the school's affiliation. This paper explores the main legal issues pertaining to the LGBT community on campus, including students, employees (faculty and staff), and university policy. It offers a historical perspective on these issues, including a quick overview of Catholic Church doctrine and relevant United States case law, and summarizes implications for administrators at Jesuit colleges and universities. Finally, it makes recommendations to administrators ways in which Jesuit colleges and universities can address these issues, staying true to their mission while being mindful of all human experiences. In 2004, Gonzaga University became the first Jesuit university to establish an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Resource Center, a much needed but highly controversial milestone in the history of providing LGBT services at Jesuit colleges and universities. Due to their relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, Jesuit universities are faced with the complex issue of balancing their need to provide student support with their need to maintain Catholic identity. This is especially true with regard to LGBT issues because of the Church's strong stance on homosexuality, particularly at Catholic universities, which train future priests. This paper will examine several issues related to sexual orientation facing different facets of the university community (students, employees, and policy), summarizing legal and policy implications for Jesuit colleges and universities. Then these trends will be analyzed through several perspectives to extract implications for Jesuit higher education, ultimately resulting in recommendations for handling LGBT affairs on Jesuit campuses. The purpose is not to call on Jesuit higher education to challenge the Vatican on its stance on homosexuality, but rather to encourage institutions to remain faithful to their mission of intellectual curiosity and thirst for justice. Unfortunately, the scope of this paper cannot meet the goal of addressing LGBT issues broadly. The acronym LGBT includes the letter T, referring to the community of people who identify as transgender. Issues impacting the transgender community, those relating to gender identity or expression, are not explicitly addressed here despite the need for a voice for the transgender community on Jesuit campuses. A whole separate paper could be written to address concerns specifically related to gender identity and expression. Some of the issues that affect lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities will impact the transgender community as well, but for the sake of analysis, this paper will focus on issues related to sexual orientation.
Confronting Coyote: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in an Era of Standardization
(2008) Stanton, Christine Rogers
The trickster, a crucial character in many cultural histories, often slips into our lives without warning. In the western United States, the trickster frequently manifests himself as Coyote, and is central in the oral traditions of tribal people, ranching families, and outdoor adventurers alike. Coyote is responsible for some missing turkey sandwiches. You won’t believe this, but Coyote snatched my left hiking boot from right outside my tent. Coyote tricked a man out of is best horse. No luck hunting today? Coyote scared away the game. Coyote stole grain from a shed, and then locked the door behind him when he left. Coyote is a complex character that teaches and teases: One moment he shares painful lessons with us and the next he makes us laugh at our ridiculous flaws. In today’s world of educational standardization, Coyote the trickster lurks in the shadows of every classroom. He has crept among the masses in schools under the guise of a democratic model of education. He is so cunning that many educators actually ponder his suggestions associated with no Child Left Behind, despite our simultaneous suspicion of is promises. Sometimes Coyote’s claims are alluring: If we offer the same opportunities—through the same curriculum, instruction, and assessment—it seems we are promoting equity in the classroom. Despite the bitter taste of it all, Coyote presents an enticing case.
Leadership, quality, and school improvement: A reflection
(2008-08) Ruff, William G.
The author discussed the notion of leadership as instilling within individuals and infusing within a community the greater capacity for experiencing quality. The meaning of capacity and quality was deconstructed to provide clarity. Capacity was viewed as the potentiality of individuals to assume multiple roles, view events from different circumstances, and determine action from a variety of possible responses. The author defined quality as the close alignment of a mental model to the current reality of a situation. An argument was elaborated concluding that school leadership requires empowerment, but without the requirement for inquiry as well, quality remains unattainable.
Leading with Heart: Urban Elementary Principals as Advocates for Students
(2009) Rodríguez, Mariela A.; Murakami-Ramalho, Elizabeth; Ruff, William G.
Principals in urban settings serve elementary schools often densely populated with highly mobile, ethnically diverse, and economically disadvantaged students (Dworkin, Toenjes, Purser, & Sheikh-Hussin, 2000). Due to the changing landscape of increasing accountability issues required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (2001), principals must adjust the mission of the school community to meet legislative demands (Johnson, 2004). Elementary principals are now heavily invested in strategies to meet the increased expectations of raising students’ academic performance. It is important to understand how urban elementary school principals reconcile the tensions between accountability and equality for all students.
Moral spaces in MySpace: Preservice teachers’ perspectives about ethical issues in social networking
(2009-01) Foulger, Teresa S.; Ewbank, Ann D.; Kay, Adam; Osborn Popp, Sharon; Carter, Heather L.
My Space and Facebook are innovative digital communication tools that surpass traditional means of social interaction. However, in some instances in which educators have used these tools, public reactions to them have resulted in sanctions. With the notion that traditional ideas of privacy and teacher conduct are not yet defined in online worlds, the researchers developed a case-based reasoning intervention to support more informed decisions by preservice teachers. The case-based coursework led students to perceive a need for more definitive guidelines about their participation in social networking spaces. The findings have professional development implications for educators and educational institutions that wish to harness the positive potential of social networking tools without risking professional status.
Education library 2.0: The establishment of a dynamic multi-site liaison program
(2009-12) Ewbank, Ann D.
Using a combination of marketing, Web 2.0 tools, videoconferencing, face-to-face instruction and site visits, a library presence including systematic information literacy instruction is embedded into multiple programs at sixteen sites in a growing college of education with nearly 6000 students and over 115 full-time faculty members. As the needs of the students and faculty evolve, the library program responds. This article describes the education library liaison program for Arizona State University’s College of Teacher Education and Leadership, including both successes and challenges, within the context of university, college, and library change.
When western epistemology and an indigenous worldview meet: Culturally responsive assessment in practice
(2010) Carjuzaa, Jioanna; Ruff, William G.
There exists a natural tension between standards-based assessment and a multicultural perspective of assessment. The purpose of this paper was to examine issues of culturally-sensitive assessment, specifically within the context of preparing a female American Indian doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership. How does an instructor with a Western worldview fairly evaluate a research topic proposal written from an Indigenous paradigm? A case study design bounded by a single assignment and the instructor’s reflections of that assignment provided the context for examination. When the instructor and the student operate from different worldviews, there is a mismatch in expectations. Criteria for evaluating a student’s understanding from an alternative perspective need to be explored.
Arizona’s reversal of fortune to no longer require educational spending to be tracked at the school level: A historical legislative analysis
(2010-03) Jimenez-Castellanos, O.; Barnett, J.; Ewbank, Ann D.
Efforts to provide equitable and adequate resources to schools continue to be debated in state legislatures across the United States. In all cases, these conversations are significantly limited by the publicly available fiscal data. Researchers and policymakers recognize that money is generally allocated to districts that disperse the resources to schools, meaning that spending is more accurately determined at the local level rather than the state level. A historical legislative analysis reveals that in Arizona, policymakers opted to track educational spending at the school level in 1998. However, a decade later in 2008, the state legislature overwhelmingly passed HB2369 that reverted back to district level fiscal reporting. This decision seems counter-intuitive to the growing accountability mentality in many legislatures across the United States. As such, the authors contend that the Arizona decision is unique and provides a context for other state legislatures because fiscal accountability has gone from district level to school level and back to district level reporting.
Listening to the community: Guidance from Native community members for emerging culturally responsive educators
(2010-05) Stanton, Christine Rogers; Jaime, Angela M.
Critical race theory (CRT) emphasizes the importance of listening to the counter-narratives of people from marginalized groups. However, the applicability of CRT in practical settings often remains unclear for educators and scholars. This project offers not only a place for Native community members to share their experiences and ideas, it also provides practical guidance for emerging culturally responsive educators and ways to use themes from narratives to guide future scholarship. As a result of interviews with five Native community members, three themes emerged for non-Native educators working in Native communities: (a) learning from the community, (b) transforming thinking through discomfort, and (c) gaining awareness of positive values. These themes can be used to guide future projects, including reservation-based field experiences and research projects exploring educator thinking in reservation communities.
Using case studies to help faculty navigate difficult classroom moments
(2010-12) Hughes, Bryce E.; Huston, Therese; Stein, Julie
"Hot" or "difficult" classroom moments occur when a student's provocative comment elevates emotions in the classroom and creates an uncomfortable tension. Faculty typically feel unprepared to address these volatile moments, and faculty developers and department chairs are faced with the challenge of boosting faculty confidence and helping instructors build the skills to navigate these unexpected moments. This article examines how case studies can be used to help instructors anticipate difficult moments, practice potential responses, and learn from the collective wisdom of their colleagues. Two case studies based on difficult moments in service-learning courses are included. (Contains 1 table.)
Values-oriented factors leading to retention of school librarian positions: A school district case study
(2011-03) Ewbank, Ann D.
The number of U.S. school librarians has greatly diminished despite advocacy efforts on the local and national level. This case study investigated the factors that led governing board members in a mid-size urban high school district to retain certified school librarian positions despite a major economic crisis. Data were collected through school district documents and interviews with the district superintendent, a governing board member, the director of finance, a school administrator, and a librarian. Using an organizational decision-making framework, the researcher constructed the following values-oriented themes contributing to the retention of librarians: employee involvement, transparency in communication, trust between district leadership and the governing board, a commitment to the district’s core values, and the value placed on the school library program by the district’s stakeholders. Findings indicated that practitioners can advocate on the basis of organizational factors that contribute to school librarian retention. Future research should investigate additional school districts’ decisionmaking processes in the retention of school librarian positions. All locations and names used in this study are pseudonyms.
School librarians’ advocacy for the profession: Results of a U.S. national survey
(2011-07) Ewbank, Ann D.
As a result of eliminations in school librarian positions due to funding reductions in schools and school districts across the United States, library associations encourage school librarians to advocate for the profession. A U.S. national survey of 381 school librarians investigated present advocacy efforts, needs, obstacles, and successful methods. An overwhelming majority of school librarians believe that advocacy for the profession is important. Only half of the respondents reported engaging in advocacy activities. Respondents who reported position or funding threats were more likely to advocate and perceive a greater level of success in their advocacy efforts. The most frequent obstacles to advocacy were lack of time and lack of awareness. Future research should investigate advocacy impact on decision-making. Library associations are challenged to motivate school librarians to engage in the process of advocacy.
Novice Researchers Find their Power: Using Technology to Support the Development of Doctoral Students
(2012) Ewbank, Ann D.; Foulger, Teresa S.; Wetzel, Keith A.
This study examines innovative technology uses of proficient doctoral students in action research and uses the findings for doctoral program planning and revision. The authors conducted an environmental scan of students’ uses of technology to support their work throughout the dissertation process. They identified one to three students in each phase of the action research cycle, called “power users,” who innovatively used technology. Rogers’ (2003) theory of diffusion suggests that, as a result of the understandings from this study, the faculty-researchers are gatekeepers, responsible for systematically addressing the diffusion of technology. Recommendations include the adoption of a shared technology vision and leveraging the power users’ skills through the doctoral program.
Hearing the Story: Critical Indigenous Curriculum Inquiry and Primary Source Representation in Social Studies Education
(2012-10) Stanton, Christine Rogers
Although primary source accounts provide students with direct access to the experiences of historical participants, they can reinforce the dominant culture historical narrative if misrepresented by teachers, curriculum publishers, or scholars. The author demonstrates the importance of adhering to guidelines presented by critical Indigenous scholars when evaluating resources that incorporate primary accounts attributed to Native Americans. To illustrate the potential for critical Indigenous theory to inform curricular decision making, the author analyzed three resources that incorporate Chief Joseph's surrender speech according to: (a) their respect of Native peoples, (b) their recognition of discursive positionality, and (c) their honoring of the complexity of Native knowledge systems. Results demonstrate the potential for social studies resources, even those that include accounts from historically marginalized peoples, to reinforce the hidden curriculum, to position peoples using discourse, and to perpetuate the myth of objectivity in historical inquiry. Implications for scholarship and teaching practice are included.
"I Guess I "Do" Know a Good Story": Re-Envisioning Writing Process with Native American Students and Communities
(2012-11) Stanton, Christine Rogers; Sutton, Karl
Analysis of 100 Years of Curriculum Designs
(Eskisehir Osmangazi University, 2013) Kelting-Gibson, Lynn
Fifteen historical and contemporary curriculum designs were analyzed for elements of assessment that support student learning and inform instructional decisions. Educational researchers are purposely paying attention to the role assessment plays in a well-designed planning and teaching process. Assessment is a vital component to educational planning and teaching because it is a way to gather accurate evidence of student learning and information to inform instructional decisions. The purpose of this review was to analyze 100 years of curriculum designs to uncover elements of assessment that will support teachers in their desire to improve student learning. Throughout this research the author seeks to answer the question: Do historical and contemporary curriculum designs include elements of assessment that help teachers improve student learning? The results of the review reveal that assessment elements were addressed in all of the curricular designs analyzed, but not all elements of assessment were identified using similar terminology. Based on the analysis of this review, it is suggested that teachers not be particular about the terminology used to describe assessment elements, as all curriculum models discussed use one or more elements similar to the context of pre, formative, and summative assessments.
License to drive: Safe social networking use in innovative schools
(2013-03) Foulger, Teresa S.; Ewbank, Ann D.; Carter, Heather L.; Reicks, P.; Darby, S.
This article advocates for the use of social networking tools as a way for teachers and students to enrich learning possibilities. While some school systems resist the use of social networking tools for learning purposes, others are moving forward with this idea. There is clearly a need for policy that will guide the decision-making and peda-gogical orientations of school administrators and teachers. The authors suggest that policy surrounding the use of social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram take into account two equally important objectives: innovation and safety . They propose that educational institutions create policies that empower learners to strengthen their communication skills, expand global perspectives, and create unlimited networking capacity.
College experiences that contribute to students’ thinking about their sexual orientation identity
(2013-03) Hughes, Bryce E.; Hurtado, Sylvia
Conceptualizing the innovation: Factors influencing doctoral candidates’ interventions in the action research dissertation
(2013-09) Wetzel, Keith A.; Ewbank, Ann D.
In this action research study, we describe how doctoral candidates conceptualize innovations for their dissertations and outline how we are using the results to improve the doctoral dissertation experience for our new cohort. Over the course of one academic year (2010/11) we documented our students’ process of conceptualizing their innovations as they moved from general ideas to concrete plans, which they would carry out the following year during their dissertation research. We found four major factors influencing the conceptualization of the innovation: the leader–scholar community, prior cycles of action research, interactions with stakeholders, and the student’s work context. As the next cycle in this action research study, we shared the results with our local community and are currently implementing recommended changes based on the study for the next cohort of students.