Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/733
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Item Effective leadership in school-community partnerships(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2022) Keenan, Matthew James; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffThe broad approach of Multi-Tiered Support Systems (MTSS) is a well-established educational practice that has found acceptance on the national level, as it has been demonstrated to help students improve more effectively than the 'wait-to-fail' approaches of the past. There are many studies examining the implementation of MTSS systems and the factors associated with their successful integration into the school culture, including pre-service preparation, ongoing professional development, educational leadership, cultivating staff buy-in, the use of appropriate supports and interventions, etc. While traditional MTSS systems focus primarily on curriculum or student behavior there is also increasing recognition of the impact that a student's social and emotional growth has on their academic success, and schools are seeking more holistic ways to support struggling students with the cooperation of school staff, community organizations, and the families of students. The process of developing and implementing these new, collaborative MTSS programs that rely on partnerships between schools and community organizations have not been well documented, especially at the secondary level. This phenomenological case study examined the implementation of a new partnership between a large, public high school and a community organization designed to support these non-academic barriers to learning through the use of increasing interventions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and artifacts associated with the program were collected and analyzed to examine the role of school leaders in this process of building partnerships. These data led the conclusion that school leaders play critical roles in cultivating the conditions within the school to allow for and welcome innovative programs to meet student needs, and they also serve as the conduits between their schools and potential community partners to implement collaborative programs. While school leaders are not directly responsible for conceptualization and implementation of every innovative school program, they are responsible for the school culture, climate, and policies that can either enhance or inhibit the implementation of innovative partnerships.Item The ball's in your court: the effect of sports in rural English classrooms(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Reierson, Elizabeth Anne; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Allison Wynhoff OlsenEducation in rural areas is affected by the place in which the education takes place. This affects how students interact with the community as well as the classroom. The most visible way in which the community interacts with the school is through spectating at high school games. The author interviews four English teachers in rural eastern Montana to explore the ways in which community, school, English classrooms and sports interact. Educators noted that while sports had many benefits, there was no sports literature being explicitly taught or being directly incorporated into the classroom. Furthermore, absences caused by school athletics create a tension between academic needs and extracurricular expectations. These absences are directly affecting the ways in which English teachers create their curriculum. The author offers next steps for teachers looking to create a connection between classroom and community through athletics.Item Piikani School leadership(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2018) Hall, Omaksaakoomapi Bradford Roy; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffThis dissertation focuses on Piikani school leadership as shared through the narratives and experiences of a retired school leader. Noonaki's experiences chronicle her longevity in school leadership and steadfast commitment to integrating the Piikani culture and language into the schools she led on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Noonaki's stories provide a realistic view of school leadership challenges she faced and offer her thought provoking knowledge to inspire current and aspiring school leaders to accept the Piikani values into their practices. School leaders are key to advancing Piikani values, culture, and language into the schools they serve on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Therefore, school leaders when developing relevant leadership practices, are called upon to commit themselves to practice ai-sii-moki' (guidance, teaching, and discipline), as they encounter and mitigate challenges among community stakeholders, specifically focusing on how they each can support student success. Through Noonaki's transfer of knowledge from her to the researcher, this exchange encapsulates her experiences into stories, told in the places where she practiced school leadership. Community Centered Digital Storywork (CCDS), is an integrated Piikani knowledge dissemination framework, that leverages cultural protocols to capture Piikani ways of knowing. Noonaki inspires current and aspiring school leaders to build their skills and practices around the Piikani values of okamotsitapiyiisin (honesty), ainnakowe (respect), aahsitapiitsin (generosity), waattosin (spirituality), matsisskii or iiyiikittahpii (courage), maanistapaisspipii (humility), and kimmapiiyipitsinni (compassion).Item Assessing the impact of a student-led science cafe on science literacy in the community(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Cochrane, Andrew; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisAmong the general population of gifted and talented students, there are some who stay interested in school. Others quickly become bored, beginning as early as kindergarten. Many of them choose to dropout before high school graduation. Science literacy among the general population of the United States is not keeping pace with the high level of research that is being done across the nation. Many people are fearful of science and have little or no confidence in their ability to understand it. In our schools, it has become commonplace to de-emphasize science education to make more time for math and reading instruction. This study represents an effort to improve the level of science literacy in the local community by using gifted and talented students to lead discussions on current science research during evening science cafe sessions. At the same time, this practice provides opportunity for the gifted and talented students to immerse themselves in topics they feel passionate about. As determined by survey results and interviews, those gifted students who chose to become the resident expert and take on this task of discussion leader found greater purpose in school as well as a desire to stay in school. The data also revealed that, within the sample population, levels of interest in science increased, and the degree of science literacy improved, as determined by survey results and interviews.Item Strengthening the high school through the use of lay committees(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1972) Voiles, Howard C.; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Robert Allen Van WoertItem Teacher attitudes toward community education(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1979) Pace, Mary DuletichItem A study of parental attitudes toward public education on the Crow reservation(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1978) Holden, Kenneth WarrenStudies parental attitudes toward public education in Crow Agency, Wyola, Lodge Grass, and Pryor. Conclusions offer suggestions how to make a school a true expression of the Indian community's hopes and needs. This could help minimize culture conflicts. Local control of schools would also add immeasurably to Indian self-respect.Item A study of certain organized lay groups and their influence on public school curriculum in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1964) Harris, John F.Item An evaluative study and investigation of the organizational self-renewal project in the rural school district of Three Forks, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1971) DoBush, JackItem A plan for identifying community attitudes toward the community education philosophy(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1979) Weisenborn, Donna Graves