Browsing by Author "Crear, Cecilia"
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Item Examining Novice School Leaders' Approaches to the Usage of Exclusionary Discipline for Black Males.(2022-10-17) Dudley, Porsha Camille; Davis, Bradley W.; Butcher, Keith A.; Crear, Cecilia; Klussmann, Duncan F.Background: Effectively improving educational outcomes and ensuring the success of all students are paramount to educators and school leaders. For Black males, this type of success can be hard to achieve when exclusionary discipline practices hinder them from reaching their fullest potential. Approximately 2,600,000 public school students, or just over five percent, received one or more out-of-school suspensions between 2013 and 2014. At present, Black students, who represent approximately 15% of the total public school population, receive a larger share of out-of-school suspensions than any other racial or ethnic group. In the State of Texas, out-of-school suspensions in early childhood education have become of great concern. As a result, in 2017, the Texas Legislature enacted House Bill 674. This bill restricted school districts from issuing out-of-school suspensions or alternative education program placements (DAEP) for prekindergarten through second-grade students. Campus principals are responsible for determining and administering disciplinary consequences to students. Due to this, it is vital that leaders understand the importance of key laws such as HB 674. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to comprehensively examine recent graduates of a leadership preparation program at a large, urban, Research 1 university to gain their insights and perspectives on how well the program prepared and equipped them to tackle the challenges of exclusionary discipline in a post-HB 674 era. I afforded special attention to the relationship between the courses taken in the preparation program that support urban educational leadership, school discipline, the FAL framework, and the specific disciplinary practices being implemented on their campuses. RQ1: How do participants describe the influence of their educational leadership principal preparation program and its influence on how well it equipped them to navigate through the complexities of campus discipline? RQ2: What is the nature of the relationship, if any, between the participants’ exclusionary discipline beliefs, the FAL Framework, and their perspectives of their current use of exclusionary discipline, particularly as a consequence of Black male students? Methods: I interviewed six participants. The forms of data collected were one-on-one virtual cognitive interviews, personal memos, and a focus group. I made certain that the data was audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify key trends and themes. Results: The findings mirrored the existing literature centered on discipline disproportionality for Black males. Seven themes emerged. There was clear evidence of program effectiveness, and there was a relationship shown between the participants’ discipline beliefs and the FAL Framework. The results presented regarding the effectiveness of the university preparation program in preparing its novice leaders for their roles and campus discipline proved to be successful. Conclusion: Still, it is evident that there is additional course revamping needed to support, prepare, and equip novice leaders for the myriad of challenges they may face with campus discipline, mental health, severe trauma, and the awareness of HB 674.Item Leadership Characteristics in High Performing High Poverty Secondary Schools(2013-05) Crear, Cecilia; Amine, Rayyan; Busch, Steven D.; Emerson, Michael W.; Fridge, Lesli; MacNeil, Angus J.; Fernandez, Julie; Borneman, Robert C.Urban secondary school leaders not only have the pressures of accountability, growth, and mobility, but they also face a myriad of additional issues including poverty, drugs, teen pregnancy, and crime. Despite these challenges, some urban high schools continue to thrive and afford students an exemplary academic environment. Following an analysis of multiple academic achievement data elements, this qualitative study identified and implemented a selection criteria to invite principals of five secondary urban highperforming, high-poverty schools in Texas to participate in an interview process to identify the leadership practices that contribute to their schools’ high academic performance. Analysis of the data uncovered six major themes associated with increasing student achievement, including high expectations and beliefs, instructional leadership, culture builder, vision, student interventions based on data, and collaboration with campus leaders in the decision making process. Solutions to urban school leader challenges and professional development recommendations for school leaders were also iscussed.