Followers grant legitimacy to leaders whom they perceive to be a good fit for the role, yet the conceptual framework for this study illustrated how dominant discourses related to gender and leadership continue to negatively affect a woman's potential in achieving legitimacy as an academic president. This study examined the predominant discourses…

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe the environment of current Texas Subchapter E University charter schools in Texas and some of the teachers that currently work at those charter schools. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What are teachers' experiences in Texas University Charter schools? How do their experiences compare…

This dissertation is concerned with a move toward community engagement within academia generally, and more specifically the concepts of legitimacy and belonging in engagement practices. My work contributes to a relatively recent shift toward community engagement classifications and designations for institutions of higher education (Saltmarsh and…

Since 2001, U.S. states have mandated that principals in unsuccessful schools author a school improvement plan (SIP) using the rational model of planning. Research on their efficacy is sparse and evidence suggests that principals satisfice on these SIPs, producing work that is "good enough" to meet concerns for external legitimacy over…

Power and authority exist in every relationship. The relationship between teacher and student is no exception. Legitimacy is the cornerstone of authority, yet there is a dearth of research into how teacher legitimacy affects the teacher/student relationship. In the current study, I sought to identify characteristics and behaviors teachers exhibit…

Adaptive reasoning is one of five components students use to develop mathematical expertise and become mathematically proficient. When students adapt their reasoning they are logically thinking about the mathematical relationships between concepts and adapting their thinking to solve problems. Three Act Math Tasks are popular math problems used in…

Scholars have examined and debated the use of African American Language (AAL) in the past but research that has focused on its use in college settings has been scarce. This study uses a case study approach to examine attitudes and perspectives of a university community toward AAL use inside and outside the classroom and beyond. The case study…

While African Americans are overrepresented in Minnesota police shootings and officer-involved fatalities, they are underrepresented in Minnesota law enforcement. The reasons are complex, interconnected, grounded in historical racial barriers and racist practices, and reinforced by current obstacles such as career awareness, concerns about the…

This study contributes to U.S. foreign assistance policy by demonstrating education's relationship to nation-state fragility. It surveys the efficacy of current U.S. foreign assistance policy and state-building efforts as related to education and provides empirical analysis of available data regarding the effects of school enrollment levels on…

As journalism educators wrestle to keep programs up-to-date in an evolving news landscape, there is value in understanding how education in an early form of multimedia journalism--photography--came to be. Little attention has been paid to the intersection of journalism education and photojournalism. This subject furnishes a unique perspective on…

This study explores the experiences of first- and second-year first-generation college students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) related to the college admissions process and finding financial aid. This applies the digital divide to determine whether the three levels of the digital divide still impact first-generation…

Independent professional schools were a significant part of higher education in the United States until the rise of universities at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the overwhelming majority of professional schools are indeed affiliated with universities; however there are a growing number of professional schools in variety…

This study examines the relationship between student perceptions of university police and fear of crime through the utilization of a rational choice perspective. Over the last three decades, a plethora of research has explored fear of crime and factors related to its occurrence. However, a thorough review of the literature revealed a limited…

This discussion encompasses the specifics of a partnership between leading U.S. foundations---the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation. This analysis…

Histories of the American community college have largely overlooked the humanistic education movement of the mid-20th century. This historiographical gap obscures leaders' ideological commitment to their institution's diverse mission during an era of rapid community college expansion. Advocates and critics of community colleges have consequently…