Download or read book Academic Optimism and Organizational Climate written by Jonathan Bart Reeves and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examined the relationship of two climate constructs in academic optimism and organizational climate as each relates to school effectiveness. Academic optimism is an academic environment comprised of three dimensions: academic emphasis, collective efficacy, and faculty trust (Hoy, Tarter, & Hoy, 2006). The Organizational Climate Index (OCI) is a short organizational climate descriptive measure for schools. The index is made up of four dimensions: principal leadership, teacher professionalism, achievement press for students to perform academically, and vulnerability to the community (Hoy et al., 2002). An examination was conducted on each framework. Their relationship was tested and analyzed how they would predict overall effectiveness and student performance. It was hypothesized that academic optimism and the organizational climate index are positively correlated. To test this hypothesis, elementary school teachers at 67 schools located in the northern half of Alabama responded to surveys that measured academic optimism, organizational climate index (OCI), and school effectiveness. Effectiveness was measured by student performance, in particular, the 4th grade Stanford Achievement Test and by overall effectiveness, the index of perceived organizational effectiveness (IPOE) in the 2009-2010 school year. Reliabilities for all measures ranged from .82 to .92, indicating acceptable levels of reliability. As predicted in hypothesis 1, academic optimism and organizational climate index were related. Hypothesis 2 predicted that academic optimism is a stronger predictor in student achievement and it was found to be significant and supported. However, hypothesis 3 did not indicate that OCI is a better predictor in overall effectiveness. Academic optimism was found to be a significant and stronger predictor in overall effectiveness.
Download or read book Academic Optimism and Organizational Climate as Predictors of Academic Achievement and School Effectiveness written by Nicole Danielle Vaux and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation into the relationship of organizational climate and academic optimism as predictors of student achievement and school effectiveness was conducted. De-identified secondary data from 67 elementary schools in the Northern portion of Alabama were used. The instrumentation for this study included School Academic Optimism Survey (SAOS), Organizational Climate Index (OCI), the Index of Perceived Organizational Effectiveness (IPOE) which is now known as the SE Index (School Effectiveness Index), a composite score for Academic Achievement (AA), and socioeconomic status (SES). Ordinary Least Squares Block Regression method was used to test the effects of the independent variables separately and together on school effectiveness and academic achievement. The results suggested that all variables had a moderate correlation with each other. Also, when controlling for SES both optimism and climate served as independent predictors for achievement and effectiveness. When entered into a regression model together while controlling for SES, climate predicted achievement while optimism did not. This was likely due to the small sample size as compared to the number of predictors in the model. Both climate and optimism served as predictors for effectiveness when in the regression model. The results of this study lend further support to the importance of School Academic Optimism and Organizational Climate as predictors of academic achievement and organizational effectiveness.
Download or read book Can Unlike Students Learn Together written by Herbert J. Walberg and published by IAP. This book was released on 2006-06-01 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, this book brings together three controversial topics: homogeneous grouping of students within classrooms by ability or achievement criteria, tracking of students into courses of study by the same criteria, and retention of students in their present grade so that they repeat a year’s work instead of being promoted. The editors solicited syntheses of research on these topics from outstanding scholars with a variety of views.
Download or read book Revealing Academic Optimism in a High Achieving Middle School written by Lynn Ellen Pikero and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This research investigated how one high achieving middle school staff demonstrated Academic Optimism as measured by the School Academic Optimism Scale (SAOS) and the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (Revised) for middle schools. Twenty-seven teachers from a chosen middle school participated in the study. Additionally, qualitative data and artifacts were collected and analyzed to provide an in-depth examination and understanding. The findings uncovered a misalignment among the data sources. While the qualitative data suggested a higher than average level of Academic Optimism, student achievement data steadily declined during the three years under investigation, as did the school STAR rating. Additionally, survey results revealed that teachers perceived a lower than average level of Academic Optimism. In a high achieving school, it would be supposed that all data are in alignment, a high degree of Academic Optimism should be reflected on the surveys and the qualitative data, which is related to an increase in student achievement scores. This misalignment could be attributed to one overriding factor, the adoption of the Common Core Standards in Year Two of the study. Upon further examination, the adoption of the Common Cores Standards by the state, conflicting messages as perceived by the staff concerning academic achievement, and various school policies and programs which did not appear to reflect the aggressive stance of the school improvement plan or mission statement regarding student achievement, may have contributed to the discord in the data. A mixed methodological examination of both qualitative and quantitative data provided a comprehensive understanding of what was occurring at the school.
Download or read book Collective Trust written by Patrick B. Forsyth and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The culmination of nearly three decades of research, Collective Trust offers new insight and practical knowledge on the social construction of trust for school improvement. The authors argue that collective trust is not merely an average trust score for a group, but rather an independent concept with distinctive origins and consequences. The book demonstrates that schools are organizations that require environments characterized by high levels of collective trust to be effective. Including an historical overview, an exhaustive review of the empirical research, and implications for school reform policy and leadership, this is the most comprehensive resource to date on the issue of collective trust.
Download or read book Instructional Leadership written by Anita Woolfolk Hoy and published by Prentice Hall. This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Textbook for principals and other leaders in education to understand current theories of teaching and learning applied to the school curriculum.
Download or read book Collegial Leadership Teacher Professionalism Faculty Trust written by Sylvia D. Dean and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2006, Hoy, Tarter, and Woolfolk Hoy introduced a new construct, academic optimism, which was shown to be positively related to student achievement. Academic optimism is comprised of three school properties: academic emphasis, collective efficacy, and faculty trust in students and parents. This study examined surveys from 67 elementary schools in North Alabama to see whether two climate factors (collegial leadership and professional teacher behavior) and two trust factors (trust in the principal and trust in colleagues) were predictors of academic optimism while controlling for SES. The climate factors were measured by the Organizational Climate Index (OCI), the trust factors were measured by the Omnibus Trust Scale, and academic optimism was measured by the School Academic Optimism Scale (SAOS). As predicted, all the independent variables along with SES were significantly related to academic optimism. However, only collegial leadership, trust in colleagues, and SES produced independent contributions toward academic optimism in multiple regressions. Professional teacher behavior and trust in the principal were also shown to be antecedents of both collegial leadership and trust in colleagues. Finally, SES was significantly related to trust in colleagues, but had no impact on collegial leadership.
Download or read book Essential Ideas For The Reform of American Schools written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by IAP. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is different than its predecessors in that it identifies and synthesizes twelve key constructs that have important implications for both administrators and researchers; these constructs guide administrators engaged in meaningful school improvement efforts and provide researchers an agenda for future study. The articles of the book capture decades of theoretical and research work. Essential Ideas for the Reform of American Schools identifies and synthesizes key constructs that have important implications for the improvement of schools. The articles have been written over a period of several decades and are grounded in theoretical analysis and empirical research. Together they form a coherent body of literature for both practitioners interested in improving schools and researchers committed to the study of school effectiveness.
Download or read book Open Schools Healthy Schools written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by Corwin. This book was released on 1991-02-27 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Is your school a good, healthy place to work? Does the organizational climate contribute to academic achievement? Do you know how to evaluate the factors that can directly affect the effectiveness of education? Open Schools//Healthy Schools offers the basis for answering these and other questions. The authors demonstrate the significant relationship that exists between school health and academic performance. They then present the measures, developed over many years of careful research, that can best test the organizational climate of any school.
Download or read book Quality Middle Schools written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by Corwin. This book was released on 1998 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Building on 20 years of careful research and real-world testing, the authors show administrators how to assess their schools' health. The goal is to improve middle schools by making sure the "culture" is right for all groups - students, teachers, staff. The authors call their measurement tools the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire Revised for Middle Schools (OCDQ-RM), for tapping the openness of a school's professional interactions, and the Organizational Health Inventory for Middle Schools (OHI-M), for capturing the health of interpersonal relationships in schools. The OCDQ-RM (openness) questionnaire and the OHI-M (health) inventory are included in this book - ready to copy and administer. These measurements are user-friendly and easy to interpret; scoring directions are clearly explained. School leaders, especially superintendents and principals, can use these hands-on tools to understand what's going on in their schools and then make changes as necessary. Actual case studies show how using the questionnaires can help make every middle school a high-quality and positive learning environment.
Download or read book The Optimistic Workplace written by Shawn Murphy and published by AMACOM. This book was released on 2015-10-28 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While you can't personally transform the corporate culture, you can influence the workplace climate and create meaningful and lasting change. Supported by the latest research, this eye-opening book argues that our best work is the product of a positive environment. When it comes to work these days, we're expected to do more with less--but is this nose-to-the-grindstone philosophy the best way to run a business? Alarmingly low employee engagement numbers indicate otherwise. So, if pushing everyone harder isn't the path to productivity, what is? Advocating a steward model of management, The Optimistic Workplace reveals how to: Explore personal and organizational purpose--and align them for astonishing results Overcome resistance and skepticism Build camaraderie and deepen loyalty Increase intrinsic motivation Help your team find meaning in their work Identify goals collaboratively and track progress Examples from companies large and small demonstrate how this people-centric focus ignites employee potential, increases innovation, and catapults the organization to new levels of performance. The Optimistic Workplace presents an array of surprisingly simple strategies as well as practical 30-, 60-, and 90-day plans designed to focus your actions and make employee optimism not just a worthy goal--but a real and measurable result.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Climate and Culture written by Karen M. Barbera and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014-05-07 with total page 753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Climate and Culture presents the breadth of topics from Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior through the lenses of organizational climate and culture. The Handbook reveals in great detail how in both research and practice climate and culture reciprocally influence each other. The details reveal the many practices that organizations use to acquire, develop, manage, motivate, lead, and treat employees both at home and in the multinational settings that characterize contemporary organizations. Chapter authors are both expert in their fields of research and also represent current climate and culture practice in five national and international companies (3M, McDonald's, the Mayo Clinic, PepsiCo and Tata). In addition, new approaches to the collection and analysis of climate and culture data are presented as well as new thinking about organizational change from an integrated climate and culture paradigm. No other compendium integrates climate and culture thinking like this Handbook does and no other compendium presents both an up-to-date review of the theory and research on the many facets of climate and culture as well as contemporary practice. The Handbook takes a climate and culture vantage point on micro approaches to human issues at work (recruitment and hiring, training and performance management, motivation and fairness) as well as organizational processes (teams, leadership, careers, communication), and it also explicates the fact that these are lodged within firms that function in larger national and international contexts.
Download or read book Leading Research in Educational Administration written by Michael DiPaola and published by IAP. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading Research in Educational Administration: A Festschrift for Wayne K. Hoy is the tenth in a series on research and theory dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis that was initiated by Wayne and Cecil G. Miskel. This tenth anniversary edition honors and celebrates the research leadership Wayne has provided in the field of educational administration through his distinguished career. The festschrift is organized around the analysis of school contexts and includes constructs Wayne and his protégés have studied and researched: climate, trust, efficacy, academic optimism, organizational citizenship, and mindfulness. It concludes with the work of colleagues on the salient contemporary issues of innovation, power, leadership succession, and several others focused on improving schools. Chapter authors all have close connections to Wayne - former students and their students, as well as colleagues and friends.
Download or read book Studies in School Improvement written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by IAP. This book was released on 2009-04-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Studies in School Improvement is the eighth volume in a series on research and theory in school administration dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. This selection of readings highlights a number of important factors in the stimulation and implementation of school improvement, including transformational leadership; change perspectives of teachers, principals, and the community; strategies for instructional change; learning environments and school culture; dropout prevention; professionalism; trust relations between the teachers and the board as well as trust between students and teachers; and admission decisions for educational leadership programs. In addition, a number of new, reliable and valid measures are developed and presented for the first time—instruments to assess: 1) change perspectives of the faculty, 2) professionalism of teachers, and 3) trust relations between students and teachers. These tools are valuable aids for both researchers and practitioners in their quest to understand and implement successful school improvement projects.
Download or read book Analyzing School Contexts written by Wayne K. Hoy and published by IAP. This book was released on 2010-05-01 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Analyzing School Contexts is the ninth volume in a series of research and theory in school administration dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. The current selection of readings is loosely organized around the broad topics of school contexts, leadership, and organizational properties that influence the effectiveness of schools. The book begins with a reflective analysis of the importance of organizational theories and theorizing in educational in administration and then proceeds to examine research on how leaders, especially principals, can strengthen the instructional and academic capacity of the school to enhance teachers’ effectiveness in producing strong student outcomes. The analyses deal not only with what instructional leadership practices make positive differences in teaching and learning, but also with how district leadership is pivotal in developing school partnerships with business and how district mentoring programs to develop future school leaders succeed. Finally, we examine school climate, academic optimism of teachers, organizational trust, and the constraints and opportunities that the law provides to develop and maintain a respectful school environment conducive to learning.
Download or read book Theory and Research in Educational Administration Vol 1 written by Cecil Miskel and published by IAP. This book was released on 2002-03-01 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This series is dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. Scholars, both young and established, are invited to publish original analyses, but we especially encourage young scholars to contribute to Theory and Research in Educational Administration. This first issue provides a mix of beginning and established scholars and a range of theoretical perspectives. Eight separate but related studies were selected for this first issue. Three of the research pieces deal with the intended and unintended consequences of policy and political initiatives in schools. Do high-stakes accountability environments threaten the potential of learning organizations? Marks and Printy grapple with that question. Not surprisingly, they anticipate the latent dysfunctional consequences of high-stakes accountability as they provide a careful analysis of urban school district responses to state policies. Well-intended initiatives produced unintended consequences that threatened the capacity for organizational learning in these schools. In a similar fashion, Jones and Malen’s findings suggest that political strategies that use insider dynamics can foster successful enactment of reforms but often at a cost of undermining efforts to implement the policy. Song and Miskel focus their analysis on national reading policy. An examination of national interests groups and policymakers suggests that an assessment of various groups’ influence is necessary if policy actors are to make sensible judgments in choosing allies and building coalitions for effective actions. Two of the papers are informed by contingency theory. Ogawa and Studer are concerned with the relationship between the school and its community. They propose that both buffering and bridging strategies enable schools to deal with parents effectively. Because schools depend on parents for resources, they bridge to parents in cooperative fashion, but because parents often pose uncertainty, schools also buffer parent influence by limiting their access. Yet, there is divergence from contingency theory because schools depend primarily on parents to provide socio-cultural rather than material resources; hence, schools often use strategies that shape rather than diminish dependence on parents. Rowan, also draws ideas from contingency theory to examine the extent to which the nature of teachers’ instructional work affects patterns of instructional management in schools. His data support the explanation that teachers who face increased task variety actively work to construct "organic" patterns of instructional management to reduce task uncertainty and to increase workplace motivation and commitment. Three papers examine teachers in schools. Rowan is intrigued by the variation in the nature of teachers’ work both in terms of task variety and task uncertainty. He finds that teachers do not see their work as many organizational theorists do, that is, as a non-routine form of work; in fact, teachers view teaching as either as a routine task or "expert task." In spite of the fact that many teachers endorsed a constructivist view of teaching, few concluded it was a non-routine task. Moreover, teachers in different disciplines have different views about both the nature of academic knowledge and desirable teaching practices. Both Goddard and Hoy and his colleagues use social cognitive theory to develop an argument of the importance of collective efficacy in positively influencing student achievement. Hoy, Smith, and Sweetland build on their earlier work to demonstrate that collective efficacy of schools is pivotal in explaining student achievement in a sample of rural schools. Goddard shows that that collective efficacy is also an important predictor of the practice of involving teachers in important school decisions. He concludes that the more we learn how school practices are related to collective efficacy, the more we will know about what school leaders
Download or read book The Future We Choose written by Christiana Figueres and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cautionary but optimistic book about the world’s changing climate and the fate of humanity, from Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac—who led negotiations for the United Nations during the historic Paris Agreement of 2015. The authors outline two possible scenarios for our planet. In one, they describe what life on Earth will be like by 2050 if we fail to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate targets. In the other, they lay out what it will be like to live in a regenerative world that has net-zero emissions. They argue for confronting the climate crisis head-on, with determination and optimism. The Future We Choose presents our options and tells us what governments, corporations, and each of us can, and must, do to fend off disaster.
