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Doctoral Research
The Russell Sage College program leading to the doctorate in Educational Leadership requires each doctoral candidate to develop as a researcher, both individually and as a member of a research team. As members of a collaborative research team, the candidates conceptualize and conduct a research that critically and comprehensively examines a problem of practice (POP), makes a contribution to the field and to the specific district or organization(s) involved, addresses the Sage conceptual framework, and advances professional knowledge and skill.
Doctoral research problems are selected by the program faculty in consultation with the leadership of the partnership educational organizations, executive coaches and the Director of Research.
The doctoral research experience serves two important and related purposes:
- Each candidate develops and demonstrates a set of research skills appropriate for the awarding of an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership.
- Field leaders gain valuable information and insight about a current problem of practice through the efforts of the individual Russell Sage College doctoral candidate research and benefit from a more comprehensive study presented by the doctoral research team.
Doctoral candidates are given the opportunity to express interest in one or more of the selected research problems of practice prior to the identification of doctoral research teams.
Once assigned to a doctoral research problem, team members collaboratively develop a plan for the overall research effort. In that plan the specific research to be conducted by each team member is explicitly identified. After the successful individual defenses occur, research teams present their research at a colloquium of faculty, executive coaches and invited school district and state policy leaders. Subsequent publication and presentations are also encouraged.
The annual Research Colloquium is the culminating activity in the Ed.D. program. In this way, the Russell Sage College doctoral candidates fulfill the individual and team research requirements for the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and contribute in a significant way to the field as well as the more general literature on educational leadership. The Research Colloquium supports the Sage model of school district-university cooperation in leadership development and research.
Cohort I
Impact of changing demographics on school systems.
- Edna Baker, Professional development in 21st century skills in Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES.
- Lisa Carr, Perceptions of current principals and superintendents regarding multicultural competencies needed in the 21st century.
- Janice White, Are schools preparing students for the regional workforce? Teacher and employer perspectives.
Issues impacting the current and future pool of system leaders.
- Stanley Maziejka, Future system leadership: A quantitative investigation of the role of the New York State principal as the strategic pathway to the school superintendency.
- Michael Mugits, The interim superintendent: Impact on school districts during the selection and assimilation of the successor superintendent.
- Paul Padalino, Superintendent job satisfaction in New York State.
- Casey Parker, Obstacles to black men as public school superintendents in New York State.
- Kitty Summers, Career pathways and perceptions of experiences that influenced the attainment of the superintendency.
Leadership succession and how it impacts the organizational health of a school system.
- Charles Dedrick, Superintendent succession planning in New York State: The politics, practicality and personality of succession planning for the superintendency.
- Ryan Sherman, An analysis of leadership succession in the Warren-Saratoga-Washington-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Region.
- Lynne Wells, Practices used by school districts when undergoing a transition in superintendent leadership.
Impact of accountability measures, including but not limited to student assessment, on educational organizations.
- Tom Baumgartner, Socio-economic status and teacher perceptions regarding the New York State ELA Exam.
- Angelina Bergin, The influence of federal accountability designation on the morale of teachers in public middle schools in New York.
- Demian Singleton, Value-added versus status: Comparative case studies of the utilization of student achievement data by public school systems.
- Andrew Taylor, Impact of access, ability and attitude on teacher and administrator use of data for comprehensive planning.
Changing power and/or authority dynamics within educational organizations particularly as those dynamics influence and are influenced by system leaders.
- Catherine Allain, The role of the superintendent in a rural professional learning community.
- Mary Theresa Streck, Distributed leadership and shared decision making: Leadership practices that promote collaboration.
- Robin Young, The relationship between school climate and reciprocal trust in high schools.
Cohort II
Emerging Initiatives for Leadership Development
- Fadhilika Atiba-Weza, An exploration of the mentoring experiences of African American public school superintendents in New York State.
- Lori Caplan, The role of superintendent’s tenure on student achievement in selected school districts in New York State.
- Sally Sharkey, The use of traits in the superintendent recruitment process: The perspective of board members and search consultants.
Leading in a Time of Scarce Resources
- Nicole Eschler, Leading in a time of scarce resources: Certification, experience, and perceived competency of school business officials.
- Maureen Long, A study of the factors influencing rural districts decisions about academic opportunities.
- Jerome Steele, The leadership role of the superintendent in a time of change and scarce resources: A qualitative study of three school district reorganization efforts.
Technology Leadership
- Colleen Carroll, Technology leadership capacity: A study of the relationship between school administrators’ perceptions and experiences with information technology and their perceptions of their capacity to successfully implement the school district’s technology plan.
- Tracy Ford, Elementary principals’ use of 21st century technology in schools in New York State.
- Darlene Westinghouse, Technology and the changing face of education in the 21st century : Are education leadership programs preparing future leaders for this change?
Leadership and School Climate
- Peter DeWitt, A case study of school leaders who safeguard sexually diverse students.
- Mark Stratton, The impact of new high school principals on school climate.
Cohort III
System-level Instructional Leadership
- William Crankshaw, The superintendent as instructional leader: Exploring teachers’ values and perceptions of the role.
- Stephen Danna, The impact of superintendent support for curriculum mapping on principals’ efficacious use of maps.
- Barbara Malkas, The urban district leader and systemic implementation of collaborative learning communities: A mixed-method study.
- Carl Strang, The systemic use of data to inform improvement in student achievement: A qualitative study of six school districts.
Alternative Approaches to Education
- Beth Bini, Profile of the New York State charter school principal: A comparative study of charter school and public school leader demographics, experience and preparation.
- Lori Mulford, Instructional leadership preparation for students with disabilities: A qualitative study of preparation and experiences of thirteen novice elementary principals.
Leadership Development Initiatives
- Jill Berkowicz, Common childhood experiences and responses related to the development of leaders of change.
- Peter Hughes, The relationship between superintendents and their senior leadership team: A qualitative study of traditional versus non-traditional superintendents.
- Douglas Huntley, An examination of the extent to which the use of social media by school districts to prepare and communicate the annual school district budget impacts the passage or failure of that budget.
- Christopher Wojeski, The leadership practices of school superintendents with a background in school counseling.
System- level Leadership and School Climate
- Keith Babuszczak, Exploring the relationship among school climate factors and school choice out- migration factors: Implications for urban school leaders.
- Rita Levay, Relationship of mental health supports and students on some instruction with anxiety, depression or school phobia.
- Kimberly Young-Wilkins, A study of New York State African-American superintendents: Their pathways to the superintendency.
Cohort IV
The Evolving Role of the Superintendent in the First Decade of the 21st Century
- Sarah Stack Feinberg, The role of the superintendent in redefining schools for students to be successful in the 21stc Century.
- Elizabeth Pustolka-Wood, The role of increased accountability on the use of instructional leadership time by New York State superintendents.
- Richard DeMallie, The implementation of smartphones and tablet technologies into the classroom by selected New York State public school leaders.
- Gary Furman, The impact of fiscal limitations for superintendents’ role and responsibilities for curriculum, instruction and assessment.
System Leaders’ Administrative Practices and Their Effect on School Climate and Morale
- Thomas Reardon, The examination and analysis of the effects of elementary principals’ specific management practices on teacher morale and willingness to embrace initiative.
- Deborah Fox, New York State public school superintendents’ perceptions of the efficacy of the Taylor law and the effect of impasse on school climate.
- Shawn Hunziker, Principal readiness and professional development to conduct effective teacher evaluations that lead to improved student achievement.
The Effect of Changing Demographics on School Systems
- Vincent Porfirio, Internalization strategies in traditional higher education institutions across the United States.
- Richard Rose, American Indian race and ethnicity data: An historical analysis and comparison of NCES and NYS data for New York State school districts.
- Linda Rudnick, Principal leadership attributes: Implications of beliefs and practices that impact academic success for all English language learners on state accountability measures.
Cohort V
System Level Leadership and Change Initiatives/Process
- Edward Baker, Ethical dilemmas faced by presidents of small, private colleges during organizational recovery from financial distress.
- James Davis, School leaders’ perceptions of school counselors as leaders as part of the district leadership team and impact on the district wide change process.
- Stacey Delaney, The effect of dropout intervention strategies on the graduation rate in selected rural school districts in New York State.
Race to the Top and Alternative Approaches to Education
- Kathleen Chaucer, Beliefs about human potential, leadership behaviors, and building growth scores of elementary principals in New York State.
- Salvatore DeAngelo, Jr., Study of the use of data systems to increase building leader capacity and inform principals’ practice in K-12 public schools.
- Maureen Futscher, Principals’ perceptions about the impact of the New York State Annual Professional Performance Review legislation on the instructional practices of New York public schools.
- Virginia Guglielmo, Exploring the relationship between sheltered instruction and school climate in secondary public schools: A mixed method approach.
Pursuing Alternatives: The Fiscal Crisis and Increasing Educational Demands Converge
- Mark Jones, Superintendents’ perceptions of BOCES and factors that impact decisions to use BOCES services.
- Jennifer Spring, Superintendent leadership and environmental sustainability in New York public schools.
- Cosimo Tangorra, The programmatic, financial, and cultural impact of failed school district reorganization efforts: Perspectives of school leadership teams.
Cohort VI
- Jason A. Andrews, An exploration of factors leading to shared superintendencies in New York State.
- Kathleen M. Davis, Superintendent preparation to lead the New York State regents’ reform agenda: perceptions of selected superintendents.
- James R. Franchini, The implementation process of the common core state standards in selected school districts in upstate New York.
- Kenneth A. Lein, The influence of the common core state standards in mathematics on mathematics self-efficacy: a mixed method approach.
- Brett M. Miller, Budgeting practices of school district leaders in New York State since 2009.
- Pedro Roman, Exploration of principals’ leadership practices on the implementation of the common core state standards in community schools.
- James Schlegel, A correlational study of leadership practices of principals in relation to the depth of implementation of professional learning communities in lasallian schools.
- Cheryl J. Venettozzi, Tax levy limit implications on educational programs and public school budgets in New York State.
Cohort NYC 1
Dissertations from individual students in this cohort:
- Margaret Lacey Berman, Exploration of the professional development needs of New York City high school principals with less than 5 years experience.
- Michelle Bodden-White, The impact of leadership support for blended learning on teachers and students.
- Andolyn Brown, Coaching instructional leadership for organizational change in schools.
- Cynthia Carmona-Davis, Implementation of the expanded success initiative: Implications for future practice and efficacy: a comparative case study of four high schools.
- Michael A. Collins, Examining the perspectives of teachers and school building leaders on the use of the flipped classroom method in New York City public schools.
- Cynthia Harris-Frederick, School leadership practices in single gender middle schools that prepare urban students for college and careers.
- Katéri Tekakwitha Kennedy, Requisite skills and knowledge principals perceive necessary to successfully integrate technology at the middle school level.
- Carla Marie Ling, Systems and structures of school leaders to develop teachers as leaders.
- Alexis F. Marrero, Dominican parents involvement in children’s academic achievement and motivation.
- Subhas Mohan, Traditional vs. experiential: A comparative study of instructional methodologies on student achievement in New York City public schools.
- Inna Nurik, Principals’ perception of school improvement support through outside instructional coaches.
- Miatheresa S. Pate, Investigation of the professional development needs of New York City assistant principals.
- Tammy D. Pate, An investigation into factors affecting special needs student performance on the New York State English Language Arts assessments.
Cohort VII
Dissertations from individual students in this cohort:
- John J. Bell, New York State superintendent job satisfaction in an era of reduced resources and increased accountability.
- Kevin T. Calacone, The effect of professional development on the self-efficacy of new public high school principals in Upstate New York.
- Michelle Evangeline Breton Caminos, A comparative analysis of collaborative leadership skills employed by graduates of cohort based and non-cohort based doctoral programs in educational leadership.
- Matthew T. Lee, Principals’ perceptions on the necessity to prepare students for careers in advanced manufacturing.
- Cheryl A. Nuciforo, Factors supporting implementation of executive coaching as embedded professional learning for superintendents in New York State.
- Lisa A. Patierne, Changes school district leaders are making in response to active school shooters.
- Michael N. Patton, Exploring the leadership behaviors of system leaders and best practices of high school counselors that prepare all students for college and career readiness.
- Debbie L. Ripchick, The influence of accountability plans on high performing school districts.
- Joanne Shelmidine, Attributes of female rural superintendents leading to success.
- Maria Lagana Suttmeier, Key leadership shifts to promote college and career readiness in small city school districts.
Cohort VIII
Dissertations from individual students in this cohort:
- Olanike Audu, The role of assistant superintendents in influencing the implementation of instructional coaching in a district wide initiative to improve instructional practice.
- Brian A. Bailey, The relationship between principal and teacher self-reported data-driven decision making (DDDM) practices.
- Danielle Bouton-Wales, The instructional leadership behaviors of middle level principals in implementing the Common Core math standards and its impact on the math achievement at their school.
- Hillary E. Brewer, Examining the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of system leadership, teacher morale and teacher attendance in the Capital Region of New York State.
- Shaun P. Carney, Principal grit and focus as a predictor of New York State growth scores.
- Tarkan T. Ceng, A comparative analysis of participatory leadership practice of elementary school principals between public and non-public schools.
- Tina M. Davis, The use of evidence in district level decisions for the distribution of resources to elementary schools.
- Maria Trinidad Hernandez, A qualitative study on the influence of minority female educational leaders’ backgrounds on current practices and policies for minority students.
- Michael M. Piccirillo, A qualitative study exploring if superintendents self-perceived childhood socioeconomic status influence the practices, policies and goals they establish for students of low socioeconomic status.
- Ved Shravah, Role of higher education in training teachers to teach Common Core state standards in grade 3-8 mathematics in public elementary and middle schools.
- Mary E. Yodis, Educational leaders’ decisions, practices, and policies influencing K-2 summer reading programs.
- David W. Ziskin, Self-identified behaviors and decisions of superintendents in high need/low resource rural school districts with higher than average graduation rates.
NYC Cohort 2N
Dissertations from individual students in this cohort:
- Marina E. Brown, Perceptions of school leaders about the influence of technology in teaching practices and academic progress of students in both regular and summer school programs of K-8 schools.
- Liza Caraballo-Suarez, Character education through the lens of the Dignity for All Students Act.
- Nicole Anne Culella, STEM vs. non-STEM teacher perception and integration of technology among gifted and talented populations.
- Mary Anne DeVivio, School leaders’ and teachers’ perception of the implementation of common formative assessments after achievement coach professional development.
- Cheri Goldstein, The influence of a model transition process on postsecondary readiness for high school students with disabilities.
- Linda D. Green, Perceptions about the influence of instructional leadership practices of elementary principals on teachers’ ELA pedagogical changes in high-poverty NYC elementary schools.
- Stacey Haley, Principals’ and school counselors’ perception of counseling supports for African American male high school students.
- Kabeya Mbuyi, Strategies implemented to tackle academic achievement gap of African American males in transfer school in New York City.
- Carleen S. Miller-Bailey, Reciprocal accountability and capacity building: The influence of distributed leadership on collective teacher efficacy and professional learning communities.
- Sonia E. Martinez, The evolving roles of superintendents in the New York City Public School System over the last decade (2002-2016).
- Christopher Smith, School governance: How do principals involve parents in selected African-American Title I schools in New York City?
- Anita Famatta Voyou-Chioke, The intersection of public education and homelessness: Can New York City’s public schools do more for students that are highly mobile and/or homeless?
- Li Zhu, Administrative support by school leadership in relation to sustainable implementation of school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS).
NYC Cohort 2Y
Dissertations from individual students in this cohort:
- Ignazio Accardi, The role of system leaders in promoting teacher leadership in small schools.
- Audrey Marie Baker, Changing roles and perspectives: An examination of the evolving roles of principals during the historical reform of Children First.
- Charles B. Gallo, The role of educational systems in improving college readiness skills in college freshmen.
- Fareeda Iris Garcia, Parental involvement with school administrators in school safety policies and procedures.
- Victor Gathers, An examination of the perceptions of school administrators and support staff regarding the effectiveness of the strategies employed to increase the graduation rate of alternative high school education students in a large urban school district.
- Doris C. Lee, System leaders’ cultural competence and use of perceptual data.
- JoAnn C. Nurdjaja-Acuna, The role of leadership with implementation of instructional practices for ELL students in grade one.
- Yolanda Ramirez, The effects of gentrification on the culture of school communities in New York City.
- Gaynell Edmonds Taylor, African American females: Under-represented in executive level positions in education.
- Sharon Terry, Instructional leadership approaches of middle school principals in an urban school system and the effects on professional learning communities and teacher practice.
- Lucy Wade, System leaders’ support to school leaders: Embedding and sustaining the Common Core standards with the purpose of improved student performance.
- Ann-Marie Weathers, The roles of district leaders, school leaders, and teachers in leveraging partnerships between secondary schools and institutions for higher learning.
Cohort 9
- Aaron T. Bochniak, Participation in digital professional learning networks as a means for superintendents to fulfill their responsibilities as instructional leaders.
- Jennifer C. Cannell, Development of the leadership capacity of school librarians in New York State.
- David M. Casamento, Types of professional development and principal leadership actions for instructional technology integration in the middle school one-to-one classroom.
- Rebecca Devries, The instructional leadership practices of elementary principals of average needs/resource capacity school districts in New York State.
- Constance D. Evelyn, The effect of NYS K-6 superintendent leadership practices on elementary math-learning environments.
- Mario Fernandez, A qualitative study describing superintendent perceptions in focus districts in New York of the utilization of the diagnostic tool for school and district effectiveness to support student success.
- Ebony I. Green, An examination into the perceptions and leadership actions of superintendents to implement policy to support transgender students.
- Eva L. Jones, Understanding diversity in suburban school districts: The impact of culturally proficient professional development and school leadership.
- Thomas W. Palmer, New York State rural school superintendents’ perceptions of their ability to fund instructional programs and advanced course offerings since the enactment of the Property Tax Cap Legislation of 2011.
- Jarett Powers, Publicly available information regarding the evaluation of school district superintendents in New York State.
Cohort NYC 3
- William E. Cooper, A qualitative research study exploring how principals manage organizational culture in their schools.
- Mauricière A. de Govia, An investigation of leadership practices that yield success in renewal schools.
- Alexandra Estrella, Effects of supervisory-coaching on the development of principals in New York City (NYC) to effectively support ELLS.
- Joel E. Heckethorn, School leaders’ promotion of the arts and how it leads to increased achievement among English language learners.
- Melody Kellogg, Meeting the needs of high school ELLs: What works and how school and district leaders align resources and best practices to meet student needs.
- Patricia Angelique King, Strategies principals in New York City public high-needs middle schools use to increase student achievement in mathematics.
- Minerva Martinez, Collaborative leadership practices in middle schools to improve student learning in English language arts and math.
- Yazmin Perez, Perception of teachers in high and low performing schools about the New York City Advance Evaluation System.
- Andrew L. Rocco, Experiences of elementary school principals who have implemented The Leader in Me program in a large urban district.
- Yessenia Rosario-Adon, Perspectives of New York City community-based organization early childhood education program directors on maintaining a positive preschool culture under an ever-changing education system.
- Hector Ivan Uribe Vargas, The perceptions of New York City 21st century school administrators on the implementation of 21st century learning environments.
- Ozella Winston-Prosper, Building trust and strong family-community ties in the face of poverty and homelessness.