Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item The Changing Role of Human Resources in Urban Schools: Perceptions of Human Resources Leaders in the Recruitment and Retention of Quality Teachers and Principals(2014) Merry, Darlene; Parham, Carol S; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Educators and policymakers have faced persistent challenges in closing achievement gaps between low-income and minority students in urban school districts and their peers with greater financial resources and from majority backgrounds. Human Resources Leaders must work to ensure that they are implementing strategic actions that will result in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers and principals in our most disadvantaged school districts. This qualitative study examines the perceptions of three Human Resources Leaders from urban school districts engaged in a cohort learning experience about strategic actions they have implemented to improve teacher and leader quality in their school districts. The cohort experience, with the pseudonym of the Urban Schools Human Resources Improvement Project, involved ten school districts in a learning experience over a three-year period of time. The findings from this study identify the high impact actions of three Human Resources Leaders from urban school districts engaged in the Urban Schools Human Resources Improvement Project. Data was gathered through the use of a case study methodology using purposeful sampling to identify the Human Resources Leaders in the project who met a set of criteria based on years in their positions, implementation level of the work of the Project, and their leadership experiences outside of the educational field. The Odden Framework for Strategic Management of Human Capital provided a construct through which the strategic actions of the Human Resources Leaders could be examined. Findings from this study revealed that there was evidence to suggest that Human Resources Leaders' strategic actions were aligned with the Odden framework. The Human Resources Leaders indicated that having a clear district goal and strategy drives the work of Human Resources to design the roles of high quality teachers and principals and select candidates who have the competencies and motivations that match the role expectations; they identified numerous strategies for recruitment and retention that are promising in urban school districts; and having a context that supports strong selection, performance management, and compensation of high quality candidates will improve the conditions for students in urban school settings.Item A Case Study Analysis of Middle School Principals' Teacher Selection Criteria(2012) Woodburn, Jane Lai; Parham, Carol S.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPALS' TEACHER SELECTION CRITERIA Jane Lai Woodburn, Doctor of Philosophy, 2012 Dissertation directed by: Professor Carol Parham, Chair Department of Education Leadership, Higher Education and International Education The hiring of middle school teachers to positively impact student achievement--is this a process of teacher selection or teacher attraction for schools, respectively, with low teacher turnover and schools with high teacher turnover? Since research indicates that the most important variable influencing student achievement is having a highly qualified and effective teacher in the classroom, principals need to have an understanding of their criteria and process for hiring the best teachers for their schools. This qualitative multiple case study investigated the teacher selection criteria and process used by middle school principals so that the findings could add to the body of knowledge that enables principals to make better hiring decisions. Using John Seyfarth's Model of the Selection Process as a guiding conceptual framework, this research study sought to answer the questions: What characteristics do middle school principals look for in hiring teachers? How do the unique characteristics of schools influence principals' teacher selection criteria? What process do principals use to select teachers using their criteria for selection? What facilitates principals' ability to select teachers who meet their selection criteria? Six middle school principals in a large suburban public school district--three from middle schools with high teacher turnover and three from middle schools with low teacher turnover--were interviewed. Collected interview data were analyzed using a manual coding process and NVivo, a Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software. For validation, an external auditor conducted a review of the qualitative data analysis and methodology. A summary of the findings revealed that the principals' teacher selection criteria included job-specific (content knowledge, pedagogy, adolescent learner characteristics, ability to scaffold instruction/use data) and nonjob-specific (ability to build relationships, be collaborative, kid-oriented, flexible, enthusiastic, professional, committed to student learning) factors; unique characteristics of the school did not generally appear to influence the principals' teacher selection criteria; principals selected teachers through an interview panel process; and principals identified how central office, institutions of higher education, colleagues, and panel members could help facilitate hiring the best matches for their schools. The findings and analysis of data led to the conclusions and recommendations in Chapter V. Knowledge of the principals' teacher selection criteria provides insight as to what principals are looking for so human resources staffers can create pools of candidates that match the principals' criteria. Future research can focus on the relative importance of job-specific and nonjob-specific factors, whether principals are actually using their espoused criteria for selection, and the impact of their hiring decisions on the longevity and effectiveness of the teachers they select using their criteria.