Dr. Daniel Wayne Eadens is currently an Associate Professor in the Educational Leadership and Higher Education department in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Eadens was most recently the Assistant Department Chair, Study Abroad Coordinator, and tenured Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University. In his early career, he taught Elementary Music, then middle school Special Education Math and Science, became a Behavior Specialist, and was a school administrator at several Florida public schools locations. He is a retired Army Reserve “Major” with foreign service in Japan and Iraq. He passionately researches the most Critical Issues in Education, remains active in professional associations and research, co-edited Papa, Eadens,
Part of the Accessibility Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Administration... more Part of the Accessibility Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucfscholar University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu
This study unpacks converging and diverging ideas and definitions surrounding Grounded Theory, Cl... more This study unpacks converging and diverging ideas and definitions surrounding Grounded Theory, Classical Grounded Theory, and Glaserian/Straussian Grounded Theory. This qualitative research cleverly accomplishes the task in a manner that becomes useful for qualitative researchers to use Grounded Theory as a practical venue for a framework for education research. Many researchers‘ definitions portray Grounded Theory as an ethnographic approach of a systematic qualitative research methodology involving the creation of theory from observation data. Even though Grounded Theory is often used synonymously with qualitative research, some researchers argue these are distinctly different (Grounded Theory Institute, 2011). Resulting theory attempts to explain categories, properties, and the relationships of a body of knowledge that is grounded in the data (Calloway & Knapp, 1995).
The last three decades of board research has embarked on various aspects of school boards (Alsbur... more The last three decades of board research has embarked on various aspects of school boards (Alsbury, 2008b; Delagardelle, 2008; Resnick & Bryant, 2010; Strauss, 2018) including characteristics of effective boards (Alsbury & Gore, 2015; Dervarics & O’Brien, 2016), importance of targeted school board trainings (Cook, 2014; Gann, 2015; Hess & Meeks, 2010; Plough, 2014; Pollard, 2012; Reimer, 2015; Weiss, Templeton, Thompson, & Tremont, 2014; Wilkins, 2015), boards and student achievement (Blasko, 2016; Brenner, Sullivan, & Dalton, 2002; Ikejiaku, 2000; Lorentzen, 2013; Peterson, 2000; Saatcioglu & Sargut, 2014; Shelton, 2010), board behaviors (Bradley, 2013; Choi, 2013; Gates, 2013; Gomez, 2013; Murray, 2013; Nava, 2013; Richter, 2013; Turley, 2013), and board professional development and grades (Gates, 2013; Lee & Eadens, 2014; Roberts & Sampson, 2011; Turley, 2013). Eadens, Schwanenberger, Clement, and Eadens (2015) found a positive relationship between participation in Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) trainings and state rankings of school district performance/grades. The current study furthers that previous research three years later. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between district (n=203) performance scores/grades and number of trainings governance team members attended during the 2017-18 school year. Essentially, higher attendance at ASBA trainings again was correlated with higher grades (Performance Ranked [4.0 to 0.0 / A to F]). Once again, the districts that had lower training attendance tended to have statistically significantly lower grades, rs = .168, p = .017. Given this repeated relationship between training participation rates and performance scores/grade rankings, it is evident that Arizona districts’ which desire to improve student academic achievement should commit to ensuring regular participation in trainings. While some districts may argue against devoting the financial resources to pay for conference registration fees, lodging, and travel, in even the smallest of districts, this expense would represent a fraction of a percent of the district’s operating budget. Given the payoff of higher student achievement potential, it appears that the benefits would far outweigh the minimal cost in time and funding. Recommendations included school boards schedule annual planning meetings, calendar of trainings available, engage members in committing to meaningful participation in school board trainings, establishing a practice of assigning a mentor to each new board member to accompany to their first training events. Future research recommendations included developing a deeper understanding of the differences in board training and actions in districts that are making achievement gains versus those that are not. Such research could provide rich insights into the complex and vast dynamics of the superintendent-board governance relationship and the outcomes of participation in trainings.
In this dialogic essay we present an extremely important subject—the future of educational leader... more In this dialogic essay we present an extremely important subject—the future of educational leadership and education more broadly. Given the uncertainty over and anxiety about the future of K–12 education and higher education, our goal for this article is to have currency and importance. We forged a scholarly community to discuss mid-21st-century leadership and education. Our research blogosphere arose out of a blog series and qualitative analyses of the data collected, which support the arguments we make.
Sadly, violence in our schools is a reality of both our present and our past. Agnich (2014) found... more Sadly, violence in our schools is a reality of both our present and our past. Agnich (2014) found that the Southern region of the United States has the highest prevalence of incidents, that 70% of the incidents involved firearms, most often involved a high school, and has significant discrepancies between urban and suburban settings. Eadens, Labat, Papa, Eadens, Labat (2016) found that although Mississippi legislators were proposing legislation that armed teachers, 61% of Mississippi principals surveyed were against such a practice. Some states’ legislation gives the school authority to designate a duly authorized concealed weapon carrier in the school. Other advanced countries have utilized gun control legislation with significant decreases in the numbers of people dying from mass shootings. Too often, schools are using zero tolerance policies and continue to spend scarce resources on armed guards and other fortification efforts. Instead, resources should be directed towards school counselors and the development of threat assessment teams. Media also plays a tremendous role in giving shooters notoriety and encouraging dangerous copycat behavior. Changing the culture from one of reaction to one of intervention has the potential to change the culture and save lives
Springer International Handbooks of Education, Nov 7, 2020
This chapter explores perspectives in higher education classrooms, specifically the need for soci... more This chapter explores perspectives in higher education classrooms, specifically the need for social justice in education through inclusive and universal design/universal design for learning (UD/UDL). The authors contacted colleagues regarding what worked to change paradigms and perspectives around issues of social justice and advocacy in classrooms. Three themes emerged, mirroring those of the literature reviewed: scholarly strategies, structured activities, and amplifying marginalized voices. The authors also discuss how accessible and inclusive approaches disable injustice and ableism in higher education classrooms by recognizing disability as an element of diversity and the need for inclusive approaches on college campuses and beyond. An implication is that faculty should discuss ableism and predominant ableist societal structures as people with disabilities are too often marginalized within schools, workplaces, and society. Social justice in education is incomplete when disability is viewed only as a medical condition within educational contexts and not as identity or a legitimate identity in the diversity discourse. Inclusion and UD/UDL within the learning environment may afford opportunities to elaborate socially just methods of teaching and learning. The potential for inclusion and UD/UDL to frame and reframe perspectives and beliefs about equity and difference in education is powerful. Faculty can guide students to create new paradigms to lead to an inclusive society where diversity of all kinds is celebrated and embraced.
As the complexity of school and district contexts continue to evolve, there is a need to prepare ... more As the complexity of school and district contexts continue to evolve, there is a need to prepare leaders at various points along the leadership continuum. Through this survey research, we analyzed student perceptions of program effectiveness ( N = 408) from 2013 to 2020 in one educational leadership program through the lens of student professional roles (e.g., teachers, instructional coaches, central office personnel). Results varied with instructional coaches demonstrating higher perceptions of effectiveness and central office personnel lower perceptions. Findings from this study could serve as the impetus for further research as educational leadership programs serve diverse educational leadership roles.
Part of the Accessibility Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Administration... more Part of the Accessibility Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, and the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucfscholar University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu
This study unpacks converging and diverging ideas and definitions surrounding Grounded Theory, Cl... more This study unpacks converging and diverging ideas and definitions surrounding Grounded Theory, Classical Grounded Theory, and Glaserian/Straussian Grounded Theory. This qualitative research cleverly accomplishes the task in a manner that becomes useful for qualitative researchers to use Grounded Theory as a practical venue for a framework for education research. Many researchers‘ definitions portray Grounded Theory as an ethnographic approach of a systematic qualitative research methodology involving the creation of theory from observation data. Even though Grounded Theory is often used synonymously with qualitative research, some researchers argue these are distinctly different (Grounded Theory Institute, 2011). Resulting theory attempts to explain categories, properties, and the relationships of a body of knowledge that is grounded in the data (Calloway & Knapp, 1995).
The last three decades of board research has embarked on various aspects of school boards (Alsbur... more The last three decades of board research has embarked on various aspects of school boards (Alsbury, 2008b; Delagardelle, 2008; Resnick & Bryant, 2010; Strauss, 2018) including characteristics of effective boards (Alsbury & Gore, 2015; Dervarics & O’Brien, 2016), importance of targeted school board trainings (Cook, 2014; Gann, 2015; Hess & Meeks, 2010; Plough, 2014; Pollard, 2012; Reimer, 2015; Weiss, Templeton, Thompson, & Tremont, 2014; Wilkins, 2015), boards and student achievement (Blasko, 2016; Brenner, Sullivan, & Dalton, 2002; Ikejiaku, 2000; Lorentzen, 2013; Peterson, 2000; Saatcioglu & Sargut, 2014; Shelton, 2010), board behaviors (Bradley, 2013; Choi, 2013; Gates, 2013; Gomez, 2013; Murray, 2013; Nava, 2013; Richter, 2013; Turley, 2013), and board professional development and grades (Gates, 2013; Lee & Eadens, 2014; Roberts & Sampson, 2011; Turley, 2013). Eadens, Schwanenberger, Clement, and Eadens (2015) found a positive relationship between participation in Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) trainings and state rankings of school district performance/grades. The current study furthers that previous research three years later. Results indicated a statistically significant relationship between district (n=203) performance scores/grades and number of trainings governance team members attended during the 2017-18 school year. Essentially, higher attendance at ASBA trainings again was correlated with higher grades (Performance Ranked [4.0 to 0.0 / A to F]). Once again, the districts that had lower training attendance tended to have statistically significantly lower grades, rs = .168, p = .017. Given this repeated relationship between training participation rates and performance scores/grade rankings, it is evident that Arizona districts’ which desire to improve student academic achievement should commit to ensuring regular participation in trainings. While some districts may argue against devoting the financial resources to pay for conference registration fees, lodging, and travel, in even the smallest of districts, this expense would represent a fraction of a percent of the district’s operating budget. Given the payoff of higher student achievement potential, it appears that the benefits would far outweigh the minimal cost in time and funding. Recommendations included school boards schedule annual planning meetings, calendar of trainings available, engage members in committing to meaningful participation in school board trainings, establishing a practice of assigning a mentor to each new board member to accompany to their first training events. Future research recommendations included developing a deeper understanding of the differences in board training and actions in districts that are making achievement gains versus those that are not. Such research could provide rich insights into the complex and vast dynamics of the superintendent-board governance relationship and the outcomes of participation in trainings.
In this dialogic essay we present an extremely important subject—the future of educational leader... more In this dialogic essay we present an extremely important subject—the future of educational leadership and education more broadly. Given the uncertainty over and anxiety about the future of K–12 education and higher education, our goal for this article is to have currency and importance. We forged a scholarly community to discuss mid-21st-century leadership and education. Our research blogosphere arose out of a blog series and qualitative analyses of the data collected, which support the arguments we make.
Sadly, violence in our schools is a reality of both our present and our past. Agnich (2014) found... more Sadly, violence in our schools is a reality of both our present and our past. Agnich (2014) found that the Southern region of the United States has the highest prevalence of incidents, that 70% of the incidents involved firearms, most often involved a high school, and has significant discrepancies between urban and suburban settings. Eadens, Labat, Papa, Eadens, Labat (2016) found that although Mississippi legislators were proposing legislation that armed teachers, 61% of Mississippi principals surveyed were against such a practice. Some states’ legislation gives the school authority to designate a duly authorized concealed weapon carrier in the school. Other advanced countries have utilized gun control legislation with significant decreases in the numbers of people dying from mass shootings. Too often, schools are using zero tolerance policies and continue to spend scarce resources on armed guards and other fortification efforts. Instead, resources should be directed towards school counselors and the development of threat assessment teams. Media also plays a tremendous role in giving shooters notoriety and encouraging dangerous copycat behavior. Changing the culture from one of reaction to one of intervention has the potential to change the culture and save lives
Springer International Handbooks of Education, Nov 7, 2020
This chapter explores perspectives in higher education classrooms, specifically the need for soci... more This chapter explores perspectives in higher education classrooms, specifically the need for social justice in education through inclusive and universal design/universal design for learning (UD/UDL). The authors contacted colleagues regarding what worked to change paradigms and perspectives around issues of social justice and advocacy in classrooms. Three themes emerged, mirroring those of the literature reviewed: scholarly strategies, structured activities, and amplifying marginalized voices. The authors also discuss how accessible and inclusive approaches disable injustice and ableism in higher education classrooms by recognizing disability as an element of diversity and the need for inclusive approaches on college campuses and beyond. An implication is that faculty should discuss ableism and predominant ableist societal structures as people with disabilities are too often marginalized within schools, workplaces, and society. Social justice in education is incomplete when disability is viewed only as a medical condition within educational contexts and not as identity or a legitimate identity in the diversity discourse. Inclusion and UD/UDL within the learning environment may afford opportunities to elaborate socially just methods of teaching and learning. The potential for inclusion and UD/UDL to frame and reframe perspectives and beliefs about equity and difference in education is powerful. Faculty can guide students to create new paradigms to lead to an inclusive society where diversity of all kinds is celebrated and embraced.
As the complexity of school and district contexts continue to evolve, there is a need to prepare ... more As the complexity of school and district contexts continue to evolve, there is a need to prepare leaders at various points along the leadership continuum. Through this survey research, we analyzed student perceptions of program effectiveness ( N = 408) from 2013 to 2020 in one educational leadership program through the lens of student professional roles (e.g., teachers, instructional coaches, central office personnel). Results varied with instructional coaches demonstrating higher perceptions of effectiveness and central office personnel lower perceptions. Findings from this study could serve as the impetus for further research as educational leadership programs serve diverse educational leadership roles.
Educational leadership in action: A casebook for aspiring educational leaders, 2015
Dr. Tony Francis was the principal at Dayton High School located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia... more Dr. Tony Francis was the principal at Dayton High School located in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia. He was an experienced school administrator, former teacher, and technology enthusiast. In fact this enthusiasm for technology led Tony on a mission to reface how students learned and teachers taught in his school. Tony was one of few principals in the school district that embraced technology and was well versed in new and emerging platforms and online applications. He spoke regularly to teachers and other administrators on the benefits of integrating technology into the curriculum and advocated for change, however he knew that if he wanted to make a lasting and sustained impact he would need buy-in from his two assistant principals and a majority of the teachers. To make matters worse, the school’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Lisa Candida, was overwhelmed with work and focused most of her attention on “fixing” computer issues rather than on exploring new options for using technology in the classroom and beyond.
Social justice instruction: Empowerment on the chalkboard, 2016
This book focuses on the instructional practices and strategies that pre-K through college educat... more This book focuses on the instructional practices and strategies that pre-K through college educators need to understand for all their students. The text presents instructional strategies from pre-school to university levels in a clear manner, where each chapter examines key social justice instructional practices. The book is divided into three distinct sections based on the age of the learner: Elementary, Adolescent, and Adult.
Social Justice Instruction: Empowerment on the Chalkboard, 2016
Children can learn about diversity and disability by harnessing their natural curiosity. They can... more Children can learn about diversity and disability by harnessing their natural curiosity. They can become agents of change for the adults who surround them. We must go beyond accessibility and move into an inclusive mentality. Teachers need an inclusive mindset that shapes how they approach all students in the classroom. Thinking about learners rather than impairments is where Universal Design for Learning (UDL) plays a pivotal role in making classrooms more accessible to all. We can teach our students about ableism and ways of viewing the world through the lens of another. Teachers must ensure that the classroom library is representative of all students in the classroom and beyond. Literature has the unique ability to build empathy and nurture social acceptance by allowing students to imagine themselves in the shoes of the character in the story. A teacher can transform her classroom by shifting to an inclusive mindset, helping students develop deep and meaningful relationships with diverse students, implementing UDL effectively, and creating a classroom community where curiosity is encouraged. All students will develop deeper relationships with one another, become empathetic and appreciative of diversity, and will become agents of social change in their communities.
Comprehensive Problem-Solving and Skill Development for Next-Generation Leaders, 2017
Graduate students from a southern state were surveyed to analyze their motivations for pursuing a... more Graduate students from a southern state were surveyed to analyze their motivations for pursuing a degree in educational administration. The researchers also examined whether there were differences in the reported motivations based on race. According to NCES (2003-2004) only 10.6% of all public school principals were African American while 16.8% of the students they served were of the same race. Understanding that African Americans are underrepresented in school leadership positions as compared to their Caucasian counterparts, the researchers sought to explore whether Caucasians were encouraged to pursue school leadership credentials more often than African Americans. Statistical analysis revealed no significance in the responses of the participants based on race. However, through analyzing motivating factors by age, it was determined that participants between the ages of 20-29, as compared to participants between the ages of 40-49, were far more likely to report that they were pursing a degree in educational administration because they felt that they could do a better job than their current administrators.
Journal of Education Policy, Planning and Administration, 2(2)., 2013
Piquing reader’s utmost profound curiosities by rolling the future back to the present, English, ... more Piquing reader’s utmost profound curiosities by rolling the future back to the present, English, Papa, Mullen, and Creighton’s assiduously address genuine social-political and democratic current world matters related to educational administration in their most riveting newest, Educational Leadership at 2050: Conjectures, Challenges, and Promises. Readers simply will not be able to put this book down until they have mentally reconciled the thought provoking truths and predictions that reveal serious and even harsh insights of historical, moral, and philosophical realities involved in educational administration as it clearly celebrates social justice as a vision for progressive education systems. The author’s judiciously scrutinize educational and societal discontinuities in their useful and daring views in addressing the uphill battle educational leadership faces as it prepares through mid-century. With social justice leadership and equity at forefront, digital native practice and preparation are explored as they talk through today’s cautionary predictor signs such as re-segregation and marketization of the public schools, education union demonization and de-professionalization, widening achievement gaps, online diploma mills, scoring scandals, and the erosion of the full-time higher education faculty. Seamless predictions grounded in reality are the foci these authors neatly tie together in three profound sections: Challenges, Conjectures, and Promises. This thought provoking read, offers direction, discourse, insight, and hope for education’s future.
Purposes as program faculty are to (1) review research on leadership preparation and program effe... more Purposes as program faculty are to (1) review research on leadership preparation and program effectiveness; (2) report graduate student feedback resulting from a 2017 survey that was disseminated in an Educational Leadership (EL) department (within an NCATE-accredited college of education), and (3) examine the benchmarks of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation’s (CAEP) 2016 Standards for Advanced-Level Programs (CAEP, 2016). The impetus for our action was to gain awareness of exemplary educational practices in leadership preparation and advanced study in these areas: program assessment and improvement, student impact and satisfaction, and quality and strategic evaluation. Besides the latest CAEP standards, survey influences included the University Council for Educational Administration’s (UCEA) value of high quality preparation programming (Young, 2017). Consistent with expectations for exemplary practices in EL program design and delivery, we conducted the research within a U.S. public university department’s culture of continuous improvement. We aim to contribute understanding to the role of research-informed practice in the quality program preparation and education of leaders. Informing our design of the 2017 survey, we contemplated issues of leadership preparation and program effectiveness and analyzed relevant literature, including research products and the CAEP 2016 Standards. We created and tested the pilot survey, soliciting feedback from students and alumni on program effectiveness, satisfaction, impact, and ethics.
For more than 30 years educational researchers have examined the differences between first genera... more For more than 30 years educational researchers have examined the differences between first generation college students and students who come from families with more experience in higher education, resulting in a deficit model and deficit narrative in which first-generation students are considered to be lacking in some way, which prohibits their success in college (Billson & Terry, 1982; Choy, 2001; Chen & Carroll, 2005; Finley & McNair, 2013; Padgett, Johnson, & Pascarella, 2012). College impact models were developed as scholars and practitioners theorized that student success and outcomes were the results of student attitudes, beliefs, motivations, and prior academic performance, along with their involvement and engagement in college or the environment of college itself (Astin, 1993; Terenzini & Reason, 2005; Terenzini, Springer, Yeager, Pascarella, & Nora, 1995). Only recently have researchers explored the characteristics and outcomes of successful students, much less successful first-generation students (Demetriou, 2014; Demetriou, Meece, Eaker-Rich, & Powell, 2017; Reome, 2012).
One of the tenets of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is that of Multiple Means of Action and ... more One of the tenets of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is that of Multiple Means of Action and Expression. Far too often, faculty in higher education enact principles of UDL for the singular purpose of accessibility for learners with disabilities rather than looking at it as a framework of inclusivity for all. It is integral faculty shift mindsets to one of inclusivity when it comes to persons with disabilities and unique learning needs, “Teachers need a mindset that shapes how they approach all students in the classroom” (Eadens and Eadens 2016, p. 253).
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Tony was one of few principals in the school district that embraced technology and was well versed in new and emerging platforms and online applications. He spoke regularly to teachers and other administrators on the benefits of integrating technology into the curriculum and advocated for change, however he knew that if he wanted to make a lasting and sustained impact he would need buy-in from his two assistant principals and a majority of the teachers. To make matters worse, the school’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Lisa Candida, was overwhelmed with work and focused most of her attention on “fixing” computer issues rather than on exploring new options for using technology in the classroom and beyond.
literature, including research products and the CAEP 2016 Standards. We created and tested the pilot survey, soliciting feedback from students and alumni on program effectiveness, satisfaction, impact, and ethics.
Meece, Eaker-Rich, & Powell, 2017; Reome, 2012).