Educational Leadership, Research and Technology

K-12 Leadership Graduates

Listed below are some of our graduates from the K-12 leadership concentration within the Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University.

Micole Dyson
Title/Organization: Elementary Principal/Kalamazoo Public Schools
Dissertation Title: Leadership efficacy and influence on collective efficacy in low performing schools; navigating the mandates from the state

Doug Greer
Title/Organization: Director of School Improvement/Ottawa Area ISD
Dissertation Title: A relationship between student math achievement and teachers utilizing a process involving instructional interim assessments

Alan Carter
Title/Organization: Headmaster/Creative Montessori Academy
Dissertation Topic: From following to leading: experiencing the phenomena of becoming a teacher leader

Rosemary ClevelandWMU
Title/Organization: Coordinator, Graduate Teacher Certification Program/Grand Valley State University
Dissertation Topic: New teachers' perceptions on their preparation

Brian Davis
Title/Organization: Superintendent/Holland Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Mothers who choose traditional public education in times of economic stress, criticism, and district reform

Mark Deschaine
Title/Organization: Associate Professor/Central Michigan University
Dissertation Topic: How schools are meeting state legal mandates to provide online education

Darla England
Title/Organization: Principal/Grandville Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Elementary principals' perspectives on newly graduated general education teachers' abilities to teach students with disabilities in inclusion classrooms

Ronald Gorman
Title/Organization: Deputy Superintendent/Grand Rapids Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: An examination of academic grit in urban high schools

Scott Merkel
Title/Organization: Assistant Superintendent/Grandville Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Redefining significance: experiences of humanities faculty engaged in undergraduate research

Cindy Todd
Title/Organization: Professor/Chair of Art Education/Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University
Dissertation Topic: Creative iconology: A conceptual framework for instruction in K-12 and pre-service visual arts education

Brett Geier
Title/Organization: Associate Professor/Western Michigan University
Dissertation Topic: Michigan elementary school facility quality and its impact on student achievement

John Severson
Title/Organization: Superintendent/Muskegon Area ISD
Dissertation Topic: A phenomenological exploration of superintendents' and principals' experiences in a shared professional development process

George Aramath
Title/Organization: University Clinical Supervisor and Adjunct Professor/Texas Wesleyan University
Dissertation Topic: Investigating practices of research-proven multidimensional teacher evaluation systems in Michigan schools
Peggy Mathis
Title/Organization: Superintendent/Newaygo Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Experiences of suburban and rural high school principals who have attained longevity in the position: a qualitative study

Steve Sanocki
Title/Organization: Elementary Principal/North Muskegon Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: The process of how teachers become teacher leaders and how teacher leadership becomes distributed within a school: a grounded theory research study

Timothy Travis
Title/Organization: Superintendent/Saugatuck Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: From networked learning to operational practice: constructing and transferring superintendent knowledge in a regional instructional rounds network

Caroline Breault-Cannon
Title/Organization: Elementary Principal/East Grand Rapids Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Processes, tools, and procedures section 504 coordinators use to create and provide uniformity of section 504 requirements across their districts

Michael Burde
Title/Organization: Assistant Superintendent/Kenowa Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: The relationship between student achievement and professional learning communities at the middles school level

Kristen Dewitt
Title/Organization:Elementary Principal and Teacher/State College Area School District
Dissertation Topic: Experiences of Michigan elementary national board certification candidates

Gregg Dionne
Title/Organization: Supervisor, Curriculum and Instruction/Michigan Department of Education
Dissertation Topic: The federal school improvement grant: telling the story through quantitative outcomes

Salah Meemar
Title/Organization: Director of Training Department/Saudi Embassy at Washington, Saudi Cultural Mission
Dissertation Topic: Tatweer school principals' perceptions of new authorities granted in the initial steps of decentralization

John VanWagner
Title/Organization: Superintendent/Alpena Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Case study: Michigan's 21st century small schools fund

Ann Rea Kopy
Title/Organization:Retired/Oak Park Schools
Dissertation Topic: A case study of the efficacy of a university cohort group in a small urban school district

Carla Postell
Title/Organization:Director of Curriculum Integration and Instruction/Hazel Park Schools
Dissertation Topic: African american students' experiences, achievement and outcomes; examined through the lenses of teacher expectations, racial congruence and stereotype threat

Andrew Rynberg
Title/Organization: ES Principal-Europe/Department of Defense Education Activity
Dissertation Topic: Using RTP (responsible thinking process) as a lever for improving school culture: a case study of an alternative secondary school's implementation of RTP

Kelly Amshley
Title/Organization: Assistant Principal/Rockford Public Schools
Dissertation Topic: Bullying, character education, school climate, best practices in K-12 education