Jerry R Burkett | Texas Woman's University (original) (raw)

Papers by Jerry R Burkett

International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 2023

The evaluation of a campus principal can be a challenging process due largely to the complicated ... more The evaluation of a campus principal can be a challenging process due largely to the complicated factors that exist to capture an accurate assessment of a principal’s leadership effectiveness. Generally, principal evaluations are conducted by district level officials who often do not have the time or the resources to observe campus principals on a regular basis. Further, principal evaluation systems (PES) are designed to improve the practice of principals (Clifford & Ross, 2012; Davis, Kearney, Sanders, Thomas, & Leon, 2011; Fuller & Hollinsworth, 2014a; Fuller, et al., 2015), and there has historically been an acknowledgement that these evaluations do not always achieve this purpose. Therefore, the overarching purpose of an evaluation is to use defensible criteria to judge the worth or merit of a principal. Critical to this definition is “defensible criteria” as the Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation (Gullickson & Howard, 2009) recommends that personnel evaluations should rely on defensible criteria to ensure such evaluations are “ethical, fair, useful, feasible, and accurate”. The Principal Effectiveness Evaluation Rubric is designed to
evaluate the various themes found in the literature to help determine set criteria that is most used to measure principal effectiveness.

The workload of campus leaders continues to increase with new expectations for evaluation and sup... more The workload of campus leaders continues to increase with new expectations for evaluation and supervision, changing legislative mandates, and mounting pressures for improved school accountability. Educational Leadership preparation programs are built on national and state standards related to principal leadership and competency. However, while principal preparation programs have focused intently on instructional leadership development for future principals, most educational leadership candidates do not immediately enter the principalship but rather start their administrative careers as assistant principals. School districts can implement a comprehensive training protocol for their emerging principals using research-based practices to ensure assistant principals have the training, coaching, and mentoring necessary for the next level of leadership. The professional development strategies presented here can be pivotal in ensuring that individuals are prepared for campus leadership and potentially mitigate principal burnout. Increasing the competencies of assistant principals to prepare them for campus leadership will help support the future of the school district and ensure a pipeline of strong leaders.

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action, 2021

Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration. Web site: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/slr/, 2019

Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 2017

Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is b... more Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is being terminated for a comment she made on Facebook. This case was developed for use in an educational leadership course for students to evaluate an educator’s right to freedom of speech in relation to social media. Instructors can use the case to encourage dialogue around legal issues and ethical considerations of an individual’s rights versus community standards. The discussion questions are designed to guide students in analyzing the scenario through legal policies, ethical considerations, and human resource issues.

Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2016

This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes... more This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life (QOL) conceptual model. The article incorporates key aspects of the following into such an integrative framework: the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act; a framework for 21st-century learning; previous, current, and new reform agendas and policy initiatives; and the QOL construct. The authors discuss how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and aligned using a QOL conceptual model.

Journal of Academic Perspectives, 2020

Effective school leaders are essential to the success of the school environment. Preparation prog... more Effective school leaders are essential to the success of the school environment. Preparation programs teach principals traits and skills that define what research has determined to be effective school leadership. However, either by attrition or through a lack of personal awareness, some principals may lose or under-develop these essential traits and then knowingly or unknowingly employ ineffective leadership skills and create dysfunction. Teachers have left schools due to poor and ineffective campus leadership but often do not report the reasons why they left or do not have a safety mechanism in place to support their claims and drive campus change. The purpose of this exploratory research was to survey teachers who have left school with poor campus leadership and determine the traits that define ineffective principal leadership.

... ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway PO Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 UMI 3458092 ... more ... ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway PO Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 UMI 3458092 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC. UMI Number: 3458092 Page 3. Abstract ... approved teacher education programs. (p.169) Despite the method of entry, both alternatively and ...

International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management

Journal of School Leadership

Through this study, we examined a university–district sponsored leadership academy to explore the... more Through this study, we examined a university–district sponsored leadership academy to explore the perceptions of assistant principals, who participated in a yearlong professional development and coaching program, on how the program supported them in improving their leadership capacity and advancing their career. Using a single qualitative case study design, we explored the perceptions of 26 experienced assistant principals in a single school district in Texas. These participants were identified by the district as strong and viable candidates for future principal openings within the district. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, focus groups, and observations of class sessions. We used a leadership development and succession planning conceptual framework to guide our data analysis, focusing on identifying leadership talent, assigning developmental activities, and developing pervasive mentoring relationships. The findings illustrate increased confidence in the partic...

This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes... more This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life conceptual model. The article incorporates key aspects of the following into such an integrative framework: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a framework for 21st century learning, previous, current, and new reform agendas and policy initiatives, and the quality of life construct. The authors discuss how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life conceptual model. Keywords: ESEA, IDEA, Quality of Life, 21st Century Skills, Students with Disabilities, Educational Reform, College and Career Readiness

School Leadership Review, 2020

Educational leadership requires a set of skills and practices that are shaped by professional eth... more Educational leadership requires a set of skills and practices that are shaped by professional ethics. Professional ethics are the dynamics of both personal and professional ethics and requires educational leaders to understand how these ethical codes drive interactions and decisions especially in difficult situations (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016). Anderson (2014) argues that educational leaders may not have the deeper understanding of social justice necessary to “better scholarship, but also to better practice” (pp. x) due to the current expectations of leaders including increasing test scores and accountability ratings and addressing social and emotional learning.
Adding to the current expectations of school leaders are unparalleled situations such as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a fast spreading, communicable disease. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and with growing cases in the United States, unprecedented closures resulted. The U. S. Department of Education (2020) communicated that even during this time, districts must be “mindful of the requirements of Section 504, Title II, and Title VI, to ensure that all students are able to study and learn in an environment that is safe and free from discrimination” (p. 1). Legislative policy is also enacted as a result of the health crisis. On March 27, 2020, the United States Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which provides an economic relief plan and educational provisions for public and private schools.
Indefinite school closures have left some school districts unprepared to manage the necessary provisions to provide an equitable education for all students. As learning hubs were launched for at-home learning guided by parents and students, accommodations for English Learners (EL), students with disabilities, and students receiving Special Education services were not on the forefront of the design in every district, potentially providing larger gaps in learning. The launch of online at-home learning also requires internet access and devices to even access the learning, providing another potential inequitable gap, especially in low socio-economic households. This necessary response to COVID-19 placed a burden on parents who may be working from home, or not at home, or not capable of assisting with the level of instruction their child requires to replace the daily instruction of a classroom teacher.
The purpose of this paper will be to evaluate State of Texas local school board policies FB (LEGAL) and FB (Local) Equal Education Opportunity in the wake of the World Health Organization declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic and the resulting actions of school closures. We will investigate the potential discrimination under Section 504, Title II, and Title VI during an unprecedented time of transitioning from learning at school to learning at home is reasonable to ensure that educational opportunities are equitable. The need to understand how such a pandemic closure impacts the teaching and learning of all students is essential to policy change for educational leaders in the way of a new reality of learning and lesson delivery during a time of a global pandemic.

Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is b... more Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is being terminated for a comment she made on Facebook. This case was developed for use in an educational leadership course for students to evaluate an educator's right to freedom of speech in relation to social media. Instructors can use the case to encourage dialogue around legal issues and ethical considerations of an individual's rights versus community standards. The discussion questions are designed to guide students in analyzing the scenario through legal policies, ethical considerations, and human resource issues.

This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes... more This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas
might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life (QOL) conceptual model. The article incorporates key aspects of the
following into such an integrative framework: the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act; a framework for 21st-century
learning; previous, current, and new reform agendas and policy initiatives; and the QOL construct. The authors discuss
how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and
aligned using a QOL conceptual model.

Drafts by Jerry R Burkett

Being a principal in the 21 st century requires complex responsibilities that focus on improving ... more Being a principal in the 21 st century requires complex responsibilities that focus on improving student learning and academic performance and supervising and supporting teachers in effective teaching and learning practices (Lynch, 2012). State and federal policies are increasingly holding principals accountable for student growth, closing performance gaps, decreasing drop-out rates, and increasing college and career readiness for all students (Davis & Darling-Hammond, 2012); consequently, the pressure on school principals to increase student

International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 2023

Journal of Educational Leadership in Action, 2021

Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration. Web site: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/slr/, 2019

Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 2017

Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2016

Journal of Academic Perspectives, 2020

International Journal of Educational Leadership and Management

Journal of School Leadership

This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes... more This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life conceptual model. The article incorporates key aspects of the following into such an integrative framework: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a framework for 21st century learning, previous, current, and new reform agendas and policy initiatives, and the quality of life construct. The authors discuss how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life conceptual model. Keywords: ESEA, IDEA, Quality of Life, 21st Century Skills, Students with Disabilities, Educational Reform, College and Career Readiness

School Leadership Review, 2020

Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is b... more Monica Williams, a beloved counselor of an urban middle school, is shocked to learn that she is being terminated for a comment she made on Facebook. This case was developed for use in an educational leadership course for students to evaluate an educator's right to freedom of speech in relation to social media. Instructors can use the case to encourage dialogue around legal issues and ethical considerations of an individual's rights versus community standards. The discussion questions are designed to guide students in analyzing the scenario through legal policies, ethical considerations, and human resource issues.

This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes... more This article discusses how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas
might be integrated and aligned using a quality of life (QOL) conceptual model. The article incorporates key aspects of the
following into such an integrative framework: the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act; a framework for 21st-century
learning; previous, current, and new reform agendas and policy initiatives; and the QOL construct. The authors discuss
how education initiatives reflected in federal education reforms, statutes, and proposed agendas might be integrated and
aligned using a QOL conceptual model.