Cheryl McFadden

A Comparative Study of the Perceptions of Teacher Preparation Faculty and School Superintendents regarding the Criticisms Made against Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract Blackwell, Futrell, and Imig (2003), in their article “Burnt Water Paradoxes of Schools of Education,” present a dismal picture of the challenges and inconsistencies facing schools, colleges, and departments of education. These criticisms have accelerated over the past few years and have been fueled by the current federal governments position on teacher preparation institutions. It is around these criticisms that we have focused our research for the purpose of comparing the perceptions of professional educators in higher education to those of superintendents in the state of North Carolina. Our results indicate a discrepancy in the perceptions of the two groups, with superintendents advocating redesigning teacher preparation programs and with faculty defending their current practice. Superintendents want preparation embedded in school practice, and faculty fear that the theoretical and philosophical framework would be lost in such a design. We conclude that schools and universities need to collaboratively redesign teacher preparation programs.

Does Online Outshine?: Online vs. Campus-Based Degree Withdrawal and Completion Rates within an MBA Program

This study examined how the method of instructional delivery, face-to-face or online, affected withdrawal and persistence/completion the rates of students who matriculated in either the campus-based or online track of the same Master’s of Business Administration program. A quantitative investigation was conducted to analyze the academic and demographic characteristics of degree-seeking students at a large university in the United States. Demographic variables included age and gender. Academic-related variables included program delivery mode, undergraduate grade point average, admission test scores, and grade point average at time of withdrawal or completion.

Profile of Public Health Leadership.

CONTEXT Public health leaders play pivotal roles in ensuring the population health for our nation. Since 2000, the number of schools of public health has almost doubled. The scholarly credentials for leaders of public health in academic and practice are important, as they make decisions that shape the future public health workforce and important public health policies. OBJECTIVE This research brief describes the educational degrees of deans of schools of public health and state health directors, as well as their demographic profiles, providing important information for future public health leadership planning. DESIGN Data were extracted from a database containing information obtained from multiple Web sites including academic institution Web sites and state government Web sites. Variables describe 2 sets of public health leaders: academic deans of schools of public health and state health directors. RESULTS Deans of schools of public health were 73% males and 27% females; the PhD degree was held by 40% deans, and the MD degree by 33% deans. Seventy percent of deans obtained their terminal degree more than 35 years ago. State health directors were 60% males and 40% females. Sixty percent of state health directors had an MD degree, 4% a PhD degree, and 26% no terminal degree at all. Sixty-four percent of state health directors received their terminal degree more than 25 years ago. In addition to terminal degrees, 56% of deans and 40% of state health directors held MPH degrees. CONCLUSION The findings call into question competencies needed by future public health professionals and leadership and the need to clarify further the level of public health training and degree type that should be required for leadership qualifications in public health.