EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

Discussion Post Week 2

1) The differences between grant writing and scholarly writing are as follows: grant writing is future-oriented, project-centered, persuasive, and personal; however, scholarly writing is past-oriented, theme centered, expository, and impersonal (Porter, 2007).

2) Grant Application

3) Community Need

As many as 17-21% of children have trouble learning to read (Ferrer, B. Shaywitz, Holahan, Marchione, Michaels, & S. Shaywitz, 2015). That is one in every five students in classrooms across America (Shaywitz, 2003). Less than 5% of Georgia students are getting formal help for learning disabilities (Tagami, 2019). According to the Georgia Department of Education, only 3-5% of students are receiving intensive intervention (Dooley, n.d.). Dyslexia is the most common disability affecting up to 80% of learning disabled students (Ferrer et al., 2015). Dyslexia Network Cobb, an advocacy group in Cobb County, Georgia, began pressuring the school system to offer more support for students with dyslexia (McGowan, 2017). State education leaders have also been at work to develop guidelines to benefit all Georgia students with learning disabilities. In May of 2019, Georgia’s Governer Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 48, which mandated dyslexia screenings and the revamping of teacher training programs (Tagami, 2019). The bill legislates pilot programs for screenings and intervention programs across the state beginning in the 2020-2021 school year (Ga. S.B. 48, 2019). By the 2024-2025 school year, five years from now, all Georgia K-3 students will be screened for dyslexia (Ga. S.B. 48, 2019). “Early identification of dyslexia is crucial to ensure that children are able to maximize their educational potential” (Colenbrander, Ricketts, & Breadmore, 2018, p. 817). With early identification and subsequent intervention critical, the five year lag in the implementation of Senate Bill 48 will not be a solution for current K-3 students in public educational systems in Georgia. Private schools specializing in dyslexia such as The Schenck School or Gracepoint come with a price tag of $23,000 and upwards a year (Gracepoint, n.d.; Schenck School, n.d.). If private school is not an option, private tutoring can cost 65-90 dollars an hour, 2-3 times per week, for a minimum of two years (Abusaid, 2018). Providing afterschool tutoring for low-income students and families is a critical need in many counties across Georgia.

4) Research Question

The research question used for this mock dissertation will be “How do principals with reading endorsements impact school reading performance?” The names of elementary school principals from Cobb County Schools in Georgia will be entered into the Georgia Professional Standards Commission website/database to determine those that hold a reading endorsement or a reading specialist certificate. Then, this data will be correlated with the 3rd grade Georgia Milestones reading test data from 2019 for the corresponding principal/school.

References

Abusaid, S. (2018, May 12). Dyslexia treatment cost prohibitive for some.

Marietta Daily Journal. https://www.mdjonline.com/news/dyslexia-treatment-cost-prohibitive-for-some/article_b6ffe06c-50a8-11e8-bb4d-772cdfbe5d50.html

Colenbrander, D., Ricketts, J., & Breadmore, H. L. (2018). Early identification of dyslexia:

Understanding the issues. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 49(4), 817–828. https://doi.org/10.1044/2018_LSHSS-DYSLC-18-0007

Dooley, C. M. (n.d.). Foundational reading skill development and dyslexia: Serving all students

[PowerPoint slides].

https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/Eligibility%20Areas/LD%20and%20Dyslexia/Foundational%20Reading%20Skill%20Development%20and%20Dyslexia_Brief.pdf

Ferrer, E., Shaywitz, B. A., Holahan, J. M., Marchione, K. E., Michaels, R., & Shaywitz, S. E.

(2015). Achievement gap in reading is present as early as first grade and persists through adolescence. The Journal of Pediatrics, 5, 1121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2015.07.045

Georgia Dyslexia Act, S.B. 48. 155th Leg., Regular Sess. (2019).

file:///media/fuse/drivefs-6e8e4b89fcc9f10b23c229985efa6d85/root/Dyslexia%20Research/SB%2048.pdf

Gracepoint School. (n.d.). Tuition-Admissions.

https://www.gracepointschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=828409&type=d&pR

EC_ID=1207776

McGowan, M. K. (2017, April 2). Advocacy group wants more support for Cobb students with

dyslexia. Marietta Daily Journal. https://www.mdjonline.com/news/advocacy-group-wants-more-support-for-cobb-students-with-dyslexia/article_ab7c3a7a-1813-11e7-9c86-5ba9610bf426.html

Porter, R. (2007). Why academics have a hard time writing good grant proposals. Journal of

Research Administration, 38(2), 37-43. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ902223.pdf.

Schenck School. (n.d.). Tuition. https://www.schenck.org/admissions/tuition

Shaywitz, S. E. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia : a new and complete science-based program for

reading problems at any level (1st ed.). A.A. Knopf.

Tagami, T. (2019, May 3). Will Georgia’s new dyslexia mandate make a difference? The Atlanta

Journal-Constitution. https://www.ajc.com/news/local-education/will-georgia-new-dyslexia-mandate-make-difference/fHvhukNqfwzvAyltySiEhP/

MEETS EXPECTATIONS

Write a one sentence statement that describes the difference in grant writing vs. scholarly writing.

The differences in scholarly writing and grant writing are that academic writing is past-oriented and theme-centered where-as grant writing is future- oriented and project-centered.

2) Visit https://walmart.org/how-we-give/local-community-grants and read about local community grants from Wal-Mart. Type up your grant application using the attached document, copy the application and paste it in the discussion forum. The amount of the award ranges from $250 - $5,000 and the application is very short.

Dr. Bryant, I was not able to obtain a copy of the grant application on-line or in person at

A local Wal-Mart. I did however write what I would like to propose for a larger grant in

near future with the help of community leaders as a community need. Incorporated my answer in #3 below.

3) Research a need in your community and write a 300 word needs section in anacademic writing style, citing your references in APA format. Copy and paste into the discussion forum.

Several years ago, one was fortunate to be a part of the grant writing team proposing "Tele Med" services for all schools in our county. If the grant proposal were accepted, we would be able to have a registered nurse in every school along with the equipment to allow students medical diagnosis, write prescriptions for, and talk to a medical doctor or physician's assistant. The district's award the grant has now been a part of our school system's student services program for over ten years. Participating in a grant writing team was a new experience. From that time on, one has always had the following idea in the back of one's mind. Upon reviewing articles and journal publications on grant writing, a presented in a "2006 Symposium at the annual October meeting of the Society of Research Administrators International in Quebec City, where it received Best Paper of the Year" written by Dr. Robert Porter of Virginia Tech University (Porter, 2006). Over ten years, one has asked the question, "Why has someone not stepped forward and instigated the creation of bringing about a "recreational/community center" in my hometown of Kodak in Sevier County, Tennessee?" "What would be involved in such an endeavor." Adjacent districts have recreational/community centers that serve their communities well. In Sevier County, the cities of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Seymour, and Gatlinburg each have large, successfully run centers. If citizens from Kodak wish to join another center within the county, they must pay a much higher fee, and the closest drive averages a twenty-mile round trip.

One's research at the state of Tennessee zip code and U.S. 2010 census data web site revealed that the population of Kodak is around 10,770, and the county is over 80,000 (2010). Kodak is the largest district with the fastest-growing population, so why does this community not have a community center? What would be involved in writing a grant, a proposal for resources, available property, and leaders who would be willing to take on leadership responsibility? Community and business leaders that one has confided in have all agreed that it is an excellent idea and would benefit "our" community tremendously. They agreed that a central location near the high school would grant more easy access for all age groups. Considering the size of the facility, which would likely encompass indoor and outdoor areas, is to be considered when researching a possible grant. Everyone agreed that the right individual with appropriate leadership skills is crucial in the management of a community center. The newly formed organization (community center) will need effective leaders who will help maximize efficiency and achieve the organization's goals and vision. Communicating the plans and policies to coworkers is paramount – thus the "leadership" is the key to the success of an effectively run center.

A community center would bring people in the community together for a variety of activities. Those would include social, educational, and recreational. Individuals' quality of life (of all ages) would improve. The health benefits alone would warrant a facility that would meet the needs of citizens of all ages. The elderly would benefit significantly from physical, social, and educational activities. They would not have to travel long distances to surrounding towns. The high school could use the pool, racquetball, and bowling facilities to practice and host their sporting events. The center would be well-managed and address gaps in available resources for community members. Funding then would begin at a "local level."

As one has quickly discovered, "researching a possible proposal" takes a massive amount of time and acquiring the backing of community leaders is essential. Through research, one has learned that a successful recreational facility's main goal should be to offer opportunities for an active life and recreation in a safe, learning, inclusive environment (Perfect Mind, 2016). Creating a constructive, progressive, positive atmosphere also becomes essential to community members personal health and wellness of the community members. The atmosphere easily applies not only to the community's senior citizen population but to all ages (2016). The promotion of cultural diversity, all age groups, volunteerism, civic pride, quality time with family and friends, relaxation/stress relief, and after school programs.

References

Porter, R. (2007), Why academics have a hard time writing good grant proposals, Journal

Of Research Administration, (38)2, 37-43. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ902223

Retrieved from: https://blog.perfectmind.com/how-can-recreation-facilities-improve-my- community

Retrieved from: https://www.zip-codes.com/zip-code/37764/zip-code-37764.asp

Retrieved: https://raogk.org/tennessee/seviercounty/#Sevier_County_Tennessee_Census_Records

4) Write One paragraph describing the mock dissertation topic (see list of topics below) that you will write about in this class and include your research question. Use academic writing style and standard. There is no word limit.

Leadership / Educational Leadership Students:

-Leadership Impact on Organizational Performance

As an educator, the influence of school leadership practices on classroom management, school environment, and academic performance has always been at the forefront of instruction. Teaching students to build their long-term memory skills by requiring them to write out what one calls, “I.Q.’s (individual quizzes) after every day’s lesson is a large part of building these skills. One would create a mock dissertation on this topic about the collaborative effort of the instructor and ninety-five students. The purpose of this study will be to examine the influence of teacher leadership practices on classroom students in directing students in writing their I.Q.’s and their academic performance over one year in Honors Biology I, Honors Biology II, and Honors Anatomy & Physiology. A Classroom Management Assessment Questionnaire will be developed for this study along with student quiz and test score comparisons. T-test or Pearson’s correlation coefficient and linear regressions may be used to determine possible correlations between the teacher’s leadership influence and independent variable perceived school leadership practices, and academic performance.

APPROACHES EXPECTATIONS

Week 2 Discussion

The difference between grant writing and scholarly writing lies in the fact that grant writing is an attempt to persuade others, generally based on emotion, while scholarly writing is an attempt to back up a statement with statistics that support the argument.

In order to apply for the grant, you must verify 501c3 status, as well as create a login for the portal. Because our organization applies for this grant each year, I was wary of creating a username and password and trying to upload our 501c3 information. I will see if I can get a copy of our application to upload at a later date, though I’m not sure that my office would actually allow that.

In the local community, there continues to be a great need for education. When Alice Geddes Lloyd came to the banks of Caney Creek, there was not even a single high school in the county, let alone individuals possessing post-secondary degrees (Davis, 1982). Mrs. Lloyd saw the need for education, thus founding Caney Junior College in 1925 which would subsequently become Alice Lloyd College after her death (Davis, 1982).

Nearly 100 years after the founding of the junior college, the level of educational attainment in the Appalachia region continues to be well below the national average. In Central Appalachia, only 13.6% of the population aged 25 or older holds a Bachelor’s Degree or higher (Pollard and Jacobsen, 2018). Moreover, in 33 of these counties in Central Appalachia, less than 1 in 10 people have Bachelor’s Degrees (Pollard and Jacobsen, 2018). In recent years, over 70% of ALC’s enrolled students have been first-generation college students, thus reiterating the need for education (Work College Consortium, 2020).

The low educational attainment levels can be seen as a contributing factor to the dire economic state of the region. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, in 2016, 25.9% of residents in Kentucky’s Appalachian counties lived below the poverty line. In recent years, the economic disparity within the region has been exacerbated by the demise of the coal industry. According to the November 10, 2014 Lexington Herald Leader, 18,295 jobs had been lost in 23 counties in Eastern Kentucky that year alone. In a region that once relied heavily on coal companies to provide sources of income for its residents, the region is now looking to those with a college education to provide hope for the future. Morales (2014) explains that for those from a lower socioeconomic status, higher education is not a quest for enlightenment but rather a mode to financial security.

References

“Alice Lloyd College.” Alice Lloyd College | Work Colleges, Work College Consortium, workcolleges.org/colleges/alice-lloyd-college.

Davis, Jerry C. Miracle on Caney Creek. Thoroughbred Press, 1982.

Morales, E. E. (2014). Learning from Success: How Original Research on Academic Resilience Informs What College Faculty Can do to Increase the Retention of Low Socioeconomic Status Students. International Journal of Higher Education,3(3), 92-102. Retrieved May 12, 2020.

Pollard, K., & Jacobsen, L. (2018, March). The Appalachian Region: A Data Overview from the 2012-2016 American Community Survey Chartbook. Retrieved May 12, 2020, from https://www.arc.gov/assets/research_reports/DataOverviewfrom2012to2016ACS.pdf

Poverty Rates 2012-2016. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2020, from https://www.arc.gov/reports/custom_report.asp?REPORT_ID=73

For centuries, leaders have been shaping civilization and vice-versa, civilization has been shaping leaders (Landis, Hill, & Harvey, 2014). The need for leadership can been seen from the dawning of civilization to the present day. In a study by Rost (as cited in Northouse, 2016), writings about leadership were analyzed from 1900 to 1990 and over 200 different definitions for leadership were discovered. Having chosen the topic of the impact of leadership on organizational performance, perhaps it is best to narrow the definition to “a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (Northouse, 2016, p. 6). The question then becomes who is the leader, and what measure of organizational performance will be studied. Having a background in development and higher education fundraising, this author has chosen to narrow the topic to focus on how charismatic leadership traits influence higher education fundraising, in terms of dollars raised.