Capstone Projects by Remick Leadership Teachers and Principals
2010: Assessing Educator Needs to Focus Professional Development
Sharon Alexander
University of Notre Dame
Purpose Statement: To assess teachers’working knowledge and experience of implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Marzano’s “best practices”for professional development as required by the Kalamazoo diocese.
Research Questions: Do the teachers understand what Marzano articulates as best practices and are these best practices being implemented in the classroom? Are PLCs being used and are teachers comfortable with the format? Are the PLCs supporting the use of best practices?
2010: Implementing Peer Coaching at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School
Sister Mary Monica Bankard, OP
University of Notre Dame
Purpose Statement: To develop and implement a peer coaching process at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School.
Research Questions: How can peer coaching be effectively implemented at Saint Rose School?
How does peer coaching benefit the teacher observing and the teacher being observed? How did teacher attitudes concerning the peer coaching process change over time?
2010: Analysis of Special Education at Christ the King School
Johnathan Combs
University of Notre Dame and Christ the King School
Purpose Statement: To explore the perceptions and attitudes of principal and teachers towards the inclusion of students with special needs at Christ the King School and develop policies and procedures for best practices.
Research Questions: What are the perceptions and attitudes of the school principal and teachers toward the inclusion of students with special needs at Christ the King School? What are the best practices in special education classes in Archdiocese of Indianapolis north deanery schools?
2010: Affective Catechesis: Catechesis of the Heart
Sister Mary Patrick Connor
University of Notre Dame and Bishop Machebeuf High School (BMHS)
Purpose Statement: To determine students’ perceptions of their personal faith lives, and to explore and define ways through which BMHS can offer its students opportunities to deepen their spiritual lives and personal relationships with Christ.
Research Questions: How do students at BMHS live out their personal faith lives?
What opportunities can the BMHS campus ministry program offer in order to help students deepen their personal faith lives?
2010: Justice Under God: Effectiveness of the Current Discipline Policy on Aquinas Institute Eight Graders
Anthony S. Cook III
Universtiy of Notre Dame and Aquinas Institute of Rochester (AQJH)
Purpose Statement: To explore stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness of the discipline policy at the AQJH.
Research Questions: What are the stakeholder perspectives on the effectiveness of the discipline policy at the AQJH? What are the primary reasons students receive referrals?
2010: Impact of Athletics on Academic Success at Bourgade Catholic High School
Shawn Gatson
University of Notre Dame and Bourgade Catholic High School
Purpose Statement: To determine if academic achievement was impaired during students’ participation in interscholastic athletics.
Research Questions: Does playing a sport while attending school have an effect on students’ academic success? Does athletic participation allow enough time to maintain good grades?
2010: Ability Grouping: Impact on Math ITBS Scores
Lisa M. Gess
University of Notre Dame and Incarnation Catholic School
Purpose Statement: To determine the impact of and explore teacher perceptions of math ability grouping in middle school math students.
Research Questions: What is the impact of ability grouping on middle school math students’ ITBS National Percentile Rank (NPR) over a three-year period? What are the middle school teacher perceptions of the ICS middle school ability groupings?
2010: Market Research to Strengthen Enrollment at St. Pius V School
Sister Mary Agnes Greiffendord, O.P.
University of Notre Dame and St. Pius V School
Purpose Statement: To investigate and identify the unique characteristics that attract families to St. Pius V School, and use that information to strengthen school enrollment.
Research Questions:What are the key reasons parents choose to send their children to St. Pius V School? After three months at St. Pius V School, do new families perceive that their expectations have been fulfilled? How can the market research information be used in attracting and retaining new students?
2010: Academic Integrity: Preventing Cheating with the Implementation of an Honor Code
Camille B. Jowanna
University of Notre Dame and Tampa Catholic High School (TCHS)
Purpose Statement: To determine if implementing an honor code diminished academic dishonesty at TCHS.
Research Questions: How did the students and faculty react to the introduction of an honor code at TCHS? Did the introduction of an honor code deter or lower incidences of academic dishonesty at TCHS over the past two years as measured by trends in student disciplinary referrals to the Dean’s Office?
2010: Extended Day Programming at NativityMiguel Schools
Joseph Kilmade
University of Notre Dame
Purpose Statement: To determine an appropriate catalog of extended programs for the Nativity Preparatory Academy of Rochester by analyzing best practices of NativityMiguel Schools nationally and by gathering student input locally.
Research Questions: What extended programs will best meet the needs and wants of NPA’s student body? What are key elements of the extended programming in other NMN schools?
2010: Explicit Teaching of Organizational and Study Skills
Christy Leming
University of Notre Dame and Marian Middle School
PurposeStatement: To assess the effectiveness of a newly created organizational and study skills program on a targeted group of 7th graders.
Research Questions: To what extent will our interventions prove effective inincreasing student achievement? What are the best practices for teaching organizational and study skills and how can we incorporate these best practices into the Marian Middle School community?
2010: “A” is for Alumni: Reflections from Catholic Elementary School Alumni and Visions for Alumni Programming
Sean M. MacCready
University of Notre Dame and Saint Agnes of Bohemia Elementary School
Purpose Statement: To explore alumni memories of elementary school and determine how different alumni age classifications envisioned the elements of an effective alumni program.
Research Questions: What memories from their St. Agnes education do participants recall as representative of their elementary school experience? Which alumni programming options do graduates report as most important to an alumni program and in which are they most likely to participate? Do patterns emerge in these responses across age classifications?
2010: Stakeholder Perspectives on Bullying at St. Mary’s Catholic School
James Melone
University of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s Catholic School
Purpose Statement: To evaluate stakeholder perceptions of the newly implemented bullying policy at St. Mary’s Catholic School.
Research Questions: What are key stakeholder perspectives of bullying at St. Mary’s Catholic School?
Have the number of bullying incidents decreased from the previous school year? How has the new policy affected the level of bullying at SMCS and contributed to a more positive, Christian community?
2010: Service That Serves Students
Jack Mullarkey
University of Notre Dame and St. Petersburgh Catholic High School
Purpose Statement: To explore student satisfaction with service activities comparing structured short and long-duration service models.
Research Questions: Do students’ perceptions about service change after the service projects are completed? Do students report greater satisfaction with long versus short-duration structured service models?
2010: Stakeholder Perspectives on the Rotating Schedule
Molly Posedel
University of Notre Dame and Bishop Montgomery High School
PurposeStatement: To examine stakeholder perceptions of the rotating schedule at BMHS.
Research Questions: What are the key stakeholders’ generalized perceptions of the rotating schedule?
What did the key stakeholders like and dislike about the rotating schedule? What were the positive and negative effects of the rotating schedule, according to the key stakeholders?
2010: Fostering Catholic Identity the Christian Brother Way
Shelley Raley
University of Notre Dame and Saint John Neumann Catholic High School
Purpose Statement: To foster the Catholic identity of Saint John Neumann Catholic High School students within the foundational framework of the essential elements of a Blessed Edmund Rice education.
Research Questions: What student activities exist at Saint John Neumann High School that reflect Catholic identity through the essential elements of Blessed Edmund Rice? What were teacher and student perceptions of our progress in fostering Catholic identity throughout this academic year?
Of the activities implemented this school year, which events had a greater impact on Catholic identity according to students and faculty?
2010: Growing Minds, Deepening Faith: Stakeholders' Perspectives on Catholic Identity
Stacy M. Slomski
University of Notre Dame and St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School
Purpose Statement: To gather and evaluate stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of Catholic identity to determine if it impacts the personal faith life of the school’s students, and to understand what would help the students’ spirituality be preserved and grown.
Research Questions: Which primary elements of Catholic identity do stakeholders most readily recognize? How do students and staff rate the various elements of Catholic identity? How does Catholic identity contribute to the school climate and the spiritual formation of its students?
What elements of Catholic identity do stakeholders believe would further develop students’ personal spiritual lives? What are the applied personal faith practices of stakeholders?
2010: Examining Student Leader Abilities to Learn and Implement Leadership Skills
David Sorkin
The University of Notre Dameand Providence Academy
Purpose Statement: To examine the impact of a leadership course on House Leaders in the House System at Providence Academy.
Research Questions: How does the leadership class impact House Leaders’ evaluation of their own leadership abilities? What changes do House Advisors notice in the House Leader’s abilities to lead after they completed the leadership course?
2010: Implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) at Cristo Rey Kansas City (CRKC)
Mick Swanson
University of Notre Dame and Cristo Rey Kansas City
Purpose Statement: To implement the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) discipline program on a school-wide level at CRKC and then assess its initial effectiveness and teacher satisfaction after implementation.
Research Questions: To what extent did the CRKC teachers and staff embrace this new discipline program? Were the rates of discipline incidents in specific categories (class disruption and disrespect of staff) affected by the introduction of PBIS?
2010: Students’ Understanding of and Attitudes Towards Mass
Anne M. Wheeldon
University of Notre Dame and Assumption-St. Bridget School
Purpose Statement: To explore the impact of a classroom-based, primarily teacher-directed instructional unit on students’ understanding of and attitudes towards Mass.
Research Question: What is the impact of an instructional unit consisting of primarily direct instruction on second grade students’ understanding of and attitudes toward Mass?
2010: Servant-Leadership Infusion
Zachary Zeckser
University of Notre Dame and Benilde-St. Margaret’s School
Purpose Statement: To assess the impact of the SLF on the degree to which students view their peers as servant-leaders and to determine what actions of the SLF most impacted these views.
Research Questions: Do BSM students view their peers as servant-leaders? What servant-leader traits do students possess or lack? How did the SLF impact student behaviors and attitudes? What aspects of the SLF did its members identify as most and least helpful in promoting servant-leadership?